Pet Sounds

While I can't laude this album for being the absolute eye-opening experience that some claim it to be, I can say that this is an above enjoyable collection of songs.

The vocal harmonies mixed with cutsie psychedelic instrumentals that predate the Summer of Love phenomenon makes for a good listen, but a full album of saccharine pop songs that make a honey pot look like a jug of water is something that's been done in a much better manner.

Yes, this album is not the end-all-be-all of music many people would claim it is. It has a lot of meandering and wandering moments, and not in a good way, mixed with some theater kids grandiosity that hinder the talent. But still, it's enjoyable when the doctor prescribes an urgent dose of sugar in my veins.

One of the infinite reasons this is a five star album:
Bicycle horn at the end of You Still Believe Me.

i never understood the beach boys hype. its well crafted and has great harmonies but i don't think the majority of the songs really have anything that makes them interesting. ill give it an extra point because its so well done but this is more of a 3 for me

Déjà écouté avant.

Tout a déjà été dit (et son contraire, probablement) sur Pet Sounds, je ne vais pas en rajouter plus que ça. Œuvre majeure d'un groupe qui ne semblait pas destiné, jusque là, à révolutionner l'histoire de la musique populaire ; expression sublime du génie d'un homme, Brian Wilson ; disque pionnier sans lequel l'album comme forme artistique n'existerait pas aujourd'hui ; bijou de pop orchestrale d'une richesse harmonique et mélodique inégalable et inégalée, et d'autant plus impressionnant 60 ans plus tard, qu'il n'a pas pris une ride ; … Pet Sounds, c'est tout ça, et encore plus, et c'est pour ça que c'est un album 5 étoiles intouchable.

Top : God Only Knows
Flop : Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)

classic classic opener
and then - Mm (dubious)
bit boring
kinda mediocre
it does have god only knows

This was cute

BRIAN WILSON IS A GENIUS

A love letter to teenage innocence. Through all the darkness that followed The Beach Boys, from Brian Wilson's sustained abuse from his therapist, Dennis Wilson's untimely death, Mike Love's brief stint as the worst frontman of all time, and Brian Wilson's much more timely, but quite sad, death much more recently, this album still stands as one of the most beautiful and wholesome albums ever created. Sweet, but not saccharine, vaguely old-fashioned but not mean or indignant in any way, lush and beautiful, trusting, starry-eyed, magical. I mean, just look at the cover. The band in a candid photo feeding various animals, their offer gazes and plain clothes, the photo not edited that much seemingly, with a bright, lush green title strip plastered above them. Some people disparage this cover, but I love it. It's exactly what a sweet album like this deserves.

The songs back this up too: obviously there's a semblance of "old-timeyness," as seen in songs like "I'm Waiting For The Day," or "Caroline, No," but both of those songs work because, in one case it's a pretty respectful statement of waiting until someone is ready to be in a relationship again, and in the other it's in fact a pretty heartbreaking and beautiful example of what could be a misunderstanding, could be symbolism, but either way shows some sort of deep sadness for the death of innocence, one of the reasons I love this song's placement at the end of the album. Wilson's vocals aren't disgusted, but rather confused and sorrowful at what he seems to barely understand: "you said you'd never change, but that's not true!" it's a feeling of betrayal that the other person perhaps didn't even recognize as betrayal; by changing as a person, Caroline has upended the speaker's understanding of the world merely by doing what every person is bound to do. It's no one's fault, but an innocence has died.

Other songs better portray that innocence, such as the adorable, catchy, lush, heartwarming "Wouldn't It Be Nice," in all of its perfection and childish wonder (fun fact, my dad gave my mom a CD mix starting with that song back in high school!), or "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)," which instills this beautiful and placid sense of love, and safety: when Wilson sings "We'll live forever tonight..." you believe it, or at least believe that he does. It's just such a simply wonderful song. "Sloop John B," no matter how silly, is not only super musically impressive, but also so fun! It's a fun, innocent tale, which is exactly what this album deserves. I also really enjoy "Here Today," which is both one of the catchiest and one of the wisest songs on the whole album: it does not badmouth the speaker's ex-girlfriend, but simply gives a warning, and one of the truest statements of all: "Love is here today, then it's gone." One of the album's catchiest choruses, a mature sentiment, and an oddly beautiful maxim. The two instrumental songs also add a nice atmosphere to the album, with the placid nature of "Let's Go Away For Awhile," and the lush and beautiful musical passages on title track "Pet Sounds." And then we have perhaps the greatest song on this album, "G-d Only Knows." Oh, the times I've sung this song, in the shower, with my dad, on guitar, on piano. A simple idea expanded into one of the sweetest, most genuine love songs ever written, with some of the best harmonies ever put to tape, one of the greatest song progressions ever conceived, and one of the most emotional climaxes of any song ever. It is truly a wonder of a song, and I can't say I trust the taste of anyone who doesn't at least respect it for that.

There's also a separate underlying theme on the album, however: a sense of self-improvement. Songs like "That's Not Me," one of my personal favorites, or "You Still Believe In Me," point to a sadness brought on by one's own inability to live up to others' and also one's own expectations. In "That's Not Me," Wilson sings "I once had a dream, so I packed up and moved to the city / I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty." It's a song of hope for a greater good winning out inside one's own heart and practices, seen similarly in "You Still Believe In Me," which exclaims a passionate appreciation for the speaker's lover, who, even after all the speaker has done wrong, still believes in the good in him, and by extension, him. Later in the album, these themes are returned to: in "I Know There's An Answer," the speaker laments at the unfulfilling way people live their lives, claiming that he "[could not] tell them their lives could be better," and that the answer has to be found out by oneself. Similarly, the problems that are talked about in that song can be seen in "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," where the chorus is the simple, but circumstantially heartbreaking line "Sometimes, I feel very sad," a feeling of detachment and depression. It's simultaneously the moment that betrays the album's maturity and its innocence plainly: though it sings plainly about the problems in one's life it does so just like that: plainly. It doesn't have mature words for the deep feelings that might be being felt, but it must voice its opinion anyway, in the same way that a child might do. The album as a whole reflects this, childlike and simple in nature, but sensitive, wise, and mature in thought.

