Note:
Books that fit into this area are almost all
worthwhile, with fans' thirst for hard information
on the Beach Boys giving rise to some indispensible
tomes of research, including lavish discographies,
thoughtfully-compiled commentaries, and scholarly
dissertations. Who knew that the Beach Boys, once
the symbol of girls, fun, cars and surfing, would be the
subject of so much sociological and musicological
research? Many of these books are also
independently published, making them somewhat harder to
find, but I've included links for available titles
below. Dive in - these books are
worthwhile studies for serious
fans. The
Beach Boys: Southern California Pastoral (The Woodstock
Series, Popular Music of Today, Vol.
One)
Bruce Golden, 1976; The Borgo
Press, 59 p.
"The
early pastoral notions of the Beach Boys have now been
drowned out by reality. The innocent,
uncomplicated life of the surfer has been overtaken by
the technology of modern civilization. You can't
go on surfing forever. Henceforth, the group
will strike out in new directions, as their pastoral
visions turn inward, and are replanted in more fertile
pastures. The complications of the late 1960s
remian unravelled, and the Beach Boys, not
surprisingly, reflect the social currents prevalent in
that complicated and contradictory era. The
middle-class outlook remains, however. Earlier
in the decade, their pastoral music popularized the
California dream, associating it with the images of
beach, sea, surf, sand, girls, cars, and all the
rest. California was the promised land of
America's westward trek. Now, however, other
factors were surfacing which threatened to warp that
dream into a caricature of itself. Occultism,
ecology, fads, drugs, hallucinogens, and cults of all
kinds swept middle-class youth, creating the hippie
and peace movements, and engineering the mass
alienation of an entire generation. The surfer
of the early sixties became the flower child of the
late sixties. These new concerns of the
adolescent world surface in the group's next record,
"Good Vibrations." [pg
32].
Arguably the first book to take an wholly
intellectual approach to the music of the Beach Boys,
this reads more like a college dissertation than
something aimed at leisure reading. Published
during the Beach Boys' explosive resurgence in America
after the releases of "Endless Summer" and "Spirit of
America," and written at a period when pop music was
beginning to be considered a serious sociological
subject, Bruce Golden examines how the Beach Boys'
music evolved with the times. Beginning with the
band's "pastoral" (a word which shows up a LOT in the
text) period, when their songs mirrored the prevalent
attitudes toward youth, culture and nature (surfing
and girls); the band's music becomes progressively
industrialized, showing the conflict between nature
and machines (cars); and then evolves into deeper,
more introspective ruminations on relationships and
adulthood (Pet Sounds); and finishing with the wildly
experimental forays into psychedelia and explorations
into personal identity ("Smile" through
"Holland). The bulk of the text actually goes
into track-by-track analysis of many of the Beach Boys
early albums, while the rest attempts to establish the
author's sociological premise. In that respect,
this book is like a super-condensed version of Timothy
White's much more expansive "The
Nearest Faraway Place," but Bruce Golden got there
first, and at fifty-nine pages, (only thirty-nine of
which are actual text, the rest being indexes), it can
be read in the space of an hour. Very rare and
hard to find.
Surf's Up! The Beach Boys On Record
1961-1981 Brad Elliott, 1984, 1991; Popular Culture,
Inc., 495p.
"Surf's Up The
Beach Boys On Record 1961-1981 is an attempt, . .
to compile a complete guide to the recorded works of
The Beach Boys, considered by many to be
the major American rock group of all time.
. . . The Beach Boys are the only American group with
an impact approaching that of The Beatles. The
Beach Boys were - and are - the foremost exponents of
vocal harmony in rock music. It is impossible to
listen to a current Top 40 hit or a radio or
television jingle and not hear their influence.
After waiting for several books on the group to
appear, and finding none included the detailed guide
to recordings I envisioned, I took it upon myself to
compile such a guide. Surf's Up! is the result
of my endeavors." [from the introduction,
xiii]
An
astounding, landmark achievement in research and
knowledge, Brad Elliott has created THE reference work
on the Beach Boys. That nothing comparable yet
exists makes "Surf's Up!" all the more
valuable. Divided into logical sections,
the thoroughness of the information is
staggering: a complete chronological
discography, The Beach Boys as writers, producers, and
contributions to other artists records; unreleased
recordings, unrecorded songs, DJ and promotional
records, records that were recorded by friends and
acquaintences of the Beach Boys, sections on books and
major articles, and major bootlegs all are
included. The fact that nothing of the last 17
years has been included in an updated version is
bothersome, but in no way depreciates the milestone
value of "Surf's Up!
