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Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

1966

Pet Sounds
Album Summary

Pet Sounds is the 11th studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966 by Capitol Records. It was initially met with a lukewarm critical and commercial response in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. In the United Kingdom, the album was lauded by critics and reached number 2 on the Record Retailer chart, remaining in the top ten for six months. Promoted there as "the most progressive pop album ever", Pet Sounds garnered recognition for its ambitious production, sophisticated music, and emotional lyrical content. It is considered to be among the greatest and most influential albums in music history.The album was produced, arranged, and almost entirely composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher. It was recorded largely between January and April 1966, a year after Wilson quit touring with his bandmates. His goal was to create "the greatest rock album ever made"—a cohesive work with no filler tracks. It is sometimes considered a Wilson solo album that builds upon the advancements of The Beach Boys Today! (1965). Lead single "Caroline, No" was issued as his official solo debut. It was followed by two singles credited to the group: "Sloop John B" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (backed with "God Only Knows"). Incorporating elements of pop, jazz, exotica, classical, and the avant-garde, Wilson's Wall of Sound-based orchestrations mixed conventional rock set-ups with elaborate layers of vocal harmonies, found sounds, and instruments never before associated with rock, such as bicycle bells, French horn, flutes, Electro-Theremin, string sections, and beverage cans. The album could not be reproduced live and was the first time that any group departed from their usual small-ensemble electric rock band format for a whole LP. An early concept album, it consists mainly of introspective songs like "I Know There's an Answer", a critique of LSD users; and "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", the first use of a theremin-like instrument on a rock record. The album's unprecedented total production cost exceeded $70,000 (equivalent to $580,000 in 2021). An expanded reissue, The Pet Sounds Sessions, was released in 1997 with isolated vocals and instrumental versions, session highlights, and the album's first true stereo mix. Pet Sounds revolutionized the field of music production and the role of producers within the music industry, introduced novel approaches to orchestration, chord voicings, and structural harmonies, and furthered the cultural legitimization of popular music, a greater public appreciation for albums, the use of synthesizers, the recording studio as an instrument, and the development of psychedelic music and progressive/art rock. It has topped several critics' and musicians' polls for the best album of all time, including those published by NME, Mojo, Uncut, and The Times. In 2004, it was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. It has been certified platinum by the RIAA, indicating over one million units sold.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.89

Votes

12395
Genres
Pop
Rock
Psychedelic Rock

Reviews

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Mon Feb 22 2021
5

Imagine making this masterpiece and later having people scream “Kokomo!” at you at every single show you play for forty years straight until you die, when you then have people scream “Kokomo!” at you in the afterlife for all eternity. Sometimes I get very sad.

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Thu Mar 11 2021
2

wouldn't it be nice to fuck off

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Wed May 11 2022
1

Fucking nightmare. Too much sound. Everytime I start to like it someone goes 'oooohhh woooooo' and then a horn starts honking

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Wed Oct 07 2020
5

Out of over a thousand possiblities I get an album I've already listened to, hahah Pet Sounds is great but I slightly prefer The Beach Boys Today Post-listen again: OK PET SOUNDS IS A FUCKING MASTERPIECE I TAKE IT BACK

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Fri Feb 26 2021
5

I hear (and see) Pet Sounds as a pure Masterpiece. It is my belief that it has some of the best music the band ever created...lovely, catchy, and experimental. The Beach Boys were in major transition and Brian Wilson was insisting on pushing the envelope in writing and instrumentation. Some of the sounds on the record are quite raw and wild, and while the rest of the band wasn't feeling it, Wilson's mental health imbalances and his creative genius combined were strong contributors to making sure this piece of art was recorded as it was. I am so grateful that I was able to take my mom to Milwaukee to see Brian Wilson and his band (including original member, Al Jardine) perform Pet Sounds in its entirety a few years back. We were overjoyed. We were choked up often. The album live was gorgeous! The second half of the show was a long line of Beach Boys hits written by Brian. We sang along and smiled at each other often. I'll never forget it. Only a few years prior, I witnessed the entire band perform at Bonnaroo. The crowd was nuts and hundreds of massive beach balls were flying overhead. This was a time that the ego of Mike Love and mental health of Brian Wilson were able to merge for a reunion tour. Wouldn't It Be Nice to experience a music festival again and the Beach Boys again soon! **important to note that Love & Mercy with Paul Dano & John Cusack (each taking on two stages of Wilson's life) is a stellar representation of the highs & lows of the Beach Boys and Wilson.

