Their only official book, The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys is the ultimate chronicle of one of the world’s greatest bands. It captures the group’s astounding rise from Hawthorne garage band to internationally renowned act, covering the release of their first single, ‘Surfin,’ up to their 1980 Independence Day concert at the National Mall in Washington D.C., for an audience of over half a million people. Through their unique sound, complex harmonies, sensational live shows and use of innovative recording techniques, The Beach Boys became woven into the cultural fabric of America and influenced generations of musicians globally. This book documents how it happened.

A new bookstore hardcover edition of The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys will be available in all good bookstores April 2, 2024 and is also now available for pre-order at www.thebeachboysbook.com. It follows on from the sellout success of the handbound, limited edition, signed by all four members of the band, which proved to be one of the fastest-selling editions in Genesis Publications’ history.

‘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.’ – Brian Wilson

Told through the words of Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson and Bruce Johnston, and accompanied by rare and iconic photographs and ephemera, the result is an extraordinary autobiography from America’s biggest band.

image002.jpg

THE PHOTOGRAPHY
With unlimited access to the Capitol Records archive, The Beach Boys band archive and their personal archives, The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys has been carefully curated from these unique sources to create an exciting visual journey, combining never-before-seen negatives with iconic images.

‘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.’- Mike Love

Outtakes from iconic album sessions are featured, such as Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) and Pet Sounds, as well as behind-the-scenes recording photographs from Smile, 20/20 and more. An abundance of live shots includes the band’s first European tour and rehearsals for the first live performance of ‘Good Vibrations’, which Brian Wilson travelled over 2,000 miles to oversee. These photographs are accompanied by ephemera from across the years, including tape boxes, tour posters and programmes, handwritten notes and lyrics, newspaper clippings, album advertisements, chord sheets and studio documents – all of which assist in illustrating their remarkable story.
image003.jpgimage004.jpg
THE MANUSCRIPT
The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys features new text drawn from extensive interviews with Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston exclusively for this edition, and archive text from band members Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson.

‘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.’ – Al Jardine

The band members describe their story from the beginning: signing their first recording contract with Capitol Records and creating some of the most flawless, sun soaked singles of all time – ‘Surfer Girl’ / ‘Little Deuce Coupe’, ‘I Get Around’ / ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ and ‘California Girls’ / ‘Let Him Run Wild’, to name a few – as well as sharing their memories of making revered albums such as Pet Sounds, and fan favourites Wild Honey, Friends, Sunflower and Holland. The story follows their journey around the world, from school fundraisers to global tours and landmark shows such as Prague when, in 1969, they were the first Western band to visit Czechoslovakia, and New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1972. Throughout, the band reflects on the making of the songs.

Joining them are a host of contributors who have been involved with or inspired by the band’s music, including 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 and Thom York.

THE AUTHORS
The Beach Boys manage to defy decade, genre and form. One of the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful and influential bands of all time, the band are embedded within the cultural landscape of America and loved throughout the world. The Beach Boys spearheaded numerous genres, helped to legitimize popular music, and have had the most Billboard Top 40 hits from any US band (thirty-seven), and today their music continues to be revisited, reassessed, and reimagined.

‘I think it’s the heart that you put into what you’re doing that’s important. Each member of The Beach Boys puts their whole heart and soul into what they do, and that is probably the saving grace of the group. Few families are together spiritually and emotionally over art.’
– Dennis Wilson

‘It’s the most wonderful life singing all over the world about the beauty of growing up in California, as seen from the heart and soul of Mike Love & Brian Wilson’s magical songwriting.’
– Bruce Johnston
‘The music on the face of it is very simple. However, musically speaking, a lot of it is quite deep and complex. I mean, it was about going to the beach and having a car and the American experience, but a lot of the songs are master works.’ – Carl Wilson

Finally, here is The Beach Boys’ own story.

THE BOOKSTORE EDITION
Page size: 250 x 310 mm (9 ⅘” x 12 ⅕”)
Page extent: 408 pages
Manuscript: 60,000 words
ISBN-10: 1905662858
ISBN-13: ‎978-1905662852
Price: £50 | €60 | $65