Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys created the California surf music of the sixties. They made a lot of love songs; teenage love, love of surfing, and love of cars. The Beach Boys sound evolved when Brian Wilson mimicked Phil Spector’s wall of sound in his recording techniques, and even more evolved when he used instruments that were not normally used in recordings before that.

 Brian Wilson was the front man for The Beach Boys, who not only produced the music for the group, but also was the lead of the group. He is responsible for the arrangement, and harmonic counterpoint sound that The Beach Boys used. Brian has influenced recording and producing music for many years, discovering new techniques and styles of arranging. His outside of the box thinking, and intense study of music really created The Beach Boys original style. 

 Brian’s break from touring, and ability to go in the studio and be creative, allowed Brian Wilson to produce the album Pet Sounds. Brian put together the album in an order, where each song was in sequence as to growing up and love. At the time this style of writing an album was unheard of. Brian was arranging songs with many different instruments, and intricate sounds, and parts, which are still sought after to this day.

Pet Sounds was an innovative album in many ways, not only production wise, but also for other musicians to expand their horizons. A few album characteristics that set it apart from other albums of the mid sixties is the timeline way that the album was set up as it were going through a man’s life, the instrumentation as far as instruments used and the way they were included in the songs. As an up and coming producer, Pet Sounds has opened my eyes to set up albums differently, and to continue to think outside of the box, and not be scared to try new things. Brain Wilson was not afraid of trying new things musically, and for that he will always be an influence in music.