Reviews of The Beach Boys in Concert! book

[Ian]

yeah there was a lot of tension on those tours-especially without Carl there to mediate

[Ed Roach]

Thanks for the info.  It's rather hard to figure out what happened just going by the audio recording. The audience seems to have a good laugh about something during the song.

On a slightly related note(in a roundabout way), oh, to have been a fly on the wall "backstage" after the 1981 Long Beach show, where Dennis shouted out "I love shawn! I love you shawnie(sp?)". 

Backstage was The Queen Mary, and let's just say the ship was even weirder than the stage that day...

(And I'm still anxiously awaiting seeing the book myself!)

[drummer083]

  Don't post much or at all, but I've gotta say I'm very impressed with this work and the depth of knowledge contained within.  My only minor complaint is that Ed Roach's picture of Dennis on page 261 is backwards. Other than that little snafu, the book is gorgeous and I love the fact there is no dust jacket. I hate those things.

[PS]

Wow. What an incredible effort and beautiful book. Congratulations, Ian and John.

[Ian]

glad you like it.  I hadn't noticed that photo being backwards in my copy-but I'll look at it (not that I can do anything about it now anyways!)

[bgas]

  Don't post much or at all, but I've gotta say I'm very impressed with this work and the depth of knowledge contained within.  My only minor complaint is that Ed Roach's picture of Dennis on page 261 is backwards. Other than that little snafu, the book is gorgeous and I love the fact there is no dust jacket. I hate those things.

Backwards compared to what?

[Andrew G. Doe]

  Don't post much or at all, but I've gotta say I'm very impressed with this work and the depth of knowledge contained within.  My only minor complaint is that Ed Roach's picture of Dennis on page 261 is backwards. Other than that little snafu, the book is gorgeous and I love the fact there is no dust jacket. I hate those things.

Backwards compared to what?

Compared to... uh... the right way round ?

[drummer083]

  You can tell it's backwards because the snare drum and hi hat are on the opposite side, like a left handed drummer (Phil Collins for instance) would set up. Dennis set his kit up right handed, so the snare and hi hat would be to the left of where he sat. Being a drummer, I noticed that immediately.

[PS]

VERY happy to see that the May 12, 1973 double shows at SUNY Binghamton were confirmed! I corresponded with bgas about this and told him that I absolutely remember going to this because Dennis picked me up hitchhiking to the show that afternoon in his Winnebago (or whatever it was). I may have thought the date was '72 and not '73. They were supposed to play a free outdoor concert (I was there during the setup of the tent), but the concert had to be moved to the Men's Gym later that night because of the bad weather - and because of the demand that came with a free outdoor concert, they had to accommodate the situation with a second show. At the time we corresponded, I believe there was still no confirmation, despite the fact that a few friends who graduated with me distinctly remembered going. This was when Dennis screamed out "SHUT UP!" in the middle of Surf's Up to the idiots yelling requests during Carl's sublime singing. Wonderful to finally see this event confirmed in print.

[Jay]

That was a pretty erratic period for dennis.  When he was sober he was great but when he was drinking all bets were off

There is one other question I have about Dennis, if I may. In the research that you and Jon did, what would you say was Dennis's worst period? Was 1983 the "rock bottom" like most people seem to agree on? Did he ever try to control his drinking while on tour and during shows?

[The Shift]

Cripes! Let me turn that on its head and ask when Dennis peaked as a live perfomer (on stage, you cheeky Madame!)

[Tony S]

Got my copy in the mail yesterday, and had a tough time putting it down last night. Ian and John, just a great job! Everything from the hard copy cover, to all of the detailed information and pics that I've never seen before, some extremely poignant. Just a great read; much kudos to you both for a job very well done!

[Ian]

Glad you liked it!!  As far as Dennis goes-I think the book (hopefully) does a good job of showing how popular he was in the early days-he really was the main (visual) attraction for a lot of young fans-with his "Beatles" haircut shaking as he drummed.  Yes-as the years passed his alcohol intake and volatility increased and he could ruin a show but we tried to include many reviews even from the last years that show he could also greatly add to it.  Review of San Diego 68-he was drunk but still incredible, Filmore 68-his Little Bird is still a favorite memory of that fan, 1972 tour-he wasn't drumming and some reviewers said he did little but stand around with a finger in his ear and add a little harmony-but people (such as Elvis Costello) still recall his "Cuddle Up" or "I've Got a Friend" as highlights of those shows,  1979-already entering his dark period-but the reviewer of the Radio City Shows-still thought he was the best thing about the performances.  At one show in 78 in he totally disrupted most of the show-but when he got behind the drum-kit at the end he pushed the guys to exert more energy in the finale.  I guess-the best period was 1969-1971. Would have been cool to see him on the 1970 UK tour

