REVIEWS

Richie Unterberger (All Music Guide) deems Pet Sounds to be:

“The best Beach Boys album, and one of the best of the 1960s. The group here reached a whole new level in terms of both composition and production, layering tracks upon tracks of vocals and instruments to create a richly symphonic sound. Conventional keyboards and guitars were combined with exotic touches of orchestrated strings, bicycle bells, buzzing organs, harpsichords, flutes, the theremin, Hawaiian-sounding string instruments, Coca-Cola cans, barking dogs, and more. It wouldn't have been a classic without great songs, and this has some of the group's most stunning melodies, as well as lyrical themes that evoke both the intensity of newly born love affairs and the disappointment of failed romance (add in some general statements about loss of innocence and modern-day confusion as well). The spiritual quality of the material is enhanced by some of the most gorgeous upper-register male vocals (especially by Brian and Carl Wilson) ever heard on a rock record. "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "God Only Knows," "Caroline No," and "Sloop John B" are the well-known hits, but equally worthy are such cuts as "You Still Believe in Me," "Don't Talk," "I Know There's an Answer," and "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times." It's often said that this is more of a Brian Wilson album than a Beach Boys recording (session musicians played most of the parts), but it should be noted that the harmonies are pure Beach Boys (and some of their best). Massively influential upon its release (although it was a relatively low seller compared to their previous LPs), it immediately vaunted the band into the top level of rock innovators among the intelligentsia. The 1990 CD reissue added a few interesting but inessential outtakes, and a 1999 reissue added a new stereo version of the entire album to the original mono program.”

Steve Simels (Barnes & Noble) believes Pet Sounds to be:

The Beatles adored it, and the Rolling Stones took out an ad in the British music papers urging everybody to buy it: Pet Sounds is not only the Beach Boys' best album but also one of the undisputed classics of the '60s. Written (save for an adaptation of the old folk song "Sloop John B.") by head Beach Boy Brian Wilson and a young advertising copywriter named Tony Asher, the album is a melancholy meditation on adulthood, desire, and failed romance. Featuring stunning melodies ("God Only Knows"), intricate vocal arrangements ("Wouldn't It Be Nice"), and innovative instrumentals ("Let's Go Away for Awhile"), Pet Sounds was, in 1966, also a staggering technical accomplishment. Working the old-fashioned way -- that is, without the benefit of synthesizers and samplers -- Wilson created a rich, symphonic sound by blending multiple vocal tracks and conventional keyboards and guitars with harpsichords, flutes, and Hawaiian-tinged strings, then added a panoply of sound effects: bicycle bells, Coca-Cola cans, a Theremin, barking dogs. Although only a moderate hit upon its release, Pet Sounds has proved hugely influential over the years. In 1997 it was rereleased as a four-CD box set, including one disc of a never-before-heard stereo mix. The 1999 reissue marks the first release of the stereo version (plus the mono original) on a single CD. Bottom line: A masterpiece.

(CD Universe) views this album as:

This is more than just an album by a great American band; it's THE great American pop album, an ambitious foray into the intricacies of harmony and melody. Masterminded by Brian Wilson, it changed the rules of rock & roll. Wilson's production brought record-making to a new level. He perfected Phil Spector's wall-of-sound into a more complex, stunning approach. He was inspired by the Beatles' RUBBER SOUL, and PET SOUNDS was, in turn, an inspiration for SGT. PEPPER.
The devoutly romantic "God Only Knows" and the hopeful "Wouldn't It Be Nice" reflect an innocent time of yearning post-adolescence. From the complex upward progressions of "You Still Believe In Me" to the heartbeat bass of "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)," Wilson paid attention to every nanosecond of sound. The traditional folk song "Sloop John B," with its thickly interwoven vocals, was a major hit for the band, but PET SOUNDS' astonishing power comes from its less familiar songs. The shifting moods and devious instrumentation of "I'm Waiting For The Day" and the revealing "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" are further testaments to Wilson's tortured genius. Wilson has said that angels were overseeing the production of PET SOUNDS; there is no doubt about it.

Peter Kane (Q Magazine, February 2001) views Pet Sounds as:

Pet Sounds is always there or thereabouts on the list of all-time greatest albums. Rightly so. This is the jewel in Brian Wilson's considerable crown and a landmark for pop music on its way from gangling adolescence to something approaching maturity. He may have only had one good ear, but he put it to impossibly good use on creating a cycle of songs that was the polar opposite of the Fun, Fun, Fun mentality that The Beach Boys had previously espoused. Amid lustrous harmonies and sculpted arrangements, here was a voice that was instead riven by a sense of isolation and self-doubt as youth's bloom inexorably began to fade. God Only Knows is the obvious centrepiece, but I Just Wasn't Made For These Times and Caroline No are equally exquisite examples of Wilson's timeless art. About as good as it gets.

