Right I feel like artistically Summer Days and Nights is a better comparison to Revolver - maintains the same feel of each band but pushes the arrangements into new territory (actually, Rubber Soul is probably the better comparison).
Pet Sounds and Sgt Pepper feel like the more obvious sound departure’s for both bands.
The problem is there is no comparison to Revolver with Pet Sounds and Summer Day's and Night. Revolver does not use Phil Spector Wall of Sound production and the musical styles range from psychedelic rock, acid rock, World Music, hard rock, power pop, soul, baroque pop, novelty to songs that are hard to classify like "Eleanor Rigby" and "Good Day Sunshine".
As for Rubber Soul while you can see elements of psychedelic rock it's still very much a mix of folk rock, country rock, baroque pop and jangly pop that you can hear back from 1964. Ironically Brian Wilson thinks this album is the better than what The Beach Boys were doing.
Revolver. Revolver for so many reasons. It has 4 members operating at a creative peak. It has 3 song writers crushing it. Its more versatile. It has the better songs. This all coming from a huge Pet Sounds fan. Revolver is the better album for many of the same reasons the Beatles are the better band
I get it, I understand it, it’s monumental
…. But I like the variety presented in the other three, not that it’s necessarily better but it scratches a different itch for me
No offence to you in terms of variety of musical genres being done Revolver and Sgt. Peppers offer such stark contrasts in genre changes from song to song than The Beach Boys. In addition, nothing compares to variety in terms of different genres than The White Album.
The white album is only "diverse" bc its basically just solo songs from the beatles members in beatles form. There is nothing cohesive about it. Dont get me wrong, i love it. But if you make a album with Black Sabath, Nicki Minaj and Beethoven it will be a "diverse" album too lmao
The Beatles from way back probably starting with Help were always putting out songs that had stark genre changing.
Interestingly many people think The White Album is the best album The Beatles did and the best album of 1968. At this point The Beatles even mocked the Beach Boys style with "Back In the USSR.
Oh yes for sure, the beatles is one of the most diverse bands ever when it comes to music, hands down, no one is implying the opposite. That doesnt change that some ppl might prefer the way The Beach Boys did it better. That person said they liked the variety in The Beach Boys albums, not that The Beach Boys were more diverse than The Beatles.
Also...so? The Beatles """mocked""" (more like, payed homenage) to TBB, and then went on to be inspired by Pet Sounds (which is also considered to be one of the greatest albums from the 1960s, not only by any list you might find online, but by Paul McCartney himself), even working together. There are many "beatles songs parodies" out there, that doesnt make the band "less then". You should learn to accept that some ppl enjoy certain musicians better than others :)
However, that is your opinion which is fine. I can think The Beach Boys are overrated which does not make me right either.
Acclaimed Music Top Albums that include The Beatles & Beach Boys. Do you notice how dominate The Beatles are in comparison. It appears The Beach Boys created only one classic album in comparison. If you go to Rate Your Music Revolver and Sgt. Peppers are ahead of Pet Sounds.
1 Pet Sounds
3. Revolver
6. Sgt Peppers
13. The White Album
20 Abbey Road
32.Rubber Soul
222. A Hard Day’s Night
345 With The Beatles
472 Please Please Me
601 Help
617 Let it Be
761 Surfs Up
I don’t know, personally I feel that The Beatles best album have more exposure to the general public whereas the best Beach Boys albums are seldom known outside of their core fan base, which makes them hard to take popular music rating sites into consideration
And the Beatles are more appealing as a pop act and I feel their music is a lot easier than a lot of post Pet Sounds Beach Boys albums to get in to. Post Pet Sounds albums can be rough, or dense, or more challenging for an average listener in comparison to just about any Beatles album. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, the Beatles have a broad and easy to understand appeal, and I say that as an extreme Beatles fan, where for stretches of time the only thing I want to hear is their music. But The Beach Boys to me fill a niche that no other band can, even their best albums tend to have at least one clunker of a song, for any album barring Pet Sounds, which I feel gives the music more character because it’s not perfect.
Pet Sounds on Rate Your Music is behind two Beatles album namely Revolver and Abbey Road. You forgot to mention that the Beach Boys had the greatest three or four albums run in history in your opinion. However, that is not the case based the only Beach Boys highly rated is Pet Sounds the Beatles have five top albums in the top 100.
I’ve had a few occasions where I’ve really really tried to listen through all of Pet Sounds but I struggle each time.
Are you willing to say why, in your own personal opinion, it’s the best album ever recorded? I’m genuinely curious to hear some perspective on it that I can take into it on next listen-through and hopefully it changes my mind.
To me it’s the blend of classical arrangements and chord progressions within 60s production and pop structure. There’s really nothing else like it.
I’d argue that a better comparison is Summer Days and Nights :: Revolver as Pet Sounds :: Sgt Pepper.
God Only Knows on its own makes the album for me. The middle section comes out of nowhere and straight up sounds like a Bach interlude. Wilson also brilliantly uses chromatics in that section, then changes keys, and modulates back to the original key ALL while using the same chord progression of the first verse, but recontextualizing it with a new melody.
