Reviews (page 15 of 17)
Exceptuando un par de hits que han sido banda sonora en muchas escenas de cine, el resto del disco me pareció correcto pero no excesivamente memorable.
The album I was waiting for!
La texture des arrangements fait de cet album un objet multidimensionnel, les harmonies sont bien travaillées et évitent les écueils de la «quétainerie», dans laquelle les pièces auraient pu tomber au vu des textes. Plutôt, elles les mettent en valeur et en font des classiques.
old sounds and shiet much better than i expected
i dont dislike this album by any means i just think it sounds very dated and out of place in the year 2023 and also i dont think i would listen to this outside of right now so um yeah.
Dennis Wilson feeding an invisible goat is one of the greatest mysteries in American history. Fav tracks: wouldn't it be nice, I'm waiting for the day, lets go away for a while, god only knows, here today, I just wasn't made for these times, Caroline no
Aantal goeie nummers en paar hele bekende, maar voor mij veel te lang album. + 1 voor de cover haha
Afgelopen week een vrij verstrooide week gehad dus niet aan luisteren toegekomen helaas... Ik ga mijn best doen om het nog in te halen. Wel bijzonder fijn om met dit album weer te beginnen. Wat een klassieker en wat nice dat ze het gehele album in zowel mono als stereo hebben geplaatst.
Had verwacht dat ik dit nicer zou vinden. Iets te zoetsappig allemaal
Sick hoe veel nummers hiervan zooo groot zijn geworden! Weet niet per se of het mijn ding is (denk het niet) maaaar vanwege de impact van the beach boys krijgen ze 3 sterren
Ik vind de vocal harmonies op dit album heel mooi, en een paar nummers springen er ook echt uit. Toch zijn er een paar ook heel vervelend, en moet ik zeggen dat ik de hype voor dit album na al die jaren nog steeds niet echt begrijp
good album no bad song top 3 wouldn’t it be nice i’m waiting for the day sloop john b
Pretty much perfect. It's hard to overstate Brian Wilson's songwriting and harmonic talents here. One of my all time favorite concert memories is hearing The Beach Boys (full line up) play Wouldn't It Be Nice at Bonnaroo on a perfect summer day. I can keep going back to this one over and over without getting sick of it. 5/5
It took a second listen to really appreciate some of these songs, especially the slower ones. However this album grew on me a lot. I think I needed to be in the right mindset. The harmonies are great and the lyrics speak to me. 4.75/5
i listened to this album ≈ a year ago and truly didn’t like it at all but i mostly enjoyed it today. interesting how that happens, i wonder if it’s partly due to this website/project
Absolutely fantastic album
Appreciate the craft. A little on the pop side for my tastes.
Two incredible songs surrounded by some pretty decent but ultimately forgettable material. The album lacks variety in a way that I know the Beach Boys are capable of, and the recording quality leaves some things to be desired.
I found this a bit brash with a hint of twee
Adventurous arraignments, great Melodie’s, excellent singing performances…Pet Sounds has it all and is deservedly considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Whether you are listening to the opening notes of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” for the first or one hundredth time you are uplifted immediately. Each time you listen to pick up a new instrument or note being sung in the backing vocals. Each member of the band is on top form.
Some great songs. God Only Knows, Wouldn't it Be Nice, Sloop John B The rest is good. 4/5
Believe the hype. This is a unique and powerful statement from an important American composer.
This is an amazing album. Even if every song besides "God Only Knows" was terrible, it would still be amazing just for that song. However, the other songs are still actually really good.
Outside of the high notes, it was fine. The Beach Boys are probably just a little too anodyne for me. That being said, the highs are really great songs that I can't help but love anyway. Standouts: Wouldn't It Be Nice, I'm Waiting For The Day, Sloop John B, God Only Knows
Can I give this 6 stars?
Pet Sounds is another album that I wish I could have heard in context of the time that it was released. I have listened to this album before, because so many people have cited this album as a significant album in their own musical experience. There are tracks from this album that I have heard many times. I'm not a super Beach Boys fan, but "Sloop John B" and "God Only Knows" are tracks that I have sought out to listen to again on my own, and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is close to that same list. There are some interesting sounds from the Beach Boys on this album - it's not just the happy, surf music of previous albums. (There is a weird love song in "You Still Believe in Me" that takes me away from fully imersing myself into the experience of this album... the Beach Boys have a strange way of writing lyrics to try to sweet talk to young girls.) Although the Beach Boys are not regulars in what I would listen to, there is enough to explore on this album that I will round up to a full 4 stars.
Pure class throughout, with a dozen top-shelf tracks of rich creativity and a few that are angelically ethereal. The editors seem lost on this band: there's no way that Beach Boys Today is a better record than this ... which is just pop music of a different order than 99.9% of all that's ever been recorded/released.
Best Song: God Only Knows. The best use of layered vocals in the entire album. Worst Song: Pet Sounds. We're here for the vocals, not the rhythm jams. Overall: It get that it's an iconic pop album, but it just does the same thing over and over. Granted, it does that one thing really well, but I can't pretend that the lilting melodies and well-sung harmonies were exciting at the end of the album as at the beginning.
Nice
Fine
I would play this at the nursing home Luau themed brunch. No track highlights.
It's the beach boys.
So haunting and upbeat. I don't listen to this album very often, but it is a nice treat every once in a while.
Listened Before? N So this is the famous Beach Boys masterpiece. I've heard a few songs from it before, but never the whole thing. Honestly, it's got a great vibe. Pretty low-key and the vocals are (of course) impressive. I highly enjoyed it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Wouldn't It Be Nice
perfection, Album #1
Not my style
Great album. I’m sure the original was much shorter though 😉
Not what I expected Really impressed by this album Much deeper than I imagined it to be Flows extremely well 9/10
Nothing groundbreaking here. It's less surf city and more of whatever they were trying to evolve into, so take your pick and either like or dislike this accordingly. Honestly though, what's not to like about an album with goats on the cover?
album goes hard
What an iconic album. Brian Wilson really is a genius. I love Wikipedia's description, "A concept album but the concept is stylistic." It still sounds fresh. Fabulous.
Just as good as it’s reputation.
This was a lot more interesting and enjoyable than I'd expected. Not the most memorable album either, but definitely a pleasant listen for me.