Brian Wilson and the
Beach Boys: The Complete Guide to their
Music Andrew Doe
& John Tobler, 1997; 2nd ed. November 1, 2004;
Omnibus Press, 160 p.; 96 p.
(reformatted)
"These days, it's hard to believe that this
was the band who not only survived the so-called
British Invasion of the USA but fought back to such
effect that for a period of some months (late
1966-early 1967), The Beach Boys, and in particular
Brian Wilson, were considered at least the musical
equals of the Fab Four; . . . To see the surviving
members still going through the motions on stage for
the umpteenth time is like watching a bad print of a
classic silent movie - the original glory dimmed by
time, often only hinted at . . . but it's still good
to have them around at all." [pg.
vii]
I really enjoyed this
book. Simply put, "The Complete Guide" is a
second set of liner notes for all of The Beach Boys
albums (and in the case of the 70's Caribou albums, a
first set!), with album reviews and song by song
analysis, which I can either agree with or not.
Most of the time I find myself in aggreement with Mr.
Doe and Tobler, whose writing and opinions are mostly
spot on, and often quite funny; but I
also pick up some interesting facts in the
meantime. The book is a handy read-along
while listening to the music, and it contains numerous
black-and-white and color photographs, chart
information, catalog numbers and of course loads of
commentary. One of those books that I wish I'd thought
of first. After being out of print for several
years, it has been newly updated and reissued in 2004
by Omnibus Press, and includes sections covering the
Beach Boys solo works up to
2003.
The Beach Boys Pet
Sounds: The Greatest Album of the Twentieth
Century Kinglsey
Abbott, 2001; Helter Skelter Publishing, 192
p.
"Pet Sounds was always intended to be a
thought provoking experience, from the nature of its
lyrics, its ground breaking instrumental blends and
its radical place within the Beach Boys canon.
Brian Wilson purposefully set out to achieve such a
new experience, and he succeeded beyond his wildest
dreams. However, whilst it would remain a body
of work which would deeply affect future generations
of musicians and fans, its initial receptions would be
substantially different to what Brian might have
imagined." ~ pg. 88
Kingsley
Abbott is the man behind the wunderbar collection Back
To The Beach, and so when I heard he had written a
book chronicling Pet
Sounds, I was fostering high hopes. My hopes
were thankfully realized. Mr. Abbott has written
a clear-eyed, literate love-letter to what is
considered by many the greatest album ever, and which
particularly received acclaim in Great Britain.
Starting off with an introduction by composer Jimmy
Webb, and culling interviews from almost everyone
involved, including Brian Wilson, Tony Asher, Carol
Kaye, Timothy White, Andy Paley and many others,
Abbott traces the evolution of Brian's unique sound
from "The Lonely Sea" through the celebrated symphonic
Pet Sounds tour of 2000. The author manages to
trace sociological, psychological, and musical
influences in Brian's music in clear, concise writing,
without sounding preachy or biased (despite the
grandiose title) towards any one member or
faction. Equally valuable are the multiple
indexes which list recording sessions, cover versions,
influences, chart history, and much more. A fine
overview of a great album.
In The Studio with
Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys: our favorite recording
sessions: a look at various recording sessions by The
Beach Boys, 1961 - 1970 (2001 Updated Edition)
Researched and Compiled by
Stephen J. McParland, 2001; CMusic Books, 185
p.
". . . in compiling a book of this nature,
many people, knowing and unknowing became
contributors, and to them I say thank you . . . to
those other Beach Boys authors whose efforts I perhaps
have unmercifully denigrated, I can only confess that
it was done not out of malice, but out of a resolve to
correct the mistakes once and for all. And, to
those who simply did not put in the effort to check
facts, and to provide more essential information,
thanks at least for contributing something, even if
you could have done more. Also, to those
individuals who scoffed at my questions, and derided
my efforts to unravel many of the mysteries and
enigmas surrounding certain aspects of The Beach Boys'
early days, all I can say, is that if you had done
your job more thoroughly - and after all, it is
YOUR music as Americans - then I would not have
had to ask you in the first place." ~ pg.
