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Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys with a new album from all of the surviving original band members. In their new album, That's Why God Created the Radio, the Beach Boys bring the classic American sound that made them famous with new songs that are quintessentially Beach Boys. Be among the first to experience their newest classics upon the album's release on June 5th, 2012! |
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
If you need some pointy-headed pundit to sell you on the merits of Pet Sounds, your money might be better spent on an ear specialist. Brian Wilson's gift to 20th-century music elevated this pop album into a beguiling musical and emotional cogency that still operates outside pop culture's fickle space-time continuum--and limited critical lexicon. There's never been another record to compare (Rubber Soul, its inspiration, is close; Sgt. Pepper's, its response, misses the point), and certainly no album has been as dissected, overanalyzed, and predigested for public consumption. In 1997 Capitol Records devoted an entire four-disc box set, The Pet Sounds Sessions, to its thorough deconstruction. The techno-marvel centerpiece of that project--the album's first true stereo mix, painstakingly conjured out of multitape session sources by producer-engineer Mark Linett (under Wilson's supervision)--was at once heresy and revelation. Now the label has gratifyingly seen fit to offer both mixes on a single disc (along with alternate versions of "Hang On to Your Ego," the original title of "I Know There's An Answer"), an idea that should please the orthodox and heretics alike. And while the album has always clearly been The Brian Wilson Show featuring the Beach Boys, David Leaf's concise new notes attempt to be more inclusive of a wider band perspective. The result (three of the five band members claim credit for the album title) sometimes resembles Rashomon. If Pet Sounds forever crystallized the band's various creative (in)differences, it also became Wilson's grand karmic joke on his band mates; its burgeoning reputation (Mojo magazine's panel of pop experts once elected it greatest album of all time) guaranteed they would sing its songs--and praises--until the end. And if putting two different versions of the same album on one disc seems like overkill, look at the bright side: it's a perfect excuse to listen to the glorious Pet Sounds twice. --Jerry McCulley
Product Description
2000 HDCD remaster of the original MONO mixes. Does not include the bonus tracks that were on previous issues.
--This text refers to an alternate
Audio CD
edition.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
159 of 165 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I'm a Beatles connoisseur. A die-hard. I've walked across Abbey Road (with a cigarette in hand, though it was too brisk to go barefoot), quaffed pints in the Reeperbahn, and could point out fifty "Paul is Dead" clues. I've burned through a bookshelf of biographies about the band and I noticed that the Beach Boys' 1966 album Pet Sounds is continually mentioned whenever the end of the Beatles' touring days and the start of their `studio years' is discussed. With its 40th anniversary looming I started to wonder about Pet Sounds.
I always dismissed the Beach Boys as a half-baked band who parlayed a bunch of sunny tunes into a bubblegum legacy. While Brian Wilson could be considered the group's only gifted musician, but the boys could definitely sing. Gorgeous harmonies filled their 45s, but their words were always about things which were alien to me like surfin' and California sunshine. So, why the hubbub surrounding Pet Sounds? "No one is educated musically until they've heard Pet Sounds...It is a total classic record that is unbeatable in many ways", Paul McCartney proclaimed. Wow. Powerful, yet not as bold as what Beatles Producer George Martin said: `Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn't have happened... Pepper was an attempt to equal Pet Sounds." What the hell made Beatle Paul, Sir George Martin, and countless other music luminaries bow to 1966's Pet Sounds? I was about to find out.
The other night I dug out my copy of Pet Sounds, which I half-heartedly listened to a few years ago before tossing it to the back of my collection, and I listened to it...and listened again. My original lukewarm judgment of the album mirrored the American record buyers of 1966 when LP peaked at #10 and failed to go gold. I spent the evening playing and replaying the album. A hearty auditory diet of Pet Sounds followed for the next few days. It became the soundtrack of my driving, my meals, and even my showering and shaving. The songs grew on me like a suntan-and I became more and more engulfed in its richness and splendor with each listen. As Pet Sounds connected with me through my earphones, I thought about how striking the sounds were and how naive I was to have dismissed them years ago....
