Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live

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Music reviews of Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live

Music Review: Disappointing, but still good.
Rating: 3 Stars

The backing band and backing vocals, however, rock the house. This is a blessing and a curse, because on a good number of songs, the lead vocal is a highlight that really stands out (e.g., "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on my Shoulder)"). So many of the songs have Brian's voice up front and center, and it is distracting from the virtuoso performances that are going on around him.

Wouldn't it have been nice to have a backing string orchestra, as was present at the Brian Wilson tribute concert that aired in 2001 on TNT. (See and buy the DVD: "An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson" (2001)). But we don't, so we make do with "merely" a spectacular first-rate rock band and back-up singers that put the Mike Love-Bruce Johnston Super-Duper Nostaglia Machine to shame.

The performance is identical in quality (high) to the "Live at the Roxy" CD. My disappointment comes from the fact that Pet Sounds is virtually unperformable, given that much of what made the album great was created by the recording and production process, not merely by the music (although the music stands up well all on its own). Painfully, I find myself partially agreeing with Mike Love's complaint when Brian was teaching the Beach Boys to sing Good Vibrations: "How the hell are we going to perform this in concert?" (Or words to that effect). He had a point.

The answer is that you can't. A live performance of Pet Sounds will always sacrifice some of the magic and wonderfulness that was created in the studio. I miss Carol Kaye's thumping, plucking bass. I miss the string section and horns. I miss Hal Blaine's drums, although the drummer here drives the show along just fine. Fortunately, even with those sacrifices, Pet Sounds performed live remains a far more intriguing, involving, and mesmerizing show than most of live pop being performed today.

There is no other live version of Pet Sound in existence, which makes this CD a must-have for Pet Sounds fans. Sun-n-Surf Beach Boys fans will pass, just as they did when Pet Sounds was released. I am on the fence, however, about whether I agree with Roger Daltrey's remark that after he attended the concert, "I immediately put on the Beach Boys record. The record wasn't as good."

I wanted to love this CD, but I just can't. I merely like it.

P.S. The name of this reviewer has nothing to do with "Brian Wilson." Brian is the name of my son, and please don't tell my wife that I named him after Brian Wilson, because she does not know.

Description of Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop
• Rock