7
Well
allrighty then! One of the many reasons that
this book is such an enjoyable read is that Mr.
McParland really wears his heart on his sleeve, and
that quality saves this book from being just another
"just-the-facts, ma'am" recitation of history.
The author of several authoritative books on The Beach
Boys and Gary Usher, this updated reference book
serves a couple of different purposes: first, the
author devotes several pages to the murky beginnings
of the Beach Boys, from their first dealing with Hite
Morgan, to who really named the "The Beach Boys," to
why Al Jardine left, and later rejoined the
group. It's fascinating reading, and the author
manages to make several points clear about these, and
many other, subjects. But the bulk of the
reading is in examining The Beach Boys' recording
sessions, and the author's attempt to unscramble
various myths and desprepancies that have appeared in
various biographies. He ties together snippets
of interviews, previously published writings, new
sources, and actual recording contracts in an
unparalled examination of what really happened; the
author also unearths rare recording contracts for
sessions that have never seen the light of day
("Whitch Stand," "Hot Harp"), and delves deeply into
the "Smile" sessions. Also included are several
indexes which detail the musicians who contributed to
Beach Boys' records, the instruments they used, a
complete track rundown of the "Sea Of Tunes
Unsurpassed Masters" bootlegs, and a forum where
readers have written him with additional
corrections/information. For authoritative
wealth of information (and a little chutzpah) this
work rivals anything else published on The Beach
Boys. Unfortunately, this book, like most of his
others, is only available via mail order from
Australia (visit CMusic's
website for ordering information), or by accessing
the Helter
Skelter bookshop
online.
Wouldn't It Be Nice: Brian Wilson
and the Making of Pet Sounds by Charles A. Granta, Tony
Asher, September 2003; Chicago Review Press,
256 p.
"Pet Sounds
reflected a major change in American pop
music, and brought an unpretentious elegance to
rock 'n' roll music... a host of other free-form
writers poised on the brink of the folk-rock
movement... but, at the time, they were drawing
on social and political events for
inspiration. Many of their songs posited
dissenting, rebellious views that ultimately
fostered change.
...While it was
daring to voice one's protest in song, it was
riskier still to bare your soul to the world,
which is why Brian had little competition.
In Pet Sounds he created and filled his
own niche, opening the door for innumerable
singer-songwriter-producers working in the
exploding pop market." [pg. 14]
An outstanding
book. Charles Granata has graced Beach
Boys fans with what is, in my opinion, the
finest research on Pet Sounds yet in
print. Surpassing even Kingsley Abbot's
highly recommended book above, "Wouldn't It Be
Nice" manages to engage and surprise readers
with his fluent prose, completeness of research
and perfect clarity in his writing.
Drawing on countless personal recollections such
as lyricist Tony Asher (who also writes a
touching foreword), Chuck Britz, Hal Blaine,
Mark Linett, Bob Irwin, David Leaf, Carol Kaye,
and many others, Granata stitches together a
comprehensive tapestry of how Pet Sounds was
written and recorded, and how it was able to
transcend its perceived failure in initial
release, and become one of the most critically
acclaimed and imitated albums in the history of
rock 'n' roll. The author delves into each
song, discussing lyrics, composition,
production, post-production, subsequent releases
up to and including the stereo remix and box
set. Bruce Johnston calls this book
"Intelligently researched and beautifully
written" and to that I can wholeheartedly
attest. Unreservedly recommended.
The Beach Boys
on CD (illustrated guide) by Joe Thomas, 2004;
RisingTide, 300 p.
"So why write a book about and
catalogue the CD releases of the Beach Boys?
