The Beach Boys released their eleventh studio album “Pet Sounds” on May 16, 1966. Chief songwriter Brian Wilson had ceased touring with the band in 1964 and, after hearing the Beatles' 1965 classic “Rubber Soul,” set out to push the band into uncharted territory. For the new album, Wilson pushed beyond the band’s signature vocal harmonies and surf guitars and added new colors. This included a theremin, toy organs, bike bells and found sounds. In a statement included on the CD liner notes for a later pressing of “Pet Sounds,” he said that “Rubber Soul” inspired him to pursue “a new type of sophisticated music.”The album broke into the top ten on the Billboard 200 chart, fueled in part by three of the group’s biggest hits. “Sloop John B” was released as the first single and hit number three in the U.S. and number two in the U.K. That song’s b-side was the iconic “God Only Knows,” which hit number two in the U.K. and 39 in the U.S. The album also included “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” which hit number eight in the U.S.