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Sun Jan 24 2021
2

I first listened to this album a few years ago, and remember not liking it. When this album came up on this list, as I knew it would, I hoped that with my expectations lowered it would be an improvement for me. It wasn’t. The album was full of midtempo tracks that were neither particularly rocking or particularly chill. I don’t like Brian Wilson’s voice when he sings with more drawn out notes. The reputation of this album proceeded it, but it just wasn’t for me. My personal enjoyment: 1.5/5 Did it belong on this list: 5/5

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Sat Apr 17 2021
5

Technically, this might be the best pop record ever made. An absolute masterpiece that is completely enjoyable on multiple levels.

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Fri Aug 27 2021
5

I studied this album as part of my college degree, it's that big of a deal. Even so, I wasn't prepared to give it a 5 start review. But, as I listened, I realized that this really is a milestone album in the history of recording. So many of these songs are OBJECTIVELY great songwriting and (despite Brian Wilson's penchant for lazy fade-out endings) the production really is astounding. Wilson truly was a mad genius and his capacity for brilliance is on full display here.

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Mon Jan 01 2024
5

OK, OK, we get it: it’s one of the greatest albums of all time, it redefined pop music, without it there’d be no Sgt. Pepper, it still has a hold on indie bands today. But one of the biggest cliches of all is that “Pet Sounds” was the very first concept album. Actually, that one is true… but I’m here to tell you that, in fifty-eight years, nobody has realised what this concept actually is. Here is the defining thesis you will ever read on this album: it’s literally an album of pet sounds, with each song being the sound made by a different pet. Hear me out… “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is naive and childlike, obsessed with the idea of love as much as love itself. It represents a couple of young rabbits bounding through a garden to their coital hutch. Stay with me. “You Still Believe In Me” is hymnal, majestic and graceful, with a wordless sequence gliding up octaves like water. You guessed it: it’s the sound of a fish tank. “That’s Not Me” is a restless piece of self-analysis about returning home after prowling around alone. Only a cat could be such a self-empowered and independent pet. “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)” is stirring, gentle, reassuring, moving at a crawling pace. It’s the sound of a particularly loving tortoise. Listen to that insistent pounding of the snare drum in “I’m Waiting for the Day”. Those needy lyrics. That lolloping rhythm. Definitely a doting Labrador pup. “Let’s Go Away for a While” is a tricky one, because it’s totally non-verbal, punctuated by delicate vibraphone and a yearning for some faraway climate. So probably newts. “Sloop John B” is a Bahamian folk classic reimagined, familiar words and melodies repackaged into busy, chattering vocal arrangements. It’s clearly a cage of budgies. Still with me? Good. Opening the second side is “God Only Knows”: an achingly sincere, classic outpouring of love that could only come from a dog. “Dog” is even in the title if you look closely: in the tradition of the 1960’s, it’s a hidden backwards message because that’s cool and clever to do. “I Know There’s An Answer” addresses a crowd of idle, self-isolated time-wasters in their safety zones. A tripped-out rooster addresses the sheep in the pen, and a duck supplies the bass harmonica solo. “Here Today” is bold and brassy, reflecting on a failed relationship, a tad confrontational, not afraid to butt heads. Just like a pen of wizened goats. In “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times”, things get all existential, with a misplaced protagonist and the use of a theremin! Who is this? The poor seal, a circus pet, juggling his day away, yearning for a time when he can get on with his bloody life. And then in the title track, “Pet Sounds”, the whole damn cast return in harmony for a final instrumental, taking their bows before… “Caroline, No”. Mournful, elegiac and utterly beautiful, with a train crossing thrown in at the end for good measure. Here, the perspective shifts to the owner as his beloved prize pony, Caroline, becomes roadkill. And there you have it. “Pet Sounds” will never be the same to you again. I’m available for any lectures or birthday parties.