And finally, the very famous Rolling Stone magazine views Pet Sounds as:

Recorded and released in 1966, not long after the sunny, textural experiments of "California Girls", "Pet Sounds", aside from its importance as Brian Wilson's evolutionary compositional master piece, was the first rock record that can be considered a "concept album"; from first cut to last we were treated to an intense, linear personal vision of the vagaries of a love affair and the painful, introverted anxieties that are the wrenching precipitates of the unstable chemistry of any love relationship. This trenchant cycle of love songs has the emotional impact of a shatteringly evocative novel, and by God if this little record didn't change only the course of popular music, but the course of a few lives in the bargain. It sure as hell changed its creator, Brian, who by 1966 had been cruising along at the forefront of American popular music for four years, doling out a constant river of hit songs and producing that tough yet mellifluouis sound that was the only intelligent innovation in pop music between Chuck Berry and the Beatles.

Previous Beach Boy albums were also based on strong conceptual images, the dream world of Surf, wired-up rods with metal flake paint, and curvaceous cuties lounging around the (implicitly suburban and affluent) high school. It was music for white kids; they could identify with the veneration of the leisure status which in 1963 was the ripest fruit of the American dream. It wasn't bullshit, you could dance your silly brains away to "Get Around" or "Fun Fun Fun" if you felt like it.

But "Pet Sounds" . . . . nobody was prepared for anything so soulful, so lovely, something one had to think about so much. It is by far the best album Brian has yet delivered, and it paradoxically began the decline in mass popularity that still plagues this band. It also reflected Brian's preoccuapation with pure sound. In fact, the credits on the new edition of "Pet Sounds" read: "This recording is pressed in monophonic sound, the way Brian cut it." It's a weird little touch. The tone of it is so mythologizing it sounds as if Brian were no longer among us.

The love songs of "Pet Sounds" begin with the gorgeous theme of frustrated mid-Sixties blueballed adolescence, "wouldn't it be nice to stay together, hold each other close the whole night through? . . ." That question lays the entire premise of the album immediately in front of us. "You Still Believe In Me," with Brian's lovely harpsichord playing, carries the affair a little farther, through and past indescretion into the reconciliation of "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)," sung in Brians' wrenching, melting butter falsetto with the gentle lyrics of Tony Asher, Brian's major collaborator in this period, at the top of their form. There are also the perceptive songs of anxiety, malaise and self-doubt - "That's Not Me," "I'm Waiting For the Day," a tribute to the larger-than-life echo chambers of Phil Spector, the striking choral ensemble of "God Only Knows" and the angst-laden "I Know There's An Answer." Each of these tunes has its own singular flavor, one little brilliant touch - the slur of a baritone saxophone or the luxuriant tintinnabulation of Brian's omnipresent chimes - that puts it apart from the body of the whole record.

The "Pet Sounds" story ends unhappily, or at least stoically. "Here Today" is an angry blaster, and portrays a pessimism and disaffection that jars with the previous optimism. It is the end of the affair, and our persona is clearly pissed. "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" is an expression of general disenchantment with just about everything, rendered politely of course, in a low-key manner. These two tunes, like the rest of the record are great not only because of the lust, dramatic arrangements, but because the strangest of the brothers Wilson has his psyche on the pulse of universal subjectivity. Being extremely aware of fantasy himself, Brian knows how most people think.

Three cuts are impossibly dated and don't even enter into consideration: a boring cover of "Sloop John B." that had some success as a single (with all the genius on this record, Capitol Records chose this as the single because it probably sounded truest to preconceptions about the Beach Boy "formula"). The two instrumentals, "Pet Sounds" and "Let's Go Away For Awhile," are pretty mood pieces and that's all.

The final episode of "Pet Sounds" is "Caroline, No," three minutes of heartbreaking pathos, a haunting ballad that is the guts of hapless melancholy, the hollow and incredulous feeling at the loss of a lover.

Music as Art

       Art is a form of expression in which you let your inner emotions and feelings shine through in the images that you produce. It can depict society at a given time, convey emotions through the different textures, colors, and shapes used, but most simply, it can be a window straight to an individual’s soul.  With all of these key elements in mind, how could pop music then not be considered a piece of art? Musicians put their innermost thoughts and emotions on paper and turn them into lyrics, then comprise music that they feel most deeply and accurately expresses these emotions and ideas to the general audience, just as an artist does when she is trying to portray an idea through her paintings. Listening to songs from different eras, just as looking at different drawings or paintings from different eras, can give off a feeling of the time and give listeners a taste years down the road of what life at this time was really like.  Songs by The Beach Boys always portray a different emotion or feeling whether it be love in “God Only Knows” or support in “I’m Waiting for the Day” and because of this there is no denying that these lyrics paired with the music behind portray such real emotions and cultural references that only art can do.  

How Do We Study The Sixties?

         If you had to look back and pick one decade that impacted history the most, which would you pick? A clear choice to me would be the nineteen-sixties. But what is the most effective way to teach about this momentous era to those that did not live during that decade? The sixties is such a complex era to teach because it has so many events that impacted society in a multitude of different ways- everywhere from politically to musically. Therefore, to get a definite feel for the sixties and the influence that it had not only to those individuals that lived through it, but also to all of us now, we must look at the defining events that have continued to shape society to this day.

