Good Vibrations
My Life as a Beach Boy
by Mike Love, James S. Hirsch
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Sep 13 2016 | Archive Date May 18 2023
PENGUIN GROUP Blue Rider Press & Plume | Blue Rider Press
Description
As a founding member of The Beach Boys, Mike Love has spent an extraordinary fifty-five years, and counting, as the group's lead singer and one of its principal lyricists. The Beach Boys, from their California roots to their international fame, are a unique American story -- one of overnight success and age-defying longevity; of musical genius and reckless self-destruction; of spirituality, betrayal, and forgiveness -- and Love is the only band member to be part of it each and every step. His own story has never been fully told, of how a sheet-metal apprentice became the quintessential front man for America's most successful rock band, singing in more than 5,600 concerts in 26 countries.
Love describes the stories behind his lyrics for pop classics such as "Good Vibrations," "California Girls," "Surfin' USA," and "Kokomo," while providing vivid portraits of the turbulent lives of his three gifted cousins, Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. His partnership with Brian has few equals in American pop music, though Mike has carved out a legacy of his own -- he co-wrote the lyrics to eleven of the twelve original Beach Boy songs that were top 10 hits while providing the lead vocals on ten of them. The band's unprecedented durability also provides a glimpse into America's changing cultural mores over the past half century, while Love himself has experienced both the diabolical and the divine -- from Charles Manson's "family" threatening his life to Maharishi instilling it with peace. A husband, a father, and an avid environmentalist, Love has written a book that is as rich and layered as the Beach Boy harmonies themselves.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9780399176418 |
| PRICE | $28.00 (USD) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Peter A, Reviewer
"Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy" by Mike Love and James S. Hirsch is a surprisingly wonderful autobiography of the singer from The Beach Boys, Mike Love, as well as a history of the band; something that I thought I knew a lot about, but this took me deeper. Where to begin? Mike Love's experiences are wonderfully told, his growing up and his relationship with his cousins, and more. Much of the Beach Boys early bio has been recounted in another ways and through other mediums but being there himself, Mr. Love is able to put personal observations and memories to good use here. More so as he gets to the later sections of the band's life. If one is even a remotely serious follower of the Beach Boys than you know that there are many fans who put themselves into one of two Camps; Brian Wilson's, or Mike Love's." I do not place my foot firmly in either, but the recounting is refreshing as we get to hear some of the "why's" from Mike Love's point of view - why Brian was not a part of "Kokomo" or why the 50th Anniversary Tour did not continue. With reasonable explanations the reader can see that there is no conspiracy, but a man who is looking to celebrate the music which he has been a part of for many years.
What most surprised me about the work was the court transcripts that show that Brian Wilson was well aware (though under mental pressure from his own dad) to deny Mike Love his songwriting credits for many years. In addition, it was a nice change to get to know Mike Love as an entertainer a husband (many times over), a father, and how his spirituality plays such a healthy role in his life.
I am a Beach Boy fan, I've seen them over 25 times in concert including Brian's solo tours, and even Mike's Endless Summer Beach Band back in the day. This book brings more depth than I have seen before to the band whose legacy will continue beyond their recording and touring years. If you want a decent history of the Beach Boys or want to know about Mr. Love, then this is the book! Surfs up!
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Brian Andrews; Jeffrey Wilson
General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers
John Kotter; Holger Rathgeber
Business, Leadership, Finance, Nonfiction (Adult)
