What Paul McCartney Specifically Likes About the Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’ and Brian Wilson’s Response
Pet Sounds included “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows,” earning praise from fans and musicians alike. Even Paul McCartney of the Beatles mentioned his favorite aspects of this Beach Boys album.
The Beach Boys released ‘Pet Sounds’ in 1966
Some know these summer-loving musicians for songs like “Kokomo” and “Good Vibrations.” In 1966, the Beach Boys released Pet Sounds. This production was even called a “religious experience” by Brian Wilson, saying that he and Carl Wilson held prayer sessions, asking God to let them bring music to people.
This collection featured fan-favorite tracks “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Sloop John B,” and “God Only Knows.” It peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard chart and continues to earn millions of Spotify plays decades after its release.
Paul McCartney mentioned his appreciation for the Beach Boys’ bass lines in ‘Pet Sounds’
Several artists shared their admiration for Pet Sounds. As the bass player for the Beatles (as well as a songwriter, singer, and pianist), it makes sense that McCartney would specifically mention the Pet Sounds bass track.
“Because the bass parts resound better in a studio, and you can take three hours to get one line if you really needed it,” Wilson said, according to Best Classic Bands. “You could take forever and get a goddamn line, you know?”
Some songs featured bass as the “principal instrument,” including “Here Today.” Additionally, the Beach Boys featured two bass players for some Pet Sounds tracks.
“Larry Levine what Phil Spector did with his basses, and Larry said Phil uses a standup and a Fender [electric] at the same time,” Wilson said, according to the same website. “And the Fender guy used a pick. So I tried it out at my session, and it worked great!”
“You also get a thicker sound putting the two basses together,” he elaborated. “I start with drums, bass, guitar, and keyboards. Then we overdubbed the horns and the background voices.”
Sometimes Wilson played the bass in recordings. More often than not, this artist was singing and playing the keyboard while on stage.
Are The Beach Boys and The Beatles friends?
As two of the most popular bands in the 1960s, there was some overlap between the Beach Boys and The Beatles. (Even during The Beatles: Get Back, the band realized they couldn’t properly record something because the equipment was being used by the Beach Boys.) According to one Beach Boys member, there wasn’t really a rivalry between the musicians.
“It was really just mutual inspiration, I think,” Wilson said during a 2015 interview with The Daily Beast. “I would get to hear their records before they came out, and I was totally blown away by Rubber Soul. And Sgt. Pepper’s? I was totally blown away by that. But it was inspirational, too.”
Music by the Beach Boys and the Beatles is available on most major streaming platforms.