         The Civil Rights Movement, although it still continued both earlier and later, was at its climax during the nineteen sixties. By the sixties African Americans and other minority groups had grown tired of their subservient role in society and began fighting back for the place that they felt they rightly deserved. Both violent and non-violent actions were taken towards trying to integrate in society and finally in 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed that outlawed major discrimination against black people and women. This movement changed society drastically, bringing feelings of both hostility, equality, and leadership with it and also creating a plethora of literary, cinematic, and musical references that continue to be studied today. Without studying this vital piece of the nineteen-sixties, we would not be introduced to one of the most influential and radical movements ever to take place in American history whose impact we can still see to this day.

         However, there is another movement that is integral to a study of the sixties that must not be forgotten. One that, arguably, could be most beneficial in teaching younger students about this era because it is focused on individuals who made a difference in society that were the same age as the students themselves. The Free Speech Movement was a movement started on the University of California, Berkeley’s campus that was made up of young students who were fighting for their voices to be heard. This movement was the beginning of what student activism is known as today and has continued to leave its mark upon how students are encouraged, in most schools, to let their voices be heard and known. Therefore, by teaching this movement in a discussion of the sixties, it lends itself to issues that teachers are trying to encourage students to explore in their own lives right now.

         

         And last but certainly not least, one of the most enriching and enjoyable parts about a study of the sixties is the imminent focus on music of the time. Not only was there rock, folk, and blues music, but there was also an explosion of pop music during this time, one of the most famous bands being The Beach Boys. What made music so influential at this time was its extreme reflection of what was happening in society. In almost every album, the drug culture of the times seemed to permeate itself into the lyrics or melodies. However, many of the hit songs came to the high rankings that they did because they were the first songs that really started to relate to the emotions that society was feeling at the time. Music at this time was a true way of expressing the mixed and varied emotions of this era, since there were so many different lifestyles being thrown together at once. Therefore, if music was left out of a study of the 1960s, the emotions of the people living during this time would be forgotten and overlooked as well. 

Beach Boys Fan Interview

This is an interview conducted with Yvonne and Greg Price, two fans of the Beach Boys, especially the album Pet Sounds. The interview focuses on why Mr. and Mrs. Price believe that The Beach Boys have had such an impact on the history of music and what makes this band stand out from all the others of its time. 

Pop Music as a New Poetic Voice

            Robert Frost is known for his real depictions of rural life, T.S. Eliot for his portrayal of human emotion and thought. Confessional poets are known for their portrayal of their own lives through the words in their poems and Beat poets for their portrayal of the changing lifestyle post World War II. But what is pop music known for? Its catchy lyrics and entrancing beats? Or its power to overcome generation after generation?

            Poetry, especially that of confessional and beat poets, is known for evoking emotion and depicting real life with symbols, imagery, and metaphors. However, the same can be said for pop music. Songs like “God Only Knows” and “You Still Believe In Me” by The Beach Boys have lyrics so pure and heartfelt that they cannot help but evoke the most real emotions from its listeners, just as poetry portrays real emotional feelings. Pairing these lyrics up with the melodies that are used in pop music, any pop song can be just as effective and moving as any poetic piece of writing.

           

            However, upon the death of Robert Frost and T.S. Eliot, the American people started to turn their focus more towards pop music as a way of life more then focusing their attention on the literary and poetic world. Pop music was, and still is, a genre of music that appeals to the common, working class population. A hit pop song generally is comprised of lyrics that its audience can relate to- which is one reason why The Beach Boys did so well at this time, because their songs appealed to what the young generation was interested in. Pop music, although it could contain the same portrayal of emotions and meaning in its lyrics as poetry could, was a means of expression that could be heard daily all across the nation, during a time where the younger generation was finally starting to be heard. Bands that created this music could be admired and looked up to, concerts could be attended, and each song could be reproduced and covered by aspiring musicians all across the world, all of which contributed to how pop music became such a driving force behind the era of the sixties and such a loud and effective public voice. 

Pet Sounds Studio

Just as one might expect the album Pet Sounds was recorded within the studio Pet Sounds Recording Studio. It is located in Lexington, Kentucky and was founded by Robert Schneider and Jim McIntyre. Aside from the very famous Pet Sounds, many Elephant 6 albums have been recorded at that studio along with the Neutral Milk Hotel album. The Pet Sounds Studio was demolished in 1999, however was re-developed on the exact same site in 2008. The place was initially known as the “Sleeping Brotherhood” but Robert Schneider, one of the founders of The Elephant 6 Recording Co., liked to call it “Pet Sounds.”

The first official incarnation of the Pet Sounds Studio was created around 1997 after Schneider moved his recording equipment from his residence to his ex-Apple member’s Jim McIntyre’s residence at 1170 Elati Street. The studio in the house was decorated with detailed murals painted by Steve Keene, originally The Apples music video for “Tidal Wave.”

Recordings made in this studio include the albums:

1.       In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

2.       Dusk at Cubist Castle

3.       Black Foliage

4.       Hooray for Tuesday

5.       Tone Soul Evolution

6.       Her Wallpaper Reverie

7.       The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone

Should 1960s Music Be Taught in School?

