The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds

Unlike The Beach Boys’ previous work, Pet Sounds was taken into a radically new direction. Prior to its release their albums contained “fillers”. They would act as placeholders in between singles, as was common with many rock albums at the time. The demands from record labels to have their artists produce several albums a year put a lot of pressure on Brian Wilson. Despite these difficulties the all-encompassing Brian was expected to be the producer, composer, songwriter and vocalist for the band.

While working on Pet Sounds he drew influences from many different facets. He often thought of the Beatles as his chief rivals, but despite the competition he was still inspired by the albums they released. Enthralled by Phil Spector’s production techniques, Brian spent years working on perfecting vocal harmonies. At this time too he had been introduced to psychedelic drugs, which led him to experiment with previously unused methods in music.

            Pet Sounds was and still is ahead of its time. Many artists have been influenced by the Pet Sounds from the Beatles to Jane’s Addiction and it’s widely believed to be one of the greatest rock albums ever released. Although very experimental from their previous work, the album remains true to Brian’s vision of where he wanted to take the band. He was able to show a versatility that still remains hidden inside the world of music.

            The innovative uses of the instrumentals are characteristic throughout the entire album. The mesh of instruments ranging from percussion, bass, wind, piano, accordion, etc. harmonize fluidly. This complexity is never overwhelming and no one instrument is overused on any of the tracks. Another distinguishing factor in Pet Sounds is the lyrical content. It’s drastically different from the poppy albums indicative of their earlier work. This maturation shows a depth that previously wasn’t accepted, but afterward became a staple in music.

            Pet Sounds for me works on two levels. The Beach Boys weren’t the strongest vocalists, but the way the vocals intertwine makes it appealing to listen to. For me it’s still not a conventional album and yet the complexities in the vocals stay with me long after having listened to the record. The harmony within the vocals is done so well it’d be easy to have recorded this album without the use of instruments. However the marriage between the instruments while listening to the album in stereo truly shows how perfectly placed the instruments are. Even on the mono tracks, each instrument fits perfectly within their frequency range.