127 of 133 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Be warned, August 31, 2006
This review is from: Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary CD+DVD (Limited Edition Fuzzy Package) (Audio CD)
First of all, this review has nothing to do with the quality of the album. We all know how great this album is. Just a couple of thoughts about this specific product. This is why I'm giving 4 stars.
First,all of the content on the CD is exactly the same as on the previous mono/stereo release. But, that's to be expected, right?.
You're probably saying to yourself that the real value is in the DVD. Well, all of the DVD material has been released before, except the "Good Vibrations" promo and a short featurette from the BBC where George Martin visits Brian and they discuss songwriting and arrangement. The "documentaries" are edited together from the Endless Harmony DVD and the promo material found on the DVD Audio version of the album. Also, some of the interview footage found on Brian's Pet Sounds Live DVD is also included. You also get the hi-res stereo and 5.1 mixes of the album that were included on the above mentioned DVD-A.
So basically, if you already own the original album, the DVD-A version, and the Endless Harmony and Pet Sounds Live DVDS, you already have everything on this set except for a brief George Martin interview and a "Good Vibrations" video.
I was kind of disappointed with the limited edition packaging, as well. The two discs are housed in a velvet-type covered case with the original CD booklet with all of the production and mixing notes stapled in the middle. This booklet appears to be the same old one that was used with the mono/stereo combo disc, save for the DVD credits. The actual liner notes appear the same.
You know, I feel like Capitol has wasted two great Beach Boys opportunites with the products they released for the anniversaries of Good Vibrations and Pet Sounds. It seems that they just throw previously released material together in one package and tack on one unreleased item for each and put it out for the fans to buy (again, for the most part). You would think that they would have more respect for the legacy of these recordings.
Anyway, I'm through ranting. If you already have Pet Sounds but you want something extra, pick up the Pet Sounds Sessions box set and skip this CD/DVD. The box is pricey, but you get a better sense of what went into the album.
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49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The CD has been remastered, September 9, 2006
This review is from: Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary CD+DVD (Limited Edition Fuzzy Package) (Audio CD)
Just wanted to post a correction to the last review. The CD in the new set is not the same as the 2001 edition. The mono album has been remastered from a much better original source tape resulting in a great improvement in the sound if the original album. In addition the bonus track has been changed to the more finished version of "Hang On To Your Ego" which fans have been asking for. Sadly the credits for the disc omitted this info by mistake. While a hi-res 5.1 mix would sound better than the dolby digital , the vocals are not just in the rear speakers. In fact they truly surround the listener.
Mark Linett- engineer/ producer
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One subtle difference between this CD and 1999 version, September 29, 2006
This review is from: Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary CD+DVD (Limited Edition Fuzzy Package) (Audio CD)
In 1999 Capitol released the first stereo/mono single disc version of this album. In 2000 they re-released it, and what I read at the time was they had goofed and not used the HDCD master for the 1999 release. I didn't bother buying it again because I don't have a player with HDCD capability.
Last week I found out that there's another reason they re-released it in 2000: when the stereo version was released, radio stations started playing the stereo versions of the songs that were singles from this album. The stereo version of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" has Carl Wilson singing the bridge (...maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true...), while it's Mike Love's voice on the mono version that we've heard since 1966. When he found out about this, Mike Love had Capitol alter the stereo version of the song to insert the bridge from the mono version with him singing. When you listen to the stereo version of the song on this CD, you can hear how the stereo folds down to mono briefly during the bridge. Capitol did a good job of splicing it together; I hadn't noticed it until someone pointed it out to me.
The altered version of this song has also appeared on compilations released since 2000.
The surround sound and hi-resolution stereo versions of the album on DVD-A and on the DVD that accompanies this release use the unaltered track with Carl Wilson singing the bridge. I believe the 2 LP vinyl set also uses the unaltered stereo version.
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