Once upon a time, “Pet Sounds” seemed like the runt of the Beach Boys‘ litter, at least on the record company ledger, if hardly by artistic reputation. But as the album turns 60 years old this weekend, it’s thought of less of a cult record, as it was considered for years or even decades after its release, than it is as a landmark work with virtual household-name recognition. Who doesn’t revisit this virtually symphonic song cycle about lonely adolescence without considering it one of the 10 best records ever made? Or, if you don’t, would you dare admit that in polite company?
The 60th anniversary of the May 16, 1966 release is being celebrated in multiple ways. For starters, there are fresh vinyl reissues of the original “Pet Sounds” album, in everything from the visually fun zoetrope picture-disc format to a far pricier, individually numbered “one step” edition aimed at the most serious audiophiles, along with more standardized choices that exist between those extremes. There is also the separate release on vinyl, CD and streaming formats of “The Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights,” breaking out vocal-only tracks or alternate takes that put a spotlight on what both the vocalizing Boys and the instrumental Wrecking Crew were up as they channeled music that still seems more divine than human-made, even when we’re hearing the evidence in stems.
