The Beach Boys will forever be defined by Pet Sounds. No matter what preceded or followed it, their magnum opus will forever be their big moment. What a high point. Most bands would kill for even a flicker, a moment, of what Brian Wilson accomplished with this piece of work. But is it overkill and a nostalgia for the times which gives Pet Sounds its highly-regarded image? No. It is the raw instrumental skill and out-of-the-box thinking which guides the band not just to this new high, but to a long-maintained belief in their skill. Wilson puts his heart and head on the line to piece together an album as ambitious as it is a complete understanding of a changing musical scene. Gone were the days of fun-loving, sun-soaked joys and in were the complexities of arrangements and the build of music which would stand the test of time.
Wilson did not spearhead this but he was certainly a major part of the evolution found in the mid-1960s. Pet Sounds is The Beach Boys’ first great album. This is an artist trying to figure out the transition from those heady days on the beach into a style and sound which would benefit not Wilson and the group’s image, but their spot in history. Pet Sounds is special. From the two standout tracks (Wouldn’t It Be Nice and God Only Knows) to the bulk of bold, persuasive instrumental work throughout, Pet Sounds still maintains its magic. No matter the time or the reason for returning to it, there remains a rare cause for joy. Despite the tragedy behind how it was made, the mental health woes of Wilson and what he was using as the influences for some of the more acerbic choices, remain ambitious. An influential piece even now. Few are doing it quite like Wilson did here.
Rich layers for You Still Believe in Me remain an observation of a muddled mind. Follow-up That’s Not Me is a roaring piece of getting by with a little help from your friends. These are tones and messages with broad appeal but with such specifics here they remain insightful. This is as much an autobiographical, instrumentally booming piece where Wilson reflects on what he had done up to this point as it is an adept understanding of an audience wanting more. Where is the line between creative face and personal experience drawn? Who knows. Wilson blurs it so much on here, with the wild likes of Let’s Go Away for Awhile and B-Side masterclass God Only Knows, that it’s hard to hear anything but ambition made good on.
Liberated loves of I’m Waiting for the Day provide a route back to the classics of The Beach Boys before Pet Sounds, but those bombastic instrumental moments elevate tones and messages which are still used today. Any great musician will challenge their audience. To cause confusion and a new buzz is to maintain interest in an artistic vehicle which, as is the case for many of these all-time great albums, is still a cause for conversation. Few albums being released now will offer this, fewer still will linger as Pet Sounds does. One of the finest A-Side runs you can find and a collective instrumental process where even members of the band did not understand the purity and power. The Beach Boys never looked back after this, even if they had their doubts. It led to finer moments on Surf’s Up, but Pet Sounds remains a rare catalyst so many musicians must, in one way or another, seek out themselves.
