Brian's Book

[MaryUSA]

Hi all,

I know that Brian is writing a book about his life.  It is supposed to come out in the fall of 2015.  I hope it does.   Are there any books about BW/BB I can read until Brian's book comes out? 

[urbanite]

How about the Mike Love book?  I expect that to be a doozy.

[Lowbacca]

Hi all,

I know that Brian is writing a book about his life.  It is supposed to come out in the fall of 2015.  I hope it does.   Are there any books about BW/BB I can read until Brian's book comes out? 

There are numerous good books on the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. Have you tried the board's search function?
(I'd recommend Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson by Peter Ames Carlin, for starters.)


Also: SmileySmile Book Reviews

[Heysaboda]

Hi all,

I know that Brian is writing a book about his life.  It is supposed to come out in the fall of 2015.  I hope it does.   Are there any books about BW/BB I can read until Brian's book comes out? 

Peter Carlin's book called:

Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson

is one of the best books on BW/BB that you could find.  A terrific read!

[Vega-Table Man]

Indeed, I too would recommend Carlin's book.

[Shady]

Hi all,

I know that Brian is writing a book about his life.  It is supposed to come out in the fall of 2015.  I hope it does.   Are there any books about BW/BB I can read until Brian's book comes out? 

Peter Carlin's book called:

Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson

is one of the best books on BW/BB that you could find.  A terrific read!

This times a million.

An absolutely incredible book that you will devour in a day.

[Alex]

Leaf and Gaines are good starters.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I recommend Jon Stebbins's FAQ book. Excellent read.

[halblaineisgood]

.

[Mikie]

Here you go, Mary. Complete with poll results taken a few years ago from Beach Boys fans the world over. I think AGD must have recruited friends, fans and relatives to vote for his book, but other than that, I think the poll is a pretty accurate representation of which books are the most popular. I'm surprised Badman got the high marks he did after all the inaccuracies subsequently found in it. Smilers, feel free to add books that I missed and I will edit them in.

The Beach Boys: A Biography in Words & Pictures - Ken Barnes - 1 (0.4%)
The Beach Boys: Southern California Pastoral - Bruce Goldin - 0 (0%)
The Beach Boys - John Tobler - 0 (0%)
The Beach Boys and the California Myth - David Leaf - 26 (9.9%)
The Beach Boys: The Authorized Biography of America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band - Byron Preiss - 5 (1.9%)
Surf's Up: The Beach Boys on Record 1961-1981 - Brad Elliot - 18 (6.8%)
The Beach Boys - Dean Anthony - 0 (0%)
The Beach Boys Silver Anniversary - John Milward - 5 (1.9%)
Heroes & Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys - Steven Gaines - 12 (4.6%)
Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story - Brian Wilson with Todd Gold - 5 (1.9%)
The Wilson Project - Stephen J. McParland - 2 (0.8%)
The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern California Experience - Timothy White - 28 (10.6%)
In Their Own Words: The Beach Boys - Nick Wise - 0 (0%)
Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile!  (Three editions) - Domenic Priore - 12 (4.6%)
Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys: How Deep is the Ocean? - Paul Williams - 3 (1.1%)
Back to the Beach: A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader - ed. Kingsley Abbott - 7 (2.7%)
Denny Remembered: Dennis Wilson in Words and Pictures - Edward Wincentsen - 2 (0.8%)
Smile, Sun, Sand & Pet Sounds - Stephen J. McParland - 0 (0%)
Add Some Music to Your Day: Analyzing and Enjoying the Music of the Beach Boys - Don Cunningham and Jeff Bleiel - 7 (2.7%)
The Real Beach Boy: Dennis Wilson - Jon Stebbins - 20 (7.6%)
Dumb Angel: The Life and Music of Dennis Wilson - Adam Webb - 2 (0.8%)
In The Studio With Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys: Our Favorite Recording Sessions - Stephen J. McParland - 3 (1.1%)
The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds: The Greatest Album of the Twentieth Century - Kingsley Abbott - 2 (0.8%)
Wouldn't It Be Nice: Brian Wilson and the Making of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds - Charles L. Granata - 4 (1.5%)
Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Beach Boys - Mark Holcomb - 0 (0%)
The Beach Boys on CD - Joe Thomas - 0 (0%)
Brian Wilson Solo: The Complete Guide to the Solo Works of Brian Wilson - Joe Thomas - 0 (0%)
The  Japanese CD Releases of the Beach Boys & Brian Wilson - Joe Thomas - 0 (0%)
This Whole World: The Complete Beach Boys Single and EP Cover Collection - Manfred Schmidt and Christian Hascchke - 3 (1.1%)
The Beach Boys: The Musical Evolution of America's Band - Robert G. Anstey - 1 (0.4%)
Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys: The Complete Guide to their Music - Andrew G. Doe and John Tobler - 28 (10.6%)
The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio - Keith Badman - 19 (7.2%)
Brian Wilson: An Art Book - ed. Alex Farquharson - 0 (0%)
33 1/3: Pet Sounds - Jum Fusilli - 2 (0.8%)
The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece, Smile - Domenic Priore - 2 (0.8%)
Sloop John B: A Pirate's Tale - Al Jardine, il. Jimmy Pickering - 0 (0%)
Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall & Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson - Peter Ames Carlin - 30 (11.4%)
The Lost Beach Boy: David Marks - Jon Stebbins - 5 (1.9%)
Recording the Beach Boys - Steven Desper - 3 (1.1%) (Bonerfide collector's item - waiting patiently for new revised edition).
Inside the Music of Brian Wilson: The Songs, Sounds, and Influences of the Beach Boys' Founding Genius by  - 5 (1.9%)
The Beach Boys in Concert!: The Complete History of America's Band On Tour and Onstage - Ian Rusten, Jon Stebbins - (2013)
The Beach Boys FAQ: All That's Left to Know about America's Band - Jon Stebbins - (2011)
 