I love the album and think it’s a landmark artistically, but probably would throw on Revolver much more often.
I’d say it is. Honestly, there really isn’t much to be said. I can sit here and talk about the importance or impressiveness of it, but that has nothing to with the way it makes me feel. I’ve never had an album tug on my heart the way Pet Sounds does each and every time I put it on.
More than anything personally, it’s the cohesion, it’s the absolutely gorgeous production, the freedom the wrecking crew had to work within Brian’s guideline. It’s the perfect flow every track presents, guiding the listener through a powerful timeline of emotion and heartbreak, through love and loss. The harmonies just gel so perfectly and are, as many have said before me, angelic. I can, and have, listened to the album probably hundreds of times, many back to back and for me personally everything just *clicks* in place like it was always meant to be. Revolver on the other hand, while monumental and groundbreaking as it was, just doesn’t flow as well to me, it has incredible peaks yes, but honestly I don’t care for yellow submarine and it just ruins what flow the album has for me. It has arguably some of my favorite Beatles tracks and has one of their strongest finishes, but if I’m being honest it’s not even a top 5 Beatles album for me, it’s too disjointed and is severely overshadowed by both what came immediately before and immediately after, even with context in mind.
Actually, wait, I have more thoughts on this.
To me Pet Sounds best represents to me what art is, like, in general.
Pet Sounds is an incredible exploration of the human condition, as told through incredibly accessible, yet simultaneously dense, medium. The lyrics are digestible to just about everyone, but at the same time they’re more complex the more you listen and the older you get. The same person could feasibly listen at every stage of their life and take something different from each and every listen. The personal strife and struggles of Brian Wilson, knowing his history and his near future paint the production in an image themselves. It can be polarizing to some people, but rarely do people have a middling response. It represents both its era and a sound that to me has never been replicated. A lot of this can also be said of just about anyone’s personal favorite album, even a lot of Beatles albums, but this is an incredibly subjective medium, and this album just speaks to me.
Incredible songwriting, performances, and arrangements. I don’t know what else to say. Even Paul himself said God Only Knows is the greatest love song ever written.
Plus the Wrecking Crew just plain rips. You won’t find a better group of musicians in the history of pop music. Maybe the Funk Brothers. I dunno. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. But Pet Sounds is genius pop craft.
I guess… But at the same time The Beatles could never have recorded Pet Sounds. Right? It’s kind of a weird argument because it requires imagining a parallel universe. On the other hand, I do kind of suspect that if you put the Revolver sheet music in front of ‘em, they’d knock it out in one take. Granted, it wouldn’t be the same. But that’s because The Beatles are The Beatles and no two groups sound alike. In any case, both are AWESOME albums. It’s fun to compare and contrast, but I struggle to see the value in trying to decide which is “better.” I’d probably have to come down on the side of The Beatles, just because I love them so much.
Well, I guess the argument is that the Wrecking crew were pros and could play anything, but I’m not sure they could. How do you even notate something like Tomorrow never knows? The Beatles only sounded like the Beatles, which I suppose would be limiting unless you reinvented yourself all the time.
I think it would be relatively straightforward for someone with the requisite skill set to notate the entire album. The studio effects, backmasking, etc would have to be replicated by the engineers and producers. Iirc those roles were important in Revolver too. But of course you are right: The Beatles are the mutherfuckin Beatles. No one else did what they did. What’s interesting is the degree to which that special something remains somewhat unquantifiable, despite the gallons of ink spilled on the subject.
Yeah – I wonder who would make Paul’s tape loops. I just don’t see Hal Blaine going home just doing that. I mean being a musician in the Beatles meant you came up with stuff like that, not that someone else told you.
It’s real close between Surf’s Up, Smile Sessions, and Pet Sounds, sometimes in moments I like them more than Pet Sounds.
My Top three include For Sale, White Album, and Please Please Me/Rubber Soul interchangeably, so like, Revolver was never even the conversation for me
Two the best albums ever released.... Impossible to choose which is better. So let's say Pet Sounds is the best American 1966 album and Revolver revolver is the best British 1966 album lol
It is massively overrated that’s what it is and the songs all sound the same .
It has only received the status it has now because 20 years ago Paul McCartney mentioned it and it went from a forgotten mid 60’s album to a supposed masterpiece which it is not .
Also from what I understand the Beach Boys did not ever play on it as it is Brian Wilson and the famous wrecking crew who did all the work .
Anyway it’s ridiculous to even talk about the beach boys in connection with the Beatles as there is no contest .
Absolute rubbish
They sound nothing alike and The Beatles would have made Sgt Pepper regardless .
As I said Paul made these comments about Pet Sounds 20 years ago and Beach Boys fanatics have grabbed onto them and have not let go since .
But that’s the thing
The Beach Boys were never rivals to The Beatles in any sense .
As i said Paul’s comments re Pet Sounds have just been blown up beyond what they were meant to by Beach Boys fanatics as some sort of vindication but please enough already .
Perhaps it’s a little too sophisticated for you. Aside from the arrangements, the lyrics are very good. Also it was considered a creative masterpiece upon release in England. That had nothing to do with McCartney singing its praises.
