Disco de The Beach Boys: “Pet Sounds [40th Anniversary]”

First of all, this review has nothing to do with the quality of the album. We all know how great this album is. Just a couple of thoughts about this specific product. This is why I'm giving 4 stars.

First,all of the content on the CD is exactly the same as on the previous mono/stereo release. But, that's to be expected, right?.

You're probably saying to yourself that the real value is in the DVD. Well, all of the DVD material has been released before, except the "Good Vibrations" promo and a short featurette from the BBC where George Martin visits Brian and they discuss songwriting and arrangement. The "documentaries" are edited together from the Endless Harmony DVD and the promo material found on the DVD Audio version of the album. Also, some of the interview footage found on Brian's Pet Sounds Live DVD is also included. You also get the hi-res stereo and 5.1 mixes of the album that were included on the above mentioned DVD-A.

So basically, if you already own the original album, the DVD-A version, and the Endless Harmony and Pet Sounds Live DVDS, you already have everything on this set except for a brief George Martin interview and a "Good Vibrations" video.

I was kind of disappointed with the limited edition packaging, as well. The two discs are housed in a velvet-type covered case with the original CD booklet with all of the production and mixing notes stapled in the middle. This booklet appears to be the same old one that was used with the mono/stereo combo disc, save for the DVD credits. The actual liner notes appear the same.

You know, I feel like Capitol has wasted two great Beach Boys opportunites with the products they released for the anniversaries of Good Vibrations and Pet Sounds. It seems that they just throw previously released material together in one package and tack on one unreleased item for each and put it out for the fans to buy (again, for the most part). You would think that they would have more respect for the legacy of these recordings.

Anyway, I'm through ranting. If you already have Pet Sounds but you want something extra, pick up the Pet Sounds Sessions box set and skip this CD/DVD. The box is pricey, but you get a better sense of what went into the album.

This really is one of the great albums ever, and the remastered sound is very good. The only big difference between this MP3 version and the two-disc set of the same recordings is that the set gives you a DVD with a "making-of" documentary and both the original mono mixes and new stereo mixes, plus a bonus track. This MP3 set has only the remastered stereo mixes.

"Pet Sounds" was a groundbreaking record, and had a huge impact on other musicians. It is definitely the high-water mark for the Beach Boys. This is not anything like their early Jan & Dean-inspired surf music. It invented a whole new vocabulary of sounds and forms for pop music.

More than ever before, the Beach Boys' leader, Brian Wilson, decided he was going to go in a new direction and write a cohesive album, over the protests of many others in the band. He was definitely right. The Beach Boys never reached this level of creativity again, but "Pet Sounds" was enough to put them in the pantheon of the greats, even if this quality of artistic achievement was not sustained over time.

Wilson says he was inspired to make the record by the Beatles' "Rubber Soul" album. The Beatles in turn credited "Pet Sounds" as the inspiration for "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Paul McCartney still says he is crazy about the album, John Lennon even acknowledged it, and George Martin said Sgt Pepper's would never have been made without "Pet Sounds". Eric Clapton says it's one of the greatest pop albums of all time and Elton John talks about how it changed the way he and everyone else approached recording. I say this just to underline that it's hard to underestimate the impact this record had on the development of popular music as we know it.

There are plenty of "greatest hits" here. The album starts out with the classic "Wouldn't It Be Nice", one of the most optimistic and upbeat romantic pop hits ever -- and which also includes incredible layers of sound that deserve a good listening to with headphones. "God Only Knows" was the B-side to that single, but became a major hit on its own. "Caroline, No", "Sloop John B", "Let's Go Away for a While" and "Here Today" were also singles and are probably known at some level by most listeners.

But don't just get it for the hits. A lot of the other songs are slower and more complex, but are really marvels of both pop composition and sound engineering, especially when you think about the 1960s technology they were working with. There are layers upon layers of crystal-clear sounds to enjoy and get lost in.

This album is every bit as impressive a recording as something like Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" -- it just seems "lighter" because, well, it is. It's an optimistic, feel-good record even when its gets sad and melancholy, which it does pretty often. I still can't figure out quite how Brian Wilson pulled that off.

If you don't know Pet Sounds, this deal can't be beat, especially at the $1.99 "Deal of the Day" price on May 1, 2009. Once the price goes up again, also consider one of the CDs or CD sets available out there. You won't regret it!

There are some good and bad aspects of this release.

Good:

- The sound is much better than the official CD and marginally better than the bass-heavy DCC. If you like the DCC's sound, then save your $30. If you think the DCC is a little bottom-heavy, then splurge on this. It is more open and present, though one should keep in perspective the fact that we're talking about a mono recording from the '60s. It's no sonic marvel.

- That's about it. Try before you buy on your local BitTorrent tracker to see whether the sound is for you.

Bad:

- A weird tape drop-out at the beginning of "I'm Waiting for the Day" that is not present in the DCC or any other CD versions.

