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Author Topic: New book: Hollywood Eden  (Read 7733 times)
Juice Brohnston
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« on: April 14, 2021, 03:12:29 PM »

Looks like a good read


https://www.pollstar.com/article/joel-selvins-hollywood-eden-mines-the-highs-and-lows-of-socals-early-music-scene-147802
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Gerry
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« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2021, 07:09:41 PM »

I lived in the Bay area for 20 years back in the 1970's and '80's and I used to read Joel Selvin reviews in the San Francisco Chronicle. Selvin used to give the Beach Boys some tough write-ups. He actually worked for the Beach Boys in 1976 in publicity but he had to keep up the San Francisco hipper than thou attitude when it came to the Beach Boys. Sounds like an interesting book though.
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juggler
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« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2021, 09:41:41 PM »

  I split my time between SoCal and S.F., and I read Selvin's columns and reviews for years.  I must agree with the comment above in that I found that Selvin had an irrationally negative view of the BBs.  I remember him absolutely trashing the Pet Sounds Sessions box set, basically calling it a ridiculously over-the-top treatment of an album.  Nonetheless, this sounds like an interesting tome, so I just put a hold on the book at my local library.
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DonnyL
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« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2021, 10:11:03 PM »

Thanks for the hipping to this ... gonna buy it.
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phirnis
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« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2021, 11:06:34 PM »

Bruce is much more interesting than his latter day stage persona, his solo records, or his loyalty to Mike would suggest. I'd love to read his autobiography but he's said several times over the years that he's not going to write one.
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guitarfool2002
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« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2021, 01:13:57 PM »

The author of this book, Joel Selvin, will be a guest on the Michael Shelley Show on WFMU, Saturday May 15th 11am to 1pm EST. Available to stream everywhere and also all the interviews are archived for later access. This is the same show Al Jardine was just on this past Saturday.

Link:

https://wfmu.org/playlists/SH

Give WFMU a listen, their Saturday morning and afternoon programming is fantastic.
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"All of us have the privilege of making music that helps and heals - to make music that makes people happier, stronger, and kinder. Don't forget: Music is God's voice." - Brian Wilson
Joel Goldenberg
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« Reply #6 on: April 22, 2021, 03:20:22 PM »

Bruce is much more interesting than his latter day stage persona, his solo records, or his loyalty to Mike would suggest. I'd love to read his autobiography but he's said several times over the years that he's not going to write one.
I preordered the Selvin book. I consider it a substitute to a Bruce book.
« Last Edit: April 22, 2021, 03:22:35 PM by Joel Goldenberg » Logged
Steve Latshaw
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« Reply #7 on: April 22, 2021, 05:35:38 PM »

It's a fun read... reads like a novel... interesting set of characters and stories... some we've heard or met before, some we haven't.
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pmugghc
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« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2021, 02:45:06 AM »

This book came out last month, it's written by Joel Selvin. It covers the rock scene in LA from the end of the '50s to the '60s. I find it very interesting to see how many of the main  characters (like Jan & Dean, Beach Boys, Phil Spector et al) had connections early on. Many details of Jan & Dean with Brian that I didn't know of.
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« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2021, 02:49:29 AM »

Thanks for the heads-up! I think there was a thread on that book a couple of weeks ago:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,27678.0.html


Regarding Jan and Brian, I guess you'll find more about their relationship in this upcoming must read:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,27399.0.html
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Lonely Summer
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« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2021, 09:16:24 PM »

This book came out last month, it's written by Joel Selvin. It covers the rock scene in LA from the end of the '50s to the '60s. I find it very interesting to see how many of the main  characters (like Jan & Dean, Beach Boys, Phil Spector et al) had connections early on. Many details of Jan & Dean with Brian that I didn't know of.
Oh boy, I can only imagine what kind of revelations he uncovers this time out.  Sad
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« Reply #11 on: May 18, 2021, 07:41:47 AM »

I merged the two topics - The book is worth checking out IMO. It starts with the late 50's DIY scene around Hollywood and ends with Brian and Good Vibrations.

The author's interview with Michael Shelley was broadcast over the weekend, and it's pretty interesting. If you click on the link below you can listen to the entire show, and Michael Shelley played a lot of records relevant to the book, like early Jan & Dean, solo Bruce, Jill Gibson, etc.