[cube_monkey]

I am going against my better judgment and ordering this.   I know when it comes, everything will be put on hold.  I am still recovering from the "Beach Boys"
book.    I saw them in Pine Knob theatre (MI) in I think '74.  I think Ricky played drums and came out from behind them and did a (i think) big guitar solo. 
My parents introduced me to frog legs....only they didn't tell me it was frog legs.   tastes like chicken.

Productivity meter will show:     NONE [\......] LOTS
                                                         
Course reading the book and "educational learning" is productivity, right?

Jay

[Fun Is In]

Speaking of correcting Badman entries for places that don't exist, I was surprised to see this great new book continue an error that also appears at Bellagio.

There is no such institution as "the State University of Oregon".

This is minor and fairly inconsequential but I'm still surprised that someone living on the west coast of the US would not know that the institution in Corvallis, OR was then and is now named Oregon State University. 

I was happy to see that the name of my alma mater and all the venues where I attended concerts were rendered correctly.

[Ian]

I knew there'd be some errors.  Hopefully there mostly minor. That was one of the first college tours

[Ian]

By the way The Gigs/Sessions section of Bellagio (AGD's Site)-which I compiled with him-is still essential viewing as I probably will continue to find shows.  Once manuscript was in and I couldn't add stuff I found the following:
Sept 27 1962 The Row, USC Campus-with the Marketts  (Unfortunately USC didn't publish a summer newspaper-so earlier USC Frat Party in summer 62 where Brian met Bob Norberg can't be precisely dated)
Apr 8 1975-University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Jan 18 1981-Selland Arena, Fresno, CA

[MBE]

Ian they are minor and Jon and yourself should be proud. In a book of this size covering so many shows, I can count on one hand any minor errors I found. It wasn't mentioned that the 1993 Poplar Creek show with America was the first try out of the box set material. I was there, but have never been able to track down tapes. The Cleveland newspaper is the Plain-Dealer not Plains-Dealer. Sometimes "Surfer Girl" was printed "Little Surfer Girl". Again VERY minor for a book of this scope.

[Ian]

Thanks mike. Glad you liked it

[Fun Is In]

The book is a real gem.

Among the many things I've learned from the book so far are just how hard working the touring band was. Wow.

Also that they shared several bills with the Jeffeson Airplane BEFORE Monterrey Pop. Made me wonder how the audiences at those shows responded to the mix of styles and IF it was a suggestion of possible negative repsonse at Monterrey Pop or IF it was an indication that crowds could appreciate both.

The collected reviews are also very interesting. Some seem pro forma or pre-determined. Some insightful. Highly variable responses even on the same tour.

Also, Mike's comment to an interviewer that Brian was too paranoid (that's the word he used) to leave home. Possibly the most direct remark on that topic that ever escaped a band member's lips.

[MBE]

Mike was very honest in the summer of 1982 about Brian and Dennis too. Maybe not tactful but honest. I learned so much in this book and I was at a point before it came out where I didn't there was much left to learn.

[Ian]

I understand what you mean-but thankfully there is always something new to discover with this group.  Thanks for the kind words.

[alf wiedersehen]

Has anybody seen this in Barnes & Noble? I'm heading up there in a few days and I'm hoping to get my hands on this.

[MBE]

I understand what you mean-but thankfully there is always something new to discover with this group.  Thanks for the kind words.

No problem, I also thought the Sun City 1981 show and the flack around it was fascinating.

[Jay]

I'm hoping that this book can clear up something I've been wondering about for quite a while now. I saw the beach boys twice at Blossom Music Center in Ohio in the early 1990's. One of the shows was in August of 1992. I think that I either saw them the year before that, or the year after. I'm pretty sure it was two years back to back. Those were the very first concerts I ever went to. Unfortunately, I was only about seven years old, so I remember very little about the shows, other than there being a horrible rainstorm at one of the shows. We had to leave early and I can still remember hearing them doing an encore as we were getting in the car. The only other details I can remember are Matt Jardine being introduced at one of the shows, and a lot of people in the audience were talking about how horrible Mike sounded at one of the shows.