The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio

by Keith Badman

Book Overview

(Book). Beginning their career as a popular surf band, The Beach Boys had emerged by 1966 as America's preeminent pop group, the only act able to challenge the success of The Beatles with both... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879308184
• ISBN13: 9780879308186
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Backbeat Books
• Length: 399 Pages
• Weight: 3.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.4" x 11.1"

Customer Reviews

This one covers all the bases.

This is an excellent book for the hardcore Beach Boys fan. There is exstensive coverage of albums, highlights of important dates, photos, and inside info on sessions. I enjoyed it, and still do.

The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary Of America's Greatest Band On Stage and in the Studio.

Outstanding, loads of information, a must to have!!!

Still I Dream Of It...

A work of unbelievable effort. I can only imagine the painstaking efforts it took to piece this marvelous historical monument together. The Beach Boys well deserve the attention this volume has given them. While most of the 60's and 70's supergroups have faded historically (Beatles, Who, and the Stones who should have quit over 20 years ago) the Beach Boys musical legacy has lived on. This book provides an excellent non-biased perception of the ups and downs that befell probably the most interesting musical group of all time, as well as profiling their most gifted and troubled leader, Brian Wilson. One cannot read the protions of this book dealing with late 1966 and early 1967 and hope that somehow the outcome of SMiLE is different. Not only does this book chronicle the Beach Boys careers, but also the relevant "goings-on" of the times. An enduring band and an enduring legacy now documented for all to learn from.

The Beach Boys' most in-depth book

Most casual fans prefer the "human" orientated bios, and that's fine - "Heroes and Villains" is probably the best straight Beach Boys biography available. Hardcore fans and musicians will froth at the mouth for this volume that goes into painstaking but never dull details of how such masterpieces as "Pet Sounds", "Good Vibrations" and all the great tunes by this most underappreciated band came to life. Some details are not pleasant to learn - for instance, the band played very little on the albums from about "Shut Down Vol. 2" through the "Smile" sessions. Brian Wilson instead relied on a crack LA session team for the bulk of the instrumental work under his production while the rest of the band toured the country and the world. Of course, the vocals were and are the centerpiece of this band, so arguments about the backing musicians remains probably academic. We also learn that Brian blames his partial deafness on an incident when he was three years old, claiming that his father, the notoriously abusive Murray Wilson, struck the young child in the ear with a 2 X 4, a charge the elder Wilson obviously denied. "The Beach Boys" doesn't delve into the tragic details of Brian's childhood, concentrating instead on the music. The abuse is mentioned, however, as it most likely contributed to the mental breakdown in 1967 that prevented the release of "Smile". One can only ponder the impact this masterpiece would have had if it had been released back then as opposed to a few years ago. Still, we must be grateful "Smile" exists at all. Rich in anectodes, studio details and great photos, "The Beach Boys" is a must-have for any self respecting fan.

Great book about a great band

The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio is simply put, a great work. The Beach Boys were the best, and this book shows why.