[Ron]

How about the Mike Love book?  I expect that to be a doozy.

It would be so epic.  I hope to hell he does it. 

as a teaser; years ago on Capitol Records website they posted a bio of Mike.  It was so over the top it's still considered legend and many suspect Mike himself hacked the site to write it.  Here it is, saved for posterity:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Captained by the ageless Mike Love - who dubs himself "the hardest working man in Surf City" - The Beach Boys played an astoundingly busy schedule of concerts in 2002, ranging from their triumphal February appearance at the Winter Olympics to a gala New Year's bash at the posh Honolulu Hilton. Between engagements, they've been writing, arranging, rehearsing and preparing for a new album due out in 2003 based on their international success story. In 1974 Mike Love's concept album Endless Summer ignited a second generation of Beach Boys fans and stirred a comeback that rocked the music world.

Had this remarkable band been less committed to its art and its fans, it could have retired from the field with honor at dozens of points along the way, confident that it had made a lasting contribution to world culture. It could have rested on the success of the epoch-shifting Pet Sounds masterpiece in 1966... or after recording Love's co-written "Kokomo" in 1988 and seeing it become its best selling single ever... or after being inducted that same year into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame... or after watching its worldwide album sales blow past l00 million... or after winning a Lifetime Achievement Grammy® in 2001. Instead, the gallant crew sails on.

Few, if any, acts can match The Beach Boys' concert presence, spirit and performance. They were center-stage at Live Aid, various Farm Aids, the Statue of Liberty's 100th Anniversary Salute, the Super Bowl and the White House. On one day alone - July 4, 1985 - they played to nearly 2 million enthusiasts at shows in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Love's role as the band's frontman sometimes overshadows his stature as one of rock's foremost songwriters. "Surfin'," The Beach Boys' first hit came from his pen. With his cousin, Brian Wilson, Love wrote the classics "Fun, Fun, Fun," "I Get Around," "Help Me Rhonda," "California Girls" and "Good Vibrations." Years later, he showed he still had the lyrical chops by co-writing the irresistible and chart-topping "Kokomo."

On The Beach Boys' near horizon are another national/world tour, a new album from Capitol Records complete with full promotional muscle and continued charity activities through Mike Love's Love Foundation, which supports national environmental and educational initiatives.

In addition to founding Beach Boy Mike Love (lead vocals), the newest incarnation of the band also includes 40-year Beach Boy-vet Bruce Johnston (vocals/keyboards), Mike Kowalski (drums), Adrian Baker (guitar/vocals), Chris Farmer (bass/vocals), Tim Bonhomme (keyboards/vocals), John Cowsill of The Cowsills (keyboards/vocals/percussion) and Scott Totten (guitar/vocals).

[Andrew G. Doe]

If I recall correctly, that got taken down in about four days flat, and rightly so.  

Mikie, you missed out Jon's essential FAQ book.

[Mikie]

Thanks for the heads-up, Andrew.  How could I forget a great book like that?  I'm sorry, Jon! 

[Dutchie]

here is a good one: Wouldnt be nice, my own story Brian Wilson

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Wouldnt-It-Be-Nice-My-Own-Story-by-Todd-Gold-and-Brian-Wilson-Hardcover-Book-/221419732676?pt=US_Fiction_Books&hash=item338da4fec4

[Mikie]

Do you really thinks so, Dutchie, or are you kidding?  You know it was mostly written by Gold and Landy, don't you?

[Jon Stebbins]

Thanks for the heads-up, Andrew.  How could I forget a great book like that?  I'm sorry, Jon! 

Thanks Andrew...and Mikie. The Beach Boys FAQ book is still selling pretty well, I'm glad fans are adding it to their BB's libraries.