Among many electives in school now days resides the Performing Arts elective of Music. In order for music to survive in schools, either in the form we presently know it or in some other form that enables it to have a significant role in the general education of young people, we must ask ourselves the question, “what is the importance, significance, and benefit of teaching 1960s music in school, and should it be taught?” In order to answer this question, we must have a relatively valid answer that will instigate the mind of the 21^st century to retain a place in the core school curriculums from lower school to college.

If 1960s songs were to be taught in the 21^st century school setting, the analysis of 1960s music with context to both the words and musical settings would act as a basis and is a means of exerting a humanizing and civilizing influence and promoting patriotism, home and family life, childhood culture, intellectual progress, and healthy recreation. The listening of 1960s music also promotes a form of cultural education as children are encouraged to listen to music they would never have even bothered to listen to. For many children, listening to 1960s music within a class setting would probably be their first exposure to high and valuable culture. Teaching 1960s music also represents a form of cultural reproduction of European and British associations as children were taught folksongs from different lands. Studying music from different countries also gains a knowledge about the geography and culture of other countries.

Other sundry reasons to teach music of the 1960s to the society of the 21^st century in a school environment are:

1.       That music caters the human spiritual and emotional needs and symbolizes a medium through which emotions, stories, religion and history can be expressed

2.       Music is a part of our cultural heritage, every country and race has its own forms of music that need to be transmitted from generation to generation in order to preserve a particular and unique civilization

3.       Music humanizes society from the technological developments that detach us from society

4.       Music is a universal system of communication which can promote international goodwill and universal messages that can still be applied to society now days

5.       Music can be a soothing influence during a time of high stress, such as within a school environment, which refreshes the mind and emotions

6.       Music contribute to students: moral and spiritual development, perceptual development (in particular with relation to hearing), physical development (including therapeutic medical help with certain physical disorders), social development, intellectual development, emotional and personal development and aesthetic development

7.       Music as a vehicle for the transmission of culture, which is highly noted in the Beach Boys, is a great way to perpetuate the cultural heritage of a society

8.       Music has a major contribution to social development by enabling students to relate to their peers in performing ensembles

9.       Music contribution to students as a general scholastic development where music stimulates intellectual development, trains the mind in abstract thinking, provides readiness for other forms of literacy and develops speech

10.   Music as a language: a means of non-verbal communication

11.   Music as poetry: the expression of emotion

Album Change History and Culture

Pet Sounds was originally not a popular seller, however, as the years went by it gained various recognitions from all over the world. The album has been influential since the day it was released. The album has changed culture in that it had a major influence on the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Paul McCartney has repeatedely named it as one of his favorite album, along with his favorite song God Only Knows. The Beach Boys had a large impact on culture in that it began this revolving motion, this circle, by instigating this new culture shock and change within the Beatles as well as other artists of the late 1960s.

Pet Sounds changed history in that it even today reflects America’s loss of innocence and modern day confusion in the late 60s. The hippie movements were beginning to commence, the anti war movement was rising rapidly, and the civil rights movements were transitioning from the nonviolent tactics of Martin Luther King to those of militancy and aggression. I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times is a song contained within the album which in my opinion genuinely reflects the feelings of the sundry people of the 1960s who were experiencing this “culture shock.” No longer could the Beach Boys escape the realities of the world by paddling on their surfboards out into the ocean or by remaining oblivious to their own personal problems or those of humanity through the use of psychedelic drugs, and neither can we. This album has affected history in that it portrays an imperative message that still is valid and should be undertaken today.

Other sundry influential changes that the album has brought about both culturally and historically are:

1.       They brought the idea of surfing into the worlds consciousness

2.       Introduced novel harmonies which were a major influence on pop and rock

3.       They utilized novel production techniques (Brian Wilson was in charge of this all) which proved to be both revolutionary and brilliant

4.       Helped advance and personalize rock and roll songwriting

5.       Created Pet Sounds which was one of the biggest creative landmarks in pop history

6.       Helped influence their peers (such as the Beatles) and the Sixties pop scene tremendously

Recording and Release Dates

-       Recorded in three main studios in LA: Gold Star Studios, Western Studios, and Sunset Sound

-       The majority of writing took place in late 1965, with much of the recording process happening in early 1966

-       Album released on May 16, 1966 by Capitol Records

-       On February 15 album pictures were taken at San Diego Zoo which can be seen depicted on the album/Cds

-       On Feruary 23 a tentative list of songs was given to the record company

-       Pet Sounds was released on CD in 1990 and as a box set in 1997 which included out-takes of rehearsals

-       A recording of Brian Wilson’s concert tour where he sang the entire Pet Sounds album live was released in 2002

-       A 40^th Anniversary edition of Pet Sounds was released in 2006

Introducing..

