The film completely undersells and diminishes the quality of the band's fantastic 1967-1973 album releases. It is a frustratingly true that at least prior to Surf's Up, the band were seen as very square and out-of-touch in the eyes of the general public. (Thank you capitol records...). But why couldn't the documentary have focused instead on how ahead of their time some of these songs they created then were. I mean, merely a month after that February 1969 footage of them performing "California Girls" with Mike in a goofy sea captain outfit, they were recording "All I wanna do", which features a sound that predates dream pop and shoegaze, and might have Mike's best vocal performance. So much great material that could've been talked about, and yet, such a wasted opportunity.
The Bee Gees documentary by the same director did the same thing. It talked a lot about the formation of the group, then fast-forwarded past their greatest body of work from late 60's until the disco-era, then spent the majority of the movie talking about that 2-year period and then again fast-forwarded everything after that. It didn't mention their best albums at all.
@@SoundofFree this documentary sounds like the worst thing ever made the more I hear about it. On the bright side, in a weird way, it ending with the Endless Summer compilation persuaded me to buy 15 Big One's because of spite. There are some really neat songs on that record, some I hated but if anyone says one bad thing about Had to Phone Ya I can't promise not to be disappointed in them.
I agree with absolutely everything you said. It's frustrating because this seemed a really huge opportunity and the director just dropped the ball. My biggest takeaway is there was just far too much value put on commercial sales instead of keying in on the artistry. Thanks for your insightful review.
As a die-hard Beach Boys fan, I believe that this documentary was made only with Mike's consent and, almost as similar to the documentaries about John Lennon produced by Yoko, it was to clean up his image and play the victim by demonstrating his love for Brian. He is the one who makes us all think that he is shamelessly making the band's decisions, as well as going on tour with that Beach Boys cover group. That's why I think only archival footage of Brian was used, because it's from before Mike sued him. There is censorship here from Mike and his team.
It did come across as Mike's version of the story. It irked me in the end with his last speech, added with the recent comments how he'd like to make music with Brian again. Like it wasn't Mike who 12 years ago ditched Brian and Al and turned down opportunity to record a new Beach Boys album and continue to tour together. Instead he wanted to carry on with his road show where he's the boss.
I haven’t seen the film yet but your review seems very insightful - I think the BBs deserve a film or documentary that is really good at the same level as the Love and Mercy movie - the BBC in the early 1970s did a BBs radio documentary series that was good - I wonder if the BBC could do an updated and in depth film documentary series along the same lines - I think there would be a good audience for it! Best wishes! Daniel
Agreed! We are so blessed to have a fictional film about Brian and the group that is considered within film lovers a landmark biopic film. Personally, I think the 15 Big Ones/Brian's back documentary from 1976 is still the best one for multiple reasons. It's the only one that was done while Dennis was alive and contributing and it does represent everyone's personalities really well. Though it could be expanded easily, and I wish that was done someday with restoration.
I knew it would not be a very good documentary because from interviews I've seen with the director. He has no love for the Beach Boys. I listened to the album associated with film and it is very lackluster, so that too was not a good indication. It's like the director just threw stuff together like it was just another job. This will probably be the last documentary "officially approved" by the Beach Boys and that's sad because the documentary seems so under par.
I didn’t like the documentary.. it had some good moments but I didn’t think it was directed well and had a couple of pointless talking heads and very odd edits. The band deserved so much more than Disney-fication.
That's my fear. And it was funny after the movie ended, Disney recommended to me Get Back and Let it Be. Those are prime examples of great deep dives into the group that casual fans enjoyed too. It's all about the marketing.
@@SoundofFree If Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd can get in depth documentaries, why can't the late 60s to early 70s Beach Boys get that treatment? Was early Pink Floyd any bigger than later Beach Boys?
When the doc was announced,I had bad feelings about it,I thought it would be aimed at the American audience,they really lost interest in them,once the surf- cars - girls songs finished,so I’m not surprised,was from friends to Holland really ignored?that’s really disappointing,I haven’t seen it yet,I’ve heard that the 50th anniversary tour was also not mentioned.I know that you have said,that you don’t like to criticise Mike,but I wouldn’t be surprised that he had a say,in what to say & show.
