Pet Sounds [40th Anniversary]
Does the world really need another CD version of Pet Sounds? In 1995, Capitol released a remastered deluxe edition of the Beach Boys' 1966 classic; two years later, the label put out The Pet Sounds Sessions, a three-CD, ninety-song box set containing alternate takes, instrumental tracks and the first true stereo mix of the landmark album. Now comes the 40th Anniversary Edition. The two-disc set offers yet another new mix of the album (this time in surround sound) as well as a DVD with about an hour's worth of footage — mostly cobbled together from previous Beach Boys documentaries. "Much has changed (for the better) since I did the stereo mix in 1996," writes producer Mark Linett in the liner notes. The album still sounds amazing, but unless you have a surround-sound stereo or the ears of the dogs barking at the end of "Caroline No," there's not much reason to buy this.