Rating: 
Summary: Goon Vibrations
Review: There's something to be said for trashy biographies, as long as a reader is somewhat prepared to take what he or she reads at less than face value. "Heroes & Villains" has undeniable readability, throws up some arresting caricatures that must bear some proximation to the subjects described, and is more lurid than mean-spirited in its design.But you really wonder about factual accuracy with a book about a group of pop music giants that manages to misspell the names of Jimi Hendrix, Glen Campbell, and Sam Cooke. That's a rock, country, and soul trifecta for those keeping score, not to mention Campbell was briefly a member of the Beach Boys' touring band. Or how about a book that is ostensibly about the Boys but spills more ink about the bodyguard who had an affair with Brian Wilson's wife than it does on Al Jardine or Bruce Johnston, actual members of the band? At least Gaines throws in a kind mention of Bruce Johnston's classic "Disney Girls (1957)," which was nice for this fan to read. It's more notable because there's not much attention in this book to the Beach Boys music, other than their earliest, career-making singles, "Good Vibrations," and the Pet Sounds album. He skims over so much there's no mention of such classics as "Wendy," "Do It Again," "Little Honda," "Come Go With Me," "All Summer Long," and "Good Timin'." There's nothing said of "Kokomo" either, though since the book was published in 1986, two years before that final number-one hit was released, you can't blame Gaines for missing it. (If only the Beach Boys had.) The advantage of Gaines approach is you do get drawn in, right away as he begins by recounting the last hours of Dennis Wilson's troubled life, then back-pedals to the abusive Hawthorne, CA household where frustrated songwriter Murry Wilson browbeats and, at times, just beats his three sons into becoming the closest answer America ever had to the Beatles. Murry is one guy you can't worry about being too unfair with, and to his credit, Gaines attempts to separate fact from fiction with this nasty fellow. But the book sags notably once the band's career takes off. Gaines can't really focus on the music, or even on the band's upward trajectory or its influence on popular culture. His interest is exclusively on What Went Wrong. As a result, this reads at times more like an autopsy report than the history of a band so successful it became an institution. Unlike Gaines' Beatles book, "The Love You Make," there's no narrative thread to sustain the story. The most wretched lowpoints are thrown up one after another with minimal context. There's fun to be had here, with a character list right out of Dickens, everyone seemingly scrambling to be more messed up than the next. Brian and Dennis Wilson are obvious centers of attention, as is a manager who apparently got the bright idea of moving America's Band to the Netherlands just so he could have a cozier place to be with his boyfriend. A succession of managers, wives, girlfriends, and hangers-on create an environment so chaotic and dysfunctional you are hardly surprised when the Manson Family drops in for an extended stay. Brian's '70s excesses prompts one funny question from Gaines, "how a 240-pound, unwashed, emotionally-disturbed man could wind up with three women fighting over him?" The answer of course, is money and fame can blind a lot of people. The problem is, in a different way, it blinds Gaines, too, making him look less at the Beach Boys as confused mortals than as depraved gods making a gorgeous mess of their Mt. Olympus. Unless you have some personal stake in the Beach Boys, and many do, there's probably more to like in this book than not, provided you don't take it seriously. The bitter recollections of hangers-on don't really make for a definitive story, though the claims made in "Heroes & Villains" are the kind any serious biographer will need to address, which is more a good thing than not. I liked reading it more for entertainment than illumination, but I needed to take a shower when I was done.
Rating:
Summary: Goon Vibrations
Review: There's something to be said for trashy biographies, as long as a reader is somewhat prepared to take what he or she reads at less than face value. "Heroes & Villains" has undeniable readability, throws up some arresting caricatures that must bear some proximation to the subjects described, and is more lurid than mean-spirited in its design. But you really wonder about factual accuracy with a book about a group of pop music giants that manages to misspell the names of Jimi Hendrix, Glen Campbell, and Sam Cooke. That's a rock, country, and soul trifecta for those keeping score, not to mention Campbell was briefly a member of the Beach Boys' touring band. Or how about a book that is ostensibly about the Boys but spills more ink about the bodyguard who had an affair with Brian Wilson's wife than it does on Al Jardine or Bruce Johnston, actual members of the band? At least Gaines throws in a kind mention of Bruce Johnston's classic "Disney Girls (1957)," which was nice for this fan to read. It's more notable because there's not much attention in this book to the Beach Boys music, other than their earliest, career-making singles, "Good Vibrations," and the Pet Sounds album. He skims over so much there's no mention of such classics as "Wendy," "Do It Again," "Little Honda," "Come Go With Me," "All Summer Long," and "Good Timin'." There's nothing said of "Kokomo" either, though since the book was published in 1986, two years before that final number-one hit was released, you can't blame Gaines for missing it. (If only the Beach Boys had.) The advantage of Gaines approach is you do get drawn in, right away as he begins by recounting the last hours of Dennis Wilson's troubled life, then back-pedals to the abusive Hawthorne, CA household where frustrated songwriter Murry Wilson browbeats and, at times, just beats his three sons into becoming the closest answer America ever had to the Beatles. Murry is one guy you can't worry about being too unfair with, and to his credit, Gaines attempts to separate fact from fiction with this nasty fellow. But the book sags notably once the band's career takes off. Gaines can't really focus on the music, or even on the band's upward trajectory or its influence on popular culture. His interest is exclusively on What Went Wrong. As a result, this reads at times more like an autopsy report than the history of a band so successful it became an institution. Unlike Gaines' Beatles book, "The Love You Make," there's no narrative thread to sustain the story. The most wretched lowpoints are thrown up one after another with minimal context. There's fun to be had here, with a character list right out of Dickens, everyone seemingly scrambling to be more messed up than the next. Brian and Dennis Wilson are obvious centers of attention, as is a manager who apparently got the bright idea of moving America's Band to the Netherlands just so he could have a cozier place to be with his boyfriend. A succession of managers, wives, girlfriends, and hangers-on create an environment so chaotic and dysfunctional you are hardly surprised when the Manson Family drops in for an extended stay. Brian's '70s excesses prompts one funny question from Gaines, "how a 240-pound, unwashed, emotionally-disturbed man could wind up with three women fighting over him?" The answer of course, is money and fame can blind a lot of people. The problem is, in a different way, it blinds Gaines, too, making him look less at the Beach Boys as confused mortals than as depraved gods making a gorgeous mess of their Mt. Olympus. Unless you have some personal stake in the Beach Boys, and many do, there's probably more to like in this book than not, provided you don't take it seriously. The bitter recollections of hangers-on don't really make for a definitive story, though the claims made in "Heroes & Villains" are the kind any serious biographer will need to address, which is more a good thing than not. I liked reading it more for entertainment than illumination, but I needed to take a shower when I was done.
