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

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 three 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.