The Beach Boys have a new book about The Beach Boys called The Beach Boys by the Beach Boys coming via Genesis Publications. Its text was sourced from “extensive interviews” with Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston, and it also includes archival text from the late Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson.

There are also contributions from several other musicians, including Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham, The Flaming Lips, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Elvis Costello, The Kinks’ Ray Davies, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, Bob Dylan, The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn, Graham Nash, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, The Who’s Pete Townshend, Rufus Wainwright, Carly Simon, David Lee Roth, and more, as well as photographs from album sessions, rehearsals, and tours, and more. The announcement reads:

The Photography

With unlimited access to the Capitol Records archive, The Beach Boys band archive and their personal archives, The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys has been carefully curated from these unique sources to create an exciting visual journey, combining never-before-seen negatives with iconic images.

“The environment in which we grew up and the things we chose to sing about primarily, which were the beautiful things about growing up in Southern California – the lovely girls, the lovely cars, the lovely weather and the lovely beaches – it was like an endless summer.” -Mike Love

Outtakes from iconic album sessions are featured, such as Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)and Pet Sounds, as well as behind-the-scenes recording photographs from Smile, 20/20 and more. An abundance of live shots includes the band’s first European tour and rehearsals for the first live performance of ‘Good Vibrations’, which Brian Wilson travelled over 2,000 miles to oversee.

These photographs are accompanied by ephemera from across the years, including tape boxes, tour posters and programmes, handwritten notes and lyrics, newspaper clippings, album advertisements, chord sheets and studio documents – all of which assist in illustrating their remarkable story.

The Manuscript

“We were just having fun and it developed into something else. It’s funny. We were really an accident – but a good accident. And our first record seemed to be enough for us. We sure didn’t think we’d be recording into the next century.” – Al Jardine

The band members describe their story from the beginning: signing their first recording contract with Capitol Records and creating some of the most flawless, sun soaked singles of all time – ‘Surfer Girl’ / ‘Little Deuce Coupe’, ‘I Get Around’ / ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ and ‘California Girls’ / ‘Let Him Run Wild’, to name a few – as well as sharing their memories of making revered albums such as Pet Sounds, and fan favourites Wild Honey, Friends, Sunflower and Holland. The story follows their journey around the world, from school fundraisers to global tours and landmark shows such as Prague when, in 1969, they were the first Western band to visit Czechoslovakia, and New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1972. Throughout, the band reflects on the making of the songs.

Pre-orders are up now for a limited run of 500 copies, and a hardcover edition for bookstores worldwide is coming in 2024.