On May 16, 1966, one of the most acclaimed albums in pop/rock history was released: The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of this landmark album and it is being commemorated in several ways. Brian Wilson is embarking on a concert tour in a little under a week in which he and his band will play the album in its entirety for what's being billed as the last time. And it has just been revealed that a new box set is due to be released on June 10 by Capitol/UMe to join the celebration.
According to Billboard: "Capitol/UMe's Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary Edition will be released in June, including a 4CD/Blu-ray Audio collector's edition presented in a hardbound book, featuring the remastered original album in stereo and mono, plus new hi res instrumental and 5.1 surround mixes, as well as session outtakes, alternate mixes, previously unreleased live recordings and hi res stereo and mono mixes; a 2CD and digital deluxe edition pairing the remastered album in stereo and mono with highlights from the collectors edition's additional tracks; a remastered, 180-gram LP editions of the album in mono and stereo with faithfully replicated original artwork."
"I figure no one is educated musically 'til they've heard [Pet Sounds]," Paul McCartney once said of The Beach Boys' classic. George Martin concurred: "Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn't have happened." Brian Wilson poured his musical heart into the album's thirteen tracks; in less than thirty-five minutes, he delivered an entire spectrum of emotions in a song cycle of striking beauty and sensitivity. Pet Sounds may initially have been conceived by Wilson as an answer to The Beatles' Rubber Soul, but it functions as an elegy to lost innocence ("Caroline, No"), a hope for the promise of brighter days ahead ("Wouldn't It Be Nice") and an expression of one young man's innermost soul laid bare ("I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," "That's Not Me," "You Still Believe in Me") in such a way that it was universal. Oh yeah, and it just might have the greatest pop love song ever written ("God Only Knows") which begins with a shocking lyrical conceit: "I may not always love you..." Wilson and lyricist Tony Asher captured the zeitgeist on Pet Sounds, and every few years has brought another reissue of the album which initially was ahead of its time. (It wasn't certified platinum until early 2000, and only rose as far as No. 10 on the Billboard album chart at the time of its initial release.)
Following a 1987 Japanese release, Pet Sounds made its first appearance on American CD in 1990 in mono with three bonus tracks ("Unreleased Backgrounds," "Hang On to Your Ego" and "Trombone Dixie"). This was followed by a DCC Compact Classics audiophile gold edition in 1993, and then in 1997 by the lavish The Pet Sounds Sessions, which included the mono album, the first-ever true stereo mix and three discs of session material. The stereo mix reappeared on CD in 1999 and again in 2001 with the mono mix and "Hang On to Your Ego" added. It was also in 2001 that a DVD-Audio disc arrived with the album playable in advanced resolution surround, mono and stereo plus seven bonuses. 2006 brought the CD/DVD 40th Anniversary edition, which in subsequent years was followed by Audio Fidelity's mono audiophile gold disc, the 2011 Mobile Fidelity and 2014 Capitol Japan SACDs as well as the 2012 mono/stereo single-CD Capitol reissue. Additionally, 2015 saw even more reissues with a mono/stereo SACD and 200-gram mono and stereo LPs from Analogue Productions.
The 50th Anniversary Editions of Pet Sounds are due June 10 from Capitol/UMe! You can peruse the full tracklistings and pre-order below!
