Listened to: CDNow, I could go on for two or three pages about how much I love Pet Sounds. I bought it in 9th grade at Best Buy and was immediately enthralled. Hell, it was my favorite album next to Tommy by The Who until I discovered Grace. It’s without a doubt the finest thing the Beach Boys ever produced, and deserves the accolades Rolling Stone gives it (ok, maybe not #2, but definitely top ten). But rather than m go on and on, I’ll just say I think this is a brilliant album, truly worth the listen, will change your life, etc. and hand it over to a girl for whom this album isn’t just a great record, it’s also in part her namesake. Plus, I read her review, and it kicks the ass of anything I could type.
-Mike
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Everybody please give a warm welcome to Carrie Ferrante
When I say “The Beach Boys”, what is the first thing that comes to mind? It’s inevitable. Surfing (despite the fact that only one of them- Dennis- was a surfer), cars, and pretty girls who may or may not be from California. Hey, those are my first associations too. But what if I said beauty? Despair? Existentialism? Yeah, I thought I’d lose you there.Well, the Beach Boys’ music certainly contains all of that. Paeans to sweet waves, bikini babes, winning pink slips with the grooviest car in town, and, oh yeah- deep depression, crushing pain, blinding hope, and the beauty of love. They don’t seem so well-rounded if you listen to their short hits compilation ’20 Good Vibrations’, but ‘Pet Sounds’ is unlike anything before it, and inspired much after it. Paul McCartney himself said that his basic reaction to listening to the album was pretty much, oh shit, how do we even top this? Yes, the Beatles themselves were baffled by the prospect of creating something better than this masterpiece. ‘Pet Sounds’ stands at number two on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums list, but perhaps it should be number one- simply because number one, ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band’, graced the world the way it did because the Beatles were inspired directly by the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson’s incredible masterpiece.I keep coming back to that word. Masterpiece, masterpiece, masterpiece. I’ve been a victim of having to justify my love for the Boys all my life to friends who don’t listen to anything but modern music, weren’t introduced to it at a young age (like myself by my parents), or only know the Beach Boys for their big, big hits about sun and sand on the west coast. True, this album doesn’t contain some of my arguments for the Beach Boys (and mostly songwriter/genius/Beach Boy Brian Wilson’s) artistic gifts- the existentialist lullabye “’Til I Die”, the funky groove of “Good Vibrations”, the down-home soul of “The Trader”, and more, and more. But the album itself is the greatest argument for trying a band that on the outside seems one-dimensional, but on the inside contains infinite dimensions.
So blah, blah, I’m really building this up. Many people would disagree. Many people wouldn’t. But damn it, this is my review, and I really get to argue the case for this band that has touched my life with its music. So here goes.
The album begins with the glorious jolt of “Wouldn’t it Be Nice”. This song isn’t as deep as some others, but damn if it isn’t relatable. I mean, wouldn’t it be nice? Wouldn’t it be nice to just grow up, past that shitty teenagery and just get on with a life that is hoped for as wonderful? Wouldn’t it be nice to go to bed and wake up with the person you’ll be with for the rest of your life, the one that you can see in their eyes that your love and adoration is reciprocated? Of course life isn’t always like this, sometimes its nowhere close. Love doesn’t always last and sometime the future isn’t so beautifully bright. But…wouldn’t it be nice?
The next song is “You Still Believe in Me”. This is truly an argument for their musical beauty and lovely harmonies. The Boys get made fun of a lot for the falsettos and the “pretty music”, but well, I’d take this over an auto-tuned pop princess or a sampled beat any day. These guys had fucking VOICES- they didn’t need over-producing, they didn’t even need guitar solos or killer drums. I listen to these guys and I miss the music of the voice so lost in my generation of musicians. With rap, hip-hop, dance music, and of course autotune, the beauty a voice can create has been somewhat forgotten or shifted to the backburner. And that’s a shame. The song itself is a thank you to the one that has stood by even through fights, worry, and the not-so-good times. It’s a song we don’t always hear, as things usually jump from good to just bad. But a thank you…that’s different. Also, sweet cameo by the kiddy bike horn. Brian Wilson must’ve been on some glorious crack.
“That’s Not Me” is an example of why sometimes the lyrics in their music can be ignored because of the, again, “pretty music”. This song is about fear and loneliness, but that can be lost under the harmonies and generally more cheerful-sounding music. It’s not the deepest nor the best written of their songs- “city” rhymes with “pretty”, etc etc. But it still propels the album ahead.
Next is “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)”, the first truly slow song of the album. This album isn’t all pep and upbeatness. I’ll admit this isn’t my favorite song of theirs, but I still can appreciate Brian Wilson’s mastery of music. I don’t think he gets enough credit as a musical auteur. If McCartney, Lennon, Dylan, Jagger, etc. get the recognition, by all means he should too. I saw him perform the newer album “Smile” in concert, and man, I was freaking impressed.
Alright, so I really love “I’m Waiting for the Day”. It was a song that I somewhat ignored back in the day, but as I started listening to their whole albums more, it was gems like this that leapt out at me. It starts off a little slower, with some really lovely lyrics- “I’m waiting for the day when you can love again.” And forget it, that driving drumbeat WILL be stuck in your head the whole day after you hear it. It’s just so fun, and paired with the (flute? yeah?) its just a cool little tune. There’s such understated, shy romance here: “I guess I’m saying you’re the only one.” Plus, can anyone really not relate to falling for some beautiful mess and knowing you’ll have to wait for their trust and love, but eventually, when it comes, nothing can top it? Or being the one on the other side, scared to put yourself out there again, but knowing that this person may be the one to prove all your beliefs wrong? No? Then fuck you, you haven’t lived a life.
