Endless Harmony: The Beach Boys Story

This DVD is an absolute essential for ANY Beach Boy fan or fans of amazing music in general. It touches on all the key aspects in the the childhood, rise, climax, and ultimate legendary status of the five middle class, southern California kids that brought unparalleled harmonies sent from heaven, rocking backing music, and insanely fantastic arrangments to America's youth in the form of surfin', cars, young love and later sophisticated ballads and rock masterpieces which are still capturing kid's ears and hearts today. The amount of hits these guys put out before they were 25(some still in their teens) is mind blowing.As well as the general biographical stuff, the amount of music (most of it in it's entirety) included is great. I think the deal breaker for making this DVD so fantastic though is that its all pretty much told through the mouths of the boys themselves. More recent interviews with Al, Brian, and especially Carl are gold. Mike gives himself a little more credit (ok maybe alot more) than he probably deserves, which is to be expected from the "positive" Love by now. Bruce also gets in his two cents as an "honorary" Beach Boy, I guess seeing as him and Mike Love are the officially licensed "Beach Boys" now. Previous intervews with Dennis are also seen throughout the film which is the like icing on the cake. But my absolute favorite feature is the sort of mini home movie skits from the late '60s seeing the Boys be themselves (at times) and just goof around and have fun. It doesn't dwell on each indivual's personal life besides touching on their childhood at the hands of Murry, Brians breakdowns and addictions, Mike's bogus meditation rituals, Al's departure and comeback, Carl's peacemaking virtues, and Dennis'rebel ways.I'm not usually the kind that cries during movies/biographies but the last 20 minutes or so takes a somber turn. It started with the still so tragic ending and drowning of Dennis, my favorite Beach Boy. It then of course was added to with the untimely death of the seemingly angelic Carl. Mike seems to manage in a shot at his "enemy" Dennis even when discussing his death by saying "he had a death wish, I think" (still don't know why Brian even talks to him after the whole suing incident(s)). It would be nice though if the 3 of them could get along and be a family again and possibly go on the same tour instead of two or three seperate ones (even though the huge void left from the absence of Dennis and Carl would be sad and apparent). All in all the Beach Boys wouldn't have been THE Beach Boys without each person's undeniable qualities. Brian's sweet voice and the brains behind the music. Mike's unmistakable lead vocals. Al's occasional lead and falsetto. Carl's harmonies and the glue that held the Beach Boy together. Dennis' unorthodox drumming, being the inspiration and soul of the band. This is what makes the Beach Boys timeless and Endless Harmony is one of the best bios of the BEST BAND EVER

This for me was a follow up to the Beach Boys movie back in 1983 (which I bought)released I believe right after Dennis Wilson died in drowning accident. Likewise the end of this dvd pays quick tribute to the loss of Carl Wilson to cancer just after this dvd was put out to public.Without argument, the greatest all time American rock/pop band ever to have come out and the amount of literal songs written just by Brian Wilson alone when listened to today, it is hard to imagine the pure genius for a prodigy barely out of his teenage years writing the content & context he had written for this band and continued to do so for some years..Never be another group like them as there never will be another decade or era like the 1960's...For what it's worth, we were in an Office Max store last week, and they were showing off some new super small Bose stereo surround speakers, and low and behold, as I walked around, I was hearing music/songs I hadn't for years from the Beach Boys. It was some full length cd set they used to demonstrate the speaker system playing it loud throughout the store, and people were stopping saying, "who is singing these songs?" and "listen to the lyrics in these songs"... It was many songs by the Beach Boys from their early releases like "Let him Run Wild", "Girl don't Tell me", and many, many others (not the normal top 5 hits you hear on radio)that with this new Bose system really displayed the immense complexity in clear vocals and arrangements of the Beach Boys and these songs which made people get excited especially the younger people who had no idea it was the Beach Boys' songs, and a couple said "Man who is singing such tight vocals and harmonies in these songs?"..

It totally floors me when people buy something and don't really take the time to read about what they are buying and then blame everyone but themselves.This is a D O C U M E N T A R Y...hence the sub heading "story"The songs only serve to punctuate the story of the Beach Boys...it is NOT a greatest hits package.I have all of the other BB docs and none seem to be as concise as this. The best of the docs is "Beautiful Dreamer"....an addition to the SMILE dvd.I hold Brian Wilson in such high regard and feel so strongly for what he has gone thru either on his own or by others and oddly enough is the sole surviving Wilson remaining. I am so happy he is stil with us and making great music.This is the best telling of the Beach Boys story we are likely to find.If you want the music then think about purchasing the attached instead.[[ASIN:B000002UR4 Good Vibrations: Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys

The definitive doc. Despite being made before the deaths of Dennis & Carl Wilson, it encapsulates the period before those losses. Doesn’t spread the dirt on the band yet accounts for the influence of the Wilson patriarch that the band had to fire to escape his unrelenting disfunction. It’s good.

If like me, you were a teen in the 60s, & sort of took the BBs as just another group on the AM radio,prepare to go into Total Shock, as you will realize, they were truly an American musical icon of the caliberof the Beatles & just as influential. This vid knocked my socks off. I do not own a single or album recordof the BBs, but realized their music was stored in my head & heart, & this vid moved me to tears of joy.As a musical documentary it is largely complete, & as a compilation of live performances & unbelievablycandid interviews with the BBs, it hits All the right notes. Few such vids would draw 12 stars out of 10,but thats what I give it, as this one is as good as they get. Well worth the price of admission.

There is a scene at the end that is so eerie. Dennis and Carl are laying down on the grass talking and then get up and walk off screen. So poetic!!!

The only reason that this fails to get five stars is that it is not completely up-to-date, ending, as it does, in the early noughties. Not a warts and all expose of a band that has had one of the most tragic, torrid and downright wierd histories in popular music, but there are plenty of opportunities, elsewhere, to address that aspect of the Beach Boys. Nimbly skipping around the more unsavoury details, this is an entertaining, loving account of their career, generously larded with interviews, photographs and superb footage of the boys over the decades. An unqualified delight from the early surfing numbers right up to the final poignant shot of Carl and Dennis, youthfully locked in time, walking away from the camera, at the end. The recent lacklustre glorified promo, 'Doin' it again' is worth having, for completists, but if you simply want to spend a pleasent couple of hours reminding yourself why the boys from Hawthorne are in the rock pantheon, then this is the DVD for you.

The Beach Boys is a fascinating story that would probably exhaust a 10 episode HBO mini series. As a truncated version, this doesn't really do it, at least for me.

once again one more for our great collection of beach boys memoarbillty

Superb

Only got round to watching it yesterday - it's a great DVD - I've been a life long appreciator of The Beach Boys and this DVD is well worth adding to my collection.