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The Beach Boys - Endless Harmony

The Beach Boys - Endless Harmony

List Price: $24.98
Your Price: $22.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: BRIAN THE GENIUS
Review: I CAN REMEMBER AS A YOUNG GUY, WHEN THE BEACH BOYS FIRST CAME OUT, AND THEIR SOUND WAS VERY NEW AND EXCITEING. SURFING SUFARI, IN MY ROOM, 409, ALL THESE SONGS WERE PLAYED AT OUR SCHOOL DANCES, AND DOMINATED THE, THEN, AM RADIO STATIONS. THIS VIDEO BROUGHT BACK MANY MEMORIES OF MY CHILD HOOD AND I WOULD SUGGEST IT TO ANYONE OUT THERE WHO REALLY APPRECIATES THE GENIUS OF BRIAN WILSON.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: i love the beach boys
Review: i love these guys they are my favorite band and i see the new movie in the year 2000 and i really like it but i love the movie my girl and my girl 2 and in my girl 2 the song ''don't worry baby'' is in. anyway i would like to have more info about the beach boys. thanx.

by:mark a beach boys fan!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Documentary
Review: I recently bought "Endless Harmony" from Amazon and have watched it several times already. I have tried to write a review here for this video before, but was afraid I wouldn't do it justice. How do I describe it? Its very good. Its great actually. Its informative, entertaining, and very well made. I especially enjoy the segments on Dennis and Carl Wilson, and listening to them talk in old interviews. The old concert, news, and video clips are great too.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Essential introduction to the world's greatest pop band.
Review: If, like me, you are new to the mighty Beach Boys, than this is a pretty good introduction to the most (benevolently) influential group in rock history; although, being an official history, it is often more euphemistic than hard-hitting (an exception, the damning evidence of Murry Wilson's abusive managerial style, is already an established part of the myth; he obviously can't give his side of the story).

Full of fantastic footage (live and studio), weird promos (I particularly relished the forest film with Mike Love wandering as a despised tramp) and archival interviews, the documentary traces the band's strange path from clean-cut all-Americans to bloated beardies; from harmonious California mythologisers to barmy psychedelic adventurists ('Good Vibrations' was apparently influenced by Brian's mother's dog); from draft-dodging hippies to friends of the Reagans.

Celebrity cameos are kept to a merciful minimum, and the latterday interviews with surviving Beach Boys are incredibly revealing, especially those with Mike Love who, after all these years, sees the group's major work, 'Pet Sounds', 'Smile', 'Friends' et al, as a bit of an aberration. Dennis emerges as a bit of a silent hero, Carl as the band's sensible soul, and Brian...well, who can top 'the Mozart of rock and roll'? Plus hours and hours of endless harmony, the most exhilerating, most melancholy, most inventive, most yearning, most literally fantastic pop music you'll ever hear. (One complaint: the backroom goon who disses Phil Spector, aka the Shakespeare of pop).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THE BEACH BOYS-AMERICA'S TREASURE
Review: INCREDIBLE-HISTORY REMEMBERS FEW. BUT IT WILL SURELY REMEMBER THE BEACH BOYS. FEW GROUPS/SINGERS HAVE STAYING POWER. MOST ENJOY 1,2 OR A FEW HITS. MOST ARE A FLASH. THE BEACH BOYS, LIKE THE BEATLES, AND ELVIS ARE HERE TO STAY. HOW MANY SINGERS ARE LISTENED TO BY TODAY'S YOUTH? THE BEACH BOYS ARE AMONG THE FEW. IN TODAY'S VONACULAR, THE BEACH BOYS RULE! AND RULE THEY SHALL INTO HISTORY. THANK GOD THEY ARE AMERICANS. LONG LIVE THE BEACH BOYS. THEY TRULY ARE THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Don't buy it for the music....
Review: It is clearly described as a documentary about the Beach Boys, and in that respect it is good, but there is not one song that is not interrupted by the narration. Would have been much better, in my opinion, if the interesting interviews and commantary came before or after... but not during each song! I would give the seven dolby 5.1 bonus songs 5 stars plus, but I would not have bought this 140 minute history lesson had I known...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Modernized Classic
Review: Most of the material has been seen before; what makes the dvd worthwhile is the extra material, especially the 5.1 surround songs - just fabulous. Hope to see more of this in future.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: No Murray Baby!!!
Review: No Murray Baby!!!

