The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds

Prior to recording the Pet Sounds album, the Beach Boys focused on songs about the carefree youth lifestyle in California.  Their songs about surfing and fast cars would start a new trend of songs about life in sunny California and a new sound, the California sound.  Their first radio release “Surfin” was aired on 2 of the most influential radio stations in California at the time, KFWB and KDAY in 1963.  The song peaked at 75 on the national pop charts.

The Beach Boys were originally made up of Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine.  Brian was the leader, primary songwriter, arranger and producer for the band.  He is responsible for their sound and overall success.  He was a driven, creative man who suffered from psychological problems.  Although he was a gifted musician he also possessed a much darker side.  He abused drugs during his 20’s, which led to a nervous breakdown in 1964.

It was the release of the Beatles album Rubber Soul in 1965 that inspired Brian to create an album that could top it.  So he took on a new collaborator by the name of Tony Asher and started to write Pet Sounds.

Pet Sounds was pop’s first conceptual album where all the songs were based on a common lyrical theme, Brian’s transition from adolescence to adulthood.  He employed the use of 23 studio musicians, all of who were regulars on Phil Spector sessions at Gold Star Studios.  He used experimental sounds and instrumentation like the use of a theremin and bicycle bells.  Brian recorded all of Pet Sounds in mono as opposed to stereo sound.  Stereo had yet to be invented at that time.  Being that there were technical limitations, the recording sessions had to be precise and decisions had to be made swiftly.  Brian found his home in the role of songwriter and producer.  His style and sound was so good and new that he would come to influence all future producers and help drive a new era of music production.

Pet Sounds has left me inspired and awed by how one man can conceive of such musical depth and apply it to the pop music genre so effectively.  I can understand why it has been deemed one of, if not, the best album of all time.  I will certainly reference all the new knowledge I have gained by studying Pet Sounds to help direct my professional endeavors.  The bar was set very high with Brian Wilson and I am now happy to call him one of my influences.