Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys

Pet Sounds remains one of the most music changing albums of our time along with The Beatles-Sgt Peppers. Brian, as ever influenced by Lennon and McCartney spent 2 months on and off with Tony Asher on this project laying down the instrumental tracks in the first 2 weeks. The album starts off with the pleasing Wouldn't It Be Nice, then moves into the moody You Still Believe In Me, the up-tempo That's Not Me jars uncomfortably with Brian's epic melancholy Don't Talk (Put your head on my shoulder). I'm Waiting For The Day and Lets Go Away For Awhile finds Brian in reflective mood while Sloop John B and God Only Knows show that Brian can appeal to the masses , both ...  Read the complete review

I am, as I think a few of you may have noticed, quite young. Far too young, in fact, to have a proper opinion about this album. The Beach Boys belong to a time that I will never be able to properly understand, or experience. From what I hear, back in the 60's when they were performing and doing their darndest to outplay the Beatles (incidentally, what a time that must've been, to have The Beatles and The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones competing for your attention. All we get now is Rhiana vs Amerie vs Ciara, and I think we're poorer for it.) The Beach Boys belong to a period of time, I like to imagine, when people only lived in straw huts by the seaside, when the day ...  Read the complete review

Pet Sounds (1966) is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. To be honest, I came to it relatively recently. When I was younger I just didn’t get it – I think my knowledge of the Beach Boys’ music was based around a greatest hits tape I had, and the fact that all those fun songs about surfing and stuff weren’t on it alienated me. I’ve since come to my senses, and realised that it’s actually the most beautiful album ever recorded. The story is pretty well known. The Beach Boys were the Wilson brothers (Brian, Dennis and Carl), their cousin Mike Love and another guy (Al Jardine). They made their name doing light and fluffy songs about chicks, ...  Read the complete review

With worldwide sales topping 100million, a place in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and having an album as great as this under their belts it is safe to so that the Beach Boys are true musical legends. Their sunny, fresh Calafornian sound has its origins way back in the 1950s when Brian Wilson taught his younger brothers to sing. Growing up in the Los Angeles in the suburb of Hawthorne; they spent a lot of time learning to harmonise; vocals are of course the most important element in the Beach Boys sound. It wasn't long before their cousin Mike Love joined the group. They spent their time singing carols or singing along to songs on the radio. The line-up was ...  Read the complete review

Some people only know the Beach Boys as the all-american boy band who sang Good Vibrations and Californian Girls, well they did sing those and great pop songs they are too, but this album for me really sums up the enduring appeal of their music and the outstanding songwriting and arrangement of the exceptionally talented Brian Wilson. Released in 1966 by Capitol Records this was the groups 11th Studio album and was created in an atmosphere of creativity, tension and a new direction for their music. Inspired by the success and the brilliance of the Beatles 'Rubber Soul' Album, Brian Wilson quit touring and put all of his energy into musical arrangement and ...  Read the complete review