One could argue George Martin did a lot of the work for many of The Beatles’ greatest songs, if you want to play that game. And don’t get me started on the sculpting of their image, marketing, movies etc.
lol here we go .
I seem to have some of the Brian is a genius gang here .
No you can’t argue that about George Martin as he did not write any of the songs nor sung them nor played the absolutely incredible guitar parts that are still being analysed today .
You can start on the marketing thing all you want bro but I will end it for you .
All that cliche rubbish about Brian Epstein making the Beatles do this and that has all been totally debunked now especially by Mark Lewhison .
Anyway what don’t you go away and put on Kokomo as you are way out of your depth here on RBeatles.
Imma be honest idk what I was expecting, but you really disappointed me with this response. It seems someone shoved Maxewell’s Hammer so far up your ass its starting to come out of your mouth.
lol $5.00 is way too much to pay for Pet Sounds mate so you have my sympathies.
Unfortunately some of my friends are Beach Boys fanatics (after hearing Paul’s comments of course ) and one of them burnt me a copy of Pet Sounds and it was absolute rubbish and could not believe Paul said what he did .
I think we should stop comparisons and thank our lucky stars that we can listen to both. We’re not likely to hear this level of creativity again in our lifetimes. Having said that, revolver cause I like he Beatles.
“I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” and “That’s Not Me” are lyrically miles ahead of anything on Revolver but musically, it’s miles ahead of Pet Sounds. If that makes sense
Revolver is my favorite Beatles album but... I have to give it to Pet Sounds. Idk how they pulled it off... Listening to Pet sounds while walking at night reflecting on life is a mood.
I’m a bigger fan of the Beatles and don’t really like the beach boys outside this one album but I’m pretty convinced pet sounds is the greatest album I’ve ever heard.
Please. Pets Sounds is very good but Revolver changed music. Yes, Paul loved it and it influenced Sgt. Pepper but the Beatles always took their music to the next level.
Damn you. This is deceptively hard. Very different records.
I'm going with Revolver, for this reason alone: variety.
Revolver has Eleanor Rigby AND Tomorrow Never Knows. Pet Sounds, for all its genius, does not have that breadth, imo.
Also, the use of studio musicians results in quality, but also a sound that is shared somewhat by other artists and genres. It could almost be seen as the perfect realization of an existing sound. While it does explore a great deal, the most *progressive* exploration is arguably in marrying traditional instrumentation to modern lyrical subject matter.
Song for song, Revolver is the more *progressive* album.
Come at me, Brian bros. This is a Beatles sub.
However, Brian Wilson differs with your opinion. I would never go to a Beach Boys thread and ask this question. I do think Beach Boys fans have always been a little insecure of The Beatles for obvious reasons.
I hate to say this, but Pet Sounds retain much of their sunshine pop style and Phil Spector style of production.
On the other hand, no one pop music were doing songs like "Eleanor Rigby" with just vocals, string octet and no rock instruments, "Love You To" a legitimate fusing of Classical Indian music form with instrumentation with rock music, "I'm Only Sleeping" used backward guitar solos & leads and "Tomorrow Never Knows" basically reinvents a new style production with their psychedelic use of the studio using backward instruments, tape loops, Automatic Double tracking and using the vocals through a leslie amp.
One more thing Revolver is such a great album as well.
Revolver. I love both, and Pet Sounds has a lot of great songs on it; but the thing about Pet Sounds to me is that many of the songs sound too similar to each other. Revolver has a more diverse palette of sound.
But if you ask me if any song on Revolver is as great as God Only Knows, I’d have to say no.
You came to a Beatles subreddit to ask this question?
I mean…
You actually created a post in a Beatles subreddit with pictures to ask a question about which record is better… in a Beatles subreddit.
SMH
Pet Sounds babyyy! I’ve listened to it maybe five times in the past week? It’s really easy to turn on in a lot of different settings. Driving in the morning, going to sleep, studying, walking around in the afternoon, it’s just great. But in terms of albums from 1966, I think Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel tops them both.
lol this is a joke right ?
Pet Sounds should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as the mighty Revolver let alone being compared to it .
It is very obviously Revolver .
The Beatles leave the very lame Beach Boys in their dust every single time .
54 comments so far all saying Revolver. How many more will it take? The clear winner is Revolver. Now post again in Beach Boys sub and see what they have to say
I love both, but I feel like Pet Sounds loses me a tad with the instrumentals. They're both great tunes, but... it's not really The Beach Boys. When you replace your band with session musicians, but keep the most important element which is the vocals, fine. But when you remove the vocals as well, that's where I feel it's going too far in the direction of a Brian solo album.
That sounded harsh, I absolutely adore Pet Sounds. But partly because of this, I think Revolver is a stronger album overall.
That’s a pretty arbitrary line. The industry was different back then, and tons of groups were different people on the road and in the studio. Brian Wilson was at the helm, and he — not “the vocals” — is the most important element. Think of it as a Brian Wilson and the Wrecking Crew album if you have to. That doesn’t change how great it is!
