CoronaVinyl Day 165 (Most Recent Album Acquired): Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is my most recent album acquired.  Being a man of my word, I will, for the first time in this eight-month stay-at-home musical journey, repeat an artist.  The most recent album I acquired was The Beach Boys' iconic 1966 album Pet Sounds, which a friend of mine recently gave me for my birthday.  And yes, it's true, I did not have Pet Sounds on vinyl before then.

I'm not going to inundate you with all of the accolades Pet Sounds has received over the years, but suffice it to say, it is widely (and rightly) recognized as one of the greatest albums in music history.  For instance, it has been ranked #2 on every one of Rolling Stone's lists of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time, behind only The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Pet Sounds is an exhibition in songwriting, arranging, and production.  By the time the album was released in May 1966, the band already had 17 Top 40 songs and had established itself as the premier American rock band, but then they (well, mostly Brian Wilson) made what was probably the most ambitious rock album that had been made to that point.  Inspired by Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, weed, acid, and The Beatles' Rubber Soul -- and the idea that a pop group could make an artistic statement -- The Beach Boys set out to make a an album that transcended musical conventions while at the same time had lyrics and themes that remained relatable, and they did just that.  They went from singing mostly about teenage love and surfing -- albeit with the most beautiful harmonies you've ever heard -- to making the album that helped usher in the psychedelic era and inspired The Beatles to make Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.  Even the end of "Caroline, No" -- the last track on the album -- fades into sounds of barking dogs and trains, not unlike the animal noises at the end of "Good Morning Good Morning" on Sgt. Pepper's a year later.

There are plenty of well-known Beach Boys classics on this, like "Wouldn't It Be Nice," their adaptation of "Sloop John B" (a tale of rape on the high seas!), "God Only Knows" (many a couples' first wedding dance), and "Caroline, No."  For me, though, it's the lesser-known songs that make the album great.  "That's Not Me," "I'm Waiting For The Day," "I Know There's An Answer" (although I like the original version "Hang On To Your Ego" a little better), "Here Today," and "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" are all fantastic.  In addition to The Beach Boys' own talents, the album is backed by the Sid Sharp strings and the famous Wrecking Crew.

What's really crazy, though, is that when Pet Sounds was released, Carl Wilson was 19, Dennis Wilson was 21, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston were 23, and Mike Love was the elder statesman at 25.  By comparison, when I was 19, 21, 23, and 25, I was not writing or recording one of the greatest albums ever made.  I was drinking a lot of light beer, though.  A lot of light beer.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "I'm Waiting For The Day"

This is my favorite song on the album.  It's is an underrated gem, alternating between bombastic timpanies and Wall of Sound woodwinds, and quiet, sweet verses sung by Brian Wilson.  The song is about a guy singing to a girl who recently had her heart broken by someone else.  He's comforting her and patiently waiting for the day when she can love again, while at the same time he's concerned that she still has feelings for her ex.  I especially love the false ending at about the 2:25 mark, as it appears to be fading out, before those timpanies kick back in, and Wilson exultantly exclaims, "You didn't think, no, that I could sit around and let him work! / You didn't think, no, that I could sit around and watch him take you! / You didn't think that I could sit around and watch him go! / You didn't think that I could sit back and let you go!"  And the drums are played by Jim Gordon, then an in-demand studio drummer, who would go on to play in Derek & The Dominos and Traffic.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Here Today"
Another Wall of Sound-esque underrated gem, "Here Today" is all about how love and relationships are fleeting.  Mike Love handles lead vocals, with the rest of the group providing those signature harmonies in the background.  Musically, Brian Wilson was inspired by Bach and was experimenting with the bass guitar, tuning it an octave above normal.  There are also some weird time signatures with the bass that someone with any sort of musical theory training could probably explain, but all I can tell you is that it's considered brilliant.