Pet Sounds - maybe it's me but I don't get it

[LynneSin]

I mean, it's nice music and all but I just don't understand why all the critics think this is one of the greatest albums of all time. Am I the only one that feels this way or perhaps I'm just missing the gene that allows for Beach Boy music appreciation. Don't get me wrong - I like the music but it makes no sense as to why this is suppose to be such an amazingly great album

[LostinVA]

1. *gasp*

It is THE best album of all time. The Beach Boys so outclass the Beatles.

I'm leaving for NYC in five minutes, so I won't get to debate this with you, Sister!

[smtpgirl]

14. Pet Sounds is a great album

not the greatest album of all time, but tis a great album

[Burma Jones]

2. I'm with you

It's not even my favorite Beach Boys stuff, I prefer the partial Smile work they did.....

[taterguy]

3. You're not required to get everything

The world would be a very boring place if everyone thought alike.

Your hero is Robert Plant, a man that woman need because of how he can go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down inside them.

Pet Sounds is about guys who are very different, guys who just want one woman to spend the rest of their life with and who fall apart when a woman leaves them. Does Robert Plant care if a woman leaves him? Hell no. There are thousands ready to take their place.

And then of course there's that pandering to critics lyric: "They say I got brains but they ain't doing me no good." All rock critics think they're smart and underappreciated.

I'm sure other people who are smarter than I am could do a better job of explaining why so many people worship this album.

[LynneSin]

5. Well that's kinda an unfair comparison of Robert Plant

First, I'm sure if you compared the personal life of Robert Plant to that of anyone in the Beach Boys during the late 60's-70's, you'll find all with questional backgrounds when it comes to women.

And I total disagree that the music of Led Zeppelin is not about guys who would want to spend the rest of their life with one woman. Have you ever heard the words to "Thank You": 'If the sun refused to shine, I would keep on loving you. If mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me' - pretty devoted if you ask me.

And, although Led Zeppelin is my favorite band, ironically I would say I'm more of a fan of Progressive/Alternative Rock music, something which Led Zeppelin was neither. But I guess for me, Pet Sounds and the music of the Beach Boys just don't fit into music that I want to listen to repeatedly but that doesn't necessarily mean that I don't like it. I just don't understand why this album is considered one of the best of all times

[johnnie]

4. My take

One reason it might not seem like a big deal is because we are looking at it from the future. Your opinion might be a lot different had you not heard what came after that album.

I can't think of an album that had that good of a production, vocal arrangements and all in all good songs all wrapped into one "rock" album that came out before Pet Sounds.

I am a life long Beatles fan and I think that Pet Sounds was the only album to kick The Beatles in the ass and wake them up. I was not a Beach Boys fan at all until about 6 years ago when I started paying attention to Brian Wilson's songwriting and producing. I wish I would have been more open to it before that because I missed out on a lot great stuff.

Basically, I think it doesn't seem as good of an album to people who weren't around to enjoy the initial release because, as I said, we have heard all of the music and production that has been influenced by Pet Sounds after the fact.

[asthmaticeog]

8. *ding ding ding ding ding*

EXACTLY. It sounds dated now precisely because everything that's transpired in pop/rock since then is its direct or indirect descendant. Listen to practically anything that came out the same year as "Pet Sounds" and it's obvious that Brian Wilson was light years ahead of everyone else. That's such an amazing album.

:thumbsup:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

13. I don't think it's dated - 2 songs were played at my wedding

Wouldn't it be nice and God Only Knows

I'd say it's timeless - maybe it's me

[Squeech]

6. My thought for the morning

I like it, but not head and shoulders above other Beach Boys work, and specifically I prefer Smile. I also think "She's Not the Little Girl I Once Knew" is a terrific single, as good as Pet Sounds in aggregate.

