The Pet Sounds Sessions

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Released in 1966 to tepid sales (and hence causing no small a of grumbling among the notoriously fractious band members), Brian Wilson's Rubber Soul-inspired album of "spiritual love" eventually became one of pop music's most celebrated artistic accomplishments. Paul McCartney would later cl that Pet Sounds in turn inspired the Beatles' magnum opus, Sgt. Pepper. This four-disc box set offers an unprecedented deconstruction of Wilson's masterpiece, taking fans, armchair scholars, and musicians on a compelling creative journey. Leading off with what once was heresy--a complete true-stereo mix of the album cleverly conjured from the existing session tapes by engineer and project coproducer Mark Linett--the set proceeds through edited audio collages that document the evolution of each song's backing track. Along the way, listeners are treated to a playful, unreleased gem ("Trom Dixie") and the very genesis of Wilson's other great period masterpiece, "Good Vibrations." Conversely, disc 2 presents all the songs' glorious harmonies, sans instrumental backing tracks, then 19 more tracks that highlight alternate working versions (including the original take on "I Know There's an Answer," the pointedly titled "Hang On to Your Ego"), session snippets, and radio promotional spots. Disc 3 contains a newly remastered version of the album's original mono mix. The album's two comprehensive booklets were written and edited by coproducer and veteran Beach Boy biographer David Leaf and include commentary by Wilson and quotes from McCartney and producer George Martin. The 126-page "Making of Pet Sounds" pieces together the recollections of the band, session men, and engineers behind the epochal album into a warm, human-scaled history. --Jerry McCulley