Mentions of Surf's Up and Holland adds up to about 1 minute of screen time. Friends, Wild Honey and 20/20 weren't mentioned at all really. They play 5 seconds of Here She Comes when they talk about Blondie and Ricky but that's it. They don't really even talk about the earlier albums either. It makes it sound like Nick Venet produced them up until 65 and then Brian did Pet Sounds and disappeared.
agree with your review. i think our opinions on it are closely aligned. i have a real problem with the narrative of the ending. and i think it was wrong to shoot Brian at this stage of his life. I hadn't seen those comments from Marshall about Brian, but that makes me even angrier at it.
I believe The Beach Boys deserved a longer documentary, such as 'The Beatles Anthology'. Three part, two hour's each. Given their fame and longevity. But, Brian is not up to interviews that much anymore, especially since his wife died. I'm afraid he's getting near the end. I could watch and listen to hours of recording outtakes and vocal arrangements, but I'm into that stuff. Most are not. This movie probably satisfied most viewers. I really disliked that they hardly mentioned Carl and Dennis' deaths. Totally disrespectful...
I was extremely bummed out they only played part of Forever and didn't even mention Dennis' solo album, which is one of the best Beach Boys related recordings.
I agree with another commentator. I am a long time Beach Boys fan, and to be fair, through videos & Books, I know an awful lot about them from the beginnings until recently. I found that I wasted $14 to join Disney to watch this new ‘ (More of a ‘Doco’!!) Movie’. There was absolutely NOTHING in it that I didn’t already know. Carl, especially, deserved more screen time, and especially some compassion on his death. He was a beautiful, gentle Soul, yet her held the Beach Boys together when Brian withdrew, not from Touring, but when he REALLY withdrew. Dennis, again, was a very ‘interesting’ character, and apart from mentioning (so, so briefly,) his connection with Manson, there was an awful lot more that could have been told about his part in the later Beach Boys ((70s, 80s) story. I agree with some other Commentators that The Beach Boys really was only for those who knew very little about the Group. But it had been promoted as having previously unseen and unheard footage (which drew me to watching it.) It’s also been mentioned else where that so much was missing or left out. The film/doco was really just a general overview of one of the greatest bands the 60s and onwards ever had. A 3 or more X 1 hour Films/Docos SERIES would have allowed a deeper dive into the complexities of this Super Group. There is a LOT more footage that I have seen that was not in ‘The Beach Boys’. Oh. One thing I did learn though: MIKE LOVE was easily able to turn on the tears to tell us of his ‘Love’ for Brian. I suppose that’s worth something, after what he has said about Brian in the past!!! LOVE & MERCY.
I really like that one but also Brian Wilson Songwriter docs and Long Promised Road which I've seen maybe 5 times already. Also the Brian Wilson On Tour one is great too. Endless Harmony is a good tv documentary.
One thing I was really looking forward to was the amount of restored footage they showed off in the trailer. But the documentary really let me down in that regard. The early years were fine and all but what I was really interested in were the smile years and a bit after. And when the moment came with the first shot of panning across van dyke, then the zoom out of brians fire helmet, I was in aw of the restoration. Then the first cut to stock footage. and cut after CUT! every piece of film became shorter and shorter. And the smile era footage came up to 34 SECONDS! that is ridiculously short. Overall the editing felt really jumpy and I wish the editors showed off more of the restoration work for longer rather than cutting to stock footage every 2 seconds. And I'd say the film doesn't do much to promote the underated smile album, more bad than good really. once again Mike insults van dykes lyrics and the whole sequence is just another "they did so many drugs" without actually talking about the incredible innovative music brian produced. Overall this documentary was very mike centered although its hard to get anything from brian, its still not the best since all mike wants to do is keep pushing their beach boy/surfing persona - major reason they've stayed so unhip/cool over the decades. 4/10 Also thanks for being real. Watched another video where they guy seemed way too fake.
I couldn't agree more about Smile presentation. I have to be honest, I don't want to be overly negative as I obviously love this band, but there's no denying the truth that this documentary was a giant "two step-misstep".
