The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, R.I.P. Neil Peart & Opinions on Beach Slang
Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys elevated pop music to new artistic heights with the band's 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds. With its ingenious orchestrations and earnest lyrics, the album remains an enormous influence to this day. Jim and Greg present a Classic Album Dissection of Pet Sounds. They also review the new album from punk band Beach Slang and bid farewell to Neil Peart of Rush.
The music world has been mourning Rush drummer Neil Peart since his death on January 7, 2020. Widely revered as one of the best living drummers, Peart had been fighting brain cancer for more than three years. In a heartfelt tribute Jim makes the case that for all the complexity and precision Peart was known for, hard rock propulsion was always undergirding his playing.
Raised on a Canadian dairy farm, music was an unlikely career for Peart, but after just one audition on a modest drum set he secured his place as Rush's drummer and went on to become their main lyricist as well. Peart took inspiration from Ayn Rand for "2112"'s lyrics, earning a reputation as a libertarian that was hard to shake. Jim says Peart described himself as a left-leaning empathetic human being and "too voracious a reader and too deep a thinker to be anyone's disciple." Greg points out that Peart as never satisfied with his abilities, taking drum lessons decades into his career, calling that "the badge of an artist."
The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak CityBeach Slang
The latest album from Pennsylvaniapunk rock band Beach Slang is called The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City. Led by James Alex, Beach Slang has had a number of members since its creation in 2013. This new album showcases Alex's devotion to the band The Replacements, with similar sonic elements, vocals and lyrics. Jim likes what the band is doing and enjoys the record. Greg finds it to be a bit too derivative and enjoys the more instrumental, original songs.
Pet Sounds
On May 16, 1966, The Beach Boys released their 11th studio album, Pet Sounds. It was a relative commercial failure for what was the biggest American band of the '60s. However in the ensuing years, the album's stature grew. Today, its influence pervades to the point that it is almost universally acknowledged as one of the greatest albums ever released in the rock era.
Due to a great deal of pressure, emotional turmoil, and mental health issues, Brian Wilson quit the Beach Boys as a touring entity at the end of 1964. While the rest of the band was on the road, Wilson spent ten months in the studio crafting one of the most intricate and expensive pop records ever made. Working with the famed session musicians of the Wrecking Crew, Wilson took a classical composer's approach, layering instrument upon instrument to create lush, unique timbres. He collaborated with Madison Avenue writer Tony Asher on heartbreakingly earnest lyrics about his struggles to find his place in the world. The audience, the label, and his own bandmates didn't quite know what to make of Pet Sounds when it came out. But artists from The Beatles to R.E.M. to Radiohead picked up on its brilliance and modeled their own music on Wilson's ingenious arrangements. God only knows what rock would be today without Pet Sounds.
Featured Songs
The Beach Boys, "Wouldn't It Be Nice," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
Beach Slang, "Nowhere Bus," The Deadbeat Bang Of Heartbreak City, Bridge 9, 2020
Rush, "YYZ," Moving Pictures, Mercury, 1981
Rush, "The Trees," Hemispheres, Anthem, 1978
Rush, "By-Tor and the Snow Dog," Fly By Night, Mercury, 1975
Rush, "La Villa Strangiato," Hemispheres, Anthem, 1978
Beach Slang, "Bam Rang Rang," The Deadbeat Bang Of Heartbreak City, Bridge 9, 2020
Beach Slang, "Tommy In The 80s," The Deadbeat Bang Of Heartbreak City, Bridge 9, 2020
Beach Slang, "Born To Raise Hell," The Deadbeat Bang Of Heartbreak City, Bridge 9, 2020
Beach Slang, "Let It Ride," The Deadbeat Bang Of Heartbreak City, Bridge 9, 2020
Beach Slang, "Nobody Say Nothing," The Deadbeat Bang Of Heartbreak City, Bridge 9, 2020
The Beach Boys, "Sloop John B," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Four Freshman, "I Remember You," Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones, Capitol, 1955
The Gamblers, "LSD-25," Moon Dawg!/LSD-25, World Pacific, 1960
The Beach Boys, "I'm Waiting for the Day," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "Here Today," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)," The Beach Boys Today!, Capitol, 1965
The Beach Boys, "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "Let's Go Away for Awhile," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "Caroline No," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "You Still Believe in Me," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "Pet Sounds," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "Hang On to Your Ego," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "That's Not Me," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beach Boys, "Little Deuce Coupe," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Beatles, "Nowhere Man," Rubber Soul, Parlophone, 1965
The Beatles, "She's Leaving Home," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967
Nick Drake, "Fly," Bryter Layter, Island, 1971
The Olivia Tremor Control, "Frosted Ambassador," Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle, Flydaddy, 1996
R.E.M., "Near Wild Heaven," Out of Time, Warner Bros., 1991
Animal Collective, "Guys Eyes," Merriweather Post Pavilion, Domino, 2009
The Beach Boys, "Trombone Dixie (Highlights from Tracking Date)," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
The Supremes, "You Keep Me Hangin' On," The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland, Motown, 1967
Beach Boys, "Had To Phone Ya," 15 Big Ones, Brother, 1976
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, "Buddah Lovaz," E. 1999 Eternal, Ruthless, 1995
Jim Stafford, "Wildwood Weed," Jim Stafford, MGM, 1974
Merle Haggard, "Laugh It Off," Working In Tennessee, Hag, 2011
The Mechanism, "Odin," The Bifrost Incident, Self-Released, 2017
The Bonzo Dog Band, "Death Cab for Cutie," Gorilla, Liberty, 1967
Dear Listeners,
For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!
Please consider becoming a Sound Opinions member by giving whatever you can via Patreon or with a one-time donation through PayPal. Thanks for listening, and thanks for your support!