Pet Sounds: Most Overrated Album of All Time?

I am very up on this album for the following reasons:

1) Production values. This is a beautifully arranged album featuring crackerjack session people. Aside from the vocals, the other Beach Boys barely play on this. Brian envisioned this as a thematic whole and the studio musicians were selected as such to enhance the sound. How many records do you own that so effortlessly weave together sleighbells, light trumpets, tympani and other effects? I am sure this sophisticated layering is what struck the Beatle's fancy.

2) Great song writing. It was Brian's attempt to make a more mature album, with more adult themed lyrics. The songs are haunting in their self-consciousness. Working with Peter Asher, the songs are wonderful compositions that reflect both suburban fulfillment and darker, more troubling visions of post-adolescence.

42 years on, this still feels like a classic. I think musicians will be singing its praise in another 60 years.

It was definitely influential.

I've never heard it from start to finish though. The times I have given it a listen it did not capture me.

It is on my list of albums to give another try though. Usually, when so many people praise or like something there is something to it I have found.

It's the album most affected by Brian's mental illness. Beside the beauty of the harmonies and inventiveness of the production, it is deeply depressing music.

I think that you would have to rank it with the Beatle's Revolver, Dylan's mid-60's work and possibly Hendrix as the four most important and imitated albums that spawned a host of copy cat albums by lessor artists. Everyone from Tom Petty and Elvis Costello have sang its praise.

I agree with Jimjoyce25 is that Pet Sounds is an accurate reflection of Brian's mental state, obviously influenced by large self-medicated doses of LSD, which in 1965 was legal at the time. While Sloop John B sounds like a simple ode to the sea, it is also a reference to his intake, sporting the line "This is the worst trip I have ever been on." Trippy but true.

Brian could have easily gone the way of Syd Barrett. It is nice that he still functioning, especially his recent release of Smile!

I do not agree, it change music to what we here today.
I believe has to do with the beat or tempo of the music. It's go's somthing like this. The Drummer startes the beat 123 or 1234 or 12345. Back in the early days it was all 123 in rock music. The Beach Boys were the first to start using differant tempo's and to even intertwine 2 if not three differant beats in a single song. John & Paul heard this and started to add it to thier music also that why SPLHCB was so revolutionary at the time. Pet Sound was the thinking out of the box album. If you really listen to the music it is very complex especially for the day.