Critique of the Beach Boys Pet Sounds Sessions: LSD, Ukulele and Hallucinated Zoo Visit

What are the bonuses on the reissue?

Reissued today on vinyl (double LP, original mono and stereo) and in a 4 CD box set (90 tracks, including 25 unreleased takes), this eleventh Beach Boys album remains an extraordinary garden. This is supported by the promotional photos taken at the San Diego zoo. “In the studio, technicians talked about animal sounds (Pet Sounds) that Brian had incorporated into the mix,” recalls Mike Love, 85, singer of the group and cousin of the Wilson brothers. “We decided to call the record like that and we went to the zoo to find cover ideas.”

The Beatles can say thank you

In 1966, the Beach Boys were at the height of their popularity among American teenagers. Brian Wilson, on the other hand, gave up touring with the group, preferring to experiment in the studio. Leaving behind the beach, surfing, convertibles, and refrains about summer romances, he dreams of the ultimate pop work combining Phil Spector’s famous “wall of sound” technique – the overlay of multiple sound takes of the same instrument – and the pop refinement of “Rubber Soul”, the Beatles’ sixth album released in late 1995.

Rejected and then admired

Admiration or jealousy? It doesn’t matter. This rivalry with Spector and McCartney stimulates him to the point of breaking all existing production codes. Behind the sound effects, the richness of vocal harmonies, and the technical findings, “Pet Sounds” also relies on great songs: Would It Be Nice, Sloop John B, God Only Knows… The sun is no longer the one that tans bodies on California beaches. It is the one that fades at dusk in loneliness, melancholy, and sorrow. Upon its release, the record will be misunderstood and the Beatles will respond with the masterful “Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”. Enough to plunge Brian Wilson even further into the depths of depression.

The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds Sessions (CD, 2 LP, Box 4CD). Capitol/Universal.