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Wed Jan 13 2021
4

I have mixed feelings about this album. Every time I have listened to it before was after reading a review that made me think I was gonna see god after listening to this. So this time I went in thinking I was going to hate it like I had every other time. It was actually pretty good, instrumentation was layered and interesting though the vocals still feel trapped in 1950s shtick. Overall I think this album is more historically significant as one of the first concept albums than some sort of sonic masterpiece.

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Mon Feb 22 2021
2

I may be committing a spot of heresy here but this is...a bit shit? The songs tend to drag, the production and orchestration feel creaky and I really struggle with the drippy, lugubrious vocals. I am to understand that this is an enduring work of genius, but one or two tracks aside I'm not getting any juice out of this lemon. The soupy sounds of a bunch of wet lads, criminally overrated all told.

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Mon Jul 25 2022
1

i want a reason to live and this site isn’t helping

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Fri Feb 12 2021
5

One of the most exquisitely beautiful albums you could ever hope to hear. Also a very brave and heartfelt album, leaping head first into uncharted territory beyond genres. Nothing else sounds like this. In my ideal alternate universe this would have caught on more commercially and the Beach Boys would have continued more in this vein. I absolutely adore Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. This was one of the first CDs I ever owned. I drove down to Iowa to see him perform the album in it's entirety in 2017 and hearing God Only Knows in person was one of the most powerful musical experiences of my life. I always come back to this one and I always will. Transcendent. Hors categorie.

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Mon Feb 15 2021
5

It is impossible to rate this album below perfection. This is arguably the best album of all time in rock and roll history. It as yet to be bettered today, decades later. It achieved more with less given limited yet innovative technologies at the time. Must be listened to start to finish.

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Thu Jan 21 2021
3

Couldn't hear any pets but some good songs otherwise

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Mon Sep 27 2021
5

Perfect harmonies, lush production, and super complex layers, still sounding relevant and contemporary

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Tue Aug 29 2023
5

very close to as much as we can expect from pop music

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Mon Mar 08 2021
5

A departure from everything I thought the Beach Boys were. This is neither beach music or boys music. It is a combination of pop/jazz with a ton of orchestral music woven in. It showcases why Brian Wilson is considered to be one of the greatest songwriters in history. The music couldn't be more solid. Each of the songs instrumentals is carefully crafted and even some of the odder sounds feel like they fully belong. The lyrics are more mature and even though experimental it still has a fantastic flow and rhythm to it. I never thought I would love a beach boys album as much as I did this one and I feel a little upset at myself having obviously never given them a fair listen. The only issue I have with this album is the songs are too short, I always wanted more and with this the fade outs(while the singing was still going on) were not to mu liking. But the harmony of this album far out weighs and gripes I may have.

