Pet Sounds

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.

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

wouldn't it be nice to fuck off

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Couldn't hear any pets but some good songs otherwise

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.

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

"God only knows what I'd be without you," RIP Brian Wilson man This album is fucking amazing front-to-back. I don't think anything I can possibly say here has been said for the first time. Wouldn't It Be Nice and Here Today are the two best tracks and are also the too most relatable. Sloop John B has one of the catchiest melodies of all time. You Still Believe In Me makes me want to sit by a fire in my PJs and take three minutes to open a box with two pairs of used socks in it. This thing is just absolute perfection from track 1 to track 13. I love it I love it I love it.

Recognized as among the greatest and most influential albums in music history, "Pet Sounds" is often compared with the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band," though I believe that no comparison can be made. Brian Wilson had made his own, extraordinary mark on musical history. The charming "Wouldn’t It Be Nice" is the album’s opener. An upbeat song with angelic vocals, complex arrangements and youthful innocence (“You know it seems the more we talk about it / It only makes it worse to live without it”), Pet Sounds starts off with a banger. Although the most obvious 'weakness' of the Beach Boys is their monotony, with most songs following the same formula, "Pet Sounds" avoids this problem. The similarity between songs only adds to the realism of the album. "You Still Believe In Me" and "That's Not Me" are achingly beautiful tracks with angelic harmonies, and "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)" is a dreamy love ballad. The Beach Boys's cover of "Sloop John B" is fantastically trippy. Definitely my favourite cover of theirs. Additionally, "God Only Knows" is arguably the best love ballad ever written and a true testament to Brian Wilson's songwriting. The lines "I may not always love you / But long as there are stars above you / You never need to doubt it / I'll make you so sure about it" are simple but achingly tender. I'm glad Carl Wilson sang this number—his soft voice compliments the song exceptionally. "Here Today" is dichotomous to the rest of "Pet Sounds," as it offers a more cynical view on love. Not my favourite, but a good song nonetheless. "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" and the title track are weaker but don't noticeably disrupt the listening of the album. "Caroline, No" is another focal point of "Pet Sounds" and a stark contrast to "Wouldn't It Be Nice." It is raw, albeit dramatic, and filled to the brim with heartbreak. Oh, Brian, you diva! "Could I ever find in you again / The things that made me love you so much then? / Could we ever bring 'em back once they have gone?" TL;DR, "Pet Sounds" makes me feel like I'm foolish and young and in love again. Definitely one of the GOAT.

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.

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

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

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?

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.

Brian Wilson died today. There is near universal acknowledgement of incredible aptitude for melody and harmony, but really, I think we have been collectively mourning Brian Wilson for decades now. Was Pet Sounds, so beloved by hipsters, both the career zenith and breaking point for Brian Wilson? It feels unkind to suggest that he subsequently disappeared into a miasma of drugs, mental illness, internecine conflicts and his own legend. The Legend of Brain Wilson is one of the foundational myths of popular music, a piece of trauma porn that allows music snobs a visceral thrill on the basis of Brian's suffering. I think Brian's story is a cautionary tale of the dangers of a fucked-up father, too much success too fast, and the exploitative nature of the music industry (and the predators that lurk around it). Personally, I'm glad he seemed to find some stability and peace with his wife, Melinda, whom he credited with making his life possible. I saw Beach Boys with Brian Wilson live in 2012. They were performing in Central Park, NYC, for Good Morning America, so I got up at 6am to go see them. They only did a few songs (Help Me Rhonda, Good Vibrations, God Made the Radio, and maybe something else). Brian was super cranky, and berated the crowd for bumping around the giant beach balls that the production had provided during the lengthy breaks between performances. And I felt like he has been wheeled out against his will to perform like a curiosity and I could understand his bad mood. It is my usual (and somewhat) heretical view that Brian Wilson is over-rated and nearly everything he did after Pet Sounds is self-indulgent and unfocussed and often meaningless ('Vegetables', anyone?), the occasional good song excepted. Anyone who claims to truly love 'Surf's Up' is just too pretentious. But Pet Sounds really is something else. Loathe as I am to admit it, Pet Sounds is really great. It's difficult to hear with fresh ears because so many of these tracks are really important and much played vital pieces of pop music history. I can see why the Beatles felt the need to up their game in response. Five stars. Vale, Brian, you just weren't made for these times.

