If you think today’s music is totally commercial, with no room for artistry, then we’d have to agree with you somewhat — but also remind you that that’s nothing new.
In 1966, when the Beach Boys released Pet Sounds, executives from their record label, Capitol, were disappointed to say the least. Instead of delivering another mix of sunny surfer hits, the album sings of the emotions of unrequited love, the effects of taking LSD and features the word “God” in a song title — at the time something pop bands didn’t do.
There were also dogs barking in the background of tracks, and orange juice bottles used as percussion.
It barely broke the top ten (although in the UK, it went to No 2).
Now, however, it’s considered one of the best pop albums of all time. UAE-based fans of the work will get to hear it in full, plus other Beach Boys songs, when Brian Wilson and his band — including fellow Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin — play it at Dubai Tennis Stadium on November 3.
Pet Sounds mostly came from the admittedly troubled mind of the band’s songwriter, Wilson, who then only 23, decided to deliver an album that was in his heart — but not necessarily made for the charts. Even his own band weren’t fans — Wilson had written much of it with an ad jingle writer Tony Asher while they were off touring in Japan. Mike Love, the band’s lyricist and a cousin of Wilson, reportedly used plenty of expletives when saying what he thought of some of the lyrics, although he’s since said those reports were also “[expletive]”.
Rolling Stone perhaps puts it best, saying Wilson “hijacked... a multi-million-dollar industry consisting of his two brothers, cousin and childhood friend, to give voice to the sounds he heard in his head and the emotions he felt in his heart”.
Ask Wilson about it 50 years later, and he says “there is nothing I would change really”.
“Pet Sounds has stood the test of time,” he tells tabloid! in an email interview. And while the great American song-buying public didn’t buy into Pet Sounds immediately, it has become an iconic record hailed by other artists — both his contemporaries and modern musicians.
“It’s a great record. I’m thrilled so many other artists love it,” Wilson adds.
“It is most certainly one of the best pop albums of all time,” says Dan Greenpeace, a Dubai-based talent booker with one of the mightiest record collections in the UAE.
“The way it was recorded was ground-breaking, with the use of multi-track recording... the melodies, key changes and hooks all make it the perfect listen and [the album] still remains fresh to this day. It’s widely known that The Beatles album Rubber Soul inspired Brian to record Pet Sounds and in turn The Beatles responded with Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which is faultless, too. That pretty much tells you why both albums are so significant.”
Wilson himself namechecks Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band when asked which album, after Pet Sounds, he rates as the best in the last 50 years. But while he also produced Pet Sounds, he says he couldn’t answer a question on which contemporary artist he’d like to produce an album for.
Absorbing an album
Indeed the concept of the music “album” is in an interesting place in music right now. While the rise of streaming services means that listeners can pick and choose the songs they want to listen to without buying a full album, several artists are releasing works that are celebrated as a whole — Beyonce, Adele, Taylor Swift and Drake among them.
What makes an album great, then?
“With any great album you need to listen to it in its entirety and not just dip in and out or focus on the singles,” says Greenpeace. “Great albums are intended to be a body of work to enjoy and absorb. They’re like pieces of art. You don’t just focus on the nose of Mona Lisa.”
Pet Sounds is “one you have to live with and absorb, hence it took a while to achieve critical acclaim”.
Wilson has taken the Pet Sounds 50th anniversary tour around the US and Europe before coming to the UAE, and just added 37 more dates in the US for 2017. That might be considered a long spell of dates for any 74-year-old. Wilson, however, says he’s “very energised”.
“I feel great... excited to see the reaction to our music all over the world. The audiences absolutely love it and the ovations have been amazing. We give love and it comes right back to us through the audience reaction.”
Wilson has never hidden the mental illness that has affected him throughout his career, something he puts down to drug use. In an autobiography released last month, he describes his ongoing stage fright, the voices he hears in his head, and his relationship with his abusive father, Murray, who was also the band’s manager.
After a well-documented panic attack on a flight in 1964, Wilson began to scale back live performances, which makes a world tour by the reclusive music icon all the more precious.
He says the band he’s playing with now are “the best”.
That that band includes Jardine and Chaplin, but not the original Beach Boys vocalist Love, is significant. Wilson and Love, who reunited in 2012 to perform at the Grammys, do not have a relationship, according to Wilson. There’s never been any secret that they are not friends. An earlier book by Wilson even brought litigation from Love.
Love, too, has an autobiography out this autumn. Asked if he’d read Love’s book, Wilson replied: “I haven’t read Mike’s book. I’m sure people will have an interest in what he has to say.”
What’s next for Wilson, who now says he has no plans to retire, after many years as a recluse? This tour was touted as a “final tour” but that may not be the case, he tells tabloid!.
“The demand for Pet Sounds performed live has been incredible so we decided to take it on the road to as many places as we can. We have other ideas regarding future tours so Pet Sounds has its importance now.”
Don’t miss it!
Brian Wilson performs Pet Sounds at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium (near Irish Village) on November 3. Tickets are Dh225 (seated, ages 12+) and Dh250 (standing) at major online ticket vendors. Doors open at 7pm, show at 9pm.
