good beach boys bio book

[matt-zeus]

Exactly. Only Al is really short

[Jon Stebbins]

"Saint Brian and the Five Assholes" was the quote I remember hearing about the Leaf book.
I was really disappointed in the book when i first read it in 79. Great photos though.
I remember Dennis was really pissed about the book when it came out, and tried to talk Fred Vail into writing something that balanced it from a historical perspective.
The "Wrecking Crew played on everything" myth really grew out of proportion after Leaf's book came out. But I have great respect for David Leaf the author, because he went with his passion and it made a difference. It wasn't the same take I would have put forth, but it was his and it penetrated the BB's history and changed the evolution of the story from there. Impact. it had one. He raised Brian up with it. Maybe just a bit too much compared to the others. But he wasn't interested in the BB's really...just Brian.

[Sheriff John Stone]

It wasn't the same take I would have put forth, but it was his and it penetrated the BB's history and changed the evolution of the story from there. Impact. it had one.

Other than the Rolling Stone article (first hand account) of the infamous "airport argument" in Sptember 1977, was David Leaf the first one to air The Beach Boys' dirty laundry?

I often wonder how long it would've taken for all of the mess to come out if Leaf wouldn't have written about it? A few years maybe? I'm not saying we never would've found out about the dirty details, but, I mean, without that book, how would've we known? Back then there was no MTV, no internet, no TV music news, etc. I was around back then and things never seemed the same after that book. You could almost feel things changing inside the group and in the public's view...

[MBE]

Steven Gaines did an article in 1976 with a lot of dirt in New West. I guess someone would have done a tell all at one time or another. Nick Kent's 1975 NME was a little tabliod too. They weren't horrid articles but they kind of paved the way for Leaf. That said, his Pet Sounds fanzine was a lot more band friendly but that may have been due to the various writers.

[c-man]

Don't forget Tom Nolan's two-part 1971 Rolling Stone article.  I think that kinda broke the ground open, don't you?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Don't forget Tom Nolan's two-part 1971 Rolling Stone article.  I think that kinda broke the ground open, don't you?

Seminal.

[Glenn Greenberg]

What was the gist of that Tom Nolan article?  I was only 2 when it was published, and I've had a hard time tracking it down.

[Malc]

What was the gist of that Tom Nolan article?  I was only 2 when it was published, and I've had a hard time tracking it down.

It was a great article, based around the imminent release of the "Surf's Up" album, and if it helps it was reprinted in it's entirety in 'The Beach Boys Complete' songbook (Wise Publications/Music Sales AM1153D) and I've often seen that appearing on auction sites etc. Just make sure it's the SAME ''Beach Boys Songbook' first ...

[Wilsonista]

This book will disappoint you if you're expecting a biography of The Beach Boys instead of what it is: a biography of Brian Wilson as a Beach Boy. People pay $100 or more for the book for a reason: The author is a true believer in Brian and his music...and more importantly, one who gained the trust of those who had worked with Brian and shared that love.  Much to the horror of those who depended on Brian for their livelihood, Leaf exposed the great paradox....that musically The Beach Boys were Brian's Ronettes......while emotionally he lived as a virtual slave of Sea of Tunes and The Beach Boys, Incorporated(s).  For those who call that an insult to his brothers....consider that his brothers agreed he was by any critical or commercial measure the singular wellspring of the group's creativity, suffering profoundly for it. Only his cousin failed to recognize that, as still do those likewise offended by (or intolerant of) the great musical genius of our time's human frailties.

IMHO, the only reason the book is no longer in print is because the commercial value of the book is far exceeded by Mike Love's legal resources. Price libel insurance and you will see that the truth may be a defense to a claim of defamation, but not to bankruptcy. 
 

Welcome to the board, Derek.

[Glenn Greenberg]

What was the gist of that Tom Nolan article?  I was only 2 when it was published, and I've had a hard time tracking it down.

It was a great article, based around the imminent release of the "Surf's Up" album, and if it helps it was reprinted in it's entirety in 'The Beach Boys Complete' songbook (Wise Publications/Music Sales AM1153D) and I've often seen that appearing on auction sites etc. Just make sure it's the SAME ''Beach Boys Songbook' first ...

I looked for that songbook online, and have not been able to find it.  Can you tell me what's so great about the Tom Nolan article?  What's revealed in it?  AGD refers to the article as "seminal."  What makes it so seminal?

[MBE]

Well it captures Murry's ideas on the group. Brian wasn't as out of it as later (though he does play a lot of mind games with the writer) and things were still fresh. The group's creative peak was an ongoing reality. Just a good picture of their comeback and Brian's on again off again involvment of the era.

[Andrew G. Doe]

What was the gist of that Tom Nolan article?  I was only 2 when it was published, and I've had a hard time tracking it down.

It was a great article, based around the imminent release of the "Surf's Up" album, and if it helps it was reprinted in it's entirety in 'The Beach Boys Complete' songbook (Wise Publications/Music Sales AM1153D) and I've often seen that appearing on auction sites etc. Just make sure it's the SAME ''Beach Boys Songbook' first ...

I looked for that songbook online, and have not been able to find it.  Can you tell me what's so great about the Tom Nolan article?  What's revealed in it?  AGD refers to the article as "seminal."  What makes it so seminal?

It was the first major article to air the dirty laundry, and also provided a lot of basic source material on Smile. The Murry interview is also priceless.