Give it a listen:
https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/103802

Interview around 25 minutes into the show, but the playlist is pretty cool leading up to it too.
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"All of us have the privilege of making music that helps and heals - to make music that makes people happier, stronger, and kinder. Don't forget: Music is God's voice." - Brian Wilson
Cabinessenceking
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« Reply #12 on: May 19, 2021, 07:41:16 AM »

Bruce is much more interesting than his latter day stage persona, his solo records, or his loyalty to Mike would suggest. I'd love to read his autobiography but he's said several times over the years that he's not going to write one.

He's only famous for being in the band. He joined them at the peak of their popularity but his accomplishments within the group are quite minimal, although he wrote a handful of songs that were of quality. Otherwise known for his wearing of short 80s shorts, slightly weird persona and laughter, dog-like subservient attitude to Mike Love and being in general an old conservative white man, who like most of them abandoned any pretence of decency and dignity when they supported Donald Trump. Not much to write about really  Roll Eyes
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« Reply #13 on: May 19, 2021, 09:29:41 AM »

Bruce is much more interesting than his latter day stage persona, his solo records, or his loyalty to Mike would suggest. I'd love to read his autobiography but he's said several times over the years that he's not going to write one.

He's only famous for being in the band.


Obviously being a Beach Boy is not a bad thing in my eyes. But you'd be surprised how many times Bruce's name comes up in (californian) music history.
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a diseased bunch of mo'fos if there ever was one… their beauty is so awesome that listening to them at their best is like being in some vast dream cathedral decorated with a thousand gleaming American pop culture icons.

- Lester Bangs on The Beach Boys


PRO SHOT BEACH BOYS CONCERTS - LIST


To sum it up, they blew it, they blew it consistently, they continue to blow it, it is tragic and this pathological problem caused The Beach Boys' greatest music to be so underrated by the general public.

- Jack Rieley
Juice Brohnston
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« Reply #14 on: May 26, 2021, 11:18:27 AM »

Bruce is much more interesting than his latter day stage persona, his solo records, or his loyalty to Mike would suggest. I'd love to read his autobiography but he's said several times over the years that he's not going to write one.

He's only famous for being in the band.


Obviously being a Beach Boy is not a bad thing in my eyes. But you'd be surprised how many times Bruce's name comes up in (californian) music history.

Exactly! I remember reading a book called 'Waiting For The Sun' ? Many years ago, and it was the same deal.... Bruce is all over that book.
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Dove Nested Towers
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« Reply #15 on: May 28, 2021, 01:43:32 AM »

  I split my time between SoCal and S.F., and I read Selvin's columns and reviews for years.  I must agree with the comment above in that I found that Selvin had an irrationally negative view of the BBs.  I remember him absolutely trashing the Pet Sounds Sessions box set, basically calling it a ridiculously over-the-top treatment of an album.  Nonetheless, this sounds like an interesting tome, so I just put a hold on the book at my local library.

That's really pathetic. He always struck me as very full of himself (like someone else who used to be a member here) and a shill for concerts that he was assigned to review. This book looks decent though.
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Emdeeh
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« Reply #16 on: May 28, 2021, 09:38:20 AM »

The book is an interesting enough read, although Selvin tends to fall back on BB mythology sometimes (Wrecking Crew, nobody liked Pet Sounds, etc.). Some of the more questionable BB books were included in the bibliography, most notably the faux autobio for Brian.
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juggler
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« Reply #17 on: May 28, 2021, 04:28:18 PM »

That's really pathetic. He always struck me as very full of himself (like someone else who used to be a member here) and a shill for concerts that he was assigned to review. This book looks decent though.

For posterity, here it is... Selvin's 1-star review of the PS box (SF Chronicle, Nov. 28, 1997).