Mike Love

           Mike Love, a cousin to the Wilson brothers, started as the band’s saxophone player in the early years and then as time went on grew to become a co-lead singer along with Brian Wilson. Due to his R&B styled voice, Love sang lead on many of The Beach Boys fast-paced hit songs. Even when he was not singing lead on a song, his voice could always be distinguished from the others in the background because of his unique tone. However, Love has also had another unique role in the band which was being the MC, introducing band members and songs, in every one of the Beach Boys live/onstage performances. Love also co-write songs for various different albums, mostly with the hemes of surfing, cars, or love and he also won a legal proceeding in the 1990s for co-authorship credit to many of The Beach Boys songs.

            Mike Love was also one of the first musicians to become involved with Transcendental Meditation technique, which is a form of meditation that concentrates on sound and is practiced every day. He went on a trip to India in 1968 with various other musicians to further develop this technique and later even underwent more training to become more successful in this practice and became “Governor of the Age of Enlightenment”, giving him an estimated one million dollars per year.

            Love is also a big supporter of environmental causes and showed his support at The Earth Summit in Rio DeJaniero in 1992 and Earth Day 2000 in Washington, D.C.. He also created a foundation called Love Foundation which supports environmental and educational initiatives. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Incline Academy in Incline Village, Nevada and has raised over a million dollars for the benefit of the school.

            As of 2010, Mike Love is the only original member of the Beach Boys that continues to perform within this same group, now along with various other musicians and Bruce Johnston. However, Love has also branched off onto his own solo career as well. In the mid 1970’s, Love released two albums with the band Celebration. In the late 1970’s, he also recorded to unreleased albums titled “First Love” and “Country Love”, with some of their songs featured on later Beach Boys albums. Love is also known for re-recording old Beach Boys hits. In 2003, it was confirmed that Love is working on a new album, tentatively titled “Unleash the Love and Mike Love, Not War”. 

Sources: http://www.mikelovefanclub.com/bio.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Love

I Know There's An Answer Lyrics

I know so many people who think they can do it alone
They isolate their heads and stay in their saftey zones

Now what can you tell them
And what can you say that won't make them defensive

I know there's an answer
I know now but I have to find it by myself

They come on like they're peaceful
But inside they're so uptight
They trip through their day
And waste all their thoughts at night

Now how can I come on
And tell them the way that they live could be better

I know there's an answer
I know now but I have to find it by myself

Now how can I come on
And tell them the way that they live could be better

I know there's an answer
I know now but I have to find it by myself

God Only Knows Lyrics

I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I'd be without you

If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I'd be without you

God only knows what I'd be without you

If you should ever leave me
Well life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you

Schizophrenia or Generalization? I Know There's an Answer.

I Know There’s an Answer was recorded at Western Recorders on February 9, 1966. The song was originally called Hang On To Your Ego, which eventually became the name of another song in the Pet Sounds album featured in the bonus tracks. The original title Hang On To Your Ego and it’s lyrics caused unease amongst the Beach Boys because after Brian had consumed LSD, he was worried with the notion of preserving the ego versus transcending the ego.

In I Know There’s an Answer Brian speaks about desiring to know the philosophical answers to life: Why are we here? Why do some people believe they have the answers of how to live their life? In reality, no one has the answer as to how to live our life. We are all endeavoring new tactics and new ideas to discover the meaning of life, so there is an answer to life and how and why we are living it, but the only way we can discover it is individually, not by following others.  

On the other hand, many know that Brian Wilson had schizophrenia, so listeners may also view the song from a different facet. When analyzing the song, the lyrics tend to match the typical symptoms of schizophrenia, “They come on like they’re peaceful, but inside they’re so uptight.” Schizophrenics tend to be some of the gentlest, nicest people society will ever meet on the outside, but deep inside they are torn apart and detached from the world. They are oblivious as to how to react to sundry emotions and thus are numb to any sort of feeling.

Another example of the songs amalgamation to schizophrenia is the lyrics “they trip through their day.” When reading the word trip the first word that comes to mind for me is the utilization of drugs. Schizophrenics need to take pills in order to control their schizophrenia. Brian Wilson started taking LSD right before he wrote Pet Sounds, so this trip could be referred to the effect of the drugs he was taking due to his schizophrenia. Schizophrenics are known for staying up late at night and at times days. This is caused because their minds get cluttered with thoughts and paranoia, so can’t fall asleep, “and waste all their thoughts at night.” “I know there’s an answer, I know now but I have to find it by myself” – the most imperative line within I Know There’s an Answer implies again that he has to find meaning to life by himself.

If She Leaves, Will I Still Be Aware of the World Around Me? God Only Knows.

In God Only Knows Carl Wilson’s angelic voice is finally brought on stage. Critics often wonder why his voice was not put forth more often and Mike Love’s was held back and crown this one of Wilson’s highest achievements due to its three bass parts, piano, organ and two accordions, as well as strings, woodwinds and horns. Along with the critics, several songwriters such as Paul McCartney and Jimmy Webb have said instigated that God Only Knows is there personal favorite song in Pet Sounds.

