Long Promised Road: Carl Wilson, Soul of the Beach Boys: The Biography

by Kent Crowley

No life in popular music touched on as many major musical milestones as that of The Beach Boys' Carl Wilson. While he is often unjustly overlooked as a mere adjunct to his more famous brothers Brian and Dennis, Carl was a major international rock star from his early teens.

The proud owner of one of the greatest voices in popular music--one that graced some of the most important records of the pop era, including 'God Only Knows' and 'Good Vibrations'--Wilson was also one of the first musicians to bring the electric guitar to the forefront of rock'n'roll. His musical skills provided The Beach Boys' entree into the music business, from which he then stewarded their onstage journey through the ups and downs of the 60s to their comeback in the 70s and into the role of 'America's band' in the 80s. Along the way, Carl quietly endured his own battles with obesity, divorce, substance abuse, and ultimately terminal cancer, all the while working to protect his family's business and legacy. This major new biography reveals the true story of modern rock'n'roll, lived from the center of the most important decades of popular music.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2015

About the author

Kent Crowley writes about music for numerous publications, including Vintage Guitar and Shakin' Fever. He researched Bob Keane's autobiography, The Oracle Of Del-Fi, and edited The Gold Star Album, the forthcoming book by Stan Ross and Dave Gold, founders of Hollywood's Gold Star Studios. He consulted on Freak Out In Cucamonga, a documentary film about Frank Zappa's period as a studio owner and surf-music pioneer. A former surfer and surf guitarist, Crowley lives in Fontana, California."

Reviews

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I became a major Beach Boys fan at the dawn of the 2000s after seeing the documentary "Endless Summer: The Beach Boys Story" in which other musical stars like Sean Lennon, Jackson Browne, Glen Campbell and Elvis Costello spoke of their love and admiration of this band. Chock full of archival footage and interspersed with band interviews, I was captivated by hearing for the first time what I call "buried treasure songs". That's what I call songs that were not the major hits, but deep tracks that wow only you. It becomes an unexpected and exhilarating discovery. Suddenly a very mild Beach Boys fan who had heard and liked all the earlier hits- not to mention the Christmas songs- had a burning desire to buy the CDs containing all these unearthed symphonies. Songs like "Til I Die", "Surf's Up" , "Our Sweet Love", "Add Some Music to Your Day", "Break Away" , "You Still Believe in Me", "Sail on Sailor", and the new solo track by Brian Wilson "Your Imagination" swept me away in harmonic nirvana!

I've read a bunch of books about The Beach Boys over the last two decades, but was very intrigued when I saw one dedicated to Carl Wilson. He's kind of an unsung hero; the quiet, chubby and demure younger brother of head Beach Boy Brian Wilson. Brian was the focus of the band being its head writer and producer in the studio. A literal wunderkind and musical genius. However, he had mental problems and chose to retreat to the recording studio and write the songs while the rest of the band did the touring. This is when Carl stepped up and took charge of the touring band, when his non-descript nature railed against that. He was incredibly young, just 17 when the band became famous, and was thrust into a lot of responsibility- which he shouldered quite handily. Not much longer in the future he would also be called upon to take charge in the studio, when Brian was too mentally and physically "out there" to function in his former role. All this made such a book with a focus on this dynamic compelling to read.

The book begins with the story of the formation of the group, and its rise to fame. It triumphs early on in directing its focus on Carl Wilson. I particularly enjoyed reading about his very well respected skill as a lead guitarist, something I never knew about. I also was fascinated with the various models/brands of guitars he chose to play over the years. I found myself performing internet searches to look at these guitars, and discussing them with my musician son. An interesting fact, it became a thing to always have these guitars painted white...even for other extraneous band members. Carl's voice sounded very much like his older brother Brian's...but
perhaps a bit sweeter...and Brian even let Carl sing one of his most famous songs from "Pet Sounds" "God Only Knows" as well as "Good Vibrations". Like a lot of other books I've read about The Beach Boys, it discussed all the albums they released, how they were written and recorded and received by the public. As someone well-read on the subject, I'm simply happy to have learned a few new kernels about the subject, and this book succeeded in that.

[Allan Heron · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting enough book but this is less a biography of Carl than an overview of the Beach Boys career from his perspective.

Is there a better book to be written about Carl's life? Time will tell.

