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Post by AGD on Jul 7, 2021 4:29:00 GMT -5
For me, this is a no-brainer: the complete and utter POS that Rushton Ramplin is responsible for (along with Ron Hamady). Redeeming features ? None.
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Post by Moon Dawg on Jul 10, 2021 18:24:24 GMT -5
I never read the Pamplin book but I'd probably be curious if I happened upon it.
HEROES & VILLAINS by Gaines isn't the worst book on the Beach Boys, but hearing it described in some quarters as "definitive" makes me sigh. Factual errors that would have been minor in and of themselves became obnoxious and annoying in the cumulative. It was obvious he wasn't overly familiar with the albums and his musical analysis was surface level at best. For deep dish gossip, it's a good read, but Gaines failed to capture the essence and scope of The Beach Boys.
The Timothy White book was alright but slightly lacking; some of the cultural details seemed extraneous.
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Post by boogieboarder on Jul 10, 2021 21:01:19 GMT -5
I like the Pamplin book. The book I think is the worst is “Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story” supposedly by Brian Wilson,who didn’t write a word of it - but was paraded in front of the public by Landy to appear at book signings.
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Post by Moon Dawg on Jul 11, 2021 7:59:34 GMT -5
I like the Pamplin book. The book I think is the worst is “Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story” supposedly by Brian Wilson,who didn’t write a word of it - but was paraded in front of the public by Landy to appear at book signings. Can't comment on the Pamplin book as I have not read it. Good point re the Brian/Landy book. Pure exploitation. |
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Post by boogieboarder on Jul 14, 2021 18:08:55 GMT -5
I never read the Pamplin book but I'd probably be curious if I happened upon it. HEROES & VILLAINS by Gaines isn't the worst book on the Beach Boys, but hearing it described in some quarters as "definitive" makes me sigh. Factual errors that would have been minor in and of themselves became obnoxious and annoying in the cumulative. It was obvious he wasn't overly familiar with the albums and his musical analysis was surface level at best. For deep dish gossip, it's a good read, but Gaines failed to capture the essence and scope of The Beach Boys. Well, that's for sure. Here's Gaines' takes on their albums, from the book: Surfin' Safari - An adolescent mish-mash - including a hymn to root beer. Surfin' USA - undistinguished except for the hit singles - the album contains 5 instrumentals. Surfer Girl - Most notable inclusion was Brian's moody - and unexpected - "In My Room." The rest of the cuts were forgettable mediocre songs about surf and cars, with titles like "Catch a Wave" and "Surfer's Rule." Little Deuce Coup - Although it was unashamedly stuffed with four reissued songs, it rode the charts for a staggering 46 weeks. Shut Down Vol. 2 - Not even mentioned in the book. All Summer Long - The success of "I Get Around" was quickly followed by the release of an album, All Summer Long, which shot up to number 4 on the album charts. (That's all he has to say about the album) Unknown album - As the calendar year of 1964, their seventh album, The Beach Boys, hurtled almost straight to the number 1 position. (He's probably referring to Beach Boys Concert, which is not otherwise mentioned.) The Beach Boys' Christmas Album - not mentioned. The Beach Boys Today - Not one of Brian's best works, consisting mostly of a melange of uninspired car tunes and even a comedy cut with the voice of Earl Leaf discussing kosher pickles. (Note - I'm still looking for even a single car song on the album.) Summer Days (And Summer Nights) - This so-called "quickie" album, which Capitol pressured them into as a follow-up to the smash hit "Help Me, Rhonda" was recorded in April through June of that year. (That's all he says about the album. I always thought Party was the quickie album). Beach Boys Party - This superb album was recorded in three sessions. (He goes on to talk about the sessions and simulated party. This is the first album he has complimented! All the previous albums were lousy by comparison!) Pet Sounds. Quite a few pages on the recording and reaction to the album. His personal thoughts call it "gloomy introversion." Smiley Smile - A throwaway album. Wild Honey - A Favorite for hard-core Beach Boys fans, considered by many to be a "soul album lauded for its simplicity and rawness." But it too was a commercial failure. Friends - A boring emotionless album. 20/20 - A disparate collection of tunes, mostly leftovers from recent records, and almost completely devoid of Brian's production input. Sunflower - The worst selling album to that point in the Beach Boys' career. Surf's Up - More cohesive and better produced than the recent few before it. (This album actually gets a paragraph of praise for its songs, and praise quoted from Rolling Stone). Carl and The Passions - So Tough - Brian had practically no involvement in the album, except for the donation of the song "Marcella" and a song he had written with Tandyn Almer called "You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone." Holland - In reality it isn't very good. The only outstanding part of the album was a small segment of the "California Saga" and a pretty song called "Cool Cool Water." (WTF?) (Note - Eight pages are devoted to this album, as compared to no mention at all of Shut Down Vol 2, and a line or two about most of their early albums.) 