Many years ago my insatiable fascination with the history of popular music led to a head-first exploration of The Beatles back catalogue – and an almost daily delve into the pages of ‘The Illustrated New Musical Express Encyclopedia of Rock‘ (1978 edition) which I had bought in the very first week of publication.
Over time I knew, by heart, every word of the entries covering The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Rolling Stones, The Who and The Band.
But when curiosity made me look up what was written about an artist I had suddenly become aware of, discovered was the enormous kudos attached to albums such as ‘Astral Weeks’, ‘Blue’, ‘Late for the Sky’, ‘I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight‘ and most telling of all, ‘Pet Sounds‘ by The Beach Boys.
It was described by the NME encyclopaedia as ‘a masterpiece,’ and that it (‘Pet Sounds‘) ‘set totally new standards in arrangement and production that diverted pop on to unforeseen track.’
Suitably impressed by this glowing recommendation I bought it with the pre-conceived notion, if remembering correctly, that it would be the very best example of the girl/surf/school/car songs that I was vaguely aware were The Beach Boys trademark.
Forty years later this naivety still made me smile as I settled down on Saturday to watch the BBC 4 documentary Classic Albums: THE BEACH BOYS – ‘PET SOUNDS’ – knowing as I do now, it holds an exalted position in the development of popular music – and almost as importantly, a place very close to my heart.
For the most part the programme is very good with many involved in the project, group members Al Jardine, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston, session drummer Hal Blaine and lyricist Tony Asher, offering interesting insight into how through late 1965 and during the early months of 1966, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson took on the role of musical director and producer for an album – one of only a handful – that definitively changed the course of popular music.
Brian himself describes how he had become bored with the surfing/summer songs which had defined the group (‘Help Me Rhonda‘ and ‘California Girls‘ are brilliant singles in their own right, but that is beside the point), describing his ambitions to write and produce far more complex work.
Following a nervous breakdown in early 1965, Brian also announced he would no longer be touring with the band (for whom he had also been lead singer) in an original line-up that was Jardine, Love and Wilson brothers, Carl, Dennis and Brian – Bruce Johnston subsequently enrolled as his on-stage replacement.
Freed from the rigours of going on tour, Brian entered a variety of studios with Asher, who writes intuitive, beautifully honed lyrics to eight of the thirteen songs that comprise ‘Pet Sounds‘ and whose vital contribution to the piece cannot be overlooked.
At that moment Brian was both stimulated and challenged by the recent masterpiece that was ‘Rubber Soul‘ by The Beatles, his mind bursting with inspiration and creativity – emerging six months later with album unlike anything that had ever been recorded before.
Way ahead of its time and boasting unprecedented levels of innovation, serenity and technical accomplishment, it all served to make ‘Pet Sounds‘ the most timeless recording in rock history – best summed up in the documentary by Rolling Stone journalist David Wild, who describes it as:
‘A beautiful marriage of childhood innocence, emotional vulnerability and musical genius.’
It would be a good, not to say lucky, guess on the part of the uninitiated to place ‘Pet Sounds‘ in 1966 – as it sounds nothing like anything else around at the time.
‘Rubber Soul‘ had been musically sophisticated with lyrics that run from witty, profound and ironic, but even with its brilliance there remains a sense The Beatles are still rooted (just) in their four instrument format – just as great music by bands such as the Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Byrds and The Who is continuing to be driven by harmonic guitars or power chords.
On ‘Pet Sounds‘ rarely is there a guitar to be heard, Wilson producing a deft, complex but never cluttered sound which emanates from layers of keyboards, strings and percussion. The first thirty seconds of opening track ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice‘ has the resounding glory of a symphony before the song resonates with glorious progressions and gorgeous vocal harmonies.
If Phil Spector invented the ‘Wall of Sound‘ effect on wonderful records by The Crystals and The Ronettes, then Brian gives the wall sheen and skin-tight cohesion.
None of The Beach Boys play on ‘Pet Sounds‘ (most of the instrumentation performed by tip-top LA session players known as ‘The Wrecking Crew’) but the vocals are all down to the boys.
If sunshine had a sound it would be the harmony singing on songs such as ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, ‘Don’t Talk’ (Put Your Head On My Shoulder), ‘Sloop John B‘ (a traditional folk song Al Jardine suggested they record and beautifully arranged by Brian) and the heart-stopping ‘God Only Knows,’ a love song of such tender simplicity, it is monumental and exquisite at the same time.
‘Just before we did ‘God Only Knows,’ says Brian, ‘my brother Carl and I had prayer sessions asking the Lord for guidance and maximum love vibes for this song. It was the first time that anyone had ever used the word ‘God’ in a commercial song so we were told. During the production of ‘Pet Sounds’ I dreamt I had a halo over my head. This might have meant the angels were watching over ‘Pet Sounds.’
The angels no doubt rejoiced on hearing the album, but Capitol Records (The Beach Boys label) were nonplussed by it, thrown into a loop by the complexity and lush sounds. The absence of surfing references put their marketing department on the back foot to the extent that within six weeks of it being released, Capitol had issued a Beach Boys ‘Best Of‘ – that in sales terms left ‘Pet Sounds’ far behind.
The lack of record company support for the album not only condemned ‘Pet Sounds‘ to commercial failure, but badly dented the pride of Brian Wilson who saw his masterpiece quickly vanish from view.
Having such timeless ambience may not have served ‘Pet Sounds‘ well on release, emerging into a United States riven by such emotive issues as Civil Rights and the Vietnam War – record buyers preferring the protestations of Dylan and within a few months the directness of The Doors and Buffalo Springfield.
For many years ‘Pet Sounds‘ also had an ambivalent relationship with the American rock press – as late as 1979 ‘The Rolling Stone Record Guide’ was describing it as ‘confused……….the music is strong but spotty,’ awarding it just three stars (out of five).
By 2003, however, the same publication listed it as number two on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums ever made and second only to ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band‘, The Beatles album that came out nine months after ‘Pet Sounds‘ but whose influence is all over it – where else could those swirling harpsichords have come from?
If an underlying aim of Brian Wilson was to give The Beatles a run for their money he certainly succeeded, Bruce Johnston revealing in the documentary that he flew to London with the master tapes of ‘Pet Sounds‘ – playing them twice to John Lennon and Paul McCartney who were both enthralled.
Rock journalist and publicist Keith Altham confirms just how enraptured The Beatles were by what they heard, closing the ‘Pet Sounds‘ documentary with the quote:
‘What Brian Wilson did was push the bar higher than it had ever been before as if to say – there you are Mister Lennon, Mister McCartney, Mister Jagger, Mister Richard, Mister Townshend. Match that if you can.’
Match it? Possibly. Surpass it? No.
And if they couldn’t nobody ever will.
THE BEACH BOYS – ‘PET SOUNDS‘ (Released May 16 1966):
Wouldn’t It Be Nice/You Still Believe in Me/That’s Not Me/Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My shoulder)/I’m Waiting for the Day/Let’s Go Away for Awhile/Sloop John B/God Only Knows/I Know There’s an Answer/Here Today/I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times/Pet Sounds/Caroline, No.’
This article was first published on 13/3/2018.
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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of MONTY’S DOUBLE – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.