Pet Sounds

I mean, it was the greatest album in the world for a year and 10 days until The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper. This isn't just peak Brian Wilson, or peak Beach Boys, it was peak pop rock and has only gotten better with age.

The Beach Boys just don't do it for me. Most of their songs sound so similar and kind of cheesy. That said there are some classics on here. I can handle a song or two at a time and enjoy it, but a whole album is a bit much.

Love the Beach Boys...this album has some of my all time favs. However, I think it is somewhat uneven which holds it back from true 5 rating. 4.5/5

To this day, Pet Sounds is still, for me, the quintessential album where I’m waiting to hear what everyone else is hearing. When I listen to the classic albums by The Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, and so many others, I *hear* these albums that are so highly praised. Even albums that I don’t particularly enjoy from a stylistic standpoint like Thriller, I totally get them. It’s not that I don’t hear some majorly impressive things on Pet Sounds; I decidedly like about half the songs on it. But even after reading all the dissertations on it, I’m just not there with it. I’m not enamored with so many of the precious baroque influences that are scattered across it; I’m not saying that the style itself is bad or even that they do it badly, it has just never been something that resonates with me. Fuck, as much as I love “Penny Lane”, it’s never been anywhere near a top 50 Beatles song for me, whereas everyone else seems to have it as a top 10 song, and I think part of it is that aspect. And I apologize if anyone loves any of these songs, but I just get absolutely nothing out of “You Still Believe in Me”, “That’s Not Me”, “Don’t Talk”, or honestly, as much as I know I’m *supposed* to love it, “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times”. I’ve heard all of these songs god knows how many times and I’ve paid close attention to the melodies and arrangements and lyrics and at best, my response is, “Okay, sure.” These songs, and this band as a whole, do not move me in the same way that so many of their contemporaries do, no matter how many times I’m subjected to the argument that this is Brian’s grand masterstroke of describing his loneliness and isolation through the voice of his inner child. I know I’m the “wrong” one, but I’m also not trying to pull any edgy contrarianism bullshit. I not only respect this album’s influence, I respect everyone who holds it in such high regard. It’s just not “my” album, if that makes sense.

3.5/5

I see what they were going for, and it truly is an amazing execution of Brian Wilson's ideas. Groundbreaking sonically and I like Apple Music's quip about it: "Of all "Pet Sounds'" legacies, the most profound is the idea that pop music -- something accessible and extroverted -- could be used to express deep, internal worlds.

Definitely a must hear, especially this cluster of songs from the end of side one to side 2 - Sloop John B., God Only Knows, I Know There's an Answer.

Very highbrow.

Bumerada histórica por mi parte pero esta mierda va muy dura. Un álbum de pop pegadizo, muy placentero y divertido que ha influenciado a un grandísimo número de artistas desde que salió. Las letras de las canciones son increíbles y el instrumental es precioso. Y pensar que esto lo hizo casi todo Brian Wilson... Merecidas 5 estrellas.

Jeuk. Jeuk. Jeuk. Het begint gelijk met Wouldn't it be nice...Sta je al op -5 sterren.

Wat is dit album verder een lege huls zeg. De andere hit is het enige nummer met body.

Glad I discovered it!

This is clearly a classic, and hugely influential. I didn't really enjoy it though, and honestly I think it's a bit long. Did this album really need a version of a traditional song? It's obviously still a great album, but it could have been leaner and sharper.

Classic songs. Timeless hits.

I honestly have tried to listen to this album for years and have only been marginally impressed. Wouldn't It be Nice is an incredible opener and some other songs hit pretty well, but as an album experience it sounds more like a collection of singles of varying quality. Majority of tracks are strong. 3/5

Let me start with the notion that no matter what I say, this album has already cemented its place on this list. Pet Sounds is considered the definitive Beach Boys album, which is ironic given how little it has to do with their previous work's "beach" aesthetic. It is also considered one of the best rock records of the 1960s and has gone on to appear in multiple publications' best-album lists alongside the album it inspired - the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Every other music critic has and continues to praise it, including on this site. That all cannot be denied.

