In 1966, The Beach Boys took a departure from their standard
surfing songs and songs about girls with their album Pet Sounds. This remarkable
album explored new themes and different styles and arrangements of music.
Prior to Pet Sounds,
The Beach Boys’ typical hits included songs such as “Surfin’ Safari,” “Surfer
Girl,” “I Get Around,” and “Help Me, Rhonda” (“The Beach Boys,” n.d.). These
songs exemplify their light and upbeat sound, as well as depict life in
southern California where they originated.
And while these songs became classics on their own merits, many of the
themes are basically simple and lack serious emotional content.
Brian Wilson, the multi-talented foreman of The Beach Boys,
was the engine that kept the band moving.
He was not only a singer and guitarist but also the composer, arranger,
and producer of their albums (Carlin, 2009).
Due to the pressures he was under to produce, record, and tour, in 1964,
he had experienced severe emotional distress and removed himself from touring
with the other members (Fusilli, 2005). While recovering from mental exhaustion, he
began the work that would lead to the production of Pet Sounds.
With The Beatles’ release of Rubber Soul in 1965, Wilson was inspired to create a similar work
that consisted of all original tracks that blended together to form a cohesive
sound (Carlin, 2009). Wilson’s growing
skills and knowledge of recording techniques paved the way to develop such an
album.
Pet Sounds begins
with a seemingly light-hearted theme with the song, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?” But as Jim Fusilli (2005) wrote in the 33 1/3: Pet Sounds:
…at the end
of the fourth bar, Hal Blaine…smacks the drums hard, delivering
a harsh,
ominous sound that echoes like a shut door, a slammed gate (p. 41).
Such a sonic statement underlines a more serious tone to an
otherwise innocent song. These embellishments
were used throughout Pet Sounds,
painting mental images that were not found in prior works by The Beach Boys.
Furthermore, the sonic palette had grown considerably for Pet Sounds. Still with the first song, instruments such
as four guitars, three saxophones and a trumpet, two accordions, bells, plucks
from the strings of a piano, and a timpani formed part of the backing tracks
(Fusilli, 2005). Such arrangements were
obviously influenced by working with Phil Spector’s “Wall-of-Sound” production
process (Carlin, 2009). Such
arrangements created a significantly larger sound than the original five-piece
rock band of The Beach Boys.
Another departure from their earlier work consists of
lyrical play. In the love song, “God
Only Knows,” the opening line is, “I may not always love you.” This atypical line for an intro of a love
song was followed with lines that negated its context; thus, it stresses that
the singer will always love the recipient of the song.
Prior to Music History II, I have heard Pet Sounds several times, both in its original mono format and the
remastered stereo tracks. While I
enjoyed it tremendously, I was not aware of how groundbreaking it was. I was born five years after the release of Pet Sounds, and the techniques and
arrangements that made it a pioneering album were now commonplace in the music
I grew up with in the 1970s. But with
fresh ears, I realize just what a major undertaking it was to produce such a
work of art. As a future music producer,
I was to learn more about how he layered the different instruments to keep the
backing tracks uncluttered yet rich in sound.
Since studying Pet
Sounds, I have a new respect and admiration for Brian Wilson’s exceptional
musical talents.
Shannon McDowell
Hello Shannon,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post on the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. You are absolutely right, while I haven’t listened to an overwhelming amount of Beach Boys records, from what I have listened to, along with Pet Sounds, I can tell that there is a significant difference in subject matter and content between their older records and Pet Sounds. There is more substance to Pet Sounds, due in part because the album mostly discusses good and bad relationships, as well as the hardships of growing up. You mentioned all the different responsibilities that Brian Wilson took on, and to me it is fascinating all the things he was capable of accomplishing, especially in his productions and creativity. I also like the fact that he was good at all these tasks, whether it was singing, arranging, songwriting, or producing.
You mentioned an interesting piece of information, which has to do with his emotional distress and him stopping touring because of it. From listening to the podcast, I hear it all started in an airplane where he had a nervous breakdown; shortly thereafter, he announced he would stop touring. Although I hadn’t heard Pet Sounds prior to MH2, after learning about it and Brian Wilson, like you, I now have a newfound respect for a great musician I didn’t know about before. This is my favorite part of these music history classes; finding and learning about artists from the past. Great post.
Oscar Suarez