- A huge gap between "Sloop John B" and "God Only Knows" that supposedly mimics the time in between flipping a record. One of the nice things about listening to CDs is that you don't have to take time to get up and change sides. I have never noticed this on any other digital release and think it's annoying. Others may disagree.

- Why and how does this sound different from the DCC? Both of them say they were from the original master tapes, which is obviously false information as noted in previous reviews. I don't buy this stuff about the so-called Kensei Audio Transformer--there has been EQ tweaking on the DCC, the AF, or both. This is either a good or bad thing depending on your opinion of the results.

- The packaging, advertised as "deluxe," is embarrassing. The slipcase looks like it was printed on grandma's 10-year-old inkjet and my copy has little bubbles under the sticker on top of the CD. I have read a lot about broken teeth and cracking, which is not surprising given the flimsiness of the case. Audio Fidelity is clearly a slapdash operation skating by on Hoffman's name recognition.

- The price. Then again, it's cheaper than a used copy of the DCC.

All in all, I don't regret my purchase but I'm close. The 1970s C&TP vinyl reissue is better, but this is probably the best available digital version.

Few will argue that PET SOUNDS is one of the most significant musical releases in the 20th century. Some call it the best album of all time, and while I feel it is impossible to give any musical piece a definitive "best" distinction, PET SOUNDS is a required album in any genuine collection of modern music. What makes this particular reissue exciting is the stereo remixing. While this remixing was initially created for the 4CD PET SOUNDS SESSIONS, the remastered mono and stereo versions now fit on one inexpensive disc. I don't have the historical perspective to decide which version is better (after all, PET SOUNDS was released before I was born). However, after hearing the mono version for dozens of times (on the 1990 CD release), the stereo version on this 1999 remaster is a captivating revelation. The problem I have with mono recordings is the lack of soundstage depth and imaging. After all, you cannot reproduce the original 3D sound event with one channel. The stereo tracks blast this album wide open. Instead of everything emanating from the center, voices and instruments are placed in lifelike, floating space. Sonic texture and detail is improved significantly and you can hear the "air" around the instruments for the first time. The opening transition of "You Still Believe In Me" is smooth, unlike the cut-and-paste sound of the original mono version. Placing all of the harmonious voices in "God Only Knows" is easier and the articulate positioning invites close study of the arrangements and production. The only problem with the stereo version is that it is a hack. While the stereo remixing was performed under Brian Wilson's supervision, Mr. Wilson probably made different decisions during the modern remixing sessions than he would have made back in 1966. So the mono version remain the only true statement, from a historical perspective at least. Fortunately, since both versions occupy this disc, it doesn't necessarily matter which is better; both appear in glorious form.

Just to fan the PET SOUNDS vs. SGT PEPPERS flames a little, the stereo remixing reveals that Brian Wilson's offering is superior to the Beatles. The little details and encompassing sounds of the remixing suggest PET SOUNDS features the better production and creative insight. But what remains, stereo remixing or not, is that PET SOUNDS is personal emotion distilled into a 35 minute album. SGT PEPPERS, as whimsical and confident and incredible as it is, is too self-aware and pretentious (although it can be argued that pretension is derived from genius). It tries so hard to be the best there ever was that some of that genuine musician-listener connection is compromised. I speculate that SGT PEPPERS receives its "best album of all time" distinction because it is a Beatles release. It seems contradictory to award that distinction to a somewhat ordinary West Coast band that the Beach Boys were. After all, the Beach Boys had PET SOUNDS, but they didn't have REVOLVER, RUBBER SOUL and ABBEY ROAD in their canon.

Possibly a more challenging question is: PET SOUNDS or KIND OF BLUE?

Most young today people associate The Beach Boys music with surfing,cars,chicks and fun,fun,fun.Thus when the songs,Wouldn't It Be Nice,Sloop John B,and God Only Knows are recycled for the umpteenth time on a compilation album,it's easy to overlook the wonderful production,as well as the depth of its parent album Pet Sounds.Since it set the standard for albums for the last 34 years,most seemed lost on its impact.But when you truly listen and get inside these songs that you really experience the beauty of this album.The aforementioned themes are replaced with songs of introspection and more adult themes.Brian Wilson's need to compete with The Beatles turned into burning creativity as he recorded Pet Sounds with meticulous attention to detail.Using some of Phil Spector's Wrecking Crew as well as the famed Wall Of Sound technique,the albums complexity was nothing short of amazing.Songs like That's Not Me,Here Today and Caroline No display both beauty and sadness in their own unique way.Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows,and Waiting for the Day are rays of light that seems on the brink of turning into dashed dreams.The Beach Boys harmonies are flawless though since Brian sings most of the leads,you'd almost think they're guest stars on their own album.Even for all its accolades,Pet Sounds was deemed a failure back in '66(due to the general publics as well as Capitol Records inability to understand and embrace the record)But over the years it has left the other Beach Boys albums in the dust,as well as accorded its own boxed set.In '66 it seemed way ahead of its time,nowadays it just exist outside of time.