Yet, there is a part of me that can't switch my enjoyment of Pet Sounds from a good album to an amazing album like other people have. Perhaps it's how I've just gotten into the Beach Boys this year, and do not carry the nostalgic sentiment others have. Maybe it's my gripe with this group's harmonized vocals, which sound dated and cheesy, even if I can accept they were a part of their identity early on. It could even be that I've only spent one day with this record, and it hasn't grown on me with time yet.

Whatever the case, even if I can't go over the moon for Pet Sounds, I can still recognize it as a great record. I respect the hell out of Brian Wilson for taking over most of the lyric writing and song arrangements. His work made for a unique-for-the-time progressive pop-rock sound bolstered by Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" production, where the lyrics capture the essence of coming-of-age and the ins and outs of teenage romance, at times with a dark turn. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is an infectious opener that I still have playing in my head as I write this review. "God Only Knows" is an amazing song for its baroque style. Their cover of the traditional "Sloop John B" fits nicely into the loose narrative. They break up the flow nicely with two instrumentals. I could keep going on, but you get the point.

Pet Sounds is a great record, and I'm sure in time it will grow on me. God only knows.

Update 6/12/2025: Originally, I was going to revisit Pet Sounds next year for the album's 60th anniversary. But given Brian Wilson's passing yesterday at the age of 82, I felt a need to revisit early.

I will say I have grown fond of the Beach Boys' work, especially Brian Wilson, from both a songwriting and production perspective. In fact, I would like to make a correction from my previous review above, as Brian Wilson produced the album himself, taking inspiration from the "Wall of Sound" technique Phil Spector had been known for, creating such rich sonic textures. This album sounds timeless in part because of that approach.

Along with that correction, I also want to highlight how much I've grown to appreciate the vocal harmonies of the group, elevating these introspective lyrics to another level. This is especially true for the songs where Brian takes the lead, including "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "I'm Waiting for the Day", "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", and the closing solo track "Caroline, No". Of course, the rest of the band did a phenomenal job with their respective tracks, particularly Carl Wilson on "God Only Knows". Not to mention, the instrumental breaks in the title track and "Let's Go Away for a While" offer some nice orchestral arrangements to add variety to the overall package.

In my original review, I opened with the sentiment that Pet Sounds has and continues to be praised by music critics around the globe. Now, I can finally add myself to those ranks.

A masterpiece, truly survived the test of time, it become a classic ;-)

This is one the most critically acclaimed albums ever? LOL. 2.0

Ein sehr interessantes Album und ein gelungenes künstlerisches Gegenstück zu Beatles und Rolling Stone. Sehr ernstes konzeptionelles Album mit sehr guten Songs z. B. “Wouldn’t Be Nice”, “Sloop John B”, “I Waiting For Today” oder meinem Geheimtipp “Here Today”. Den Beach Boys gelang der Stilwechsel vom Good-Feeling Strand Sound hin zu Einbindung von ernsten Themen in die Synthesizer geprägte Pop Musik. Kein Wunder, dass die Kritiker seinerzeit Jahre brauchten um dies zu verstehen. Respekt 👍👍.

Nobody does harmonies like The Beach Boys does harmonies.

Respect the studio work for sure, but the Beach Boys saccharine harmonies are like an eject button to the moon for me. While listening, it's hard not to get lost in a fantasy about a gang of rockers beating their asses and stealing their equipment

All time classic, every song on it is pleasant to listen to and there are some stand out tracks like I just wasn't made for these times and wouldn't it be nice. There are no pet sounds in this album however >:(.

A few good songs and the rest were OK. 3.5/5

Between the harmonies, songwriting, production and revolutionary chord progressions that are still used all over the world today, this is such a phenomenal album that its minor flaws can be easily forgiven.