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In my opinion, the absolute greatest album ever made, and Brian, and the Beach Boys finest work ever. This album has completely changed my life. It changed the way I feel, think, and love. It's made me laugh, it's made me cry, it was there with me while I lived, and there with me when I wanted to die. This will be the first album I share with my children, and my children's children. There's just not enough good things to be said about it.

12. Pet Sounds - Nice instrumental. It would have been perfect in that Bond film. David really brought it to life this year.

11. Caroline, No - This is beautiful, but the only reason I'm putting it so low is the lack of background vocals. With those, it may have been one of my favorites.

10. I Know There's an Answer - Not sure if I like this or Ego more. They're both really great.

9. Sloop John B - I know I'll probably get punched or something for putting this so low, but I just feel it doesn't fit the theme of the album as well. Brian did an amazing job transforming it though.

8. Let's Go Away for Awhile - So beautiful. This is music that simply doesn't need words to show you what it means. That 12 string gets me every time. Brilliant!

7. Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) - What a pretty song! The strings are pure emotion. Right on!

6. Here Today - Mike did such a great job on this. I really love the background vocals. So pretty!

5. I'm Waiting for the Day - Those drums are brilliant. The organ is brilliant. Singing is brilliant. Always stuck in my head.

4. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times - Sounds like Brian's anthem. Perfect song for him to sing.

3. You Still Believe In Me - Great tune! Really wonderful intro. Another perfect song for Brian to sing.

2. That's Not Me - What a wonderful song. I think everyone can relate to the lyrics at some point in time. Really nice guitar.

1.  God Only Knows - Maybe Carl's finest moment ever. Probably the best ballad ever written. I just couldn't bare to put it at number 2.

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice - Really can't say enough good stuff about this. Intro is awesome. Singing is perfect. Melodies are out of this world. Ahhhhh!

You forgot You Still Believe in Me. :)

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

Oh, shoot!
Thanks for noticing!

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. Caroline, No
3. GOK
4. You Still Believe In Me
5. Sloop
6. Pet Sounds (especially loved David tearing it up at Wembley)
7. Don't Talk
8. Here Today
9. Let's Go Away For A While
10. I'm Waiting For The Day (sleeper favourite at times, not atm)
11. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (It's far too much to listen to at points, although that is me being a dork and not a slight on it's incredible quality)
12. That's Not Me (hot and cold, again)
13. I Know There's An Answer (The only song on Pet Sounds I genuinely don't like - the hectoring tone of the lyrics is really out of place and jarring. I don't think much of the song itself, different lyrics or no. Bass harmonica and Banjo duel is really the only thing I like about it)



Maybe the list is slight heresy but my favourites on it change all the time - ask me a few months ago and it would have been a different list all together, y'know?

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

This album really does live up to it's hype, and in a way that only a handful of albums in history do (Revolver, Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, Born To Run, Joshua Tree, Pet Sounds and maybe a few others).  Nothing about this album is overrated. I rated Caroline, No as 12 out of 13 and most songwriters in pop/rock history would be lucky to write one song 1/100th as good. An amazing collection...heartfelt, soulful, beautiful, inspiring. Sometimes I forget, being a diehard and digging so much deeper, how incredible and special this album is.

Impossible for me to rate these songs.

When I first listened to this album, every song left me thinking 'how have I not heard this before?' - man, I really wish I could travel back to that evening and listen to this album in full wide-eyed amazement just once again.

I will say that Let's Go Away For Awhile is the only BB song where I'm left thinking I'm stoned when I listen to it - it sounds odd, but the layers and complexity of those chord changes, the orchestration, the buildups, the drum rolls - It feels like Brian created a place - not just a song.

I agree!
It's probably my favorite instrumental.

This is difficult.

1a. God Only Knows
1b. Wouldn't It Be Nice
3. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
4. Sloop John B
5. Caroline, No
6. You Still Believe in Me
7. Don't Talk
8. I'm Waiting for the Day
9. Here Today
10. That's Not Me
11. Let's Go Away for Awhile
12. I Know There's an Answer
13. Pet Sounds

Impossible.

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

Tempted to agree with those who state it's impossible to rank these tracks.  This might have been the first album in rock that didn't have a weak track on it.