After suffering two nervous breakdowns, twenty-three year old Brian Wilson stayed home in L.A. while the Beach Boys (with Glen Campbell filling in for Wilson) continued to tour in autumn of 1965. He suddenly had time to work on his new project- a project that was to show his newfangled musical vision- but was unsure of his direction until the Beatles' Rubber Soul became the catalyst for his new mission. "Rubber Soul was a collection of songs ... that somehow went together like no album ever made before, and I was very impressed. I said, 'That's it. I really am challenged to do a great album." Fueled by barbiturates and good vibrations, Brian Wilson diligently worked through January and early February 1966 with lyricist Tony Asher penning songs with lyrical themes which evoke both the passion of newly born love affairs and the disillusionment of futile romances. Brian looked beyond the conventional guitars and keyboards when he hired and recorded some of the industry's best session musicians to play the backing tracks for the new material. Breathy saxophones, rolling accordions, piping flutes, Baroque harpsichords, pounding tympanis, regal English and French horns, and even some melodious oddities like Coca-Cola bottles, bicycle bells, and a ghostly sounding theremin are all interwoven into the album's rich fabric. When his band mates returned from their three-week tour of Japan and Hawaii, they laid down the immaculate vocals that blanket the record.
The result is an astonishing and harmonious orgy of sound. Wilson painted a dense and melodic landscape whose hills far out number its valleys. Pet Sounds is a gem from the opening blissful guitar plucks of the youthful anthem Wouldn't it be Nice to the crestfallen sounds of the barking dogs and passing train of the dirge Caroline, No. Brian's buttery voice on You Still Believe in Me and Don't Talk (Put your Head on my Shoulder) sends shivers down my spine. The heavenly God Only Knows, with its wintry sleigh bells and clip-clop percussion, melting vocals and marriage of horns and strings, make this an album highlight. Brian hands younger brother Carl the lead and the band recorded one of the loveliest and most divine songs ever heard on a pop album. " It's a favorite of mine...very emotional, always a bit of a choker for me," McCartney said of the song. The song's unorthodox opening line of "If I should ever leave you," is the cherry on top of the sundae for me. Perfection.
Pet Sounds is the crest of Brian Wilson's wave. He was able to use inspiration from across the pond and thread it into a richly textured and intricate piece of stunning pop. It was his vision, his baby, his masterstroke. His soul breathes through the vinyl.
I always dismissed the Beach Boys as a half-baked band who parlayed a bunch of sunny tunes into a bubblegum legacy. While Brian Wilson could be considered the group's only gifted musician, but the boys could definitely sing. Gorgeous harmonies filled their 45s, but their words were always about things which were alien to me like surfin' and California sunshine. So, why the hubbub surrounding Pet Sounds? "No one is educated musically until they've heard Pet Sounds...It is a total classic record that is unbeatable in many ways", Paul McCartney proclaimed. Wow. Powerful, yet not as bold as what Beatles Producer George Martin said: `Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn't have happened... Pepper was an attempt to equal Pet Sounds." What the hell made Beatle Paul, Sir George Martin, and countless other music luminaries bow to 1966's Pet Sounds? I was about to find out.
The other night I dug out my copy of Pet Sounds, which I half-heartedly listened to a few years ago before tossing it to the back of my collection, and I listened to it...and listened again. My original lukewarm judgment of the album mirrored the American record buyers of 1966 when LP peaked at #10 and failed to go gold. I spent the evening playing and replaying the album. A hearty auditory diet of Pet Sounds followed for the next few days. It became the soundtrack of my driving, my meals, and even my showering and shaving. The songs grew on me like a suntan-and I became more and more engulfed in its richness and splendor with each listen. As Pet Sounds connected with me through my earphones, I thought about how striking the sounds were and how naive I was to have dismissed them years ago....