15 Big Ones - The reviews were less than favorable. The Village Voice review was especially disturbing, calling the album "the kind of music one might expect to find at a rock star's funeral." The Beach Boys Love You - The Beach Boys at this point were convinced the record company was doing very little to promote the album. In truth, the best promotional campaign in the world couldn't have helped The Beach Boys Love You. MIU Album - A little like going to Holland, only worse. "Torture. Agony. Like being put right in the middle of nowhere, frozen and cold and small, with only one decent restaurant in town. The resulting album reflected the mood of the group. "Both critics and pundits ignored the product's pitiful contents." LA (Light Album) - The new album provoked outrage among Beach Boys fans. Indeed, the disco song "Here Comes the Night" was roundly booed by the audience at Radion City Music Hall. The criticism of that song was so great that, under pressure from the group, CBS recalled the single. Keepin' The Summer Alive - He spends a paragraph on the studio and how the album only reached number 76, but doesn't mention any of the music or songs except for the single "Goin' On." The Beach Boys - Mentioned on the last page of the book - Brian's Psychiatrist Gene Landy is quoted as saying "Listen, all the Beach Boys make some contribution, and I'm practically a member of the band. Brian's got the talent to make the music. He's the creator. The other band members are just performers. So I'm the one who's making the album." |
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Post by Mikie on Jul 14, 2021 20:49:56 GMT -5
After reading many posts from a guy who supposedly represented Rocky (or his editor or whoever he was) and saw that he was obviously full of sh*t, and reading excerpts and being called "trash" and "a waste of time" and "not informative" by others, I haven't bothered to pick it up.
Gaines set this fan straight by emphasizing through his writing that the Beach Boys are human. They're family. And I'd just like to know if all or at least most of the stuff in the book is true. We'll probably never know for sure.
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Post by Al S on Jul 14, 2021 21:58:10 GMT -5
After reading many posts from a guy who supposedly represented Rocky (or his editor or whoever he was) and saw that he was obviously full of sh*t, and reading excerpts and being called "trash" and "a waste of time" and "not informative" by others, I haven't bothered to pick it up. Gaines set this fan straight by emphasizing through his writing that the Beach Boys are human. They're family. And I'd just like to know if all or at least most of the stuff in the book is true. We'll probably never know for sure. So would I. I know AGD has indicated the Administrative info supplied is top notch, and I believe the Rocky hits Carl meeting is from a tape recording of the actual event. There's a lot of other fly on the wall stuff that seems pretty in-depth. |
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Post by boogieboarder on Jul 14, 2021 22:01:59 GMT -5
After reading many posts from a guy who supposedly represented Rocky (or his editor or whoever he was) and saw that he was obviously full of sh*t, and reading excerpts and being called "trash" and "a waste of time" and "not informative" by others, I haven't bothered to pick it up. Gaines set this fan straight by emphasizing through his writing that the Beach Boys are human. They're family. And I'd just like to know if all or at least most of the stuff in the book is true. We'll probably never know for sure. Are you referring to the Rocky book or the Gaines book? The information about The Beach Boys' activities in the Gaines book generally could be true, based on how many interviews he did. However, his opinions about their music, I, in most cases, disagree with. I don't believe that Surfin' USA is undistinguished except for the hit singles. I don't hold the opinion that the contents of Surfer Girl is nothing but forgettable mediocre songs, except for "In My Room." I don't believe that The Beach Boys Today is not among Brian's best work, nor does it contain just songs about cars, and in fact it contains nothing about cars. I don't think Smiley Smile is a throw away album, even if it isn't Smile. I don't believe that Friends is boring and emotionless. I don't think that the only outstanding part of Holland was the last part of "California Saga," nor does it contain the song "Cool, Cool, Water" - even if the last part called "On My Way To Sunny California" does contain references to water. And if I were to write a book about The Beach Boys, I would mention some of the songs on the rest of the albums that he completely ignored, besides just how the albums sold or charted. In fact, given Gaines' opinions on the music, I don't know why he even bothered to write a book about The Beach Boys. Can you make enough money writing a book like that to make the "torture" worth it? Assuming he even bothered to listen to their albums. |
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Post by Al S on Jul 14, 2021 22:06:28 GMT -5
Rock Rush's book is beyond the pale, by a country mile!
Wouldn't It Be Nice gets the silver medal for 2nd worst - although I like the story about Brian launching Karate kicks at Elvis, true or no!