i think you pretty much nailed it in your review, like you i didnt dislike it i quite enjoyed it, on a whole i liked the new interviews, but you see brian sit down at the piano and the rest of the film they used stock footage, maybe he didnt want it used, the whole pet sounds was a faliure is just wrong and boring now and i think the reason that they gloosed over the late 60s and early 70s stuff is because in america it was not popular and didnt chart well, but in places like the uk they did from wild honey to holland all charted in the top 40 and had hit singles, do it again no1, cottenfields no5, and california sage was a top 40 hit, very strange, then finished on andless summer and showing them at big gigs as a nostalgia band and as for the beach reunion thing what the hell wheres all the footage gone, i did see an interview mike and brue did on tv over here last week where mike let something slip about them all getting together in a few months time, wishing brian well and cant for us getting together soon and the interviewer pushed him on it and he said i cant say anything, like you i could go on seems like a bit of shame nothing from the rest of their career, cheers
I think Mike was talking in the interview about the premiere event. Al has been talking now that he would like to record songs with Mike and Brian but I think neither are up for it. That's true about the band's reputation on different continents. In the US their fame disappeared after Good Vibrations when it came to their new releases but in the Europe they continued to have hits all the way up to Lady Lynda. And their shows here were big events too in the late 60's, while in the US they couldn't pull a crowd. That's one huge part of their story too that deserved a mention.
Really enjoyed your review. I’m a casual listener of the beach boys and didn’t know much about their story or history. The documentary was a fun watch for me because I knew so little about them but I did walk away feeling like there’s a lot of stories left untold, which led me to a deep rabbit hole googling everything about the band for days now. So glad I found your channel!
Brian Wilson made Mike Love who he was. Mike Love wouldn't be as rich a man as he is today without Brian. Yes his ego is off the charts, as shown by his love for women, from which he has divorced four previously before his current partner. Don't get me wrong -- I love Mike Love's contribution to the Beach Boys to this day.
Furthermore, it is not shown when Mike wanted to boycott Pet Sounds (something that is shown in the movie Love and Mercy, for example) saying his already well-remembered phrase "don't screw up the formula." That is part of the band's history and is He knows that this was his behavior. Mikediocre.
There's also a moment in a live show maybe from Paris in the 60's where Bruce calls Pet Sounds the best album they did and Mike mockingly says something along the lines of "I don't think so". Which does imply he really disliked it at the time.
Thanks for your Review mate. I am fucking SICK of The Beach Boys brand selling out their fans like red headed stepchildren. Hardcore Beach boys fans are fans BECAUSE of their crazy ups and downs. Not because of how many records "I Get Around" sold. Thank you for your honesty at this blasphemy of a "documentary". Carl and Denny give this film TWO MIDDLE FINGERS. RIP.
My thoughts exactly. Imagine a "definite" documentary about The Beatles released on a major platform in 2024 that ends right after they release Sergeant Peppers and doesn't mention at all what happened after, or the deaths of John and George. You can't even make that stuff up, but apparently The Beach Boys management can 😂
I think Mike Love actually came off pretty well, yes, there are reasons to criticize him but I don't think he's at all a bad guy or the conniving villain lots of people make him out to be. I think fundamentally he and Brian are very different personalities: verbal vs musical, concrete vs abstract, extrovert vs introvert, stable and persevering vs really not so much. I try to look at it through Al Jardine's eyes. He has the balanced perspective and Carl is long gone so we can't really know what he thinks about this situation now. I do think everybody should remember Mike Love got shafted in a major way several times, but he's a hard worker focused on success (money?) who seems to have a lot of problems keeping his mouth shut when that's what he should do. Those types of people never look good from the outside.
Great Review. Which documentary would you recommend instead? My knowledge about Beach Boys until recently was just: Started with Surf Music and then ended with Surf's Up. I was kinda blown away when I watched Pop Goes the 60's series about them. What a total chaos it seems to have been and how much music they made that I never heard of. Could work as a prestige serie of HBO easily with so much going on.
Seriously I think of the recent stuff, most interesting are the fanmade YT videos. I really loved the In My Beach Boys Room Podcast's new episode of Pet Sounds. Beautiful Dreamer by David Leaf is an amazing documentary about SMiLE. Also, Brian Wilson Songwriter docs are great in depth ones.
Enjoyed the wrecking crew footage. I also like the dichotomy of Brian and the rest of the band. It's like he was the captain and they were an elite crew. Both needed each other in some degree to run the ship. Realistically the doc probably should of been 2, or even 3 parts. Also...Unpopular opinion...I don't hate Mike Love. Do i think there's a lot of ego there, sure. But realistically his voice is synonymous with the bands sound. I dont think his tone was always the most pleasing but he very much serviced the song which is evident in songs like California Girls and the chorus of good vibrations. he also understood how to handle the bass harmonies on so many tracks.