The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Capitol/UMe, 2016)
4-CD/1-BD Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD / Amazon Canada
2-CD Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD / Amazon Canada
Mono 180-Gram Vinyl Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD / Amazon Canada
Stereo 180-Gram Vinyl Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD / Amazon Canada
CD 1
Pet Sounds (Mono)
- Wouldn't It Be Nice
- You Still Believe In Me
- That's Not Me
- Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
- I'm Waiting For The Day
- Let's Go Away For Awhile
- Sloop John B
- God Only Knows
- I Know There's An Answer
- Here Today
- I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
- Pet Sounds
- Caroline No
Pet Sounds (Stereo)
- Wouldn't It Be Nice
- You Still Believe In Me
- That's Not Me
- Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
- I'm Waiting For The Day
- Let's Go Away For Awhile
- Sloop John B
- God Only Knows
- I Know There's An Answer
- Here Today
- I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
- Pet Sounds
- Caroline No
Additional Material
- Caroline No (Promotional Spot #2)
- Don't Talk. . . (Unused Background Vocals)
- Hang On To Your Ego (Alternate Mix)
- Caroline No (Promotional Spot #1)
CD 2: The Pet Sounds Sessions
- Sloop John B (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- Sloop John B (Stereo Backing Track)
- Trombone Dixie (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- Trombone Dixie (Stereo Backing Track)
- Pet Sounds (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- Pet Sounds (Stereo Track Without Guitar Overdub)
- Let's Go Away For Awhile (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- Let's Go Away For Awhile (Stereo Track Without String Overdub)
- Wouldn't It Be Nice (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- Wouldn't It Be Nice (Stereo Backing Track)
- Wouldn't It Be Nice (Stereo Track with Background Vocals)
- You Still Believe In Me (Intro - Session)
- You Still Believe In Me (Intro - Master Take)
- You Still Believe In Me (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- You Still Believe In Me (Stereo Backing Track)
- Caroline No (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- Caroline No (Stereo Backing Track)
- Hang On To Your Ego (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- Hang On To Your Ego (Stereo Backing Track)
- I Know There's An Answer (Vocal Session) [previously unreleased]
- Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (Brian's Instrumental Demo)
- Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (Stereo Backing Track)
- Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (String Overdub)
- I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (Stereo Backing Track)
- That's Not Me (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- That's Not Me (Stereo Backing Track)
CD 3: The Pet Sounds Sessions (continued)
- Good Vibrations (Highlights from First Tracking Date)
- Good Vibrations (Stereo Backing Track)
- I'm Waiting For The Day (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- I'm Waiting For The Day (Stereo Backing Track)
- God Only Knows (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- God Only Knows (Stereo Backing Track)
- Here Today (Highlights from Tracking Date)
- Here Today (Stereo Backing Track)
Alternate Versions
- Wouldn't It Be Nice (Mono Alternate Mix 1)
- You Still Believe In Me (Mono Alternate Mix)
- I'm Waiting For The Day (Mono Alternate Mix, Mike sings lead)
- Sloop John B (Mono Alternate Mix, Carl sings first verse)
- God Only Knows (Mono Alternate Mix, with sax solo)
- I Know There's An Answer (Alternate Mix) [previously unreleased]
- Here Today (Mono Alternate Mix, Brian sings lead)
- I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (Mono Alternate Mix)
- Banana & Louie
- Caroline No (Original Speed, Stereo Mix)
- Dog Barking Session
- God Only Knows (With A Cappella Tag)
- Wouldn't It Be Nice (Mono Alternate Mix 2)
- Sloop John B (Mono Alternate Mix, Brian sings lead throughout)
- God Only Knows (Mono Alternate Mix, Brian sings lead)
- Caroline No (Original Speed, Mono Mix)
CD 4: Live Recordings [all previously unreleased]
Michigan State University, October 22, 1966
- Wouldn't It Be Nice
- Sloop John B
- God Only Knows
Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall, Washington DC, November 19, 1967
- Good Vibrations
- God Only Knows
- Wouldn't It Be Nice
Carnegie Hall, New York, November 23, 1972 (2nd Show)
- God Only Knows
Jamaican World Music Festival, Montego Bay, Jamaica, November, 26, 1982
- God Only Knows
Universal Studios, Universal City, California, May, 23, 1989
- Sloop John B
Paramount Theater, New York City, November 26, 1993
- Caroline No
- You Still Believe In Me
Stack-O-Vocals
- Wouldn't It Be Nice
- You Still Believe In Me
- That's Not Me
- Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
- I'm Waiting For The Day
- Sloop John B
- God Only Knows
- I Know There's An Answer
- Here Today
- I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
- Caroline No
Bonus Track
- Good Vibrations (Master Track with Partial Vocal) (previously unreleased)
Blu-ray Pure Audio Disc
Pet Sounds:
5.1 Surround Sound: 96kHz/24-bit
Mono; Stereo; Stereo Instrumental (new to hi-res): 192kHz/24-bit
- Wouldn't It Be Nice
- You Still Believe In Me
- That's Not Me
- Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
- I'm Waiting For The Day
- Let's Go Away For Awhile
- Sloop John B
- God Only Knows
- I Know There's An Answer
- Here Today
- I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
- Pet Sounds
- Caroline No
Additional Material in 5.1 Surround and Stereo:
- Unreleased Backgrounds (Unused Intro for "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)")
- Wouldn't It Be Nice (Session Highlights)
- Wouldn't It Be Nice (Alternative Mix without Lead Vocal)
- God Only Knows (Session Highlights)
- God Only Knows (Master Track Mix with A Cappella Tag)
- Summer Means New Love
The Weekend Stream: May 25, 2024
Still on the Line: Ace Collects Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb Collaborations, Glen's "Ghost on the Canvas" Revisited with All-Star Duets
Made For These Times: The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" Arrives in Dolby Atmos, Mixed by Giles Martin
The Weekend Stream: May 20, 2023
WONDERFUL!
