As the last issue of my column, I felt that the album I cover should be the one I think is the most essential. That album is “Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys. Usually when people hear The Beach Boys they think only of surf music made for teens in the early 1960s, music that is unserious and nostalgic to an older generation. But frontman Brian Wilson crafted a sole creative vision in 1966 that not only changed music forever, it changed how we appreciate it. This album feels like a secret world shared between those who fully embrace it.
This album was recorded by experienced session musicians who were directed by Wilson. He played these tracks for the other Beach Boys who loved it and contributed extra instrumentation and vocals. When “Pet Sounds” was released, reactions were mixed. In America it barely sold and received mediocre reviews, but in Britain it was praised. The singles sold loads, and musicians from all over England started calling it their main new influence. Since 1966 the album has been seen as the first statement of music as “high art” and as the first full album not used as a collection of songs but crafted with passion.
“Pet Sounds” has two qualities that make it incredible. First is instrumentation by some of the best session musicians with tangible passion. The other is incredibly emotionally intelligent lyricism. I wish I could cover every song on this album in detail but, sadly, words can’t convey how I feel about each individual moment. Each song on this album is amazing in its own unique way, and I highly recommend listening to it from start to finish.
The three singles from “Pet Sounds” provide its thesis. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” sounds like early Beach Boys songs but with beautiful lyrics about longing and love, and by the end of the song, the band says goodnight to their old sound. There is a cover of classic sailor shanty “Sloop John B” in which the band takes a two chord verse-chorus song and turns it into a masterpiece filled with immense emotional depth. “God Only Knows” is maybe the perfect song. In just three minutes one can feel the depth of emotion that goes along with love.
The final three songs on “Pet Sounds” are the peak of its emotional climax. “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” deals with feeling alienated and not feeling at peace. The title track is an instrumental journey into the mind of the person whose problems are laid out in the previous song. It sounds unsteady but beautiful at the same time. Finally after that journey into the lost soul, “Caroline, No” presents a solution, falling deep into the past. “Pet Sounds” ends with the sound of a train and dogs barking, leaving the album on an ambiguous note. The finale concludes an ambitious delve into the delicate mind of a genius musician.