Copyright © All rights reserved. Made by James Martin Sandbrook.

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The editors of MOJO magazine in August 1995 voted Pet Sounds

the "greatest rock'n'roll album of all time".

CPD 7 48421 2 Capital Compact Disc

Original release: 5/16/66 - Capital T-2458.

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

Unreleased Backgrounds

Hang On To Your Ego

Tromebone Dixie

Pet Sounds was voted the third most popular record of the last century in the U.S.A., and to say that this record gets rave reviews is an understatement.

This is the type of music you can play while you are snuggled up to your partner and relaxing.

Many popular musicians today consider Brian Wilson and the Pet Sounds recordings to be a great influence on their careers.

The creator of Pet Sounds was Brian Wilson, the man behind the success of the rock group The Beach Boys.

Wilson was already very well known for his music with the Beach Boys during the early 60's and here is a partial list of some of those songs:

Surfin, Surfin USA, Surfin Safari, Surfer Girl, California Girls, I Get Around, Do You Want To Dance, 409, Little Deuce Coupe, In My Room, Fun Fun Fun, All Summer Long, Hawaii, Help Me Rhonda, Surfs Up, Barbara Ann, Don't Worry Baby and Good Vibrations.

Pet Sounds is a collection of songs that are easy to listen to. The songs are full of the lush harmonies that Brian Wilson and the Wilson brothers are famous for.

The Wilson brothers were Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson.

Along with the popular instruments of the 60's Brian used in Pet Sounds instruments like organs and electric guitars, he also used a wide variety of different instruments not normally found in a recording studio at that time such as bottles and bicycles bells. Brian used a bicycle bell in the song You Still Believe In Me.

The sound of these unusual items is so well embedded in the music that's it's hard to recognize them and they blend in so well that the end result is perfect for what Brian wanted.

You will hear the sound of a studio orchestra and instruments like the oboe and Piano.

An example of this search for the correct sound is that Brian used four saxes, twelve violins, oboe, piano, vibes on the song Lets Go Away For Awhile, and to get the effect of a steel guitar in the song Brian used a guitar with a Coke bottle on the strings.

Paul McCartney from the Beatles fame is reported to have loved Pet Sounds and gave each of his children a copy.

It is also said that the Beatles listened to Pet Sounds and it influenced them while they were recording the Sergeant Pepper Lonely Hearts Club recordings.

Brian Wilson was impressed by Phil Spectors 'Wall Of Sound' and used it to his own advantage, creating sounds that were hard to recognize but were nice to listen to.

Some may think that it's amazing that Brian was only 23 years old when he decided he would create his personal masterpiece Pet Sounds, but it should also be mentioned here that Brian Wilson had lost nearly all his hearing in his right ear due to an accident when he was a child.

Tony Asher wrote many of the words for the Pet Sounds recordings and during a two month period Tony worked on and off with Brian until they came up with the finished lyrics that are loved worldwide for their youthful innocence and emotional content.

God Only Knows, which has the clear and angelic voice of Carl Wilson singing lead, has been called 'the greatest love song of all time' by many people.

Brian said "I experimented with sounds that would make the listener feel loved."

And Brian's experiment worked, over the last few decades Pet Sounds has been praised by some of the most successful musicians in the world.

Brian also liked to record music using different recording studios because each studio had its 'own sound'.

An example of this is 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' which was recorded at Gold Star studios, while 'That's Not Me' was recorded at Western Studios, this proves that Brian took his work very seriously when he wanted the correct sound for each individual recording.

He would go to great lengths to get that 'sound'.

Another example of Brian's efforts to get the right sound was that it has been reported that the 'Good Vibrations' single took over six months to record and I have read that there are many different tapes of Good Vibrations that were discarded before the final product was realized.

At the end of the album you can hear Brian's dogs, Banana and Louie, barking accompanied by the sound of a train.

Brian Wilson is still recording his own music and he still tours after many years in the music industry.

Written by James M Sandbrook.

Home  People. - Stories. - Poetry. Words/Accronyms. Jokes. Idioms. Woodwork. Tools. Gardening. The Kitchen. Skills. Motivation. Character. Reviews.