I'll try though…

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
3. God Only Knows (how I can put the greatest song ever written at number three has me stumped!)
4. That's Not Me (because it IS about me, so there!)
5. You Still Believe In Me
6= everything else.

I failed.

With all due respect, and to each his/her own and whatever floats your boat and all of that, but these rank-the-songs threads are like posting what is your favorite ice cream flavor. If someone says "Rocky Road!", and another says "No, Heavenly Hash!", and another says "Cherry Garcia, definitely!", and another says "Chocolate!",  where does it all add up?

I vote "Impossible", too. Across the board.  :)

It's all out of curiosity. I enjoy the difference. I love that some of my favorite songs by them, are at the bottom of the lists of others. It just helps me, and hopefully other people appreciate songs, or albums they didn't fully appreciate before.

Someone'll pull a chart together, and the one whose own chart is closest to the average chart wins a Cherry Garcia cone. No, a Chocolate. No no no, a Heavenly Hash…

I respect that, but I think it's the ranking part of these threads that isn't necessary. From your introduction post in this one, I'd much rather read your personal opinion on the tracks as well as others adding thoughts, and the rankings make no difference. The problem here is that opinions are changing constantly, and I've been getting away from trying to rank things in numerical order because it's just like stating what kind of ice cream is best.

I always prefer to read thoughts on albums and songs that emphasize the personal aspects of the tracks, over trying to rank them in some kind of order. That's just my take on it, and again, the comments you first posted about your feelings on these individual tracks carry more weight than putting a number next to them, or explaining a numbered order. I'd absolutely read reviews/thoughts on any of the other albums if they followed that example!  :)

Thanks for the input.
I encourage people to write their thoughts about every track. Sorry if my threads bum you out in any way!
Feel free to not rank, and just write what you love or hate about them! I'd definitely love reading it!

The problem is I don't have time to write 13 paragraphs, that's how long it would take to describe my feelings for each track. LOL

Is that cone a sugar cone, a waffle cone, or one of those generic doughy-cones that you'd buy in a large box with a smiling clown on the front?  :-D

Since we're talking about Jersey and the Shore and all of that after 12-12, I'd enter the contest if we could add a Jersey Boardwalk-style ice cream slab sandwiched in between two hot waffles option...like this:

(http://108.75.142.167/images/waffles.png)

I share the same problem.  ;D

Oh no, I didn't mean it like they bum me out, because they don't!  :)

It was just a personal preference for reading the commentary itself and personal thoughts over the rankings themselves. I probably should have either worded it differently or not posted it at all, because nothing bums me out that way. I guess I just wanted to read more of the commentary than anything, because it was more interesting than the ranking system!

It's good stuff, the commentary in these threads.

It's all good!
I'd love to read more thoughts on the tracks too.
I would post more about them, but I'm always on here on my phone, and it's just a pain to write and navigate on it.

Can't rank em.  I'll do a tier system:

Tier 1: Some of the most incredible music ever made in the history of the universe
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
You Still Believe In Me
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times

Tier 2: These are absolutely incredible musical marvels
I Know There's An Answer
Pet Sounds
Let's Go Away for Awhile
Caroline, No

Tier 3: Wonderful, beautiful songs
Here Today
That's Not Me

Tier 4: Very very good songs

Sloop John B.
I'm Waiting For The Day

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

Always find it difficult to comment on this one.  There are some stone-cold classic tracks and every single one has a performance and production to its full potential.  I think I enjoy the top half of my list decidedly more, but there's a tendency for some of the other tracks to blend in among all the greatness.  Hearing one of these on shuffle for instance, shows the song for what they truly are.

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. God Only Knows
3. That's Not Me - my favourite ballad ever sung by Mike, and brilliant lyrics
4. Caroline, No
5. I Just Wasn't...
6. Don't Talk- apart from the singles, the first song that really hit me.
7. Here Today- not the greatest chorus, but everything else is so good it doesn't matter.
8. Sloop John B
9. LGAFAW
10. You Still Believe In Me
11. Pet Sounds
12. I Know There's An Answer
13. I'm Waiting For The Day- the only track I'm not really keen on. I'd say it's a little too old fashioned but that makes no sense as I love old fashioned stuff,

All fantastic but, gun to my head:

