It's the Beach Boys tonight - stereo mixes on headphones from a couple of greatest hits compilations. Even with less than absolutely great mastering and 16/44 digital sound, I'm sitting here in stunned disbelief (a state I seem to find myself more and more these days). AM radio did these productions no favors. Never mind the production brilliance of Pet Sounds, I just seem to keep peeling back more and more layers of songwriting (who'da thunk writing for the bass would work in rocknroll?) and studio production. Vocals coming to a screeching halt with only a bunch of echo before a big wall of guitars just slap the everlovin' shit out of you when they kick back in. There's only a couple of outfits who can get away with music that's dripping in reverb, and it seems Brian Wilson wrote the book on how to use it with the Beach Boys.
No wonder the Beatles were inspired by - and in turn inspired - the Wilsons and Co. I'm in awe of what you can do with four tracks, an 1176 comp and a bunch of reverb. Plus some instrumental songwriting.