The Beach Boys have and always will be known more as the "west coast sound" of the 1960's. That is simply their staple image and was so before the release of their legendary record "Pet Sounds." What that entailed though was being the "perfect guy" as well. Clean cut, overwhelmingly nice, accessible, and always being in the public eye was a part of their daily lives. It wore on the band and was a contributing factor why Brian Wilson had to take a break from performing with the group and solely focus on writing. But it also gave him time to write the epic "Pet Sounds."
Brian Wilson in short was the Beach Boys. He wrote, arranged, produced, recorded, and performed in the iconic group. Where the Beatles had the luxury of three song writers, Brian for the most part was on his own in that department. With the success of the Beach Boys the pressure only continued to mount to top not only their last record, but now to top the Beatles as well. This helped to fuel Wilson's creativity for "Pet Sounds."
There was widely known, but friendly, competition between the Beach Boys and the Beatles. You simply couldn't turn on the radio without hearing one of the two bands. It seemed everything they touched turned to platinum. The Beach Boys hit the top forty 22 times while the Beatles enjoyed 27 number one hits! It was only natural that the two powerhouse groups vied to outdo the other. Out of that friendly competition though, Brian Wilson was able to find a new kind of inspiration that allowed him to rethink the sound of the Beach Boys. Pet Sounds was the result of it.
What was great about "Pet Sounds" for the Beach Boys was how different it was from their previous material. The content and lyrics in particular. Wilson wrote music that appealed to a broader audience. One thing I personally believe he learned from the Beatles was how well their songs about love sold. On tracks like "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" he shows a direct focus on that. He ventured away from the cool, easy sound of the beach that he was so used to writing. Wilson stretched his creative arms to a broader and more mass appealing subject like love. And it was a great move.
What I notice most about the album when listening to it is its sonic quality. Wilson was very particular about the rooms he used for recording in and I think it really shows on this album. Its so much bigger sounding than anything at that time. The instrumentation feels like it "other worldly" with the use of reverb and recording techniques Wilson implemented. What's great about it though it that the instrumentation leaves this nice bed for the vocals to sit in and really be noticed.
As a listener and a fan of the Beach Boys I love this album. I still listen to them and this album in particular for harmony ideas for songs I write. Its hugely influential to a lot of song writers. But what's cool about it is that though it was a departure of sorts for the Beach Boys, it still has their staple sound in there too. It's the best of both worlds in a way. It melds the Beach Boys natural sound with Wilson's vision.
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