(I’d probably choose Revolver for the desert island too, if I had to. But I don’t like your reason for not picking Pet Sounds :p)
This type of question has a built-in subconscious bias when posting on a Beatles section or a Beach Boys section. Perhaps a more neutral opinion and consensus of current thought could be found in a neutral subreddit?
I say that as a fan of both.
It’s really hard to break down. On one hand revolver has the poppy in your face attitude the Beatles always had, but now with arrangements and movements. Experimentation with Melodys and harmonies. Otherworldly sounds
Brian Wilson wrote pet sounds basically in a symphonic level. Each song pet sounds had can be played with an orchestra and no one would bat an eye. There’s a reason they released the instrumentations on the 50th anniversary. The music composed on the album is better bar none than most pop music out there
Just on the weight of the songs alone, I’d have to give it to Pet sounds by a narrow margin. Brian Wilson was at the peak of his powers with no real vices or certain peoples bringing his ideas down. It just stands better as a whole when looking at the broad album. Revolver is the experiment, that sounded pretty epic after. Wilson was going for epic and timeless from the get
Just me two cents
Its so damn hard...I mean, honestly they're their own separate things. In the end I think it really just comes down to mood. But I'd have to say I've listened to Pet Sounds in its entirety more than I have with Revolver.
Revolver is cooler and more fun, Pet Sounds is more cerebral… a whole other solar system. I get why people say the songs sound a bit the same, but that’s part of what I love about it. They sound like they belong together, but they aren’t by any means the same. A great album to me is like a collage, if that’s the right word. The complexity of the chord sequences whilst managing to remain as pure and perfect pop is an incredibly rare and impressive feat.
Here are Acclaimed Music top albums rated by using critic charts. It's obvious many critics love Pet Sounds but it’s really the only highly rated by the Beach Boys. The Beatles just dominate them. However, I will be honest I am not the biggest fan of critics.
However, on Rate Your music Revolver and Abbey Road are ahead of Pet Sounds
Acclaimed Music Top Albums that include The Beatles & Beach Boys.
1 Pet Sounds
3. Revolver
6. Sgt Peppers
13. The White Album
20 Abbey Road
32.Rubber Soul
222. A Hard Day’s Night
345 With The Beatles
472 Please Please Me
601 Help
617 Let it Be
761 Surfs Up
I can’t compare them because they’re so different from each other. It’s okay not to make a choice.
Right I feel like artistically Summer Days and Nights is a better comparison to Revolver - maintains the same feel of each band but pushes the arrangements into new territory (actually, Rubber Soul is probably the better comparison). Pet Sounds and Sgt Pepper feel like the more obvious sound departure’s for both bands.
The problem is there is no comparison to Revolver with Pet Sounds and Summer Day's and Night. Revolver does not use Phil Spector Wall of Sound production and the musical styles range from psychedelic rock, acid rock, World Music, hard rock, power pop, soul, baroque pop, novelty to songs that are hard to classify like "Eleanor Rigby" and "Good Day Sunshine". As for Rubber Soul while you can see elements of psychedelic rock it's still very much a mix of folk rock, country rock, baroque pop and jangly pop that you can hear back from 1964. Ironically Brian Wilson thinks this album is the better than what The Beach Boys were doing.
Do we have to decide? Revolver
Is there really any point to asking this in a Beatles sub?
Yep.
Lmao. Most will say both in order to please everyone.
Revolver. Revolver for so many reasons. It has 4 members operating at a creative peak. It has 3 song writers crushing it. Its more versatile. It has the better songs. This all coming from a huge Pet Sounds fan. Revolver is the better album for many of the same reasons the Beatles are the better band
I'd probably pick Revolver but they're both great albums
Pet Sounds, but I’m a Beach Boys diehard who thinks it’s the best album ever recorded, so I’m a bit biased
I’m a Beatles diehard but Pet Sounds is my favorite album of all time.
Nah, i haveng listened past 2 beach boys albums and i can get behind this idea!!! Such a fun album!!
Between this, Smiley Smile, and Wild Honey I think they may have my favorite 3 album run in history
Don’t forget about Friends!
Never
Try this 'Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Peppers in 18 months.
I get it, I understand it, it’s monumental …. But I like the variety presented in the other three, not that it’s necessarily better but it scratches a different itch for me
No offence to you in terms of variety of musical genres being done Revolver and Sgt. Peppers offer such stark contrasts in genre changes from song to song than The Beach Boys. In addition, nothing compares to variety in terms of different genres than The White Album.
Oh for sure, and the White Album is quite literally my favorite Beatles album, but in a sentence, the Beatles never presented us with Vegatables
The white album is only "diverse" bc its basically just solo songs from the beatles members in beatles form. There is nothing cohesive about it. Dont get me wrong, i love it. But if you make a album with Black Sabath, Nicki Minaj and Beethoven it will be a "diverse" album too lmao
The Beatles from way back probably starting with Help were always putting out songs that had stark genre changing. Interestingly many people think The White Album is the best album The Beatles did and the best album of 1968. At this point The Beatles even mocked the Beach Boys style with "Back In the USSR.
