"Pet Sounds", the discommos of the beach boys

The sad news of the disappearance of Brian Wilson has rekindled attention to the disco-symbol of its author, “Pet Sounds”, which we reviewed here. And which contains the very celebrated “God Only Knows”. From the excellent book by Gabriele Marangoni “Symphonies pocket”, which we have reviewed here and of which we have taken extracts here, we offer you the chapter dedicated to “Pet Sounds”, courtesy of the author and the Arcana publisher.

The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds

(Capitol, 1966)

In 1965 the beach boys are still Considered, to mention Riccardo BerToncelli, “Of the pop metal shrews, music machines scheduled for get infallibly in the standings With the winning formula of Sun, Spiagalready, surf tables and girls in bikini; And Nobody would bet a dollar on of them as prophets of the new world sound, influential masters such as Dylan, i Beatles, the Stones ”. Yet, the secondSince the mid -1966 of the Beach Boys – the whose leader no longer performs since alive – is particularly frenetic: ininaunt in May with the publication of the revolutionary “pet sounds”, continues to July with the arrival in the shops of “Best of The Beach Boys “and resumes in October with the exit of the sensational”Good Vibrations “, the first” Pocket Symphony ” – so baptized by DeREK Taylor – Universally recognized, the summary of the vision musical of its author.

In fact, Brian Wilson would like to definitively free himself from now exceeded surf rock sounds that show off in itself in Abovered “Best of the Beach Boys”, but this ambition creates some friction with colleague Mike Love, who does not look well the projet of a “sound speech” – in turn inspired by “Rubber Soul” (1965) of the Beatles – Alien to the typical California sound of the complex and which Wilson is working hard, always according to BertonCelli “The first musician of his generation to consider the room incision not a simple place of data collection, but a moment crucial of the creative process ”. In the end, the Capitol decides to give However confidence to the artist and invests $ 70,000 – a sum disproportionate for the period – in the realization of an album welcomed warmly at the beginning (“Sloop John B” is the only successful single taken from the work), but destined to become a classic.

Already from the intraduate “wouldn’t it be nice” it is clear that Wilson He intends to surprise the listener with orche arrangementsdense and magniloquent arrows that recall Phil’s “wall of sound” Spector,

However, without giving up more calm, bucolic moments and thereSergici, as in the case of the subsequent “You Still Believe in me” or of the More romantic “Don’t talk”.

“I’m waiting for the day” has something of the Motown and sounds like Wilson’s response and “in My Life” members of Liverpool quartet,

while the exploits “Let’s Go Away for Awhile” and “Pet sounds “let certain symphonic and cinematographic aims intuit in the manner of the Shadows.

“God Only Knows” is perhaps the absolute more beautiful song of beach boys and among the most representative of rock of the sixties, but risks obscuring for manifest superiority Much of the excellent side B of the full-length,

flowing pleasantly until the final “Caroline, no”, in reality a canzonor solo by Wilson (already published in March of the same year) that It recalls the style of Glenn Miller and which stands out for the “rumorif ”of the ending,

The source from which John Lennon and Paul Mc will drawCartney for the final trace of the acclaimed successor of “Revolver”.

A point of no return of the whole young music.

Gabriele Marangoni