Well, there are many reasons, but the most compelling
was that no book of this nature currently
exists. I thought that by writing such a book,
Beach Boys fans could navigate and purchase/collect
the available CD releases with the assistance of a
point of reference. . . . The intention is that the
book should serve many purposes: to act as an aid for
anyone interested in the Beach Boys, and for veterans
who might wish to recall some facts. It may also
help collectors and act as a buyers guide in certain
circumstances. Overall, the book is designed to
assist, inform, and to augment the collective history
of The Beach Boys." [from the
introduction]
A perfect companion to the
book below, The Beach Boys on CD is a
marvellous resource and guide for Beach Boys fans who
are interested in collecting the Beach Boys on
CD. Beginning with the first Beach Boys CDs to
appear in 1985 up to the present day, this book is a
thoroughly-researched, impeccably-written tribute to
the vast catalog of the Beach Boys worldwide.
Chock-full of full-color digital photographs and
salient information about each release, the book
begins with brief, informative overviews of the Beach
Boys as a group, and as individuals - including the
overlooked Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin (nice
touch) - and then devoting pages to the Beach Boys
recording history, a complete list studio albums, an
overview of the Beach Boys output on CD, and a user
guide. Then we come to the meat of the book:
thickly-researched information on every single Beach
Boys album released on CD. Although the author
admits that it's not comprehensive, it certainly
contains the lion's
share of titles, labels and variants that most fans
will ever need. The detailed sections include:
Studio Albums, Twofers, Pet Sounds,
Smile, Compilations & Collections,
Japanese releases, Bootlegs, Solo recordings on CD,
and multiple appendixes with notes on Beach Boys
associates, composers and co-lyricists, RIAA Gold
& Platinum certifications, and much more.
Each CD is shown in full-color, both front and back,
with full tracklistings, release dates, reference
numbers, and even personal notes by the author on
availability and occasional trivia. In content,
information, value and completeness, it completely
eclipses both this site and any other comparable
source that I've seen. The author, who has spent
over four years collecting and compiling this book,
should be given a statuette of some kind,
since this is an awesome achievement - the
sheer wealth of information makes it a one-of-a-kind
purchase.
This Whole
World: The Complete Beach Boys Single And EP Cover
Collection by Manfred Schmidt
& Christian Haschke, February 2004;
FOSSIL-Verlag, 300 p.
"This book may
serve as a guide for collectors of Beach Boys singles
and EPs with their partly beautiful, partly odd
pictures sleeves, but may also be of interest to
record collectors in general. Collecting 45s has
become quite an expensive thing over the years but
that should not discourage newcomers. Attending
record fairs seems an easy and cheap way to start off
your collection. Contacts with fellow collectors
or fanclubs and trading records has been made easier
with the internet, expecially for people abroad.
Keeping in touch with Beach Boys fans around the globe
has always been a great pleasure to me, many of these
>>contacts<< have turned into close
friendships." [pg. 5]
A truly beautiful book of
full color pictures of every known Beach Boys single
and EP cover from all over the world, This Whole
World is both fun for casual fans' perusal, and
invaluable for hard-core collectors who are eager to
see what is still needed for their own
collections. Published in Germany, the book's
text is bi-ligual, but easy to navigate, with the
covers listed in order by country, covering all major
marketplaces, from Argentina to Yugoslavia, and each
chapter has a written introduction which prefaces the
different approach that each country took to "sell"
the Beach Boys. Some countries produced unique
and beautiful covers, such as Italy and France, while
others printed full lyrics on each release
(Japan.) Besides the singles and EP's, the book
provides full-color reproductions of all the different
labels which the Beach Boys were featured on in each
country, chronologically mapping out the changes in
styles through the years. The notations for each
cover include with label is matched with the cover,
the price range buyers can expect to pay due to
rarity, the catalog number of each release, and
various notes for interesting or unusual covers.
Also included are solo releases for the Beach Boys,
including releases by The Honeys, American Spring,
Celebration, Wilson Philips, and more. A couple
of nits, however: there are several typos throughout,
due to either translation errors, or poor editing, as
well as chart information for only the U.S., England,
and Germany - it would have been nice to have chart
information for each country - but those are very
minor qualms. This book is a godsend, a true
labor of love - and it's worth seeking out for all
Beach Boys fans. Unfortunately, it's also
mightily expensive due to European exchange rates, but
if you're interested go to http://www.vinylcover.net and
check it out!