“Let’s Go Away For Awhile” is one of the couple of instrumentals on the album. I’m not big on jamming or things like that. I’m a song-and-lyrics kinda girl. So instrumentals can be a jolt after the bopping sweetness of the songs before. Still, again, gotta appreciate the artistry. It sounds like more than an instrumental, like there is a song being sung underneath the surface. You feel with it almost as much as a lyrical song.
After that is the soultastic “Sloop John B”. It’s my understanding that this song isn’t necessarily original, and that the subject matter is part of a few other folk songs passed from generations on. But it’s of course the definitive version. It’s silly, and obviously folky, with lyrics about being upset someone ate your corn and sailing on the ocean. Maybe I’m not doing it justice. But this is the perfect song about the waning days of a vacation gone wrong, and honestly, it belongs on any Independence Day playlist.
“God Only Knows” may literally be the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard. Surely one of the top three love songs, ever. Bold statement, but really, if the Beach Boys had released nothing but this song, they’d still be remembered. The lyrics are incredible. They sum up so much so quickly. It may have a sad tinge: “If you should ever leave me, well life would still go one believe me. But the world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me?” You could read that as suicide as quickly as Sting’s insistent depression in “Can’t Stand Losing You”. But if you only look at the surface, you haven’t scratched anything at all. It’s about loving someone that’s become such a part of your world that there’d be a hole there if they weren’t. It’s about finding someone to fill the void in life, the void of something missing, and not wanting to lose them. Before finding that person it’s easy to laugh and cry and live life, but after them, after them it feels like that has reason. And that’s what this song is about.
Following up is “I Know There’s An Answer”. This song kind of pales in comparison to the perfection of “God Only Knows”, but there’s a good mix of mellow and poppy here. The lyrics aren’t the best of the best- Wilson/Mike Love have a habit of once in awhile resorting to simple rhymes that can be a little jarring compared to other songs. But it’s listenable. Everything on this album, no matter what, is listenable. And taken as a whole every song is better.The thing about “Here Today” and the Beach Boys in general is that, while they’re more known for songs about falling for cute girls, they sang a lot about the fear and downsides of being in love. Obviously there’s nothing better, but sometimes, you can get real scared thinking about what ifs and reality. “Love is here today and it’s gone, tomorrow is here and gone so fast.” So, cherish the time, because you never know when your heart will get broken, or you won’t have another day.
“I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” is the true illustration of someone who feels misunderstood. Perhaps this should be the teenage anthem (though it truly identifies what led Brian Wilson to become a hermit for years). “Sometimes I feel very sad. I guess I just wasn’t made for these times.” Holy shit dude. I know what you mean. Doesn’t everyone?
More instrumentals in the titular song “Pet Sounds”. Very wonky and funky. An experiment. They weren’t really known for their jamming, but they seemed to have a lot of fun with it. The fact they were able to put it on albums just goes to show how things have changed. I mean…can you imagine Taylor Swift telling her producers that she wants to put more than 5 minutes of instrumental fuckery on her next album? Fairly certain she’d get beaten in some way.
So, “Caroline No” holds a special place in my heart. I mean really special. I mean, my father named me after this song. Yeah, I’m being serious. Then again, maybe it doesn’t affect my feelings for it- he was also considering Michelle after the Beatles song, and well, I’d hate the tweeness of that song no matter what. But anyway. My dad told me once why he chose that name. The song is a breakup song (which has led me more than once to curse him for setting me up like that!) but he saw it as more than that. It was a song about a girl making you grow up. And when I was born, he had to grow up. Really grow up, and figure out this world so he could teach me about it someday. This song isn’t just about breaking up with a girl named Caroline who then chopped off her hair and fell out of your life. Its about the growth that any event in your life leaves you with.
The last song on this album is “Hang on to Your Ego”. It seems a little awkwardly placed, but I assume they didn’t want to end on such a sad note. This would’ve worked after “God Only Knows” better, probably. I like it when an album ends mellow (ie. ‘Hot Fuss’ and “Everything Will Be Alright”). But it’s still a good song. Nothing particularly special, but a lot more special than much of what I’ve been hearing nowadays.
Thus is my review. I’m surprised you stuck around this long. But it was the only way I could possibly explain what makes me love this old band that is never really held in the same regard as the Beatles or Stones or a number of others. They weren’t as tough and rocking as either could be, but they didn’t have to be. They had their own sound, and after being marketed as a surfing band they branched out and found it themselves. The Great Bands are usually listed as if recounting from a chip implanted in the brain- everyone will say Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin. All British too, which means they must’ve been doing something right. No one will jump to The Beach Boys. But they’re my bid for the Great American Band. Over Creedence or anyone else. Why? Because of everything I’ve said. Because of some of the most perfect lyrics of all time, some of the most beautiful music, some of the best songs. Because you listen to them and you think about California, ‘cause only the gorgeousness of sun and sand could spawn a band that could even lend dying inside after losing one’s love a sentimental beauty that’s hard to find in a lot of rock and roll. And why is ‘Pet Sounds’ the proof? Well, the proof is in the pudding, and this is a pudding concocted with one part exquisiteness, one part relatability, and two parts genius. I won’t be agreed with a lot on that, maybe at all. But listen to this album and judge for yourself.
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