After suffering two nervous breakdowns, twenty-three year old Brian Wilson stayed home in L.A. while the Beach Boys (with Glen Campbell filling in for Wilson) continued to tour in autumn of 1965. He suddenly had time to work on his new project- a project that was to show his newfangled musical vision- but was unsure of his direction until the Beatles' Rubber Soul became the catalyst for his new mission. "Rubber Soul was a collection of songs ... that somehow went together like no album ever made before, and I was very impressed. I said, 'That's it. I really am challenged to do a great album." Fueled by barbiturates and good vibrations, Brian Wilson diligently worked through January and early February 1966 with lyricist Tony Asher penning songs with lyrical themes which evoke both the passion of newly born love affairs and the disillusionment of futile romances. Brian looked beyond the conventional guitars and keyboards when he hired and recorded some of the industry's best session musicians to play the backing tracks for the new material. Breathy saxophones, rolling accordions, piping flutes, Baroque harpsichords, pounding tympanis, regal English and French horns, and even some melodious oddities like Coca-Cola bottles, bicycle bells, and a ghostly sounding theremin are all interwoven into the album's rich fabric. When his band mates returned from their three-week tour of Japan and Hawaii, they laid down the immaculate vocals that blanket the record.
The result is an astonishing and harmonious orgy of sound. Wilson painted a dense and melodic landscape whose hills far out number its valleys. Pet Sounds is a gem from the opening blissful guitar plucks of the youthful anthem Wouldn't it be Nice to the crestfallen sounds of the barking dogs and passing train of the dirge Caroline, No. Brian's buttery voice on You Still Believe in Me and Don't Talk (Put your Head on my Shoulder) sends shivers down my spine. The heavenly God Only Knows, with its wintry sleigh bells and clip-clop percussion, melting vocals and marriage of horns and strings, make this an album highlight. Brian hands younger brother Carl the lead and the band recorded one of the loveliest and most divine songs ever heard on a pop album. " It's a favorite of mine...very emotional, always a bit of a choker for me," McCartney said of the song. The song's unorthodox opening line of "If I should ever leave you," is the cherry on top of the sundae for me. Perfection.
Pet Sounds is the crest of Brian Wilson's wave. He was able to use inspiration from across the pond and thread it into a richly textured and intricate piece of stunning pop. It was his vision, his baby, his masterstroke. His soul breathes through the vinyl.
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
There are some good and bad aspects of this release.
Good:
- The sound is much better than the official CD and marginally better than the bass-heavy DCC. If you like the DCC's sound, then save your $30. If you think the DCC is a little bottom-heavy, then splurge on this. It is more open and present, though one should keep in perspective the fact that we're talking about a mono recording from the '60s. It's no sonic marvel.
- That's about it. Try before you buy on your local BitTorrent tracker to see whether the sound is for you.
Bad:
- A weird tape drop-out at the beginning of "I'm Waiting for the Day" that is not present in the DCC or any other CD versions.
- A huge gap between "Sloop John B" and "God Only Knows" that supposedly mimics the time in between flipping a record. One of the nice things about listening to CDs is that you don't have to take time to get up and change sides. I have never noticed this on any other digital release and think it's annoying. Others may disagree.
- Why and how does this sound different from the DCC? Both of them say they were from the original master tapes, which is obviously false information as noted in previous reviews. I don't buy this stuff about the so-called Kensei Audio Transformer--there has been EQ tweaking on the DCC, the AF, or both. This is either a good or bad thing depending on your opinion of the results.
- The packaging, advertised as "deluxe," is embarrassing. The slipcase looks like it was printed on grandma's 10-year-old inkjet and my copy has little bubbles under the sticker on top of the CD. I have read a lot about broken teeth and cracking, which is not surprising given the flimsiness of the case. Audio Fidelity is clearly a slapdash operation skating by on Hoffman's name recognition.
- The price. Then again, it's cheaper than a used copy of the DCC.
All in all, I don't regret my purchase but I'm close. The 1970s C&TP vinyl reissue is better, but this is probably the best available digital version.
Good:
- The sound is much better than the official CD and marginally better than the bass-heavy DCC. If you like the DCC's sound, then save your $30. If you think the DCC is a little bottom-heavy, then splurge on this. It is more open and present, though one should keep in perspective the fact that we're talking about a mono recording from the '60s. It's no sonic marvel.
- That's about it. Try before you buy on your local BitTorrent tracker to see whether the sound is for you.
