Uncut Ultimate Guide to the Beach Boys

[HeyJude]

I picked this up at Barnes & Noble yesterday, so it has hit California. B&N stores are usually relatively uniform, so I would imagine it's in most stores or will soon be there.

I've only read some of the sections; it's certainly a fun and light read. Some of the contemporary interviews and reviews are quite interesting to read (and then there's Brian's circa 1995 interview that treads firmly into "TMI" territory).

The album recaps/ratings are a mixed bag. I'm actually surprised the song-by-song ratings aren't too wacky. There are definitely some "huh?" moments, but not as many as I thought there would be.

I would agree that the actual writing for some of the individual album articles is rather "meh." Some of them sound a bit book report-ish, like someone in high school grabbed AGD's ComGuide, googled around for five minutes, and wrote the article as a book report for class.

I'm not sure all of the writers were that enamored or even interested in going into some of the albums. An occasional factoid or trivia bit in some of the articles sounded dubious to me as well.

But so few things like this exist for the BBs, so I'm happy with it I suppose, as a curio if nothing else.

[KDS]

Thanks for the tip HJ,

I'm likely going to be near a B&N by the end of the week, so I'll check it out.

[Lonely Summer]

I picked this up at Barnes & Noble yesterday, so it has hit California. B&N stores are usually relatively uniform, so I would imagine it's in most stores or will soon be there.

I've only read some of the sections; it's certainly a fun and light read. Some of the contemporary interviews and reviews are quite interesting to read (and then there's Brian's circa 1995 interview that treads firmly into "TMI" territory).

The album recaps/ratings are a mixed bag. I'm actually surprised the song-by-song ratings aren't too wacky. There are definitely some "huh?" moments, but not as many as I thought there would be.

I would agree that the actual writing for some of the individual album articles is rather "meh." Some of them sound a bit book report-ish, like someone in high school grabbed AGD's ComGuide, googled around for five minutes, and wrote the article as a book report for class.

I'm not sure all of the writers were that enamored or even interested in going into some of the albums. An occasional factoid or trivia bit in some of the articles sounded dubious to me as well.

But so few things like this exist for the BBs, so I'm happy with it I suppose, as a curio if nothing else.

I remember reading that Brian interview when it came out in '95; right at the same time, there was one in Pulse Magazine. In Pulse, he's talking about how he wants to record with his group - BB's - again; in the other interview, he can't bring himself to say anything good about the guys. I wondered at the time 'is he off his meds?" Seriously. His moods seemed so wildly inconsistent. I don't know what was going on with him, but it stung to read stuff like "Carl is an ---hole".

[HeyJude]

It just strikes me as two extremes. Especially in that weird post-Landy 90s timeframe, Brian had a weird relationship with the guys. I find it totally plausible that he wanted to work with them, and thought they were a-holes. Maybe the other guys felt the same about Brian, and each other, sometimes.

Where's that detailed recounting of one of the "reunion" sessions from circa 1995 where both Mike and Brian seem rather antagonistic (sometimes seemingly partly jokingly, other times maybe not) towards each other?

I think they were all still stuck in that push and pull between the Dennis-style idea of "Brian is the Beach Boys" versus "Brian hasn't done squat with us or for us in recent years and we've put all the work in." Even many years later, wasn't it Bruce Johnston that said he felt the BB's showing up at those Paley sessions was just a "courtesy" they were nice enough to pay to Brian?

It seems like, understandably, the guys struggled with how much they should continue to feel they owed *everything* to Brian. As the rest of the band splintered, they went in different directions. Al humbled himself and didn't try to pretend he or the other guys were on the same level as Brian. Mike (and Bruce largely as well) have chosen the "Mike was just as important" train of thought, which is of course both convenient and logical in their position.

Carl's feelings by the mid-late 90s are less clear, and probably much more complex. There are anecdotes suggesting he wasn't interested in blindly deferring to Brian (e.g. Carl reportedly being the one who took most issue with the Paley material), but also examples where Carl was working more closely with Brian at least on occasion than the other guys (e.g. appearing in the Don Was doc alongside Brian, doing some mid 90s sessions with Brian including "Proud Mary", etc.)

[Lonely Summer]

It just strikes me as two extremes. Especially in that weird post-Landy 90s timeframe, Brian had a weird relationship with the guys. I find it totally plausible that he wanted to work with them, and thought they were a-holes. Maybe the other guys felt the same about Brian, and each other, sometimes.

Where's that detailed recounting of one of the "reunion" sessions from circa 1995 where both Mike and Brian seem rather antagonistic (sometimes seemingly partly jokingly, other times maybe not) towards each other?

I think they were all still stuck in that push and pull between the Dennis-style idea of "Brian is the Beach Boys" versus "Brian hasn't done squat with us or for us in recent years and we've put all the work in." Even many years later, wasn't it Bruce Johnston that said he felt the BB's showing up at those Paley sessions was just a "courtesy" they were nice enough to pay to Brian?

It seems like, understandably, the guys struggled with how much they should continue to feel they owed *everything* to Brian. As the rest of the band splintered, they went in different directions. Al humbled himself and didn't try to pretend he or the other guys were on the same level as Brian. Mike (and Bruce largely as well) have chosen the "Mike was just as important" train of thought, which is of course both convenient and logical in their position.

Carl's feelings by the mid-late 90s are less clear, and probably much more complex. There are anecdotes suggesting he wasn't interested in blindly deferring to Brian (e.g. Carl reportedly being the one who took most issue with the Paley material), but also examples where Carl was working more closely with Brian at least on occasion than the other guys (e.g. appearing in the Don Was doc alongside Brian, doing some mid 90s sessions with Brian including "Proud Mary", etc.)

I think the account I read of that session was in ESQ, Cindy Lee Berryhill was the author. Mike was saying something about "Soul Searchin", something like "why is Carl singing this? Why don't we have any great Brian Wilson leads anymore?" and Brian basically told Mike to shut up. There was also some comment by Mike about another lawsuit. I'd have to dig that issue out to be sure.

[Joel Goldenberg]

I'm just in the process of reading it now. not bad, but there's some errors, such as the statement that Brian didn't appear live with the Beach Boys for 12 years after the 1964 breakdown. We know he did in early '65, in 1967 in Hawaii, in early 1970 in the Northwest, later that year at the Whiskey A-Go-Go, that Flame showcase mentioned above and an encore or two in the early 1970s.
The mag also says Murry Wilson never attended another session after the Help Me Rhonda debacle. Did he co-produce Breakaway remotely? Did Stephen Desper imagine Murry digging his nails into his shoulder? And then there's the page 1 mistake mentioned above, dating a Brian interview as March 1965 when it should have been 1966.

[Joel Goldenberg]

Found another mistake on one of the last pages. Says Bruce produced MIU-the one album between 1965 and 1979 he wasn't on at all!
Also makes mention of a stereo Today being collectible. They still haven't figured out in England it was Duophonic. Must have been that stereo designation on the EMI cover.

[bringahorseinhere?]

I'm a bit behind on this issue, but picked up a copy today.  Lot's of great pics, havn't read it yet, but nice to see a 120 page magazine out on the 'guys'.
It's a great for guys discovering the band to get a glimpse at least, and to find out more about them.