#2 The Beach Boys, 'Pet Sounds' (1966)
Previously #2
What do Guns N’ Roses and The Beach Boys have in common? Besides for both being quintessentially California, ‘Appetite For Destruction’ and ‘Pet Sounds’ are the only two albums on the list that did not move. At the beginning of 1965, 22-year-old Brian Wilson, with already 7 albums under his belt, told his band members he’d be quitting touring to focus on his work in the studio. As I mentioned earlier, Brian Wilson heard The Beatles record, ‘Rubber Soul’ (#35) and became obsessed with it. It was like nothing else he’d heard before and he was inspired to make a record that was like it but better. He was impressed with the lack of filler tracks on the record and set out to make a cohesive work that had zero filler. He was also obsessed with Phil Spector and his Wall Of Sound production technique. These two obsessions coupled with a bad LSD trip that lasted 8 months culminated in ‘Pet Sounds.’ This record really, for all intents and purposes, was a Brian Wilson solo record. The Beach Boys weren’t even around when it was written, nor were they there for most of the recording. In fact, lead single, ‘Caroline, No’ was credited as a Brian Wilson song on release. Session players, known as The Wrecking Crew, were hired to play the music (they were often used by Spector on his recordings), which Dennis & Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston provided harmony vocals. Mike Love provided lead vocals on a handful of tracks, while Wilson saved arguably his greatest song of all time, for brother Carl to sing on; ‘God Only Knows.’
With this release, Wilson embarked on one of the most ambitious feats of production up to that point in time. He employed the use of instruments not traditionally used in popular music; brass, strings, woodwind etc, but notably, unusual instruments such as a bicycle horn, Coca-Cola cans and sleigh bells. Wilson, a notorious perfectionist, would spend months working on individual songs. Second single, ‘Sloop John B,’ for example, was started in July 1965. Wilson would then set it aside for a few months, before revisiting it in October. He spent the last 3 months of 1965 polishing the vocals. ‘Pet Sounds’ really is a cohesive body of work, with each song tessellating perfectly with the next. ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ into ‘You Still Believe In Me,’ ‘God Only Knows’ into ‘I Know There’s An Answer,’ ‘Here Today’ into ‘I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times’ and the instrumental title track into ‘Caroline, No.’ It’s just perfection. Wilson’s innovations in the studio inspired countless albums and artists to come, but most notably, in a full circle moment, The Beatles were inspired by ‘Pet Sounds’ to make ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.’ In fact, McCartney cited ‘God Only Knows’ as the greatest song of all time. ‘Pet Sounds’ changed the way people thought about albums. They were no longer a compilation of unrelated singles, they had now become an art piece. A deliberate and related collection of music. To be honest, when I realised that ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ had dropped out of the #1 spot, I had hoped that this would take its place. It seems to be the only worthy contender. ‘Pet Sounds’ took a toll on Wilson’s mental health, and its shelved follow up, ‘Smile’ (#399 – Brian Wilson version) would eventually push him off of the edge. Because, honestly, how does one follow up ‘Pet Sounds’? Brian Wilson truly is one of the most interesting and unique musical geniuses of all time. Put him up there with Mozart and Beethoven. His talent is otherworldly and its laid out for all to see on this record.
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