The Beach Boys on CD - Andrew Hickey (2 volumes)

[harrisonjon]

I am considering buying one or both of these and don't see any thread about them. I'd welcome some reviews.

Is Hickey too picky? Is Hickey a hack? Or is is he the Beach Boys' Ian MacDonald?

http://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Hickey/e/B0057GM3KW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

[Nicko1234]

You can read reviews for both books here:

http://www.beachboys.com/booksIII.html#hickey

[harrisonjon]

I'm wary if he just retreads the ground that AGD covered, with just the author's opinions making the books distinctive.

[Magic City Surfer]

I have both volumes and I enjoy them a lot. I keep them queued up in my Kindle and often re-read them.

It is strictly a book of opinions, track-by-track for each album.  He often discusses chord progressions and other musical details, but not for every song.

His opinions are thoughtful, knowledgeable and well written. I can't compare them to AGD's book, because I haven't read that.

But I'm entertained by it and Hickey clearly knows what he's talking about.

Vol. 2 is particularly interesting to me because there's just not a lot out there covering in detail the band's 70s output.
Hickey isn't afraid to tell you when he doesn't like a track. The creative ways he comes up with expressing his loathing for, say, Going Pubilc are hilarious to me.

These are books clearly by a fan that embraces both the good and the bad from the band's catalog.

Recommended.

[Please delete my account]

Get a taste for it here:
http://andrewhickey.info/tag/the-beach-boys-on-cd/

[Mikie]

Too bad Andrew Hickey doesn't post here anymore - some buttheads ran him off. Otherwise he could answer your questions directly, Jon. He's from your country. Very knowledgeable fan. You might try to PM him - I know he still reads this bored.

[SenorPotatoHead]

Recently read both volumes and enjoyed them very much.  There isn't a wealth of new info perhaps, but I enjoyed his sense of humor and just generally found them an enjoyable read.  I'm happy enough to have purchased them and feel they'll be a nice reference for times when I wish to delve into the discography without much muss or fuss. 

[Bill Ed]

Too bad Andrew Hickey doesn't post here anymore - some buttheads ran him off.

So he can dish it out, but he can't take it? 

[Mikie]

[wantsomecorn]

Great books - they're mostly based around his opinions, as well as some deeper musical analysis (which, to someone like me who has no knowledge of musical theory, falls on deaf ears). Some of the stuff he points out, such as Brian's motifs of insecurity in relationships and his way of recording drums (especially the snares on Love You) shocked me with how I never noticed it until he pointed it out. It's well written and some of it is hilarious. His reviews of Going Public and Looking Back With Love are classic.

[harrisonjon]

There was meant to be a Vol 3 covering post-1984 but I have not yet seen any sign of it.

[harrisonjon]

Reply to me by Andrew on his site about Vol 3:

I plan to start writing it when I’ve finished writing my current music book (California Dreaming: The LA Pop Scene of the 60s), which has been a little delayed but should be out this summer.
The previous Beach Boys books have taken me about six months to write, so I’d *guess* it’ll be out for Xmas, but if life gets in the way it might be early next year.