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Fri Mar 11 2022
5

Genre: Baroque Pop 5/5 Ah, Pet Sounds. One of those truly ubiquitous albums that continues to stand the test of time. It's a true pop masterpiece, an album where each song has the tender love and care that most producers and songwriters at the time would put towards just one or two singles. Along with the efforts of The Beatles, The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds is another example of how radically music was changing and growing at the time, and how the competition didn't come from the record companies (though they profited mightily), but from the songwriters themselves. Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney were trading pop masterpieces like boxers trade uppercuts. Pet Sounds, however, certainly does sound and feel its age. It's truly all so classic, from Wouldn't It Be Nice to God Only Knows to every beautiful nugget in between, but I'm sure this album does little to the impatient listener nowadays. The Wall-of-Sound style reverb, and the classical and baroque influences throughout I'm sure turn off some younger listeners nowadays, and the mystique of this album may die with the times. But Brian Wilson here is methodically walking us through his feelings garden, and it's quite the emotional journey, with each track leaving an impression throughout the length of the album. Sloop John B, Don't Talk, That's Not Me, they're all here and they're all songs that would be other band's best song ever. I think even if this album doesn't hit you as hard as it hits others, which isn't usually the case, it still serves as a monolith of the times. A pop project that set the bar quite high for the rest of time.

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Tue May 24 2022
5

The most celebrated album ever? Pet Sounds has cemented itself to the top ten of countless lists concerning the greatest albums ever, although curiously it's absent from this site's top 15. Anyway, such a position should neither extol nor sully the album in the ears of the listener, as the predictability of such lists indicates how meaningless they are. For instance, Citizen Kane has its reservation at the toppermost of film polls, and the first-time viewer usually concludes that it's actually, properly, seriously good, but the same lists that hold Pet Sounds aloft usually have the ridiculous phenomenon of 4 Beatles albums in the top ten albums of all time (I have recently concluded that the Beatles were primarily a singles band, and none of their albums display the Fabs at their fabbest). Happily, Pet Sounds falls into the Citizen Kane category. This is not to say that I consider Pet Sounds the GOAT; I don't. But I can't deny this album's magnificence. The genesis of Pet Sounds has been exhaustively documented: the Beach Boys began as the means for the autocratic, abusive minor songwriter Murry Wilson to attain stardom vicariously through a singing troop comprising his sons and nephews. However, one of those sons was the sensitive musical prodigy Brian Wilson, who broke from Murry to craft a more personal, emotional pop music inspired more by Phil Spector's Wall of Sound than the goodtime surf-music stipulated by the formula Murry conceived (then championed by everyone's one-despised Beach Boy Mike Love). With the British Invasion, and specifically Rubber Soul, Brian Wilson felt an overriding, and ultimately unhealthy, ambition to surpass the Beatles' sonic achievements (with hindsight, is Rubber Soul actually that good? Isn't it just an average, acceptable collection of songs? But then, do I know more about music than Brian Wilson?) One oddity of Pet Sounds is that it was released in 1966, during a time when the hippy movement was becoming established. Indeed, nascent psychedelic rockers such as the Doors, Love and Jefferson Airplane took Rubber Soul as a thrown-down gauntlet to reconnoitre into the beyond. Pet Sounds has none of this, focusing on producing the most impeccable soundscape. Along with this, Pet Sounds doesn't seek to investigate the more R-rated themes that had begun to interest rock. Rather, Pet Sounds is adolescent, almost childlike in its innocence and honesty. The opener, Wouldn't It Be Nice, is an almost-chaste yearning for the fireworks of romance the young assume are permanent with true love (maturity bestows the not-always-welcome realisation that romance and love are far more complicated, but the desire for love so intense never leaves you regardless of age). I Know There's An Answer (inspired by Brian's first experience with LSD) manifests that teenage sense of having everything figured out and nothing figured out, of recognising the phonies and not knowing whether to hug them or run away with a deafmute girl (baseball cap-clad douchebag Mike Love objected that the song was immoral to his square sensibilities, then later sued Brian for a songwriting credit). I could go through almost every song dissecting its guileless charm, but let's change focus to the flow of the album. It starts off exuberantly, and the first half maintains this joy, yet side 2 is far bleaker, far more introspective and self-doubting. Of course, this is still firmly adolescent, and instead of souring the album elevates it, articulating the alienation and despair that period of one's life attends. The album ends with Caroline, No, a heartbreaking song about heartbreak and the end of love, and the ideal counterpoint to Wouldn't It Be Nice. This is not to say that Pet Sounds is in any way a concept album, but it has a remarkable thematic coherence, a coherence that justifies its status as a masterpiece. Pet Sounds probably isn't perfect. God Only Knows suffers from its ubiquity, which is hardly Brian Wilson's fault. But tweezering out the minor faults of Pet Sounds would be fussiness, not diagnosis. The most valid criticisms one can make of Pet Sounds are the name and cover. According to Brian's first memoir, the title stems from somehow-more-villainous-than-Charles-Manson Mike Love damning the album, saying, "Who's gonna hear this shit? The ears of a dog?" Mike Love denies saying this (and sued him), but are there any circumstances where you want to believe Mike Love?