Bad:
- A weird tape drop-out at the beginning of "I'm Waiting for the Day" that is not present in the DCC or any other CD versions.
- A huge gap between "Sloop John B" and "God Only Knows" that supposedly mimics the time in between flipping a record. One of the nice things about listening to CDs is that you don't have to take time to get up and change sides. I have never noticed this on any other digital release and think it's annoying. Others may disagree.
- Why and how does this sound different from the DCC? Both of them say they were from the original master tapes, which is obviously false information as noted in previous reviews. I don't buy this stuff about the so-called Kensei Audio Transformer--there has been EQ tweaking on the DCC, the AF, or both. This is either a good or bad thing depending on your opinion of the results.
- The packaging, advertised as "deluxe," is embarrassing. The slipcase looks like it was printed on grandma's 10-year-old inkjet and my copy has little bubbles under the sticker on top of the CD. I have read a lot about broken teeth and cracking, which is not surprising given the flimsiness of the case. Audio Fidelity is clearly a slapdash operation skating by on Hoffman's name recognition.
- The price. Then again, it's cheaper than a used copy of the DCC.
All in all, I don't regret my purchase but I'm close. The 1970s C&TP vinyl reissue is better, but this is probably the best available digital version.
48 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It sounds silly to say this, but the Beach Boys really did change my life...I'm not sure when exactly I discovered that they were more than the fun songs I heard on the oldies station when I drove somewhere with my parents.
But, reading an editorial in my local newspaper one day, I noticed they mentioned that Brian Wilson was a musical genius. This greatly intrigued me, and I just had to discover who this Brian Wilson guy was...then I continued reading and found that he was the leader of the very familiar band, The Beach Boys. I immediately found the one Beach Boys c.d. that my dad had and put it on, this time listening deeper than I had ever before listened to The Beach Boys. I found that whoever wrote the newspaper editorial was correct...Brian Wilson was a musical genius...amazing vocal harmonies...outstanding instrumental use...a different and creative sound...and simply great songwriting!
This epiphany occurred about two years ago, and has left me obsessed with Brian Wilson ever since...which is no easy thing to say when you're eighteen years old and everyone else around you is listening to Fall Out Boy and The All American Rejects...and I actually really like both of those bands...they're fun to listen to and I like them, but I can admit that it's not great music. And sometimes, when I'm listening to bands like them, I wish that bands did it the way they used to...more about the music and less about the image. Nowadays, it seems like vocals is not a big part of music...because, in most current bands, the drummers and guitarists are pretty good and the singers sound like crap...I miss hearing good voices...such as the sweet soaring sound of Brian Wilson's falsetto, and the sounds of other harmonic groups, such as The Mamas and the Papas...The Association...The Grass Roots...Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young...the Beatles.
Anyway, I'm well aware that I am very off-track here...I'm supposed to be talking about how awesome Pet Sounds is, not how I feel about every musical group ever! So, Pet Sounds...what can I say that hasn't already been said? It's an amazing album...I don't feel that any words can do it justice.
I've read a few reviews on this album that state that people just like Pet Sounds and say it's the best album of all time because that's what they've heard the "intellectuals" say. Ummm...no. I could really care less what these alleged "intellectuals" have to say...I feel that Pet Sounds is the greatest album of all time because listening to it makes me feel indescribably happy...that's all...it soothes me...takes my problems away...reassures me that everything's going to be okay...that's how I know that it's the greates album of all time. It may not be some people's kind of music, but that's fine...everyone has their own opinions...but if you're eighteen and you love The Beach Boys just as much as I do, even though none of your friends and peers can understand why, don't worry...you're not alone...you're in a very elite club full of the most awesome people on earth...just kidding...but honestly...be reassured because there are a few others out there.
But, reading an editorial in my local newspaper one day, I noticed they mentioned that Brian Wilson was a musical genius. This greatly intrigued me, and I just had to discover who this Brian Wilson guy was...then I continued reading and found that he was the leader of the very familiar band, The Beach Boys. I immediately found the one Beach Boys c.d. that my dad had and put it on, this time listening deeper than I had ever before listened to The Beach Boys. I found that whoever wrote the newspaper editorial was correct...Brian Wilson was a musical genius...amazing vocal harmonies...outstanding instrumental use...a different and creative sound...and simply great songwriting!