Shamefully, I’ve owned this on CD for at least a decade and have never listened to it. However, my parents were/are Beach Boys fans and I grew up listening to them. One of my earliest memories in life is putting a Beach Boys’ greatest hits CD in the stereo and turning on “Sloop John B.” Anyway, I’m glad I finally listened to it from start to finish. I actually knew most of the songs already. I don’t have any commentary good enough for this album.
Great album I have heard a number of times
i see the genius but i think i would've appreciated it more had i not been born three decades after it was released
When an album causes the Beatles to rethink their creative decisions and come up with Sgt. Pepper's, you've done something right.
good pop music. nothing special. definitely overhyped. 3.5/5
<3 <3 <3
Definitely like the overall sound, didn’t blow me away though. Wouldn’t it be nice is obviously a banger though, phenomenal opener and then the rest is still really good, just has a hard time following that.
It was made to have no filler but it doesn't come across that way. It feels like the ramblings of a man who couldn't adapt to the evolving musical style of the late 60s. He's "the smartest guy in the room" and it really shows. Slow your genius roll, Brian Wilson.
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Wouldn’t it be nice, God only knows
A couple of songs on here I recognize. Overall, it's not bad. But it's just not something I would choose to sit down and listen to.
A classic, and a lot of fun songs. But a little whinier than I was expecting
very overrated but the highlights are SUPER high
Classic for a reason, but not my oldies style for the most part.
Great album, I like it a lot! The production is obviously a highlight, some of the songs don't really do it as much for me as the highlights here, but I'll always be happy to have this on.
Just too slow and soft for me
Heard it before, like it a lot more now. Favorite song: “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”.
Truly a masterpiece, this record is perfect and absolutely magnificent both in a singular context as well as within the context of when it was released. I have listened to it multiple times today--both the Mono and the Stereo mixes--and it's been absolutely wonderful.
there was a time where i didn't get the hype for this album and thought it was kind of boring but it was semi-recently when it clicked for me. it seems like every time that i listen a song from this album again, i notice something i haven't before. if there was a food that i could compare to this album, it would be a multi-tiered cake: decadent and layered. they also both have animals involved i guess.
Extremely good album, filled with extremely good songs. The harmonies are so tight, and the musicality is incredibly fresh.
Let's start with the obvious. The harmonies are deep and wonderful. The sound of this record is amazing. The various instruments and percussion sounds provide depth and marry with the harmonies to produce a really cohesive sounding record. A++++ sounding record. That being said, I've never really been too big on the Beach Boys. The songs don't really send me as compositions, the lyrics don't mean much to me, it doesn't change the way I see the world or my experience in it, and I'm just generally bored by the standard pop sensibilities of the whole thing. I struggle with the first couple of Beatles records in the same way. I mean, teenaged unrequited love songs in the verse1/verse2/chorus/verse3/chorus structure just only get me so far and that description could be used to describe 3/4 of this record. So, here, the appeal for me is the recording process. The harmonies are great because they don't settle for the standard 3 part harmonies of melody + down a third + up a fifth. Adding sevenths is such a simple idea chordally, but it really makes the whole thing shimmer when you use it correctly. The use of a really wide variety of instruments (both for melody and percussion) really fills out the sound. The effect of all this is that each song sounds really rich without sounding too over-produced. The focus was clearly on blending the sounds rather than separating them and I can really appreciate that. But I'm not in love with this record or the band like many are. I own this record, but I almost never play it.
just like brian wilson did
This is really not my style, but i'm glad i'm listening to it. There's some awesome musical stuff going on here! There's timpani, sitar, triangle, tuba, duyuglar (horse hoof clapping sound), the list goes on.
Never disappoints. Even though every time I come in thinking "This has got to be overhyped, right?"
Decent
classicozao, mas fora a inicial nao empolgou tanto
Best album ever
Look.. I get it, I really do. I get why its on this list and I really appreciate what it and Brian Wilson have done for music as a whole. It did so much for the album as an artform, the studio as an instrument and for making music more progressive which we are still feeling to this day. But I just can't bring myself, after decacdes of revisiting it every now and then to say 'I like like Pet Sounds'. I think it just boils down to just not getting the style of surf/barouqe/doo-wop pop that the whole thing is based around. Its just so twee and kind of annoying. I think thats probably hightened by Tony Asher's involvement (I mean nothing against the guy but who hires a jingle writer to help them create their masterpiece). I also don't think Wilsons perfectionism when it came to vocal harmonies helps, its too perfect and uninteresting. I think it would have been a lot more interesting and fun if Brian Wilson could just get out of his own way occasionally and have some fun with it, let it be imprefect and strange and do diffrent styles. Also it sounds more Phill Spector than a lot of Phill Spector records despite him not being involved, which I don't think does it any favours because it places it firmly in a canon of music which it really doesn't belong in. The stand out track of course is "God only knows" which is a nigh on perfect little package of emotion which I don't think many people have surpassed. A technically great album which is held back by perfectionism and overly twee and sentimental songwriting.
classic
This is my first time listening to this album in full and I understand why it was so influential at the time. Still sounds fresh all these years later.
Amazing album, but I had never really heard Here Today. You can hear how it influenced so much after it in that one song.
absolute masterpiece
хммм 60ее я люблю
Love the BBs but this just doesn’t live up.
Classic
so wholesome. in a slightly menacing way
A few songs that hit me sentimentally, but otherwise I feel this is overhyped.
A pretty good album. I enjoyed listening to it and it has some great songs, but it’s not a favorite of mine
You can't rate this any less than 5 stars, you just can't. This is the literal groundwork of pop to come. Can someone hook that Sloop John B / God Only Knows side A to B transition to my veins? Innovative, creative, fun and perfect.
Pop music go brrrrr
general feel good album music wise well made and all but not really my cup of tea
The production and harmonies and instrumentals are splendid. Not quite the transformative experience that many people have when listening to this album but it’s perfectly lovely background music.
This is a great album. It starts to dig into Brian Wilson's psyche and show maturity as a composer. I prefer the sunshine, cars, and beaches of the earlier Beach Boys but I appreciate where the boys wanted to go. I also love the production of this album with the Wrecking Crew group of studio musicians.
Perfectly nice.
