Why POB/Bambu is important ...

[Wirestone]

... besides being amazing music, that is.

It seems to me that Dennis Wilson was the one member of the Beach Boys to accept the challenge that Pet Sounds presented. That is, the challenge to create lush, carefully planned music that plumbed the depths of the soul of the creator, that explored romance and its ramifications for a California boy-man.

Brian wasn't interested. After PS, Tony Asher was put aside for the more allusive Van Dyke Parks, and Smile signaled Brian's abandonment of singer-songwriter subjects. For that matter, perhaps it was becoming too difficult to plumb the depths of a psyche increasingly warding off mental illness. Brian, for better or worse, took a didactic turn. His music would inspire people to exercise, follow history, etc. It wouldn't necessarily tell you how Brian felt anymore.

(Digression time, in response to some comments below. This analysis is simplistic -- it neglects "Til I Die," which is arguably Brian's most personal song. But there's something in Brian's nature, in his songwriting and arranging, that changes after PS. Perhaps it was a conscious choice, perhaps it was his illness, perhaps it was band politics. But he could never again put out a full-length album that expressed his soul, and his alone. After a few years, he was no longer capable of doing so. Individual songs would come close -- My Diane (sung by Dennis), Love & Mercy, Cry.)

But Dennis, of all the band, seemed to listen and understand the possibilities opened up by Pet Sounds. His own lack of musical knowledge slowed him at first, but he soon began creating songs for the band unusual for their honesty, lush romance, and dense sonic palette. Then he did it on his own, for solo projects.

In other words, Dennis shows what the Boys could have done if they continued to explore the world opened up by Pet Sounds. Brian was battling his demons. Carl was interested in the sonic world, but not necessarily the emotional one. Mike and Al were touring and only dipping into songwriting.

So Dennis alone saw the challenge and opportunity. So he created the music we now hear on the twofer. And it's great not necessarily because of any formal innovation or great playing (although there is some of both) or outstanding lyrics (Tony Asher had nothing to fear) but because of depth of feeling. The same quality we praise in Pet Sounds.

Did any Beach Boys record after PS come close to its majesty and emotional resonance? Did any other solo BB record after PS come close? This set, to my ears, is the true successor.

[roll plymouth rock]

Did any Beach Boys record after PS come close?

I am going to go ahead and say that on a lot of levels I consider Sunflower coming close. Especially sonically, the mix/placement/stereo usage/etc... are really unlike any other Beach Boys album, very refined and lush sounds along with what to me is the last great group effort on an album. Everything sounds very state of the art (except for maybe some of the lyrics, but that's another matter I'd say) just like Pet Sounds, the great singles leading up to PS, the way Smile session recordings sound and the way POB sounds too - very modern. But yeah, I think Sunflower is a great sounding record and is probably one of the most underrated releases in the Beach Boys catalog.

[Dancing Bear]

Did any Beach Boys record after PS come close? Did any other solo BB record after PS come close? This, to my ears, is the true successor.

I think every Beach Boys' release till and including In Concert had plenty of feeling. It just wasn't as IN YOUR FACE as in POB/Bambu. Different people comunicate in different ways.

[Wirestone]

My point, such as it is, isn't to put down any other BB or solo BB release. It's simply to state that PS suggested a line of inquiry that no one in the band really followed -- lush, introspective, often noncommercial -- except for Dennis.

[MBE]

I would say Brian's songs remained personal, but he went off in different directions. It's hard to say but Pet Sounds is so unique that I can't compare it to anything. I agree thatall the Beach Boys work through 1973 had a lot of soul and integrity, but afterwards it was Dennis alone who really kept growing. Sure Brian experimented with the Big Band sound around then but his consistency was gone. Dennis however really did keep the quality high and the emotions real. I would say outside of BWPS Pacific Ocean Blue was the only Beach Boys release that satisfed me fully. Yet like BWPS I do wish it had been recorded when the artists had their full range.

[Bicyclerider]

I would say that before Sunflower, the first lush sounding successor to Pet Sounds was Friends - Brian returned for the first time since PS to studio musicians, and although the engineering and studios made it sound quite different, songs like Friends and Be Here in the Morning and Busy Doin' Nothin' are to me sonic successors to PS.  And there's definitely introspection - the problem is that Brian's introspection was not revolving around girls, growing out of adolescence and romantic problems of young adulthood.  Instead we have the decidedly quirky introspection of Brian's current domestic life - Busy Doin' Nothin', When a Man Needs a Woman (celebrating the upcoming birth of Carnie), staying up until dawn (Wake the World), daydreaming about Hawaii, meditating, etc.  This was a bit "out there" for the general public, while Dennis's themes in POB are, to borrow Mike's phrase, more "relatable" to the general public.  Make the song about a boy and girl, right?  In Friends Brian also continued to pursue the minimalism he had used on Smiley and Wild Honey, so it wasn't all lush productions - it was a mix.  Meant for You, Wake the World, Passing By were all pretty simple productions.

[DonnaK]

I have to totally agree with Claymcc about this. You can almost hear Dennis on the verge of tears sometimes. He sang from his gut. I can't get enough of POB/Bambu. I think that Common is his personal Pet Sounds. Love Remember Me.........oh Dennis we do.

[Wirestone]

Slightly revised my original post. Again, I think that Brian and the band did some terrific work after PS -- some of which I prefer. But I find it fascinating that Dennis, seemingly alone among the group, realized the possibilities suggested by Pet Sounds. And then he had the balls to try something along those lines himself!

[Sheriff John Stone]

I think this music is important because it's music you can feel, you can't help but feel it....

[adamghost]

I think this is a great point.

When I got interviewed about the album (hasn't come out yet, but hopefully it will because it was a big paper) I made the point that it was probably too difficult for Brian after PET SOUNDS to really confront his feelings and put them out there on vinyl.  He really veers away from emotional expression after that point (as opposed to making observations about his day to day life), I can only think of a few examples:  "Til I Die," "It's Not Easy Being Me," "Still I Dream Of It," maybe "My Diane" if you stretch a point.

Dennis, as per character, was the fearless one.  He dived in to the pool of his emotions, and he picked up that baton and ran with it.  And you could argue it cost him his life.  It's hard to live your life with your nerves exposed like that.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Its ironic, that niether the follow up to PS or POB were ever finished! There was enough done to justify a great release and even improvement over their predicesors. And the composers each began a back slide afterwards.

Perhaps it is suicidal to make a heart felt album of emotion!