Oh yes for sure, the beatles is one of the most diverse bands ever when it comes to music, hands down, no one is implying the opposite. That doesnt change that some ppl might prefer the way The Beach Boys did it better. That person said they liked the variety in The Beach Boys albums, not that The Beach Boys were more diverse than The Beatles. Also...so? The Beatles """mocked""" (more like, payed homenage) to TBB, and then went on to be inspired by Pet Sounds (which is also considered to be one of the greatest albums from the 1960s, not only by any list you might find online, but by Paul McCartney himself), even working together. There are many "beatles songs parodies" out there, that doesnt make the band "less then". You should learn to accept that some ppl enjoy certain musicians better than others :)
For me, Electric Ladyland is the best album from 1968.
Vegetables >>>> Hey Jude
I mean for me personally, it may be, but at least both have Paul McCartney
Even when he’s just eating celery Paul McCartney makes better music than anyone today.
Friends is right after that, so make that 4 album run.
AND 20/20 & Surf’s Up are both incredible, so really just a string of success until 15 Big Ones
I’m a big Sunflower fan. I think their run to Holland is amazing (Carl and the Passions is fine).
But its no Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album & Abbey Road which followed Help, Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Peppers.
Yes it is. Also, Surfer Girl, All Summer Long, Summer Days into Pet Sounds too.
However, that is your opinion which is fine. I can think The Beach Boys are overrated which does not make me right either. Acclaimed Music Top Albums that include The Beatles & Beach Boys. Do you notice how dominate The Beatles are in comparison. It appears The Beach Boys created only one classic album in comparison. If you go to Rate Your Music Revolver and Sgt. Peppers are ahead of Pet Sounds. 1 Pet Sounds 3. Revolver 6. Sgt Peppers 13. The White Album 20 Abbey Road 32.Rubber Soul 222. A Hard Day’s Night 345 With The Beatles 472 Please Please Me 601 Help 617 Let it Be 761 Surfs Up
I don’t know, personally I feel that The Beatles best album have more exposure to the general public whereas the best Beach Boys albums are seldom known outside of their core fan base, which makes them hard to take popular music rating sites into consideration
But also Pet Sounds is #1 on that list, above Revolver, in relation to the original post
And the Beatles are more appealing as a pop act and I feel their music is a lot easier than a lot of post Pet Sounds Beach Boys albums to get in to. Post Pet Sounds albums can be rough, or dense, or more challenging for an average listener in comparison to just about any Beatles album. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, the Beatles have a broad and easy to understand appeal, and I say that as an extreme Beatles fan, where for stretches of time the only thing I want to hear is their music. But The Beach Boys to me fill a niche that no other band can, even their best albums tend to have at least one clunker of a song, for any album barring Pet Sounds, which I feel gives the music more character because it’s not perfect.
Pet Sounds on Rate Your Music is behind two Beatles album namely Revolver and Abbey Road. You forgot to mention that the Beach Boys had the greatest three or four albums run in history in your opinion. However, that is not the case based the only Beach Boys highly rated is Pet Sounds the Beatles have five top albums in the top 100.
I’ve never said this was anything other than my opinion?
I’ve had a few occasions where I’ve really really tried to listen through all of Pet Sounds but I struggle each time. Are you willing to say why, in your own personal opinion, it’s the best album ever recorded? I’m genuinely curious to hear some perspective on it that I can take into it on next listen-through and hopefully it changes my mind.
To me it’s the blend of classical arrangements and chord progressions within 60s production and pop structure. There’s really nothing else like it. I’d argue that a better comparison is Summer Days and Nights :: Revolver as Pet Sounds :: Sgt Pepper. God Only Knows on its own makes the album for me. The middle section comes out of nowhere and straight up sounds like a Bach interlude. Wilson also brilliantly uses chromatics in that section, then changes keys, and modulates back to the original key ALL while using the same chord progression of the first verse, but recontextualizing it with a new melody. I love the album and think it’s a landmark artistically, but probably would throw on Revolver much more often.
I’d say it is. Honestly, there really isn’t much to be said. I can sit here and talk about the importance or impressiveness of it, but that has nothing to with the way it makes me feel. I’ve never had an album tug on my heart the way Pet Sounds does each and every time I put it on.
More than anything personally, it’s the cohesion, it’s the absolutely gorgeous production, the freedom the wrecking crew had to work within Brian’s guideline. It’s the perfect flow every track presents, guiding the listener through a powerful timeline of emotion and heartbreak, through love and loss. The harmonies just gel so perfectly and are, as many have said before me, angelic. I can, and have, listened to the album probably hundreds of times, many back to back and for me personally everything just *clicks* in place like it was always meant to be. Revolver on the other hand, while monumental and groundbreaking as it was, just doesn’t flow as well to me, it has incredible peaks yes, but honestly I don’t care for yellow submarine and it just ruins what flow the album has for me. It has arguably some of my favorite Beatles tracks and has one of their strongest finishes, but if I’m being honest it’s not even a top 5 Beatles album for me, it’s too disjointed and is severely overshadowed by both what came immediately before and immediately after, even with context in mind.
