I think Revolver is the more innovative album though I like Pet Sounds. Psychedelic music was very early in the game when Revolver came out and I think this was the album that put it on the map. Revolver has rock music first full blown out raga in Love you Too, backward guitar leads, tape loops or sampling over a hypnotic beat in Tomorrow Never Knows, songs with just strings and no rock instruments in Eleanor Rigby, Automatic Double Tracking, vocals through a leslie speaker, and more. It seems the album is ahead of its time unlike Pet Sounds though that album is a masterpiece in vocal harmony and melodies. I choose Revolver what's your opinion.

I choose "Odessey and oracle" !!!

In my album top 100 Pet Sounds is currently at #4 while Revolver barely made it, somewhere in the 90s. Easy win for Wilson.

Hell, Revolver isn't even the best Beatles album.

Hate to disagree with you there, Neop, but Revolver's my #3 (in case anyone cares, my top two are London Calling and Automatic for the People).

To overgeneralize, there are great albums which show off the artist's range, and there are great albums which have a consistent tone throughout. I'm biased toward the former (Revolver); Pet Sounds is an example of the latter...very good, but a little monotonous for me.

I'm totally the opposite as well Neop. Revolver would probably be in my top 10 while Pet Sounds might not crack the top 100. There are a bunch of good songs on Pet Sounds, but I just can't listen to the album as a whole.

Pet Sounds wins this easily - my #2 album behind the Queen is Dead but I still think it's the best album ever made.

Revolver would've been better if The Beatles replaced Doctor Robert & Yellow Submarine with Daytripper & Rain. Those two songs hurt the album & keep it from closely competing with Pet Sounds. Pet Sounds is also more unique & harder to copy. There was virtually nothing similar to it after, but there was a lot of Revolver type of Psychedlic Pop/Rock.

I can see Yellow Submarine for Rain. Rain would have been a much better fit. I like Doctor Robert though.

Revolver easily. Hell, I'll take Tomorrow Never Knows alone over Pet Sounds.

I ain't finished my top 100, but currently Revolver is ahead of Pet Sounds (but I prefer the White album)

No problem schleuse and John. ;)

I personally enjoy pretty much every song on Pet Sounds, every part of this unique album is great.

Revolver however, I like about 2-3 songs, and the rest is just so dull. It's alright until Yellow Submarine (which does belong on there ) but after that it goes downhill so fast it flips over and just sinks into nothingness. I was thinking of leaving it out of the top 100 altogether but the decent first part saved it.

It's hard to compare 2 works of geniuses but I think I prefer the songs on Pet Sounds - their lyrics just have a bit more meaning for me...But I'll be honest,Revolver is probably the only Beatles album that I really enjoyed - some of their albums can really leave me flat...

How about Magical Mystery Tour? That's my personal favorite, although it also features some boring songs I think it has a kind of feel about it that makes it special. As well as 4-5 good songs as opposed to most other Beatles albums that only have 2 or 3.

(Not trying to piss anyone off here, just my opinion)

The songs on Revolver that I think stand alone as great songs are:

Eleanor Rigby
Here, There and Everywhere
Yellow Submarine
She Said She Said
Good Day Sunshine
And You Bird Can Sing
Got to Get You Into My Life
Tomorrow Never Knows
and possibly Taxman, I'm Only Sleeping and Doctor Robert

Revolver, no question.

"She Said She Said" and "Got To Get You Into My Life" are my favorites, but the entire album is an incredible piece of work.

"Revolver would've been better if The Beatles replaced Doctor Robert & Yellow Submarine with Daytripper & Rain" : I definitely agree with you Jorgito !
I prefer "Pet sounds" to "Revolver", but none of them is my favourite Beatles or Beach Boys album.
I prefer "Sunflower"/"Surf's up" and "White album"/"Abbey road".

Jorgito the reason there was more psychedelic pop after Revolver than say Pet Sounds type of albums is becuase the Beatles were more influential than the Beach Boys. The song Tomorrow Never Knows was the future sound of music with tape loops and drum n bass sound nothing on Pet Sounds I would say is ahead of its time. Pet Sounds gets credit for influencing Sgt. Pepper and is a great album but the Beach Boys from I what I hear used session musicians to play the instruments they normally play.

Beckham

I don't think or feel a record is good just because it's innovative.
On Pet Sounds the Beach Boys created a universe of their own, a musical alchemy.
People like Neil Young made beautiful records without inventing anything.

I should have phrased this topic differently as for influence, the future sound of rock music and pop music, and innovation I think this album is way ahead of Pet Sounds.