Evoking Rocky Horror: "Pet Sounds... again??" 🙂 [Looking forward to this, actually!]
Since it has new material I'll be getting the book with CD/Blu-ray. I don't need to get another CD or LP version of the original album. I think I have six different CDs and two different LPs. Covered. It's not even in my top three Beach Boys albums.
TAKE MY MONEY!!!!
So I just bought the new 200 gram Analog Productions MONO LP that received incredible reviews as the best sounding- Tell me there's something that's going to surpass this one
I bought the Analogue Productions stereo vinyl releases of "Pet Sounds", "Today", "Summer Days and Summer Nights" & "Surfing' U.S.A.", and all sound superb, though it takes a few hit or miss efforts to get "Today" & "Summer Days" properly centered, due to Analog Productions' oversized spindle holes on some of their L.P.'s.
I can't imagine Capitol's forthcoming stereo & mono "Pet Sounds" vinyl being anywhere near the quality of Analog Productions' efforts. I do have the 2-L.P. Capitol "Pet Sounds" color vinyl set released some years back. It had the mono mix on Yellow vinyl & the Stereo mix on Green vinyl. Mostly, the pressings were good, except some "non-fill"(scraping noises) towards the end of "Caroline No" on the stereo L.P. (it's during the fade out and the train sound effects).
I would have bought more of Analog Productions' Beach Boys vinyl, if not for their price increases, which occurred subsequent to my four L.P. purchases. At $35, people will be less tolerant of oversized spindle holes, and labels that are cut and attached off center.
As I type this, I'm starting to play the two unofficial 1998 4-CD boxed sets of "Pet Sounds" outtakes and sessions from the "Sea of Tunes" label. I hadn't played these for at least 10 years, and maybe I had only listened to them 3 times before. That's more than 10 hours of "Pet Sounds"! Capitol could do so much more than release 4 CD's of material. Other than a new surround mix (different to the one released on DVD-Audio), there seems to be little in the forthcoming official boxed set to tempt long-time fans. The concert recordings? Likely the Michigan 1966 recordings, which have been in circulation with full fidelity since the late 1990's. Unlike "The Pet Sounds Sessions" & "The Smile Sessions", which were aimed at long-time fans, the forthcoming 50th anniversary "Pet Sounds" box seems aimed at a new generation of fans; ones that don't have "The Pet Sounds Sessions" in their collection.
Wow. You would think this is the only album in the Capitol vault with how many reissue treatments it has gotten. Sheesh!
But failing to officially release the 8 CD's of "Pet Sounds" backing track sessions that were offered in the two unofficial 4-CD boxed sets from the "Sea of Tunes" label in the 1990's means that those materials will fall into UK/Europe public domain at the end of the year. You would think that Capitol/UMe would be smart enough to avoid letting that scenario happen. I guess not.
Also, this boxed set seems like a blatantly greedy scam to get consumers to pay megabucks for the 5.1 surround Blu-ray audio disc that was supposed to be released a la carte in 2014. With only 4 CD's, the box can't really have much more than what was included in 1996's "Pet Sounds Sessions" box.
LAME.
When will the repackaging end???
We'll have to see whether the balance of this is repackaging and what price point they set it at. I'd say that UME /Capitol did a fine job with the Party! Uncovered and Unplugged so I'm hoping for a package without much redundancy to previous official releases.
What's the point in a Blu-Ray surround mix? Pet Sounds wasn't envisioned or released that way in the first place.For those of you who want that - I wholeheartedly agree that it should be available separately as last year it was teased but never appeared as such.
I don't see bootlegs as "releases" like some of you apparently do and prefer to get my material from legitimate releases. The few bootlegs I checked out early in my collecting were expensive and of poor quality and it turned me off to them.