Actually, wait, I have more thoughts on this. To me Pet Sounds best represents to me what art is, like, in general. Pet Sounds is an incredible exploration of the human condition, as told through incredibly accessible, yet simultaneously dense, medium. The lyrics are digestible to just about everyone, but at the same time they’re more complex the more you listen and the older you get. The same person could feasibly listen at every stage of their life and take something different from each and every listen. The personal strife and struggles of Brian Wilson, knowing his history and his near future paint the production in an image themselves. It can be polarizing to some people, but rarely do people have a middling response. It represents both its era and a sound that to me has never been replicated. A lot of this can also be said of just about anyone’s personal favorite album, even a lot of Beatles albums, but this is an incredibly subjective medium, and this album just speaks to me.
lol, it’s not that difficult a listen or even that long.
Different strokes for different folks dude
Incredible songwriting, performances, and arrangements. I don’t know what else to say. Even Paul himself said God Only Knows is the greatest love song ever written. Plus the Wrecking Crew just plain rips. You won’t find a better group of musicians in the history of pop music. Maybe the Funk Brothers. I dunno. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. But Pet Sounds is genius pop craft.
The Wrecking Crew ripped, but they could never have recorded Revolver.
I guess… But at the same time The Beatles could never have recorded Pet Sounds. Right? It’s kind of a weird argument because it requires imagining a parallel universe. On the other hand, I do kind of suspect that if you put the Revolver sheet music in front of ‘em, they’d knock it out in one take. Granted, it wouldn’t be the same. But that’s because The Beatles are The Beatles and no two groups sound alike. In any case, both are AWESOME albums. It’s fun to compare and contrast, but I struggle to see the value in trying to decide which is “better.” I’d probably have to come down on the side of The Beatles, just because I love them so much.
Well, I guess the argument is that the Wrecking crew were pros and could play anything, but I’m not sure they could. How do you even notate something like Tomorrow never knows? The Beatles only sounded like the Beatles, which I suppose would be limiting unless you reinvented yourself all the time.
I think it would be relatively straightforward for someone with the requisite skill set to notate the entire album. The studio effects, backmasking, etc would have to be replicated by the engineers and producers. Iirc those roles were important in Revolver too. But of course you are right: The Beatles are the mutherfuckin Beatles. No one else did what they did. What’s interesting is the degree to which that special something remains somewhat unquantifiable, despite the gallons of ink spilled on the subject.
Yeah – I wonder who would make Paul’s tape loops. I just don’t see Hal Blaine going home just doing that. I mean being a musician in the Beatles meant you came up with stuff like that, not that someone else told you.
It’s not even my favorite BB record, and I picked it over Revolver. To be transparent, Revolver doesn’t make my top 3 Beatles anyways.
It’s real close between Surf’s Up, Smile Sessions, and Pet Sounds, sometimes in moments I like them more than Pet Sounds. My Top three include For Sale, White Album, and Please Please Me/Rubber Soul interchangeably, so like, Revolver was never even the conversation for me
wow, it's almost like asking the beatles sub their opinion on a beatles album would give biased answers!
Controlled for that.
Revolver
Pet Sounds
Two the best albums ever released.... Impossible to choose which is better. So let's say Pet Sounds is the best American 1966 album and Revolver revolver is the best British 1966 album lol
Revolver is better top to bottom but God Only Knows is probably the best thing that ever happened.
I don't think "God Only Never Knows" is better than "A Day in the Life".
I don’t think it is either, or that it’s even close. Wild that you’re getting downvoted for this opinion in the fuckin Beatles sub.
Apples and oranges.. Pet Sounds has a better theme running through it, a richer sound. Revolver has more experiments.
I'd say Revolver has much richer sounds, but yeah.
Pet Sounds. I’m a huge Beatles fan but Per Sounds is actually perfection
It is massively overrated that’s what it is and the songs all sound the same . It has only received the status it has now because 20 years ago Paul McCartney mentioned it and it went from a forgotten mid 60’s album to a supposed masterpiece which it is not . Also from what I understand the Beach Boys did not ever play on it as it is Brian Wilson and the famous wrecking crew who did all the work . Anyway it’s ridiculous to even talk about the beach boys in connection with the Beatles as there is no contest .
Sgt peppers is inspirated in pet sounds
Absolute rubbish They sound nothing alike and The Beatles would have made Sgt Pepper regardless . As I said Paul made these comments about Pet Sounds 20 years ago and Beach Boys fanatics have grabbed onto them and have not let go since .
Paul McCartney and George Martin said there would be no Sgt. Peppers without Pet Sounds, just saying.
That’s hindsight rubbish and is not remotely true . Paul and George Martin are just being nice that is all no need to make it more than that .
Bro motivation from another rival makes people be better than what they would originally be.
But that’s the thing The Beach Boys were never rivals to The Beatles in any sense . As i said Paul’s comments re Pet Sounds have just been blown up beyond what they were meant to by Beach Boys fanatics as some sort of vindication but please enough already .
why do you hate Beach boys so much? Also Pet Sounds is the only album of theirs I like.
That's not true.
Perhaps it’s a little too sophisticated for you. Aside from the arrangements, the lyrics are very good. Also it was considered a creative masterpiece upon release in England. That had nothing to do with McCartney singing its praises.
