Editing Pet Sounds (section)

==Initial reactions==

In the U.S., early reviews of ''Pet Sounds'' varied from negative to cautiously favorable, according to Carlin.{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=85}} ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' called the album an "exciting, well-produced LP" with "two superb instrumental cuts" and highlighted the "strong single potential" of "Wouldn't It Be Nice"<ref name="BillboardMay1966">{{cite magazine |last1=''Billboard''{{'}}s Review Panel|title=Album Reviews|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=May 28, 1966|volume=78|issue=21|page=68|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PT1|access-date=April 19, 2016}}</ref> in a belated review.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=134}} Leaf, writing in 1978, said that while American critics had offered sporadic praise for the album, some fans spread word to avoid the "weird" new Beach Boys release.{{sfn|Leaf|1978|pp=86–87}}

Conversely, British music journalists had an overwhelmingly favorable response,{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=201–202}}{{sfn|Leaf|1978|pp=76, 87–88}} a reception partly attributed to promotional efforts by Taylor, Johnston, and Fowley.{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=201–202}} ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' founder [[Jann Wenner]] later recalled that British fans viewed the Beach Boys as "years ahead" of the Beatles and hailed Wilson as a "genius".<ref name="Gilliand" /> ''[[Disc and Music Echo]]'' critic [[Penny Valentine]] praised the album as "Thirteen tracks of Brian Wilson genius", describing it as "far more romantic" than the group's typical upbeat fare: "sad little wistful songs about lost love and found love and all-around love."{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=202}} Norman Jopling of ''[[Record Mirror]]'' reported that the LP had been "widely praised" and subjected to "no criticism". He prefaced his review as "unbiased", writing that his only "real complaint" with the album was the "terribly complicated and cluttered" arrangements,<ref name="Jopling">{{cite magazine |last1=Jopling |first1=Norman |title=The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (Capitol) |magazine=[[Record Mirror]] |date=July 2, 1966 |url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-beach-boys-pet-sounds-capitol}}</ref> and speculated it would primarily appeal to existing fans.{{sfn|Morgan|2015|p=109}} A contrasting review in ''Disc and Music Echo'' argued the album's "ambitious" instrumentation and contemporary relevance would attract "thousands of new fans", declaring it a "superb, important, and really exciting collection" that elevated the group's previously uneven output.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=139}}

''Melody Maker'' surveyed musicians on whether ''Pet Sounds'' was revolutionary or "as sickly as peanut butter", concluding the album had a "considerable" impact on artists and industry figures.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=139}} Three of nine respondents—Keith Moon, [[Manfred Mann]]'s [[Mike d'Abo]], and [[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]] of [[the Walker Brothers]]—disagreed that the album was revolutionary. D'Abo and Walker preferred the Beach Boys' earlier work, as did journalist and television presenter [[Barry Fantoni]], who favored ''Today!'' and said ''Pet Sounds'' was "probably revolutionary, but I'm not sure that everything that's revolutionary is necessarily good".<ref name="MelodyMakerProgPop">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Melody Maker]] |title=Pet Sounds, the Most Progressive Pop Album ever OR as sickly as Peanut Butter |date=July 30, 1966}}</ref> Moon's bandmate [[Pete Townshend]] criticized the album as "too remote and way out" and tailored for "feminine" audiences,{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=139}} though he later praised "God Only Knows" as "simple", "elegant", and "stunning when it first appeared; it still sounds perfect".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brianwilson.com/brian/musicians.html |title=Musicians on Brian: Pete Townshend |publisher=Brian Wilson.com |access-date=March 3, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222124723/http://brianwilson.com/brian/musicians.html |archive-date=February 22, 2009}}</ref>

[[File:Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov) 01 by L. Bakst.jpg|thumb|Record producer Andrew Loog Oldham lauded ''Pet Sounds'' in 1966 as "the pop equivalent" of [[Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s 1910 ballet ''[[Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov)|Scheherazade]]''.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=201}}{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=139}}]]

By contrast, [[Spencer Davis]] of [[the Spencer Davis Group]] stated he became "a fan" of the Beach Boys after repeated listens of the album, calling Wilson "a great record producer."{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=139}} [[Eric Clapton]], then with [[Cream (band)|Cream]], said his band "loved the album" and deemed Wilson "without doubt a pop genius."{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=139}} Andrew Loog Oldham told the magazine: "I think that ''Pet Sounds'' is the most progressive album of the year in as much as Rimsky-Korsakov's ''Scheherazade'' was. It's the pop equivalent of that, a complete exercise in pop music."{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=139}} In separate ''Melody Maker'' coverage, [[Mick Jagger]] of the Rolling Stones voiced his dislike of the album's songwriting, despite enjoying the record and its harmonies, while [[John Lennon]] acknowledged that Wilson was "doing some very great things".<ref>{{cite magazine|asin=B01AD99JMW|title=The History of Rock 1966|url=https://archive.org/details/TheHistoryOfRock1966/|date=2015|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|pages=52, 141}}</ref> By late 1966, the magazine declared ''Pet Sounds'' and the Beatles' ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]'' joint recipients of its "Pop Album of the Year" honor, explaining that its panel had deadlocked in debate before compromising on the dual selection.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=168}}