Pet Sounds (instrumental)
| "Pet Sounds" | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instrumental by The Beach Boys from the album Pet Sounds | |||||||
| Released | May 16, 1966 | ||||||
| Recorded |
November 17, 1965, United Western Recorders, Hollywood | ||||||
| Genre | Exotica[1] | ||||||
| Length | 2:38 | ||||||
| Label | Capitol | ||||||
| Composer(s) | Brian Wilson | ||||||
| Producer(s) | Brian Wilson | ||||||
| Pet Sounds track listing | |||||||
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"Pet Sounds" is an instrumental composed and produced by Brian Wilson and is the 12th track on the 1966 album Pet Sounds by American rock band the Beach Boys. Originally called "Run James Run", Wilson intended it to be used as the theme of a James Bond film.[2] It was then titled "Pet Sounds", later also becoming the title of the album on which it appears. It is the second instrumental to feature on Pet Sounds, the other being "Let's Go Away for Awhile".
The exotica piece has been compared to the work of Les Baxter and Martin Denny for its reverberated bongos and guiro combined with pervasive horns and a Latin rhythm.[2] According to Wilson: "I loved Thunderball, which had come out the year before, and I loved listening to composers like Henry Mancini, who did these cool themes for shows like Peter Gunn, and Les Baxter, who did all these big productions that sounded sort of like Phil Spector productions."[3] MOJO declared it an "ambiguous, jet-age update of Martin Denny-style 1950s exotica."[1]
Recording
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It was performed by Brian and several session musicians, with no other members of the Beach Boys. The session sheet for the recording date carries the notation, "This is a working title only."[4]
"Pet Sounds" was recorded on November 17, 1965 at United Western Recorders, with Chuck Britz engineering.[4][5] The unique percussion sound heard on the track is drummer Ritchie Frost playing two empty Coca-Cola cans, at Brian's suggestion.[4] Overdubs included bongos and two guitars filtered through a Leslie speaker.[6]
Personnel
According to AFM sheets[6] and Brad Elliot:[4]
- The Beach Boys
- Additional musicians
- Roy Caton - trumpet
- Jerry Cole - electric guitar
- Ritchie Frost - drums, Coca-Cola cans
- Bill Green - tenor saxophone, percussion
- Jim Horn - tenor saxophone
- Plas Johnson - tenor saxophone, percussion
- Carol Kaye - Fender bass
- Jay Migliori - baritone saxophone
- Lyle Ritz - upright bass
- Billy Strange - electric guitar
- Tommy Tedesco - guitar
Cover versions
- 1992 – Dos Dragsters, Smiles, Vibes & Harmony: A Tribute to Brian Wilson
- 2000 – Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra, Caroline Now!
- 2002 – Brooks Williams, Making God Smile
- 2003 – Tsuyoshi Kawakami, Moodmakers Mood
- 2005 – The Angry String Orchestra, String Quartet Tribute to Beach Boys' Pet Sounds
- 2006 – Architecture in Helsinki, Do It Again: A Tribute to Pet Sounds
- 2012 – Human Don't Be Angry, MOJO Presents Pet Sounds Revisited
- 2013 – The Duke of Norfolk, Mint 400 Records Presents The Beach Boys Pet Sounds
References
- 1 2 Mojo Staff (April 24, 2015). "The Beach Boys' 50 Greatest Songs". MOJO.
- 1 2 Lambert, Philip: Inside the Music of Brian Wilson, page 232. Continuum Publishing, 2007.
- ↑ Wilson, Brian; Greenman, Ben (2016). I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-82307-7.
- 1 2 3 4 Elliott, Brad (August 31, 1999). "Pet Sounds Track Notes". beachboysfanclub.com. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
- ↑ Doe, Andrew G.: "GIGS65." Bellagio 10452. Retrieved on 2009-10-11.
- 1 2 "Pet Sounds Session List". Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- ↑ "Sessionography". In Pet Sounds: 40th Anniversary Edition [CD booklet]. Los Angeles: Capitol Records