Not Impressed by Beach Boys' Pet Sounds Album
 

I know Pet Sounds is a very famous album... I listened to it today in full for the first time... I wasn't impressed. The melodies seemed weird and just strange to me. I do like God Only Knows and Wouldn't It Be Nice... What are your thoughts on this album? My favorite album of all time is probably Sgt Peppers, and this Beach Boys album doesn't even come close (in my opinion of course!)

Well, item number one in the discussion should be that Sgt. Pepper's was inspired by Pet Sounds. It is just pertinent.

Bob

I don't care for either album. They just weren't "rock". But especially never liked those unnecessary cliche backup vocals (bop ba baaaa. . . .) the Beach Boys throw in a lot of their songs. And God Only Knows would be great if it had better bridges between verses.

But I do appreciate that some artists back then were trying to make creative leaps with each new album, rather than churn out the same old money-making stuff they do today.

Well, a big YES to those two for sure. And "Sloop John B" is one of the all time perfect pop singles. "Caroline No" is perfect too, in a different way of course.

Since today was the first time you listened to the whole thing, maybe give it a few more spins? (Showing my age there, you are probably streaming it :)) Pretty much one of the greatest pop records ever produced according to a lot of folks.

In the context of 1966 when it was released it was innovative and daring. While I can appreciate its quality and understand why some consider it to be a masterpiece of pop music, I just don't care much for most of the songs or the sound of it.

And it's not the first time someone's had this opinion. I'm lukewarm on Pet Sounds, and it might have suffered from being on every Top 100 Albums Ever list out there. People expect to be blown away as people were in the '60s, and that's a high bar to clear.

When Fiona Apple's Fetch The Bolt Cutters came out this year, people (like me) excitedly listened to it first thing that Friday morning, were blown away, and found out everyone else was agreeing about how incredible it is. (Some people were saying it will be considered the best album of the year, and it came out in April.) I still think it's incredible and is unlike anything I've heard before. But if I were to continue to hype it up for years that way, there are gonna be people who will be greatly disappointed.

I have never liked the Beach boys going all the way back to the 60s when I first heard their songs on the radio when they were in regular rotation after they came out. I finally did what the OP did and listened to Pet Sounds about 15 years ago and was not impressed. I know the album has a big reputation but it just doesn't work for me.

I think that for its time, and in the context of its time, it was extremely different, but it didn’t make that much of an impression on me. However, when I first heard Sergeant Pepper, I was amazed. I remember saying to a friend, “I’ve never heard anything like that before.”

Perhaps the downfall of the album was having the main cuts subjected to constant airplay (and overplay!)which took them out of context. Sgt. Pepper OTOH, was a lot harder to cut up into individual songs.

One of my favorite Beach Boy albums (and very innovative IMO) was “Surf’s Up.” It was released after Brian Wilson started having his issues and didn’t receive much airplay or coverage. It has held up relatively well over the years.

Best,

Rick

As they say, you have to be the first or the best. Pet Sounds was the first.

Yes, your opinion of course. This stuff is subjective. Perhaps because I have a poor pitch voice and no ability to sing harmony, I've always enjoyed groups that do those things I can't do. Those Pet Sounds "weird melodies" are delicious to me.

I have a saying I use often as part of my current project: "All artists fail." The meaning is that even the most successful artists generally have works that are less well liked or ranked, and that even the most respected and liked works won't work for everyone. Your opinion is a case of the later.

There's also matter of mood and expectation, which has been mentioned upthread. If you have expectations for one thing and the work delivers something else, you may feel it fails. For example, if one believes "rock" is the music for them, and they believe (despite the origins of rock'n'roll) that it's a music about guitar and guitar solos, then Pet Sounds will not fulfill their expectations. And some days it's OK to like to hear lots of guitar (gee, this is a guitar forum).

Lastly there's the "I heard Shakespeare was this great and original writer, and then I went to see one of his plays and it was full of clichés!" factor. The Brian Wilson style was influential and was copied widely, so it seems less fresh and original to later listeners, proof of it's impact.

You have to consider what had been done until that time, with the primitive equipment available and limited ideas, and you have to listen to a good recording of that album on high-quality audio equipment.

It was certainly a departure from the musical direction their fans were used to and a couple of good pop songs emerged, but not a great album overall, IMO. Some of the recording techniques and musical style were fairly revolutionary for the time and new, albeit primitive, recording techniques were just beginning. Maybe the album should be judged in that context.

Well, you're not alone, certainly...

As a young boy growing up in Southern California, of course I knew and heard the Beach Boys a lot... when Surf music became all the rage, they were right there to capitalize on it.

Frankly, I preferred the grit of Dick Dale's sound, but the Beach Boys were always out on the radio (someone made a great deal there!). By the time I was moving into my early teens with the British Invasion and some of the early SoCal/California bands, the Beach Boys were just not... all... that. Of course, even back in the early 60's, it became common knowledge that "they" didn't even surf, only Dennis was avid in the sport... and then it was some sort of "schtick" for sales; even at 13 years, I had feelings about what was genuine and what wasn't.

Even at 12 years old, I grew tired of the insipid "sameness" of the lyrics, and much preferred songs that had bit more depth to them than the Beach Boys and many others seemed to eschew...

Now, when the Beach Boys started letting Brian "have his head' with the music, sonically... the music is brilliant... inventive and full in a way that no one else was putting out. I still had/have issues with a lot of lyric content; "sweet" works really well sometimes, but quickly becomes treacly.

Brian Wilson's prowess as an arranger/writer/player IS deservedly legendary. Given what he had to work with and the tech available at the time, much of his sound is pivotal to the entire sound of the music biz during those years...

After SO many folks who's opinions and taste in music I respected kept telling me how brilliant Wilson was... at one point I figured out that the issue was ME, not the music. If enough people agree someone is genius, and I don't get it... time to go back and reevaluate my opinion and listen more closely! I've always given this "grace" to writers/artists whose work has touched me deeply; if Van Morrison put out something that I didn't "like" so much, I figured the problem was me, NOT Van the Man! Same with Mr. Dylan, Ms. Mitchell, Mr. Simon and a few others.

There's no crime in it if you truly can't appreciate the brilliance of the "post-'65" Beach Boys and Brian's marvelous work, but I'd suggest you dig in a bit more and REALLY listen to what's going in there... I think you'll find aspects that will please your musical "taste buds"...

To each his own. To me, Sgt Pepper isn't even the best Beatles album. (that would be Revolver) But opinions are like...well, you know - everybody's got one.