Well, here's another where a second review by the same artist is prompting a nearly identical review from me. With all respect to those folks who admire this band, I fail to understand what it is that makes this group so beloved. The harmonies, for sure, are impressive. But it ends there for me. Lyrically, there are moments of cringe that pop up all over the place (I mean, is "Caroline No" a lament over a "once-cute" girl who has found feminism?). The adolescent themes just keep coming. And it seems like the height of laziness to fade out of 70% of the songs in the middle of a chorus, but that seems to be the formula of the moment on this one. Again (as in my last Beach Boys review) I'm hovering between a 2 and a 3. Last time I went with a two, so I guess I'll split the difference. But that's feeling generous...
When I first heard this album (back in college), I thought it was a bit overrated, but still, it was quirky and pretty enough that I kept wanting to come back to it. And it gradually won me over. Other than the two instrumentals, every song on here has been my favorite song on here. (Currently, my favorite is "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)"). Anyway, I love it to death, though I can totally understand others not digging it or even wondering what all the fuss is about. But it's weird and wonderful and unexpected and honest and imperfect-but-trying-really-hard. And I love that about it. I dig all the bizarre arrangements and crazy left turns and lush chords and the bass playing and of course those harmonies. Again, I get it if it's not your bag. But it is definitely mine.
I just wasn’t made for these tunes. I mean Wouldn’t it Be Nice and God Only Knows are really good songs. A number of other good songs on the album too. But I’ve never understood the reverence people (Scott et al) have for this. I remember it carrying some mythical weight when folks would talk about “Pet Sounds”. This is the before Internet times … and when I finally saw the album cover and heard it , I thought it was a joke. Like I really thought oh it must be some Sgt Pepper type of musical experience. Some nice songs with some guys playing with goats on the cover.
'Pet Sounds' is one of the most influental albums of all time - the influence it had on the development of pop music is inmeasurable. It's genius, timeless, and it is such an incredibly beautiful record. It is also one of my favourite albums of all times, in my Top 3 definitely.
It’s a great album but it just pisses me off when people call it a concept album.5/5 though
An enjoyable album with amazing harmonies and instrumentation. I wish the subject matter were different and not as one-note/poppy as the usual 60s stuff (aka love songs). The second half of the album branched out into other topics, which was great. But even though I wasn't a fan of the typical sappy love songs, I looooove God Only Knows (how could I not??)
God I can't stand the vocals, at least the songs are short. Cheesy sappy 60's songs about love are not my favorite at all.
mikä vittu siinä on niin ihmeellistä?? emotional lyrical content ööö ok?? emotional? mitä vittau se tarkottaa... on joo mutta ei mitään erikoista samaa vitun valkoista westoid lyriikkaa kun aina..the most progressive pop album ever, ehkö 1956 olisi... no ehkö poppia mutta ok? rima ei ole vittu korkea tuolle tittelille. His goal was to create —a cohesive work with no filler tracks, no eipä vittu onnistunut, kolme hyvää biisiä se siinä. wouldn't it be nice imetä mutsis pillukarvoja. miten kehtaa laittaa tätä mihinkään top listoille, So many of these songs are OBJECTIVELY great songwriting OBJEKTIIVISESTI TÄMÄ ON vittu YKSI KAUTTA VIISI mutta annetaan nyt kaksi kun remastered 50 vuotta antaa vitusti eri versioita albumista... tosin kuin pikn floyd another GAY in the wall. eiku dark side of the mon tarkotin, WOKE!!!!!!!!LIBERAL!!! here today
Love this one. It’s my buddy, Gil’s, favorite album. 5/5 89/100
have loved this album my whole life
Great great album. Good Only Knows is my fav Beach Boys song.
Album was a classsic and even added a few songs to playlists
While I don't feel the need to listen through both the mono and stereo versions of the songs, I did appreciate that they were included. Great album.
Hermoso disco. Podría ser incluso 5/5 con más escuchas.
Ihaninta tässä levyssä on, että vielä vuosikymmenien jälkeenkin se jaksaa yllättää - kuuntelin pitkästä aikaa sanoituksia ajatuksella ja nehän olivat paikoittain surullisemmat kuin muistin. Oman elämän klassikko sarjassa "isäni kuunteli", ja myös sarjassa "siskoni rakasti".
Loistava levy ja ihana kansi! Mielestäni sisältää yhden maailman parhaista rakkauslauluista, joka tyylikkäästi alkaa sanoilla "I may not always love you..." : D Kuuntelin tämän tarkituksella lahjaksi saamaltani mono LP:ltä ja jotenkin se tuntuu spessummalta. 4/5
Hieno levy, vaikkei täysin omaan makuun. Vaikuttavinta tässä on aina ollut vuosiluku ja ilmeisen uraauurtava tuotanto onkin.
"Se" Beach Boys-levy. Onhan tämä komea kokonaisuus biisien, instrumentaation ja impaktin perusteella. Eli eiköhän se 5/5 ole ansaittu.
Correcto. Un poco rollete.
I already know I love this album. It's going to be a 5/5. Excited to listen to it again today. There's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said about the incredible songwriting on this album. Brian Wilson is great. Standout Tracks: Wouldn't It Be Nice, You Still Believe In Me, That's Not Me, Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder), I'm Waiting for the Day, Let's Go Away for a While, Sloop John B, God Only Knows, I Know There's an Answer, Here Today, I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, Caroline No
I think the Beach Boys are nice but mostly their more popular songs idk if everything is something for me but still GREAT band
Jeg var skeptisk, ettersom jeg ikke er noen stor fan av boy bands - de gamle inkludert, men mot slutten av albumet måtte jeg kapitulere. Beach boys' karakteristiske sound, rytme og tematikk er faktisk fengende, og man hører mer finesser etterhvert som man gir seg tid og lytter. Klassikerne God only knows, Wouldn't it be Nice og Sloop John viser hvorfor de har blitt kjent som ett av historiens største pop-band. Likte spesielt instrumentalen Pet Sounds - morsom og variert instrumentering, litt jazz-groove, og ikke minst en kjærkommen pause fra de kanskje litt ensformige BB-stemmene?
Vastly overhyped. It's very good, but that's it.
Genre: Progressive pop Favorite songs: Wouldn't It Be Nice, God only knows, I Just Wasn't Made for These Times and Caroline, no
Baller
Brian Wilson’s magnum opus. An eargasm for the ages.