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice (my favorite Beach Boys song)
2. Sloop John B (breath taking, whether its mono, stereo, instrumental, or accapella!)
3. God Only Knows (one of the greatest love songs of all time*)
4. Caroline, No (prefferably in the original speed and key for me)
5. Here Today (the middle section is one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed)
6. I'm Waiting For The Day (Love the track and the lyrics most)
7. You Still Believe In Me (Another fantastic love song that I relate to so much)
8. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (I'd like it more if the round was done by others besides Brian)
9. Pet Sounds (It's grown on me GREATLY over the years**)
10. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) ("Listen. Listen. Listen." I did and was almost moved to tears by what followed!)
11. I Know There's An Answer (My favorite "Al sounds like Brian" moment)
12. That's Not Me (I just don't dig the groovy lyrics daddy-o)
13. Let's Go Away For Awhile (By process of elimination only!)


* Behind only "Here, There & Everywhere", "Maybe I'm Amazed", and "Woman", in my opinion.

** I was once asked to "score" a (live) theatrical production of Hitchc*ck's Dial "M" For Murder and decided to use 60's music; mostly stuff from Pet Sounds, Smile, The Wichita Train Whistle Sings, side two of Yellow Submarine, and (anachronistically) some Danny Elfman stuff.  I chose "Pet Sounds" as Inspector Hubbard's designated theme.

I stand in awe of a lot of you here because some of you are so consistently prolific and articulate day after day, and appear to actually have lives outside of the board (or so you would have us believe) as well... how do you do it? It's all I can do to just catch up with a quick scan or two every other day or so. Yes, I can certainly agree that a well thought-out, insightful and astute post beats a quick, tossed-off list any day. But I only have time to make lists!  :lol So anyway, here's my list:

A+
God Only Knows
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Caroline, No
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times

A
Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)
You Still Believe in Me
Let's Go Away for Awhile

A-
Sloop John B
That's Not Me

B+
Here Today
Pet Sounds

B
I Know There's an Answer

B-
I'm Waiting for the Day

This feels so wrong. But....

I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times
Caroline, No
Don’t Talk
I’m Waiting For The Day
Wouldn’t It Be Nice
God Only Knows
Sloop John B
That’s Not Me
Here Today
I Know There’s An Answer
You Still Believe In Me
Let’s Go Away For Awhile
Pet Sounds

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

As other noted, almost impossible to rank. But...

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

God Only Knows-The intro...my god. The wordless middle eight...my god. The tag...my god. It's...BEAUTTTTTTTTIFUL  :o
Wouldn't it be Nice-AMAZING opener.
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times-That this is not the top song shows how good this album is.
Caroline No-Lovely.
Let's Go Away for Awhile-Amazing instrumental, gives me goosebumps.
Don't Talk (Put your Head on my Shoulder)-One of the most underrated tunes on the album.
Pet Sounds-Great up-tempo beat.
I'm Waiting for the Day-Up tempo tune with serious lyrics. Amazing.
You Still Believe in Me-Another great tune. The bicycle horn works despite being out of place.
Sloop John B-I think it fits with the album better then most think. One of the "weaker" songs (and there really isn't any week song.)
I Know There's an Answer-Love how the group shares the vocals. Should've stayed as "Hang Onto Your Ego" though.
That's Not Me-Really cool Mike vocal.
Here Today-Love the middle eight.

1. Caroline, No (love the haunting background music and lyrics)
2 I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (i love the harmony in the "each day i start to" part)
3 That's Not Me (kind of sums up the type of things every young person goes through)
4. I Know There's An Answer (something i relate to with OCD)
5. You Still Believe In Me (good reminder to appreciate your girlfriend/relatives or significant other when they stand by you)
6. Here Today (love the advice of the lyrics, also the middle solo kicks ass)
7. Wouldn't It Be Nice - one of the best bipolar songs I can think of (and by that I mean the mood of the song is very contradictory)
8 I'm Waiting For The Day (Love the track and the lyrics most) - another good song that epitomizes what any young person in love feels
9. God Only Knows (one of the greatest love songs of all time*) - heard it too many times for it to be higher but takes the prize for second most realistic love song (second to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc8tPTVBRSc)
10. Let's Go Away For Awhile - being an instrumental probably pegs it down a few but it is still a very chill song to listen to
11. Sloop John B - doesn't fit on Pet Sounds at all
12. Pet Sounds - don't really know the song
13. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder - ditto

Oh God, I'll play, but don't expect this to be a solid reflection of my tastes even a minute from when I hit "post". This list varies wildly depending on my moods, especially from about 7 down.