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not good at all. It does more to highlight the lows of the beach boys and all of the individuals involved with them than anything else. I used to like the beach boys before I read this book. Now I am not so sure. Also, the writing was very disjointed and never stayed on task, switching time frames, switching from talking about music equipment (there was way too much of this) to people.

[Joe Nicholl · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the start of the 'Plan'-demic, Mar 11-ish, 2020, I knew I was gonna need some Happy music to get me through the latest psy-op/False-Flag...and of course The Beach Boys came to mind immediately...Now, the first lp I ever bought with my saved allowance money back in '64 was Surfin' USA...so now this 'ol grey beard picked-up where I last left off, Beach Boys that is...and thud! that lasted an hour-&-half...surf, surf, surf, shut-down, 409, 409...Hey! Brian, Brian, Brian!!!...Gag! Enough already! Soooooooooo, I went the other direction...Pet Sounds > God Only Knows...who's singing that beautiful song...Oh, little brother Carl...oh yeah, right on! He's the pudgy one who sang the most groove Don't Tell Me No Lies on Summer Nights...I could feel the embers starting to glow...Wild Honey! Wow! What a cool album! Lead by Carl from beginning to end...ditto 20/20 (I Can Hear Music!)...the Hippie Dream Sunflower, a hidden Classic!!!...Surf's Up! with Carl's and The Beach Boys best songs ever Long Promised Road & Feel Flows...the coolest songs ever, light & Heavy Man!!! On to Holland and The Trader! -So, I learned over Q-time that Carl Wilson RULED The Beach Boys from Wild Honey through Holland, or '67 through '74...meanwhile Brian was eating a chicken-sandwhich and filling up the bong...-Back to the future...I checked out The Beach Boys books and what-do-ya-know, I found Long Promised Road: Carl Wilson, Soul of the Beach Boys: The Biography by Kent Crowley...cut to the chase...it's a good book, I gave it a 3.0 but it's a STRONG 3.0...maybe 3.5...on the negative side, too many Carl stories that lean on Brian (I'm Shocked!)...and, Carl's last 15 years wrapped in the final 10% (Kindle percentage...Yuck!)...But, overall a good book, it does it's subject matter, Carl Wilson, fair & square, mostly Happy All the Time!...the author Crowley is a guitar nerd (so am I) and talks a bit about Carl's rig & set-up over the years, which I found cool...AND, I didn't know Carl's 2nd marriage (though to his passing) was to Dean Martin's beautiful daughter Gina! What do ya know!...Soooo, it's a good book on Carl Wilson, but not great...it's a fairly easy read and you'll learn a few things about Carl, like, he was the Capt. of the ship '67-'74, and a lot of Great Beach Boys music went down during that time period...if you like Carl Wilson buy this book and read it...ya can't go wrong!

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Long Promised Road: Carl Wilson in the Spotlight and in the Shadows left Carl Wilson too much in the shadows. I enjoyed the book and the info on the Beach Boys, however it was a book mostly about the Beach Boys and not about Carl Wilson specifically. In fairness there was more personal info on Carl than anyone else in the book, however there was a lot said about Brian, Dennis and other members of the group and not always in regard to how Carl interacted with them. I was expecting a book that delved into the life of Carl Wilson, not glossed over that life. There was very little info regarding his first marriage and almost nothing regarding his second. The bulk of the book dealt with the 1960s and 1970s with very little said about the 1980s and 1990s. I would like to see a book about Carl Wilson someday, however, as stated at the beginning I did enjoy the book on the Beach Boys.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. It's basically a biography of the Beach Boys, focusing primarily on their recordings and musical techniques. Which was fine, but there was very little information about Carl Wilson specifically, other than in conjunction with playing guitar and producing records. His first wife's name is mentioned twice, his second wife's name mentioned once. He has two children with his first wife. I know nothing more about his life outside the recording studio than I did prior to reading the book. The book's extended title is misleading, in my opinion.

**#110 of 120 books pledged to read/review during 2016**

[Leila Kern · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, however, it was not what I expected. I would have liked to read more about Carl Wilson, the boy, the man, what made him “tick”! I did learn that Carl seemed to be the glue that held The Beach Boys together but I would have like to know more about Carl as a person. This book would be wonderful for someone who is a musician and could understand all the terms used, plus the types of equipment and how Carl could “make” the instruments “sing”.