I couldn't believe it either when it got to the Charles Manson family cult part. Disney had the biggest guts to put that in. Mike Love even said he met Charles Manson once and he was done, even saying it wasn't Dennis's fault about what happened to Sharon Tate. I also couldn't believe Dennis recorded one of Manson's songs. I also like the part where it got to the little "rivalry" between the Beach Boys and The Beatles, how they got their nickname as the "American Beatles", Paul McCartney's recording of how at first the Fab Four would write a song then Brian would try to top them, and I like the *Pet Sounds* era.
I thought it was really good. Of course I would have loved it to gone into more detail about the albums and through to at least 1980 but for that you'd probably need to make it a 3 part series. Overall I was impressed by the presentation, editing and the arc of the 'family' story. Some good stuff from Al, Bruce, David Marks and Marilyn.
I’m actually concerned about Brian. We only got a few words from him in the beginning and I think it has something to do with his dementia that was just recently announced publicly. Even in his most recent live performance he freezes and stops singing and al and his son have to pick up the rest of the song. I wouldn’t be surprised if the dementia is contributing to loss of verbal ability and is why we don’t hear too much from him.
Well, for all I've seen and heard from his family and close friends, Brian is actually doing everything concerned really well. Brian's always been a tough interview. There's literally examples of him shutting down interviews in the early 70's already.
The film completely undersells and diminishes the quality of the band's fantastic 1967-1973 album releases. It is a frustratingly true that at least prior to Surf's Up, the band were seen as very square and out-of-touch in the eyes of the general public. (Thank you capitol records...). But why couldn't the documentary have focused instead on how ahead of their time some of these songs they created then were. I mean, merely a month after that February 1969 footage of them performing "California Girls" with Mike in a goofy sea captain outfit, they were recording "All I wanna do", which features a sound that predates dream pop and shoegaze, and might have Mike's best vocal performance. So much great material that could've been talked about, and yet, such a wasted opportunity.
The Bee Gees documentary by the same director did the same thing. It talked a lot about the formation of the group, then fast-forwarded past their greatest body of work from late 60's until the disco-era, then spent the majority of the movie talking about that 2-year period and then again fast-forwarded everything after that. It didn't mention their best albums at all.
@@SoundofFree this documentary sounds like the worst thing ever made the more I hear about it. On the bright side, in a weird way, it ending with the Endless Summer compilation persuaded me to buy 15 Big One's because of spite. There are some really neat songs on that record, some I hated but if anyone says one bad thing about Had to Phone Ya I can't promise not to be disappointed in them.
@@sydglover4842 haha, I actually love 15 Big Ones, one of my favorites.
I agree with absolutely everything you said. It's frustrating because this seemed a really huge opportunity and the director just dropped the ball. My biggest takeaway is there was just far too much value put on commercial sales instead of keying in on the artistry.
Thanks for your insightful review.
As a die-hard Beach Boys fan, I believe that this documentary was made only with Mike's consent and, almost as similar to the documentaries about John Lennon produced by Yoko, it was to clean up his image and play the victim by demonstrating his love for Brian. He is the one who makes us all think that he is shamelessly making the band's decisions, as well as going on tour with that Beach Boys cover group. That's why I think only archival footage of Brian was used, because it's from before Mike sued him. There is censorship here from Mike and his team.
It did come across as Mike's version of the story. It irked me in the end with his last speech, added with the recent comments how he'd like to make music with Brian again. Like it wasn't Mike who 12 years ago ditched Brian and Al and turned down opportunity to record a new Beach Boys album and continue to tour together. Instead he wanted to carry on with his road show where he's the boss.
@@SoundofFree we've already seen what Mike does on his own as a Beach Boy. SIP.
Nuff Said.
I don't think so. Because Mike Love wrote a book that goes into a lot about the later period.
If it was made only with Mike's consent, why would Al, Bruce, David, Blondie, and even Brian come back to do interviews and promotion for it?
@@kokopelli_002 I found it hilarious how Al has been talking this documentary down in every promotional chance he's got even before the premiere.
I haven’t seen the film yet but your review seems very insightful - I think the BBs deserve a film or documentary that is really good at the same level as the Love and Mercy movie - the BBC in the early 1970s did a BBs radio documentary series that was good - I wonder if the BBC could do an updated and in depth film documentary series along the same lines - I think there would be a good audience for it! Best wishes! Daniel
Agreed! We are so blessed to have a fictional film about Brian and the group that is considered within film lovers a landmark biopic film. Personally, I think the 15 Big Ones/Brian's back documentary from 1976 is still the best one for multiple reasons. It's the only one that was done while Dennis was alive and contributing and it does represent everyone's personalities really well. Though it could be expanded easily, and I wish that was done someday with restoration.