Brian Wilson Solo:
The Complete Guide To The Solo Works of Brian
Wilson by Joe Thomas and
Kie Miskelly, 2004; RisingTide
Publications, 90 p.
"With the exception of
theSweet Insanity, The Wilson Project and
Wilson Paley Session bootlegs, most of Brian's solo
bootlegs are of live concerts. These bootlegs
have emerged in abundance since 1998 and the quality
ranges from excellent to pretty bad. The
packaging of some of these releases (escapees) is of a
very high standard and those emanating out of Japan
also provide superior sound quality. A number of
studio rehearsal and concert rehearsal bootlegs have
also appeared on the market, most are pretty good
offer the avid listener a great insight into the
behind the scenes action. . . . It is important that
bootleg production is illegal and ultimately hits the
pocket of the artist, musicians and the record
companies, but they do provide sustenance to hungry
fans..." [pg. 62]
Again, I have to
take my hat off to Mssrs. Thomas and Miskelly for a
remarkable publication. This companion book to
the above Beach Boys on CD guide continues
the impeccable research, wealth of information, and
cogent reviews of their previous book, creating an
attractive, invaluable guide to collectors of all
things Brian. Miskelly, who is the current
editor of the Scotland-published Metro has joined with
Joe Thomas for this follow-up, and it is in every way
as staggering as its predecessor. Brianistas
should drool over the sheer depth of information
gathered in this slim tome: overviews and in-depth
information on each studio album (including the most
recent Gettin' In Over My Head), each of
Brian's live albums, (with an emphasis on European,
U.S. and Japanese releases) a blow-by-blow account of
the triumphant Smile concerts, with minute discussion
of each section, near-comprehensive listings of
bootlegs, tour schedules, side projects, interview
CDs, production and writing credits (including a vast
listing of all known Brian Wilson compositions), all
accompanied by full-color photographs of each item
discussed, with front and back shots, as well as
labels. It even has capsule articles on Brian's
collaborators, noting the importance of Van Dyke
Parks, Gary Usher, The Wondermints, and others to
Brian's continued presence on the popular music
scene. This is quality material here folks, and
I simply can't recommend it highly
enough.
The Japanese CD
Releases of The Beach Boys & Brian
Wilson by Joe
Thomas, July 2004; Rising Tide
Publications, 64 p.
"The
Beach Boys CDs have been available in Japan since
1986. Today Toshiba-EMI continues to release
high quality (sound and packaging) CDs of both the
Beach Boys' and Brian Wilson's music. Other
Japanese companies have also released interesting
compilations of The Beach Boys music over the
past 15 years and a few CDs are simply non-Japanese
imports with the addition of an OBI strip and
distributed by a Japanese record company.
In this book I have detailed all of the known Japanese
CD releases - official and unofficial."
[pg. 2]
Within the short space of a year,
Joe Thomas has emerged to become the
reigning king of Beach Boys reference material, with
his indispensible cataloging of Beach Boys and Brian
Wilson releases on CD. This latest work, which
is a supplemental addition to the two books
above, is similarly comprehensive in both
information and presentation. (I'm just going to
say YOW! right now and get that out of the way).
Japan has long been a source of quality Beach Boys
releases, not only of traditional catalog titles, but
for rare solo and bootleg titles, ranking among
the world's most prolific publishing
countries for Beach Boys
collectors. The book's sixty-four
pages are chock-full of information on these generally
rare and hard-to-find discs ranging from Japanese
series releases (such as "Pastmasters" "Twofers" and
"Mini LPs") to promotional releases, compilations,
bootlegs, CD singles, and solo releases from Dennis
and Carl. Each CD is represented in full-color
spreads, featuring snaps of the covers, OBI
strips (the little cardboard addendum that
contains the disc's information in Japanese) and
discs, with extensive notes covering reference
numbers, release dates, liner notes, and personal
musings by Mr. Thomas. Different mixes,
variations between similar
releases (valuable for collecting the many
different releases that albums like Pet
Sounds has received), and notes on the rarity of
certain CDs all greatly enhance the value of this
book. The sheer depth of information included is
breath-taking, and for collectors and hard-core
fans of the Beach Boys, this series by Mr. Thomas
is the real deal.