The production is also incredible. Impossibly lush, mixed to perfection, the music surrounds you but never quite overwhelms you. The Boys' choral performances are incredible, and the arrangements are spectacular. Each backing track reflects exactly what should be reflected: the beauty and innocence that populates this album. It is truly perfect in every way. This album, though to many quickly dethroned by The Beatles' Revolver, will never lose the place it holds in my heart as one of the best albums ever recorded, with some of the best songs ever written on it. I don't think I could love this album more if I tried harder than I already have.
10/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: ABSOLUTELY
REASON: Seminal, beautiful, perfect.

To quote the 1001 albums podcast - it's ballsy, melancholy, not a rocker, smart, drug addled and genius.

A while back, I’d heard a few songs by The Beach Boys and found them only moderately interesting. I mean, how good can a band with that name really be...
In another review, someone wrote “Teemu Beatles,” and that’s actually what it sounds like - though the comparison is completely off the mark, because the American band spared no expense and hired half an orchestra for “Pet Sounds.” That may have been revolutionary at the time, but the elaborate production didn’t do the recording any favors: everything is uniformly smooth, and you’ll search in vain for any rough edges.
According to Jimi Hendrix, rock music means first simplifying everything and then exaggerating it. As you can see with the Beach Boys, though, it really depends on where you exaggerate. This is noteworthy in that many albums on this list could have used a bit more care in production. This naturally raises the question of whether such a mainstream-polished album should even be considered a milestone.

Had to unblock beach boys. Have never cared for them. Does not bode well for this project but gave it a chance. liked maybe two of the songs, one of which in discovered was not on pet sounds ,(hang onto your ego)

I have problems with the bad pun title and the quite disturbing album art. It's the sort of Capitol corporate budget packaging I'd expect on a Mantovani or other easy listening record rather than a modern (at the time) beat combo.

As for the music, I was surprised the album was recorded in mono? The songs are all good. But God Only Knows is just special. It's one of a few songs that makes me damp eyed. The album could be 5 star for that song alone. But the packaging and recording takes some sheen away. Additional credit though for the train noises.

No notes

The beach boys in their OG form, finally! Fun fact, I got WAY more into the Beach Boys after watching LOST (IYKYK). Still, lots of new songs (to me) here. I enjoyed it, but no new songs popped out as favorites to me, so for me I think it's only 4*, maybe because it was great for its time, but now sounds just ok.

Highlights: wouldnt it be nice, god only knows

𝘗𝘦𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 was the album that proved The Beach Boys could be far more than a group singing about surfing, cars, and the California lifestyle. More than anything, it feels like the work of Brian Wilson, who pushed the band into more ambitious and emotionally complex territory than anyone could have expected from their early records.

It’s hard not to notice the parallels with The Beatles. Both bands started with relatively straightforward pop songs before rapidly expanding their musical horizons in the mid-1960s. Whether that similarity was coincidence or the result of the friendly rivalry between the two camps, the comparison feels inevitable.

And then there’s 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀. If someone asked me to play a single Beach Boys song, that would probably be the one. Beautifully arranged, emotionally direct, and effortlessly melodic, it’s not only the highlight of the album but one of the strongest songs Brian Wilson ever wrote.

For me, 𝘗𝘦𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 isn’t quite a perfect album, but it’s very easy to understand why so many people consider it one of the defining records of the 1960s.

God only knows is possibly the most romantic song of all time

Bet good

The Good: We get to listen to pets making sounds!
The Bad: Odd pets to have… didn’t hear a single bark, or miauw, or chirp…
The Ugly: Getting punched by one of the pets after I threw a stick and expected it to bring it back…

My brain is starting to play tricks on me.
When this album presented itself I thought to myself that I had already listened to it… just like I did with another album 5 odd days ago.

I have listened to the album 4 times in the past 24 hours… not because I love it, but more because a) it has very generous play length of only 37 minutes, which makes it ideal for repeats b) I have constantly gotten interrupted by work making me miss a song or two c) at times there too many similarities between songs that you think you’ve heard it all before…

One can not deny the great harmonies on this album… nor the fact that there are one too many iconic songs on here… and one song which is considered, by many a great critic or uber music snob, as the greatest song ever to have been recorded… nay, not greatest, perfect… that’s it: perfection.

Anyway, I refuse to give this album a 5* rating, because I would not want to argue to death the greatness of this album… so 4* it is, God Only Knows that this is enough!

Another wildly overrated album that's always inexplicably at the top of the all time great lists. Brian Wilson is a composer applying his talents to pop, and it's more complicated (and thus impressive?) than when just regular guitar guys write/arrange songs. Ok, it represents a significant shift in the Beach Boys sound, from bubblegum surf pop about cruising to the burger stand with your best girl (actually pretty good) to something more mature with lush orchestral arrangements and more staid songwriting. But so what? Who cares? There are some great hooks and harmonies, but it's mostly boring, schmaltzy, and overworked. I guess it represents a milestone in the adoption of emergent studio/recording/production technologies in pop. Ok, fine. I guess it's influential and inspired a whole bunch of other 60s bands to try their hand at bloated concept albums - great, thanks guys.

I’ve been a bit apathetic about this over the years, but on close listening the production is outstanding, outweighing the at times slightly conservative lyrics