Customer Reviews

Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary CD+DVD (Limited Edition Fuzzy Package)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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

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.

I don't know, maybe it's just that I'm jaded, or maybe there just isn't enough there to really justify a "limited edition 40th anniversery edition." I was really excited to get this, but its mostly retread. The booklet is virtually the same as the 1999 mono/stereo release (now THAT was a big deal!). It merely adds a paragraph by Mark Linett at the start about the 5.1 mix.

The CD is EXACTLY the same as that 1999 release, so that leaves us with disc number 2, which contains the "exclusive" pet sound videos and the 5.1 mix. Well, it turns out that much of the video portion has shown up in other Beach Boy videos, and that which is exclusive is pretty lame (the George Martin segment, for example).

OK, it's really nice to have a 5.1 mix of Pet Sounds (hell, I was in heaven with the stereo mix), so I'm grateful. But still, the sound is rather anemic (why no DTS?), and the vocals are in the rear, which is a bit odd. (Since I originally wrote this I did find the DTS version, and it blows this away, sound-wise)

I'm not sorry I bought this. Pet Sounds is one of the true landmark LPs of modern music, and at least whoever controls the Beach Boys music is making some sort of effort, unlike what is happening with the Beatles' catalog, i.e. NOTHING!

So, though I was disappointed with this release, at least there is SOME product for the Beach Boys/Pet Sounds fan to acquire.

Pet Sounds is one of my favorite albums, so the three stars I gave for this review is more of an indication of how I feel about this anniversary release.

While this release will be great for those who never owned Pet Sounds, or only owned the standard CD, the DVD-Audio release of this album from a couple years ago had a much better surround sound mix. The dolby 5.1 mix on this anniversary disc is awful compared to the DVD-A. At the very least it should have been a DTS surround mix.

But, for those who want a great album in unique packaging, then this is for you. But if you do have a DVD-Audio capable player, go for the DVD-A release instead.

How many times is this album gonna be re-released? As far as the DVD, the interviews were edited, and most of the content is missing. Also, the HOME IMPROVEMENT on Mike's hat was fazed out, among other things. I love Pet Sounds as much as the next guy, but if they're gonna keep re-releasing it, include the other tracks (Unreleased Backgrounds, Trombone Dixie). I have so many copies of Pet Sounds right now, not only the new one, but the 1990 release, the boxed set, Brian's live version on CD & DVD, and the Beach Boys DVD released a few years back. How about a legal copy of the original SMILE, or the Landlocked tracks (Celebrate The News, Breakaway...) actually released on the album they were supposed to appear on. There is so much stuff not available, but they keep re-releasing Pet Sounds.

This review is for the Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary CD + DVD.

- Audio CD: The stereo portion seems identical, but this is the best sounding mono Pet Sounds ever. Here's why:

- Album in mono: This is a NEWLY remastered mono version from a superior quality master tape. There is almost no tape hiss audible in this new version, and also there is less tonal distortion. The vocals don't suffer from high-end distortion that plagued previous versions. Compared to my 2009 Audio Fidelity mono gold CD, my 1999 Capitol release, and the Pet Sounds Sessions mono CD, I can say that the 40th Anniversary Edition has the best, most truest sounding mono mix of Pet Sounds I've ever heard on CD. Finally, the album in mono is of the same high quality as the stereo mix.

Differences with the 40th Anniversary edition are that unlike the 1997 and 1999 versions, (a) the mono remaster comes from superior original master tapes (see Mark Linett's review) and (b) the entire CD was subsequently remastered in 24-bit format in 2000 using the HDCD process. Although all audio CDs are 16-bit, HDCDs have 20 bits of data encoded in the standard 16-bit audio signal, and thus have better sound quality. This mono/stereo disc is the only Pet Sounds CD I will be using from now on (I bought a few of them as backup copies), except for many songs on the Pet Sounds Box Set, and I will still be spinning my 180-gram vinyl audiophile Pet Sounds LP occasionally.

- DVD: This is another area where the 40th Anniversary edition really shines. There are two components to the DVD: the videos, and the audio.

- DVD Videos: There is "The Making of Pet Sounds" which is a new edit of the fun & informative 1997 promo video. This is followed by "Pet Stories," which includes some 4 decades worth of interviews from ALL of the Beach Boys as well as Tony Asher, Bruce Johnston, a handful of the session musicians and other music industry insiders who were there at the time. Next is "Rhythm of Life," a 1990's BBC-produced short video segment where Beatles' producer Sir George Martin goes to Brian Wilson's home and the two end up in the studio going through the master tape for "God Only Knows." The video segment ends with the original 1966 promotional films for "Good Vibrations," "Sloop John B," and "Pet Sounds." These original films are worth a watch. The "Good Vibrations" promo film is the only one in color, and is brings to mind the "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" 1966 recording sessions from the legendary "Smile" album when Brian brought out the red fire hats. The other two are more campy, black & white videos featuring Halloween masks, Mike drinking percolated coffee out of his boots, and The Beach Boy's playing an a pool.

- DVD Audio: This is the best part of the 40th Anniversary package. For the first time, listeners can hear Pet Sounds in either (a) High-resolution 96 kHz, 24-bit PCM stereo, or (b) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The Hi-Res stereo sounds even better than the audio CD, especially when using good-quality headphones, but again there is not a monumental difference between the different stereo versions. The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound version, however, really elevates Pet Sounds to the next level. In the technical notes, Mark Linett says of the 5.1 mix:

"In placing the sounds in the mix, we have taken a very "wide" approach to the music, and attempted to surround the listener with sound. Note that the center speaker is barely used since the phantom center created by the left and right speakers is a much more accurate way to reproduce the desired imaging and reverb in the front channels. So don't be surprised that almost nothing is coming from the center speaker; it simply isn't needed."