The Beach Boys: The
Definitive Diary Of America's Greatest Band on
Stage And In The Studio by Keith Badman, July 30, 2004;
Backbeat Books, 399
p.
"While researching a new article for
Record Collector in June 2001 I emailed Joel
Melver, a friend and colleague at the magazine, asking
if he could check out a Beach Boys concert
date. This long-running monthly music
magazine regularly receives all the latest music books
for review and has naturally built up an impressive
library. So I was certain that a definitive
day-by-day book on America's greatest band would
reside on their shelves. Fifteen minutes after my
original request, Joel replied saying he couldn't find
the information, nor a book in which my question could
be answered. . . . I was aghast. Tomes
dissecting the activities of the other great artists
from the 1960s and 1970s . . . have been appearing
with varying degrees of success for many years but,
strangely, not one exists that definitively documents
America's Beach Boys. So, as the saying goes, if
you can't find a book that you're after, then you
should do it yourself." [from the
introduction]
To label anything
"definitive" is just asking for trouble, and this book
has already accumulated its share, which is a
shame, since it's otherwise a great
read. A massive undertaking (and an
impressively weighty tome), Mr. Badman has taken on
the unenviable task of trying to document all
known studio and stage appearances of the Beach
Boys from their inception right up to the present
day. While the information fizzles out over
the last two decades (I guess he didn't want to chart
every stop on the Mike & Bruce tour), and is
riddled with small errors, this book is nevertheless
great fun, and a worthy addition to any fan's
library. Chock-full of information, the author
has attempted to lay it all out - from the band's
first rehearsals and early recording sessions, to
mapping out their early tours, including dates,
locations, and even earned revenue! It's
mindboggling the amount of data included here - as
month by month, day by day, the Beach Boys activities
are chronicled in sometimes minute detail. Where
were the Beach Boys on July 4, 1965? (at the Cow
Palace in San Francisco). What day did the Beach
Boys single "Friends" hit the U.S. charts?
(Saturday, April 20th, 1968). Who did the Beach
Boys appear with on September 2, 1975? (The Doobie
Brothers, during which concert a mob of 500 tried to
gate crash the event, but were turned back by
police). This book is a trivia wonderland for
fans who want to know the where and when of America's
Band. Good black and white photographs are
sprinkled liberally throughout the book, interspersed
with loads of quotations, reviews, musings and
much more. Audacious in its scope, this book is
easily recommended in what is turning into a banner
year for Beach Boys reference books.
Unfortunately, rumor has it that legal action may be
pending against the author and publisher, due to the
fact that all of the Beach Boys, (as well as many
studio musicians) Social Security
numbers are printed in the book's pages
(oops!) So grab it quick, while it's still
available.
"The interesting thing about
David Leaf's book was its very unauthorised
status. Because The Beach Boys had, since
1967, taken a dictatorial attitude toward Brian
Wilson, Leaf was the first person to come around
and say, 'No, The Beach Boys are a problem for
Brian Wilson.' The public knew only that
Brian was part of the band, and that he harboured
emotional problems that had turned him into a
recluse. What no one was willing to
understand, or admit, was that it was The Beach
Boys who had created this situation for
Brian. Leaf made it very clear how that had
happened, and those who did not choose to ignore
the reality of the situation perked up and began
to pay attention. [pg.
149-150]
I
can't quite put into words how disappointed I am with
this book. Domenic Priore, who gave us the
fascinating Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile! years
ago apparently rushed this book to press, having only
minimal interviews and facts at his command to
contribute. The result is a mess of
generalizations, stale cliches, and a writing style that
would earn him a "C-minus" in any college english
class. With dual forewords by Brian Wilson and Van
Dyke Parks, you'd think that this book would be an
official examination of SMiLE from its
inception to it's lauded completion in 2004; but no,
it's a by-the-numbers recounting of well-known
events; interviews and articles pulled from numerous
other sources, and his own theories about how SMiLE
should have sounded, almost all of which have been
debunked by other, more knowledgable archivists.