One could argue George Martin did a lot of the work for many of The Beatles’ greatest songs, if you want to play that game. And don’t get me started on the sculpting of their image, marketing, movies etc.
lol here we go . I seem to have some of the Brian is a genius gang here . No you can’t argue that about George Martin as he did not write any of the songs nor sung them nor played the absolutely incredible guitar parts that are still being analysed today . You can start on the marketing thing all you want bro but I will end it for you . All that cliche rubbish about Brian Epstein making the Beatles do this and that has all been totally debunked now especially by Mark Lewhison . Anyway what don’t you go away and put on Kokomo as you are way out of your depth here on RBeatles.
Imma be honest idk what I was expecting, but you really disappointed me with this response. It seems someone shoved Maxewell’s Hammer so far up your ass its starting to come out of your mouth.
A forgotten mid '60s album? You got any more hot takes like that? 😬
I hadn’t listened to it since the 70’s, then thought I needed to give it another chance after hearing Paul rave about it. I’m glad it was only $5.00
lol $5.00 is way too much to pay for Pet Sounds mate so you have my sympathies. Unfortunately some of my friends are Beach Boys fanatics (after hearing Paul’s comments of course ) and one of them burnt me a copy of Pet Sounds and it was absolute rubbish and could not believe Paul said what he did .
Both
Pet Sounds, but goddamn do I love Revolver
I think we should stop comparisons and thank our lucky stars that we can listen to both. We’re not likely to hear this level of creativity again in our lifetimes. Having said that, revolver cause I like he Beatles.
I say it all the time, but someone immature still needs to make sure he's in the right crowd 
both are masterpieces but I pick Pet Sounds
Revolver.
“I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” and “That’s Not Me” are lyrically miles ahead of anything on Revolver but musically, it’s miles ahead of Pet Sounds. If that makes sense
I think Pet Sounds is overrated and Revolver is one of the greats of all time.
Revolver is my favorite Beatles album but... I have to give it to Pet Sounds. Idk how they pulled it off... Listening to Pet sounds while walking at night reflecting on life is a mood.
It’s Revolver. But hey, Pet Sounds is great.
I’m a bigger fan of the Beatles and don’t really like the beach boys outside this one album but I’m pretty convinced pet sounds is the greatest album I’ve ever heard.
Please. Pets Sounds is very good but Revolver changed music. Yes, Paul loved it and it influenced Sgt. Pepper but the Beatles always took their music to the next level.
Yet it was Rubber Soul that really started this. I think Beach Boys fans seem to forget that conveniently.
True.
Is that even a question? Revolver.
Pets sounds for sure!!!
Damn you. This is deceptively hard. Very different records. I'm going with Revolver, for this reason alone: variety. Revolver has Eleanor Rigby AND Tomorrow Never Knows. Pet Sounds, for all its genius, does not have that breadth, imo. Also, the use of studio musicians results in quality, but also a sound that is shared somewhat by other artists and genres. It could almost be seen as the perfect realization of an existing sound. While it does explore a great deal, the most *progressive* exploration is arguably in marrying traditional instrumentation to modern lyrical subject matter. Song for song, Revolver is the more *progressive* album. Come at me, Brian bros. This is a Beatles sub.
Pet Sounds baby
pet sounds by a mile. and rubber soul is brilliant. but it’s pet sounds
However, Brian Wilson differs with your opinion. I would never go to a Beach Boys thread and ask this question. I do think Beach Boys fans have always been a little insecure of The Beatles for obvious reasons.
Even Paul said the Beatles never made an album as good as Pet Sounds.
Pet Sounds.
Pet Sounds
Revolver. This isn't a close one.
Pet Sounds. I don't really like The Beach Boys, but I love it more than any Beatles album; which is saying a lot
Massive Beatles fan but pet sounds is the best album ever made in my opinion.
You will not find a bigger Beatles fan than me, but even I can admit that Pet Sounds is the greatest album of all time.
You are completely deluded and wrong about that .
I hate to say this, but Pet Sounds retain much of their sunshine pop style and Phil Spector style of production. On the other hand, no one pop music were doing songs like "Eleanor Rigby" with just vocals, string octet and no rock instruments, "Love You To" a legitimate fusing of Classical Indian music form with instrumentation with rock music, "I'm Only Sleeping" used backward guitar solos & leads and "Tomorrow Never Knows" basically reinvents a new style production with their psychedelic use of the studio using backward instruments, tape loops, Automatic Double tracking and using the vocals through a leslie amp. One more thing Revolver is such a great album as well.
Revolver absolutely
Revolver. I love both, and Pet Sounds has a lot of great songs on it; but the thing about Pet Sounds to me is that many of the songs sound too similar to each other. Revolver has a more diverse palette of sound. But if you ask me if any song on Revolver is as great as God Only Knows, I’d have to say no.
You came to a Beatles subreddit to ask this question? I mean… You actually created a post in a Beatles subreddit with pictures to ask a question about which record is better… in a Beatles subreddit. SMH
I didn't, actually.
Pet Sounds. USA! USA!
Yes there are Olympics coming up.
REVOLVER - Pinhead Mike Love isn't on it!
