Pet Sounds: Most Overrated Album of All Time?

Definitely not the most overrated album of all time. In fact Pet Sounds was a Buddy Hollyesque step up for popular music in the mid 60s.

However, despite being chock a block full of great songs (Here Today and There Must Be An Answer just to name two) it does kind of feel like an immature work compared to something like their later classic Surf’s Up.

And yes, although its almost sacrilegious to say it, the sound quality is rather poor.

@tablejockey,

"Nothing contemporary or in the last 40/50  or so years is close to the level of PS-at least in how it influenced musicians who listened to it when it was introduced."

 

Is such a thing even possible now?

Or have all of the undiscovered musical discoveries and developments been discovered and developed?

As a chessplayer I've noticed that since the age of computers very few meaningful novelties (previously undiscovered strong moves in known opening positions) have been found.

This, despite the advent of supercomputers and neural networks which can play the game at far more accurate levels than any human could dream of.

Perhaps music, like chess, seemingly infinite in its expression, is also ultimately finite?

Thankfully, we are not infinite, and we have plenty of music to easily fill a lifetime.

 

 

@orgillian197

Well said.

Impressions and evaluations will always be subject to present circumstances but it's worth remembering that everything is/was initially of its own time.

I feel the same way about punk rock.

No one today who wasn't there can really know what it was like to watch it unfold back in 77 - 78.

"Lots of mediocre or worse songs, too much sitar (ANY sitar is too much for me)"


It would seem as if Sgt Pepper is obviously not for you then.

Neither it appears are songs such as

Norwegian Wood
Paint it Black
Love You To
Tomorrow Never Knows
Green TambourineHurdy Gurdy Man
Games People Play etc


1967 seems to me to be a year of numerous classic albums and SPLHCB stands as one of the very best.

I see it more as a novel exploration of transcendental states than pretentious psychedelic bullshit.

Perhaps it’s all down to the interpretation, isn’t it?

Dylan of course went from one extreme to the other with Highway 61 Revisited/ Blonde on Blonde all the way to The Basement Tapes / John Wesley Harding.

In any case shouldn’t we try to judge any work of art within its own frame of reference?

If so, then Pet Sounds, in the summer of 1966 must have been mind-blowing in the world of popular music.

@edcyn,

No, keep going.

What do any of us ultimately have, if not our memories?

I sometimes prefer Surf's Up (better sound quality at least) but Pet Sounds with its Spectorish production and the Wrecking Crew on board was no doubt pretty far out.
I suspect Pet Sounds will retain its appeal for some time to come.

It is a near perfect historical snapshot of an America that may have been fictional but nevertheless still holds considerable charm, especially for those living overseas.

Another time, another place.

@bdp24,

Smile is a fine example of one man stretching himself too far.

Just like Newton and his alchemy or Einstein with his Unified Field Theory.

Listening to it, for me, was a case of "if only's".

Anyway, Pet Sounds is more than good enough even if I disagree about its best song.

I tend to prefer Here Today.