[Paul Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very good experience to read a book dedicated to the life of Carl Wilson. Unfortunately, the book was solely focused on music and there were gaping holes regarding Carl's personal life. Yes, I'm one of the few who truly appreciates Carl's contribution to the Beach Boys and it was great to read about all of the albums that just sort of disappeared, but I really truly would have loved to learn about his personal life.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, a lot of people haven't been kind to it but it was an interesting read about a wonderful interesting guy!

[HR-ML · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this bio on the Kindle "cloud." The author spoke
of the 5 original Beach Boys: Brian Wilson: leader and
main songwriter, Dennis Wilson: wild-child, peace-
maker Carl Wilson: leader in place of Brian & the soul
of the group, Mike Love: their cousin & the front man,
& Al Jardin: Brian's good friend from high school. The 5
started out as teens and became excellent musicians &
songwriters. The book's main emphasis was on Carl.
The author went into detail on some aspects & not
others. Gave this 3.5 stars.

Murry Wilson, sire of the 3 Wilson boys, was the mgr.
and record producer for the Beach Boys (hereafter BB).
He received 10% of the cut. Until such time as Brian fired
him. The BB was one of the 1st rock groups to compose
songs/ arrange/ produce/ add innovative sounds and
technology. Brian was considered a genius. Murry sold
the BB publishing co. for $700K & the author gave no
feedback from the BB on this action. Did they agree?
disagree? were they too young to sign a legal contract?
(see pg.71).

The BB recorded their first song in 1961 & Brian, by his
own admission had a nervous breakdown in 1964. He
hid his auditory hallucinations from others. Years later
he was diagnosed w/ schizoaffective disorder. (And
finally treated by 3 UCLA MDs). He coped by using
alcohol and street drugs. The author learned Murry
abused alcohol, as did his father.

Brian created the Brothers Studio, in his own home.
He stayed home (sometimes in bed) to compose songs.
He seldom toured w/ the BB. Carl played lead guitar &
managed the BB music on stage (playlist, handled
roadies & problems) and in the studio. When Carl was
about 17 the Vox Co. valued his opinion on Vox prototype
guitars and amps! Carl gave a thumbs-up or thumbs-
down.

The author praised Carl for his singing versatility IE he
could "belt" a song, sing low or sing falsetto. (pg 94).

Brian excelled at creating a layered sound, and perfect
BB harmony, and using unusual instruments for new
sounds. He hired session musicians to make the complex
sounds, which were hard to replicate when the BB did
concerts. When Carl lead a recording session or concert,
he did not castigate anyone, he used non-verbal cues
especially his eyes, to get others to see his way.

The author relayed Dennis befriended hippie Charles
Manson, but was unaware of the danger. Later Chas.
threatened him with a bullet left behind. Dennis
changed lyrics and a song-title which Chas wrote.
Chas. who over-estimated his musical talent, was
incensed. Chas. and his followers stayed uninvited
for 6 months at Dennis' home, while Dennis lived
elsewhere.

The author explored the controversy Brian had w/
psychologist Dr. Gene Landy, who provided "24
hr. therapy" for about $1M a year. From 1983-1992
Dr. Landry controlled Brian's day: his food intake,
exercise, who Brian communicated with (no family or
friends), if/when Brian spent money. Dr. Landy & his
guards for Brian slept in Brian's home while Brian
stayed in a smaller rental home, nearby. Landy mis-
diagnosed Brian and had a MD prescribe the wrong
psychoactive medicine for Brian. Brian decided not
to sue Landy. Brian's bro. Carl, Melinda (his future
2nd wife), and Brian's 2 adult daughters helped him
break away from Landy, with a restraining order.
Eventually Landy lost his license to practice.

The BB hired Mike Love's brother Steve as a mgr. for
a time. Per the author, he stole $900.K from the BB,
(pg. 87) but the author didn't explore the consequences
of this action, other than the BB fired him. Did Steve
make restitution?

Murry died in 1973, Dennis in 1983 & Carl in 1998. The
BB were inducted into the Rock/ Roll Hall of Fame in
1988. The BB together or in solo efforts, with time,
made music with deeper lyrics. Carl & Mike studied TM
& non-traditional spirituality. Mike seemed harsh at
times w/ Brian, or about Brian, so Mike continued on
his spiritual journey? Mike might've felt jealous Brian
was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and
Mike was not?

Revised 02/27/24.