But there was a Murray!!! And what havoc that father reaked... at least on his sons: Dennis, Brian and the unassuming Carl... or so the story goes...

You see - to be fair to the unknowm Murray - I don't really know do I? I wasn't there!?!

But these guys were and this is their story.

It ain't a glamour story... Certainly not the familiar story of Elvis or The Beatles.

This is very low key. All about music and medication.

My mother could never stand the Beach Boys. 'They look so drugged out?' she'd say...

Instead she prefered the pure and unadulterated charms of Dean Martin, Keith Richards, Elvis and Boy George... ???

Go figure...

But I wasn't aware that Brian had hit the bottle that hard!?!

But there is he is in the early 1980's... Rainman at the piano...

A half dead Dennis Wilson dragged from the gutter and placed on drums..... What a mess....

Al Jardine looks down as if to shake his head in disbelief... Embarrassed to be on stage with them?

Mind you a near midget dressed in a white top hat proabably wasn't the Wilson's poster boy either!?!?!?!

Good Grief these weren't you're archetypal rockers!!! Al said so himself. But the music was just beautiful. And the sentiments sincere and wonderfully presented.

The 5.1 remixes available on this DVD are something special!!! 'Kiss Me Baby' I had never heard before... I love it!!!

I loved Brian's breakdown of the song within the doco itself... It was worth the price of the DVD just to hear that!!!

He sits behind the massive mixing disk.. listening to his young voice soar from out of the past... Very touching.

Muscially this was America's answer to The Beatles.... If anyone could answer such a question?

Why should anyone have to answer such a question!?!?!

Why should anyone have to be matched off against anyone else!?! For what & who they were: 'The Beach Boys' were truly unique.

Its heartwarming to watch chubby little Carl emerge from his shyness to seize control of the ailing band.

I smile at each viewing of Mike Love's charming little inflections, body movements and a dance style that seems to predate Michael Jackons' Moonwalk!?! He really has a very gentle yet infectiously enthusitic way of presenting a song...

Why he reminds me of myself in front of the bedroom mirror!?! Or occasionally when I'm strolling thru the lounge wishing I was capturing my cuteness on hidden video.

No disrespect to Mike!?! He really is very cool !!!

Brian obviously has a Love hate thing going... He goads his band members into holding his nose so he can accurately recreate Mike's lead vocal on 'California Girls'... 'He's gonna love that...' he sarcasticly concedes... momentarily emerging from a medicated malaise...

HEY!!! Growing beards ain't gonna improve your chick appeal guys!!! Hell, what would I know!?!?!?!

I shall never hear 'Help Me Rhonda' again without Murray's vocal instruction scatting thru the lyric... Poor Al - was that just the harsh Black and White of early19'60's video... or was the Sword of Murray dangling above his every worried head thru-out the tv peformance??? The classic shall never sound the same again...

'A, pow, pow, pow pow!!!'

Mike and Brian exchange playful words over just which one of them is truly senile...

'I'm a genius too.' chimes in Dad...

Brian extouts the deeper meaning of 'Surfer Girl'... a song I had always loved apart for the rather odd/corny titular charactor... May as well be singing an ode to 'Supergirl'?

The Bonus Vids are welcome additions. The sound quality is not great on them. Although 'In My Room' ain't too rough... I don't believe for a minute Mike's breakdown of how the Beach Boy's write a song ie 'Little Deuce Coupe'... but after viewing Mikes slidin' and a posin' throughout the songs performance I concede I like the song a whole lot better on CD now...

In fact I went out and bought a brand new Beach Boy's CD today!!!

'...kiss a little bit, fight a little bit...' Pretty much sums it up... :-)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: No Murray Baby!!!
Review: No Murray Baby!!!

But there was a Murray!!! And what havoc that father reaked... at least on his sons: Dennis, Brian and the unassuming Carl... or so the story goes...

You see - to be fair to the unknowm Murray - I don't really know do I? I wasn't there!?!

But these guys were and this is their story.