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Tue Aug 29 2023
5

The sentiments in Brian Wilson's lyrics are plain and juvenile and epitomize pop music. For some reason they hit me in a deep way that other pop lyrics are not able to. The production, instrumentation, performances, vocal harmonies are all first rate. This is another 6 out of 5.

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Wed Sep 06 2023
5

This was the first time I listened to this thing. Great album! Influential, good songs, production, instrumentation, deserves all the praise it gets.

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Tue Sep 19 2023
5

God Only Knows is every bit as good as its reputation. I also really like the two instrumentals. The least effective song on the album is Sloop John B, which feels like it belongs on an earlier Beach Boys album. Still, an easy 5 stars.

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Tue Sep 26 2023
5

Perfekt. Harmonier, produktion, instrumentaler. Alt. Lyder som om alle valg er velbegrundet. Første store 5'er

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Sat Oct 21 2023
5

Wouldn’t It Be Nice is reason enough to give the album 5 stars. I like the rest of the album too. God Only Knows. Caroline No. Gentle vibes.

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Fri Jul 01 2022
3

sweaty. hellish. hate the harmonies. feel like i took too many painkillers

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Mon Aug 21 2023
5

I have to give it a 5, just for historical influence. Appreciate the re-up on the Boys so soon after the last album.

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Thu Aug 31 2023
5

Absolutely phenomenal album. No other words.

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Fri Sep 01 2023
5

9.5/10 Sonne trop trop bien, la vibe est géniale "Wouldn't it be nice" marcherait bien pour les gardiens de la galaxie si la voix était plus clean tone

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Sun Sep 03 2023
5

LFGGGGGGGGGGGG, I FINALLY LISTENED TO THIS ALBUM AFTER 2 YEARS OF NOT GIVING THIS ALBUM A TRY

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Tue Sep 05 2023
5

Great. No notes. Much better than Surf's Up.

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Sat Sep 09 2023
5

Determinante para moldar a indústria ao inserir a lógica da narrativa na experiência de se dedicar um tempo para escutar música.

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Wed Sep 13 2023
5

Instantly happy, perfect Sunday morning album. Funny that my spotify autoplay automatically goes to uptown girl by Billie joel

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Thu Sep 14 2023
5

Hey, I've listened to this album before! I was so inspired to listen to it one week that despite my knowledge that it was on the generator, I knew I had to sit down and listen to it. I was blown away then (but somehow God Only Knows didn't grab me) but it's even better now. The harmonies on here are gorgeous, and the small orchestra Brian Wilson was controlling on this album is some of the most gorgeous displays of instrumentals on any modern pop record. No wonder there's two different instrumental tracks on this. Brian Wilson really did make a masterpiece here, and it's a shame the other band members saw that and still shut him down with "Smile" eventually. I've seen the average score the realization of that album has on here, and I'm hoping it's just a case of people totally misunderstanding the story behind that album after years of mental issues from Brian, because the man at least displays his genius here. 1966 to 1969 really was a magical era for music, huh?

