Pet Sounds- Inside A Magical Album

When you think of the Beach Boys you think of great songs and great harmonies. The band belonged in the surf genre for much of their career. Like any band they had their share of influences, both musically and technically. They used their natural talent and love for music to become one of the best pop bands ever. Pet Sounds their 11th record is to many, the greatest album of all time. It was released in the spring of 1966. Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys created wonderful songs layered in a way that transcended pop music in the early to late sixties. It was the Pet Sounds album that pushed them to new heights. Brian Wilson was the genius recluse behind the wonderful harmonies and arrangements. He was their leader and producer. He took the Beach Boys to excellence. He lived music and he made creating wonderful songs look easy. The album was saturated with wonderful harmonies, new technology and new and interesting hooks. It was not the typical pop record and pushed the limits of what you can do in the studio. Pet Sounds is one of the greatest albums from a song-writing standpoint and from a production standpoint.

Influences

Influences can be the backbone to many great artists. This is the same for The Beach Boys. They loved the sound of early rock and roll and the sound that was pulsing in the late 50’s. Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys had many influences like Dick Dale, Roy Rogers, Elvis and Gershwin. One band Brian Wilson absolutely loved was a band called The Four Freshman. This was the band that had deep harmonies and was a catalyst for Brian’s unique perspective on blending rich dynamics both vocally and instrumentally. He also respected and adored Phil Spector's work. Phil Spector is perhaps Brian Wilson’s biggest influence regarding production and studio techniques. When Brian first heard The Ronettes, Be My Baby , he was quoted in saying , “I had to pull the car over on the side of the street. It blew my mind”(Wilson 2003). Wilson incorporated a lot of Spector’s techniques on Pet Sounds. Spector was all about creating a big sound, and Wilson followed the same belief in the studio. One technique was the, "The Wall of Sound”, this refers to the amount of instrument layering in each song. It was a way to make the music sound large and bigger than life. Wilson also learned from Spector new ways to use echo and reverberation techniques. All these experimentation and recording techniques brought Pets Sounds to life, giving it a surreal dream quality. Although Wilson and Spector had many things in common Wilson’s approach to music was very different. Spector focused on the sound and Brian focused on the performance. “ Brian was far more superior intellectually and musically and he hit his mark more often than Spector, Brian and Phil were a world apart” ( Cole 2003).

Phil Spector with The Ronettes

In The Studio

In 1966 The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds, an album that pushed pop music in a new direction. The Beach Boys where coming off a row of hits like “I Get Around” and “Don’t Worry Baby”. Wilson was coming off the worst period of his life. He was diagnosed schizophrenic and coming out of a fog of drug abuse. This is important to bring up, because Brian had to leave The Beach Boys as a touring member and was now dedicated to the studio full time.

Pet Sounds was a pop record that created new limits on what you can do both musically and technically. The record featured instruments like the French horn, accordions and the use of choirs. This was radical for pop music in the mid 60’s. Wilson had many tricks that seemed easy, making his music flow. New technology was giving Wilson the ability to experiment and explore new techniques. Wilson used 8 track recording technology for Pet Sounds. Even though 8 track had been around since the late 50's, it wasn’t really being used until the mid 60’s. Incidentally, the Beatles were ten years behind America when it comes to recording technology. The Beatles recorded on 3 and 4 tracks! They didn’t even see 8 tracks until 1967. The Beach Boys tracked live with four tracks then over dubbed with the additional four. This made the music sound clear, crisp and bright. Another good example of new sounds and technology is the first use of the Electro Theramin. It was first used on the Pet Sounds. It was featured on the song “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times”. He also explored and experimented with unusual instruments like the bass harp, wood blocks and even an empty water jug on the introduction to Caroline No.

A Deeper Look

Pet Sounds had many songs, here are two examples that represent Brian Wilson and his project Pet Sounds. “Wouldn’t it Be Nice”, the first track off Pet Sounds which was written and produced by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher. Asher was Wilson’s cowriter and they set up wonderful visuals for the listener. Wilson took Asher’s words and turned them into an innocent song about teenagers in love. "The general tenor of the lyrics was always Brian's, and the actual choice of words was usually mine. I was really just his interpreter."( Asher 2003). Wilson layered the music using Phil Spector's technique, The “Wall of Sound”, filling it with celestial guitars and accordions. The song starts off with a dream like intro, very heavy with reverb. It sets the tone of this song by putting you in the narrator’s world of dreaming, hoping and feeling. Wilson recalled knowing they were creating something great and that the song created a buzz in their hearts. When they tracked it and played it back, they knew their visions came to life. It might be The Beach Boys most recognizable song. At 1:07 and 1:38 the song goes into two new sections. This is an example of how Wilson sees music. Wilson stated, he started comparing pop music to classical music seeing his music in movements. The transitions from each part work wonderfully and cause the listener to hang of every note and every lyric. It’s simply a piece of magic. “God Only Knows” is another song that defines Wilson brilliance as a songwriter and producer. This is a song that makes other songwriters listen with awe. It doesn’t get much better than this. It is a sensitive song about teenage pain, not about what the titles suggests. His brother Carl sings the song. The song opens with two instruments that are uncommon in pop music, the harpsichord and the French horn. This song uses classical influences and gives the song a spiritual quality. The percussion is interesting, it is more a syncopated pitter-patter until the break. This is another example of unorthodox pop methods. According to Brian Britz, the recording engineer, “Many of the musicians who were present at the 'God Only Knows' sessions claim that those sessions were some of the most magical, beautiful musical experiences they've ever heard. Twenty-three musicians was at the time an incredible number of musicians for a pop record. All the musicians played simultaneously, creating "a rich, heavenly blanket of music.”( Britz 2003) Some people think this song is autobiographical, very much about Brian himself. How he was shy, insecure and was having trouble with his own relationships. Other songs on the Pet Sounds like “I just Wasn’t Made for These Times” help support this idea.

Carl Wilson Singing "God Only Knows"

Pet Sounds became The Beach Boys magnum opus. It was the album that inspired the Beatles to write Sgt. Peppers. It was a wonderful record filled with colorful harmonies and heartfelt lyrics. It was unique from a recording and technical aspect and raised the bar for pop music. Brian Wilson was Pet Sounds, from a production and songwriters view. It was his project. All of Wilson’s visions, insecurities and heart are in this record. He delivered, and to many people he is considered a musical genius. Pet Sounds will continue to be a pivotal record for pop music and will continue to be the influence for new music and studio exploration. “I’ve often played Pet Sounds and cried”(Paul McCartney).

Younger Readers:
If you are a lover of music whether, you like pop, metal or whatever, always try to saturate yourself with new sound sights and smells. That is the key to life. Always look for the light even when the darkness is crushing.

Work Cited
Granata, Charles L. Wouldn't It Be Nice. Chicago: A Cappella Books, 2003.
Massey, Howard . Behind the Glass. San Francisco: Back Beat Books, 2000
Micallef, Ken. "Another Day Peering into the creative genious of Brian Wilson." EQ Nov. 2008: 17-26.
Pet Blog Pet Sounds . Retrieved May 17, 2009, from Pet Blog Pet Sounds at 40: An Appreciation Web site: petsounds40.blogspot.com/