A+
Luscious sounds but was hard getting through it. I can understand it’s importance in its time but not sure I agree with the monumental place it holds in pop music. Of course God Only Knows is the big exception. It’s timeless and an amazing feat of musicality and lyrics. Didn’t realize the Beatles’ animal sounds at the end of Good Morning, Good Morning is basically a rip off of Pet Sounds.
Everything about this album I love because it reminds me of my dad 💖💖💖💖💖💖
I know, the album's title is supposed to be a pun, but the album cover is horrible. Pet Sounds was heavily influenced by the Beatles' Rubber Soul, but while the latter supported its music with an imaginative cover photo, the picture on the former is just plain silly and might have been a factor if the initial sales figures left something to be desired. Well, on to the music .... Brian Wilson set out to make a pop album with no filler, topping Rubber Soul (and probably Revolver, which had come out in the meantime). In that, he succeeded. This is the only album I know from that period that is on a similar level as the Beatles were then. There are no bad, and a couple of really great tracks here - Wouldn't It Be Nice, Sloop John B, and especially God Only Knows come readily to mind. While there is no bad or filler material, some of the tracks are not quite as good as the ones on the A list, but that shouldn't distract from the fact that this album, musically, is more than solid. And it really helps that there is not a single surfer anthem anywhere to be found. 4/5
Amazing album that gets better every time you listen to it. I have heard about the band long time before, but I really paid attention to them after watching the movie "Love And Mercy", that shows the making of this album and visualise life of Brian Wilson. Immediately after the movie I have bought the vinyl version of the record, and I have to admit - I'm not a big fan of music from 60s or 70s, but "Pet Sounds" is not only amazing, but it holds up really well. Almost every song on the album is a hit and should be much more prominent in radio. Also, I have to agree, it is one of the best albums of all time.
I first listened to this in preparation for Brian Wilson’s ‘Pet Sounds in full’ set at Primavera a few years back. We were still queueing up during the first few tracks, but it was only really Wouldn’t It Be Nice that I was sad to miss (the second half of the album is stronger; God Only Knows, like Good Vibrations, deserves all the praise it gets). I appreciate that the lush instrumentation was particularly sophisticated for its time, and I don’t mind the introverted nature of most of the tracks, but occasionally it’s all a bit *too* placid. Still, a solid 4 for attainment / 4.5 for effort.
One of the best albums ever in existence.
Nice, sounds more dated though than others from the era
fajne, ale trochę seksistowskie miejscami
Felt a bit like a chore to get through, even at under 40 minutes.
Good
There's a reason this is known as the teenage symphony to God.
In spotify it just goes to the stereo version of it so I only listened to the Mono/Remaster part of it. It was a good album, some good songs came after Let's go for a while, and I enjoyed just the vocals of The Beach Boys on their 11th album. so a good 7/10
Liked #1 Wouldn't It Be Nice, #9 I Know There's An Answer, and #14 Hang On To Your Ego.
Too many songs that don't go anywhere for me
Of course you had a bad trip. What were you thinking giving a boat a man's name?
Beach boys getting more serious here as for the arrangement and lyrics are concerned. Love it. A true classic
Well this is one of the classics and may sound a bit dated however it was one of the defining rock/pop albums of the 60's.
A classic Sixties pop album. Not sure what else can be said about this that hasn't been said already. Some great songs, and those harmonies...so good I played it twice (Spotify has the mono and then the stereo version in one reissue). Caroline, No was the surprise here, having passed me by before. Love the ambient sound at the end. Very evocative.
The opening chords for Wouldn't It Be Nice are joyous. The album then loses the urgency for me. I've never understood why Pet Sounds is held up in such high esteem. It's good, but not great. Maybe the context of listening to it for the first time in 1966 added to the elevation. The singles so strong leading you to expect the rest of the album will follow a similar path. The songs get lost in studio experimentation. Style, substance etc.
it was fine, a solid 3/5. very joyful, and joyful in a way that i think others would agree upon
Genius
groovy, love carolina!
I can see why this album is talked about in such high regard; but it's just not my cup of tea
Not a big fan. But has few very good songs.
I'm not sure I can think of any album as universally enjoyable as Pet Sounds. If you told me you didn't at least appreciate this album I'd be a bit concerned. The influence of the Beach Boys is also undeniable, there is a reason the term "Beach Boys Harmonies" is so frequently heard. God only knows and Wouldn't It Be Nice are absolutely huge singles and you'd be forgiven for describing this as a singles album but then you relisten and remember the rest of the tracks are pretty great too. Not my favourite album but on balance deserving of the classic status.
I'm just not the biggest fan of the beach boys 3 God Only Knows and Wouldn't It Be Nice gets it to a four, but no more than that. 4
Really fun and interesting listen. Really enjoyed the instrumentation and layered backing track and the vocals and harmonising. Solid pop album, but with some songs with boring melodies or lyrics I don't care for.
I just started this , and I'm disappointed in Pet Sounds being my first suggested album Mike Love looks pretty thrilled to be included in the photo shoot Is this really the Beach Boy's best album?
It’s a great album, but it’s not as good as many have claimed. There are a few tracks that feel like fillers, don’t talk and waiting for the day being the ones that spring to mind. Still an enjoyable album, only worth 4 stars though
Quite a good consistent album, a few mediocre songs. This album is good but I really don’t see it as one of the best albums of its time. Album cover is also horrific. My rating - 7.5/10 Need to be on this list - 9/10
It's interesting that *Pet Sounds* is not part of the twenty most praised albums on this app. Heck, its overall score reveals that it's actually pretty far behind those twenty LPs. This suggests what I have always suspected: maybe this record has always been slightly overrated, as influential as it was. Were it not for the British critics that singled out that Beach Boys release when it came out on their side of the pond, would we talk so much about it? And in such laudatory terms? That being said, *Pet Sounds* is still a masterpiece that deserves its 5/5 grade, just like Brian Wilson intended when he and the rest of the Beach Boys recorded it. When you write and arrange heavenly music such as the one found on "God Only Knows", "Wouldn't It be Nice", "Don't Talk" or "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", you're a genius, period. Your peers are acts like The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana... In other words, you're in very good company, whether or not you made one of the twenty best albums of all time. Podiums are not everything anyway, especially when you're creating original, moving and groundbreaking art such as this. Maybe Wilson indeed wasn't made for those times he lived in. But he sure changed the latter so that it would fit with *his* vision. That takes a lot of skills, a lot of talent. Hence the rightful inclusion of *Pet Sounds* in a list such as this. Number of albums left to review: 720 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 138 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 67 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 76
This is an album that every time I listen to it I think this is my favorite album of all time. The sounds and textures of it are so progressive and unlike anything else in the era.