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Sun Sep 17 2023
5

I love the Beach Boys. It’ll be understandable, knowing this, that I was very excited to be generated this album to listen to today. I feel like I’ve listened to this album before, but I don’t recognise the names of every track. I guess there are only so many songs I can fit in my brain before it starts deleting them to make more space. Songs I already knew: Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Sloop John B, God Only Knows Favourites: God Only Knows, Sloop John B If you were to ask me on any average day over the past ten years what my favourite song of all time is, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll have responded with God Only Knows. As far as I’m concerned, it is a perfect song. I’m fact, this album is full of perfection from every angle. The Beach Boys have very unique vocals, and even the two instrumental track here are great which is a good testament to their songwriting. Overall, obviously, I love it.

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Tue Sep 19 2023
5

I haven't heard this from start to finish in a long while. It really works well as a whole and extremely influential.

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Tue Sep 26 2023
5

Very good. Listened to it multiple times. Some good vibes

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Wed Sep 27 2023
5

- Depending on the day, I'd call this the best album of all time. It remains a glimmering marvel of pop craftsmanship, each song a miniature symphony that continue to reveal new facets of themselves with every new listen. - I've listened to Pet Sounds so many times over so many years that it's easy to take it for granted; it's the kind of album I could probably play over and over in my head if I wanted to, so embedded its become in my psyche. But when I actually pay attention to it I realize that it's still as magical as it was when I first heard it in high school. - I Just Wasn't Made For These Times / Pet Sounds / Caroline No might be the best finale to an album ever made. Three perfect songs that capture a devastatingly bittersweet sense of melancholy beauty, that also come full circle as a response to the joyous optimism of Wouldn't It Be Nice. "Sometimes I get very sad" might be the simplest, most heartbreaking chorus in pop history. - Don't Talk is just magical. - That's Not Me continues to grow more important to me as time goes on. - Fuck it, everything here is brilliant. Even Sleep John B., which I used to hold as the one throwaway, earns its slot. - Fascinating that Here Today is the song with the least streams on Spotify (I would've assumed it'd be one of the instrumentals). I choose to interpret that fact as a much-deserved "fuck you" to Mike Love.

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Fri Sep 29 2023
5

bit of a genuine classic innit

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Fri Sep 29 2023
5

Very upbeat and high voices, instrumental piece was great too

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Fri Oct 06 2023
5

God only knows is quite possibly my favourite song ever.

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Fri Oct 06 2023
5

Own it. Love it. Can be listened to in any setting and any mood.

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Fri Oct 06 2023
5

10/10 an all time classic. Can't go wrong

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Mon Oct 09 2023
5

In my home, I have a little stand that says “NOW SPINNING” on it that you put the record cover on that’s currently in the record player. Coincidentally, this is the record that was already in the stand. Am I going to listen to this again even though I just did? Yes. Am I mad about it? No. Did I see Brian Wilson perform this entire album live? Yes. I have a high school memory of listening to Sloop John B over and over again on my Walkman on the bus from a track meet.

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Mon Oct 09 2023
5

Delightful. All killer, no filler. I bought this album during a trip to Kansas City to find an apartment for my first job after graduating college. This album was on a near constant loop while I drove around during that trip. This album provokes a lot of different feelings in me. I want Sloop John B played at my funeral.

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Mon Oct 09 2023
5

stand out track - I Know There's An Answer

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Mon Oct 09 2023
5

I mean, what can I say. I think is one of the top 5 albums ever made (Stereo Mix). The only downside is that they hadn't written "Good Vibrations," yet, as I think adding that song to his album would just make it transcend basically anything else... As much as I like a lot of intentionally dissonant anti-pop music, I do think that there is something about the way music and the human brain works that being able to make something truly artful with some experimentation that still is able to have pop elements that tingle the brain is one pinnacle of the art form, and Brian Wilson did that.

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Wed Oct 11 2023
5

Maravilhoso, uma obra de arte.

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Wed Oct 11 2023
5

Really interesting album sonically. I have always known this album to be important to pop music, but had never heard anything other than "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows". So many instruments, so many different sounds. I feel like this really ushered pop music into an new era. Loved it.

