Documentaries
“I tried to write something better than surf songs and car songs,” says Brian Wilson in Classic Albums: Pet Sounds (Prime, Tuesday, 8.30pm). You could say he succeeded. The Beach Boys’ 11th studio album is regarded as one of the most influential recordings of all time because of Wilson’s use of sound layering, vocal harmonies, symphonic arrangements and unusual instruments.
The story of a classic album isn’t just about a span of time in a recording studio – it’s about the personalities, the technology and the times, and members of the Beach
Boys and other commentators are on hand to break down the lead-up to Wilson’s masterpiece.
Until 1966, the Beach
Boys were a pop band on a relentless touring schedule. Eventually, Wilson couldn’t cope any more and retreated to the studio, bringing in the famous Wrecking Crew session musicians.
At the same time, Bob
Dylan and the Beatles were
changing the nature of the rock album.
“The idea of the rock’n’roll album was just beginning to exist,” says journalist David Wild. “Brian stopped making pop music and tried to make art.”
Still with the arts, Landscape Artist of the Year (Sky Arts, Sky 020, Tuesday, 8.30pm) features lovely National Trust locations in the UK mangled by amateur painters.