10 Pop Albums That Are Perfect From Front To Back

For the first half of the '60s, pop was mostly about disposable hits. Though there would be some amazing artistic milestones made by bands like The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys had really found their niche making some of the most laid back surf music ever to come over the radio. Once the band stumbled upon psychedelia, things started to change.

With the quality of the band's songs progressing by leaps and bounds, Brian Wilson became particularly infatuated with The Beatles' Rubber Soul, whose songs were far more sophisticated than the typical rock and roll he was used to. Determined to expand his own musical palette to match his British friends, Wilson locked himself away in a studio with famed studio band the Wrecking Crew and delivered one of the most immaculate sounding albums of the modern age.

From song to song, Pet Sounds is still rooted in the Beach Boys' pop sound, but the depth of the music is so much more poignant. For as much as songs like "Sloop John B" are in the band's surf tradition, songs like "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)" make the typical teen love song sound like the most earth-shattering dilemma in the world. Brian Wilson may have started Pet Sounds as a bit of friendly competition, but the beauty behind each of these songs is something all his own.