Pet Sounds famously (or infamously, depending on who you\u2019re talking to) depicts the California band<\/a> \u2013 Carl, Brian and Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and Jardine (Bruce Johnston wasn\u2019t able to appear on the cover for contractual reasons) \u2013 feeding apples to goats at San Diego Zoo.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a mess,\u201d Jardine complained to The Independent, ahead of celebrations to mark six decades since the record\u2019s release on 16 May 1966. \u201cCrappy album cover. Just stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul McCartney <\/a>agreed, the musician said, recalling a remark the band received from the Beatles star to \u201cwatch your artwork\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just silly, you know,\u201d Jardine continued, \u201cbut sometimes the art department doesn\u2019t talk to the music department. I think that\u2019s probably what happened. It could have been a whole lot better.\u201d<\/p>\n To add injury to insult, Jardine recalled that one of the goats (\u201cthe big white one\u201d) bit him while they were taking pictures.<\/p>\n However, Jardine, 83, still has plenty of fond memories of recording Pet Sounds. \u201cIt feels just like yesterday,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe all that time has passed.\u201d<\/p>\n He recalled how the band were in Japan when they received a call from Brian Wilson<\/a>, who by then had stopped touring after suffering a devastating panic attack during a flight to Houston. <\/p>\n \u201cHe wanted us to come home immediately \u2013 he was so excited about this new project, and of course we were anxious to hear what it was,\u201d Jardine said.<\/p>\n Often, the rest of The Beach Boys<\/a> would arrive at the studio without being told what they\u2019d be recording: \u201cBrian would say, \u2018I want you to sing the lead on this…\u2019 He was a producer, and he knew what he wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n Jardine noted that the songwriting on Pet Sounds was \u201ca little darker\u201d than what fans were used to, certainly a departure from the carefree sound of early songs such as \u201cFun, Fun, Fun\u201d, \u201cSurfin\u2019 USA\u201d or \u201cI Get Around\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was really a Brian Wilson album, if you want to know the truth,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was his feelings, primarily, his creation, and he was experimenting. It was his album, and really, we were just background singers. We were there to help him out.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe always respected Brian\u2019s creative approach, anything he brought to the table \u2013 and he respected us.\u201d<\/p>\n There were many occasions when Wilson\u2019s bandmates made contributions beyond those gorgeous harmonies heard on songs such as \u201cWouldn\u2019t It Be Nice\u201d or \u201cGod Only Knows\u201d. <\/p>\n Jardine, for instance, conceived the idea of covering the folk song \u201cSloop John B\u201d, although he had to convince Wilson, who died last year,<\/a> first: \u201cWe both got sidetracked immediately by Dennis with all that surfing stuff,\u201d he joked, having first suggested a version of the song years before.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pet-sounds.jpg\")
The cover art for \u2018Pet Sounds\u2019 by The Beach Boys, with Al Jardine (right) feeding the goat that eventually bit him (Capitol Records)<\/p>\n![\"Brian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-74285510.jpeg\")
Brian Wilson recording \u2018Pet Sounds\u2019 in California in 1966 (Getty)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-3271689.jpg\")
The Beach Boys in 1964. From left to right, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson (Getty)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-73987504.jpeg\")
The Beach Boys in 1965, the year before \u2018Pet Sounds\u2019 was released (Getty)<\/p>\n