Masterpiece.

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.

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

Just: no. The Beach Boys never actually sound like how the people who drink their Kool-Aid describe; it's not a magical wall-of-sound with beautiful harmonies and incredibly inventive instrumentation. It's a flat, tinny 3rd-rate Phil Spector knock-off with limited tuneage, mediocre vocals, creepy 60's incel lyrics and fucking harpsichords (please applaud). Comparing this to Rubber Soul (yet alone *Revolver*) is just laughable "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is the closest Earthly approximation of the soundtrack in Hell; imagine being poked in the arse by cheery demon pitchforks while something unattainably worse drivels on in the background "Caroline, No" has a recording of a fucking train and a dog appended at the end, for no apparent reason - genius! "Love and Mercy" (specifically, the later version) is the only Brian Wilson-related musical offering I have ever felt lived up to the infinite hype - maybe Landry had some benign influence after all? Wake up people, this is shit. Saved from 1* by a residual fondness for Frank Black's "Hang On To Your Ego"

i got this as my album of the day today and knew it was going to be a 5 star review because this is one of the greatest albums of all time and i love brian wilson, but i got this album on june 11th 2025 and brian wilson passed away today, RIP Brian Wilson, you were the greatest.

Een van mijn favoriete albums. Underrated zijn "I'm Waiting For The Day" en "Caroline, No". "God only knows" is een van mijn favoriete nummers, met goede herinneringen. 1/1001

My first year of grad school was pretty miserable: I would be up till 4 a.m. reading Kierkegaard and listening to Bach, and never really socializing. That, and a lack of money, led me just after Easter to take on some ESL teaching to adult learners - folks from 18 and up who'd come to Cambridge for a few weeks or months to brush up their English. We teachers would take them out to the pub or to other social events; as spring turned to summer, we'd end up hanging out with them quite a lot informally as well. With my wages coming in, I was finally shedding my old habits of dressing exclusively in black rollbacks, and wearing more casual clothes: I was at last beginning to unwind myself. June sees the end of exams, Suicide Sunday, May Week, and all the balls - then the undergrads largely go home, and the place starts to fill with tour groups and language students. Then there are the fairs - Strawberry Fair, with the haze of weed, and Midsummer Fair, both on Midsummer Common, by the river. My flat on King Street wasn't far from there, so I'd wander over frequently. That became the story of most of my grad school summers: long summer afternoons, perhaps an evening at the Fort St George overlooking the water, hanging out with these visiting language students, many of them, like me, on the cusp of adulthood, and away from home, seeking adventure, exploration, and more. It was in these years that I first listened to "Pet Sounds." That, along with "Astral Weeks" and "Forever Changes," will always take me back to those times: summer as the moment of eternity, not as kairos, but as the locus of nostalgia, languid afternoons and the golden light of the early evening. All that to say - there's no way I could review this in any way objectively. But perhaps that in itself illustrates the impact of "Pet Sounds": it was always the right soundtrack for those times. All of those happy-sad songs, a sense of lack and loss of the very moment you're living in and the experiences you're having. God, I love it.

This week I had Blackstar, Highway 51, Diamond Life, Remain In Light and now Pet Sounds. 5 straight 5s for me. The perfect week.

Fantastic album.

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.

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.

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

temu beatles

"a cohesive work with no filler tracks"?? Why's there so many duff fillers, then. This is below average tosh, and apart from a couple of tracks, not worth the time.

It took years for me to listen to this album. I heard great things about it, but never listened to it except for the two monster songs-- God only Knows and Sloop John B. This album was really different. Melancholy, introspective. It hit me right where it hurt. The only song I skip is the title song, the "Revolution #9" of the Beach Boys. 4.5/5

I just want to acknowledge that it’s really cool that the developer pushed Beach Boys / Brian Wilson albums to people using this app the day after Brian’s death. Very nice tribute, and I’m happy to receive Pet Sounds to honor Brian in a small way. I’m not arguing with anyone calling this the greatest album of all time. Objectively, it very well could be. It’s one of my favorite albums regardless of how good everyone else says it is. The Beach Boys always made music for teenagers before this, but no album has ever captured the weirdness/sadness/thrill/confusion of growing up quite like Pet Sounds. It’s sonically beautiful and timeless. This album was made with 4-track recordings, which is pretty unbelievable when you listen to it. God Only Knows is well documented as a perfect song. I can’t add much here other than I of course agree. My personal favorite track is I Guess I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times… it’s my favorite song to listen to whenever I’m feeling a little disconnected from our crazy world. Mike Love gets a lot of heat from music fans, and some of it is probably for good reason (politics e.g.), but I do think it’s worth crediting him for the change of “Hold On To Your Ego” to “I Know There’s An Answer”. In my opinion the latter is a much better song with the lyric change, he was right to push for it. Anyway this is the 5-starriest 5-star album of them all. Thanks Brian!

