01/30/2017
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. (Oct.)

07/11/2016
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. (Sept.)

More than a half-century’s worth of inside information about the Beach Boys.” —The New York Times
 
“[Good Vibrations] is rich with Beach Boys info . . . some meaty insights, new stories even the most diehard Beach Boys fan has never heard, and Love’s own take on much-told tales . . . a crucial addition to the library shelf.”—Bob Ruggerio, Houston Press

“Riveting...fascinating...how the music transcended the story and spread California sunshine around the globe.... Love is able to articulate the depth of his feelings for the music in a way that will send fans back to their stereos to crank up ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ and ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ and ‘The Warmth of the Sun’ whether they have an ocean handy or not.” —Sarah Rodman, Los Angeles Times

“If it’s the jumbo popcorn bag of Beach Boys lore you saltily crave, then Love’s Good Vibrations should hold you the length of the circus. In the battle of the Beach Boys memoirs, it’s the better read: lively, informative, thumbtacked with crazy specifics... It’s all here and then some.” —James Wolcott, Vanity Fair 

“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.... [a] sobering look at the ups and downs of a rock and roll band...ends on a note of hope that music can provide harmony in word and spirit for a struggling world.” —Publishers Weekly

04/01/2016
It's the 50th anniversary of "Good Vibrations," perfect timing for Love's memoir, though it certainly goes beyond that immortal Beach Boys hit. Love discusses his five-decade tenure with the group, recalls his various bandmates, and reveals the stories behind many of his famous lyrics.

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

2016-07-04
The Beach Boy everyone loves to hate speaks his piece—sometimes sweetly, often gruffly, but always candidly.As has been the case for half a century, Love has axes to grind: Uncle Murry Wilson cut him out of lots of cash. “My dad fucked us,” says cousin Brian, who cut him out of lots of credit. And fans have cut him out of the ardor reserved for the three Wilson brothers—and even Al Jardine. The author tends to the blustery in this memoir, but he’s got claim to bragging rights; after all, as he’s quick to insist, he gave Paul McCartney the idea for the Beach Boys–ish chorus in “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” and he sprinkled the song “Good Vibrations” and the rest of the catalog with special magic. One can certainly appreciate why he might feel bitter, since suits and countersuits have been flying like surfboards atop the cresting waves for decades, but Love is not inclined to make nice even as he drifts toward his ninth decade, and he’s taking no prisoners. When he revisits embarrassing moments such as his notorious Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction speech, he’s generally convinced of his righteousness (“I didn’t have time to meditate that day,” he says of that unproud moment, “so I was even more on edge”). A few more efforts to soothe ruffled feathers and forgive trespasses would have taken the aggrieved, resentful edge off this book, but still, it’s good to hear the much-repeated story of the Beach Boys’ implosion from the point of view of the canonical villain of the piece. And you’ve got to admire his stamina: he gets up and goes to it each day, he says, because “the music is now part of our country’s DNA,” and go to it he does, hitting stages all over the world hundreds of times a year. For Beach Boys completists, essential. For die-hard fans of Love & Mercy, probably one to miss.