When was Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys released?
Pet Sounds was released on the 16th of May 1966, by Capitol Records in the United States, and by EMI in the United Kingdom on the 27th of June 1966.
Questions about Pet Sounds
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who produced and wrote Pet Sounds?
Pet Sounds was produced, arranged, and primarily composed by Brian Wilson, with lyrics written in collaboration with Tony Asher. Wilson also collaborated with road manager Terry Sachen on one track. Recording ran across 27 sessions between January 18 and the 13th of April 1966.
How much did it cost to record Pet Sounds?
The total production cost of Pet Sounds exceeded $70,000, an unprecedented budget for a rock album at the time. Most sessions lasted at least three hours, and Wilson insisted on assembling all musicians simultaneously despite the financial cost.
How did Pet Sounds perform commercially in the US and UK?
In the United States, Pet Sounds peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and sold an estimated 500,000 copies, without receiving immediate RIAA gold certification. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 2 on the Record Retailer chart and remained in the top ten for six months, becoming one of the five bestselling UK albums of 1966.
What influence did Pet Sounds have on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper?
Paul McCartney cited Pet Sounds as his favorite album and credited it as an influence on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Beatles producer George Martin stated that without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper would not have happened. McCartney also said "God Only Knows" was "the greatest song ever written."
What unusual instruments appear on Pet Sounds?
Pet Sounds features ukulele, sleigh bells, accordion, French and English horns, timpani, vibraphone, bass harmonica, bass clarinet, bongos, glockenspiel, banjo, bicycle horn, Coca-Cola cans, and an Electro-Theremin. "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" was the first piece in popular music to feature the Electro-Theremin, played by its inventor Paul Tanner.