On song of the week thread at PSF, I said:
I don't concur with the view that Til' I Die is the last truly great song penned by Brian (there are still Sail On Sailor, Still I Dream of It, Love and Mercy & Midnight's Another Day to come), but I think it's the last truly phenomenal, "special" song by Brian. This was the last time Brian did what he did on Pet Sounds IMO.
Come to think of it, I realized there were a bunch of songs that shared, or tried to recapture the introspective atmosphere of Pet Sounds, either before and after 1966, and even after Til' I Die had been written around 1969. I compiled a playlist of such songs:
1. The Lonely Sea
2. In My Room
3. The Warmth of the Sun
4. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
These four songs could've easily been on PS hadn't they included on previous albums, just like I'm Waiting for the Day.
5. Please Let Me Wonder
6. I'm So Young
7. Kiss Me, Baby
8. She Knows Me Too Well
9. In the Back of My Mind
Side Two of Today! is pre-PS in terms of either the lyrics and the music. It's much simpler, but the introspective vibe is pretty much on the same level.
10. Guess I'm Dumb
11. Let Him Run Wild
12. The Little Girl I Once Knew
They are PS songs - the only difference is they're not on PS.
13. All I Wanna Do
14. 'Til I Die
These two songs from late 60's are, in my opinion, probably the last time where Brian successfully managed to recapture the vibe of PS.
15. Had To Phone Ya
This is apparently a remake of PS outtake Trombone Dixie.
16. The Night Was So Young
17. I'll Bet He's Nice
18. Let's Put Our Hearts Together
Some consider Love You as Pet Sounds of 1970's; I'm afraid it's not. Rather, it's a fruit of what Brian had done on songs like "Busy Doin' Nothin'" "Games Two Can Play", "Funky Pretty" and Mt. Vernon, as well as a large part of The Bedroom Tapes. Still, this trilogy, whose lyrics can be interpreted to be personal, has a bit in common with PS.
19. Sherry She Needs Me
A lost song that could've worked similarly as Let Him Run Wild on Summer Days, thankfully revisited by Brian here.
20. My Diane
21. It's Over Now
22. Still I Dream of It
Pretty much the same as Love You.
23. Melt Away
24. Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long
If "Rio Grande" is Brian's attempt at recreating SMiLE, these two are his attempt at recreating PS. Particularly the later is considered a reference to "Caroline, No".
25. It's Not Easy Being Me
"Pet Sounds" Brian is clearly back here, with a little bit more self-pity. Too bad it's still left in the vaults.
26. Midnight's Another Day
27. Going Home
28. Southern California
29. From There To Back Again
30. Pacific Coast Highway
31. Summer's Gone
These two set of songs from Brian's resent albums are, to me, Brian's another attempt at recapturing the vibe of PS, in other words, "introspective" Brian that many of his fans adore. The result varied IMO - The former is a major success musically, whereas the latter falls short (I know it's an extremely unpopular opinion, but I've been reluctant about them - I honestly prefer Runaway D...ah, never mind
)
Anyway, my questions here are:
1) Do you think the playlist above works for people who likes only Pet Sounds so far?
2) What songs do you consider that they share the same atmosphere/feeling as Pet Sounds? Are there any I'm missing or I mistakenly included?
3) Are there any non-BW composition that succeeded in recapturing the vibe?