And I'll save you the suspense, "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys is #1. Critics love the Beach Boys, "Pet Sounds", not so much for the music itself, but for the way in which Brian Wilson arrived at the final product on the production side.
There was no #1 Hit or single from the album - although "Caroline, No", "God Only Knows" and "Wouldn't it be Nice" did become quite popular.
This was a total departure for pop/rock bands at the time in the way this was recorded - with multiple takes, over-layering of sounds and takes, and using many professional musicians other than the band itself to play at various times.
It says something when Paul McCartney said of "God Only Knows", that it's the perfect pop tune. If you listen to "God Only Knows" carefully, there is a richness depth and clarity, in the singing, the harmonies, and the accompanying music that was not there in pop/rock until then.
While Pet Sounds itself as an album when it was released was not a massive run-away success, the single "Good Vibrations" released about a year later, after Pet Sounds, was a huge success for the Beach Boys, reaching #1 on the charts. Much of the concept and various parts of "Good Vibrations", came out of the Pet Sounds recording and production process, and it was recorded in a similar fashion, with a great deal of studio work and production going into it. It was unlike any hit tune/song that preceded it!
Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog