Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys: The Songs that Tell Their Story

by Mark Dillon

Reflecting on the Beach Boys' long, fascinating history, this book tells the story behind 50 of the band's greatest songs from the perspective of group members, collaborators, fellow musicians, and notable fans. It is filled with new interviews with music legends such as Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Alan Jardine, Bruce Johnston, David Marks, Blondie Chaplin, Randy Bachman, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Lyle Lovett, Alice Cooper, and Al Kooper, and commentary from a younger generation such as Matthew Sweet, Carnie Wilson, Daniel Lanois, Cameron Crowe, and Zooey Deschanel. Even hardcore fans will be delighted by the breadth of this musical-history volume. Plans for celebrating the golden anniversary of "America's band" include the long-awaited release of 1967's Smile--the most famous aborted album in rock history--and concerts reuniting the group's five main surviving members. The band's music is as influential as it was 50 years ago, and this retelling of how the iconic rock group found itself in the annals of pop culture couldn't come at a better time.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have Beach Boys OCD and I know you probably don't care about them at all so I'll make this short. What we have here is a 313 page magazine article in which fifty people are interviewed in less-than-rigorous conditions and allowed to get away with mumbled inanities and endless rock-gush which are then printed up here for our delectation and delight.

Zooey Deschanel

I especially like the guitar at the beginning

Mike Kowalski :

Every time Carl would call me, I'd be there if I could and then I'd go do something else.

Blondie Chaplin:

You're either awake or you're sleeping.

I disagree with Blondie Chaplin. When I was reading this I was mainly in a state between wakefulness and sleeping which i believe is called dozing.

PS :

I saw the Beach Boys in their current 50 year tour glory on TV - my God, it looked like the Brezhnev-era Communist politburo - all these really extremely old guys lined up and the hand-picked audience appluding whatever they said or did. It did creep me out quite a lot. They did a version of Do it Again, mostly without oxygen tanks.


*


AN EARLIER TASTELESS REMARK


Fifty Shades of the Beach Boys! Yeah! But only one of them has been in bondage - big Brian - first to his dad, the egregious Murray, then to his record company, then to his drugs and hamburgers, then to his psychiatrist the even egregier "Dr" Eugene Landy, which all led to him writing a song called It's Not Easy Being Me which is nothing like Kokomo at all.

[Carol Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when you thought all the great Beach Boys books had been written, here comes the best one yet! Part oral history, part a classic discography, this easy to read guide to their fifty greatest songs will thrill longtime fans and beginners alike.

Of course it goes without saying that the 50 records chosen will not match many fans' favorites. Mark Dillon is a great scholar, and a true fan, but like most critics he tries a little too hard to show respect to the sad, dismal years of the Beach Boys (highlighting songs from FRIENDS) and the even more pathetic solo career of Brian Wilson. Nevertheless, this is a great, great book with some amazing insights and interviews all packaged in a highly readable format.

Okay, I just have to do this. My list of great Beach Boys songs not in this book:

HUSHABYE
(I'M) SO YOUNG
LITTLE DEUCE COUPE
LITTLE HONDA
DO YOU REMEMBER
WHEN I GROW UP (TO BE A MAN)
DANCE DANCE DANCE
LET HIM RUN WILD
PLEASE LET ME WONDER
THIS CAR OF MINE

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beach Boys have been experiencing a resurgence of sorts. Many of the top indie bands today (ie, Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses, She & Him, Beach House, Beta Band, etc.) are not ashamed to mine Brian Wilson's genius for their own compositions. How can you blame them?

Brian Wilson is a genius composer and one who has suffered tremendously throughout his life (due to his abusive and domineering dad, his mental health issues, his exploitative and power-mad psychiatrist Eugene Landy, his over-medication, among other things). He is fascinating. But even more than he, his music is transcendent and gorgeous.

In this book, Mark Dillon consults with fifty different people about fifty Beach Boys songs. He gives Wilson's songs their fair share of coverage, but he also addresses songs by Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston--some of which had nothing to do with Brian Wilson's musical magic, but were genius in their own right. I particularly enjoyed the chapters about Carl's amazing talent.

The book is wonderful. It consults with many people associated with the Beach Boys, and others who are simply admirers. One of the most fascinating chapters, in my opinion, contains Alice Cooper's accounts of his love of "In My Room," as well as a poignant story he tells about John Lennon's classy and sad reaction to Brian's clearly deteriorating mental health in the seventies.

The best thing about the book is that it explores songs in depth. It's not just about the myth of the Beach Boys, or Brian's genius, or the feuds between various iterations of the band. Well, it does talk about each of those. But it's mostly about the music. It dusts off forgotten gems from their catalog and breathes new life into them. It had me frantically going back to their catalog to listen to each of these songs.

Mark Dillon is a great writer who has done his research. Each time I sat down to read the book, it was a genuine pleasure to explore its insights. Well done, Mr. Dillon.

I would recommend this book to fans of the Beach Boys, as well as others who are just (re)discovering the band, like me.

[Christopher Rush · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good example, for me, of how the atmosphere around a book (how you learn about it, when you read it, those sorts of things) can significantly affect your reading of it. I wasn't too keen on getting this book when I first saw it, a few other sources I had recommended it somewhat obliquely, I found a used copy cheap, and there it was. I know the subtitle should lead us to think it's basically a history of the Beach Boys as a group, but the emphasis on the 50 songs also leads us to think it's going to be about fifty of their most important/famous/best/whatever songs. I didn't want yet another guy's take on the story of the Beach Boys, but letting their songs tell the story, that notion won me over to getting it (plus the cheap copy on-line). But that's not what this book is, sadly.

The author (and it is truly Mark Dillon telling the story of the Beach Boys, not the songs) tries to give us some half-hearted apology at the beginning about how he was limited in what songs he could include because all the people who responded to his pleas for personal insights and song experiences ended up slanted toward a few albums and some songs, missing some albums entirely (such as the great So Tough) and emphasizing Pet Sounds (and while it's not bad to emphasize Pet Sounds, claiming to tell the Beach Boys story by skipping entire albums because of artificial limitations is nonsense). This leads to another of the misleading aspects of the book: it claims these famous and integral contributors to the BB story are reflecting on the songs. While Mr. Dillon does quote them for that particular song, their insights and reflections are abstemious at best. Mr. Dillon's version of the BB Story does most of the talking. This is not true for all 50 songs, but it is true for more than 40 of them. The insights from the people who were there are too thin, too short, too rare. Yes, Mike Love gives you some notions, and Blondie Chaplin gives you a new line or two, but it's not nearly as much as the book wants you to think it is or how much you want.

Concomitantly, Mr. Dillon gives us insights from a large number (I'd say "disproportionate") of reflections from, well, fans. Fans that had/have their own bands in the 21st century, and some of them have even met Brian Wilson or other Beach Boys, but I don't know them. I don't know their bands. I don't care about their fan responses to these songs. Once I graduated high school, I basically drew the line of my musical experiences: the bands now and before, no more. Surely I am missing out on many wonderful artistry in the 21st century, but having seen enough "grammy-award-related ads" for today's "musical artists," I'm pretty sure the past is where it's at. Feel free to send me a list of the great ones of today I am missing to disabuse me. (Disabuse, I say, not abuse.) Returning to the focus at hand, I did not get this book to read profanity-laced adulations of the Beach Boys in meaningless, superlative terms, which is most of what we get from the "contemporary musicians/producers" upon which Mr. Dillon was dependent to construct this history. I don't want to give you examples, because they are not worth recounting. I'm not saying I can come up with more lucid praise, but that's why I'm not writing books about them (at least, not yet). The fan chapters offer nothing of value.

This book intentionally came out for the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys, knowing full well they were going to get together and go on tour and put out a new album. So instead of waiting for that rather significant element of "their story," the book came out before that and immediately became out of date and incomplete. That decision made no sense to me, even as a cash grab for the 50th anniversary. Why not wait until it has happened so you can speak about it?

If you haven't read any general histories of the Beach Boys, and if you know about these musician-like people who saltily praise the (real) musicians the Beach Boys, this may be a fine book to read. I came to it too late in my journey through the story of the Beach Boys to appreciate it or find much worthwhile in it. It does have, as I said, three or four good chapters (such as Mike Kowalski, Mark Linnet, Billy Hinsche) with fresh and engaging insights (Mike Kowalski was the longest-termed drummer for the BB) about the history of one of the greatest bands of all times (with possibly the saddest story of all time). Thus, I don't know if I can recommend it: the aspects that entice, the insights from those who were there, are too few to be worth spending very much money. The songs do not tell their story, here, unless "their story" is one of chart positions and sales figures. Many chapters are replete with nauseating Wikipedia-like lists of data, none of which give us valuable insights into what makes the Beach Boys "the Beach Boys." It only tells us English listeners in the 1960s and '70s were more intelligent than American listeners, something we already knew. This history does give us a good sense, though, that the people who initially look like "heroes" to the Beach Boys often end up as "villains." The book gives Mike a fairly decent shake, which is nice as well. Is this the Beach Boys book for you? Not if you are looking for meaningful insight into the actual songs. That contrivance is a misleading scheme for what the book is: Mark Dillon's version of the Beach Boys Story besprinkled with rarely insightful and mostly irrelevant commentary from people of whom you may or not have heard. I honestly do not know if this book is for you, but if you can get a cheap copy on Amazon or somewhere, go for it. If you want a free one, stop on by and I'll give you mine. I'm done with it.

[Rick Singer · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, very much like another (similarly styled) book: "Here, There and Everywhere...." by Beatles' main recording engineer Geoff Emerick; this book also is about the subject I love most-- Beach Boys' music. The book includes stories by several contributors directly and indirectly involved with their story and/or the music. And each story dissects not only the songs themselves... but the situations and the times that directly influenced the music. Tasty read indeed.

[Robert James · Rating 3 out of 5]

You probably need to be a die hard Beach Boys fan to enjoy this book which I am. I have read or heard a lot of the stories from early in their career but some of the stories from the 70's and 80's were new to me.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty fun, easy and interesting read for any fan of the Beach Boys.

[Cindyann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ebook 3.5
I'm not sure what possessed me to read this one since I was an infant during most of their early, most popular years. Of the songs listed, I'm only familiar with a handful of them but they all make me happy. The stories around their early years (they were babies!), were interesting but it lost me at the super technical music jargon. It was also very Brian heavy, almost crush worthy. And Landy..wow..he did NOT sound like a nice guy! I plan on listening to the songs as some point to see if I recognize the lesser known titles. It would be a nice addition to the ebook to have links to the songs but I'm sure that would be a nightmare to market!

[Mike Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the beach boy story from many angles, each centered around a single song. Each chapter starts with a song and info on who wrote, sang lead, etc. I must confess that I was very interested in the early songs but I wasn’t really a fan of many of the songs that came from the smile era and beyond. I know that playing the same songs can get old for an artist but that is what their fans really wanted. It’s worth the read for fans who want some of the details usually omitted from most group histories.

[John Breidinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive look at the songs of the Greatest American Band

The depiction of the stories behind the songs is fascinating! The inner turmoil and its effects on both the players and the music is foremost in the book. As a forever fan I enjoyed it immensely!

[Thomas Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

unexpectedly good

Good way to tell the history of the band, through 50 of their most notable (not always best! Kokomo is included) songs.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book would have been better if it had a table of contents.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those, like me, who are more than just casual fans of the ultimate American pop band, this book has a chockablock of fascinating insights. However, it is eccentric in the way that it tells the Beach Boys' history. The author, Canadian journalist Mark Dillon, calls upon many entertainers and performers to share what particular song of the BBs means the most to them, and somehow the author tries (not entirely successfully) to document a certain time of the Boys' lives through that means. Yet, there is a far more serious flaw to be found in "Fifty Sides". Dillon, in allowing each of these different contributors to share what a certain song means to them, ends up giving something like "mini-bios" of the contributors themselves, thus going on several rabbit-trails that take the focus off of the Beach Boys themselves (though not usually for very long). So while the book is often fun to spend time with (for several reasons, but particularly because it brought BB songs to my attention that I'd never heard of before), it is frustrating in its style and execution. In fact, it's not too much to say this is one of the most oddly structured and meandering books on pop music I've ever read.

[Phillip Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having the majority of the Beach Boys discography at hand made this an incredibly fascinating read/music project. I would read a chapter (or half a chapter) and then listen to the track and/or subsequent alternate takes and came away with a whole new fresh understanding of their music. I grew up with the Beach Boys, haven been born in their hometown of Hawthorne, CA... But at the age of 49 , I've finally come to appreciate their music as a musician. This was a love affair I didn't mind returning too, for certain.

Update:
Finished the book and must admit to a bit of sadness... like I'd spent the last couple of months with some really good friends, caught up on old times and now need to go on my way. The joy I've felt in re-discovering their music was well-needed and richly desired. If you are a BB fan, this is a must read!

[Mark Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to read pretty much anything I can get on the Beach Boys and Beatles. I didn't have high hopes for this volume when I picked it up in the Barnes and Noble, and I ended up downloading it from the Kindle store, in any event. It is basically 50 different people ranging from members of the Beach Boys, to journalists, to other musicians, being interviewed about their favorite Beach Boys song, or what they considered the most significant Beach Boys song. This obviously can make for a disjointed read. It is to the credit of Mark Dillon that this is not an impediment to what I found to be an enjoyable read. So I give it 3 points for readability and style and give it one extra bonus point for giving this self-styled Beach Boy expert at least a dozen facts about these recording that I didn't know. Essential for the Beach Boys fan!

[Nick H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read a bulk of the material available on the Beach Boys, I always go in to a new book expecting to learn little or nothing new about the band and it's members. Dillon maintains an over-arcing story line that runs through each of 50 selected songs, dashing a bit of insight into each section from a diverse array of band members (Brian, Mike, & Bruce contribute), former members (Blondie, David Marks), co-writers (Randy Bachman, Gary Usher), and admirers (James Mercer (Shins)). It is these contributions that lend new tidbits to the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson saga. I was pleased to learn a thing or two that I hadn't previously known, and I enjoyed the structure of this book.

[Dave Kinzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff if you're a Beach Boys fan. Be ready for lots of rambling, however. Luckily, the rambling is relevant and mostly interesting, but sometimes I found myself a couple pages into a chapter about a song and wondering, "When are they going to start talking about the song?" Still, if you like the Beach Boys, you should enjoy this book.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice and easy summer read that sent me back to the recordings on a few occasions. Does a service by picking out some of the more obscure songs to focus on. After listening to the Beach Boys since the 60s and reading numerous books about them, I still learned some things from this book. If you're a Beach Boys fan, give it a try.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this, I love the Beach Boys and loved going deeper into the songs I knew, as well as the songs I didn't know well yet.

[Jamie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome look into 50 great Beach Boy songs

[Dan Charnas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable light reading and a different perspective on them.

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly enjoyable. Considering the music it explores I expected more.

[Karen Nixon]

Interesting details about individual songs. I was inspired to listen to each one after reading about it. It would be a great companion to the music of The Beach Boys.