Just learned that the Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” album came out 50 years ago this month. Hard to believe they are in their 70’s now.
I have always been a Beach Boys fan. “Endless Summer” was the first album I ever bought.
Anyone else a Beach Boys fan?
Speaking of 50 years ago, and surfing, you might enjoy “Endless Summer,” the Bruce Brown film. Looks like it’s available online, but for a fee.
I think the title track encapsulates, symbolizes, reflects, honours, and “personifies” the 60’s in the most ultimate, hermetic, 2:21 form:
For some “who knows” reason I always visualize a forlorn, disillusioned Burt Lancaster from “The Swimmer” whenever I hear that number.
I’ve always enjoyed their music, but Pet Sounds is the one that eventually blew me away. It took me a few dozen listens over a span of about fifteen years, but it’s grown to be my favorite rock/pop (whatever genre you want to put it in) album of all time.
I enjoyed their last album in 2012, That’s Why God Made the Radio. Too bad Brian and Mike have drifted apart again.
I loved that film so much I owned the sound track on 8-track tape and the movie on Laserdisc!
I just read somewhere that Blonde on Blonde was released on the same day as Pet Sounds, fifty years ago.
By the way, half of the film Love and Mercy is set during the making of Pet Sounds.
I was very lucky that my parents introduced me to Pet Sounds when I was four years old. I was born in 1970, so we’re talking 1974, eight years after its release. They taught me how to operate a phonograph, and I literally wore out Pet Sounds and four other LPs around that time (it was cool of them to let me scratch the heck out of those things. They kept their own clean copies.)
I called “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” “Wooden Nippy Nigh.”
Anyway, what can I say that hasn’t been said a hundred times? Nothing much, which is why I’m boring you all with my personal stories. Every few years, I’ll go through another phase of revisiting this work. Around 1997, it was prompted by the Sessions CD box set, with all those fascinating outtakes and studio instructions. Two years ago, it was triggered by that movie about Brian Wilson, which recreated the sessions faithfully. Other times, it’s just been a feeling that it’s time to go back to that sad but joyous, utterly sui generis musical space.
Thank you, Brian!
Off to see Brian again next week! The venue’s a whole mile from the house. 
I was given Sunflower* as a Christmas present in 1970, the year it came out, and I’ve been a fan ever since…
*The UK release that opens with Cotton Fields.
A source of joy and inspiration every time. Just so good.
My sister is 9 years older than me and I grew up with her listening to the Beach Boys. I love them to this day.
I’d place Pet Sounds as one of the top three greatest rock/pop albums. I do slightly prefer the unreleased version of its follow-up, Smile.
In my opinion, Brian Wilson is rock/pop’s greatest composer (with John Lennon its greatest songwriter).