Since Pet Sounds was released in 1966, this sophisticated album by the Beach Boys has evolved into what many consider to be one of the most influential albums in rock and roll history.

In 1967, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences were struggling to figure out what to do with this rock and roll deal, so the nominees for Album of the Year included were Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Maurice Jarre for Dr. Zhivago and The Beatles for Revolver.

Pet Sounds was not included in the Grammys, but in the fullness of time the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences inducted Pet Sounds into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. And many music historians place Pet Sounds at or near the top of the most influential rock and roll albums of all time.

There’s a long Wikipedia listing for Pet Sounds detailing the influence of the album over the decades, genres and eras but this is one of the best bits: “Paul McCartney later credited Pet Sounds as an influence on his increasingly melodic bass-playing style and cited “God Only Knows” as ‘the greatest song ever written.’”

Pet Sounds has resonated from 1966 across the decades and into the 21st Century – all the way to Los Rios Rock School in San Juan Capistrano – where a team of talented teens – and their mature mentors – challenged their talents to re-create Pet Sounds.

In May of 2019 student-musicians from Los Rios went into the studio to re-create Pet Sounds in a single day of recording – an ambitious project to re-create a famously complicated project that took months of recording and engineering by Brian Wilson and his Merry Men.

The session was filmed by Alejandro Herrera and that can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu8-co_Dbjs&feature=youtu.be

When the contenders for Grammy Award Nominations for 2020 were announced they included:

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Los Rios Rock School – ‘Pet Sounds’

Producers: Clint Haycraft, Phil Allen, Erin Blagdon,

Spencer Askin, Tyler Marolf, and Chris Bates

And Best Music Film

Los Rios Rock School – ‘Pet Sounds’

Director: Alejandro Herrera

Producers: Clint Haycraft, Phil Allen, Erin Blagdon,

Spencer Askin, Tyler Marolf, Chris Bates, and Justin Norman

And there was much rejoicing. Here is a Zoom of the reaction:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDwGptqacyI

Mark Linett is a record producer and audio engineer who has worked with Brian Wilson, Rickie Lee Jones, Los Lobos, Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Randy Newman and has won three Grammy Awards.

“As the guy who has worked with Pet Sounds and the Beach Boys’ recordings more than anyone, I wanted to congratulate everyone involved in the Pet Sounds recordings by the school’s students. the renditions are all great and several reminded both myself and my partner Alan Boyd of the excitement we felt when hearing the Pet Sounds album for the first time.”

The final nominees for The Grammy Awards will be announced Wednesday, Nov. 20 by 15-time GRAMMY-winning Alicia Keys and Chair of the Board of Trustees Harvey Mason Jr. in a nominations press conference.

And then the envelopes. According to Grammy.com: “On Jan. 31, 2021, the 63rd GRAMMY Awards will be happening, rain or shine, COVID-19 vaccine or not. Because the show is still months away, whether or not there will be a live audience or red carpet will be determined and revealed closer to the big day, as the health and safety of artists, guests, crew and staff is always front of mind during every GRAMMYs.”

A bunch of kids could win a Grammy or two for re-creating music made when their parents were teenagers. It’s a quick train ride and an Uber – or maybe a limo? – from San Juan Capistrano to the Staples Center in Los Angeles and maybe some of the talented teens and mature mentors from Los Rios Rock School will take that ride – and maybe come away with some metal.

Wouldn’t that be nice?

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