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

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

This was really, really difficult.

13. Sloop John B - Mainly because it just doesn't fit in on the album as well as all the others. That being said, it's still a fantastic way to close Side 1.
12. Pet Sounds - Great instrumental. I love the percussion especially.
11. Here Today - Ugh this is where it gets difficult haha. The instrumental bit's one of my favorite moments on the album.
10. I Know There's An Answer - I think I prefer Hang On to Your Ego, but still excellent.
9. I'm Waiting For the Day - The strings towards the end blow my mind every time.
8. That's Not Me - Love the lyrics, and one of Mike's best vocals.
7. Let's Go Away For Awhile - Easily my favorite instrumental.
6. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times - Can't believe I'm putting this so low.
5. You Still Believe In Me - That melody. That ending.
4. Caroline, No - Incredibly beautiful, and some of my favorite lyrics.
3. Don't Talk - Extremely underrated, and gorgeous.
2. Wouldn't It Be Nice - Perfect in every way, and never fails to cheer me up.
1. God Only Knows - My favorite song, period.

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

Like most here, this is my favourite album of all time and found it so hard to rank, however I managed in the end and think every track is brilliant. The instrumentals are phenomenal. I think "I'm Waiting For The Day" is my favourite just for the timpani and the drums, the outro, the fantastic lyrics by Mike, the brilliant singing from Brian and the amount feeling conjured by this sad yet wishful song.

I can't bring myself to rank them individually since some of them are too good. I'll split them in two tiers:

God Only Knows
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
Wouldn't It Be Nice
You Still Believe In Me
That's Not Me
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)

Sloop J Bee
Caroline, No
Let's Go Away For Awhile
Here Today
I Know There's An Answer (Hang On To Your Ego would have a better chance at making the top list)
Pet Sounds

Btw thank God Trombone Dixie was never a track on PS...

He'd have probably gone at a few more takes, the looseness of the performance is probably indicative that it was just a rough lead and not a serious attempt at perfecting the track.

@CEK Three instrumentals on Pet Sounds would've definitely killed the flow a bit, but I don't mind Trombone Dixie at all. Fade it out around 2:40 and add it, along with Sloop John B and The Little Girl I Once Knew to a Nov/Dec SDASN release and you've got yourself a nice little alternate album there. It'd probably be a lot nicer with lyrics (it's not as dynamic an arrangement as LGAFA or PS to flawlessly pull off being an instrumental) but even in it's current stage, 's'pretty good.

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. God Only Knows
3. Caroline, No
4. Sloop John B
5. You Still Believe In Me
6. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
7. I'm Waiting For The Day
8. Don't Talk
9. Let's Go Away For A While
10. Here Today
11. That's Not Me
12. Pet Sounds

Impossible to rank. Every single song is perfection.

I like Trombone Dixie more than the two instrumentals that were on the record!

Trombone Dixie is great...as an outtake. Let's Go Away For Awhile is a sonic picture of Heaven. Pet Sounds is surf noir, the closest thing to rock and roll found on the album.

1.  God Only Knows
2.  Caroline, No
3.  I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
4.  Here Today
5.  Wouldn't It Be Nice
6.  That's Not Me
7.  You Still Believe In Me
8.  Don't Talk
9.  Pet Sounds
10. Sloop John B
11. Let's Go Away For A While
12.  I'm Waiting For The Day

Of course, each and every one's a gem - at least a ten out of ten! 

Since 1997 I split the tracking takes and the vocals when I choose my preferences. I think the top five instrumental takes are:

1) Caroline No

2) Hang On To Your Ego

3) I Just Wasn't Made For These Times

4) God Only Knows

5) I'm Waiting For The Day

Vocal:

1) God Only Knows

2) Wouldn't It Be Nice

3) I Just Wasn't Made For These Times

4) I'm Waiting For The Day

5) Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)

Caroline No had the potential to be No. 1 on both counts, as did Hang On To Your Ego, but I think they were compromised by the speeding up and lyric change respectively. The "Grrrr" mars the box set alternative take of Ego.

The box set correct speed of Caroline No might be my favorite track of the whole set, including the album cuts.