[Dutchie]

Do you really thinks so, Dutchie, or are you kidding?  You know it was mostly written by Gold and Landy, don't you?

yea just kidding. forgot the smiley 

It was an intresting read thoug when i bought it after it was released. Years later i heard that Brian has nothing to do with it.

[phirnis]

"Mike Love's concept album Endless Summer" - whoever came up with that... genius!

[Emdeeh]

here is a good one: Wouldnt be nice, my own story Brian Wilson

"My own made-up story about Brian Wilson" by Eugene Landy...

[KittyKat]

Some of the Landy book was original, though. Take, for instance, the giant Mike Love turd in the toilet bowl story. Or Mike Love and Al Jardine both dissing Brian's choice in shoes at various points. Or the part where Brian talks about chomping on cauliflower while looking out at the Pacific Ocean, deep in thought.

[Amanda Hart]

Some of the Landy book was original, though. Take, for instance, the giant Mike Love turd in the toilet bowl story. Or Mike Love and Al Jardine both dissing Brian's choice in shoes at various points. Or the part where Brian talks about chomping on cauliflower while looking out at the Pacific Ocean, deep in thought.

You're right, that book isn't total garbage, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone just getting into reading about the band. That's more for someone who's read everything and can take it with a hefty grain of salt.

I'll echo everyone else and say that Catch A Wave is a good place to start - it's a well done, traditional biography of Brian that's still fair to the band. The Beach Boys FAQ is also very good, in a short read format, as opposed to a narrative style bio.

[The Shift]

The only book justifiably credited to an actual Beach Boy is one of the least essential, interestingly…

[Jim V.]

How about the Mike Love book?  I expect that to be a doozy.

It would be so epic.  I hope to hell he does it. 

as a teaser; years ago on Capitol Records website they posted a bio of Mike.  It was so over the top it's still considered legend and many suspect Mike himself hacked the site to write it.  Here it is, saved for posterity:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Captained by the ageless Mike Love - who dubs himself "the hardest working man in Surf City" - The Beach Boys played an astoundingly busy schedule of concerts in 2002, ranging from their triumphal February appearance at the Winter Olympics to a gala New Year's bash at the posh Honolulu Hilton. Between engagements, they've been writing, arranging, rehearsing and preparing for a new album due out in 2003 based on their international success story. In 1974 Mike Love's concept album Endless Summer ignited a second generation of Beach Boys fans and stirred a comeback that rocked the music world.

Had this remarkable band been less committed to its art and its fans, it could have retired from the field with honor at dozens of points along the way, confident that it had made a lasting contribution to world culture. It could have rested on the success of the epoch-shifting Pet Sounds masterpiece in 1966... or after recording Love's co-written "Kokomo" in 1988 and seeing it become its best selling single ever... or after being inducted that same year into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame... or after watching its worldwide album sales blow past l00 million... or after winning a Lifetime Achievement Grammy® in 2001. Instead, the gallant crew sails on.

Few, if any, acts can match The Beach Boys' concert presence, spirit and performance. They were center-stage at Live Aid, various Farm Aids, the Statue of Liberty's 100th Anniversary Salute, the Super Bowl and the White House. On one day alone - July 4, 1985 - they played to nearly 2 million enthusiasts at shows in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Love's role as the band's frontman sometimes overshadows his stature as one of rock's foremost songwriters. "Surfin'," The Beach Boys' first hit came from his pen. With his cousin, Brian Wilson, Love wrote the classics "Fun, Fun, Fun," "I Get Around," "Help Me Rhonda," "California Girls" and "Good Vibrations." Years later, he showed he still had the lyrical chops by co-writing the irresistible and chart-topping "Kokomo."

On The Beach Boys' near horizon are another national/world tour, a new album from Capitol Records complete with full promotional muscle and continued charity activities through Mike Love's Love Foundation, which supports national environmental and educational initiatives.

In addition to founding Beach Boy Mike Love (lead vocals), the newest incarnation of the band also includes 40-year Beach Boy-vet Bruce Johnston (vocals/keyboards), Mike Kowalski (drums), Adrian Baker (guitar/vocals), Chris Farmer (bass/vocals), Tim Bonhomme (keyboards/vocals), John Cowsill of The Cowsills (keyboards/vocals/percussion) and Scott Totten (guitar/vocals).

This was real? When was this posted?!

[Andrew G. Doe]

November 2002... and I was wrong - it was pulled after two days.

[JK]

You're right, that book isn't total garbage, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone just getting into reading about the band. That's more for someone who's read everything and can take it with a hefty grain of salt.

Oddly, it was that book (my first BB read) that rekindled my interest in the Boys back in 2002/2003. So it does have its uses!

My favourites? Doe & Tobler's Little Blue Book, Abbott's Back to the Beach and the Carlin book. How Deep Is the Ocean? is worth getting hold of just for Paul Williams' ecstatic review of the 30 Years box set. Spine-tingling stiff.