Brian Wilson’s Work on Pet Sounds

“Pet Sounds,” the Beach Boys classic LP, is 50 years old this summer. It’s the project that inspired Paul McCartney at the time to come up with their iconic album “Sgt. Peppers.” Here are a few things about the Brian Wilson effort that may surprise you…

One of the best tracks on the album, and most significant tunes every recorded by the Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” was written in under an hour.

In the making of the album, Brian would send the crew outside the building between takes to find things that could make noise; that is why you hear water bottles, Coke cans, and orange juice jugs for percussion.

Brian kept pushing the label to send more money to complete the project. When it was all said and done, the album cost well over $70,000, one of the most expensive albums ever made.


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