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The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

'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

Their only official book, The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys is an anthology of one of the world's greatest bands, published in a limited edition of only 500 copies worldwide. 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, incredibly complex harmonies, and use of innovative recording techniques, The Beach Boys continue to inspire musicians. What's more, they've become woven into the cultural fabric of America. This edition documents how it happened.

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 historical ephemera, the result is an extraordinary autobiography from America's biggest band.
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The Photography

The Beach Boys

'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

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. 
 
Outtakes from legendary album sessions are featured, such as Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) and Pet Sounds, as well as behind-the-scenes recording photographs from Smile20/20 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. 
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The Manuscript

The Beach Boys

'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 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. 
 
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, FriendsSunflower 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 Yorke.
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The Authors

The Beach Boys

'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

The Beach Boys manage to defy decade, genre and form. They cannot be limited to songs about surfing, girls, California, or hot rods. Everything strove to go beyond - perhaps key to the Beach Boys' durability; their ability to go further, to keep going until they reached a place that had not previously been reached in rock and pop music. The band's longevity, experimentation and continuation of influence are without equal.
 
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 legitimise 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. 

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The Deluxe Copies

The Beach Boys

'The music on the face of it is very simple. However, musically speaking, a lot of it is quite deep and complex. 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

The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys is hand-signed by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston.
 
Strictly limited to only 415 numbered copies, the Deluxe edition is quarter-bound in apple leather and sand Toile Ocean cloth. Woven from 100% recycled plastic gathered from oceans and coastlines, the cloth is characterised by its high durability. Portraits of the band members are inset into the cover. The binding is completed with coloured foil blocking, metallic blue page edging, and six colour page ribbons. The band's 400-page, large-format Deluxe edition is presented within a handcrafted, cloth-bound solander case, decoratively finished with screen-printing and foil embossing.
 
A portion of the proceeds from this edition will go to the Surfrider Foundation.

Page size: 250 x 310 mm (9 ⅘" x 12 ⅕")
Page extent: 400 pages
Binding: Bound in apple leather and Toile Ocean cloth, woven from 100% recycled plastic gathered from oceans and coastlines; photo of the band inset into cover; metallic blue page edging
Manuscript: 60,000 words
Signed by: Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston
Deluxe Copies: 415 copies
 

The Beach Boys

Select from the following editions:

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

  • ISBN:
    9781905662845
  • Artluxe:
    85 copies
  • Signed by:
    Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston
  • Binding:
    Quarter-bound in Toile Ocean cloth and apple leather with foil blocking and metallic blue page edging
  • Box:
    Handcrafted solander case, cloth-bound and screen-printed with foil blocking
  • Extras:
    Exclusive numbered and stamped print in ash-wood frame with acid-free mount, UV glaze, and a certificate of authenticity signed by the publishers (framed size: 21" x 21" / 533 x 533 mm)
Final copies. Available for immediate dispatch.
Artluxe No longer available

Their only official book, The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys is an anthology of one of the world's greatest bands, published in a signed limited edition of only 500 copies worldwide.

  • Published Feb 2024
  • Page size: 250 x 310mm
  • 400 pages
  • 60000 words
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