1966
“I love the whole Pet Sounds record. I got a full vision out of it in the studio. After that, I said to myself that I had completed the greatest album I will ever produce. I knew it. It was a spiritual record. I wanted to grow musically, to expand our horizons and do something that people would love, and I did it.”
Pet Sounds was released May 16, 1966 on Capitol Records. The album was produced, arranged, and composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher. Brian’s goal was to create "the greatest rock album ever made" – a cohesive work with no filler tracks. It is sometimes considered a solo album and a refinement of the themes and ideas he introduced with The Beach Boys Today! in 1965. Lead single "Caroline, No" was issued as his official solo debut. It was followed by two singles credited to the group: "Sloop John B" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (backed with "God Only Knows").
Brian's innovative Wall of Sound-based orchestrations included elaborate layers of vocal harmonies, found sounds, and instruments never before associated with rock, such as bicycle bells, French horn, flutes, Electro-Theremin, chamber strings, and beverage cans. Pet Sounds is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the field of music production, incorporating elements of pop, jazz, classical, and the avant-garde. In 2004, it was preserved in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Pet Sounds Tracking Session
February 11, 1966 – Western Recorders, Los Angeles CA. Working with Engineer Chuck Britz, Brian recorded eight vocal insert overdubs for the track “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder).” Following is a video demonstrating Brian’s recording process. Note that these harmonies didn’t appear on the final track.
The Beach Boys On Pet Sounds
BRIAN WILSON
MIKE LOVE
AL JARDINE
BRUCE JOHNSTON
In the Summer of 2006, Brian, Mike, Al and Bruce talked about the songs on Pet Sounds for Capitol Records’ Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary Podcast Series. In these original interviews, the surviving band members give insight into the making of the tracks.
Good, Good, Good Vibrations!
“I had a lot of unfinished ideas, fragments of music I called 'feels.' Each feel represented a mood or an emotion I'd felt, and I planned to fit them together like a mosaic."
"Good Vibrations" was composed by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Mike Love. Released as a single on October 10, 1966, it was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record charts in several countries including the US and UK. Characterized by its complex soundscapes, episodic structure and subversions of pop music formula, it was the costliest single ever recorded at the time of its release. "Good Vibrations" later became widely acclaimed as one of the finest and most important works of the rock era.
Accolades:
Grammy Hall of Fame: 1994
#1 in Mojo’s “Top 100 Records of All Time”
#6 in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll”
BELOW: Click to view a slideshow from “Good Vibrations” recording sessions.
Brian Wilson on “Good Vibrations”
The genesis of “Good Vibrations” came from an experience Brian had as a child walking with his mother to the local market. Click below to hear Brian talk about the making of this enduring classic.