The Beach Boys were surely two different bands. One was the fun-loving surfer pop stars who played big feelgood concerts to excited fans. The other was a brainchild of a man who grew tired of touring and longed to turn pop music into a complex, studio driven artform, with little concern for live recreations. What's weird is that both bands existed at once, with Brian Wilson locked away in the studio while his brothers played live. Even weirder is that the experimental stuff continued to sound like the original band, at least on the surface. "Pet Sounds" represents the peak of the Wilson's artistic success. Inspired by "Rubber Soul", he was one of the first to understand the value of an album as a single cohesive statement. This was particularly unusual in America where record labels were still cutting up tracklistings from British albums to increase sales. The Beach Boys would come to inspire The Beatles in turn when they went to record "Sgt Pepper" (and also stopped touring). Comparisons of the two bands is impossible to avoid. But while The Beatles used experimentation to set new templates for rock music, Brian Wilson is celebrating experimentation for its own sake, but fit it comfortably within the band's sound. The studio is very clearly the main instrument here but you could miss that if you were playing enough attention. "Pet Sounds" is a unique album for its various tricks but also it's ability to produce some great songs at the same time. It's as if you forced John Cage to make radio hits and he delivered. But it's also challenging which led to a number of critics dismissing it at the time. Not only for the studio trickery but for daring to mix upbeat music with depressing and introspective lyrics. Funny to think now that that seemed like such a controversial idea. I can't count how many times I put this album on repeat to try to fully absorb it all. Although I've never heard it in full before, I have to admit now that it's a masterpiece. The fact that I got this one today is no coincidence but a push from the generator to mark the loss of this mad songwriter. R.I.P. Brian Wilson.

Could it get better that this? (Yes)

Wiwiwikiwi

He died yesterday, I hope he’s better now.

I love you.

R.I.P. Brian Wilson... his true masterpiece is this album.

Basically perfect and wonderful in every way, everything that can be said has been said so I'm not gonna kick a dead horse. Let me just immediately contradict that though and tell you that God Only Knows is a perfect song and one of the best things I've ever heard.

Songs I grew up to.

this album makes me happy:)

I've got no notes about this album musically. It's perfect. Not a single wasted note. Instead I'm going to tell a quick true story. One day I randomly sat next to this super quirky, super friendly girl at a work thing whom we'll call "G". "G" and I became fast friends. She was one of the most outgoing people I'd ever met. Through her I met "M". Through "M" I met "H". One day I was hanging out with "H" and she introduced me to her former roommate "R". I married "R" and we have a beautiful family together. I often wonder how different my life would be if I'd randomly sat next to someone else that day at work. Anyway, this album is kinda like that story. The Beatles apparently wrote Sgt. Pepper because they wanted to write something as good as Pet Sounds. Sgt. Pepper inspired Ozzy Ozzborne to pursue music. Black Sabbath inspired every metal, grunge, & hardcore band ever. So... I often wonder what music would be like if this album was never made.

Delightful sound with lyrics full of love!

magical and whimsical, this album is the magnum opus of the classic rock legends. “wouldn’t it be nice” is the perfect opener to this album as it encapsulates their next era sound magnificently. there aren’t enough words to express how amazing this album is, topped off by what may very well be one of the most beautiful songs ever written, “god only knows”. this one is special. highlights: “wouldn’t it be nice” “sloop john b” “god only knows” “i just wasn’t made for these times”

Quel poulet cet album > beatles

A classic album through and through, from the unique sound of The Beach Boys, to theor lyrics. God Only Knows is my favourite song from the album. It might be quite a generic choice, but it is popular for a reason.

Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, the Wrecking Crew, and a little bit of magic. Sloop John B is the best homesickness song ever.