When you wipe off the snark :-) taterguy's point is well taken. The mood of Pet Sounds is seriously introspective, not the kind of head space a Zeppelin or Tull fan is gonna feel much sympathy with. (Unless you'd actually enjoy a whole Zeppelin album in the style of "Rain Song" and "No Quarter.") And indeed, the line taterguy cited actually rankles my ass. I'm proud of my brains, and part of the tragedy of Brian Wilson is that he isn't. (Of course if I spent my professional life in the company of Mike Love, I might well be catatonic by now.)

So when I play Pet Sounds, unless it's late at night and I'm brooding about the girl I left behind or some such nonsense, I don't play it straight through. It's a measure of how much I want to rock out how many tunes it takes for me to skip ahead or play something else. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is a great song, as is "God Only Knows," but if I'm still listening when it gets to "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)" I'm either depressed or drunk. (And the idea that "Let's Go Away For a While" justifies lounge music is not really a point in its favor.)

Does that help?

[LynneSin]

7. That's a fair analysis

Trying to compare Beach Boys to Led Zeppelin is like trying to compare Apples to 3-lb Lobster Tail. Both are very good to eat but nowhere near each other in comparison

[HughBeaumont]

9. It's because it set standards in arrangement, production and songwriting.

It's kind of "hook and hit" void to today's listener because that's not really the context. The "greatness" comes from his achievement in all three areas on one album - unprecedented at the time. He dared not to be minimalist in his approach, using studio musicians and ornate arrangements to compliment their harmonies. "California Girls" was the hint. Pet Sounds was the realization.

The Beatles followed suit while remaining down to earth (the noteable exceptions being "Day in the Life" and "She's Leaving Home"), which is why (cue Fox voice) "SOME SAY" they eventually surpassed Big Bri.

Personally, I'm a huge SMiLE fanatic, following on-line versions until it was re-released 37 years after the fact.

[datasuspect]

10. Love - "Forever Changes"

was infinitely better than "Pet Sounds."

or "Sgt. Pepper's . . ." for that matter.

[GalleryGod]

11. It's Just You,Dear

John Lennon's favorite LP.

[Ramsey]

12. I'm with you

My husband keeps trying to explain to me why it's so ground breaking, but I just don't hear it. I'm not a huge Beach Boys fan though. Give me Ziggy Stardust for ground breaking any day!

And let me just add that Bowie's version of "God Only Knows" is waaaayyyy better than the origianl, IMHO. :evilgrin:

[LynneSin]

16. Oh man I want to hear that version

I do have to admit that "God Only Knows" is my favorite Beach Boys song but I absolutely adore David Bowie way more. I'll have to check that out.

BTW, you know Wolfgang's Vault now has several classic Bowie concerts available now?

[JVS]

15. The Beach Boys suck ass!

[Tikki]

17. As the years....

go by I find the Beach Boys' sounds (all of 'em) even more inspirational.

I hear their sounds in so much of the music of West Coast based musicians
and bands. I live out here, you know.



Tikki

[darkstar]

18. As others have said

it's the production and arrangement and writing.

But of all of those, I think it was the way the modern studio could be harnessed by just one person to achieve a complete vision, from ground up. That was really indicative of the future of music. Songwriter/talent as producer. It's easy to forget how few acts back then were even writing their own music. And some of the songs on there are really really amazing from a melodic standpoint, i.e. GOK and Lets Go Away.

Now, of those acts that went beyond fairly basic lineups, how many were doing their own arrangements? much less using such an array of incidental sounds, reverb as "instrument," etc? And how many were the producers, i.e. decided when a take was good enough, sat behind the board, mixed the results, etc?

There are songs on the record I don't really care for. At all. But all in all, that record blew people's minds as to the possibilities, I think. It was a quantum leap in terms of individual achievement in the medium. I think. It would as if Paul Simon had not only written and sang Bridge Over Troubled Water, but written the piano part note for note, dialed in the reverb settings by hand, mixed and produced the whole thing. And that song alone took numerous "shapers"--from production decisions to individual parts to string arrangement--and weeks to record some 4 years later
http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2006/09/simon-and-garfunkel-bridge-over-troubled-water/

My scant 2 cents....