The book is laid out chronologically, and gives brief
capsule moments of The Beach Boys early history, quickly
moving into the creation of "Good Vibrations." The
author then spends the most time discussing the original
SMiLE, cribbing quotes from period magazines
NME, MOJO, Cheetah, as well as taking dates from
Keith Badman's book above, and even quoting
himself from two of his previously-released
books. Rehashing his assertions of
how his sequencing of SMiLE is more correct that
what Brian eventually put together in 2004, the
book reads like the height of
conceit. The book then takes up several
chapters recounting the fall-out of SMiLE for the Beach
Boys, and the numerous rumors of it's eventual
appearance. The final part of the book, recounting
the resurrection of SMiLE, is given the short shrift
with a single chapter discussing the rebirth of Brian
Wilson's most famous album. There is no in-depth
reporting, just fragments of interviews which appeared
in other fan magazines and online interviews.
What's left appears to be a quickly-written
rehash to make a quick buck. What's most
perplexing is Priore's writing - it's terrible -
filled with huge swaths of generalizations which aren't
documented, tired phrases which reek of overuse, and
flat, lifeless prose. He gushes enthusiatically
over Brian's SMiLE concerts like the most rabid fan,
ignoring the fact that he has spent the last several
chapters tearing down the sequencing and order of the
new album. This book may give beginners a shallow
understanding of what led up to the release of SMiLE,
but for long-time fans, this is a sad and
disappointing book.
Inside the Music of Brian Wilson:
The Songs, Sounds, and Influences of the
Beach Boys' Founding Genius Philip Lambert; Continuum International
Publishing Group, 416 p.
Released March 25, 2007
"My book is more
completely, and more intensely, focused on the
music of Brian Wilson, on the musical essence of
his songs and the aesthetic value of his
artistic achievements. It acknowledges the
familiar biographical contexts of his songs,
but it tells completely new stories about the
birth and evolution of his musical ideas,
identifying important musical trends in his work,
heretofore undisclosed intersong connections
within his music, or between his music and that of
others, and the nature and extent of his
artistry. It aims not just to identify great
songs, but to explain exactly what makes them
so. It aspires to contruct a firmer
foundation for Brian Wilson's place in rock
history." - from the Prologue,
xiii.
REVIEW: I approached
this book with some trepidation, since I've read and
reviewed several academic treatises on the works of Frank Sinatra, and
found many of them torturously overwrought in their
attempts to intellectualize and quantify
art.Dr. Philip Lambert, a professor of music at Baruch
College and the Graduate Center of the City University
of New York has taken on the challenge of writing an
in-depth musicological study of the songs of Brian
Wilson, and thankfully, with glowing
results. In his enthusiastic prologue, he uses the
often-heard story of how The Beach Boys' Pet
Sounds changed his life, and how it
has been a touchstone for him his entire adult
life, and then discusses the reason for this book - the
opportunity to delve deeply into each song which Brian
Wilson wrote, including each song's influences,
structure, impact, and meanings. He begins by
digging into Brian's musical education - the songs he
listened to, how he dissected and digested the Four
Freshman's harmonies, the R&B songs that he
loved as a youth, and then rewrote into a unique
American hybrid. The author rips songs
apart, analyzing chord changes, melody lines, lyric
contructions, musicological roots, and more, tying
together various tides of influence from Chuck Berry,
The Four Freshmen (with sometimes detailed asides into
their albums), George Gershwin, and many others, while
also incorporating then-current trends and events which
were directly influencing Brian Wilson and The Beach
Boys. The author writes with such a
clear, methodic, reasoned voice that even I,
who struggle mightily with basic music theory, found it
easy to follow the author's arguments. And while I
might question the necessity of analyzing such minor
songs as "The Revo-Lution", it's done in interesting,
comparitive ways that I found intriguing. Mr.
Lambert is extraordinarily thorough in his decontructive
work, incorporating historical, biographical and musical
tentpoles into each chapter, and his many indexes,
including a complete song chronology, and enlightening
lists of influential songs for Brian Wilson (pre-1961),
all prove informative and unique. This book is
something new for Beach Boys fans, which many of them,
especially those who love to dissect each song to
discover it's 'magic', will find invaluable, and worth
their time.