10 Best Classic Rock Albums Of The 1960s
2. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
One of the most meticulously produced albums of all time, Pet Sounds is primarily the work of the Beach Boys’ creative genius and acid casualty Brian Wilson. On a quest to best The Beatles at the LP game, Wilson elevated his band from surfing and cars to heartbreak, isolation, and sun drenched songs of worship.
Wilson shepherded the Beach Boys through increasingly complex arrangements, with orchestral flourishes and pinpoint harmonies creating the lush backdrop of a perfect pop album.
The centrepiece is “God Only Knows”, a song that no dreadful TV montage can ruin. It’s an ageless song, surely one of the most complex songs ever to become a great big hit. "You Still Believe in Me" and "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" show Wilson at his most vulnerable - while an upbeat album, the lyrical content is often desperately sad.
There can be few albums more inspirational than this one, but it’s an amazing record beyond its legacy. The Beach Boys are one of those bands everyone likes, but not everyone knows beyond the hits, and if you don’t know Pet Sounds, you really ought to. Dense but not impenetrable, complex but always fun, it’s a real work of art.