1. God Only Knows
2. Don't Talk
3. You Still Believe In Me
4. Pet Sounds
5. Let's Go Away For Awhile
6. Here Today
7. I Know There's An Answer
8. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
9. Caroline No
10. I'm Waiting For The Day
11. That's Not Me
12. Sloop John B


What's with all the Pet Sounds hate? (referring to the song) Definitely one of Brian's greatest arrangements. And groovy as f***!

Btw, Trombone Dixie is astonishing. It's sad that it wasn't finished. Would've fit better than Sloop John B, that's for sure.

Sloop is incredible on the album as well, the follow-through of the Let's Go Away mental escape halfway through that turns into the biggest bummer of all. Functions in the same narrative way that Goin' Home/Flight 505 does on the UK version of the Stones' Aftermath.

1 Here Today
2 Caroline, No
3 God Only Knows
4 You Still Believe In Me
5 Don't Talk
6 That's Not Me
7 I Know There's An Answer
8 Sloop John B
9 I Jus't Wasn't Made For These Times
10 Wouldn't It Be Nice
11 I'm Waiting For The Day
12 Pet Sounds
13 Let's Go Away
What more can be said this is a great collection of songs a wonderful LP in every way. Here Today is my favorite because I think the words, vocals and especally the break are the most interesting here.

As you might know, Brian wrote that thinking they would try to get it as a James Bond song (its original title was "Run James Run"). And it *sounds* like the background instruments for a James Bond song! Sometimes I wonder if the James Bond folks should approach Brian and ask him to write some words and a melody for it, and use it in the next James Bond movie!

I was beginning to think I was the only one that ranked Here Today at the top..

1. Here Today.  This song gets to me every time I hear it, it's dramatic, and emotive and the vocals are spot on.  Tony Asher hit the nail on the head with the lyrics "It starts with just a little glance now, right away you're thinking bout romance now" 
2. Sloop John B.   
3. Wouldn't it Be Nice.
4. I'm waiting for the day
5. God only Knows.

All the others I like equally the same and it's too hard to rank them.

Beautiful album! Not a single bad track.

Very good:
13. Pet Sounds
12. I'm Waiting For The Day
11. Sloop John B

Great:
10. Caroline No
9. That's Not Me
8. Here Today
7. Let's Go Away For A While

Excellent:
6. You Still Believe In Me
5. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
4. I Know There's An Answer
3. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times

Too good for words:
2. God Only Knows
1. Wouldn't It Be Nice

I started to make a list, but screw it. These songs are too great to be ranked. I'll say this, "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "Don't Talk", "God Only Knows", "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" and "Caroline, No" would be career highlights for anybody, even a McCartney or a Dylan. And they are all on the same album. So, whatever. I'm not even gonna bother.

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

It's very difficult to rank these, because many of the tracks in the middle of my rankings I consider to be equal in greatness.

1. God Only Knows
2. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
3. Wouldn't It Be Nice
4. Sloop John B

(#5-10 might as well be a 6-way tie)
5. Caroline No
6. You Still Believe In Me
7. Here Today
8. That's Not Me
9. Pet Sounds
10. I'm Waiting For The Day

11. Let's Go Away For Awhile

12. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
13. I Know There's An Answer

I cannot rank this album...it's like me wondering which testicle is more important, left or right?

Well... that's one way of putting it.  :lol

I love all of it, and am often drawn to the "other songs", meaning, not WIB or GOK or SJB etc, but rather I Know There's An Answer, That's Not Me, I'm Waiting For The Day. I was particularly drawn to Here Today, Caroline, No, and later in life, I Just Wasn't . . . . . .  (as a teen-ager in 1966 the personal dynamic wasn't apparent, but years later I realized it really had been even then).  I bought this record within the first month it was released and loved it from the first two seconds of the first track. One of the first guitar parts I picked out on my own was following the melody on "Pet Sounds", and Lets Go Away For A While was amazing. I'd followed the band's movement from surfing to hot rods to girls to the changes witnessed in Today and Summer Days, this offering seemed fine to me, and had no idea for years the "problem" the record was. To this day I don't understand what all the hub-bub was about.

This is the best i could do without overthinking it/going insane.
Fav to least fav.