I knew it would not be a very good documentary because from interviews I've seen with the director. He has no love for the Beach Boys. I listened to the album associated with film and it is very lackluster, so that too was not a good indication. It's like the director just threw stuff together like it was just another job. This will probably be the last documentary "officially approved" by the Beach Boys and that's sad because the documentary seems so under par.
I doubt the directors ever listened to albums like Friends, Love You, even Today!
I didn’t like the documentary.. it had some good moments but I didn’t think it was directed well and had a couple of pointless talking heads and very odd edits. The band deserved so much more than Disney-fication.
By the time IF they get an "Anthology"Beatles wise. No one will care. Deserve more than cliff notes documentary.
Not true. Many fans are young.
That's my fear. And it was funny after the movie ended, Disney recommended to me Get Back and Let it Be. Those are prime examples of great deep dives into the group that casual fans enjoyed too. It's all about the marketing.
@@SoundofFree If Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd can get in depth documentaries, why can't the late 60s to early 70s Beach Boys get that treatment? Was early Pink Floyd any bigger than later Beach Boys?
they ended the documentary with kokomo. that says it all.
When the doc was announced,I had bad feelings about it,I thought it would be aimed at the American audience,they really lost interest in them,once the surf- cars - girls songs finished,so I’m not surprised,was from friends to Holland really ignored?that’s really disappointing,I haven’t seen it yet,I’ve heard that the 50th anniversary tour was also not mentioned.I know that you have said,that you don’t like to criticise Mike,but I wouldn’t be surprised that he had a say,in what to say & show.
Mentions of Surf's Up and Holland adds up to about 1 minute of screen time. Friends, Wild Honey and 20/20 weren't mentioned at all really. They play 5 seconds of Here She Comes when they talk about Blondie and Ricky but that's it. They don't really even talk about the earlier albums either. It makes it sound like Nick Venet produced them up until 65 and then Brian did Pet Sounds and disappeared.
agree with your review. i think our opinions on it are closely aligned. i have a real problem with the narrative of the ending. and i think it was wrong to shoot Brian at this stage of his life. I hadn't seen those comments from Marshall about Brian, but that makes me even angrier at it.
I believe The Beach Boys deserved a longer documentary, such as 'The Beatles Anthology'. Three part, two hour's each. Given their fame and longevity. But, Brian is not up to interviews that much anymore, especially since his wife died. I'm afraid he's getting near the end. I could watch and listen to hours of recording outtakes and vocal arrangements, but I'm into that stuff. Most are not. This movie probably satisfied most viewers. I really disliked that they hardly mentioned Carl and Dennis' deaths. Totally disrespectful...
The Beatles were only around 8 years. BB, 60 and still active. You could do several seasons and still not make a dent.
@@otisblueswelljr Agreed
I was extremely bummed out they only played part of Forever and didn't even mention Dennis' solo album, which is one of the best Beach Boys related recordings.
I agree with another commentator. I am a long time Beach Boys fan, and to be fair, through videos & Books, I know an awful lot about them from the beginnings until recently.
I found that I wasted $14 to join Disney to watch this new ‘ (More of a ‘Doco’!!) Movie’. There was absolutely NOTHING in it that I didn’t already know. Carl, especially, deserved more screen time, and especially some compassion on his death. He was a beautiful, gentle Soul, yet her held the Beach Boys together when Brian withdrew, not from Touring, but when he REALLY withdrew. Dennis, again, was a very ‘interesting’ character, and apart from mentioning (so, so briefly,) his connection with Manson, there was an awful lot more that could have been told about his part in the later Beach Boys ((70s, 80s) story.
I agree with some other Commentators that The Beach Boys really was only for those who knew very little about the Group. But it had been promoted as having previously unseen and unheard footage (which drew me to watching it.) It’s also been mentioned else where that so much was missing or left out. The film/doco was really just a general overview of one of the greatest bands the 60s and onwards ever had.
A 3 or more X 1 hour Films/Docos SERIES would have allowed a deeper dive into the complexities of this Super Group. There is a LOT more footage that I have seen that was not in ‘The Beach Boys’.