God Only Knows is a particularly complex song both in structure and vocal harmony and is considered one of the best songs ever recorded by the Beach Boys. When listening to the song, one notes the faded resemblance to seventeenth and eighteenth century baroque music, including subtle hints of Bach within the instrumental background. God Only Knows was recorded on March 1, 1966 at Western Recorders. The vocals were recorded over several strenuous sessions with engineer Ralph Balantin at Columbia Studios. However, after developing sundry complex vocals, Brain Wilson decided to go for a more straightforward vocal arrangement in order to conserve the song’s earnest, heart-felt message. Wilson’s staccato bridge and Alan Robinson’s French horn motifs are the final angelic touches to the album’s notable instrumental highlights. 

In my view although the name might denote otherwise, God Only Knows is not necessarily a song about God but simply just an original love song. The song however can connote both meanings. On one side, because of the presence of the girl in the boy’s life, she is able to show him everything in the world, even the stars. However, if she were to leave, he wouldn’t be able to be aware of the world around him. As the song goes on, the idea that is suggested is if she were to leave, would he really not be able to be aware of the world around him? This is where the title and the answer of the song come in: God Only Knows.   

Sloop John B Lyrics

We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well I feel so broke up
I want to go home

So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

The first mate he got drunk
And broke in the Cap'n's trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don't you leave me alone, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why don't you let me go home
(Hoist up the John B's sail)
Hoist up the John B
I feel so broke up I wanna go home
Let me go home

The poor cook he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don't they let me go home
This is the worst trip I've ever been on

So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why don't you let me go home

From New England Folk Song to 1960s Beach Boys Hit

Plenty of critics believe Sloop John B to be the nadir of Pet Sounds. The original song was a 1926 to 1927 Caribbean folk song written by a man whose identity to this day remains unknown. It conveyed the emotions the singer felt and the events that occurred during the recovery of a ship, The John B, that was wrecked off the coast of Nassau in the Bahamas. It was singer Al Jardine who admired the interpretation of the song and suggested that the Beach Boys develop their own version without the West Indian language.

Al Jardine had previously composed an Americanized version of the song with his preceding group The Islanders. However, unlike The Islanders who immediately grasped the opportunity to elaborate on the song, Al Jardine had to spend countless hours trying to convince Wilson that the song was worth a spot on the album. Wilson was not keen of folk music and did not want to be limited to a simple, three-chord song that was already highly familiar to the American population of the 1960s. However, after days and days of persistence Al Jardine was able to devise a more elaborate chord structure and complex vocal arrangement which grabbed Wilson’s attention. In due course, the Beach Boys were proficient enough to transform an ordinary already popular Caribbean folk song into a delightful Beach Boys song with peculiar vocal harmonies and a bizarre jingle.

Although, the song was recorded on the 12^th of July, 1965 at Western Records, Brian Wilson and Mike Love’s lead vocals were recorded on December 22, 1965.

The inclusion of Sloop John B in the early track listing is significant because it has long been rumored that Brian was forced, against his wishes, to include the song -- a #3 hit -- on the album. But in late February, Sloop John B was still a month away from release as a single.

When analyzing the song, I came to the conclusion that it could possibly be suggesting more than just an unpleasant boat ride. I believe the disastrous oceanic voyage is a symbol for something much deeper, such as a bad acid trip being that during this time in the 1960s many people were partaking in the utilization of drugs. When referring to “My grandfather and me,” the Beach Boys could be referring to some psychedelic leader or sage. When singing the lyrics “Drinking all night, got into a fight,” the song could be suggesting the use of LSD and other psychedelic drugs. “The cook” could symbolize the man who produces the psychedelic experiences and constructs the drugs. Finally, the “hoisting up” of the “John B Sails,” could imply the desire for the unpleasant psychedelic trip or experience to be over and done with.

Although through careful analysis Sloop John B can be interpreted as a song about a bad acid trip, listeners, nevertheless, should remember that at its core, Sloop John B, is not a Beach Boys Pet Sounds original song, but rather a 100 year old New England folk song, and like all old folk songs is probably straightforward and lacks any deep underlying subtext…but who knows?? For ultimately, it is up to the listeners to interpret what they hear.

Introducing..

Al Jardine

Al Jardine, a friend of the Wilson's, is popularly known as the guitarist and sometime vocalist of The Beach Boys. More specifically, Jardine was the band's rhythm guitarist and harmony vocalist, but also played the bass, piano, and banjo. He also wrote and co-wrote a number of songs, one of which was "Lady Lynda" which was one of the band's biggest hits outside of the United States. He also advised Brian Wilson that The Beach Boys should record "Sloop John B". 

      Jardine left the Beach Boys after Carl Wilson's death in 1998, however, he stills remains part of the Beach Boys corporation Brother Records. He started his own band called Endless Summer Band which includes many of the musicians that toured with The Beach Boys, some of whom being Billy Hinsche, Desi and Billy, Bobby Figueroa, and Matt Jardine (his son). In the fall of 2006, Jardine joined Brian Wilson on tour which celebrated the 40th anniversary of Pet Sounds. However, in june of 2010 was when Jardine released his first solo album digitally, entitled A Postcard from California. 

Sources: http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Jardine,_Alan/Biography/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jardine

How Valuable IS Pet sounds...???

