The Smiley Smile Message Board

Now that I've sufficiently listened to everything BB-related that I can find, obsessed over SMiLE, read this board daily for two years, and begun creating my own mixes of tracks, I'm ready to delve past the surface knowledge and take a deep dive into BB history.  So I need book recommendations.  I'm primarily interested (at least at this point) in the band's early history.  Where should I start?

Beach Boys books. Some are out of print now, but definitely worth seeking out.

The Beach Boys: A Biography in Words & Pictures - Ken Barnes  
The Beach Boys: Southern California Pastoral - Bruce Goldin  
The Beach Boys - John Tobler  
The Beach Boys and the California Myth - David Leaf  
The Beach Boys: The Authorized Biography of America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band - Byron Preiss
Surf's Up: The Beach Boys on Record 1961-1981 - Brad Elliott  * (out of date but still good)  
The Beach Boys - Dean Anthony  
The Beach Boys Silver Anniversary - John Milward  
Heroes & Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys - Steven Gaines  
Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story - Brian Wilson with Todd Gold  ** 
The Wilson Project - Stephen J. McParland    
The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern California Experience - Timothy White  
In Their Own Words: The Beach Boys - Nick Wise  
Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile! (3 issues) - Domenic Priore  
Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys: How Deep is the Ocean? - Paul Williams  
Back to the Beach: A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader - Kingsley Abbott    
Denny Remembered: Dennis Wilson in Words and Pictures - Edward Wincentsen  
Smile, Sun, Sand & Pet Sounds - Stephen J. McParland  
Add Some Music to Your Day: Analyzing and Enjoying the Music of the Beach Boys - Don Cunningham and Jeff Bleiel  
The Real Beach Boy: Dennis Wilson - Jon Stebbins  
Dumb Angel: The Life and Music of Dennis Wilson - Adam Webb  
In The Studio With Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys: Our Favorite Recording Sessions - Stephen J. McParland  
The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds: The Greatest Album of the Twentieth Century - Kingsley Abbott
Wouldn't It Be Nice: Brian Wilson and the Making of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds - Charles Granata  
Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Beach Boys - Mark Holcomb  
The Beach Boys on CD - Joe Thomas  
Brian Wilson Solo: The Complete Guide to the Solo Works of Brian Wilson - Joe Thomas  
The  Japanese CD Releases of the Beach Boys & Brian Wilson - Joe Thomas  
This Whole World: The Complete Beach Boys Single and EP Cover Collection - Manfred Schmidt and Christian Hascchke  
The Beach Boys: The Musical Evolution of America's Band - Robert G. Anstey  
Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys: The Complete Guide to their Music - Andrew G. Doe and John Tobler    
The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio - Keith Badman  **
Brian Wilson: An Art Book - Alex Farquharson  
33 1/3: Pet Sounds - Jum Fusilli
The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece, Smile - Domenic Priore  
Sloop John B: A Pirate's Tale - Al Jardine, il. Jimmy Pickering
Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall & Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson - Peter Ames Carlin  
The Lost Beach Boy: David Marks - Jon Stebbins    
Recording the Beach Boys - Steven Desper  
Inside the Music of Brian Wilson: The Songs, Sounds, and Influences of the Beach Boys' Founding Genius - Philip Lambert  
The Beach Boys' FAQ - Jon Stebbins  
The Beach Boys In Concert!: The Complete History of America's Band On Tour and Onstage - Jon Stebbins and Ian Rusten
The Real Beach Boy: Dennis Wilson (update) - Jon Stebbins  TBA 2014?

** Read at your own risk.

Regarding early BBs history I'd recommend..

.. for a comprehensive historical examination: Timothy White's The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern Californian Experience

.. for a well-written and BW-centered introduction: Peter Ames Carlin's Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson

.. for the other kind of perspective (and the dirt): Steven Gaines' Heroes and Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys



All these are great, but very different books.

I would also add The Beach Boys FAQ by Jon Stebbins to this list. The Nearest Faraway Place can get tedious (the first part of the book deals primarily with the Wilson family origins) but it's a very informative read. Start off with these and go from there.

If you can find it cheaply, definitely get your hands on 'Look Listen Vibrate Smile' by Domenic Priore - by far the best Smile related book I own.

Mikie you gotta add The Beach Boys In Concert book to this great list.

Duly noted, Jon. Sorry for the oversight - a highly recommended book in the Beach Boys literary arsenal. The Beach Boys in Concert!: The Complete History of America's Band On Tour and Onstage.

And NOT written by Brian Wilson.

The Timothy White book - The Nearest Faraway Place - is massively over-rated and at times absolutely baffling (The Beach Boys '85 is spoken about as being on a par with Sunflower).

Far better is the Peter Ames Carlin book Catch A Wave - a really well-written and effortless read.

Andrew G Doe's Complete Guide... book is also good. You wont always agree with his verdicts - Funky Pretty isn't very good apparently, or so says Andrew - but it's witty and very easy to read. A great book to dip in and out of.

Jon Stebbins' Beach Boys FAQ is also great. His album analysis' are lovely to read and my only complaint is that he doesn't really deal with any albums post-15 Big Ones in any real depth (he's also a little dismissive of Smiley Smile, which is a shame because it's an utterly unique album and it deserved more of a mention...) Otherwise, it's a damn fun read!

50 Sides of the Beach Boys is another winner - recommended.  

I have wasted a great deal of time and money buying books about The Beach Boys. Of those I purchased, these are the ones I feel best about owning (in no order whatsoever):

Look Listen Vibrate Smile - Domenic Priore
Back to the Beach - Kingsley Abbott
Wouldn't It Be Nice (My Own Story) - Brian Wilson (I know but it's still fun to read)
Nearest Faraway Place - Timothy White (the genealogical portion is of primary interest to me)
The Real Beach Boy - Mr. Stebbins
The Beach Boys - Byron Preiss
Complete Guide to the Music of the Beach Boys - Tobler and our dear friend Mr. Doe
The Beach Boys In Concert - Mr. Stebbins
The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio - Keith Badman (lots of errors and theft but still useful)
Wouldn't It Be Nice - Charles Granata (Tony's side of the story)
Catch a Wave- Peter Ames Carlin (fair and balanced)

Sounds like Mr. Stebbins and I agree on a few things, then.

Thanks all for the suggestions!  I think I'm going to start out with the FAQ and Catch a Wave.

Grab Beach Boys FAQ first off! A fantastic, funny, and factual primer.

If you want gloriously entertaining trash, I'd proceed to Heroes & Villians next. It might make you want to hate these guys but considering how easy they're making it themselves these days, then by all means dig in!

From there: The Real Beach Boy, and The Lost Beach Boy would be a great next double bill.

From there: Catch A Wave.

And be sure to have the In Concert and Badman books close at hand for refrence. (Badman inaccuracies aside, it's a fun book) In Concert is especially dense and chock full of endless amounts of awesome info.

I agree what a few of you have said about the Badman book. I got it last year as a Christmas gift from my sister and believe me, I couldn't put it down for the next few weeks of the holidays, despite the errors and referencing issues (a sincere thanks AGD for pointing this out!).