Catch a Wave

The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson

By: Peter Ames Carlin

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, along with Mike Love and Al Jardine - better known as the Beach Boys, rocketed out of a working-class Los Angeles suburb in the early '60s, and their sun-and-surf sound captured the imagination of kids across the world. In a few short years, they rode the wave all the way to the top, standing with the Beatles as one of the world's biggest bands. Despite their utopian visions, infectious hooks, and stunning harmonies, the Beach Boys were beset by drug abuse, jealousy, and terrifying mental illness. In Catch a Wave, Peter Ames Carlin pulls back the curtain on Brian Wilson, one of popular music's most revered luminaries, as well as its biggest mystery. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before-heard studio recordings, Carlin follows the Beach Boys from their earliest days through Brian's deepening emotional problems to his triumphant reemergence with the release of Smile, the legendarily unreleased album he had originally shelved.

©2006 Peter Ames Carlin (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Book made me Smile

Checked out this book after seeing the excellent biopic with John Cusack as Brian Wilson.

Though both cover the same story, the book is more understated and less about Wilson's second marriage.

What you do get is more on the domineering Wilson father, who propelled his sons to success while also crippling them emotionally. Thankfully, the book is not all about tragic young men.

It encompasses the surf music phenomenon and the group's ascendency to something more. Much more. Pet Sounds, "Good Vibrations", and Smile get a lot of ink.

You could make the case that the Beach Boys post-1960s were less contentious than the Beatles, but only by a hair.

The other Boys are coveted but this is a Brian book, and so good news for those who want to know about this incredible songwriter and his groundbreaking sonic creations.

Bronson Pinchot is always an excellent narrator. If I see his name, I know I am getting a good read.

Little soft on Brian

The book was well written and I enjoyed the book. I got the impression that the author held back on criticizing Brian especially his relationships with his wife and kids. Because he was a genius and had a crazy father, all the peace and love was a free pass for all the bad stuff he did. I can relate to his song "I was not made for these days" all the Beach Boys were so screwed up and I cannot relate to them. Being a nobody has its benefits.

complex story

Narrator mispronounced a few words and names...jarring errors. like Peter Cetera name. but interesting story

Great story, annoying performance

Worth it because it's Brian Wilson, but the narrator got just about every name in the book wrong & Had the emotion of a rock

Stellar

One of the best rock bio's I've read! Excellent reading. It's truly worth 2 listens.

A must for Beach Boys fans

I read several reviews before listening to this criticizing the author for going into so much depth about the creation of The Beach Boys songs.

But that is EXACTLY what real music fans want.

So those negative review with their misplaced criticism encouraged me to down load this. If anything, this book could have used more of that detail.

This is a great, balanced, honest assessment of a Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. It’s well performed, as well. Recommended.

Beach Boys: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

I didn’t really appreciate the Beach Boys, till in 1997 when I heard Pet Sounds at a friends house. She was so enamored with it; and knew the whole story behind it. So I became at first curious, then later on; after reading a book about the BB, a little intrigued.
After I listened to Pet Sounds with head phones, I became a Brian Wilson fan.
This book covers alot of familiar territory. But I still enjoyed how Leaf dug into some new back stories, and filled in a few gaps. Too many Mike Love grievances though. And that Leaf didn't get too far into Dennis' sad decline. A good book for someone new to Brian Wilson.

For Intense Brian Wilson Fans

I loved this. It's a difficult story told well. Melancholy, terrifying, and wonderful. Kind of like BW's music. Kudos to the author, the narrator, the Beach Boys, and most of all Brian Wilson.

Another Good Rock Story Stalled by Prissy Narrator

Would you try another book from Peter Ames Carlin and/or Bronson Pinchot?

Not one read by Pinchot.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bronson Pinchot?

The actor who narrated Tune In (biography of the Beatles). I don't care if he's British and Wilson isn't: so far, American guys are turning out to be terrible narrators (slow, precious, and almost always inappropriate for the subject matter).

Could you see Catch a Wave being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I

Any additional comments?

Would somebody please find narrators for music biographies who can move the stories along?

Awesome Book

This is a awesome story of Brian and the Beach Boys, there was some much info that I never had heard before.