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Post by Al S on Jul 14, 2021 22:16:47 GMT -5
After reading many posts from a guy who supposedly represented Rocky (or his editor or whoever he was) and saw that he was obviously full of sh*t, and reading excerpts and being called "trash" and "a waste of time" and "not informative" by others, I haven't bothered to pick it up. Gaines set this fan straight by emphasizing through his writing that the Beach Boys are human. They're family. And I'd just like to know if all or at least most of the stuff in the book is true. We'll probably never know for sure. Are you referring to the Rocky book or the Gaines book? The information about The Beach Boys' activities in the Gaines book generally could be true, based on how many interviews he did. However, his opinions about their music, I, in most cases, disagree with. I don't believe that Surfin' USA is undistinguished except for the hit singles. I don't hold the opinion that the contents of Surfer Girl is nothing but forgettable mediocre songs, except for "In My Room." I don't believe that The Beach Boys Today is not among Brian's best work, nor does it contain just songs about cars, and in fact it contains nothing about cars. I don't think Smiley Smile is a throw away album, even if it isn't Smile. I don't believe that Friends is boring and emotionless. I don't think that the only outstanding part of Holland was the last part of "California Saga," nor does it contain the song "Cool, Cool, Water" - even if the last part called "On My Way To Sunny California" does contain references to water. And if I were to write a book about The Beach Boys, I would mention some of the songs on the rest of the albums that he completely ignored, besides just how the albums sold or charted. In fact, given Gaines' opinions on the music, I don't know why he even bothered to write a book about The Beach Boys. Can you make enough money writing a book like that to make the "torture" worth it? Assuming he even bothered to listen to their albums. Gaines was writing about the people behind the music, or behind the legend. Strangely enough, other than providing a back drop to the behaviours he could have removed any opinion/review of the specific musical output in order to retain the focus on the human story. The BB's had sponsored their own tome - Byron Priess's 1979 book - which arguably was a bit of authorised "whitewash" compared to Gaines unauthorised "sensationalism". |
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Post by Moon Dawg on Jul 15, 2021 7:01:36 GMT -5
Gaines was clearly unfamiliar w/ a number of the albums. He also got some chart positions wrong. (Gaines has Pet Sounds peaking at #11 and Holland at #37.) Ok, off by one notch, but if we can get it right, so can the "definitive" bio.
Lazy writers like Gaines annoy me. His inaccuracies and errors will be taken as fact by many.
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Post by filledeplage on Jul 15, 2021 8:52:26 GMT -5
I like the Pamplin book. The book I think is the worst is “Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story” supposedly by Brian Wilson,who didn’t write a word of it - but was paraded in front of the public by Landy to appear at book signings. Can't comment on the Pamplin book as I have not read it. Good point re the Brian/Landy book. Pure exploitation. Exactly why I feel it is the worst; because technically, as a purported treating professional (I use that loosely) Landy breached every ethic possible, making himself a partner, in business. Any narrative flowing from that vantage point is just garbage, with no credibility. Other books - can just be classified as glorified indiscreet war story/gossip, which add nothing to any type of scholarship on this body of music work. |
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Post by Will/P.P. on Jul 17, 2021 15:42:57 GMT -5
I caught enough of the drift Pamplin was going for on the message boards. I wouldn't want to read any more details,
or the twists he brought to the table.
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Post by jk on Jul 18, 2021 3:41:01 GMT -5
Anyone remember this? Bubs posted this hilarious spoof "segment" from Rocky's bio years ago at another forum:
Segment 9: Just Desserts
We drove to the Luau when Def Leppard came on the radio, and we started punching each other in the car to the beat. The first one to bleed lost... Brian bit my shoulder, so I punched him in the nose. There was a lot of blood on the floor of the car so we called it even. "I'll get you next time" I said to Brian. Brian laughed. "Have I told you about how much I hate Dennis?" I asked him. The car stopped and we were at the Luau.
"Time for food, boys!" Marilyn trilled.
"I bet they have a lot of food here" Brian said to me softly.
We got inside and started throwing dollar bills in the air... Brian told me that I'm a cool guy, and I told him that I knew that. I flexed a little bit.
We walked to the maître d'hôtel and asked for a table. He told me the tables were full, so I told him that I could beat him up. He said "Wha-Ooh" and rushed to find us a table. We followed him while yelling at other people trying to eat because we were strong men and we beat people with fist. There wasn't any werewolves here. Finally, the stupid waiter found us a table. BUT THE TABLE HE FOUND US WAS NEXT TO MIKE.
