The Beach Boys announce new official book
Californian heroes, The Beach Boys, have announced details of their only official book, The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys. An anthology of the band, it charts their rise from Hawthorne to international fame, exploring every album from 1962’s Surfin’ Safari to the 1974 compilation Endless Summer.
Written with unlimited access to the archive at Capitol Records and the band’s collective personal ones, The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys draws on unique sources to tell their story, featuring never-seen-before images from recording and touring. Text is also drawn from extensive interviews with Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston, and archival material from the late Carl and Dennis Wilson.
At one point, Mike Love explains the group’s early years: “The environment in which we grew up and the things we chose to sing about primarily, which were the beautiful things about growing up in Southern California – the lovely girls, the lovely cars, the lovely weather and the lovely beaches – it was like an endless summer.”
Al Jardine says elsewhere: “We were just having fun and it developed into something else. It’s funny. We were really an accident – but a good accident. And our first record seemed to be enough for us. We sure didn’t think we’d be recording into the next century.”
Joining the band members for the book are many contributors who have either been directly involved with The Beach Boys or have been inspired by them. These include Peter Blake, Lindsey Buckingham, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Ray Davies, Bob Dylan, Def Leppard, the Flaming Lips, Bobby Gillespie, David Lee Roth, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Jim Kerr, Roger McGuinn, Graham Nash, Jimmy Page, Carly Simon, Pete Townshend, Rufus Wainwright, Thom Yorke, and many more yet to be announced.
Band leader Brian Wilson explains: “There’s love in the music and people can relate to the love, regardless of whether you’re two years old or 92 years old. For me, music is about love. Love is the message I want to share. I hope people feel that in my music. That makes the hard work worth it.”
A limited edition run of 500 copies of The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys is now available to pre-order on its official site. The book will be published in hardcover worldwide in 2024. More details are to be announced soon.
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