It ain't a glamour story... Certainly not the familiar story of Elvis or The Beatles.

This is very low key. All about music and medication.

My mother could never stand the Beach Boys. 'They look so drugged out?' she'd say...

Instead she prefered the pure and unadulterated charms of Dean Martin, Keith Richards, Elvis and Boy George... ???

Go figure...

But I wasn't aware that Brian had hit the bottle that hard!?!

But there is he is in the early 1980's... Rainman at the piano...

A half dead Dennis Wilson dragged from the gutter and placed on drums..... What a mess....

Al Jardine looks down as if to shake his head in disbelief... Embarrassed to be on stage with them?

Mind you a near midget dressed in a white top hat proabably wasn't the Wilson's poster boy either!?!?!?!

Good Grief these weren't you're archetypal rockers!!! Al said so himself. But the music was just beautiful. And the sentiments sincere and wonderfully presented.

The 5.1 remixes available on this DVD are something special!!! 'Kiss Me Baby' I had never heard before... I love it!!!

I loved Brian's breakdown of the song within the doco itself... It was worth the price of the DVD just to hear that!!!

He sits behind the massive mixing disk.. listening to his young voice soar from out of the past... Very touching.

Muscially this was America's answer to The Beatles.... If anyone could answer such a question?

Why should anyone have to answer such a question!?!?!

Why should anyone have to be matched off against anyone else!?! For what & who they were: 'The Beach Boys' were truly unique.

Its heartwarming to watch chubby little Carl emerge from his shyness to seize control of the ailing band.

I smile at each viewing of Mike Love's charming little inflections, body movements and a dance style that seems to predate Michael Jackons' Moonwalk!?! He really has a very gentle yet infectiously enthusitic way of presenting a song...

Why he reminds me of myself in front of the bedroom mirror!?! Or occasionally when I'm strolling thru the lounge wishing I was capturing my cuteness on hidden video.

No disrespect to Mike!?! He really is very cool !!!

Brian obviously has a Love hate thing going... He goads his band members into holding his nose so he can accurately recreate Mike's lead vocal on 'California Girls'... 'He's gonna love that...' he sarcasticly concedes... momentarily emerging from a medicated malaise...

HEY!!! Growing beards ain't gonna improve your chick appeal guys!!! Hell, what would I know!?!?!?!

I shall never hear 'Help Me Rhonda' again without Murray's vocal instruction scatting thru the lyric... Poor Al - was that just the harsh Black and White of early19'60's video... or was the Sword of Murray dangling above his every worried head thru-out the tv peformance??? The classic shall never sound the same again...

'A, pow, pow, pow pow!!!'

Mike and Brian exchange playful words over just which one of them is truly senile...

'I'm a genius too.' chimes in Dad...

Brian extouts the deeper meaning of 'Surfer Girl'... a song I had always loved apart for the rather odd/corny titular charactor... May as well be singing an ode to 'Supergirl'?

The Bonus Vids are welcome additions. The sound quality is not great on them. Although 'In My Room' ain't too rough... I don't believe for a minute Mike's breakdown of how the Beach Boy's write a song ie 'Little Deuce Coupe'... but after viewing Mikes slidin' and a posin' throughout the songs performance I concede I like the song a whole lot better on CD now...

In fact I went out and bought a brand new Beach Boy's CD today!!!

'...kiss a little bit, fight a little bit...' Pretty much sums it up... :-)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: dvd beach boys overrated
Review: Only a few of the audio tracks are in 5.1 dolby surround and those are not even their popular songs. The rest of the "songs" varies from ordinary stereo to poor mono. This is not a dvd for the lover of beach boys songs as we listened to their everlasting great sounds on their cd's. "Songs" on this dvd are continuously interupted by "bragging" stereotype anthology remarks by the beach boys themselves or other musicians.
The "songs" are grouped in a few chapters - and once you have selected a specific chapter you've got to sweat it through until the end of that chapter OR fast forward to the next song/talks.
This dvd should get some merits from enthusiastic anthology followers of the beach boys. DEFINATELY NOT for the sit back, relax and enjoy music listener.a WASTE for those with a proper theatre hifi system - rather turn on a cd of THE BEACH BOYS.


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