The Musical Innovation Of "Pet Sounds"

[Too Much Sugar]

I was wondering if anyone would be able to guide me to anything, be it on the internet or perhaps any books, that discusses "Pet Sounds" from a musical angle.  In other words, it's obviously a classic album, but I'd be interested in finding something that shows why, from a musical analysis standpoint, and perhaps also discuss the album within the context of other albums, such as "Revolver" or "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." 

If anyone could guide me to that sort of thing, that would be great.  Or, heck, if you guys have any great insight you'd like to share and discuss (which could be an interesting thread in itself), that'd be awesome. 

Thanks! 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

The Charles Granata book from several years ago fits that bill.

[Sam_BFC]

Adam posted some great insight into the vocal arrangements of Wouldn't it be Nice:

In 2006, for a show, I had to deconstruct and make individual harmony charts (well, ersatz charts...I can't actually write music) for a bunch of songs, including several Beach Boys songs.  When I was able to tease out the vocals on "Wouldn't It Be Nice", particularly the bridge...I was literally awestruck.  I don't know quite how to explain it to a non-musician, but Brian had managed to create six moving parts that were never parallel octaves (in other words, little or no duplicated notes) that nonetheless made perfect harmonic sense both to the harmony movement and to the underlying chord.

This is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to do.  And you don't pull something like that off unless you are really, really trying to pull something like that off.  When I realized what Brian had done with that vocal arrangement, it practically screamed ambition...someone working their butt off trying to do something special.  It's not like anyone is going to notice what you pulled off technically.  I only noticed because I had the a capella tracks right there and I have good ears and I had written all the parts down.  But with all the notes in front of you you could see clearly what was in Brian's mind when he was writing it.  The guy was trying to climb Everest compositionally.

The very next song I broke down the vocals for was "Do It Again."  Two years later, another Brian arrangement.  And just as clearly as "Wouldn't It Be Nice"'s compositional structure screamed out a young man sweating blood to prove himself, "Do It Again" said: "I'm phoning it in."  Not that there was anything at all wrong with it.  It's a nice song, and a good arrangement.  But harmonically, everything he did in the vocal arrangement was totally by the numbers.  Pretty, competent, but the contrast between what I had just transcribed...a song done just two years earlier...couldn't have been more striking.

Transcribing the vocal arrangements to those two songs back to back told me as much about what happened with Brian, and the group, in the late '60s as anything I'd ever heard or read.

I think Philip Lambert's book is also highly thought of for this type of topic.

Hope that helps.

[hypehat]

Haha, i was just coming here to post that! You also might want to try the Brian Wilson: Songwriter dvd that came out recently, but I haven't seen it so can't vouch personally.

[Chris Brown]

The Granata and Lambert books are probably the closest you'll get to what you're looking for.  The Lambert book can get pretty technical, but if you're a musician, it's the ultimate in Beach Boys music-geekdom.  

The Granata book is focused exclusively on Pet Sounds, and gives you a good sense of not only the musical innovations, but also the innovations on the production side.  It also does a great job intertwining the "human" side of the story.  Wonderful insights from Tony Asher as well.  

I highly recommend both!

[Aum Bop Diddit]

Adam posted some great insight into the vocal arrangements of Wouldn't it be Nice:

In 2006, for a show, I had to deconstruct and make individual harmony charts (well, ersatz charts...I can't actually write music) for a bunch of songs, including several Beach Boys songs.  When I was able to tease out the vocals on "Wouldn't It Be Nice", particularly the bridge...I was literally awestruck.  I don't know quite how to explain it to a non-musician, but Brian had managed to create six moving parts that were never parallel octaves (in other words, little or no duplicated notes) that nonetheless made perfect harmonic sense both to the harmony movement and to the underlying chord.

This is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to do.  And you don't pull something like that off unless you are really, really trying to pull something like that off.  When I realized what Brian had done with that vocal arrangement, it practically screamed ambition...someone working their butt off trying to do something special.  It's not like anyone is going to notice what you pulled off technically.  I only noticed because I had the a capella tracks right there and I have good ears and I had written all the parts down.  But with all the notes in front of you you could see clearly what was in Brian's mind when he was writing it.  The guy was trying to climb Everest compositionally.

The very next song I broke down the vocals for was "Do It Again."  Two years later, another Brian arrangement.  And just as clearly as "Wouldn't It Be Nice"'s compositional structure screamed out a young man sweating blood to prove himself, "Do It Again" said: "I'm phoning it in."  Not that there was anything at all wrong with it.  It's a nice song, and a good arrangement.  But harmonically, everything he did in the vocal arrangement was totally by the numbers.  Pretty, competent, but the contrast between what I had just transcribed...a song done just two years earlier...couldn't have been more striking.

Transcribing the vocal arrangements to those two songs back to back told me as much about what happened with Brian, and the group, in the late '60s as anything I'd ever heard or read.

I think Philip Lambert's book is also highly thought of for this type of topic.

Hope that helps.

That is very interesting and even valid and I appreciate how he spells it out --  but I do not necessarily agree.  I mean, yeah, Brian had stepped backed metaphorically and literally.  But "Do It Again" works.  And "Wouldn't It Be Nice? works.  But Brian was going for a simpler artistic statement that is just as valid.  Some of my favorite guitar solos are like one or two notes and I can't bear overplaying.

But like I said I get the point.

[Bill Tobelman]

Jan Berry's Pop Symphony No.1 deserves to be heard! 1965 & out Nelson Riddlin' Brian's Pet Sounds.

[Rocker]

Jan Berry's Pop Symphony No.1 deserves to be heard!

Really a great album with very different styles that kinda fit the songs perfectly. I als like how you might find a motive of one song in another, although that doesn't seem to happen too often. My favorite from this album: Drag City