Pet Sounds

Today I was commuting in the company of The Beach Boys, the first Beach boys album that has managed to accompany me to Coleshill.
I own on CD very very few Beach Boys albums, I own a lot of Beach Boys albums but they are on vinyl and MP3, but I do own the 1990 reissue of Pet Sounds and that was todays commute CD.
I see Pet Sounds as a bit of a paradox, like it’s british cousin Sgt Pepper, the critics, the monthly magazines, society tells me that this is one of the greatest albums ever made. I consider The Beach Boys to be amongst the top 5 greatest bands ever, so really I should agree with this though shouldn’t I?
I don’t. Not to say that it contains one of the greatest songs ever in God Only Knows, but the remainder are just pretty good. That’s almost blasphemous isn’t it.
God Only Knows alone would warrant a ten though, that song is perfection, but that is thanks in no great part to lyricist Tony Asher, musically it is complicated and marvellous and staggeringly gorgeous but as someone that does not listen to lyrics at all, it’s the words that grabbed me.
If I were reviewing singles or specific songs then that would be it, 10 out of 10, much love, goodnight. But the rest of the album, although good it is only good and although their aren’t any George Harrison contractual obligations on it, there are the odd yelps from dogs and the like, but even that isn’t the reason why its only good. It isn’t even the emperors new clothes, but does is it really as great as the world insists it is? No.
What is good about it though are the songs, outside of God Only Knows, there is Sloop John B, I know There’s An answer, Caroline No, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, the list really goes on, hold on, an album full of good tracks, some are great?
Maybe I am wrong and maybe this album is better than Carl and The Passions – So Tough, maybe it is better than Holland, maybe its better than Surf’s Up, but it sure as hell isn’t better than Party, therefore, 9 out of 10.



God Only Knows by The Beach Boys