05/16/2026
Beach Boys' Brian Wilson was such a bright and very very special light. We loved him and loved working with him through all the time.
Today, 60 years ago, the groundbreaking album PetSounds was released. May 16, 1966. It was produced, arranged, and primarily composed by Brian with guest lyricist Tony Asher.
PetSounds was recorded largely between January and April 1966, it furthered the orchestral sound introduced in The Beach Boys Today! (1965). Seeking to expand Phil Spector's Wall of Sound technique and surpass the Beatles' Rubber Soul (1965), Wilson's orchestrations blended pop, jazz, exotica, classical, and avant-garde elements, combining rock instrumentation with layered vocal harmonies, found sounds, and instruments not normally associated with rock. It was their first album in which studio musicians, such as the Wrecking Crew, largely replaced the band on their instruments, and the first in which any rock group abandoned the small-ensemble format for an entire album. Its unprecedented total production cost exceeded $70,000 (equivalent to $690,000 in 2025).
Brian Wilson The Beach Boys Margareta Svensson Riggs
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