It has topped several critics' and musicians' polls for the best album of all time, including those published by NME, Mojo, Uncut, and The Times. Pet Sounds revolutionized the field of music production and the role of producers within the music industry, introduced novel approaches to orchestration, chord voicings, and structural harmonies, and furthered the cultural legitimization of popular music, a greater public appreciation for albums, the use of synthesizers, the recording studio as an instrument, and the development of psychedelic music and progressive/ art rock. An expanded reissue, The Pet Sounds Sessions, was released in 1997 with isolated vocals and instrumental versions, session highlights, and the album's first true stereo mix. The album's unprecedented total production cost exceeded $70,000 (equivalent to $580,000 in 2021). An early concept album, it consists mainly of introspective songs like " I Know There's an Answer", a critique of LSD users and " I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", the first use of a theremin-like instrument on a rock record. The album could not be reproduced live and was the first time that any group departed from their usual small-ensemble electric rock band format for a whole LP. Incorporating elements of pop, jazz, exotica, classical, and the avant-garde, Wilson's Wall of Sound-based orchestrations mixed conventional rock set-ups with elaborate layers of vocal harmonies, found sounds, and instruments never before associated with rock, such as bicycle bells, French horn, flutes, Electro-Theremin, string sections, and beverage cans. It was followed by two singles credited to the group: " Sloop John B" and " Wouldn't It Be Nice" (backed with " God Only Knows"). Lead single " Caroline, No" was issued as his official solo debut. It is sometimes considered a Wilson solo album that builds upon the advancements of The Beach Boys Today! (1965). His goal was to create "the greatest rock album ever made"-a cohesive work with no filler tracks. It was recorded largely between January and April 1966, a year after Wilson quit touring with his bandmates. The album was produced, arranged, and almost entirely composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher.
It is considered to be among the greatest and most influential albums in music history. Promoted there as "the most progressive pop album ever", Pet Sounds garnered recognition for its ambitious production, sophisticated music, and emotional lyrical content. In the United Kingdom, the album was lauded by critics and reached number 2 on the Record Retailer chart, remaining in the top ten for six months. It was initially met with a lukewarm critical and commercial response in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. Pet Sounds is the 11th studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. " Wouldn't It Be Nice" / " God Only Knows".