Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys are a staple in the book of rock. One of the first bands to make the genre mainstream, The Beach Boys’ sense of “California love” spread like wildfire. The surf rock vibe took over and they became one of the biggest names in the business. With Surfin’ Safari, they not only spread the sport of surfing, but also hot rods with songs such as “409.” “I Get Around” and “Surfin’ USA” are some of the first big hits that most people today could still sing off of the top of their heads.

Brian Wilson is known to be the brains behind the band due to his composing, producing, and arranging – as well as his position as the leader of the band. Doing and being all of these things in a band makes one very powerful, like a motor to a vessel. Phil Spector and The Four Freshmen heavily influenced him in the beginning. This was what brought out the many vocals in the Beach Boys as well as the production techniques (which mimicked Spector’s). After being introduced to the drug culture, Brian ended up composing the majority of Pet Sounds, one of the most influential albums of all time.

With hits such as “God Only Knows,” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” Pet Sounds explored a whole new vibe of music. Brian focused on different types of instrumentation, implementing a Theremin and other wacky sound effects from things such as whistles, dogs, and bicycle bells. He also brought in organs, harpsichords, and things such as ukuleles. Although The Beach Boys were known for many vocal harmonies, Pet Sounds had even more than usual. There were no more songs about surfing and hot rods, but instead love and emotional concepts. In 1966, this was a new-sounding album that led into the psychedelic rock realm.

The listener and the professional within me fight about this album quite often. As a professional, I know that this is one of the most influential albums on rock music. Many bands today would never even exist if it hadn’t been for The Beach Boys, let alone Pet Sounds. However, as a listener, this is not my favorite band or album. I believe this is because I was a very big Beatles fan first, but who really knows. Deep down I know that I should, in fact, love it, and maybe it will grow on me. The producer in me hopes that it will.