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Thu Oct 12 2023
5

Such a classic, love the easy vibes and cool tones they used.

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Tue Oct 17 2023
5

Can’t beat it, truly iconic.

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Mon Oct 23 2023
5

A masterpiece. Incredible songwriting, performances, and production. A haunting and beautiful album capturing the genius of Brian Wilson, who seems like he travelled to a higher plane of existence when recording this album.

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Thu Oct 26 2023
5

Ah, what more can be said about this album that hasn't already been said? To call Pet Sounds a masterpiece would not only be an understatement, it would also be selling it short. Perhaps the only true document of Brian Wilson unleashing his momentum sustaining genius without any kind of setback (regardless of critique), Pet Sounds continues to provide us with sources of sonic and compositional wizardry the likes of which have tried (and failed, probably) to replicate. If the surfing, cars and girls vibe is a millstone around the neck of those who cannot possibly take The Beach Boys seriously, then Pet Sounds proved that there was a way around it and a way forward to understanding how life works. It is a monolith.

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Thu Oct 26 2023
5

Brian Wilson at the height of his power, proving why he just might deserve the title of America’s all-time greatest pop songwriter. Exquisitely wrought in every facet-a true masterpiece.

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Thu Oct 26 2023
5

Lovely melodies and harmonies. Groundbreaking album. All songs are A+.

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Sun Oct 29 2023
5

Obviously one of the finest records ever made. Perfection every beat.

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Mon Oct 30 2023
5

All time classic. I've listened to this one since I was a kid and it doesn't get old. Weird cover art though.

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Mon Oct 30 2023
5

The Beach Boys - Pet sounds 1. Aight we all know this song. It’s hippy dippy but it’s a bop. No complaints 2. Ooo this is majestic. Like frolicking in a field hand in hand with your main squeeze. Beautiful song 3. The vocals and guitar tone are stellar. Like this shit is vibes. This makes me wanna get stoned 4. Lord this is an artistic achievement for sure. A high water mark. Like I dunno why I always ignored The Beach Boys but this shit is ascendant. 5. Dude this is NUTS. the instrumentals are astounding 6. This shit is ignorant af. I’m so mad I never listened to this before now. This song made me cry and I have no idea why 7. Masterclass. Like my mind is blown 8. Classic 9. I’m in love with this album. Love at first listen. 10. Brilliant 11. Man I feel this in my soul 12. Another banger instrumental 13. Beauty defined. This is an amazing album. Wow. No skips. This album was a masterpiece. 10/10 🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾

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Wed Nov 01 2023
5

Perfection as they always are. Has two of the most amazing songs ever created on it. Issa 10!

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Thu Nov 02 2023
5

It’s really good. I always skip Sloop John B though, that song gets annoying.

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Thu Nov 02 2023
5

Suck it, Sgt. Pepper! Can't hold a handle to this!

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Thu Nov 02 2023
5

This is the amp used on Pet Sounds. This is the keyboard used on Pet Sounds. This is the microphone used on Pet Sounds. This is the horse from Pet Sounds. This is my trauma from Pet Sounds. This is my firstborn given to Pet Sounds.

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Thu Nov 02 2023
5

What is there to be said about Pet Sounds that hasn't been said already? This is probably one of the most influential and important albums of all time. But does it deserve that status? Yeah, it totally does. This is a pretty solid album by today's standards, but by 1966 standards? This thing is a freakin masterpiece! This whole album is very finely crafted to make something great. The singing, both when solo and all together, is quite good. The writing and lyrics are impactful, leading to this whole album feeling very personal to Brian Wilson. The instrumentation is very diverse, and the tone ranges from very feel-good in songs like "Wouldn't It Be Nice", to quite somber pieces like "Caroline, No". Overall, while there may be a few albums I've given a 4 that I might like more than Pet Sounds, the sheer impact and impressive nature of this album warrants a very deserved 5/5.

