Editing Pet Sounds (section)

===Historical context and influence on ''Sgt. Pepper''===
{{Further|Cultural impact of the Beatles}}

Discussions of the greatest albums of all time frequently cite ''Pet Sounds'' alongside the Beatles' ''Revolver'' and Bob Dylan's ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'', all released within four months in 1966. [[Liel Leibovitz]] described ''Pet Sounds'' and ''Blonde on Blonde'' as "two strands in the same conversation" that briefly transformed American popular music into "a religious movement".<ref name="Lebo2016">{{cite web |last1=Leibovitz |first1=Liel |author-link1=Liel Leibovitz |date=May 20, 2016 |title=Fifty Years Ago This Week, Two of Rock's Greatest Albums Were Released on the Same Day |url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/music/203086/bob-dylan-beach-boys-albums |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118015422/http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/music/203086/bob-dylan-beach-boys-albums |archive-date=January 18, 2018 |website=[[Tablet (magazine)|Tablet]]}}</ref> [[Geoffrey Himes]] argued that Wilson's innovative harmonies and timbres were as impactful as Dylan's incorporation of irony into rock lyrics.<ref name=HimesSurf /> Velvet Underground co-founder [[John Cale]] commented, "What Brian came to mean was an ideal of naïveté and innocence [...] ''Pet Sounds'' was adult and childlike at the same time."{{sfn|Leaf|2022|p={{page needed|date=July 2022}}<!-- page 17 on Kindle edition --->}}{{refn|group=nb|[[Charlie Gillett]] observed that the album's "naïve innocence" diverged from the skepticism permeating contemporary works by Dylan, the Beatles, and the Stones,{{sfn|Gillett|1984|p=384}} whereas [[Jon Savage]] saw that ''Pet Sounds'' preserved emotional sincerity amid cultural shifts, contrasting the Rolling Stones' "icy [[mod (subculture)|mod]] cool" with its tender vulnerability.{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=476}}}} 

[[File:The Beatles and Lill-Babs 1963.jpg|thumb|[[Paul McCartney]], [[George Harrison]] and [[John Lennon]] each championed ''Pet Sounds'' when it was released.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=135}} ]]

Rock historians also frequently link ''Pet Sounds'' to the Beatles' ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'', released in May 1967.{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=57}}{{refn|group=nb|According to Jones, the interplay between the two bands during this era remains one of the most noteworthy episodes in rock history.{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=56}}}} Paul McCartney often cited ''Pet Sounds'' as his all-time favorite album{{Sfn|Howard|2004|p=64}} and "God Only Knows" as "the greatest song ever written",{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=197–199, 227}} declaring in 1990 that "no one is educated musically 'til they've heard that album."{{sfn|Zak|2001|p=209}}{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=74}} He credited ''Pet Sounds'' as an influence on his increasingly melodic bass-playing style, his ''Revolver'' composition "[[Here, There and Everywhere]]", and ''Sgt. Pepper''.{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=194, 197–199, 227}}{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=57}}{{refn|group=nb|According to Larry Starr, the "historical importance" of ''Pet Sounds'' is "certified" by McCartney's admission that it served as "the single greatest influence" on ''Sgt. Pepper''.{{sfn|Starr|2007|p=265}} John Covach states that "''Pet Sounds'' "prodded the Beatles to experiment more radically" with ''Sgt. Pepper'',{{sfn|Covach|2015|pp=200–202}} while David Howard writes, "Undeniably, the song-cycle construction of ''Pet Sounds'' was the catalyst" for the Beatles' album.{{Sfn|Howard|2004|p=64}} }}

{{quote box
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| quote =''Pet Sounds'' had a lot to do with ''Sgt. Pepper''. I remember talking to Paul McCartney and a couple guys and they were saying, "Sorry we ripped you off."
| source = —Dennis Wilson, 1977<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gross |first1=Michael |author-link=Michael Gross (American writer)| title=The Beach Boys Are Back in Town |work=Swank |date=1977 |url-access=subscription |via=[[Rock's Backpages]]|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-beach-boys-are-back-in-town}}</ref>
}}

Shared musical features adopted from ''Pet Sounds'' included upper-register bass lines, a larger emphasis on floor toms, and more eclectic and unorthodox combinations of instruments (including bass harmonica).{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=197–199}}{{sfn|Brend|2005|p=122}}{{refn|group=nb|According to musician Lenie Colacino, McCartney "didn't start using the upper register on his Rickenbacker bass until after he heard ''Pet Sounds''. The bass parts for 'Here Today' directly influenced the way Paul played on '[[With a Little Help from My Friends|With a Little Help]]' and '[[Getting Better]]'."{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=199}} Granata writes that, by the time the Beatles recorded ''[[Magical Mystery Tour]]'' (November 1967), "it was clear they'd fully assimilated the essence of Brian's eclectic arranging style."{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=201}} Lambert observes that the structural key relationships in ''Pet Sounds'' parallel those [[Walter Everett (musicologist)|Walter Everett]] identified in ''Sgt. Pepper'', particularly the recurring use of B{{music|flat}} as a tonic key in four of six songs within the album's latter half.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=116}} }} [[George Martin]] stated that Wilson "gave the Beatles and myself quite a good deal to think about in trying to keep up with him",{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=198}} adding that "Without ''Pet Sounds'' [...] ''Sgt. Pepper'' wouldn't have happened."{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=135}}{{refn|group=nb|George Harrison reflected that the group had felt threatened by the album.<ref>{{cite episode|people=Wonfor, Geoff; Smeaton, Bob (Directors)|series=[[The Beatles Anthology (documentary)|The Beatles Anthology]]|number=5|medium=Documentary series|network=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|year=1995}}</ref> Asked in 1966 for the musical person he most admired, Lennon named Wilson.{{sfn|Dillon|2012|p=73}} Singer [[Tony Rivers]] recalled "talking to John for about 20 minutes at the NEMS Enterprises Christmas party one year. And the main part of the conversation was the Beach Boys, and how great they were."{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=135}} }}