Oh. One thing I did learn though:
MIKE LOVE was easily able to turn on the tears to tell us of his ‘Love’ for Brian. I suppose that’s worth something, after what he has said about Brian in the past!!!
LOVE & MERCY.
All the Beach Boys documentaries to date, are sugarcoated to the hilt. Except Brian's 1995 doc, "I just wasn't made for these times".
I really like that one but also Brian Wilson Songwriter docs and Long Promised Road which I've seen maybe 5 times already. Also the Brian Wilson On Tour one is great too. Endless Harmony is a good tv documentary.
@@SoundofFree thanks, mate
. I truly loathe Long promised Road
One thing I was really looking forward to was the amount of restored footage they showed off in the trailer. But the documentary really let me down in that regard. The early years were fine and all but what I was really interested in were the smile years and a bit after. And when the moment came with the first shot of panning across van dyke, then the zoom out of brians fire helmet, I was in aw of the restoration. Then the first cut to stock footage. and cut after CUT! every piece of film became shorter and shorter. And the smile era footage came up to 34 SECONDS! that is ridiculously short. Overall the editing felt really jumpy and I wish the editors showed off more of the restoration work for longer rather than cutting to stock footage every 2 seconds. And I'd say the film doesn't do much to promote the underated smile album, more bad than good really. once again Mike insults van dykes lyrics and the whole sequence is just another "they did so many drugs" without actually talking about the incredible innovative music brian produced. Overall this documentary was very mike centered although its hard to get anything from brian, its still not the best since all mike wants to do is keep pushing their beach boy/surfing persona - major reason they've stayed so unhip/cool over the decades. 4/10
Also thanks for being real. Watched another video where they guy seemed way too fake.
I couldn't agree more about Smile presentation. I have to be honest, I don't want to be overly negative as I obviously love this band, but there's no denying the truth that this documentary was a giant "two step-misstep".
i think you pretty much nailed it in your review, like you i didnt dislike it i quite enjoyed it, on a whole i liked the new interviews, but you see brian sit down at the piano and the rest of the film they used stock footage, maybe he didnt want it used, the whole pet sounds was a faliure is just wrong and boring now and i think the reason that they gloosed over the late 60s and early 70s stuff is because in america it was not popular and didnt chart well, but in places like the uk they did from wild honey to holland all charted in the top 40 and had hit singles, do it again no1, cottenfields no5, and california sage was a top 40 hit, very strange, then finished on andless summer and showing them at big gigs as a nostalgia band and as for the beach reunion thing what the hell wheres all the footage gone, i did see an interview mike and brue did on tv over here last week where mike let something slip about them all getting together in a few months time, wishing brian well and cant for us getting together soon and the interviewer pushed him on it and he said i cant say anything, like you i could go on seems like a bit of shame nothing from the rest of their career, cheers
I think Mike was talking in the interview about the premiere event. Al has been talking now that he would like to record songs with Mike and Brian but I think neither are up for it. That's true about the band's reputation on different continents. In the US their fame disappeared after Good Vibrations when it came to their new releases but in the Europe they continued to have hits all the way up to Lady Lynda. And their shows here were big events too in the late 60's, while in the US they couldn't pull a crowd. That's one huge part of their story too that deserved a mention.
Really enjoyed your review. I’m a casual listener of the beach boys and didn’t know much about their story or history. The documentary was a fun watch for me because I knew so little about them but I did walk away feeling like there’s a lot of stories left untold, which led me to a deep rabbit hole googling everything about the band for days now. So glad I found your channel!
That's great! I'm glad you liked it and found my channel 🙂
You still don't know from the Disney documentary. I would check out the Endless Harmony documentary. Sooooo much better!
Brian Wilson made Mike Love who he was. Mike Love wouldn't be as rich a man as he is today without Brian. Yes his ego is off the charts, as shown by his love for women, from which he has divorced four previously before his current partner. Don't get me wrong -- I love Mike Love's contribution to the Beach Boys to this day.
Furthermore, it is not shown when Mike wanted to boycott Pet Sounds (something that is shown in the movie Love and Mercy, for example) saying his already well-remembered phrase "don't screw up the formula." That is part of the band's history and is He knows that this was his behavior. Mikediocre.
There's also a moment in a live show maybe from Paris in the 60's where Bruce calls Pet Sounds the best album they did and Mike mockingly says something along the lines of "I don't think so". Which does imply he really disliked it at the time.