I heard a deep, guttural scream from Brian that I had never heard before or since. "p*ssy alert!" Brian screamed. "You know what I do to pussies?" I took a karate pose to show we meant business, and Brian smashed a wine bottle against the edge of the table. "I STAB PUSSIES," Big B yelled, forcing veins and tendons to push against the skin of his neck. That's when Brian ran over to Mike and shoved the jagged edge underneath his jawline, sending him to the floor.
Mike was crying in a pool of his blood, so we high-fived each other a bunch. Then we high-fived more. Marilyn was pretty into it.
Brian sat down and tried to order, but I picked him up and held him over my head and ran a block down the street. "What about my grasshopper," Brian asked between bounces.
Stan was running after us yelling about how he stole Mike's hat and that he might have died or something. I don't know. I'm too strong for emotions.
I placed Brian down on the pavement, but then decided to pick him back up again because lifting him was a good workout.
"How many reps are you doing," Stan asked.
"Probably, like, a thousand," I puffed.
We got back to Brian's house and drank all of his liquor while he sat in a chair and stared us.
"You did double good today, Bri-dawg" I belched.
Brian smiled. "Maybe I do good tomorrow, too?"
"We'll see."
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Post by jk on Jul 18, 2021 3:46:15 GMT -5
The book I think is the worst is “Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story” supposedly by Brian Wilson,who didn’t write a word of it - but was paraded in front of the public by Landy to appear at book signings. Curiously, that and Brian's slot at the "Party at the Palace" were what drew me back to the Boys in a big way. So I have a soft spot for WIBN:MOS. In fact I thought it was a terrific read and read it twice on the trot. |
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Post by AGD on Jul 18, 2021 13:50:42 GMT -5
Those who recall the Rockster's original (barely literate) posts on SS concerning this... thing, will recall that originally, it ripped Mike several new ones and painted him as the blackest of villains. Odd then that in the published version, Mike is now close to being a hero and it's Brian's brothers who cop the flak. The immediate assumption in certain quarters was that he'd slapped an injunction on them publishing the original. Not so: when I asked, I was told that not only had Mike not read the book, he didn't even know it existed.
For those who've not read it yet, here's my favourite (non-BB) example of the depth of research and overall veracity of the whole farrago. It's summer 1986 and he's in London, manages to get in with John Schlesinger so well that the latter offers him accomodation. After going to see Follies, they repair to The Savoy Hotel for supper and JS notes that The Queen sometimes dines there. Guess who shows up soon after that ? JS stutters "Oh my god, The Queen - she's here ! She may come by the table and acknowledge me. After all, I've been knighted". And blow me if she doesn't do just that !! Later on as they're leaving, JS pays his respects to The Queen and an excruciating conversation ensues during which RP is invited to a "little art show" the next week.
All utter and complete bull, of course. Where to start ? Well, for one thing they didn't go to see Follies as that didn't open in London until July the following year. Schlesinger was never knighted, rather he was awarded the CBE in 1970. The Queen simply does not dine in the public room of any hotel, much less go up to someone she once met sixteen years previously for maybe three minutes (or not - she dosn't hand out all the awards herself) and ask how they are. Further, in whatever public or private setting, you do not approach her, but wait until she speaks to you. Complete and utter fantasy.
The BB bits are worse.
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Post by Al S on Jul 18, 2021 17:45:23 GMT -5
Gee, the notorious Badman hasn’t had a mention yet - shows how dire Rock Rush’s scribblings were!
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Post by nach0king on Jul 18, 2021 18:17:36 GMT -5
I've not read Pamplin; the worst I've personally read is the final volume of Andrew Hickey's otherwise very enjoyable and comprehensive guide to the Beach Boys on CD, because a good 80% of the book is given over to him writing - one-handed, because he's obviously duck-facing at himself in the mirror as he does so - that he just has no basis of comparison for a lot of the material because, well, Andrew Hickey doesn't listen to commercial music, or AOR. You will learn, at length, about the various things he isn't sure whether or not Make It Big sounds like, while being left under no misapprehension that he, a professional music journalist, floats serenely above his subject matter. Later, he has very little to say, he tells you over the course of about fourteen paragraphs, about some of their middle-of-the-road songs, because he's gleaned from somewhere - not from listening to any related music, mind you, because it's not his kind of music - that it is similar in structure and melody to major adult contemporary hits of the decade, which of course he's never heard because that's not the kind of music he's interested in.
