Album Of The Day #76: THE PET SOUNDS SESSIONS - The Beach Boys

It's "Box Set Week"!
Title: The Pet Sounds Sessions
Artist: The Beach Boys
Label: Capitol/EMI
Year: 1997
Recorded: 1966
Songs:
Stereo Remix: Wouldn't It Be Nice/You Still Believe in Me/That's Not Me/Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)/I'm Waiting for the Day/Let's Go Away For Awhile/Sloop John B/God Only Knows/I Know There's an Answer/Here Today/I Just Wasn't Made for These Times/Pet Sounds/Caroline, No
The Pet Sounds Sessions: Sloop John B (Highlights from tracking date)/Sloop John B (Stereo backing track)/Trombone Dixie (Highlights from tracking date)/ Trombone Dixie (Stereo backing track)/Pet Sounds (Highlights from tracking date)/Pet Sounds (Stereo backing track)/Let's Go Away For Awhile (Highlights from tracking date)/Let's Go Away For Awhile (Stereo backing track)/Wouldn't It Be Nice (Highlights from tracking date)/Wouldn't It Be Nice (Stereo backing track)/Wouldn't It Be Nice (Stereo track with background vocals)/ You Still Believe in Me (Intro - session)/You Still Believe in Me (Intro - master take)/You Still Believe in Me (Highlights from tracking date)/You Still Believe in Me (Stereo backing track)/Caroline, No (Highlights from tracking date)/Caroline, No (Stereo backing track)/Hang On to Your Ego (Highlights from tracking date)/ Hang On to Your Ego (Stereo backing track)/Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) (Brian's instrumental demo)/Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) (Stereo backing track)/ Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) (String overdub)/I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (Highlights from tracking date)/I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (Stereo backing track)/That's Not Me (Highlights from tracking date)/That's Not Me (Stereo backing track)/Good Vibrations (Highlights from tracking date)/Good Vibrations (Stereo backing track)/I'm Waiting for the Day (Highlights from tracking date)/I'm Waiting for the Day (Stereo backing track)/God Only Knows (Highlights from tracking date)/God Only Knows (Stereo backing track)/Here Today (Highlights from tracking date)/Here Today (Stereo backing track)
Stack-O-Vocals: Wouldn't It Be Nice/You Still Believe in Me/That's Not Me/Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)/I'm Waiting for the Day /Sloop John B/God Only Knows/I Know There's an Answer/Here Today/I Just Wasn't Made for These Times /Caroline, No
Alternate Versions: Caroline, No (Promotional Spot #1)/Wouldn't It Be Nice (Mono alternate mix)/You Still Believe in Me (Mono alternate mix)/Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) (Vocal snippet)/I'm Waiting for the Day (Mono alternate mix, Mike sings lead)/Sloop John B (Mono alternate mix, Carl sings lead)/God Only Knows (Mono alternate mix, with sax solo)/Hang On to Your Ego/Here Today (Mono alternate mix, Brian sings lead)/I Just Wasn't Made for These Times/Banana Et Louie/Caroline, No (Original speed, stereo mix)/ Dog Barking Session (Outtakes)/Caroline, No (Promotional spot #2)/God Only Knows (with a capella tag)/Wouldn't It Be Nice (Mono alternate mix)/Sloop John B (Brian sings lead throughout)/God Only Knows (Mono alternate mix, Brian sings lead)/ Caroline, No (Original speed, mono mix)
Original Mono Mixes: Wouldn't It Be Nice/You Still Believe in Me/That's Not Me/Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)/I'm Waiting for the Day/Let's Go Away For Awhile/Sloop John B/God Only Knows/I Know There's an Answer/Here Today/I Just Wasn't Made for These Times/Pet Sounds/Caroline, No
Written by: Brian Wilson & Tony Asher, except "Let's Go Away For Awhile" & "Pet Sounds" by Brian Wilson; "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by Brian Wilson, Mike Love & Tony Asher; "I Know There's An Answer" by Brian Wilson, Mike Love & Terry Sachen; "Good Vibrations" by Brian Wilson & Mike Love; "Hang On To Your Ego" by Brian Wilson & Terry Sachen; "Sloop John B" & "Trombone Dixie" are both traditional and arranged by Brian Wilson
Produced by: Brian Wilson
Stereo Remixes by: Mark Linett
Thoughts: I thought it would be cool to start off the week with one of the coolest box sets out there. At same time, though, it might also be one of the most mundane and boring, especially if you really could care less about the long, laborious process that it took to get Pet Sounds from the mind of Brian Wilson to your stereo. Listening to this set is like watching an unexcusably long documentary about a really short movie that just happens to be one of the best in the world. Really, the set gives you nearly four hours of tapes that came together for a thirty-five minute album, that just so happens to be the greatest of all time. Of course, the big revalation is supposed to be the "Good Vibrations" tapes, but they're not that revealing, considering the song was just in the very basic writing stages. Mark Linett's stereo remix of the album is great and gives it a little more punch. The alternate versions on the third disc are the most interesting tracks, filled with overdubb experiments. Some of them are very wierd and thankfully, most were taken off of the masters, like the saxophone solo in one of the versions of "God Only Knows". Still, the best disc is the bonus disc, which just has the original mono mix.
About The Artwork: I believe that with box sets, it has to be the packaging design that really gets you. Sure, the music inside has to be good, but the packaging has to attract the average person. Unfortunately, the outside of the box is very unappealing, putting all the emphasis on the Cooper Black Pet Sounds logo, The Beach Boys' name and, of course, the odd "Produced by Brian Wilson" credit. Inside, you'll find two books: a long one with lyrics, basic track information and the obligatory David Leaf essay and a small, pudgy book filled with interviews of all the people who participated in the sessions. So many people take credit for the same things that it makes the mind boggle. These interviews aren't that revealing, just a bunch of people claiming that Brian is a genius...like we didn't know that already.
Anyway, if you are curious about how Pet Sounds was made, this is a great document. Unfortunately, Capitol keeps making it less and less apealing because they keep releasing Pet Sounds with both the stereo remix and the mono mix. If you just want Pet Sounds, get the new 2006 40th Anniversary version with the DVD. That's pretty cool. Also, get it on vinyl. That's the best way to experience it. Amazon.com, where I got my copy of the box set from, sells it really cheap and that might be the only way to get it, as it gets harder and harder to find in stores, despite still being in print.
Rating: It's kind of tough to rate this, as it's not really a creative statement, but rather a historical document that you have to be really interested in to enjoy.