The Beach Boys celebrate 60th Anniversary of ‘Pet Sounds’ with new vinyl editions
The announcement comes with a 3-track digital EP that includes three new versions of ‘Sloop John B’.
Photo: Capitol Photo Archives
One of the most seminal and cherished albums in music history is turning 60 this year, and the band have big plans to celebrate. The Beach Boys’ 1966 genre-defying and trailblazing opus Pet Sounds will have its 60th birthday marked with a set of fresh, limited all-analogue vinyl reissues landing on May 15th, including a high-end One Step mono release.
What’s most exciting is the first-ever vinyl release of highlights from the legendary 1997 Grammy-nominated Pet Sounds Sessions box set. The set will feature the mesmerising acapella versions of songs from the album alongside fascinating alternate takes. A collectable Zoetrope vinyl edition with textured front cover will also be available, and a digital EP with three new takes on Sloop John B is already available to be streamed.
It’s been a busy year already in The Beach Boys universe as they released the critically acclaimed box set We Gotta Groove in February. That set dived into the lesser looked album Love You, with that album often being hailed as the spiritual successor to Pet Sounds. Later in the year, the touring band will perform a handful of shows in Halifax, London, Edinburgh, Wolverhampton, Belfast and Southampton, where they will play Pet Sounds in full. Despite Brian Wilson performing the album many times over the years, Mike Love’s iteration of The Beach Boys have never performed the album live before.
If you have yet to experience the beauty and joy of Pet Sounds, then this reissue offers the perfect opportunity for discovery. It is brimming with songs packed full of love, hope and joy. Hearing these songs for the first time is a blessing. There really isn’t an experience like it.
Sloop John B is out now via Capitol Records. Pre-order Pet Sounds 60th Anniversary vinyl here, out May 15th.