[Michael Frazier · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a writer/Journalism major, I cannot look past the lackluster amd oftentimes lazy writing style of Crowley. The Beach Boys were America's answer to the Beatles in the 60s. From 1961 through today, they remain one of music's biggest soap operas as the book describes. While many insist that Brian Wilson was and remains the brains and genius behind the Beach Boys' success, Carl truly was the very soul and glue that held them together through so much adversity. My parents LOVE this band and I grew up occasionally hearing the dulcet sounds of "Kokomo" or other later hits of the band. It is only within the last few years that I myself have developed an affinity for this band, sans Mike Love whom I could very much do without. "I am Brian Wilson" is another highly recommended read for BB fans as well as the biopic "Love and Mercy." If you need one reminder of the legacy the Beach Boys created and that Carl and Dennis Wilson left behind, look no further than Sir Paul Mccartney himself. On the song "God Only Knows": It's one of the most beautiful songs ever composed and best pop songs ever written."

[William J. Pringle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read on an important Age and Singer

Hardly able to put this biography of Carl Wilson down, page after page affords insight into an age of music that transformed the American Culture. Carl Wilson was the vehicle that gives insight into the technological developments inaugurated by The Beach Boys. The instrumental ability Carl Wilson developed emerges out of a history of guitar, studio development, and the brilliance of Brian Wilson, who brought his youngest brother into the limelight of The Beach Boys.
There are many books on the band, it’s trials and tribulations as well as magnificent success. This particular biography of Carl Wilson affords the reader a valuable insight into a lesser known variable in the equation that equals an amazing band, and one of its critical members. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the bios about the Beach Boys or their individual members, this is the first one I've encountered that give details about how the band did what they did in the studio and also on stage. Carl's playing technique is discussed in a manner thorough enough for fellow musicians to understand but clear enough for non-musicians to follow. A well-written and engaging quick read!

[Andrea Sigmund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content of the book was decent, but it wasn't very well written. The beginning of the book incorrectly stated Carl died in 1996 (it was 1998). It was interspersed with typos and missing punctuation, along with sentences and ideas repeated a page or two later. Clearly, the proofreading is lacking.

[David Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book.
I love the beach boys, and to read Carl’s part of their history was fascinating.
It tailed if quite quickly at the end but the bulk of the book’s focus on the 60s and 70s was awesome.

[Nina]

More of a biography of the Beach Boys with a focus on Carl than a bio of Carl. Nevertheless, interesting

[Judie]

I was pretty disappointed in this book. Too much "technical info" and not much biography

[Connie Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the book but would have liked more facts about his life and less technical things about their music. Didn’t really feel much like a biography

[Vicky Beltz · Rating 3 out of 5]

More on the technical part of The Beach Boys music. Carl's story seemed to be thrown in every now and then.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a child of the 60s the Beach Boys were a big part of the musical background of my life. In college it was not cool to admit liking their music, and yet I found myself at a concert of theirs more than once. While this book told me little I didn't already know, or suspect, it was still an enjoyable read. Every song mentioned had me trying to recall the lyrics; the ones I didn't know I looked up on YouTube. It did give me more respect for Carl as a person.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a well-meaning paean to Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys. Certainly, Carl deserves a full length biography as he is in my estimation the most underrated member of the band. Unfortunately, this book is very uneven, both in quality of writing and depth of research. But, Crowley does get out the message of the importance and quality of Wilson's musical talents to the general fan base of this iconic band. A highly competent editor of the book would improve it greatly. Perhaps, there will be a 2nd edition. Maybe, Crowley was rushed to meet a deadline with his publisher. I am a long-standing BB fan, and I did learn quite a bit about Carl as a great musician, especially his singing. When I listen to his lead singing songs, I have a new greater appreciation of him––esp. on his iconic version of "I Can Hear Music."

[Susan Csoke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long Promised Road is the story of Carl Wilson and the Beach Boys. Its about their lives on the road and on tours and their ups and downs. In the late sixties they toured in Czechoslovakia to become the first American rock n roll band to appear behind the Iron Curtain. Lots of photos. THANK YOU GOODREADS FIRSTREADS FOR THIS FREE BOOK!!!!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating subject but averagely written. Makes a few factual errors, including getting the year of Carl's death wrong at the start. Completely fails to mention Melinda Wilson's role in getting Brian away from Eugene Landy.

[Al Ziggerthat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't really a Carl Wilso bio. It's more of a Beach Boy book and it shows where Carl Wilson fits in with the group.
If you like the Beach Boys, this is a good book to read.