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Tue Nov 07 2023
5

Pet Sounds was always explained to me as The Beach Boys' answer to Sgt. Pepper. You can definitely see where Brian Wilson took inspiration. Is it as good as Sgt. Pepper? Absolutely not. Not even close. But is it still a fantastic record? Absolutely yes. The songs, the production - all of it is top notch. I have no hesitation giving this 5 stars. My favorite songs are "Sloop John B," "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times," and "Caroline, No" but honestly all the songs are great. "I Know There's An Answer" is also way better as "Hold On To Your Ego." Idk what Mike Love was on about with that one.

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Fri Nov 10 2023
5

What a great pop record. Excellent recording, songs that are fun to sing along to, and just an overall good time. This is the first time I listened to this all the way though, but it won't be the last.

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Fri Nov 10 2023
5

My parents would listen to a lot of Beach Boys on car trips when i was a kid. I sort of thought their songs were a bit simple. It's a lot different now listening to this album after seeing the documentaries and hearing bands talk about the influence this record had. It's just a great album. God Only Knows is probably my favorite Beach Boys song.

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Fri Nov 10 2023
5

Pet Sounds is truly a milestone of pop music. God Only Knows is beautiful and brilliant. I can imagine it boggled Beach Boys fans because it was such a leap from their earlier music. At times it’s a bit of sensory overload for me and feels like the wall of sound is just too dense and there’s nowhere to focus. But overall, I get why this record is so important.

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Fri Nov 10 2023
5

I wish I could go back in time and experience it when it was released. No doubt the album still has some amazing music just an incredible soundscape but I feel I don't fully appreciate because it sounds, well dated. Regardless is a 5 all the way.

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Fri Nov 10 2023
5

Really nice. Ahead of its time

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Sat Nov 11 2023
5

Iconic. A level of sophistication rarely seen. The meticulous arrangement and orchestration, led by Brian Wilson, introduced unconventional instruments and studio techniques, raising the bar for the industry. The rich tapestry of instruments, including the groundbreaking use of those and complex vocal harmonies, demonstrated a new frontier in sound engineering. Notably, The Beatles were influenced by this sonic masterpiece, marking its enduring legacy in shaping the evolution of studio recording.

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Tue Nov 14 2023
5

Now I can see why people tell Sgt. Pepper was a lot inspired by this

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Wed Nov 22 2023
5

Solid album, Pet Sounds song never took off like many of the other songs on this album. The remastered stereo does sound better to me compared to the older mono. "Caroline, no" was my favorite on the album.

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Wed Nov 22 2023
5

I love the Beach Boys!! ❤️❤️❤️

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Wed Nov 22 2023
5

So many classics. Sloop John, Wouldn't it be Nice, God Only Knows, so many iconic classics. How can this not be five stars?

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Thu Nov 23 2023
5

It’s just so syrupy and clean. The arrangements are so smooth and the production is spectacular. I forgot how good this is and it’s such a remarkable climb from the lame ass junk they released early. This album is beautiful. 5 stars

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Sat Nov 25 2023
5

Great album. Best Beach Boys album, Repeats: wouldn't it be nice, don't talk, sloop john b, God only knows,

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Thu Nov 30 2023
5

Deserves its reputation as a masterpiece. Wonderful all the way though, with songs that work as their own mini masterpieces sprinkled throughout. We learned about this in my history of rock and roll class as the album where rock and roll “grew up” into a serious intellectual pursuit and I can see why. Brian Wilson and Tony Asher give us songs about love, sadness, and aging but fill them with lush arrangements. GOATED for sure.

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Thu Nov 30 2023
5

This is generally considered one of the greatest albums of all time. I do think it deserves a 5 for the production quality alone. Several of the songs are truly great -- "Wouldn't it be Nice" and "Sloop John B" are my favorites. All that said, I wouldn't count this among my personal top 20 or even 100 albums. Yes, Brian Wilson's genius clearly comes through though.

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