Rating: 
Summary: Well written, but not the masterpiece I had hoped for.
Review: Timothy White is an excellent writer, so it seemed that if anyone could write the definitive Beach Boys biography, it would be him. Unfortunately, his book has proven to be what Beach Boy Carl Wilson said about the group's album "Smiley Smile" -- a bunt instead of a grand slam. One of the book's more curious characteristics is that it goes into exhaustive detail on background matters such as the Wilson family's Kansas ancestry while skimming over major events in BB history. For example, so little is written about the creation of "Pet Sounds" that an unfamiliar reader would almost be left with the impression that it was just another Beach Boys' album, which it most assuredly was not. Perhaps White believes that enough has already been written about "Pet Sounds" and various other events in the group's history, and perhaps he's even right about that, but then again, aren't those events exactly what a person interested in reading a book about the Beach Boys would WANT to know about? The book's greatest flaw is White's failure to try to come to terms with the central mystery in the history of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys -- the sudden collapse and withdrawal of Brian Wilson after years of explosive creativity, peaking with the twin artistic triumphs of "Pet Sounds" and "Good Vibrations." Was Brian's implosion the result of drug abuse? Was it the delayed but inevitable reaction to years of childhood abuse at the hands of his father? Did he simply give up because of the failure of the other Beach Boys to support his artistic vision? Perhaps White believes that these questions are unanswerable (and again, perhaps they are), but if so, he should say so rather than simply ignore them completely. Given his apparently unfettered access to Brian Wilson himself, why did he apparently never interview him about this? The loss of Brian left the Beach Boys stranded and changed them from one of the most innovative and important bands in rock to an oldies act literally almost overnight. (Although Brian himself now appears to be healthy and creative again, he has embarked on a solo career, leaving Mike Love to shamelessly cash in on the group's legacy night after night, cranking out the old hits with a group of other musicians he has the gall to bill as the Beach Boys. Mike Love touring as the Beach Boys is like Ringo Starr going on a solo tour and calling himself the Beatles.) In neglecting to address Brian Wilson's mid-60s breakdown, White fails to tell the real story of the Beach Boys, the story of artistic triumph turned to personal tragedy.
Rating:
Summary: Rambling Aimless Book
Review: Timothy White's book is a compendium of odd facts and non-sequiters about California culture in the '60s. The dense text, which wanders all over the proverbial map, sheds little light on the Beach Boys.If you want to know all about the Wilson brother's ancestors, this is the book for you. If you can't see the point in learning about these people, you should be forgiven. These obscure relatives seemed to have little impact on the musical direction of the Wilson brothers and Mike Love, other than frustrated songwriter dad Murry Wilson. And White tends to whitewash Murry, trying to soft sell his image as an abusive, overbearing father who damaged his sons. There are also numerous tangents about California pop culture figures such as car customizer Big Daddy Roth, notable skateboarders and surfers, and musicians who were on the fringe of or well beyond the Beach Boys circle, such as Randy Newman and Don Henley. A definitive Beach Boys biography does not exist at the present time. You have your choice of tabloid pulp such as Steven Gaines' "Heroes and Villians," which almost never refers to the music, or total musical analysis such as Paul Williams' "How Deep is the Ocean." There isn't much in between. This book doesn't fill the bill, as it neither has much pertinent biographical content or musical analysis. The only redeeming value is that it does give you a slight picture of the '60s Southern California suburban lifestyle that helped inspire the music and lyrics of the Beach Boys' songs.
Rating: 
Summary: No "good vibrations" here
Review: Tying the Beach Boys into their Southern California milieu is an exciting idea; this book, however, fails to deliver. The writing is convoluted, the conclusions superficial and cliched, and the interviews with poor Brian Wilson much less than enlightening; and the narrative sags under the weight of Beach Boys trivia that crowds out what should be a truly compelling narrative.
Rating: 
Summary: Inconsistant Book, Not Quite Fun Fun Fun
Review: Vacillates between a geneology book and a book about Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Does not capture the story of the Beach Boys as well as other publications. Dwells overlong into family histories or upon elements of the Southern California lifestyle. In fact, seems to gloss over the Beach Boys' story making it seem mundane.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost thorough, definitely captivating
Review: With David Leaf's book out of print, I settled on this book to fill me in on what the C.D. liner notes have left out. And what a great time I had. White provides a lyrical description of the Wilson ancestry to provide a history which explains the temperament and personality that came to influence The Wilson boys and Mike Love. All of White's diversions into the cultural changes that happened around the Boys serves to add more sense of how the Boys fitted in to the bigger picture... and how they didn't. Stick with what seems to be at first a grandiose approach to telling the story. Sure, some stuff is glossed over, probably from lack of information. And sometimes it doesn't go far enough to explain the heart and broken heart of Brian. Carl is strangely in the background. But I finished this book feeling much closer to the heart and soul behind the heartiest and most soulful, most honest music to come out of the ugly world that is rock/pop industry. God only knows what we'd have if Brian was allowed to be himself and do what he wanted.
Rating:
Summary: Wake the World
Review: Wow. I'm embarassed to say that I thought I knew about the Beach Boys before I read "The Nearest Faraway Place". I was wrong. The depth of vision and analysis is staggering and told through the elegantly unobtrusive Tim White style I have come to expect from the book "Catch a Fire" and his columns in Billboard. It is designed to give you a full picture of the Southern California experience, dating back to the earliest generations of the Wilson family, but,if you want to skip the early chapters, you can go straight to the meat of the Beach Boys' history. Unbelievable unedited transcripts of the dialogue during recording sessions and insightful deconstruction of the cross-pollinization of inspiration happening in the Sixties. Which Beach Boys' song inspired which Beatle song, with help from which Byrd song, etc.; and all culled with interviews from the actual players and composers. Great stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Wake the World
Review: Wow. I'm embarassed to say that I thought I knew about the Beach Boys before I read "The Nearest Faraway Place". I was wrong. The depth of vision and analysis is staggering and told through the elegantly unobtrusive Tim White style I have come to expect from the book "Catch a Fire" and his columns in Billboard. It is designed to give you a full picture of the Southern California experience, dating back to the earliest generations of the Wilson family, but,if you want to skip the early chapters, you can go straight to the meat of the Beach Boys' history. Unbelievable unedited transcripts of the dialogue during recording sessions and insightful deconstruction of the cross-pollinization of inspiration happening in the Sixties. Which Beach Boys' song inspired which Beatle song, with help from which Byrd song, etc.; and all culled with interviews from the actual players and composers. Great stuff!
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