Pet Sounds: Most Overrated Album of All Time?

Pet Sounds... ZZZZZZZZZZ...

"The Beach Boys are the greatest American rock band of all time",

Not intending to pick on anybody here, but the above statement is a good illustration of one of the main difficulties of threads such as this: the very strong tendency for we humans to confuse the subjective and the objective. I'd argue that we all do it to some degree, at least some of the time. If something aesthetic conforms to our personal tastes, we assume it must therefore have some sort of objective, universal merit. 

Those of us with any sort of artistic training are perhaps more practiced in evaluating art from the standpoint of craft, which is not the same thing as 

"I like it-- it's good; I don't like it-- it's bad". 

@martykl:

"Rock is a reductionist/primitivist art form which isn't really complicated."

Sure-- if all you're talking about is the 50's. Otherwise, where have you been?????

There is a YouTube video in which a pianist sits at his keyboard, explaining and demonstrating the "bones" (chord progression, modulations---aka key changes, melody, counterpoint) of "God Only Knows" as he leads you through the musical construction of what is not only the "best" song on Pet Sounds, but imo one of the best songs ever written. The craft involved in creating that song, the musical knowledge and wisdom required to do so, is far above what most Rock songwriters are in possession of, and apparently far above what some listeners are capable of appreciating, as is the beauty of the song. No offense intended. ;-)

But I completely understand why some don’t care for the Pet Sounds album. It is NOT Rock music, and sounds in a way "quaint". Most Rock music contains at least trace elements of Blues, which gives the music a "hard" edge, which people like their Rock to have. Pet Sounds contains zero Blues, and sounds gentle, soft, very "white". Is it okay to say that? ;-)

One songwriter who DOES appreciate "God Only Knows" is Paul McCartney, who still considers it his all-time favorite song, and Pet Sounds his favorite album.

Once you’ve heard Pet Sounds’ follow-up---the aborted Smile---PS just sounds like Brian Wilson warming up to do Smile. That Smile was not completed in 1967 and released prior to Sgt. pepper---as was intended---is one of Rock ’n’ Roll’s great artistic tragedies. Hope that doesn’t sound too "grand". ;-)

@bdp24,

Smile is a fine example of one man stretching himself too far.

Just like Newton and his alchemy or Einstein with his Unified Field Theory.

Listening to it, for me, was a case of "if only's".

Anyway, Pet Sounds is more than good enough even if I disagree about its best song.

I tend to prefer Here Today.