The Classic Album series brings back must-have albums from the '60s and '70s that are still as relevant today as they were when originally released
Melody Maker JULY 30, 1966
Pet Sounds
Stars are asked to comment on the new Beach Boys album Pet Sounds which had been released a few months earlier..
Eric Clapton - The Cream
All of us, Ginger, Jack and I are absolutely and completely knocked out with Pet sounds. I consider it to be one of the greatest pop LPs to ever be released. It encompasses everthing thats ever knocked me out, and rolled it all into one. We're all gassed by it. Brian Wilson is without a doubt a pop genius.
Keith Moon - The Who
I think Pet Sounds illustrates the way one man's mind works - that of Brian Wilson. There's nothing revolutionary in the album, I don't think. Perhaps the only revolution is in the group itself - the way they've changed with the album. They are not so much a vocal group these days. Vocals, as such, have almost disappeared with this album.
Michael D'Abo - Manfred Mann
Basically I admire the ingenuity of the LP, but its not as revolutionary as people say. They've done a lot of unusual things, but there are one or two weak tracks. Not quite the rave people have made it out to be. It's a sort of Brian Wilson experimental combo. For me its not the same Beach Boys. They had more appeal as a group as they were before.
Andrew Oldham - Rolling Stones manager
I think that Pet Sounds is the most progressive album of the year in as much as Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade was. It is the pop equivalent of that. A complete exercise in pop technique. Personally, I consider it to be a fantastic album. The lyrics are tremendous. The way Wilson has suited them to the songs is outstanding. I see pop music as a form of escapism, and Pet Sounds is a great example of escapism.
Scott Walker - The Walker Brothers
I don't think its revolutionary. I don't even like it as much as the other Beach Boys albums.
Spencer Davis
It's fantastic. I've just bought it and finished playing it. "God Only Knows" is the most fantastic track on the album. Brian Wilson is a great record producer. I haven't spent my time listening to The Beach Boys before, but I am a convert now and I just want to listen to this LP again and again. Thirteen of the tracks are originals - which can't be bad.
Pet Sounds is available on vinyl in the Store