Yep, spoken about in hushed terms by just about everybody, contrary me decided I didn't want to listen to it for years. However, when I finally did relent I realised all the plaudits and awards given to it are justified. It's just fucking great, sad, whistful and mental. Best Tracks: Wouldn't It Be Nice; I'm Waiting For The Day; God Only Knows
Have always tried to get this album but have never been able to fully arrive at the place everyone else talks about. I just can't seem to connect with it like I feel like a should (which is most likely the issue in the first place)
Awesome album, every song a winner.
For me, the very definition of overrated. Is it a classic? Yes. Is it essential listening? Yes. But did I enjoy listening? No. Lots of Mid Tempo tracks, and Brian's voice isn't great.
The Beach Boys remind me of being a little boy, with my dad listening to them often. That being said, I don't think I have ever listened to this album front to back. I have heard that this album is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. So far, that seems like a stretch. It sounds pretty dated and even older than 1966 to me. And the fading out to end each song seems odd and ruins the flow a bit. But all that being said, there is a lot going on in each song, which creates a nice full and complex sound. Every song has the light and poppy, undeniable sound of the Beach Boys. And even though I complained about songs fading out, there is a nice sonic flow and narrative that works throughout the entire album. The wikipedia article on this album was an interesting companion read while listening to the album which gave a deeper understanding of exactly why this album and its influence on the rest of music that followed is a major factor in the acclaim. I can appreciate that.
Great listening, some amazing songs on this album.
Okay, gotta say it; I don't get the hype. It's a good album! Every song sounds great, but the songs themselves just aren't that interesting, in lyrical or musical depth. I'm sure I'm missing something here, since this is supposed to be one of the best albums ever. Maybe it's the historical context? Cultural significance? Not sure, but I expected this album to be much, much better than it was.
God I really don’t know where to start with Pet Sounds. I got really into the Beach Boys maybe 2 years ago? I don’t remember how it started, but I was immediately drawn to Brian Wilson’s vocals and production style. Every song these guys made was full of emotion, longing, sadness, and joy. The Beach Boys’ first 6 or so albums possess some of the most beautiful vocal harmonies you’ve ever heard. Makes the Four Seasons sound like a bunch of yelping cats. Anyways, Pet Sounds is absolutely their magnum opus, and it’s visible as soon as the first track, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, a wonderfully wistful song about being young and in love. There’s not a song on hear I don’t love: the long vocals on “You Still Believe In Me”, the wonderful interplay of Mike’s lead vocals and Brian’s falsetto on “That’s Not Me”, the psychedelic “Don’t Talk”, the songwriting of “I’m Waiting for the Day”, the percussion on “Let’s Go Away for Awhile”, and of course, the ever-happy “Sloop John B”. Side 2 is just a perfect: “God Only Knows”, Brian’s visible soul on “I Know There’s An Answer”, the silly “Here Today”, the camp sadness of “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times”, the sleigh bells on “Pet Sounds”, and of course, the beautifully sad (yet too short) “Caroline, No”. I fucking love this album. I’ve listened to it a billion times, and it always gets slightly better every time I do. Probably my favorite album of all time.
Very joyful and upbeat sunny day :)
This is a perfect album. It has long been one of my favorites (my wife and I had our first dance to "God Only Knows"), and it is still so singular and grand in its sound. It doesn't try hard to be deep (although the alternate version of "I know there's an answer" is straight up about tripping on acid), there is such an earnest innocence on the edge of adulthood that instantly hits a nostalgic nerve.
Masterful.
If you listen to anything earlier from the Beach Boys, I think it'll just show the distance they went from there til here. Insanely lush, gorgeous, and dynamic. Favorite tracks: "God Only Knows", "Sloop John B", "Don't Talk"
Was sorely disappointed with the lack of woofs, purrs, chirps, growls, barks, bleets and hisses on here. Meow the Jewels remains the superior Pet Sounds album. Three disgruntled kitties out of five. 😾😾😾
Not a Beach Boys fan
For the life of me I don't get what the big deal is with this album. Yeah, ok, those were innovative recording techniques for 1966. They layered a lot of instruments and there's a theremin in there, yay! Give me Phil Spector's wall of sound any day if the goal is to stuff an entire horn orchestra on a track. For me the songs just drag on and on with the same mid to low tempo, same vocal lines and harmonies. No power, no real groove. The entire sound is really dated. It's not bad, it's just ...meh. But I guess it should deserve some credit since (for some reason) it influenced every musician alive at that time. If McCartney felt inspired and wanted to out do himself because of Pet Sounds, then I guess it does deserves some credit. We got Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road out of this, so no a bad deal. Favorite track: Sloop John B
Skimmed this
Ok
An important album filled with beautiful songs with interesting arrangements and production. 4.5/5
Rock
One of my all time favorites.
Minus a couple songs (including God Only Knows) i was just waiting for the album to finish. I feel like it's a good album but the style of music just wasn't working for me for some reason. A little disappointing considering I have a couple friends that would live and die on this album.
Unpleasant surprise for me. I never listened to any The Beach Boys album as a whole and I expected this to be full of the upbeat, fun, juicy music I know from any hits collection. But most of it seemed so dull, I felt "fun" feelings being sucked out of me if anything and I expected the exact opposite.
It would be so nice!
I like this a lot though I’m not sure it’s the luminary icon of pop perfection it’s sometimes held up to be. To me it seems that, as often as it transcends genre into the realms of High Art (which is pretty often), it also gets lost in its own overly complicated and intricate production.
Probably the most perfect album of all time.
0/5 Drecksalbum Wer sowas hört sollte aufhören seine mechanische Tastatur in Klausuren mitzunehmen.
5.0
It’s weird how the older this album get and the more I hear it, the more it sounds like it was beamed in from another dimension, even though all of the sounds on it are recognizably human. Just a pure masterclass in pop songwriting, production, and arrangement.
10/10
classic album. the beatles shit a brick when this came out
Ok
It’s fuckin Pet Sounds
Every year or so I try to "get" the Beach Boys and I never do. Is it just because this is what Boomers heard when they were in their tweens? Like it unlocked something for them? Great harmonies and I'm glad they've stopped singing about the fucking beach, but Jesus Christ they're still going with Sloops and all that shit...
This is fine, it's really fine, and perhaps the well-known songs I know well, and I'm not such of a BB fan to give it five stars when the slighly less well-known ones don't make me sit up.
Wouldn't it be nice is a song I've heard plenty of times before but all the rest were fresh to me. Unfortunately none of them had the sticking power in my brain besides that first one.
Damn, here's one of the big hallmark classics I've been waiting on. Billed as one of the first big pop concept albums (Frank Sinatra would like a word), this had a lot of influence across the music scene, including on the Beach Boys' rival British analogue the Beatles. I may be American, but I'd personally take the Beatles over the Beach Boys for their variety, but the Beatles could never touch the California beach tracks that these guys do so well. Really no sign of that style on here, but it's an excellent project in its own right. I can hear the ambition echoing through every track. Lots of wacky sounds and instruments at play, but still grounded in yearning love-pop stuff that was super familiar. It didn't resonate with me as heavily as some other classics do, and sadly I'd say the Beatles win the album battle as well, but it's undeniably great. Some bangers made it out of this one too so there's something for everyone. Favorite tracks: Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows, You Still Believe in Me, I'm Waiting for the Day, Pet Sounds. Album art: The guys at a petting zoo. Seen it a billion times, always unassuming. I think it's a pretty weak cover that doesn't at all convey the ambition within. But it's fine to look at. 4.5/5
LP
It started with one of my favourite songs: wouldn't it be nice. The Beach Boys are a very special band to me, so I'm glad this was the first to come up! 💛 This brings me nostalgia, good vibes and it returns me to the good moments of my childhood. I liked all the musics, so i'm saving this album!!!
I just wasn't made for these times Sloop John B wouldn't it be nice Caroline no
Heralded as the greatest pop album of all time by music nerds alike, The Beach Boys pushed the industry as a whole in terms of production and songwriting while still appealing to masses. Many will attribute this success to Brian Wilson, but I won't say anything with full certainty. The truth is that I think the Beach Boys are still a little corny, a little plain, a little passé. It does not stir any strong emotions in me other than "yes, this is nice". My favorite parts are the instrumentals, especially the title track Pet Sounds which plays around a lot for some interesting music.
Sorry it’s not that good. Probably the most overrated album on this list. It is not a patch on sgt peppers or a dozen albums from late sixties Cover art : 1/5
You know, I gave it a go but it's not for me. Melodic in its way but quite samey, his voice often grates, the close harmonies are uninteresting perhaps because they've been so pervasive. It feel brainless, simple and a little one dimensional to me. The Beatles loved them and I really like the song Don't Worry Baby from a different album but this is the third or fourth time I've tried this album and I simply don't care.
"Wouldn't it be nice" ti fa capire subito il mood dell'album. Oddio poi diventa più cupo
Perfection
Admittedly, this isn't my favorite Beach Boys release but you have to recognize the genius of it. The vocal layers and sound samples are absolutely magical. Sometimes they overrun the song itself but most of the time it's perfect.
Great feelgood album. The works behind the vocal harmonies are just insane.
The Production, the harmonies, the creativity :O Classic album.
It's a really important and historic album. The arrangements and the production are incredible, we feel that Brian Wilson gave everything on this record. Unfortunately, it's not my favorite of the Beach Boys. Sometimes the overly polished look turns into a tacky mess. But there's no doubt, great album.
Great sounds
Why am I crying in the surf shack rn?
An all-time classic album!
Disco más bien aburridón. Comienza movido y baja rápido de revoluciones con clásico sonido de rock sesentero. Destancan Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows y a mi gusto I´m Waiting For The Day. 2.5 estrellas que deberían quedarse ahí porque no tiene elementos ni para subir ni para bajar.
Nunca había escuchado el Pet Sounds completo y cuando empezamos este proyecto supuse que aquí estaría y ya mejor me esperé. En general le pongo un 4.5 que sube a 5, y lo único que me falta o sobra es que la voz de Brian Johnson no es mi favorita. Sin embargo, fuera de eso, cada rola en si misma es una gran obra de pop. Mi favorita es God Only Knows, pero el disco completo se va como agua porque todas son compactas y entretenidas. Al final, el punto que más me sorprende es que este es el disco número ONCE de los Beach Boys. ¿Qué pedo con la capacidad creativa y/o la explotación?
Not much to say that has not already been said a 1000 times.
After multiple listens this weekend, I’m concluding that this album that I’ve been meaning to listen to for decades is absolutely wonderful!
What a contrast to the previous day's flat affect. Incredible that this is considered pop - although I don't know what else I'd call it. I got this album at a thrift shop after wondering what the "Good Vibrations" and "Barbara Ann" group ever did to make an album I'd always heard was transcendent. Well, it is! (and for the record, Good Vibrations started to make more sense too). Incredibly creative instrumentation and arrangements, deep lyrics, beautiful production.
Es muy suave y delicado, me encanta eso, tiene un toque psicodelico en las voces, muchos critican la portada pero creo que queda con el disco. Si tuviera que describirlo en una palabra sería adorable, no se es lo que me transmite. Tiene partes muy melódicas y unas progresivas sin embargo nunca se siente fuera de lugar, se siente todo muy unido y cohesivo. Es el tipo de música que escucharía cuando esté estresado y solo quiera estar tranquilo, eso es un buen termino pa este disco, tranquilidad. Canciones Fav: - Caroline, No ⭐ - Sloop John B ⭐ - Let's Go Away For a While - I Know There's an Answer Canciones menos fav - Hay algunas que considero flojas pero en realidad todas son disfrutables Calificación: 9.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 Se lo merece, es un clasico inmediato, es un disco que puede llegar a ser ostigante de lo dulce que es, pero yo simplemente no me canso de ello, es muy lindo
Whenever a publication makes a "Greatest Albums of All Times" list, "Pet Sounds" is inevitably in the mix, and it getting picked #1 isn't unusual. I've listened to it before, but didn't really get what all the fuss was about, so I dove into the Wiki page for context as I listened to it. And then I listened to it a couple more times. And you know what? I wouldn't go so far as to call it the best album ever, but it *is* excellent. Judging the album as a cohesive whole rather than just a bunch of songs slapped together on the same hunk of vinyl helped (and that's what we're doing here, right?). And getting some of the background from Wikipedia helped contextualize it. As for individual songs, "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Sloop John B," and "God Only Knows" were my preexisting favorites, but new favorites include "That's Not Me," "I'm Waiting for the Day," "I Know There's an Answer," and "Here Today." I definitely slept on this album, but no more! These pets make great music.