Pet Sounds was meant to emphasize themes that the younger generation could relate to such as hope, forgiveness, loneliness and the search for acceptance and love in the world of the 1960s that was rapidly altering due to the use of drugs, new ideas and thoughts and novel music. Overall, the album’s quest toward the audience of the sixties was innovative, exotic, and successful, however, my only critique towards the album would be its aesthetic facet.

Pet Sounds will always contain memorable album artwork; however, it will always remain dull and unimaginative. Maybe the reason for the dullness of the album is the notion that the Beach Boys are trying to portray the reality of the world through their album. That the world and life of the 1960s is dull and boring, just like the album cover. On the other hand, the songs in contrast to the album cover are creative and full of energy.

The album artwork was supposed to be a visual pun for the album’s title “Pet Sounds.” The album cover of Pet Sounds consists of the Beach Boys going to the San Diego Zoo petting section on February 15, 1966 and feeding a small herd of goats. When scrutinizing the album cover, one may notice that Mike Love seems a little held back and withdrawn from the goats and is the only one out of the five Beach Boys not feeding the goats.

Objectively though, I don’t think there is a particular reason why listeners are attracted to Pet Sounds. The audience mainly is captivated by the album and finds it valuable because they are capable of identifying with it. We identify with Brian Wilson’s sense of solitude within his voice, this lonely person who is filled with a tragic sense of anxiety and hesitation, and this adult who still has not been able to face the fact that he is now a “grownup.” 

Furthermore, no other group uses such layered vocal harmonies as the Beach Boys. The compositional techniques utilized by Brian Wilson in Pet Sounds goes beyond any other rock musician. For example, Don’t Talk, Put Your Head On My Shoulder has a hey change that no other rock act had ever endeavored to attempt before the Beach Boys. They utilize a similar technique in Caroline No. When examining the album, one notices that there is a tonality change in almost every song that is still today unheard of in rock music!

Along with being one of the most intellectual Psychedelic Rock albums of the 1960s, Pet Sounds is also valuable for its emotional honesty. IT uses complex musical arrangements and phrases to communicate basic human feelings to the audience, and when dealing with Top 40 hits, that is a difficult task because most songs now days are about drugs, sex, love, and partying. It is hard to take a look at the Top 100 songs of and find a song that just portrays the basic emotional sentiments of human beings.

The album is also valuable because it is directed towards a sundry audience. It is intended for both the younger generation and for the older generation who is facing being “adults.” However, at its core, Pet Sounds is lyrically intended for the younger generation that is trying to develop their conscience in this chaotic, innovative, and free-spirited society of the sixties.

The album lyrically can almost be considered poetry if one were to think about it. It consists of heartfelt confessions and sentiments that may be spoken about within a poem. The album is designed so when people hear the first song Wouldn’t It Be Nice, they are deluded into believing it is just another ordinary album with joyous music, however once one surpasses the Wouldn’t It Be Nice, the album transforms into a soft, choir-like, drumless album. It does eventually regain its tempo afterwards, but loses it once again through the utilization of the Beach Boys very famous vocal pieces.

The album was obviously also influenced and very valuable because of its religious influence. Now days, we still don’t see spiritual music in the Top 100 iTunes songs. Pet Sounds was able to surpass these boundaries however by subtly eluding religious notions through their lyrics. Aside from songs such as God Only Knows, which evidently has religious connotations, songs such as Don’t Talk, Put Your Head On My Shoulder also have a religious aspect to it. This song has the bass line that very much resembles a heartbeat. Although many may deem this to be just another drug related song, one may also view the song as a typical teenage love song that causes Brain Wilson to envision what Heaven must be like.

Making of Wouldn't It Be Nice

Here is a video which shows how "Wouldn't It Be Nice" was recorded in the studio.

Behind the Sounds: Wouldn't It Be Nice

Introducing...

            DENNIS WILSON

            Best known as the drummer of The Beach Boys and one of the three brothers in the band, Dennis became more of a lead member of the band as time went on. When the band started out, no one really saw much potential in Dennis because he was always seen as “the surfer” as the group who took more of a backdrop role compared to his two brothers and Al Jardine and Mike Love. However, although Dennis did not sing vocals at performances, he often did in the recording studio and went on to sing lead in a few songs later in the beach Boys career. He also became one of writers for the band in the 1970s, although he started to help write songs back in 1963 with Brian Wilson.

Dennis was also known for getting involved with a few films, most famously in the critically acclaimed film Two Lane Blacktop as “the mechanic” who drove aimlessly across the United States. He worked in this film alongside actors James Taylor and Warren Oates.

Dennis first made his own move away from the Beach Boys when he released his first solo album called Pacific Ocean Blue under the name Dennis Wilson and Rumbo in 1977. The album sold 300,000 copies and hit number ninety-six in the United States, showing the same ratings and sales of The Beach Boys album Love You, also released in 1977. Dennis started work on a second solo album, entitled Bamboo, before his first album was even released, however as the eighties came along, work on the album started to slow and he decided to just include some of his finished songs on Beach Boy albums, most notably the LA Light Album.