I'm also certainly not all that interested in endless amounts of Pet Sounds Sessions on CD and the price point that would ask. If there was an opportunity to purchase a vault emptying set of sessions downloads at a reasonable price I'd be in.
As many of you have said, I've bought this album over and over again in the last 25 or so years in its different forms. I don't want to go extremely negative before I know what this set is exactly. Still I'd say June is awfully close to not have a finalized track listing for the release to share. I do know that UME / Capitol will have to come up with a pretty good reason for me to purchase this one again.
In the late 1990's, I spent $2200 on unofficial Beach Boys CD's, and I can tell you that the ones released by the "Sea of Tunes" label had master tape quality. In fact, whomever supplied the material had access to 3-track, 4-track and 8-track multitrack tapes, albeit to do very quick one-pass-of-the-tape mixes. They mixed many selections for first-time true stereo, some of which have not gotten an official stereo mix to this day. Notably, "Sea of Tunes" supplier created stereo mixes of "Summertime Blues", "Heads You Win, Tails I Lose","Cuckoo Clock", "County Fair", "The Surfer Moon", "The Baker Man", "Pamela Jean", & "Cindy Oh Cindy", and their source mixed "The Beach Boys Today" & "Beach Boys Party" albums for stereo many years before Mark Linett did, providing much more widely separated stereo than Mr.Linett or The Beach Boys would ever permit.
Of course, Beach Boys archivist Mark Linett uncovered numerous missing multitrack that had yet to be found when "Sea of Tunes" released their discs. These new discoveries included further tapes from the "Summer Days...and Summer Nights" & "Smile" sessions. Also, Capitol purchased the multitracks for the "Shut Down Vol.2" album from a private collector. Many of those "Shut Down Vol.2" tapes were used in Capitol's download-only outtakes collection "Keep An Eye On Summer"
Not all unofficial CD's have poor sound. That's why the official record labels got increasingly freaked out by them.
Maybe if Capitol/UMe were to reveal more about the contents, it would become apparent that there are reasons for long-time fans to buy this, and the barrage of negative comments on the internet would subside.
It would appear that a new 5.1 surround mix(different to the 4.0 surround mix on the DVD-Audio release) is the only truly new thing in the forthcoming boxed set.
Between the 8 discs(approximately 10 hours) of sessions on the unofficial 4-CD boxed sets "Unsurpassed Masters Vols. 13 & 14" and the alternate mixes(with alternate vocals that now exist only via those mixes) on disc 3 of the official "The Pet Sounds Sessions", it would appear that those recordings are everything that was recorded, or, in any event all that now exists. The barrel has been scraped.
If that isn't everything, you'd think that Capitol would want people to know.
As an update/correction to what I said above, you'd also have to have "Unsurpassed Masters Vol.12" to have the entire "Pet Sounds" recording sessions, because it's on that unofficial 2-CD set that the "Sloop John B." sessions reside.
The track listing has been posted at several websites. Predictably, CD one has the original album in both mono & stereo. The live recordings in the set are taken from various concerts from the 1960's to the 1990's. The Blu-ray audio has the album in mono, stereo, 5.1 surround and an instrumental mix.
As for the session excerpts on CD's 2, 3 & 4, there are only a handful of previously unreleased tracks. It is unknown if any of the session excerpts have been newly remixed, or whether the surround sound mix on the Blu-ray is the same 4.0 mix that has already been released, or whether it is a new 5.1 mix.
On the plus side, the set is priced within reason, with Amazon.com taking preorders for $80....at least right now (as I type this).
Actually, the huge capacity of the Blu-ray format could have accommodated the entire sessions, but Capitol wouldn't be that creative.
If the surround mix is the very same mix already released on the DVD-Audio and the 40th anniversary CD + DVD mix.......then I think I'll pass. I seldom listen to that mix, because of its vague separation, and the fact that it doesn't use the center channel or the subwoofer.
how about a stand-alone pure audio bluray? 🙁
I'm going to hold off to find out how much of this is remixed. With the exception of the live tracks, there are only 3 here that weren't on Pet Sound Sessions and I'm not sure I want to plop down $70 just for those.
If I already have the 1996 Sessions box set do I need to buy this ie does it have anything that the 1996 set doesn't have ?