In the midst of all this there are some excellent pieces of historical context and meaningful criticism, but it's essentially 273 pages of a man in a black turtleneck holding a cigarillo and saying "I liked their early stuff", which would be one thing if you hadn't paid him $10 for the privilege and if he hadn't written two previous volumes of actually useful information. In that sense, it's a crushing disappointment of a book - perhaps analogous to how he feels about the later aspects of the Beach Boys catalog, had he enough information to form meaningful opinions of some of their work, which of course he doesn't because that's not the kind of music he's interested in (Hickey 2017, pp. 1-273.)
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Post by nach0king on Jul 18, 2021 18:21:45 GMT -5
Gee, the notorious Badman hasn’t had a mention yet - shows how dire Rock Rush’s scribblings were! Probably because it's really not that bad in the grand scheme of things and that for all it's laden with errors, so too was much of the prevailing wisdom of the time, and he hadn't the benefit of much of the internet resource people now take for granted. It's absolutely fair to say it's outlived its usefulness; saying it's the very worst Beach Boys book - or even the worst you've read - is just silly. |
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Post by Mikie on Jul 18, 2021 18:46:38 GMT -5
Those who recall the Rockster's original (barely literate) posts on SS concerning this... thing, will recall that originally, it ripped Mike several new ones and painted him as the blackest of villains. Odd then that in the published version, Mike is now close to being a hero and it's Brian's brothers who cop the flak. The immediate assumption in certain quarters was that he'd slapped an injunction on them publishing the original. Not so: when I asked, I was told that not only had Mike not read the book, he didn't even know it existed. For those who've not read it yet, here's my favourite (non-BB) example of the depth of research and overall veracity of the whole farrago. It's summer 1986 and he's in London, manages to get in with John Schlesinger so well that the latter offers him accomodation. After going to see Follies, they repair to The Savoy Hotel for supper and JS notes that The Queen sometimes dines there. Guess who shows up soon after that ? JS stutters "Oh my god, The Queen - she's here ! She may come by the table and acknowledge me. After all, I've been knighted". And blow me if she doesn't do just that !! Later on as they're leaving, JS pays his respects to The Queen and an excruciating conversation ensues during which RP is invited to a "little art show" the next week. All utter and complete bull, of course. Where to start ? Well, for one thing they didn't go to see Follies as that didn't open in London until July the following year. Schlesinger was never knighted, rather he was awarded the CBE in 1970. The Queen simply does not dine in the public room of any hotel, much less go up to someone she once met sixteen years previously for maybe three minutes (or not - she dosn't hand out all the awards herself) and ask how they are. Further, in whatever public or private setting, you do not approach her, but wait until she speaks to you. Complete and utter fantasy. The BB bits are worse. I'm still not sure if that was actually Rocky or his editor or a friend typing that for him. Or maybe it was Stan! |
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Tilt Araiza
Dude/Dudette
Dominated Ruins Columbo
Posts: 64
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Post by Tilt Araiza on Jul 20, 2021 16:10:30 GMT -5
The first edition of Badman has some very interesting info, like the social security numbers of a lot of the band and the Wrecking Crew.
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Post by filledeplage on Jul 20, 2021 16:20:22 GMT -5
The first edition of Badman has some very interesting info, like the social security numbers of a lot of the band and the Wrecking Crew. That info should have been redacted if for nothing else to avoid identity theft. That is just egregious. Did anyone ever edit it? He does have good photos. But, I think that the level of harm, and viciousness, was just so terrible, with the Landy book, that nothing compares. What a psycho. |
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Post by AGD on Jul 21, 2021 7:43:44 GMT -5
The problem with Badman's book was that it was labelled as definitive, which it plainly wasn't. Some great photos, but a fair percentage of the content was ripped off from other BB authors and researchers, the concert listings were in places laughable and the original research was, in part, highly questionable.
Aside from that...
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Post by filledeplage on Jul 21, 2021 8:35:25 GMT -5
The problem with Badman's book was that it was labelled as definitive, which it plainly wasn't. Some great photos, but a fair percentage of the content was ripped off from other BB authors and researchers, the concert listings were in places laughable and the original research was, in part, highly questionable. Aside from that... Authors and salespeople for that matter can “puff” about their work. Just because it is large does not make it definitive. The social security numbers listed were/are a continuing outrage. Mine was a gift - from one of my kids, so I still appreciate the sentiment attached. He found something I did not already have in my trove. |
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Post by boogieboarder on Jul 21, 2021 10:01:45 GMT -5
The problem with Badman's book was that it was labelled as definitive, which it plainly wasn't. Some great photos, but a fair percentage of the content was ripped off from other BB authors and researchers, the concert listings were in places laughable and the original research was, in part, highly questionable. Aside from that... That’s a shame. When you buy a book for references to dates and places they played and recordings they made, you’d expect accurate listings for dates and places they played and recordings they made - otherwise what’s the point? |
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