“The Beach Boys Pet Sounds” Classic Album DVD is one of a string of products celebrating the genius that is Brian Wilson in 2016, the 50th anniversary of what is hailed as “one of the most influential records of the 20th century — Pet Sounds.” The film starts off with the requisite history lesson on the formation of the group, and then delves into the actual making of the album. If you saw 2014’s “The Wrecking Crew,” or 2015’s “Love and Mercy,” you may think you have the whole story, but you don’t. This film goes deeper into the entire process of the making of the landmark album. Originally broadcast on BBC in July, the DVD version includes more than 30 minutes of never-before-seen interviews.
All the remaining members of The Beach Boys are present on the disc, as well as some of the Wrecking Crew musicians, legendary producer Bruce Botnick, and the man responsible for the ground-breaking lyrics on Pet Sounds, Tony Asher.
Pet Sounds has been hailed by many authorities as the greatest and most influential album ever produced. The Beatles cite the album as their inspiration for Sgt. Pepper, and it continues to inspire and amaze listeners to this day. Initially panned by critics, for years people didn’t know what to make of Pet Sounds. It wasn’t the usual “fun fun fun” or “cars, surf, sand” type of music that The Beach Boys were famous for; it was a complete deviation. These were the sounds that Brian Wilson heard in his head, and was so adeptly able to recreate in the studio.
Many people who are familiar with the album think that it’s essentially Brian Wilson with the Wrecking Crew as backup musicians, and that this album caused contention amongst the Beach Boys, but that’s just a popular myth. You’ll discover how some of the songs were written specifically for Carl Wilson or Mike Love, someone who’s taken a lot of heat over the years for his alleged indifference to this album, or for the infighting between Brian and himself. This documentary sheds some light on this years-running story and separates the truth from the rumors.
Essentially, the viewer is taken on a journey with Brian Wilson as he explains and exposes the thoughts and images behind each song. It’s stunning at times, and the simplicity of some of Wilson’s methods is, well, quite often simplistic. A great insight into a great mind.
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