Heavy Petting

The argument can and no doubt will be made that the mass of other material that's part of the new box actually diminishes moments like this one, and there's no question that such a danger exists: If brevity is the soul of wit, Sessions is its opposite. But for this listener, at least, the worst-case scenario did not come to pass. Despite Capitol's fiddling and the lack of support offered by some of Brian's closest fellows (Love declared Asher's lyrics to be "offensive" and "nauseating," and limited his participation accordingly), Pet Sounds emerged as the complete statement for which its creator had been shooting, and it stands today as his finest achievement. Moreover, that won't change no matter how thoroughly historical revisionists attempt to gild its lily. The album deserves a monument, and for all its ridiculous overabundance, The Pet Sounds Sessions makes a pretty good one.