1. Caroline, No
2. Here Today
3. Wouldn't it be Nice
4. Don't Talk
5. You Still Believe in Me
6. IJWMFTT
7. God Only Knows
8. Let's Go Away for Awhile
9. That's Not Me
10. Sloop John B
11. I'm Waiting for the Day
12. Pet Sounds
13. I Know There's an Answer

The beauty of this album is that next time i listen to it i'm sure the order will be moved around.

I was so tempted to do the ranking by the running order, and see if anybody noticed :lol

I went to check on my rankings to see if they since changed, only to realize I haven't posted them yet! :o

1. God Only Knows
2. Wouldn't It Be Nice
3. You Still Believe In Me
4. Sloop John B - underrated; sometimes we don't give it enough credit because Brian didn't write it and maybe (to some) it doesn't fit on the album lyrically
5. Caroline, No

Is there a better five songs on ANY album?

6. I'm Waiting For The day
7. That's Not Me
8. I Know There's An Answer

9. Don't Talk 9Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
10. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
11. Here Today
12. Let's Go Away For Awhile
13. Pet Sounds 

Incredibly underrated. The instrumental track, the vocals-only track. This song is pure perfection from start to finish.

Peter Carlin explained at one time that the "I wanna go home, let me go home" lines perfectly fit with Brian's theme of Pet Sounds. To me, it's also kind of a breezy getaway from some of the more introspective intellectual themes on the album.

I remixed Sloop John B to include the "oooooh yeah yeah", that's at the tail end of the vocal take, into the a capella section http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-J-zMJIgxUM#t=106s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-J-zMJIgxUM#t=106s) - really wish Brian had put that Oooh yeah yeah somewhere in the released version.

Something odd... this and Holland were the two albums where I couldn't rank the tracks because I felt they were equally great...yet neither are my favorite album. And actually, although I do feel PS is the best BB album., I actually prefer Holland in comparison. I think it's because this is something I never listen to casually.

Like Al Jardine put it on one of the documentaries, the middle eight (I think that was how he referred to it, maybe the bridge) of Wouldn't It Be Nice would be an accomplishment for many song writers.  Just the middle eight.

I think Pet Sounds is a great album to listen to casually. Always helps lift my spirits. Granted, I haven't listened to Holland yet...

This one is going to be hard, but I'll do it based on the songs that are more emotional for me
1.God only knows
2.wouldn't it be nice
3.caroline no
4.don't talk
5.i just wasn't made for these times
6.you still believe in me
7.let's go away for awhile
8.sloop john B
9.i know theres an answer/ego
10.here today
11.i'm waiitng for the day
12.that's not me
13.pet sounds

It really is impossible. This is the single greatest musical work I've ever heard in my life, my favorite album of all time, the songs that made me a fan of The Beach Boys and a staggering, unbelievable, wonderful, stunningly beautiful work of perfect genius. So yeah. Tough to rate, when every single song is utterly amazing.

I know I could easily write a several-page essay for each track, but I'll save you the headache:

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice - My #1 favorite song in the entire universe and beyond, a tune for me that will never, ever be equaled on this plane of existence. My soul in a glorious monophonic two and a half minutes. I'd like to think that for every person on earth there is a song that's theirs entirely, I mean there are more than enough songs to go around for billions of people. I'd like to think this song is mine all mine. :) Thanks Brian, Tony, boys.

2. God Only Knows - That a so-called "damaged" human being can write something this perfect gives me faith in all of mankind, even on a bad day. STUPENDOUS.

3. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) - Few songs have quite the capacity to bring on goosebumps for me than this one. The transitions and chord progression is utterly fantastic, specifically the strings playing behind the part where Brian sings the chorus. The way it ascends then descends, simply beautiful. Just kills me, every time.

4. You Still Believe In Me - I know now I'm gonna run out of adjectives with this album. AMAZING, spectacular, wonderful, sheer bliss and everything else. Love the harmonies, some of the band's best.

5. Caroline No - The original sped up version in all it's glory. Slow but not too slow. And simply breathtaking. Adore it.

6. I'm Waiting For The Day - Sad to see so many put this near the bottom of their rankings; I find it simply amazing. The dynamics are second only to WIBN in the BBs discography. WONDERFUL song.

7. That's Not Me - A personal tune for me, 'cause when I first heard this album, in spring 1999, I was going through some transitions in my life, and this song stuck with me big time through it. Tony Asher shouldn't doubt his lyrics here like I know he does; they're spot on, especially for my life.

