Catch a Wave cover art

Catch a Wave

The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson

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Catch a Wave

By: Peter Ames Carlin
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
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About this listen

Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, along with Mike Love and Al Jardine - better known as the Beach Boys, rocketed out of a working-class Los Angeles suburb in the early '60s, and their sun-and-surf sound captured the imagination of kids across the world. In a few short years, they rode the wave all the way to the top, standing with the Beatles as one of the world's biggest bands. Despite their utopian visions, infectious hooks, and stunning harmonies, the Beach Boys were beset by drug abuse, jealousy, and terrifying mental illness. In Catch a Wave, Peter Ames Carlin pulls back the curtain on Brian Wilson, one of popular music's most revered luminaries, as well as its biggest mystery. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before-heard studio recordings, Carlin follows the Beach Boys from their earliest days through Brian's deepening emotional problems to his triumphant reemergence with the release of Smile, the legendarily unreleased album he had originally shelved.

©2006 Peter Ames Carlin (P)2014 Audible Inc. Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity

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An incredibly detailed encyclopaedic look at the evolution of The Beach Boys, arguably the greatest rock band to have ever graced the airwaves and record stores.
Brian Wilson’s part in all of is both

Wonderful!

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So there goes another junky. What's new? nearly all of them did it. No but this book is more than that since it details the causes of depression and various other factors in the drug crazed years of the sixties and seventies. Brian wilson was more the victim of control freaks, pressure, the need to please those who didn't want ever to be satisfied and his own demons. Stafe fright and manipulative 'friends'. The book delves in to the refinements of musical construction which at times is tedious to those that don't know much about music beyond the fact that they 'like' it and plenty of journo speak. however it's a good example of how journo speak can work. It's a tragic book and the story can be read and repeated often but with different names. However it's worth a read for any music fan and especially fans of 'The Beach Boys' which I'm not actually but I like reading about people.

Just another in a long line of tragic lows caused by stardom highs

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The rock'n'roll Icarus parable re-told wonderfully, enough to drive you back to Brian's work with fresh eyes. Highly recommended.

Wonderful

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Really enjoyed this book. Personally enjoyed the second half more as I’ve read a lot of books that cover the early years but still learned new facts. Loved the later stuff loads of 80s and 90s

A great book - recommended

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This is written by a master of his craft. The narrator could not be better.
Overall, the best audio book about music that I have ever read/heard. And I'm old!

Superb

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A heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting story of the darkness behind one of music’s “cheeriest” bands. Beautifully written. I can’t recommend enough if you’re a fan. Unless you’re Mike Love, then you might not like it.

Gripping and heartfelt biography

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