One of the most beautiful albums you'll ever hear (Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys)

Member Name: paulie1975

Product:	Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
Date:	17/06/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning arrangement and writing, beautiful vocals, heartbreakingly beautiful

Disadvantages: None

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 writing. This would be his masterpiece.
In many ways the album was a double edged sword for the band, due to the massive change of direction, they alienated an awful lot of fans and this wasn't a huge seller on release, it is now widely acknowledged as one of the greatest albums of all time and has sold fantastically since. The album has also been credited by George Martin as having forced the Beatles to up their game even further and create 'Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band', you can only look back on that era of two such creative forces inspiring and pushing each other to create such marvellous music.

The album took the traditional Beach Boy harmonies and layered them even further to create deep, melodic music, Wilson used harpsichords, bells, sound effects and even animals to add texture and purpose to the music, but the outstanding things are the vocals, words and the arrangement
The album is peppered with classic tunes but for me, the stand out songs are:

Wouldn't it be nice - A fantastic melodic song which everyone knows, it builds and drops, Mike Love's voice sounds great and the harmonies are some of the best ever recorded to record, this is an exceptionally well crafted song.

You still believe in me - A beautiful song, filled with pathos, this took the band in a totally new direction and is so subtle and lovely, the band sound amazing.

I just wasn't made for these times - Brian Wilson on lead vocals, this is utterly heartbreaking when we review the breakdowns that would subsequently affect his life, his voice is pained, beautiful and vulnerable, the words are amazing, the arrangement is stunning, this is one of the greatest songs i've ever heard, its fragile and as powerful as a lion in the same breath.
God Only Knows - Widely accredited as the greatest song this band ever made and one of the greatest of all time, this is a classic. Composed by Brian Wilson and sung by his brother Carl, the lyrics are by Tony Asher, this song is incredibly well produced, the layers of harmony cut off by the vocal, it is a deep song and incredibly emotional it is a masterpiece and one of my favourite songs ever, it doesn't age at all because the message and quality are timeless.

The rest of the album is superb with well crafted pop songs, Sloop John B, Pet Sounds and Caroline No are great songs, but all are real treats. I would recommend this to anyone, its available on Amazon for £5.87 and is worth so much more than that, it is an album that helps you really appreciate music, just as the Beach Boys grew up with this album, it is a great transition for any music fan from kids music to adult music.

Summary: One of the most beautiful albums you'll ever hear