Landmark reviews are the hardest to write. So, why do it? What can possibly be said about an album that Paul McCartney himself has purchased for each of his children to hasten their musical education?

The value in such a review is in placing an album that typifies the best of a generation with the current music scene and debating whether or not these landmark albums are still musically relevant. Whether an album released four decades ago can still enthral the listener, or whether milestone recordings are simply a testament to an era; unable to transcend the generational gap.

‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ opens Pet Sounds as the song most typical to the prior hits of The Beach Boys. While the simplicity of structure, warm harmonies, rock rhythm and boy-meets-girl lyricism of the song are all indicative of The Beach Boys past, the instrument-heavy arrangements and Brian Wilson’s lush, Phil Spectre-influenced ‘Wall of Sound’ production marks a new direction for the band. Accordions, mandolins, trumpet, saxophone, organ and tympani all blend together to create a lush atmosphere that is accented by Brian’s wide-eyed lead vocal and the heavenly sound of The Beach Boys singing in unison.

While Kevin Barnes from of Montreal is correct to state that The Beach Boys were not the only pop band to sing harmonies – said in reference to the tendency of reviewers to compare anything with harmonies to The Beach Boys – there has never been a band in popular music that has reached the harmonic heights of the Beach Boys singing together.

One of the remarkable aspects of the album, and in many ways the band, is evident in the lead vocal performances of Brian. While the harmonies of Pet Sounds are pitch perfect, the lead vocals on ‘You Still Believe In Me’ are in no-way a typical dominant performance. Here Brian’s voice is frail – “Every time we break up” sounding as if he is on the verge of crying – his voice more suited to singing up the octave. But these frailties in Brian’s voice are a pivotal element in Pet Sounds sounding so human, so heartfelt – so real. 

Such an appraisal of Wilson is made more noticeable when we compare the vocal lead supplied by Mike Love on the following track, ‘That’s Not Me’. While Mike’s voice has the traditional command expected of lead vocalists, his voice is too strong; too sure of itself to elicit the same emotion that both the Wilson’s, Brian and Carl, are capable of creating. Mike’s true contribution to Pet Sounds is in providing variation, allowing the sentiment of the album to be measured, rather than constantly on top of the listener.

‘I’m Waiting For The Day’ is one of the hidden gems of Brian’s songwriting career. The song changes key and tempo, the instruments vary, and all of this is wrapped in one of The Beach Boys best examples of dynamic composition. A world of instrumentation envelopes Brian as he softly enunciates the last verse: “He hurt you then, but that’s all done”, the flutes, horns and organs simmering underneath and strings leading into the song’s explosive tag. The percussion highlight of Pet Sounds, ‘I’m Waiting For The Day’ is driven by the tom-tom drums, walking bass and the cadence of vocals that surround the commanding call: “You didn’t think, no/That I could sit around and watch him take you”. Here Brian proves that he can be powerful, near forceful, when the need arises.

The great debate concerning the legacy of Pet Sounds centres on whether ‘Sloop John B’, a cover song, was a concession made to appease a label worried about the lack of ‘hits’. While the naivety of the lyrics reflects the coming of age theme that reigns over Pet Sounds, the harmony-heavy sounds and up-tempo feel of the song is a distinct nod to the prior Beach Boy hits. Either way ‘Sloop John B’ succeeds as an appeasement to old fans and a continuation to the wonderment and confusion expressed on the album.

From the most contentious to the most revered, ‘God Only Knows’ is regarded by some, Paul McCartney included, as “the greatest song ever written”. While the song was subject to its own controversy – the use of God in the title was quite controversial at the time – the main aspect of the lyric that is still atypical is the directness and complexity of the song’s message; this is not the simple stuff of teenage crushes: “I may not always love you/but as long as there are stars above you/You never need to doubt it”.

Lyrics aside, the vocal performance of Carl is breathtaking; engulfed by instrumental and vocal orchestration and the clip-clop rhythm of tambourine. The non-conventional structure of the song is softened by melodies that rise and wilt moving from a powerful beauty to a quiet introspection. If Brian Wilson’s whole songwriting career is defined by this song he has accomplished his goal to create music that “music that helps and heals,” such is the splendour of ‘God Only Knows’.

Listening to Pet Sounds, a friend casually remarked to me that “as songs these aren’t really that great”. For a second I was stupefied by his remarks, absolutely dumfounded actually. Why? Because in a way he is right. Apart from ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, ‘God Only Knows’, ‘I’m Waiting For The Day’ and possibly ‘Caroline, No’ there is not much here in the way of classics – especially when you compare the other album tracks to ‘Good Vibrations’ or ‘California Girls’. But ultimately Pet Sounds isn’t about any individual song. The value of Pet Sounds is that it is a sustained album, where every single note serves a purpose and the plethora of instruments never seem grandiose – Brian had a knack, one that appears forgotten in current music, to be able to include a multitude of sounds without steering the songs into pretentiousness – the music of Pet Sounds being a mini-orchestra packed within a pop song, not the other way round. More than any other album I’ve heard, Pet Sounds has a magical quality within it – a divinity that is impossible to fully express, but is nonetheless breathtaking.