Add this copy of The Beach Boys to cart. $11.14, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1985 by Courage Books.
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Add this copy of The Beach Boys (Isbn: 0894714120) [Unknown Binding] to cart. $41.55, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published by Courage Books.
Add this copy of Beach Boys to cart. $48.50, very good condition, Sold by BingoBooks2 rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Vancouver, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1985 by Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. : Courage Books.
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Add this copy of The Beach Boys to cart. $99.05, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1985 by Courage Books.
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David Leaf's 1985 revision to his 1977 "Beach Boys and the California Myth" was the first real book about the band, and it is still a fine resource for Beach Boys fans curious about these enigmatic masters of sunshine pop. Leaf's writing is crisp and informative, though lacks the spark of other rock biographers like, say, Stephen Davis or Lester Bangs.
Written in the 1970s and 80s, Leaf was able to interview several key players (not the least Dennis and Carl Wilson) who have since died. Leaf takes a heroic view of Brian Wilson, and though Brian was admittedly the brains of the operation, the authors exclusion of any real information about the other band members and their motivations is a disappointment.
The volume is full of vintage photographs, the most fascinating being the album artwork for several (still!) unreleased Beach Boys albums.
Ultimately, Leaf's book suffers a bit from its age, but remains a valuable resource, even amidst the Beach Boys current critical reappraisal.