This epiphany occurred about two years ago, and has left me obsessed with Brian Wilson ever since...which is no easy thing to say when you're eighteen years old and everyone else around you is listening to Fall Out Boy and The All American Rejects...and I actually really like both of those bands...they're fun to listen to and I like them, but I can admit that it's not great music. And sometimes, when I'm listening to bands like them, I wish that bands did it the way they used to...more about the music and less about the image. Nowadays, it seems like vocals is not a big part of music...because, in most current bands, the drummers and guitarists are pretty good and the singers sound like crap...I miss hearing good voices...such as the sweet soaring sound of Brian Wilson's falsetto, and the sounds of other harmonic groups, such as The Mamas and the Papas...The Association...The Grass Roots...Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young...the Beatles.
Anyway, I'm well aware that I am very off-track here...I'm supposed to be talking about how awesome Pet Sounds is, not how I feel about every musical group ever! So, Pet Sounds...what can I say that hasn't already been said? It's an amazing album...I don't feel that any words can do it justice.
I've read a few reviews on this album that state that people just like Pet Sounds and say it's the best album of all time because that's what they've heard the "intellectuals" say. Ummm...no. I could really care less what these alleged "intellectuals" have to say...I feel that Pet Sounds is the greatest album of all time because listening to it makes me feel indescribably happy...that's all...it soothes me...takes my problems away...reassures me that everything's going to be okay...that's how I know that it's the greates album of all time. It may not be some people's kind of music, but that's fine...everyone has their own opinions...but if you're eighteen and you love The Beach Boys just as much as I do, even though none of your friends and peers can understand why, don't worry...you're not alone...you're in a very elite club full of the most awesome people on earth...just kidding...but honestly...be reassured because there are a few others out there.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
SACD is the "Holy Grail" version of Pet Sounds!!
This review is for the Pet Sounds [Hybrid SACD - DSD] offered from Mobil Fidelity.
I will not waste my time talking about the album itself. Read more
I will not waste my time talking about the album itself. Read more
Published 4 hours ago by Marty Gillis
PET SOUNDS GREAT
ONE OF BEACH BOYS'S BEST ALBUMS, EVERY TRACK IS GREAT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE AWESOME SHM AUDIO FORMAT. Read more
Published 14 days ago by A. Georgopoulos
Among the Top-5 Albums of All-Time Sounding The Best For Now In...
This album along with contemporaries "Forever Changes", "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper's..." has always held a very special place in my heart. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Frederick Baptist
Excellent
Excellent version of this classic album, clean and bright sounding. I only wish they had included the mono version. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Stagliano
Influential and important? Sure. Great? Not so much.
Like many other "classics" from its era, Pet Sounds simply hasn't stood the test of time, not because its sounds weren't ground-breaking for when it came out, but because most of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by psychedelephant
Not Impressed
As usual, MOFI has done a good job. But tell me again why this album is so highly regarded by fans and critics alike? Read more
Published 1 month ago by Billy D
Congratulations MOFI!!!
This remaster is the best work on PET SOUNDS, the presentation is exellent! both SACD and CD sound incredible, highly recommended!
Published 1 month ago by Dr. Winston O'boogie
The End
Pet Sounds is Brian Wilson's musical magnum opus. Yet, it is doubtful Wilson's habitual use of hashish, accompanied by the occasional LSD stupor, would have permitted completion... Read more
Published 1 month ago by anonymous
True
Agree with the other 2 reviews (to date) that this is easily the best sounding version of Pet Sounds. Sound is fuller, lusher, more relaxed, more present. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael A. Sugarman
Magnificent MoFi Remaster in Stereo
MoFi have always been known for their excellent remasters - but with this one they have outdone themselves again! The sound is absolutely magnificent. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Stephen B.
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The Beach Boys' album Pet Sounds was produced by Brian Wilson.
Brian Wilson, Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and 12 other artists have been a member of The Beach Boys.
Brian Wilson, Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and 12 other artists have been a member of The Beach Boys.
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