BEACH BOYS The Pet Sounds Sessions Capitol; four discs; $61.97 Yes, Brian Wilson's 1966 masterpiece still stands as one of pop history's greatest achievements, the album that inspired the Beatles to produce "Sgt. Pepper." But this is the most useless, uninteresting exhumation of those legendary sessions imaginable. The single-disc mono mix is, of course, the album .as originally recorded, but there is no explanation for why a stereo mix is included on one of the other discs because Wilson, deaf in one ear since childhood, never heard stereo. The remainder of the box is taken up by snatch es of instrumental tracks, vocals without instrumental tracks (and Mike Love has such a lovely voice) and boring outtake versions of the album's famous songs, right down to an alternate take of the dog barking that closes the original LP

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Ian
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« Reply #18 on: May 28, 2021, 07:58:07 PM »

Yeah I am enjoying the book but as Emdeeh said the book does use some old info-my book is not in the bibliography, which is fine, but as a result he says that Jan and Dean first played with the BBs on feb 14 1963 at hermosa  beach high school. However as noted in my book-the BBs played with Jan and Dean as early as august 1962 at the reseda jubilee and although Keith Badman mistakenly stated that they appeared at hermosa beach high school, a simple google search will tell you that there is no high school in hermosa beach! The BBs did play the Hawthorne high school dance on February 15 1963 but Jan and Dean were not there
« Last Edit: May 29, 2021, 04:10:28 AM by Ian » Logged
Lonely Summer
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« Reply #19 on: May 28, 2021, 08:03:52 PM »

That's really pathetic. He always struck me as very full of himself (like someone else who used to be a member here) and a shill for concerts that he was assigned to review. This book looks decent though.

For posterity, here it is... Selvin's 1-star review of the PS box (SF Chronicle, Nov. 28, 1997).

BEACH BOYS The Pet Sounds Sessions Capitol; four discs; $61.97 Yes, Brian Wilson's 1966 masterpiece still stands as one of pop history's greatest achievements, the album that inspired the Beatles to produce "Sgt. Pepper." But this is the most useless, uninteresting exhumation of those legendary sessions imaginable. The single-disc mono mix is, of course, the album .as originally recorded, but there is no explanation for why a stereo mix is included on one of the other discs because Wilson, deaf in one ear since childhood, never heard stereo. The remainder of the box is taken up by snatch es of instrumental tracks, vocals without instrumental tracks (and Mike Love has such a lovely voice) and boring outtake versions of the album's famous songs, right down to an alternate take of the dog barking that closes the original LP


This is typical Selvin. He was the guy who reviewed Bob Dylan's 1979 show at Old Waldorf as "Bob's Godawful Gospel". He wrote a book about Rick Nelson that dug up all kinds od dirty laundry. I don't like his writing.
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terrei
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« Reply #20 on: May 28, 2021, 11:34:20 PM »

In the book, Joel misdates the Kingsmen's Louie Louie to 1965. Makes you wonder how many other things he got unforgivably wrong
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Ian
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« Reply #21 on: May 29, 2021, 04:12:48 AM »

I don’t think those errors are “unforgivable”. After all even if every fact isn’t correct-a memoir can still be great.  But those errors are unfortunate because than the books that come later pick up those errors
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terrei
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« Reply #22 on: May 29, 2021, 07:38:56 AM »

He uses the supposed 1965 release date in service of an anecdote about a cover version that was released "a week later." Imagine thumbing through a book by a so-called "music historian" and reading "Sgt Pepper was released in 1968, just a week after Pet Sounds ..." IMO a line like that should vaporize the author's credibility. The historical magnitude of these records is too great to f*** up the years of release.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2021, 07:39:42 AM by terrei » Logged
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« Reply #23 on: May 29, 2021, 08:21:19 AM »

As a collector of pop-rock music books on a wide variety of subjects, I think I've seen it all: books where authors stated that their work is deliberately filled with mistakes so to catch plagiators; books where it was the same except authors did not warn of this; books by some well-known publishing houses which were dictated by authors to tape with the sad result of some clueless transcriber putting their false interpretations of people's names to paper and nobody responsible for checking the results; etc etc. So, if a noted author like Selvin made just several mistakes, even of this kind, over what is a typical "Selvin book" (chock-full of interesting information, that is), I'll happily take it.
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« Reply #24 on: May 29, 2021, 09:51:03 PM »

When I was in high school, I once checked out a book from the school library with a generic titled called “Rock Stars”. I remember it said Brian drowned in 19972 after years of depression due to SMiLE not selling well. 🤔
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