Brian Wilson - Pet Sounds Live CDs • Vinyl Records • LPs • Music Albums

pale shadow of itself?

The captured results may not improve upon the Boys' 1966 achievement, but neither are they mere nostalgia. Even with the weight of so much history, there's a spontaneity to these renditions of "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "God Only Knows" and other beloved classics that sheds warm light on their mournful studio counterparts. You haven't heard Wilson sing this well in decades. He sounds healed, not only in his head but also in his heart, as if he could finally let back in the love he gave us.

BARRY WALTERS
(RS 899/900 - July 4, 2002)

For six nights last year, Brian Wilson re-created Pet Sounds live at London's Royal Festival Hall. Though his behavior is a tad nutty and his voice a bit frail, he and his crack band do the majestic album justice, especially on "You Still Believe in Me" and "God Only Knows," on which the fifty-nine-year-old Wilson sounds pristine. When he falters a bit, it's OK: The momentary weakness helps him bring out the melancholy of "Caroline, No" and "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times."