Endless Harmony is what got me into the post Good Vibrations period. Disney plus ruined Star Wars and now the Beach Boys.
Thanks for your Review mate. I am fucking SICK of The Beach Boys brand selling out their fans like red headed stepchildren.
Hardcore Beach boys fans are fans BECAUSE of their crazy ups and downs. Not because of how many records "I Get Around" sold.
Thank you for your honesty at this blasphemy of a "documentary".
Carl and Denny give this film TWO MIDDLE FINGERS. RIP.
My thoughts exactly. Imagine a "definite" documentary about The Beatles released on a major platform in 2024 that ends right after they release Sergeant Peppers and doesn't mention at all what happened after, or the deaths of John and George. You can't even make that stuff up, but apparently The Beach Boys management can 😂
@@SoundofFree 😂😂😂😂🤔 it's a travesty for real. And I'm sick of the Hollywood gatekeeping
I quite liked the doco , but its clear it was aimed more at the casual fan , than the serious fan who are left wanting more
I think Mike Love actually came off pretty well, yes, there are reasons to criticize him but I don't think he's at all a bad guy or the conniving villain lots of people make him out to be. I think fundamentally he and Brian are very different personalities: verbal vs musical, concrete vs abstract, extrovert vs introvert, stable and persevering vs really not so much. I try to look at it through Al Jardine's eyes. He has the balanced perspective and Carl is long gone so we can't really know what he thinks about this situation now. I do think everybody should remember Mike Love got shafted in a major way several times, but he's a hard worker focused on success (money?) who seems to have a lot of problems keeping his mouth shut when that's what he should do. Those types of people never look good from the outside.
Great Review. Which documentary would you recommend instead?
My knowledge about Beach Boys until recently was just: Started with Surf Music and then ended with Surf's Up. I was kinda blown away when I watched Pop Goes the 60's series about them. What a total chaos it seems to have been and how much music they made that I never heard of.
Could work as a prestige serie of HBO easily with so much going on.
Seriously I think of the recent stuff, most interesting are the fanmade YT videos. I really loved the In My Beach Boys Room Podcast's new episode of Pet Sounds. Beautiful Dreamer by David Leaf is an amazing documentary about SMiLE. Also, Brian Wilson Songwriter docs are great in depth ones.
@@SoundofFree Thanks. :)
1998's Endless Harmony, available on CZcams
Thanks for your enlightening review--informative.
Enjoyed the wrecking crew footage. I also like the dichotomy of Brian and the rest of the band. It's like he was the captain and they were an elite crew. Both needed each other in some degree to run the ship. Realistically the doc probably should of been 2, or even 3 parts. Also...Unpopular opinion...I don't hate Mike Love. Do i think there's a lot of ego there, sure. But realistically his voice is synonymous with the bands sound. I dont think his tone was always the most pleasing but he very much serviced the song which is evident in songs like California Girls and the chorus of good vibrations. he also understood how to handle the bass harmonies on so many tracks.
Mike's harmony singing is criminally underrated.
I couldn't believe it either when it got to the Charles Manson family cult part. Disney had the biggest guts to put that in.
Mike Love even said he met Charles Manson once and he was done, even saying it wasn't Dennis's fault about what happened to Sharon Tate. I also couldn't believe Dennis recorded one of Manson's songs.
I also like the part where it got to the little "rivalry" between the Beach Boys and The Beatles, how they got their nickname as the "American Beatles", Paul McCartney's recording of how at first the Fab Four would write a song then Brian would try to top them, and I like the *Pet Sounds* era.
I thought it was really good. Of course I would have loved it to gone into more detail about the albums and through to at least 1980 but for that you'd probably need to make it a 3 part series. Overall I was impressed by the presentation, editing and the arc of the 'family' story. Some good stuff from Al, Bruce, David Marks and Marilyn.
I’m actually concerned about Brian. We only got a few words from him in the beginning and I think it has something to do with his dementia that was just recently announced publicly. Even in his most recent live performance he freezes and stops singing and al and his son have to pick up the rest of the song. I wouldn’t be surprised if the dementia is contributing to loss of verbal ability and is why we don’t hear too much from him.
Well, for all I've seen and heard from his family and close friends, Brian is actually doing everything concerned really well. Brian's always been a tough interview. There's literally examples of him shutting down interviews in the early 70's already.
Thanks for this great review. I have no need to see this. Too much Love, not enough love.