Editing Pet Sounds (section)

==Aftermath, ''Smile'', and spiritual successors==
[[File:Brian Wilson,1960s.jpg|thumb|left|Wilson (pictured in late 1966) was devastated by the album's commercial failure and aspired to top himself with ''Smile''.]]

Wilson later stated that while ''Pet Sounds'' was well-received in Britain, he viewed its commercial underperformance in the U.S. as the collective public rejection of his artistry.<ref name=BrianWilson1997 /> His wife recalled that the tepid response "destroyed Brian", causing him to lose faith in music and others: "then when people would talk about it later, tell him how great it was, even if it was just a year later, he didn't want to hear about it. It reminded him of failing. And then he was more tortured."<ref name="Marilyn1997" /> Reflecting on his brother's disappointment, Carl called the album "like going to church, a labor of love", and lamented that Brian missed experiencing its British success firsthand during the band's late 1966 UK tour, where its "full impact" became evident.<ref name="Carl1997" />

Asher recalled that neither he nor Brian initially regarded ''Pet Sounds'' as a "masterpiece", stating he was primarily impressed by its production and viewed it as a way to demonstrate rock's potential as a mature art form to figures like his parents and advertising colleagues.{{sfn|Kent|2009|p=26}} In 1975, Taylor stated that Wilson remained unfazed by the album's commercial performance, instead focusing on surpassing contemporaries such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.{{sfn|Kent|2009|p=28}}

[[File:The Beach Boys September 16 1967 Billboard.png|thumb|The Beach Boys accepting a gold record sales certification for "Good Vibrations" at the [[Capitol Tower]] (December 1966)]]

Through the remainder of 1966, Wilson collaborated with lyricist [[Van Dyke Parks]] on ''[[Smile (The Beach Boys album)|Smile]]'', an unfinished album Wilson described as "a teenage symphony to God" intended to surpass ''Pet Sounds''.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=204}} During its production, he revisited earlier psychedelic comedy concepts explored during ''Pet Sounds'' session outtakes.<ref name="Runtagh2016"/> Released in October, the single "Good Vibrations" became a global hit.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=150}} Murray suggested the single's success helped clarify Wilson's artistic ambitions for listeners initially perplexed by the "un-hip orchestrations and pervasive sadness" in ''Pet Sounds''.<ref name=AVPrimer>{{cite news |last1=Murray |first1=Noel |title=A beginner's guide to the sweet, stinging nostalgia of The Beach Boys |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/beginners-guide-sweet-stinging-nostalgia-beach-boy-210390 |newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=October 16, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620010325/https://www.avclub.com/a-beginner-s-guide-to-the-sweet-stinging-nostalgia-of-1798273533 |archive-date=June 20, 2021}}</ref>

As Wilson's mental health declined, his participation in the Beach Boys diminished, prompting the group to release subsequent albums that were less ambitious and received little critical attention.{{sfn|Harrison|1997|pp=49, 53}} Wilson, in 1976, cited the band's 1968 release ''[[Friends (The Beach Boys album)|Friends]]'' as his second "solo album" after ''Pet Sounds''.<ref name="Oui76">{{cite magazine |last1=Rensin |first1=David |title=A Conversation With Brian Wilson |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/a-conversation-with-brian-wilson |magazine=[[Oui (magazine)|Oui]] |date=December 1976 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The album was a commercial failure, leading the group's fanbase to abandon "any hope that [he] would deliver a true successor", according to a ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' contributor.{{sfn|Mojo|2007|p=132}}

Wilson attempted several professional comebacks in subsequent years, including the 1977 album ''[[The Beach Boys Love You]]'',<ref name="Guriel2016"/> which marked his brief return as the group's primary songwriter and vocalist.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=213}} He regarded ''Love You'' as a spiritual successor to ''Pet Sounds'', citing its autobiographical lyrics,{{sfn|Wilson|Greenman|2016|p=197}} and his feeling of creative fulfillment regarding the work.{{sfn|Tobler|1978|p=93}} In 1988, he released his debut solo album ''[[Brian Wilson (album)|Brian Wilson]]'', aiming to revisit the sensibilities of ''Pet Sounds''. Co-producer [[Russ Titelman]] promoted it as "''Pet Sounds'' '88".{{sfn|Dillon|2012|p=259}} It included "Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long", a thematic follow-up to "Caroline, No".{{sfn|Dillon|2012|p=98}}

The Beach Boys rerecorded "Caroline, No" with [[Timothy B. Schmit]], featuring a new multi-part vocal arrangement, for their 1996 album ''[[Stars and Stripes Vol. 1]]''.{{sfn|Dillon|2012|p=100}} Following the album's release, tentative plans emerged for a project biographer Mark Dillon dubbed ''Pet Sounds, Vol. 2'', which would have involved the band collaborating with [[Sean O'Hagan]] of [[the High Llamas]].{{sfn|Dillon|2012|pp=102, 104}} Despite interest from record companies, the project remained unrealized.{{sfn|Dillon|2012|pp=107}} Later in the 1990s, Wilson and Asher resumed their songwriting partnership, composing at least four songs; only "This Isn't Love" and "Everything I Need" were released.{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=324}}