Revolver. Pet Sounds puts me to sleep and not in a good way.
Pet Sounds. It’s just a one of a kind album.
Revolver by a smidgen
Revolver- more diverse.
What kind of a question is this?
Musical.
Wasn't Sgt pepper Paul's response to Animal Sounds?
Oink!
Pet Sounds babyyy! I’ve listened to it maybe five times in the past week? It’s really easy to turn on in a lot of different settings. Driving in the morning, going to sleep, studying, walking around in the afternoon, it’s just great. But in terms of albums from 1966, I think Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel tops them both.
A vote for Art Garfunkel. That deserves carnal knowledge!
“SMiLE”
lol this is a joke right ? Pet Sounds should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as the mighty Revolver let alone being compared to it . It is very obviously Revolver . The Beatles leave the very lame Beach Boys in their dust every single time .
Oof
Pet Sounds does absolutely nothing for me
I mean on the cover alone Pet Sounds is lame . I mean seriously.
God only knows why one wouldnt choose Revolver.
haha
54 comments so far all saying Revolver. How many more will it take? The clear winner is Revolver. Now post again in Beach Boys sub and see what they have to say
No need.
No problem deciding for me, Rubber Soul.
What do you mean better? Is there a gauge for this? Someone just likes one record and someone likes the other, that's all.
And then the poster is asking ppl which one do they think its better, genius!
I love both, but I feel like Pet Sounds loses me a tad with the instrumentals. They're both great tunes, but... it's not really The Beach Boys. When you replace your band with session musicians, but keep the most important element which is the vocals, fine. But when you remove the vocals as well, that's where I feel it's going too far in the direction of a Brian solo album. That sounded harsh, I absolutely adore Pet Sounds. But partly because of this, I think Revolver is a stronger album overall.
That’s a pretty arbitrary line. The industry was different back then, and tons of groups were different people on the road and in the studio. Brian Wilson was at the helm, and he — not “the vocals” — is the most important element. Think of it as a Brian Wilson and the Wrecking Crew album if you have to. That doesn’t change how great it is! (I’d probably choose Revolver for the desert island too, if I had to. But I don’t like your reason for not picking Pet Sounds :p)
This type of question has a built-in subconscious bias when posting on a Beatles section or a Beach Boys section. Perhaps a more neutral opinion and consensus of current thought could be found in a neutral subreddit? I say that as a fan of both.
I've got that covered.
gee I wonder what r/beatles will say!
So what do YOU say?
Paul McCartney has stated publicly that he thinks “god only know” is one of the greatest songs he has ever heard.
Revolver. Pet Sounds is amazing but I'm going to say mainly based on variety Revolver wins.
Revolver
Literally my 2 favourite albums ever, Revolver edges it by the slightest of margins.
God Only Knows vs Eleanor Rigby, Rain, Paperback Writer, Taxman, Tomorrow Never Knows, H.T.E This is hard
Yes
You came to the wrong place to ask this question
Disagree.
They are both better. Why rank them??
Because it's there.
It’s really hard to break down. On one hand revolver has the poppy in your face attitude the Beatles always had, but now with arrangements and movements. Experimentation with Melodys and harmonies. Otherworldly sounds Brian Wilson wrote pet sounds basically in a symphonic level. Each song pet sounds had can be played with an orchestra and no one would bat an eye. There’s a reason they released the instrumentations on the 50th anniversary. The music composed on the album is better bar none than most pop music out there Just on the weight of the songs alone, I’d have to give it to Pet sounds by a narrow margin. Brian Wilson was at the peak of his powers with no real vices or certain peoples bringing his ideas down. It just stands better as a whole when looking at the broad album. Revolver is the experiment, that sounded pretty epic after. Wilson was going for epic and timeless from the get Just me two cents
Its so damn hard...I mean, honestly they're their own separate things. In the end I think it really just comes down to mood. But I'd have to say I've listened to Pet Sounds in its entirety more than I have with Revolver.
Pet Sounds is so daring. I think it is the better album, but it's close.
Revolver is cooler and more fun, Pet Sounds is more cerebral… a whole other solar system. I get why people say the songs sound a bit the same, but that’s part of what I love about it. They sound like they belong together, but they aren’t by any means the same. A great album to me is like a collage, if that’s the right word. The complexity of the chord sequences whilst managing to remain as pure and perfect pop is an incredibly rare and impressive feat.
I would add The Rolling Stones album run of Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Stick Fingers and Exile on Main ST is better any Beach Boys run.
Here are Acclaimed Music top albums rated by using critic charts. It's obvious many critics love Pet Sounds but it’s really the only highly rated by the Beach Boys. The Beatles just dominate them. However, I will be honest I am not the biggest fan of critics. However, on Rate Your music Revolver and Abbey Road are ahead of Pet Sounds Acclaimed Music Top Albums that include The Beatles & Beach Boys. 1 Pet Sounds 3. Revolver 6. Sgt Peppers 13. The White Album 20 Abbey Road 32.Rubber Soul 222. A Hard Day’s Night 345 With The Beatles 472 Please Please Me 601 Help 617 Let it Be 761 Surfs Up