8. Sloop John B. - REALLY ridiculously underrated by many, I'll never understand why. IT FITS. PERFECTLY. And the song is simply stunning, one of Brian's brightest and most beautiful arrangements. Can't help but adore it.

9. Let's Go Away For Awhile - The single greatest instrumental that Brian ever did; even 'Mrs. O'Leary's Cow' can't compare, brilliant as it is. This song is stunning, wonderful all the way through. Music for me to cool out by.

10. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times - Brilliant, really unlike anything the group had ever recorded. I can almost see why Mike might call this "ego music", it's so personal and so Brian. It's something almost everyone can identify with, one way or another. Gutsy song, to bare so much of your feeling about the place, the time you're in. WOW.

11. Here Today - Really cool arrangement, lotsa tension and unsure footing, musically, which fits perfectly the great, great lyrics. Complex as all hell, a simply beautiful, wonderful tune.

12. I Know There's An Answer - They were right to change 'Ego' into this; it's less....esoteric I think, easier to connect with people on some level. Tremendous tune, another great arrangement, like everything else on the album.

13. Pet Sounds - Another masterful instrumental, really outta site and exciting. Love the experimentation here with the Leslie'd guitar and percussion. Riveting. Splendid!



There's my ranking, I suppose...

....but for me it's really more like:

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows, Don't Talk, You Still Believe In Me, Caroline No, I'm Waiting For The Day, That's Not Me, Sloop John B., Let's Go Away For Awhile, I Just Wasn't Made For These Times

2. Here Today, I Know There's An Answer, Pet Sounds

....


27. The Stereo mix. :) (Sorry, nice effort, really cool, but... MONO baby, MONO all the way!!)

_________

So. I know I'll always feel this album is Brian Wilson's greatest achievement musically, no doubt about it. The Smile music does amaze me, it's truly awesome, spectacularly brilliant and simply leaves my jaw hanging at some points, but none of that music or anything else for that matter will ever come closer to me than Pet Sounds. PS for Brian is kinda like the US going to the moon, which for NASA was more of a triumph than actually walking on it. You can't moonwalk if you don't first make that amazing leap forward. Pet Sounds is the triumphant going there and landing on the moon, Smile is the icing on the cake: something Brian couldn't do if he hadn't already made that amazing leap forward with this peerless album.

Love and mercy, Brian. You give us a whole ton of it and we hope you get a ton for yourself, you've earned it. Pet Sounds is a marvel of art and emotion. In other words: GENIUS.

Here we go...

01. God Only Knows
02. I Know There's an Answer
03. Wouldn't it be Nice
04. Here Today
05. That's Not Me
06. Sloop John B
07. Caroline, No
08. I'm Waiting for the Day
09. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
10. You Still Believe in Me
11. Don't Talk
12. Let's Go Away for Awhile
13. Pet Sounds

:) Mark

1. God Only Knows - 414.5 (17)
2. Wouldn't It Be Nice - 395.5 (10)
3. Caroline, No - 297.5 (2)
4. You Still Believe in Me - 292
5. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times - 288.5 (2)
6. Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) - 262
7. Sloop John B - 241 (1)
8. Here Today - 225 (2)
9. I'm Waiting for the Day - 203 (1)
10. That's Not Me - 196.5
11. Let's Go Away for Awhile - 179.5
12. I Know There's An Answer - 152.5
13. Pet Sounds - 122.5

My thoughts?  God Only Knows with Wouldn't It Be Nice as runner up is well-earned.  I do think Sloop John B and Let's Go Away for Awhile are too low, underrated in the landscape of Pet Sounds I guess.

The perfect:
God Only Knows
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Sloop

Slightly below perfect:
Here Today
Dont Talk
You Still Believe In Me
Caroline, No
I'm waiting for the Day
That's Not Me
Pet Sounds
Let's Go Away For A While

The song I like less than the others:
I Know There's an Answer

From Worst to Best:
13: I Know There's An Answer.
12: That's Not Me.
11: Here Today.
10: Sloop John B.
09: I'm Waiting For The Day.
08: Wouldn't It Be Nice.
07: You Still Believe In Me.
06: Pet Sounds.
05: I Just Wasn't Made For These Times.
04: Let's Go Away For A While.
03: Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder).
02: Caroline, No.
01: God Only Knows.

The bottom 8 was quite easy, as was number 1.
It was songs 7 through 2 which was extremely hard to rank, as they are all great songs!

God Only Knows
You Still Believe In Me
That's Not Me
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Sloop John B
I'm Waiting For the Day
Here Today
Caroline, No
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
I Know There's an Answer
Let's Go Away for a While
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
Pet Sounds

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

Of course this is a beautiful album! Love it to death!

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

It was hard to do my last 'least' favorites from this awesome album, but I noticed that You Still Believe In Me is the one I sometimes skip forward. But I love the song.

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

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

1 Wouldn't It Be Nice 11/10
2 God Only Knows 11/10
3 I'm Waiting For The Day  10/10
4 Lets Go Away For Awhile  10/10
5 I Just Wasn't Made For These Times 9.5/10
6 Caroline No 9.5/10
7 Pet Sounds 9.5/10
8 That's Not Me 9.5/10
9 Here Today 9.5/10
10 I Know There's an Answer 9/10
11 Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) 9/10
12 You Still Believe in Me 9/10
13 Sloop John B 6/10 Not a big fan of this song

I often listen to "vocal only" or "instrumental only" sequences of the album and these produce different preferences. "Caroline No" tops both lists but "I Know There's An Answer" would be high on the instrumentals and low on the vocals, which we know were a very tense session.

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

On a ranking of 1 to 5, 5 being best, there is nothing on here below a 4. These are 13 very good to great songs. While I don't listen to it as much as some other albums, very listen has been a satisfying one, and that's saying something for an album that I have listened to for over 48 years and in stereo for the most part since 1997.

Tough one.

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

***Note the top three are basically tied. 

I'm buying everyone who placed 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' at the top of their rankings a keg of beer. Greatest song in the entire universe, and it's my favorite of all-time; hard to believe I existed for almost 20 years on this earth before I fell in love with it.

Can I have the keg in time for the weekend? 

Wouldn't that be nice? 

Ranking solely on personal preference, I believe that every song here is simply amazing in it's own way!

13). I Know There's an Answer (Greatly prefer Hang on to Your Ego, that would rank within my top three!)
12). I'm Waiting for the Day
11). Here Today
10). Sloop John B
9). That's Not Me
8). Pet Sounds
7). Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) (Anybody hear the fan mixes with those background vocals mixed into the song, so beautiful!)
6). Caroline, No
5). You Still Believe in Me
4). God Only Knows
3). Wouldn't it Be Nice
2). Let's Go Away for Awhile (And Then We'll Have World Peace! That musical climax somewhere around the 1:31 mark is honestly one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard)
1). I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (I could write a novel about how this song impacted my life…)

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

I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
God Only Knows
Wouldn't It Be Nice
That's Not Me
I'm Waiting For The Day
Sloop John B
Here Today
You Still Believe In Me
Let's Go Away For Awhile
Caroline No
Pet Sounds
I Know There's An Anwser
Don't Talk

I'm wracking my brain just trying to do this!

This was stupid hard.

1. You Still Believe In Me
2. Caroline, No (It's my middle name. It's gonna be up near the top. Also, I have a deep and stupid affection for Banana and Louie)
3. That's Not Me
4. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
5. I Know There's An Answer
6. Wouldn't It Be Nice
7. Here Today
8. God Only Knows (my love for this song outranks my love for most songs, but on this album it gets the middle-of-the-road treatment)
9. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (this deserves to go up higher and yet I can't displace what's up there)
10. I'm Waiting For The Day (this too)
11. Sloop John B. (f*ck, this too)
12.Pet Sounds
13. Let's Go Away For a While

1. You Still Believe In Me
  2. Wouldn't It Be Nice
  3.  Let's Go Away For Awhile
  4. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
  5. Dont Talk
  6. Caroline, No
  7. God Only Knows
  8. Im Waiting For The Day
  9. That's Not Me
10. Here Today
11. Pet sounds
12. Sloop John B
13. I Know There's An Answer (The only part of the album that I actually really don't like is the "a-doo-be-doo-better". This dark, unfittingly voice. Hate it tbh. Thats why i _really_ like Hang on to Your Ego instead)

I like it! I've taken the coward's way out:

1. I'm Waiting For The Day
2. Pet Sounds
3. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
4. The rest

Too great for my poor vocabulary

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