I don't like the Beach Boys. Most of the stuff I've heard from them has either been their early, rip-offs of Chuck Berry songs or post-Brian Wilson material that's just trash. "Surf music" from a band that had only one member that surfed (Dennis Wilson) just sounds bad to me.

On Pet Sounds, though, the Beach Boys created a fantastic album. This album was primarily written by Brian Wilson while the rest of the band was on tour with Glen Campbell filling in on bass for Brian. That's probably a good thing because we've all heard what the band sounded like after Wilson went into his weird, drug-induced state that lasted for years, right? Wilson was the "musical genius" part of the group, and he fills that role on this album without any interference from the rest of the band members.

Wilson really broke new ground with this one, too. The blending of harmonies, rock and roll and symphonic music works very well, and is a far cry from the upbeat, guitar-based rock which made the band famous. Wilson had the ability to know exactly how individual instruments would sound and then figure out how to maximize their impact on a track. This album goes down smooth as silk, and is one of the finest rock albums in history. This is one of those that displayed true artistry and craft rather than one of those albums full of simple, catchy songs designed to sell a bunch of copies for a few months then be replaced with something else.

Pet Sounds contains, simply put, some of the most beautiful songs ever put on a rock album. When I say "beautiful," I don't mean "sappy." The songs are complex and deal with some emotions without relying on cliches and schmaltz. Perhaps the best-known song on the album, "Wouldn't it Be Nice?," deals with the issue of simply wanting to enter a world where one "belongs" with the "perfect girl." Nice sentiment, and it comes across well.

As for the music on that track, the altered-piano that starts it and the "thick" keyboard sounds on it are truly unusual. Great, too, is "Sloop John B." On that one, woodwinds are all over the place, and the sheer power of the harmonies of the Beach Boys are emphasized. The Beatles have always been a great band for harmonies, but that band's talent is rivaled on this track and the whole album. As much as I've hated some Beach Boys songs, even I'm impressed with the full vocal range the band can achieve while harmonizing.

As for a dizzying array of instruments, it's hard to beat the title track. That song is an instrumental, which is full of strings, some kind of nutty percussion beat out on a Coca-Cola can, chimes and a mix of music. That one's a laid-back, dreamy song that Wilson once described as the most satisfying piece of music he'd ever recorded. I can understand that view perfectly.

One thing odd about this album is that the Beach Boys' record label absolutely hated this album when it was completed and previewed. Many of the band members hated it, too. Why? It deviated from the "formula" that made the album so successful. As a compromise, the Beach Boys recorded the "Party!" album, which was recorded live in a studio with a large audience of folks running around loose and making noise. That album yielded the single, "Barbara Ann," and was released so that it competed for sales with Pet Sounds. That's kind of a stupid move, but reveals how complex artistry was viewed by a lot of record labels and bands at the time.

Well, Pet Sounds is years ahead of Party! in both song-structure and studio techniques. "Barbara Ann" may have been a huge hit for the Beach Boys, but Pet Sounds is one of those albums that's still listened to today, and I've heard more than one former Beatle speak its praises. Wilson, in fact, recorded this partially in response to the Beatles' Rubber Soul album. Rock n' roll was becoming more complex in 1966, and Brian Wilson didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to express himself without limits. Sadly, Pet Sounds represents about his only opportunity to do that.

After this was recorded, Wilson made a huge single, "Good Vibrations," then started work on the Smile album. The Smile album was very ambitious and Wilson claimed it would be even more revolutionary than Pet Sounds. Sadly, Wilson went dog-barking crazy in the process of recording Smile and was unable to complete it. A stripped down and horrible version of the album, Smiley Smile was released.

Why's that important? Really, Wilson was at the top of the game with Pet Sounds, but self-destructed after that. If you want to hear what the man could do when all eight-cylinders were firing, you've got to get a copy of Pet Sounds. This album is just one of those "essential" ones, even though it's sad to realize that Wilson went absolutely insane shortly after it was recorded.

And, you get some bonus tracks on this disc. There's a brassy, jazzy instrumental here in "Trombone Dixie," as well as an alternate version of "I Know There's an Answer" called "Hang on to Your Ego." You also get some unreleased backing vocals and such where you can hear Wilson's decidedly-tenor voice blending in with the rest of the band member's voices. Cool stuff there.

Once again, this is THE Beach Boys album to own. It sounds nothing like the rest of their stuff, and is about as complex as it gets from this band.

Recommended: Yes