Fifty years ago, the Beach Boys released Pet Sounds, a collection of groundbreaking songs that redefined pop music for an entire generation. In the decades since, critics and fans have analyzed every single aspect of the album’s thirteen songs. But the album’s genius was hardly represented by its cover. It’s just a hokey, semi-staged-looking snapshot of the band standing in a petting zoo, feeding goats. How is it that one of the greatest pop albums of all time also has one of the dumbest covers? Journalist Peter Gilstrap spoke with members of the Beach Boys about their remembrances of the photo shoot.
Photo Credit: Capitol Photo Archives