Pitchfork

While he may have ditched the in-house sandbox, that Brian Wilson still knows how to party! And to prove it, the Beach Boys mastermind has announced a batch of special concert performances this fall celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band's legendary Pet Sounds. You know, the one with the goats.

Following last month's lavish 2xCD reissue of the 1960s masterpiece, Wilson and his current backing band will play Pet Sounds in its glorious entirety on a short string of November dates (five U.S. and one UK). The trek kicks off November 1 at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles, and according to Wilson's website, the London gig will mark the last time Wilson ever plays Pet Sounds in the UK.

And while seeing one of pop's most respected legends performing one of pop's most respected albums (which happens to be home to "God Only Knows", the Pitchfork staff's recent vote for greatest song of the 60s) isn't too shabby in itself, the shows will also provide a special treat for longtime fans, as none other than original Beach Boy Al Jardine (who lent his pipes to the album's heart-tugging "I Know There's an Answer") is scheduled to perform alongside Wilson during four of the six scheduled gigs.

Another footnote in the band's strange history: the shows will mark Brian and Al's first official collaboration in over a decade, as the pair haven't worked together since the Beach Boys' last group effort, 1996's nauseating country hybrid Stars and Stripes Vol. 1-- which saw the one-time innovators backing up such notable jackasses as Toby Keith and Collin Raye. Yee-haw.

No word yet on Mike Love's whereabouts during the tour, or if he was even asked to participate, but we've conveniently listed the date and venue for each show so he can Kokomo on over if he pleases.

In strangely related news, Welsh heroes Scritti Politti will handle opening duties for the first performance of the Pet Sounds tour. No, seriously!

The group, like Wilson, are also currently enjoying their own comeback of sorts, having just returned to touring duties following the release of their Mercury Prize-nominated 2006 album White Bread, Black Beer-- which marks their first comeback album since their previous comeback album, 1999's Anomie & Bonhomie. And while they'll only be covering that initial date on the Pet Sounds tour, Scritti Politti will also be playing their own batch of U.S. dates this fall.

Finally, Pet Sounds obsessives might also want to head over to Apple's iTunes store, where they can listen to a free podcast series highlighting the record's anniversary. Broken down into a track-by-track analysis of the disc's production, the series includes commentary from surviving members Brian Wilson, Jardine, and Love, as well as resident fifth Beatle (or make that sixth Beach Boy), Bruce Johnston-- all offering a surprisingly insightful look behind the scenes of Brian Wilson's most endearing statement.

Brian Wilson dates:

11-01 Los Angeles, CA - Royce Hall #
11-12 London, England - Adelphi Theatre
11-17 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre *
11-18 Washington, DC - TBA *
11-19 Glensdale, PA - Keswick Theatre *
11-21 New York, NY - Beacon Theatre *

# with Scritti Politti
* with Al Jardine

Scritti Politti dates:

10-29 Los Angeles, CA - Roxy Theatre
10-30 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
11-01 Los Angeles, CA - Royce Hall *
11-02 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
11-04 Chicago, IL - Double Door
11-06 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
11-08 Baltimore, MD - Sonar
11-09 Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
11-10 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
11-12 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club

* with Brian Wilson