Great

Emetic warning, particularly for Simon: this may the only record I’ve sobbed to with another. Fill that brown paper bag! Hadn’t listened to this in a long time, and got through it twice during a hellish drive into and out of the city, and it held up for me. The combination of heavy sentimentality, nostalgia, singing in harmony and a warehouse of strings drives many to hatred, but I fundamentally think this is a sad, lost little record made in good faith by an inspired eccentric. It’s creepy and I don’t mind. Considered dropping a star, then remembered how lovely Brian Wilson was to a friend who hosted him in an HMV, answering a ton of questions that others had channeled to my friend. He even answered: “Anyway, since you're willing to offend him, ask him what it was like to be so fat and fucked up that he couldn't get out of bed and had to have his maid/nurse jerk him off because he couldn't.” “A) it was great. it saved me from having to lie on my arm for 15 minutes.”

Must listen for any one.

great pop album

This is really great. I only knew the hits going in but the rest is really great.

Never thought, that I would enjoy a BeachBoys Album that much! Great easy listening.

Ace

We come on the sloop John B My grandfather and me Around Nassau town we did roam Drinkin' all night Got into a fight Well, I feel so broke up I wanna go home So hoist up the John B's sail See how the mainsail sets Call for the captain ashore, let me go home Let me go home I wanna go home Well, I feel so broke up I wanna go home The first mate, he got drunk And broke in the captain's trunk The constable had to come and take him away Sheriff John Stone Why don't you leave me alone? Well, I feel so broke up I wanna go home This is an outstanding album - More than just a selection of great songs, it is expertly produced to capture an exceptional emotional portrait. 5/5

Own

Well, it's the Wrecking Crew working under the intense direction of the profoundly talented Brian Wilson, so I'm not sure what more you can ask. Not everything is an earworm single here but the lush harmonies of the Beach Boys married to one of the most storied session groups of the 20th century (see also: The Funk Brothers, Booker T & The MG's and The Swampers), married under the direction of a genuine musical genius. Just imagine writing all of these parts in your head, which Wilson did. God Only Knows is, alone, a masterpiece. But why read my views on this? It's one of the most famous albums in the history of modern Western popular music. You don't need me to tell you about it.

The classic American rock album

Favorite tracks: Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Let’s Go Away for Awhile, Pet Sounds Rating: 5/5

Perfect score obv

Super cool album. Harmonies are amazing

Super diverse and interesting. Bounces from idea to idea without a wasted moment.

This album is stunning. God Only Knows is one of the best songs and the whole way this is weaved together with the wall of sound gives it such a presence. It blows my mind that this was done before computers played a huge part in sound engineering.

Symphonic. To my understanding this probably shouldn't have been a Beach Boys album. I feel there are still elements of the surf rock sound they deep in here, but this is so many levels above. Point is this elevates the pop rock sound and does something different. Great album, solid production, listened all the way through today at least 5 or 6 times. Always something new to discover. Insane unfortunate stories swirling around this album

Tremendous harmonies and song writing

Such a good album, glad to start the list with this one!

Great album.

The perfect coming of age album from the genius mind of Brian Wilson. Iconic songs to evoke feelings in an aural world.

That's not me... Slusam 30.11.2023. u jedan ujutru posle najgoreg dana od raskida. Univerzum mi salje znake. Toliko bih zeleo da ovo podelim sa nekim jednog dana. Specijalnim nekim.

All timer. Eneste minus er at den ikke er længere

No offense men det er altså lidt grinch behavior ikke at gi den her 5 stjerner. Jeg var nødt til at høre den 2 gange.

Still an unbelievable album. Not much new to say here that hasn't been said before, but the production still shines just as brightly as it did the first time I listened to it.

really slacking this week boys sorry!! this one is easy

Well, it’s Pet Sounds. Changed the game. Opener is off the wall, and Sloop John B - God Only Knows - I Know There’s An Answer is an absolutely insane sequence. I do think it’s hilarious how obsessed this group is with getting married.

More than a few great songs on here. Fantastic production, beautiful harmonies, masterful song writing. Such a good album

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.

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.

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

😳

une écoute fort agréable

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

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

I love the Beach Boys!! ❤️❤️❤️

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.

One of the greatest

harmonies.

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

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.

Really nice. Ahead of its time

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.

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.