From Loudersound.
Rare footage has emerged from one of rock’s most iconic shoots, when the Beach Boys went to San Diego zoo to be photographed for the cover of Pet Sounds.
The 24-second, black and white clip was unearthed by local news station CBS News 8, and shows the Beach Boys and entourage feeding the goats who eventually adorned the album cover.
The origins of the shoot remain shrouded in mystery. Beach Boy Al Jardine has claimed that Capitol Records hadn’t actually listened to Pet Sounds and assumed it was about animals, while a contemporaneous report in the San Diego Union states that the choice of location was a reference to UK band The Animals.
Either way, the shoot did not going entirely according to plan, with the Union‘s Frank Rhoades snootily describing the band as, “six millionaire-musicians… with long Beatle hair and all wearing funny boots.”
“One of them bounced a carrot off the head of one of our tigers,” wrote Rhoades. “Another tried to stick the head of a little antelope through some iron bars. Then they went around handling puppies and baby chicks, putting them down in the open and walking off.
“A few young girls who saw the Beach Boys acting like this were certainly disillusioned. The cameraman and the art director were awfully nice guys, but things just got out of hand and they couldn’t control the situation.”
Rhoades finished by claiming that the zoo’s superintendent, an ex-Marine sergeant major named John Muth, had told the band they were not welcome back and never would be.
Beach Boy Mike Love remembers things differently, telling CBS News 8, “Hey now, wait a minute, let’s let bygones be bygones. I have no idea why they said that. Maybe something rude was said or done but I comported myself as a perfect gentleman.”
But fellow Beach Boy Brian Johnston has been less conciliatory in the past, accusing the goats themselves of behaving badly.
“The goats were horrible,” Johnston told Rolling Stone, several decades after the event. “They (would) jump all over you and bite. One of them ate my radio. The zoo said we were torturing the animals, but they should have seen what we had to go through. We were doing all the suffering.”
None of the goats were available for comment.
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- The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds - 180gm - UK - vinyl LP - £85.00, $103.70, €100.30 (New Item) (arrived 15-Jan-2025 18:00)on January 18, 2025 at 7:42 am
BEACH BOYS Pet Sounds (Limited Edition 1997 UK Direct Metal Mastered issue of the classic 1966 14-track MONO LP pressed on 180gram Virgin Vinyl, issued as part of the 'EMI 100' series. Comes housed in a deluxe & fully glossed picture sleeve with the silver hype sticker on the front & a 'Not For Sale' sticker on the back for review ahead of release. The sleeve & vinyl are near 'as new' LPCENT2) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds - UK - vinyl LP - £25.00, $30.50, €29.50 (New Item) (arrived 24-Dec-2024 18:00)on January 18, 2025 at 7:42 am
THE BEACH BOYS Pet Sounds (1988 UK issue of the must own 1966 13-track stereo LP on the Capitol 'rainbow rim' label, glossy barcoded picture sleeve. The sleeve shows minimal wear and the vinyl looks barely played EMS1179) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- The Beach Boys - The Smile Sessions - Deluxe Box Set - US - box set - £250.00, $305.00, €295.00 (New Item) (arrived 13-Dec-2024 13:43)on January 18, 2025 at 7:42 am
THE BEACH BOYS The Smile Sessions(2011 US Deluxe Limited Edition 139-track Multi-Format Box Set, for the most anticipated album in rock & roll history. Comprises FIVE HD-CDS drawn from the original masters, presenting an in-depth overview of The Beach Boys' fascinating recording sessions for the enigmatic album, along with TWO 180gram Vinyl LPs featuring the full Smile album & sessions & TWO 7" vinyl singles [Heroes & Villains & Vega-Tables]. Also includes an exclusive 60-page case bound book with liner notes by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston & more, a 12-page picture booklet, a special 24" x 36" SMiLE poster & full size contents sheet. This fantastic collector's set comes housed in a 13" x 13" x 2½" two-piece picture box with a superb die-cut 3-D version of the Smile album cover - a real statement piece! Upon close inspection the box displays some minor signs of shelfwear though at a glance its almost indiscernable while the contents inside remain in stunning near mint condition)
- The Beach Boys - The Smile Sessions - Deluxe Box Set - US - box set - £250.00, $305.00, €295.00 (New Item) (arrived 13-Dec-2024 18:00)on January 18, 2025 at 7:42 am
THE BEACH BOYS The Smile Sessions(2011 US Deluxe Limited Edition 139-track Multi-Format Box Set, for the most anticipated album in rock & roll history. Comprises FIVE HD-CDS drawn from the original masters, presenting an in-depth overview of The Beach Boys' fascinating recording sessions for the enigmatic album, along with TWO 180gram Vinyl LPs featuring the full Smile album & sessions & TWO 7" vinyl singles [Heroes & Villains & Vega-Tables]. Also includes an exclusive 60-page case bound book with liner notes by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston & more, a 12-page picture booklet, a special 24" x 36" SMiLE poster & full size contents sheet. This fantastic collector's set comes housed in a 13" x 13" x 2½" two-piece picture box with a superb die-cut 3-D version of the Smile album cover - a real statement piece! Upon close inspection the box displays some minor signs of shelfwear though at a glance its almost indiscernable while the contents inside remain in stunning near mint condition)
- The Beach Boys - L.A. (Light Album) - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £15.00, $18.30, €17.70 (New Item) (arrived 17-Dec-2024 11:36)on January 18, 2025 at 7:42 am
THE BEACH BOYS L.A. (Light Album) (1979 UK 10-track vinyl LP, complete with photo montage inner, picture sleeve. Both the sleeve & vinyl are in 'Excellent' condition CRB86081)
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