Reviews of The Beach Boys in Concert! book

[PrayForSurf]

New podcast with Ian Rusten on the making of The Beach Boys in Concert (and more!) @
http://prayforsurfblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/podcast-researching-legacy-of-beach-boys.html

[Ian]

Glad everyone seems to enjoy the book.  I was happy to see it finally appear in my local book store and was informed it will be in Barnes and Nobles this week or next. 

[smile-holland]

We should have added this topic much sooner to the "Album, Book and Video Reviews And Discussions" subsection...

... but here it is: http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15902.0.html

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

I've spent the weekend with this book and concur with popular sentiment: it is an outstanding piece of work. Great pics, great info, hard to put down. Congratulations.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Glad everyone seems to enjoy the book.  I was happy to see it finally appear in my local book store and was informed it will be in Barnes and Nobles this week or next. 

Did you buy it from your local bookstore just for the experience?

[southbay]

Got mine over the weekend through Amazon.  Beautiflly presented, well done.  Weighs about 10 lbs., so plenty of information.  With the exception of the natural setlist mistake here or there, exceptional job.  Thanks for completing this, a great and needed addition to the BB's library.

[metal flake paint]

This is a beautiful publication and one that the authors should be proud of. Thank you Ian and Jon for your outstanding efforts.

[The Shift]

Arrived yesterday (here in UK).

Good god, guys, I'm gonna have to set aside a month to read every word of this!

[Peter Reum]

Lots of great details, nice period illustrations, and obviously meticulously researched!

[The Real Barnyard]

Mine arrived today here in Spain from Amazon. This book is a dream come true!
Thanks Ian for including me in the aknowledgments.

Julio Pelayo

[Ian]

Glad to hear everyone seems to like it

[Ed Roach]

Ian, Howie sent me a picture of you at your in store appearance the other night.  Would love for you to tell us about it

[Dudd]

Edit: deleted. My bad 

[Lowbacca]

For a quick review of the book here would it be 'okay' to post a couple of photos one has taken of the content (layout, photos, etc.)? I don't mean actual scans, but rather shots like this (random example):

[SonicVolcano]

Ordered one from a Dutch retailer. Can't wait!

[smile-holland]

Ordered one from a Dutch retailer. Can't wait!

You're not going to be disappointed  !     Be assured that all Dutch concerts (and those are not too many) are well documented.

[Ed Roach]

Haven't seen Ian around since I asked about his appearance, but this is lifted from the YouTube page here:


Ian Rusten talks about The Beach Boys In Concert book!

The Beach Boys 101 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcdYgwLWzjA

Where did all these Beach Boys photos come from? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccVAgL4Urk4

How Did Ian Rusten Come to Write a Book on the Beach Boys? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7qhwZghQgY

Why the Beach Boys? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zih95Wh1OFc

Ian Rusten at Book Expo 2013 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bJvNbchKio

[Lowbacca]

Haven't seen Ian around since I asked about his appearance, but this is lifted from the YouTube page here:


Ian Rusten talks about The Beach Boys In Concert book!

The Beach Boys 101 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcdYgwLWzjA

Where did all these Beach Boys photos come from? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccVAgL4Urk4

How Did Ian Rusten Come to Write a Book on the Beach Boys? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7qhwZghQgY

Why the Beach Boys? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zih95Wh1OFc

Ian Rusten at Book Expo 2013 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bJvNbchKio

Comes across as a nice guy. Interesting tidbits on how the book came to be.

[Jon Stebbins]

Great job Ian!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Never has it seemed to take so long for an item to arrive by the mail!!!

Is Charles Bukowski the new mail carrier in my neighborhood!!!???

[Ian]

Hi
I am on a short trip and haven't checked in a few days. Glad everyone liked the book.  In store appearance was great. Thanks for your great photos Ed!
Ian

[Mikie]

I received my "Beach Boys In Concert" book along with some other nice paper items in the mail a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised to see it personalized to me from both Ian and Jon. I've looked diligently for other autographs of Ian's and Jon's on the internet to verify their authenticity, but I'm pretty sure they're originals and were not forged. And I don't suspect that an autopen was used to compromize their legitimacy. 

This is a very nice hard cover book and I strongly encourage those who don't have it already, JUST GET IT. It's a great Beach boys reference tool along with being very entertaining with anecdotes and pictures, many in color and unreleased before now. I keep picking it up to read the reviews from various venues in the U.S. over the years. It includes virtually every Beach boys show I attended in the Bay Area from 1973 to 1997, and that's a lot!!

Here's the review form the first Beach Boys concert I ever attended. I attended either the 11/17/73 or 11/18/73 concert. I believe it was Saturday, the 17, but don't recall any health issues, fighting with Blondie, or anything less than a great concert. To me, it was the beginning of decades of fandomania, and I remember the "first impression" I got from this concert triggered a lifelong appreciation of the Beach Boys. After this first concert, I went up to Sacramento the following week and that solidified the Beach Boys as being one of the top concert acts that I ever saw, beginning as a teenager. In between those S.F. and Sacramento dates, the "BB In Concert" album was released and along with other fans, we played it to death.   


From Ian's and Jon's book:

Saturday November 17 and Sunday November 18, 1973, Winterland, S.F. California w/Commander Cody and Three Man Army.

Ed Roach filmed a part of this concert. Blondie Chaplin, normally a fine player, was barely functional. Dennis Wilson’s main function was to look pretty and lean at odd moments, plugging one ear, closed eyed, into the microphone as he rubbed his crotch and produced ill-matched harmonies. Even Carl Wilson and Al Jardine were having trouble fitting their vocals. A fan who attended recalled that he personally witnessed Carl and Al wrestling with a crying and screaming Blondie to get him to go onstage. This drama undoubtedly contributed to his exit from the group the following month in December (New York).  Interviewed the nest day, Carl blamed the bad performance on colds that the band members had caught. “Our voices were shot and Blondie was a bit wasted. I noticed it was one of the few times I’ve ever felt trapped by the older numbers. I’m beginning to get tired of them".


Wednesday, November 21, 1973, Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento California w/Commander Cody and Three Man Army.

After an eight year absence, the group returned to Sacramento, John Hurst of the Sacramento Bee reported “white balloons floated and lights flashed and the bobbing crowd on the main floor stood for a better look, the BB ripped through a total of songs mostly familiar hits from early bubblegum to latter day powerhouse. Twice they left the carpeted stage but returned for encores after two minutes each time of uninterrupted cheering from the multitude. They then finished with a romping Jumping Jack Flash that included a visual climax of dancing lights from mirrored spheres spinning high overhead and from a backdrop of colored lights on the stage".


Again, this is a fine book and hopefully everyone who calls themselves fans of the Beach Boys should have it for their collections. I'd say it's a must-have. Congratulations to Ian and Jon for a publication that you obviously put a lot of hard work into and I believe it has really paid off for you!

[Jon Stebbins]

Thanks for the nice review Mikie, glad you are digging the book!

[Ram4]

I plan on getting the book, but how long before a paperback edition might be out?  I'm not a big fan of hardcover books.  Thanks, it sounds fantastic.

[ontor pertawst]

I FINALLY got my copy a few days ago and almost feel like my heavy breathing on it is destroying it so am trying to ration out my hysterical enthusiasm. It's such a well-edited and assembled piece of work, so much stuff and tidbits flying out of nowhere that I didn't know -- which is what we all want, isn't it? Thumbs up and thanks for putting all that work into getting those incredible photos included. All the little details, an OCD OSD's delight!