Album Essentials: Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" (1966)

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

Released in May of 1966, the Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds' is the greatest album ever made.

Oh, do you want more details than that? Okay, sure.

Everything that would become "the 1960s" came to a boiling point in 1966. From the advent of a character named Bob Dylan at the start of the decade, through to the arrival of the Beatles on US soil in 1964, everything in pop music and pop culture was on course to a Technicolor explosion. From literature and films to fashion and music, it was youth-driven and highly aware of its surroundings. Messages coming in from overseas and the homeland, it was clear the 60s would not be a retread of the 50s.

For the sake of argument, it started with the Beats, the wild and woolly poets of the 1950s who saw life as an adventure of mind, body, and spirit. A new landscape was being painted within the pages of their books and words in their poetry, and those tuned in were looking for the new. The Beach Boys began as a modest enough proposal with three brothers who loved singing harmony, got together with a cousin and friend to form a rock and roll band. Equally inspired by Chuck Berry as they were by the vocals of the Four Freshmen, elder brother Brian Wilson would mold that combination into some of the greatest pop music ever created. Still teenagers, things began taking off. Long story short, they made a record, 'Surfin',' and their father, who was vaguely associated with the music business, helped get them a deal with Capitol Records.

The hits started coming. In their first four years, they landed 13 singles in the US Top 20, including 8 in the Top 10 and 2 number ones. They had a simple appeal, and yet with one listen, you knew this was not ordinary pop music. Brian was creating highly sophisticated melodies and arrangements for these deceptively simple songs. As with most artists, Brian became frustrated with the stagnation of the music and wanted to explore. Due to a breakdown from nervous exhaustion, Brian opted to stay home and not tour with the band. Instead, he spent his time creating in the studio, preparing tracks for the guys to work on when they returned home.

This peaked with 'California Girls,' a beautiful, surging pop song that proved Brian correct in time well spent in the studio. It was another hit. He kept working toward a new goal. Inspired by the ebb and flow of the Beatles 'Rubber Soul' album, Brian wanted to make an album that good. "It was definitely a challenge for me," Brian later said. "I saw every cut very artistically interesting and stimulating."

Working with the famous 'Wrecking Crew, a group of studio players in Los Angeles, he created the album 'Pet Sounds.' Released on May 16, 1966, it was not exactly like any previous Beach Boys album, or any album by any other artist for that matter. When the band first heard the material, they were surprised. None of the obvious cornerstones of the band were there. No songs about cars, surfin', or teenage revelry, instead, the lyrics were mature, introspective and much more adult. Brian had hooked up with lyricist Tony Asher for work on the album. Famously, the most vocal against the new approach was singer Mike Love who thought they should "stick to the formula," arguing the new songs to be too somber, and that people wouldn't get them. Though the singles from the album would both hit the Top 10, a brilliant take on the folk standard 'Sloop John B,' and the Brian classic "'Wouldn't It Be Nice,' the record company started to get nervous that there was nothing left for more singles and the album was dead in the water. In fact, they had such a sour view of the LP, instead of promoting it properly, they rushed to release 'The Best Of The Beach Boys' a mere two months later, trying to salvage BB sales for the year.

In the United Kingdom, however, a different tale was unfolding, as the music press and musician peers of the band were all lining up with praise for this modern masterpiece. From the Hollies to the Beatles and beyond, it was unanimous, the Beach Boys had raised the pop music stakes with 'Pet Sounds.' Paul McCartney has stated on several occasions that it was 'Pet Sounds' that inspired the Fab Four to dive headfirst into what would become 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,' which was released a little over a year later.

In between, in October 1966, to be exact, Brian wrote and recorded a single that not only smashed any doubt of his artistic promise but was also a massive hit. Though 'Good Vibrations' was not a part of 'Pet Sounds,' it was the arrow pointing to where he was headed, which is another story for another day! As for 'Pet Sounds' itself, it truly is a masterpiece.

Little wonder as to why. Kicking off with 'Wouldn't It Be Nice,' arguably one of Wilson's finest compositions, it wrapped the innocence of the early Beach Boys in adult idealism. 'You Still Believe In Me' is a plaintive ballad sung from the other side of teenagedom, while 'That's Not Me' was self-awareness 101. Not a little Deuce Coupe in sight as the loftier observations and checkpoints stood ground. 'Don't Talk, Put Your Head On My Shoulder' and 'I'm Waiting For The Day' are more examples of this new approach. 'Let's Go Away For Awhile' beams in as if from some island on another world. 'Here Today' and 'I Just Wasn't Made For These Times' are among the best songs Brian Wilson ever wrote, and 'God Only Knows' and 'Caroline, No' are among the best songs ever written, period!

Musically, the entire album is an adventure of sound. Sure, guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards are present, but let's not forget bass harmonica, violins, viola, cello, flutes, sax, vibraphone, timpani, and various other percussion (including a bicycle bell and a water jug). Then there are the highly sophisticated vocals, all arranged by Brian, who was only 23 years old at the time.

The songs, the arrangements, and the production, all by Wilson, were, and remain, a thing of wonder. Listening to this album countless times over the decades has yet to diminish its power. If I start to listen, I will always finish it. It is one of the greatest examples of pop music as pop art that could have only happened in 1966. In 1965, we didn't know enough, and by 1967, we knew too much, so to speak. It was that golden moment for those creatively ahead of the pack.

Now, here in 2025, it has become a common thought that this album is a landmark in pop music, with every accolade in the book being lobbed at it and sticking. This was not always the case. Aside from the aforementioned rush release of that 'Best Of' LP, Capitol tried to re-release 'Pet Sounds' in 1972 when it was included as a bonus LP, issued with the then-new LP 'Carl & The Passions - So Tough.' It truly wasn't until the CD age that critics and other musicians started to acknowledge what an amazing LP this was. Ultimately, it would replace 'Sgt Pepper' on the usual round of 'best of all time' lists for years to come, to this day, it often still finds a home atop that list.

So then, is it the greatest album ever made? Ask me now and I will say, of course it is. There is no other album quite like it. It possesses a magic all its own. Another day I may choose 'Face To Face' by the Kinks,' Revolver' by the Beatles, or perhaps 'Love's Forever Changes.' Then again, 'Country Life' by Roxy Music is great, ditto Eno - 'Here Come The Warm Jets.' I'm saying there is so much great music out there that so many people have yet to explore, what are you waiting for?!