The Beach Boys: A Biography in Words and Pictures - Ken Barnes

The Beach Boys: A Biography in Words and Pictures
Ken Barnes
First Published: PB. 1976. Sire Books / Chappell Music Company, New York.
This Edition: 1st Edition

Apparently the first Beach Boys biography, albeit building on (and acknowledging) some important prior articles, Ken Barnes’ book is a brief but interesting review of the group’s first fifteen years. It was written and published at an interesting juncture in 1976, at a point where the band hadn’t released an album since 1973, but had been reinstated as the most in-demand touring band in the country. Hence, it’s able to take a look at the band to date, views uncluttered by the hullabaloo of the Brian’s Back campaign and the sad and steady decline of the band in the late '70s and early '80s.

Mostly this look back is a fairly surface-level history touching on all major milestones, convening the known facts for the first time (although tripping on many of the irregularities that would continue to befuddle future historians, such as events in 1961, the first single and initial Capitol recordings). The book is structured somewhat strangely, with the first chapters alternately charting the band’s progress through their singles, then covering the same period of time with a deeper look at the album cuts. Along the way, Barnes offers his opinions on the band’s output, making occasional errors (e.g. erroneously discussing Brian Wilson’s lead vocals on ‘Wild Honey’ and ‘Darlin’’ and noting Paul McCartney as the uncredited producer of ‘Vegetables’) but generally having valid or entertaining takes on the songs. 

Many books and articles seem to think little of demonising the evil execs at Capitol and Warner: never appreciating the band’s best work, always pressurising and poking and directing them towards more commercial interests. So, it’s very interesting to have direct quotes from personnel at Warner and get a little bit of their perspective. We’re presented with insider detail on, for example, the ‘Add Some Music’ sales catastrophe, with shipments, distributors and sell-through all being discussed. These are the men dealing with the realities of release schedules and radio stations, tasked with capitalising on rare momentum and maximising sales, frustrated at many turns by the band’s erratic work pattern. As one anonymous Warners executive is quoted: “great musicians, great performers, but as personalities, they’re assholes!” 

So, the book doesn’t shy away from some of the band’s failings and is downright critical of some of their post-Pet Sounds efforts, which whilst I certainly don’t always agree with, is quite refreshing and more engaging than the typical fawning of other writers. Often, Barnes writes with a droll wit, so you may yet enjoy even the most sardonic put-downs of your favourite Beach Boys material:

     On Surf’s Up: “Sadly, the chief unifying factor was a pervasive lyrical banality”.

     On ‘Surfer Girl’: “the Tokens recorded even sappier ballads about their cars, sounding almost perverted in their auto-eroticism”. 

     On ‘He Come Down’: “a spiritual ditty every bit as irritating as anybody else’s Jesus-rock… The aural spectacle of the Beach Boys fingerpopping along singing “Guru’s got the wisdom, just the thing/To save mankind from all this suffering” was ludicrous and appalling…”

     On The Beach Boys In Concert: “further marred by the inclusion of the dismal ‘Leaving This Town’ and the rejected Holland track 'We Got Love', which proved every bit as turgid as Warners had thought.”

It isn’t all critical though, and Barnes expounds the virtues of most of the '60s work, the Spring album and even ‘The Child of Winter’. He does lose some credibility, however, for audacious statements such as “Carl never having been a standout solo singer” when criticising his “flat, nasal vocal” on ‘The Trader’. The book is also littered with typos. 

The final page offers some interesting scraps on the re-emergent Brian Wilson: recording with Roy Wood; his deal with Equinox productions that is often glossed over; his vocal contributions to songs from Johnny Rivers and Jackie DeShannon, all leading to his big return to the producer’s seat for the band’s come-back album… Transcendental Meditation. Well, that’s what Barnes notes as a rumoured title, although he remains somewhat incredulous, wondering if the boys will ever record again and prophesying where their future may lie. 

This was one in a series of titles published jointly by Sire Book and Chappell Music Co. and distributed mostly to music stores to be sold alongside sheet music and hence seems to be quite rare. Black and white photos of varying quality feature throughout, some quite rare which have failed to materialise on tumbler or Instagram or in future publications. For hardcore fans, it’s worth seeking out for that reason and to get the temperature on the band at this critical point in their career. Take some of the facts with a pinch of salt and some of Barnes’ opinions in your stride and it’s a breezy, entertaining read.