Hear "Pet Sounds" Better Than You've Ever Heard It on the Definitive Sound Series One-Step

more digging through the album's history here

"Best sounding Pet Sounds ever released" proclaims the hype sticker on the just-released Definitive Sound Series One-Step Pet Sounds mono reissue. It's my claim and I'm sticking with it, more convinced than ever now that I've heard the final pressing, which for some reasons sounds even more transparent and detailed than the test pressings. Well, that's why those are called "test pressings."

Producer Tom "grover" Biery goes over the history in his annotation on the gatefold jacket's inside, which also reproduces the cover of the Brother Records standalone edition of Pet Sounds along with photos of the tape boxes.

Since writing about this release back in March, a Beach Boy expert friend of Brian stepped forward with even more interesting parts of the back story. He recounts:

Brian WAS there when the LP was mastered, giving instructions to the mastering engineer. Fred Vail, who worked for the Beach Boys at the time, went with Brian to the studio as the LP was being cut. Fred recalled sitting on the studio floor next to Brian as just listened to the LP for the first time. Fred told the great tag line to the story:

Brian: What do you think of it?

Fred: Brian, its great, its the best work you have every done!

Brian: What do you think the guys (Beach Boys) will think of it?

Brian was worried they rest of the band wouldn't like it. But Mike Love went with Brian to the Tower to sell it to the company. The guys at Capitol were looking for more of the same from the group. They released Best of The Beach Boys to kind of stop Pet Sounds from selling.

More to the point here and of greater interest:

About the original master tape of Pet Sounds:

When the original master tape was pulled to master the CD in 1987 or 1988, Mark Linett recalled that it was pretty beat up. Also, to cut the single for "Wouldn't It Be Nice", Capitol had cut the track off of the master. They were suppose to replace it with a copy, but they put a Duophonic copy on instead. If you remember, Capitol released a greatest hits package in 1986 called Made In The USA. On that release, they used a rough mix of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" because they couldn't use the Duophonic version. I have often wondered why they didn't pull the master tape for the 1982 hits package Sunshine Dream that had the mono version of the track.

Anyway, someone at Capitol remembered that "Hey we always used to send a copy to our east coast offices of all new releases," so they got the flat New York City copy and used that for "Wouldn't It Be Nice". Steve Hoffman used the same tapes for his CD release on DCC in 1991.

Fast forward to the Good Vibrations box set of 1993, and the original master for Pet Sounds was gone. It was no longer in the vault. No one seems to know where it went. So the NYC safety was used for the GV box, the 1996 Pet Sounds box, and the 1999 and 2001 re-releases.

When the CD was released again for the 2006 40th anniversary, someone found the U1630 U-Matic digital assembly for the 1990 CD. That version was used then and I THINK in 2012, though I don't know that for certain. For the 50th box in 2016, they used the Warner Brothers master.

Now, as for the Warner's master, that was put together by Carl Wilson. Starting with Sunflower, Carl was really in charge of mixing and mastering the group's LPs. Carl was the one that took the lead on those kind of issues. So that Carl then mastered that tape (meaning how much EQ etc). It was cool to see that tape box (I love that kind of stuff)! Which is why I reread your articles on the Beatles Mono Box ad nauseam.

Being an avid collector of the records of this group, I had to go back and see what I had as far as Pet Sounds LPs. I have the 1966 Duophonic, a 1970s UK mono, the Carl and the Passions So Tough! 2fer (I have 2 copies of that, one still sealed I bought in 1976 for $3.99), the 1974 Warners and the early 1980 Capitol mono reissue.

I have to say that Carl's tape sounds the best to me. It truly does. When the group put out their 1981 comp Ten Years of Harmony, Carl, even though he was out of the group at the time, insisted on mastering that LP. It sounds so good! It was also Carl's idea (as I have been told) to have the 1972 and 1974 PS sleeves say "This Record was pressed in monophonic sound the way Brian wanted it". Tells the whole tale right there.

 If you are paying close attention, you'll note that the tape used here was also used for the 2016 50th anniversary Pet Sounds CD. Producer Biery wasn't aware of that, so his notes are somewhat off but this is the first time in decades that the tape has been used to cut an all analog version, and a one-step pressed on Neotech VR900-D2 to boot.

I agree with the avid collector, friend of Brian above when he writes: "I have to say that Carl's tape sounds the best to me. It truly does." And it does.

My source also gave me details of the DCC Compact Classics LP and CD releases and the later Audio Fidelity CD release and I remain confident that this will be the final, authoritative version of Pet Sounds now and forever.

You will hear deeply into the mix in ways that previous versions did not go. The timbral balance is also ideal. Heretofore hidden elements within the mixes will appear in plain audio sight: harmonies, layer upon layer of instruments. And the ones you're familiar with will have greater clarity and texture.

Just be aware that "Wouldn't It Be Nice" will sonically disappoint. The album starts off on the wrong sonic foot. So if you want to be immediately wowed, start with "God Only Knows" and you will know that adding this to your collection was the right decision.

There's no point rehashing the significance of Pet Sounds or how it influenced the Beatles and everyone else making contemporary pop music in mid-1960s and ever since, or how it channeled Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" in new directions, used the Wrecking Crew, addressed the subject matter of an adolescent coming of age, etc. All well-known.

Finally, producer Biery recently called to say this reissue limited to 6000 copies is selling extremely well pre-release, and he says it may very well be sold out by its official May 16th release date, 60 years following its original release and its tepid American reception.

Brian thankfully lived long enough to see his masterpiece recognized by the world for what it is.