Reading and Listening to 'Pet Sounds' at Dawn
I woke up around 4:00 AM. When I go to bed around 11:00 PM, I usually wake up at this time. A morning that makes me feel my age.
Well, it's too early to take out the trash. Should I go back to sleep, or just get up? Neither is really a problem.
Come to think of it, I remembered buying a paperback called 'Pet Sounds' at Book Off, so I decided to flip through the pages.
This is an essay about the Beach Boys' masterpiece 'Pet Sounds' by Jim Fusilli, a mystery writer and music critic. Almost the entire book is filled with praise for this album and Brian Wilson. It was translated by Haruki Murakami, who is also a Beach Boys fan. To be honest, I suspect it wouldn't have been published in Japan if it hadn't been translated by Haruki Murakami.
I started reading this book while actually listening to 'Pet Sounds.' However, since my iPod is connected to the audio system, the track order is shuffled. Of course, I could change the settings to play them in order, but I don't really feel like going that far. Still, when a song plays while I'm reading the commentary on it, it feels strangely fitting, and I find myself thinking, 'I see.'
In the end, the book describes in detail the well-known episode where Brian Wilson gathered top-tier West Coast musicians—a session group called the Wrecking Crew—to create the sound, and later had the Beach Boys members participate with vocals.
It is certainly a masterpiece, but it probably wasn't very fun for Mike, Al, Dennis, and Carl. On top of that, it was poorly received at the time of its release, and sales were lackluster. So, it might be understandable that the next project, 'Smile,' fell through for various reasons, including opposition from the members. In a sense, this wasn't a Beach Boys album, but a Brian Wilson concept album.
But I thought that listening to 'Pet Sounds' repeatedly while reading this book at dawn might be a rare experience. And while I previously had the impression that it was just a somewhat unusual album, I found myself thinking it was surprisingly good, though I still wondered if calling it a super masterpiece that remains in rock history was an exaggeration. Personally, for example, while I like the Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper,' I have never thought of it as a brilliant masterpiece in rock history. Personally, I prefer 'A Hard Day's Night' and 'Revolver'.
Fusilli's 'Pet Sounds' includes a long afterword by the translator, Haruki Murakami, titled 'What Only God Knows.' In it, Murakami's love for the Beach Boys and 'Pet Sounds' is written in his unique style. Well, how should I put it, it's the usual Murakami-esque tone. It's a bit long, but here is an excerpt.
So, where and how exactly is the album 'Pet Sounds' so special? Regarding that, the author Jim Fusilli talks about it passionately and exhaustively in this book, so I don't think there is anything I need to add here. However, if I may say just one thing, I once dared to assert, without fearing God, that 'there are two types of people in the world: those who have read The Brothers Karamazov and those who have not.' If God would be willing to look the other way once more, I would like to dare to say the 'Pet Sounds' version of that: 'There are two types of people in the world: those who like Pet Sounds and those who do not.' That is how important 'Pet Sounds' is to me. It's not that I can't be friends with people who don't like 'Pet Sounds,' but still, well, anyway...
It's a witty, aphorism-like phrase in the style of Haruki Murakami. 'Pet Sounds' and 'The Brothers Karamazov,' is it? Well, perhaps 'Karamazov' is indeed that important a novel for humans and for a person's life. Well, it's a thesis in a very narrow sense, limited to those who love reading.
Of course, I have read 'The Brothers Karamazov' myself. It was quite interesting, and I didn't find it boring. I read it when I was in my late 20s or early 30s, so it's been nearly 40 years, but while I wouldn't say I remember the details, I remember it vaguely. The other day, I was able to talk casually (perhaps quite loosely) with a friend who read it for the first time about the typical characterizations, such as the debauched Fyodor, the ruinous Dmitri (Mitya), and the innocent Alexei.
But while I think it's an important novel, I don't think it's the most important or necessary novel for life. Well, maybe my reading of it is shallow. By the way, speaking of quotes from 'Karamazov,' since this is an author who influenced Haruki Murakami, he definitely knows it. If anything, the witty remark using 'Karamazov' might be an influence or a quote from it, but Kurt Vonnegut (who was a Junior at the time) had a character say this in 'Slaughterhouse-Five'.
Rosewater once said something interesting to Billy. It's not science fiction, but it's also about books. He said that everything you need to know about life is in Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'The Brothers Karamazov.' And then he added, 'But that's not enough anymore.'
So, let's borrow Vonnegut's cynical words as they are.
'Everything you need to know about rock or pop music is in the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds.' But that's not enough anymore.'
I have reaffirmed that 'Pet Sounds' is a good album. Well, ever since Brian Wilson passed away on June 11th, I've been listening to the Beach Boys all the time. Although, it's limited mostly to when I'm in the car. That music is best listened to while driving, after all. And listening to it in my room this morning, I felt that this concept album has a quality like a kind of chamber music, making it perfect background music for reading, almost like ambient music.
Some music stimulates the listener's emotions. It's the kind that doesn't allow for background listening. Some classical, jazz, and hard rock fall into that category. That doesn't mean it's superior, and it can sometimes affect the listener's state of mind.
But 'Pet Sounds' might not have had that effect on my mind, at least for me. However, I was able to spend a peaceful time listening to it repeatedly for about two hours. Just for that, I thought this album is wonderful and truly a masterpiece.