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Title details for Good Vibrations by Mike Love - Available

Good Vibrations

My Life as a Beach Boy

by Mike Love
James S. Hirsch
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available
The New York Times Bestseller
Mike Love tells the story of his legendary, raucous, and ultimately triumphant five-decade career as the front man of The Beach Boys, the most popular American band in history — timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of "Good Vibrations."
As a founding member of The Beach Boys, Mike Love has spent an extraordinary fifty-five years, and counting, as the group's lead singer and one of its principal lyricists. The Beach Boys, from their California roots to their international fame, are a unique American story — one of overnight success and age-defying longevity; of musical genius and reckless self-destruction; of spirituality, betrayal, and forgiveness — and Love is the only band member to be part of it each and every step. His own story has never been fully told, of how a sheet-metal apprentice became the quintessential front man for America's most successful rock band, singing in more than 5,600 concerts in 26 countries.
Love describes the stories behind his lyrics for pop classics such as "Good Vibrations," "California Girls," "Surfin' USA," and "Kokomo," while providing vivid portraits of the turbulent lives of his three gifted cousins, Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. His partnership with Brian has few equals in American pop music, though Mike has carved out a legacy of his own — he co-wrote the lyrics to eleven of the twelve original Beach Boy songs that were top 10 hits while providing the lead vocals on ten of them. The band's unprecedented durability also provides a glimpse into America's changing cultural mores over the past half century, while Love himself has experienced both the diabolical and the divine — from Charles Manson's "family" threatening his life to Maharishi instilling it with peace. A husband, a father, and an avid environmentalist, Love has written a book that is as rich and layered as the Beach Boy harmonies themselves.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 13, 2016

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780735288850
      • File size: 435447 KB
      • Duration: 15:07:10

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This memoir is a marvelous listening experience of particular interest to Baby Boomers, whose childhood and adolescence coincided with the evolution of the California sound of rock music as epitomized by the Beach Boys. Mike Love was a founding member of the group and cowriter (with Brian Wilson) of many of their hit tunes. While his narration reflects his advancing years, no one else could have provided his authenticity. His delivery is steady, thoughtful, sincere, and occasionally emotional as well. His mellow tone, while quite slow and deliberate, is reminiscent of the idealized laid-back California lifestyle the Beach Boys sang about. Intrigues, facts, and dysfunctional aspects of the Wilson brothers and their cousins, the Loves, as they changed their family history and American music are entertainingly presented. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 11, 2016
      In the 1960s, Love, along with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, rode high on a wave of the Beach Boys’ popularity until it eventually came crashing to the shore when a swell of infighting, as well as Brian’s deteriorating mental condition, washed over them. In this fiercely honest, sometimes arrogant, memoir, Love transfixes readers with his stories of the rise and fall of the band, his own work as a songwriter, and his deep engagement with spirituality and the ways that it has influenced his music. As a teenager, he was obsessed with Chuck Berry’s poetic lyrics and with R&B in general, while Brian was fascinated by the folk music of Ricky Nelson and the harmonies of the Four Freshman. By his 20s, Love recalls that he and his cousins recognized their tremendous musical gifts and that there was “magic in that gene pool” that needed to be set free. Before long, Love was writing lyrics for songs such as “I Get Around,” “Don’t Worry Baby,” “California Girls,” and “Good Vibrations.” In spite of Love’s lyrical contributions to the songs, he’s not given credit on the records: “I knew I was losing out on songwriter royalties.... I just wanted my own name on the label.” By the late ’70s, the band fractured, and in mind-numbing prose, Love describes his legal battles to win a settlement against Brian for lost royalties. Love’s sobering look at the ups and downs of a rock and roll band nevertheless ends on a note of hope that music can provide harmony in word and spirit for a struggling world.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 30, 2017
      For the audio edition of his candid memoir, Love, a founding member of the Beach Boys, adopts a style that seems more akin to reading than performing the text. He keeps the pace relaxed and the tone generally understated. He subtly interjects emotion at key intervals, however, particularly with regard to the abusive antics of his uncle and the tragic losses in his band and family. Love seems wistful rather than desperate or heavy-handed when discussing his complicated relationship with his cousin Brian Wilson. He lets his voice crack without completely breaking in these moments, leaving the listener with a sense of someone seeking to stay above the fray to the greatest extent possible. Fans of the Beach Boys will most appreciate hearing Love’s story told in his own voice. A Blue Rider hardcover.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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