

Incorporating elements of pop, jazz, exotica, classical, psychedelia, and the avant-garde, Wilson's Wall of Sound-based orchestrations mixed conventional rock set-ups with elaborate layers of vocal harmonies, found sounds, and instruments rarely if ever associated with rock, such as bicycle bells, French horn, flutes, Electro-Theremin, string sections, and beverage cans. An early concept album, it consists mainly of introspective and semi-autobiographical songs like " You Still Believe in Me", about a lover's unwavering loyalty, " I Know There's an Answer", a critique of LSD users, and " I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", about social alienation. Galvanized by the work of his idol Phil Spector and rival group the Beatles, his goal was to create "the greatest rock album ever made", one without filler. Wilson viewed Pet Sounds as effectively a solo album and credited part of its inspiration to marijuana and a newfound spiritual enlightenment. It was recorded largely between January and April 1966, a year after Wilson had quit touring with his bandmates and debuted a more progressive sound with The Beach Boys Today!. The album was produced, arranged, and almost entirely composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher. It is now considered to be among the greatest and most influential albums in music history. Promoted there as "the most progressive pop album ever", Pet Sounds was recognized for its ambitious production, sophisticated music, and emotional lyrics. In the United Kingdom, the album was lauded by critics and reached number 2 on the Record Retailer chart, remaining in the top ten for six months. It was initially met with a lukewarm critical and commercial response in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. Pet Sounds is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on by Capitol Records. " Wouldn't It Be Nice" / " God Only Knows".
