Wearing a midnight blue Hawaii shirt and resembling nothing as much as an elderly version of Joaquin Phoenix, Brian Wilson takes to the Royal Albert Hall stage. Filmed over two concerts of the performance of Pet Sounds in its entirety, Wilson is backed by a nine-person band, the majority of which he could have conceivably sired given the age difference between singer and group.

After recognising the attendance of co-lyricist Tony Asher in the crowd, Wilson and his merry band of Beach Boy replacements launch into ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice", the first track off this modern classic. The rest of the gig follows the original order of the album. Thankfully, the acoustics are good in that you can hear Wilson’s voice clarion-clear. Inevitably, delivery of similarly well-loved songs can degenerate into the most cacophonous of karaoke sessions. Yet here the fans over the two dates seem silenced by reverence.

BW introduces each song with supposedly throwaway remarks. So we learn that ‘Sloop John B’ is about a train and ‘God Only Knows’, one of the concert’s highlights with its barber-shop choruses suitably celestial, is Paul McCartney’s favourite Beach Boys song. In the accompanying interview, one of the DVD’s special features, Wilson reveals that Pet Sounds was his response to The Beatles’ Rubber Soul. In a tennis-style reply, Macca, John, Ringo and George followed with Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club. At the risk of sounding like an OAP, they don’t make ‘em like they used to.

A stirring ‘Caroline No’ completes the album and, near enough, the concert. The band return for an encore of ‘Good Vibrations’ (what else?), before which we are reminded that Pet Sounds was Brian Wilson’s 10^th album, released when he was a mere 23. Nearly 40 years on, this musical menagerie delights as much as ever.
(5/5)

Release Date: 20 October 2003

Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds