I have a copy of The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" in Mono, but it's trashed by time and lack of care. As I was strolling at a local record store in Atwater Village (Jacknife), I found a new copy or edition of this classic in Mono. I bought it, and in our darkened living room I played the album. Some records define the time of day, for instance, some recordings work great in the morning, and others in the afternoon. "Pet Sounds" strikes me as a work that is perfect for the late evening. I'm a firm believer that one should go to, or prepare for bed in a sad state of mind. "Pet Sounds" is the perfect soundtrack for that mood.
Hearing a fresh new copy is a gift that keeps on giving. I think one can only listen to The Beach Boys in Mono. Not only due to Brian Wilson being deaf in one ear, but the aesthetic of the recording needs to come from one direction. It's a very compressed recording, where you feel the emotion is being put in a tiny room. Yet the feelings are expansive and vast. There is lots of tension that runs through the album. I have written about "Pet Sounds" back in 2013 on this blog. My feelings are the same, but listening to it last night, strikes me as a very intimate experience. It's not a record that I'm compelled to share, but to be in a dark room in the middle of the evening - that's the perfect setting for The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds."
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