Rating: 
Summary: Not all fun and sun
Review: This Beach Boy biography gives a disturbing look into the troubled lives of rock'n'roll's quintessential California poster children. Their music was a soundtrack for fun in the sun; yet, their lives were anything but a day at the beach. Gaines' story ends with the death of kid brother Dennis Wilson, and tells of his wild, rebellious life. Eldest brother Brian's life is a study in contrasts -- he's a talented genius, a sensitive soul with a troubled mind. Middle brother Carl tried to mediate an impossible situation, between his brothers and overbearing father. Things get rocky as the group split into two factions -- between the members who were into meditation and those who were into drugs. Many of their relationships were rough surfing indeed; not at all like the lovely harmonies on their recordings. If you want to get a behind-the-scenes look at the life and times of the Beach Boys, this is a compelling read; if, on the other hand, you'd rather only remember the good vibrations, you might want to skip it.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific book you wont want to put down
Review: This is an incredibly well-researched book. I've read them all and none of them has all the interviews and insider information that this book has. Especially all the ex-wives, including Brian's ex-wife Marilyn. There's not enough music information for my taste, but damn, what a great book about this legendary group! (This book really makes hard-core Beach Boy fans angry because it tells more of the truth than they want to know.)
Rating: 
Summary: A very insightful book
Review: this is the most interesting biography of the Beach Boys so far. Steven Gaines did a very good job (and quite audacious too) in describing the Beach Boys not as heroes, nor villains, but as simple, failable human beings. Most biographies about the BBs seem to be written to enhance their miths and their image of good, clean cut guys. Gaines does a great work to show their dark side and difficulties. I specially apreciated the chapter he explained how the title 'genius' was really a heavy weight for Brian Wilson to bear. The book has its limitations as it was written in 1986 and lacks more musical comments, but it looks like Heroes and villains is really the only book that went beyond the legend and found out about the real people behind it.
Rating:
Summary: Most informative, entertaining book on the band.
Review: This was a great read, so insightful and well-researched! Gaines actually got a handle on a very unwieldy, difficult subject. While some of the material is unflattering to the embarrassed principals, I appreciate the unvarnished facts being revealed. I know some of the insiders personally and can say that this accurate, comprehensive work resonates with the ring of truth. Having read Gaines' earlier work on the Beatles, I was expecting a lot and this fine author did not disappoint. Bravo.
Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed reading this!!!!!
Review: This was a very informative and interesting book. While I did already know many of the things in this book, there were still more things I learned by reading it. Despite the ups and downs the Beach Boys had, I still love them. My only complaint about this book is that at times, it delved too much into the business affairs of the band, which bored me to death. I skimmed over those parts, just retaining the general "idea" of the paragraphs, and went on to the more interesting reading.
Rating: 
Summary: A total waste of paper
Review: Words can't accurately convey what a wretched waste of pulpthis loathesom. . . book is. Steven Gaines is a biographer the sameway hatchet wielders Kitty Kelly and Albert Goldman were. . .providing endless tasteless stories of depravity that eventually grow numbing over the course of the book, told in a breathless manner more suited to bad fiction than honest biography. There's no doubt that the Beach Boys reality bears a huge discrepancy with their public image, but most of the fans know it already and so do a number of other people. The Beach Boys aren't wonderful, squeaky clean American heroes (who is?). They're only human. But Gaines takes the opportunity to rub our noses in every last unsavory detail, hiding behind the tattered flag of "truth," inadvertantly proving why people are growing to distrust the media. It's interesting to find out why Dennis Wilson and Mike Love hated each other, but not interesting to know what Dennis Wilson's sexual habits were, and that's the difference between what a biography ought to be and what Gaines did. I'd give this book zero stars if I could. Spend your money wisely and buy something else.
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