Stellar. One of my favorite bands & albums. I'd argue that Beach Boys are the best American band.
This album tops the charts all the time as one of the greatest albums of all time. Really? Music hasn't surpassed this in nearly 60 years? It's fine. But to me the Beach Boys is about as vanilla as it gets.
I don't see how this compares to Sargent peppers! still a very enjoyable and happy album to make you feel like you're in a television advert
Det är en bra platta, javisst. Men jag har ändå svårt att se den som den klassiker som många ser den. På min tio i topp kommer den inte.
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After listening to the Strong Songs episode on "God Only Knows", I really appreciate that track. Trying to turn on my ears to the other tracks on the album. Not sure I am sophisticated enough to completely get it but I did enjoy this album. Even listened to the mono and stereo mixes. Definitely prefer the stereo mix.
Classic
Classic
une belle surprise, on peut le réécouter et beaucoup kiffer, je pensais que c'était poppy chiant
Wouldn't It Be Nice, Sloop John B, and God Only Knows makes this a legendary album. 50 years later and we're still listening to these songs. I Know There's an Answer is an under appreciated song. The lyrics are not great, but the music is super interesting.
Slightly boring
Beautiful
Find it annoying and overrated
Can’t stand The Beach Boys. Schmaltzy, thin-sounding crap.
I recognize the immense talent and production value but . . . the Beach Boys I like are the hit singles. When they aren't singing about surfing they're singing about who-fucking-cares.
Probably very controversial
A very good album, but it doesn't quite reach the heights.
Classic.
kinda boring
A little long but a great album.
A classic, lots of layers of sounds, many details, very enjoyable
Surprisingly deep and interesting. I knew the couple of hits going into the album, but the rest of the songs showed an unexpected maturity from The Beach Boys.
There are some great songs on here. God Only Knows has always been a favorite. I do get a little tired of Brian Wilson's whiny-sounding voice after a while. Sorry Brian, you are fabulous but I can only handle it for a while! I bought this album because it is so highly regarded and I was surprised to find I could not get into it that much. I am thinking that I would have viewed it differently if first heard the year it was released. It would have sounded quite different than the other pop music at the time. I can see how it became such an influential piece of work.
I don't get the Beach Boys. Yes this is better than (not as terrible as) Kokomo, but it still seems sentimental, twee and juvenile to me, with an undercurrent of incel self-absorption. Yes, God Only Knows is a pretty good song, but it doesn't get this album over the line for me. Comparisons with any Beatles album are ludicrous.
Classic, a must.
that was nice, although i'm not a fan of classic rock music Liked "Wouldn't It Be Nice" a lot
perfect talented beautiful amazing one of a kind
Classic 1960s California Beach Soundtrack
Predictable 5.
Never was a big fan of The Beach Boys but can see why this album shows up on everyone’s ’must listen’ list after a couple of plays - interesting alt. sounds and cutting lyrics.
Not for me
Okay. Lots of old classics that trigger nostalgia, but not really my favorite style of music.
Great return to form with the pivotal return and influence of John Frusciante being no coincidence in making this their greatest album to date. Full of recognisable tracks that combine to make one of the greatest albums of all time in my opinion
I think Beach Boys is a little too saccharine and un-ironic for me. Didn’t make it through the album. Had to go listen to The Else by TMBG instead. I’ll try and give it another shot sometime when I’m in a more generous headspace.
One of the best albums of all time!
Solo me gustó el único tema que conocía de antemano, y creo que me gusta más cantado por Pedro Aznar
One of the best ever
A surprisingly awesome album. Sloop John B blew my mind as a beach boys song as it has existed in my head rent free for so many years without me knowing where it came from!
Pretty cool. I like the sound of the BB
Classic sounds. Hard to beat. Sloop John B is the best track in my opinion.
I'm as surprised as anyone that it's made it on to my albums list.
I know the "hits" of the Beach Boys but never really listened to a full album, again with the exception of greatest hits album. I was pleasantly surprised with how much i enjoyed this album that I will be going back and checking out more of what the have to offer.
Immaculate and timeless album- It’s DNA is woven into the fabric of modern music. It’s a brief album that’s bursting with ideas and melodies.
This is ok… not the masterpiece it’s toted as. Decent tunes, but a bit twee in places.
Definitive Beach Boys for me. Wouldn't it Be Nice, Sloop John B, and God Only Knows all on one record? It's a fantastic collection of sounds.
I don't have to listen to this one yet again, but I will. 5 Stars. Blindly, Easily, 5 stars. A must listen.
Definitely enjoyable
Good album but nothing special for me personally. Some solid well known tracks and obviously it's iconic band but yea
Not exactly what I thought of for a beach boy album. Very relaxed and laid back
Squam
If this was 5 albums you must hear before you die this would still be here
Banger
Pretty awesome and I dont know really know much about the beach boys besides the manson ancid days involvement. So yeah, Ive heard this is their/a masterpiece. I liked it very much, I would say nearly every track is a winner, I listed to the stereo version. Some more songs I can see leading towards experimentation. The album has a nice vibe of groovers, mooders, and boppers.
i want a reason to live and this site isn’t helping
nice.
sloop john b-ery good
I like The Beach Boys as much as I like The Beatles
The timbres, melodies and grooves are those that I have heard contemporaries try to hit. Many pull from thee. Bows to Brian Wilson. He wasn't made for these times.
Je connaissais les beach boys mais aussi fou que cela peut l'être je n'avais jamais écouté pet sounds autre que Wouldn't it be nice.... et je dois dire, c'est vraiment un chef d'oeuvre. Je n'ai pas regardé les chansons du début à la fin et j'ai adoré. Cela va directement dans la bibliothèque et je regrette d'avoir boudé les beach boys si longtemps.
