I think it's quite appropriate that these two have been drawn together. Both released in 1966 and of course, both artists had a huge influence on one another (particularly Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney). McCartney has made no secret of the fact that Pet Sounds is one of his all time favourites.
Speaking in 1990: It was Pet Sounds that blew me out of the water. 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 that album.
Although The Beatles' previous album, Rubber Soul had a huge influence on Brian Wilson, I'm not sure how much that was the case with Revolver, but perhaps someone else who might know a bit more could shed some light there? It certainly is a shame that the U.S. release of Revolver omitted And Your Bird Can Sing and, (I think) I'm Only Sleeping. Again, If anyone knows why the fab four released different versions of their LPs on both sides of the Atlantic until Sgt. Pepper, please let me know.
I found this story on the recording sessions for Revolver quite interesting:
On Wednesday, June 1st, 1966, the Beatles, with a coterie of fellow madcaps including Marianne Faithful, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and George Harrison's wife, Pattie, gathered in Abbey Road's Studio Two to outfit "Yellow Submarine" with sound effects.
Zaniness had always been a special interest of John Lennon's, going back to his passion for The Goon Show. Getting into nautical mode, Lennon pressed Revolver engineer Geoff Emerick to record him singing underwater, after having first attempted to sing while gargling.
"While George Martin worked at dissuading him," Emerick later wrote, "I began thinking of an alternative. Might we have John sing into a mic that was immersed in water?"
A mic was duly wrapped in a condom for protection, prompting the Lennon wisecrack, "We don't want the microphone getting in the family way," and dropped in a milk carton.
The signal was distant and the gambit was abandoned, but no one at the time was aware how lucky Lennon had been. "It wasn't until many years later," Emerick concluded, "that I realized with horror that the microphone we were using was phantom-powered – meaning that it actually was a live electrical object. In conjunction with the 240-volt system used in England, any of us, including Lennon, could easily have been electrocuted, and I would have gone down in history as the first recording engineer to kill a client in the studio."
How they Line Up:
Pet Sounds ---------------------------------Revolver
1. Wouldn't It Be Nice------------------------1. Taxman
2. You Still Believe in Me----------------------2. Eleanor Rigby
3. That's Not Me ----------------------------3. I'm Only Sleeping
4. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)----4. Love You To
5. I'm Waiting For The Day --------------------5. Here, There and Everywhere
6. Let's Go Away For Awhile -------------------6. Yellow Submarine
7. Sloop John B ------------------------------7. She Said She Said
8. God Only Knows --------------------------8. Good Day Sunshine
9. I Know There's an Answer-------------------9. And Your Bird Can Sing
10. Here Today-----------------------------10. For No One
11. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times ---------11. Doctor Robert
12. Pet Sounds------------------------------12. I Want To Tell You
13. Caroline, No-----------------------------13. Got To Get You Into My Life
-------------------------------------------14. Tomorrow Never Knows
Key Player ----------------------------------Key Player
God Only Knows-----------------------------Tomorrow Never Knows
So, which is your favourite? Unfortunately, YouTube isn't great for these so I haven't posted any links. The Revolver playlist on YouTube had P.S. I Love you from the Beatles' debut LP (which was released almost four years prior to Revolver) on it, so that won't do!
The winning album will be in the quarter finals. I'll probably leave this up for about a week before the next 1v1.
Discussions, facts opinions etc. are all very welcome, but don't forget to vote!
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Comments
Much prefer Revolver.
Pet sounds has some outstanding tracks such as God Only Knows but once you get past the technical wizardry many of the songs don't stand up that well imo.
Revolver is a better album as in overall feel although I think Yellow submarine, while great fun, kills the vibe, man
But Revolver wins this head to head by light years. It has everything. The politics of Taxman, the "amen cadence" that ends Eleanor Rigby (those two notes alone are enough to highlight what a genius McCartney was). Got To Get You Into My Life was at least ten years ahead of its time. But Tomorrow Never Knows (with Ringo's drum sample probably predating hip hop by a generation) is an astonishing piece of work, still fresh now.
Pet Sounds is great. Revolver is much, much better than that.
Revolver on the other hand is musically the finest album from the most influential band in the history of popular music. It changed everything and set the standard for decades to come.
Easy one for me - Revolver.
So Revolver for me.
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long
And wouldn't it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong
You know its gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together"
"our day breaks, your mind aches,
You find that all her words
Of kindness linger on when she no longer needs you.
She wakes up, she makes up,
She takes her time and doesn't
Feel she has to hurry she no longer needs you.
And in her eyes you see nothing,
No sign of love behind the tears cried for no one.
A love that should have lasted years.
You want her, you need her,
And yet you don't believe her
When she says her love is dead you think she needs you"
She loves You and Summer Holiday were a few years earlier but the BB were still in that safe US radio mode
Both albums have stood the test of time. Both contain some incredible songs. Lyrically, Revolver is more evolved and more interesting. Musically it's Pet Sounds which perhaps has greater depth.
I'll vote for Revolver, although I probably enjoy playing Pet Sounds more, especially when I'm feeling .... reflective.
I have a friend who hates the Beatles but likes the Ringo songs.
The US version only had 11 tracks with I'm Only Sleeping, Dr Robert and And Your Bird Can Sing left off (they were included on Yesterday and Today, an 11 track US album which has no UK equivalent. No idea who made the decisions on this - maybe the record companies managed to eek out even more profit there.
Revolver for me (I won't be surprised if it wins the whole contest)
Should mention that Revolver is more lyrically interesting and varied overall though.
Pet Sounds is a thousand miles ahead of Revolver in terms of composition, production and instrumentation. Everybody takes it for granted now but it was truly groundbreaking at the time. I could listen to it all day.