How to respond nicely to someone who says Pet Sounds is the most over-rated album in the world?

I have never once cared about chart performance when considering how good I think an album is. I never understand what that has to do with anything, when we surely all have our own ears and brains, right?

 

I like the way you sit on the fence over this.

 

of course but if you don't move units who is there to care?

 

Exactly the phrase that ran through my mind reading this thread. From an academic standpoint, I understand the influence of Pet Sounds on a number of records, including Sgt. Pepper. But listening to Pet Sounds doesn't nearly give the payoff (for me) as probably 100 other records I could easily name.

 

You don’t think it’s safe to say Pet Sounds has moved some units?

 

I was born in the mid 50s. I say that because I believe how you feel about certain music is based in large part on when you heard it and how old you were.

I hated The Beach Boys. It was music my older brother listened to. He was really into school - sports, student council. Their music really seemed to suit him. To me, it seemed like all they sang about was Woodys, being true to your school, surfing and girls. Wasn't anything that I cared about. I ignored them in favor of bands like, yes, The Beatles.

By the time Pet Sounds came out I had written them off completely. By then I was listening to much heavier stuff anyway. To me, The Beach Boys remained a surf band that my brother had listened to. It was probably when I was in my 40s that friends started telling me what a classic it was. I found a DCC version used and tried to get into it. There were a couple of good tunes but I just never could figure out why it was considered a classic album. Maybe because Paul McCartney said it was?

I got rid of the DCC. Years later I picked up another copy and tried again. My opinion has not changed. I rarely if ever listen to it. Couple of good tunes.

 

yes but not in its day. I really loved what they did just before it and felt let down, like I think many others did as well. Grew in appreciation years later but I never was blown away by it. I like the instrumentals more than the vocal tracks, except Here Today, which was a great B side.

 

I like Pet Sounds, but it isn't even my favourite Beach Boys album.

 

I feel the same.

 

Ha!

I mean, to use a non-musical example, I do not watch soccer, ever, and therefore do not particularly like (or dislike, for that matter) the way any of the players play soccer. But I certainly respect that there are world-class athletes playing that game.

 

I never call albums "overrated". I just tell people if they ask that I don't like an album, such as Pet Sounds and lots of albums made in the 1960s that other people seem to praise to heaven.

 

Maybe I missed something in this conversation where we transported ourselves to 1966 and abandoned all perspective and insight gained in the 55 years since. An album exists for all time, not just in its day, right?

 

heh I do see what you're saying You respect the achievement but that's not a form of "like", in the sense that you don't connect with it on a personal level. Like would be a positive reaction to something rather than an acknowledgement of proficiency. I guess I'm with Terrapin though in that I'd say my acknowledgement that Pet Sounds is well made for its time is a form of "like", even though I don't really like the songwriting and performances on the record.

 

again, yes, but its lack of success came at a huge price for poor Brian's brain. I transport myself to then because that's when it came out, to me the glorification is like going over the moon over a Glenn Miller record. Yes, its great....there also lots more and tons better.

 

You (or OP) aren't going to change anybody's mind. Calling something the most overrated is also subjective. There is no objective truth on overratedness. This is like one of those threads "help me appreciate artist X more..." or "convince me that album Y is good" -- it's going nowhere because the whole thing is based on personal tastes. I like Pet Sounds. A lot. Am also ok with people who don't.

 

“I respect your opinion and thank you for giving it a fair shake. Do you have any music you would like to share with me?”

 

Yes, thank you, that exactly articulates what I mean.

I mean, I also do like Pet Sounds. I am just not understanding the assertion that respect requires liking.

 

What ?

 

I think it's perfectly OK for people to not like a particular classic album. Saying things are 'overrated' is just a way of expressing an inability to see what an album was all about. It's just saying that, despite the history, I don't like this, I don't get it. The only problem arises is when we consider something to be/have been a cornerstone of our listening experience, and we cannot understand that not everyone agrees, and cannot accept that. The answer is to let go of it.

 

A lot of garbage albums have sold by the bucketload while a lot of great ones were overlooked in their day. Pet Sounds did make it to the top ten, so it was hardly a disaster, though the Beach Boys were about to head into their commercial wilderness years. Personally, I love their whole late 60s/early 70s phase, regardless of how the albums sold.

 

What does it mean in your view to say that "X is good at y" where you don't like (because you're neutral, so you also don't dislike) how x does y?

 

Specific to musicians, a musician can be technically proficient at playing an instrument, but still not play in a way that I personally enjoy.

 

I'm willing to bet Capitol very much considered it a disaster and thought 'what? surf music is over?' lol. For me it's not about charts as much as its a group called THE BEACH BOYS going from surf to psych. lol

 

I never understood the reverence this album receives, so someone simply stating it's overrated has merit in my opinion. The bigger question is why does it bother you so much, and why are you asking for advice on how to respond ?

 

Easy, just say, Nah that’s any LP by Joni Mitchell