Listened to a few songs. The ones I knew I liked but in general I do not care for their sound.
Klassiskt? Flera man känner igen, och Sloop John B var en oväntad historielektion.
The seminal Beach Boys album, I've never heard it front to back but so many references to it from anyone talking about the band, I knew it would show up on this list eventually. Didn't disappoint, you can feel the band transition from pop/surf music to something more. You still have the harmonizing the band is known for, but it's more of a psychadelic tone. Great album, definitely would listen to again.
A 60’s pop masterpiece, one of the truly ground breaking albums of its time.
sweaty. hellish. hate the harmonies. feel like i took too many painkillers
Interesting influence on later music.
Excellent, one of the greatest of all time. Every track is enjoyable, some are obviously better than others, but I love every one.
Ça m'a pris du temps apprécier les Beach Boys. Tout ce que je connaissais d'eux était Surfin' U.S.A. et Good Vibrations. Faut voir aussi que je ne suis pas un grand fan des harmonies vocales de ce type. J'avais probablement entendu de cet album Wouldn't It Be Nice ou God Only Knows à la radio, la télé ou un autre média plus commercial, mais je n'avais pas porté une grande attention. Par contre des années plus tard, quand j'ai pris le temps d'écouter l'album dans son ensemble en y étant attentif, j'ai compris son importance. Oui il y a encore les harmonies vocales, mais tous les arrangements de cet albums sont spectaculaires. Il y a des moments dark. Pour l'époque, il y a vraiment plein d'exploration et de nouveautés dans cet album. On parle quand même ici de l'album qui a poussé les Beatles à répondre avec Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band. La pièce God Only Knows à elle seule est un chef d'oeuvre. Définitivement un album à écouter.
-Did not hear the sound of even one goddamn pet -Honestly not as mind blowing as it is claimed to be. The songs are supposed to be super complex but I don't know if I'm cracked out of my mind but they don't seem that crazy to me. -"Wouldn't It Be Nice" is nice, but it is also the only song I had heard from the album before. the only other song that stood out in any capacity was "Sloop John B" -Just not super crazy
Not sure what more I can say about this album beyond what's been said a million times. It's a masterpiece, start to finish. 5 stars.
Meh
Great from start to finish.
Utterly lush and lavnish. So many great tracks within a nicely integrated feel overall. Beyond the obvious (“Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Sloop John B”), the very mature and uncanny cuts (“That’s Not Me” and “Caroline, No” and “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times”) make the record. The brightness and harmonies hide the shadows and weirdness (aren’t we glad Brian had this creative outlet?). Beyond the contrapuntal hymnal feel, there’s vulnerability and authenticity in the storytelling – the songs are about confused kids trying to find love, stay positive and be grateful (to put it in contemporary, self-carey terms). Sure, it’s over-indulgent at times, but that’s where the opulence and ethereality come from, so too the fucking Bach-esque haunting of the liltiest bits and highest glee-club registers (the vocals on “You Still Believe in Me” are a chorale, for christ’s sake). No way BB Today! Is a better record (as editors claim). That’s blasphemy, not even a quality troll because it’s so wrong (plus being indicative of dodgy taste). 4.8
Some great songs. Sloop John B has been a favorite of mine for years.
Know it's a critic's favourite but it's damn good
Wouldn't It Be Nice is a great masterclass in harmony. I'm Waiting For Today has a couple weird lyrics but is a solid song. Let's Go Away For A While is a song? God Only Knows is a killer song. Caroline, No is another cool track. Definetly worth a respin. Weird album though.
Interesting sound
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?
Pop from another planet. Just amazing.
Beach Boys are always a pleasant listen, even if nothing is particularly whizbang. "God Only Knows" is a great song, while the rest just remain middle of the road to me
I've never really got into The Beach Boys that much. There isn't a lot of variation between songs. Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows are classic songs and I liked Sloop John B. All in all it's a good album but there isn't enough variation to keep me interested for the entire album.
The thing I love about The Beach Boys is that they were doing something very different from what so many boy bands were doing in the early to mid 60s. Pet Sounds took that to a whole new level with their instrumentation and harmonies. Upon listening to this album all the way through for the first time in a long time there are a few songs that aren’t top notch, but Wouldn’t It Be Nice and God Only Knows will always be in my top favorite songs of all time. Brian Wilson’s mental struggles definitely created some of the greatest music of an entire generation.
Super enjoyed this. Used to listen to Beach Boys as a kid and I love listening to harmonies.
Wow! Harmonies!! So cool!!! Bored High 2
3/5 somewhat good but boring
Honestly not much to say. It’s a classic who doesn’t like this album
I feel they are some sort of institution that I should like but are just a singles band to me
Lots of songs I had forgotten about (I know there’s an answer came back to me in the middle of the night after listening to this!)
Lot of goats on that cover.
Excellent.
It is outrageous that this was created in the mid-60s. I find the Beach Boys in general a bit schmaltzy, but this is really well put together, and Wouldn't It Be Nice / God Only Knows are all-time classics (God Only Knows being the better of the two). Could get a 5, but I just don't like their type of music enough to put it up with the best albums I've ever listened to. 4 it is.
Fucking nightmare. Too much sound. Everytime I start to like it someone goes 'oooohhh woooooo' and then a horn starts honking
This was probably my most anticipated album when I began this project, so I'm stoked to have finally gotten it. It's such a innovative album with a fantastic mix of heartbreak and positivity, all wrapped up in the unique Beach Boys' sound. Will definitely have it on repeat for a while. 10/10
Not Sure where this adulation comes from. Its OK at best
Great to hear some of these classics.
The melodies on this thing are amazing. Layers of sound. Harmonics. God only knows is obviously fantastic but all the songs except maybe John Sloop B hit. Love the melancholic mood that fills this album.
Seems overhyped to me.
The Beach Boys are truly a different beast to The Beatles, and what a beast they are. Still, it's pretty tempting to refer to this album as their "Revolver" and the unfortunately removed "Good Vibrations" as their "Tomorrow Never Knows", both in terms of greatness and music style changes. Overall, "Pet Sounds" made me go "wow!", but not "WOW!!!" as most people claimed they did. Most of it are two minute pop songs with great instrumentals and incredible productions. It's great, albeit generic at some places. I enjoyed it, though not as much as I enjoyed "Surf's Up".