By Lee Dempsey
In 1997, Capitol Records issued the critically acclaimed Pet Sounds Sessions box set. A revelation to fans, the 4-CD box contained vocal-only versions, instrumental tracking sessions, alternate takes of virtually every song on the album, and more. Regrettably, the box came out before the vinyl record resurgence, and nothing was released in the vinyl format, aside from a limited-edition Sub Pop 45 EP preview sampler pairing the new stereo mix of “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” with a vocals-only version of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and the stereo backing track to “Here Today.” A vinyl version of the entire Pet Sounds Sessions box was, for years, one of the most requested titles for the annual Record Store Day releases, but those requests went unheeded. The 2016 Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary box presented another opportunity for a vinyl release, but once again, nothing came of it. So, this writer was elated when Universal / Capitol announced CD and vinyl versions of a Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights release for the album’s 60th Anniversary in 2026 – in fact THREE vinyl versions: limited-edition white/green splattered vinyl ($49.98 US on thebeachboys.com), standard black vinyl (at a MSRP of $37.99, but currently $26.58 US on amazon.com), and a yellow vinyl Amazon Exclusive (as of this writing, deeply discounted to $21.27 US on amazon.com). This seemed like a no-miss opportunity – present the album in its entirety in vocal-only and instrumental-only forms, spotlight a few key sessions and alternate takes showing Brian Wilson’s creative process, and throw in a couple of entirely new rough mixes or alternate takes to compel the hardcore fans to buy it. If it were only that easy…
What we did get was the Pet Sounds album in vocals-only form; tracking date highlights to four songs from the album plus the earliest session for “Good Vibrations,” which was recorded during the Pet Sounds timeline; and arguably the best alternate takes from the two previous box sets. As Capitol Records co-founder Johnny Mercer sang, let’s “accentuate the positive” first – The 180-gram discs are high-quality and, perhaps with the slight exception of the splattered vinyl version, very quiet (splattered vinyl releases are known to be noisier than solid-color releases, so it’s a trade-off for the limited-edition appeal). The vocals-only tracks and session highlights have a “you are there” presence in the analog format. But through what I can only describe as a major error, precious vinyl space was wasted by including the same vocal-only mix of “I’m Waiting for the Day” twice – once on the middle of Side 1, and again as the lead-off track on Side 4. Once can only assume that the track on Side 4 was supposed to be “Highlights from the Tracking Date,” or maybe something related to one of the other “I” songs, such as the alternate version of “I Know There’s an Answer” that appeared on the 2016 box, with a different, fuller backing vocal arrangement. It remains to be seen if a corrected version will be issued, but given the niche market for vinyl, this seems unlikely. Despite the error, this is likely an essential purchase – especially at the current price of the yellow vinyl version – for diehard Beach Boys aficionados who are still fans of the vinyl format.
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