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What can be said about this historic record? It was a complete game changer when first released on this day 56 years ago. From the opening “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” To the majestic “I’m Waiting for the Day” to the unbelievable “God Only Knows”, “Pet Sounds” forced everyone to recognize The Beach Boys and more specifically Brian Wilson as something more than a group that sang about surfing and cars but rather a cultural phenomenon capable of making even The Beatles question if they were doing things correctly (They were as Sgt. Pepper was made in direct response to “Pet Sounds”).
I first heard the album around age 12 (which would have been the year 2002) and it truly blew my mind. While this is a record that continues to show its brilliance after repeated listenings I find that its musicianship has really been what has continued to floor me for so many years. From Glenn Campbell to Hal Blaine to Tommy Tedesco, the personnel list on “Pet Sounds” reads as a “who’s-who” of legendary session musicians. Of course, The Beach Boys signature harmonies cannot be overlooked ether, showcased specifically on the box set “Pet Sounds Sessions” there is an entire version of the album with just vocals, if there ever was a question of just how fantastic these guys were take a listen to this version as I have linked “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” (Vocals Only) in the comments below, this shows that these songs could have been as great as they are viewed now even without the legendary backing band that helped elevate them to another level.
My most personal experience regarding the songs from “Pet Sounds” came in 2012. It was my first NAMM show, which if you have never experienced, it is impossible to put into words. The booths, the noise, the displays, the people, the stars, the sales folks… the sheer size of the event cannot be understood until you’re in it…. About an hour into day 1 of my first NAMM show, I saw on the schedule that Brian Wilson would be performing in the Gibson booth. “It couldn’t be THEE Brian Wilson” I thought, but it was. I managed to get up to the front of the booth before it became so over crowded with people that the Gibson folks had to shut the doors. I would say there was maybe 150 people in the room and I was about 3 feet from the keyboard they had set up for Brian. About 5 minutes later Brian came out, escorted by his 2 guitar players who would be performing acoustic next to him. Brian took his seat at the keyboard “Hey! How ya doing? We’re gonna do a couple songs for ya”. First, the trio performed the classic “California Girls” (We were in Anaheim after all) which got the crowd in the booth clapping and singing along. Next, Brian said “the next song we want to play is a song, that I feel, is maybe the best thing I ever wrote, it’s called “God Only Knows”. WOW! I Couldn’t believe this song was going to be performed as it is without a doubt one of my favorite songs of all time. Brian and his duo of guitar players played and sang the song to perfection, so much so that it brought me to tears. One of those “I can’t believe I am seeing this” moments. Even writing about it here, the hair on my arms stands on end as I can still place myself in that convention display room right now. After that, Brian thanked everyone for coming and said he would see us all again soon, as the small crowd was going insane I turned around to find John Stamos standing right behind me. He was going just as insane as I was, I turned to look to which was noticed by Mr. Stamos who yelled in my ear “man he’s great isn’t he?”. Dumbfounded I said “He is Brian Wilson after all” to which Mr. Stamos replied with a nod and smirk. Just then Brian spots John Stamos and says “Hey John. How ya doing?”. I was 21 years old and about 75 minutes into my first NAMM show, a solid way to start if I do say so myself. While I have experienced memories that will last a lifetime at the NAMM show, this may be the one that tops them all.
If this record is not in your record collection, then you don’t have a record collection. It’s that simple. “Pet Sounds” is as groundbreaking, beautiful and triumphant as it was on this day in 1966. Without a doubt it is one of the crowning achievements in American music history and will continue to be celebrated for hundreds of years to come. - Nick