Sadly, Dennis Wilson’s life came to a sudden end in 1983 when he passed away due to drowning at the Marina del Ray in Los Angeles after drinking all throughout the day. Later he dove into the water late at night to try to find items that he had lost overboard on his yacht three years previously, which ultimately caused his untimely death.

Source: http://www.danaddington.com/denny/story.html

Track Listing

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. You Still Believe In Me
3. That's Not Me
4. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
5. I'm Waiting for the Day
6. Let's Go Away for Awhile
7. Sloop John B
8. God Only Knows
9. I Know There's An Answer
10. Here Today
11. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
12. Pet Sounds
13. Caroline, No

The Beach Boys during a recording session for Pet Sounds.

Introducing...

           CARL WILSON

            Although not always known as the lead Beach Boy, Carl Wilson seemed to always be the glue that kept The Beach Boys together. Born in 1946, the brother of Brian and Dennis Wilson, Carl is best known as lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist. After Carl sang the lead vocals on one of the band’s hit singles “God Only Knows”, he was more and more frequently featured as a lead singer for the band. After Brian Wilson’s leaving of the Beach Boys due to personal issues, Carl naturally became the next ‘leader’ of the band, heading many recording sessions and becoming the main singer of the group. However, Carl Wilson is also prominently known as being an extremely against the Vietnam War (he had to let The Beach Boys tour the United Kingdom without him while he petitioned with the draft board for this war).

           In 1981, Wilson decided that it was time for him to branch away from the Beach Boys because he thought the band’s ‘glory days’ had run out and they were already seeing it become increasingly difficult to record new material. In the same year, he put out his first solo album titled Carl Wilson which was received well, due to his obvious popularity from The Beach Boys. He then went on to record a second album, titled Youngblood. However, when this album was released, Carl was once again back with the Beach Boys, officially part of the band once again in 1983.

          Carl was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in early 1997, however, displaying his extreme dedication, throughout his treatments he never stopped performing and played through the Beach Boys’ entire summer tour. A moment of this tour always loved was when Carl would stand up every show (although Carl still performed, he would need to sit while singing and receive oxygen very frequently) and sing “God Only Knows” to the crowd. Tragically, Carl passed away, due to his cancer, in February of 1998, fighting a one year battle with cancer. However, Carl will forever be remembered through the legacy of music that he has put forward both on his own and with The Beach Boys and through The Carl Wilson Foundation which strives to raise funds for cancer research, started by Carl’s family.

Sources: http://www.carlwilsonfoundation.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Wilson



http://www.beachboysfanclub.com/memory/index.htm

Introducing...

BRIAN WILSON

                Brian Wilson, born in 1942, widely known as the leader and main songwriter for The Beach Boys, grew up in Hawthorne, California in a very musical family, with both of his parents playing the piano and him singing soprano in his early years. Growing up, Brian was fascinated by the harmonies that some bands like the Four Freshman produced as well as the rhythms that Church Berry produced. With his brothers, Carl and Dennis (also Beach Boys members), Brian turned to creating music himself and soon created records that would later be recorded by the Beach Boys themselves such as “Sloop John B” which appears on Pet Sounds. After the three brothers performed a few local shows, two more members were added to the band, Mike Love and Al Jardine, which completed the five-some band we know as the Beach Boys today.

                Throughout the Beach Boys recording history, Brian became known for his unique sounding vocal harmonies and studio perfectionism, but to the outside world Wilson was the band’s main producer and arranger, providing many of the main vocals in the Beach Boys hit songs. Brian’s major influences for his work were not only previously mentioned the Four Freshman and Chuck Berry, but also Phil Spector, a famous record producer whom also took an interest in Wilson after hearing his recording techniques.

                However, Wilson’s days of live performances were cut short when he has a nervous breakdown in 1964 and declared he would focus mainly on songwriting and studio production for the band. Due to the birth of his first child, Carnie Wilson, in 1968 and the cancellation of the record Smile, Wilson felt extremely overwhelmed and most of the producing reins were eventually handed over to younger brother, Carl. In the coming years, music was placed on the backburner for Wilson as he struggled with drug abuse and mental illnesses, however, after going through many treatment rounds, Brian Wilson, Wilson’s first solo album, was released in 1988. Wilson still kept in the media eye with his production of his own memoir Wouldn’t it Be Nice- My Own Story, released in 1990 describing his journey through drug abuse, the internal hardships with the Beach Boys, and his struggling with mental illness. From then on, Wilson continued to produce new material, from his second solo album Imagination in 1998 to playing the entire Pet Sounds album live on stage, for the first time since 1964 when he stopped performing with the Beach Boys. Finally, Wilson released an album Gettin’ Over My Head featuring collaborations with Elton John, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and his brother Carl Wilson. As you can see through Brian Wilson’s hectic past, music has always been a major influence in his life. However, his own personal issues have taken over his life at different times, but the music that he has produced, mainly with the Beach Boys, but also on his own, has forever left a legacy across the globe.

Sources: Rock Lives by Timothy White
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson
http://www.brianwilson.com/brian/index.html