Hi! And welcome to the latest addition to my Desert Island Picks.
In case you missed my little advertisement, I’ve decided to award ten–yes, only ten—top albums of my life.
And when I say ‘album’, I mean the entire album, friends. The whole record. Not some compilation or mix tape. I put in the CD, crank up the volume on quality speakers, and let the artist’s creation come to life.
You know. How it was intended.
All right. Now that we’ve cleared that up, let us begin!
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#10: Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys (1966)
While I’ve always appreciated The Beach Boys, I’ve never been some die-hard fan. But when I read that Pet Sounds has been considered the Greatest Concept Album of All-Time (along with The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, many argue) I had to check it out.
At 22, having freshly graduated college, I moved into my own tiny apartment in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square. As the place slowly became mine—complete with string lights, and my students’ artwork on the fridge—I finally selected Pet Sounds on my touchscreen jukebox. (Yes, I had a jukebox. The Husband had handcrafted it for me when we were dating. Reason #805 why he’s the coolest person I know.)
Anyway, this album is a gem, to say the least. With its layers of symphonic instrumentation, young, fresh vocals, and chord changes that make you reassess life, it’s an album that stays with you, Dear Reader.
And Paul McCartney, who in my humble opinion is God, made the following remarks about The Beach Boys’ eleventh studio album:
“Pet Sounds blew me out of the water,” Paul recalled in 2003. “First of all, it was Brian’s writing. I love the album so much. I’ve just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life – I figure no one is educated musically ’til they’ve heard this album” (Havers 2018).
So, heed Paul’s advice. Listen. Love. And let the music soothe your weary soul.
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Favorite Track: “Let’s Go Away for Awhile”
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Sources:
Why The Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’ Remains a Work of Art by Richard Havers. 2018. Udiscovermusic.com
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Stay tuned for Snap’s #9! (number nine. . . number nine. . . number nine. . .)
SnapDragon is just a wildflower in a Mason jar, yo.
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