I agree with schluese about London Calling (best rock album of all time, just edging out Highway 61), but have to go with Pet Sounds over Revolver. No logical reason. I just listen to it a whole lot more than any Beatles album.

Revolver: 5
Pet Sounds: 5

It's a divided camp.

I guess we'll have to wait until December to see, but I got a feeling Revolver is going to win.

I'm going to give this one easily to Revolver. Pet Sounds sounds like its from the 60's on the other hand I'm Only Sleeping, Tomorrow Never Knows, Taxman and She Said She Said sound very edgy and almost alternative in its sound. Love You Too sounds like nothing else in rock music, And Your Bird Can Sing has just a incredible guitar sound. I agree this album is ahead of it's time and this came out before Hendrix.

Ooooh, I want to tie it up again. Right now Pet Sounds is my #25 and Revolver is just an Honorable Mention, so I've gotta give it to Pet Sounds

Odessey and oracle! Why this album isn't mentioned alongside Pet Sounds and Revolver all the time, I'll never know. It's so much better than either in my opinion. Sounds so much more like a cohesive album than Revolver and infinitely more mindblowing than Pet Sounds. I agree with DumbAngel.

I have read The Zombies album was recorded after Sgt Pepper's was released and it influenced the album majorily. Good album but it was released to late to make an impact the Beatles already had Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour out and the Beach Boys had Pet Sounds out.

Is the release date so important ?
Take another example of 2 records in a similar style : "deserter's songs" and "the soft bulletin".
Maybe "the soft bulletin" was released in 1999 (one year later than "the deserter's songs) but I find TSB far much better.
What's important ? : to be the first to do something or to do the best possible record ?

When I listen to music I just want to hear some great things, I don't care when the music was recorded.
Today in 2007, 40 years after their release, if I listen to "revolver", "sgt pepper","pet sounds" and "odessey and oracle", I'd just say that "Odessey" is my favorite one. That's all.

And if someone tells me that he prefers Oasis to the Beatles I won't laugh at him or criticize his choice.
Oasis may not be the best exemple, but don't think that sometimes the follower can surpass the master ?

The Zombies would have been bigger if they hadn't broken up before Odessey and Oracle was even released. Their wasn't a tour behind it and Argent became...well.. Argent. Hold Your Head Up probably didn't do wonders for critical thought of the Zombies in the 70's. So, it's mostly their own fault it wasn't a hit.

As for it's critical acclaim now, I think it's a valid argument to state that it came out later than these two albums. It's still a great album, in fact it's one of my favorites, but it is a valid point to consider that The Beatles were well past this type of music and had moved on to what is now classic rock. The only thing left of the psychedelic era was Woodstock and that pretty much sealed the deal.

So, the album really held no influence at all and pretty much bombed when it was released. That isn't a reason to knock an album but when you're comparing it to albums like Sgt. Peppers and Pet Sounds which are at the other end of the spectrum it has to be taken into account.

Revolver!
Pet Sounds is good - but not great. The emotional span of boy choir music is simply to narrow

Dumbangel when people say things like being first is most important they aren't judging the product so much as the difficulty faced in making such a product. There are some artists who are true innovators; who see what others don't; who have developed their sense to the point of being able to make something out of nothing, and there are some who (as Oasis freely admitted) simply stand on the shoulders of giants. I think you're judging the art and not the artist, and both are important.

I was not knocking the Zombies they were one of the Best British Invasion bands. Revolver with it's mix of psychedelic, Traditional Indian, avant garde was either new or not popular in rock music and they deserve credit for being able to mix it with pop music not very easy to do many artists after this album try do the same thing but were really not able to pull it off, most notabble the Stones Satanic Majesties Request. If anything Revolver and Sgt Pepper influenced a whole bunch of future progressive rockers.

"If anything Revolver and Sgt Pepper influenced a whole bunch of future progressive rockers."

Eww...if that's the case I take back everything I've said.

I meant to say Revolver and Sgt Peppers also influenced many future progressive rockers which I don't think is a bad thing but this is really only a small part of its importance and influence. Revolver influenced Syd Barrett, The Byrds, The Who, Robbie Krieger, Brian Wilson to Oasis and the Chemical Brothers and to the future sound of rock music so this album has had a wide range of influence.

I was just joking around.

I love both albums, but I prefer 'Revolver' over 'Pet Sounds.' Even though I also wouldn't say 'Revolver' isn't the Beatles' best album (I would give that title to 'Abbey Road'), it still is one of the greatest albums of all time, and in my top 3. (#2 being 'The White Album')...I suppose that sounds kind of biased ;) hahha