The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (Columbia)
With tracks from albums like All Summer Long (1964) and The Beach Boys Today!, Beach Boys visionary and principal songwriter Brian Wilson began heavily experimenting with new thematic materials, innovative songwriting techniques, unique arrangements, studio overdubbing, and lush orchestration to move the group away from their earlier more formulaic songs about surfing, cars, girls and other themes connected with California youth culture. While he had already begun moving the group into a more sophisticated sound and direction, it was The Beatles' Rubber Soul album that indeed encouraged Brian Wilson to try to create an album that matched The Beatle's new direction and creative genius. Not all the Beach Boys members were so keen on this new, more experimental sound, with Mike Love being the most outspoken about the increased creative control Brian Wilson took in the making of this record as they looked at the album more as a Brian Wilson solo project than a group effort. While the record kept the Beach Boys in the top ten in the U.S., it was less commercially successful than their previous albums, but it was critically acclaimed. Pet Sounds has since become one of the most discussed, scrutinized, and celebrated records ever.