Way over rated. The Beach Boys (a great pop band) get serious. Some good songs but not a great album IMO. Sorry.

I've rated this as my favorite album. Unique album, though influential, no one could place this as a 1966 recording from listening to it. Gorgeous music and meaningful lyrics, not even the instrumentals are skip overs.

A real landmark-heavy shit for its time-and still holds up today.

Only great thing the Beach Boys ever recorded. Sorta easy listening for romantic pot heads and teenage girls who were afraid of rock & roll.

Production and composing on par with Beatles product. That is indeed a major achievement, something the Stones could never,ever do.

For years I heard that this was a "brilliant" album.The Beach Boys never did much for me,personally,but I saw a copy of "Pet Sounds" for a buck at a flea market and figured I'd give it a listen...after all,I've been wrong about some bands I thought I did not like at one time or another,and everyone said "you have to hear Pet Sounds"-it even got a glorious write up in the "Rolling Stone" top 100 albums issue.Well,I heard it and it stunk.Thank gawd It only cost me $1.00 to find out!

Brilliant. Set a new standard in production values.

I'm not a big fan, in fact I hate most of their music, but the leap in production and the general quality of the tunes is very noteworthy. Surprisingly, it was , relatively speaking, commercially unsuccessful by Beach Boys standards, barely making the top ten albums chart in '66. indeed. Besides the hits, tunes like "I'm Waiting for the Day" and "I Know There's An Answer" were far deeper than the usual Beach Boys fare, touching on themes ranging from isolation to spirituality. By far their best record.

classic ... the start of serious true music ..a must for any music lover ... dig

Impossible to overrate the genius of Brian Wilson's masterpiece. Listen to this album with your headphones on and the lights turned off. The beauty and texture of these vocal harmonies are too brilliant for words to describe. The pacesetter for Sgt. Pepper and the dawning of a new musical age. Simply breathtaking!

Brilliant. Brian Wilson is indeed a tortured genius.

You need to read about how this album influenced the beatles, you can hear it too. Just like any good music you need to be able to hear the movement of the music and get rid of the light and close your eyes. I did not like the beach boys until I heard this album....a work of art.

I can't stand the Beach Boys. Their sound is obnoxious. . .

Top ten all the way

I've never been impressed.

is beyond any lp ... in that time frame ...was the first ... true concept ...lp its gem all around ... never at lost of its beauty and warm sound ...Brian Wilson did it all ... its the start of some serious ....music ... and the use of ... instruments blended with such harmony and since 97 in its true stereo mix even more brillance can he heard ... you have to listen with headphones alone in a rooom ... i bought this still have a decent copy in lp form from may 16 1966 a must for any music lover .... dig !!!

I am only listening to the album a long time after it was released for the beach boys are far before my time(im 11) and i dont really know much about Brian Wilson but i do know that i love some of the tracks, especially Sloop John B!

Not my favorite Beach Boys record (that would have to be Surfs Up), but the influence of this album is certainly up there with Sgt. Pepper.

I'd put this as the #3 album ever (behind Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper). This is a brilliant collection of songs written by Brian Wilson, who at the time was bed-ridden after a breakdown. The harmonies and melody singing created are really unmatched by most. It is a look into the mind of a musical genius. It escaped the Beach Boys from their surf rock title. "God Only Knows" is in the opinion of Paul McCartney, the best song of all-time. Also, "Wouldn't it be Nice" is a wonderful song. This is a personification of the Beach Boys at their best.

In the recording industry certain albums are milestones that forever change the way music is made. There is no way I can over exagerate the influence this album had on other artists when it first came out. Many artists, including the Beatles, changed the direction they were going, and tried to keep up with the genius of Brian Wilson. In this universe, once in a very great while, everything just comes together and you get perfection.

This is definatelly a masterpiece, not only for Beach Boys fans, but for anyone who can appreciate true music in its utmost form. Beautifully produced by genius Brian Wilson.

After seeing Pet Sounds in a couple of top ten lists for greatest albums of all time, AND after seeing such music afficionados such as Ruby, Medgar Evers, and Shafty write glowingly about it, I finally picked up the CD. There is no doubt that this is an extremely catchy record - "Wouldn't it be nice," "Sloop John B," ""God Only Knows," and "I Know There's an Answer" are all great. However, I'm not sure if Pet Sounds belongs in a class with the greatest of all time. Maybe it's that I just can't shake the image of the Beach Boys as being a poppy, summer band - as opposed to dark brooding geniuses (and I don't know why geniuses have to be "brooding")... maybe it's my bias. Anyway, Pet Sounds is a nice record to have in your collection, but it's not going to change your life.

The beach boys aren't the worst, but they sure ain't the best!

I never was a big Beach Boys fan but this was a good one. Brian Wilson should've teamed up with John and Paul for a few songs. Bet that would have been something to hear!

Brian Wilson may be one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. For a guy with one deaf ear, Brian heard beautiful harmonies in his ear and made the band his main instrument. A true necessity for any collection.

One of the best of our time, obviously due to it's impact and inspiration on other artists. It was at the cutting edge of it's time and still proves to be a creative album due to it's unique sound and effects.

If you've had a long hard day, this is the perfect CD to go out to. Brian Wilson was a genius when it came to amazing harmonies. "In My Room" is honest and beautiful.

Man- unlike most people, I've always liked the Beach Boys. Brian Wilson's (an absolute genius) music is a lot deeper than most people expect, and this is the guys at their best. This is undoubtedly one of the top 5 albums of all time. All of the Boys are so talented and blend together like no one else. Best tracks: "You Still Believe In Me", "Let's Go Away for Awhile", "Sloop John B.", "God Only Knows", "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", "Caroline, No"...

Damn this is a great record. I am not sure if I am into a Beach Boys phase right now or what, but it is the first time I have ever really given them a serious chance and I am now finding that so much of their music is genius. 'Pet Sounds' has to be one of their best records (next to some greatest hits one that you can find anywhere). Listen to it, sing along to it and wonder about it, it is an all-around terrific record. What was Brian Wilson thinking about when he wrote this magic? God only knows.... get it? Pick it up from your local record store or on-line dealer and wish you lived in Califronia for a while.

One of the most enduring artifacts of the 1960s -- beautiful melodies, inventive arrangements, and a bittersweet tale: Brian Wilson begins wanting to rush from adolescence to adulthood (Wouldn't It Be Nice) and ends looking back longingly on innocence lost (Caroline, No). THIS IS A MUST HAVE RECORD!