This is immediately noticeable, and as Linett says, the end result is true to the original sound while surrounding the listener with a wide-spectrum aural experience. Just as the stereo Pet Sounds was a revelation to those of us who grew up listening to the mono all those years, the 5.1 mix brings out instrumentation and vocals that were even downed-out in the stereo mixes. The percussion is crisper and I can hear things I never noticed before, and yet when turning back to the stereo or even the mono version, sure enough those sounds are there too, just buried a little deeper. Because of the broad sound spectrum and sparse use of the center, it's best to turn the volume up a few notches when playing the 5.1 Surround mix. Lyrics are provided on the TV screen, so it's a very pleasing opportunity to sing along with The Beach Boys!

- Pet Sounds booklet (liner notes): This release has newer, expanded liner notes, including more sections, added detail and even updating some of the information from the previous version. It's really nice to see the thorough notes on the remastering and remixing processes - this information is lacking and in some cases not even included with so many remastered albums today (Led Zeppelin's "Mothership," for example).

- Conclusion: Of course Brian Wilson did the original mix of Pet Sounds in mono, and that will always be the true reference, the benchmark, the final authority for how Pet Sounds was meant to be heard. Because the mono Pet Sounds on this CD is far superior, I have mothballed my 1999 CD, 2009 Audio Fidelity Gold CD, and the mono bonus disc from Pet Sounds Sessions and now strictly play the 40th Anniversary CD. The previous remastered mono versions were flat and compressed and suffered from excessive tape hiss and recurring distortion, but those problems have been remedied here, and the results are stunning. The quality of this mono version is finally comparable to the quality of the stereo remix.

Having a Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound DVD audio mix is a rare but welcome option for classic albums such as Pet Sounds. The only other DVD 5.1 mix that comes to mind it The Beatles' "Love," but that seems somewhat less significant because it is not one of their original albums. With this release the bar has been raised for future remasters and anniversary editions - hopefully technology such as Dolby 5.1 and even 7.1 Surround Sound (not to mention Blu-Ray and HD video) will continue to be employed for projects such as these.

Brian is a musical genius and it is thanks to him and Mark Linett that all of the versions of Pet Sounds sound as good as they do. We are lucky to have so many options for experiencing the original Pet Sounds (and don't forget Brian's live Pet Sounds DVD - the show rocks!). This 40th Anniversary edition is now out of print, so I recommend buying a copy (or two or three) if you can while they are still available. You won't be disappointed.

Pet Sounds is the ultimate aural experience. I enjoyed the 5.1 Surround mix. I sat in a chair, closed my eyes and drifted into a soundscape of textured notes and voices.

I already own the box set, the 1st CD edition and even an original vinyl copy. It seems that every time I upgrade I am never disappointed.

Purist seem to like the Mono version of the album. I love the all the sounds that scream out of the stereo version.

If you do not have the box set or the other stereo Cd, I would highly recommend this set. It covers everything Pet Sounds that you will want. If you do not care for the interviews and film, you will appreciate the surround mix on the DVD. The box set is more for Brian wilson Fanatics(Myself included) and collectors.

I must confess, I bought Pet Sounds out of curiosity, since it has been ranked as one of the best albums in history, behind the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper. In addition, I also confess that before Pet Sounds I had very limited knowledge of the Beach Boys and/or Brian Wilson's music and after playing it once I sincerely say: PET SOUNDS IS INDEED A MASTERPIECE CRAFTED BY A GIFTED ARTIST !!!.

The 40th Anniversary edition comes with a wonderful DVD that documents the making of this album through interviews and original footage, plus a video showing a visit Sir George Martin made to Brian Wilson's home.

This album is a MUST-HAVE for music fans, and I totally agree with Sir Paul McCartney's views on this album (printed on the CD's booklet), expressing that "NOBODY IS TRULY MUSICALLY EDUCATED WITHOUT LISTENING TO PET SOUNDS"

This version of "Pet Sounds" is a real treat for fans; the fuzzy green packaging is very sturdily built and is nice to the touch although it remains to be seen how well it will stand the elements over time. As to the discs themselves if you already have a mono and a stereo version of the album then the cd will be nothing new for you. I have never been a fan of duplicating albums with both mono and stereo versions on one disc but for me as I only had a mono version prior to this version, I didn't mind getting this for the stereo version and especially for the DVD 5.1 surround version. What I didn't like was that "Trombone Dixie" is missing and it was on the Dutch version of the stereo version that I used to have years ago.

The dvd has some promo videos and candid interviews with members of the band and especially of Brian Wilson but the sound quality of the DVD Dolby Surround is truly fantastic. You just end up hearing sounds that you didn't know were there when you were just listening to the cd. It's made me decide to forego the cds and to go straight for the DVD whenever I want to listen to the album. For this reason alone I'd say go get this version unless they end up just releasing the DVD in an mlps format the way they have just done with U2's "Rattle and Hum". If they do that in the future, I'd say go and get that if you already have the cd. Oh yeah, and they really should include "Trombone Dixie" in addition the "Hang On to Your Ego" that they included with the cd but not with the dvd as well as the other outtake sounds that were part of the bonus tracks that were released in the 1991 stereo version.