America's Band in Holland

I just read this book and put a review on Goodreads about The Beach Boys and the making of the album, “Holland,” but it is so much more. 

The Beach Boys were the sunny early 60s pop band. Not that there was anything wrong with it. They wrote about cars, teen-life, relationships. These are things real people see and deal with. I learned about car engines from “ShutDown” and “409.” They sold millions of records. Bands went to California to follow them. 

The sound of the sixties changed and The Beach Boys weren’t seen as real anymore. It wasn’t for lack of trying. “Pet Sounds” was new and very relevant. It wasn’t The Beach Boys signature sound so it sold well, but not super sales. The “Smile” album fell apart and The Beach Boys weren’t relevant for a long while. Brian Wilson was not a contributing part of the band. They needed to refocus and regroup. 

Leaving the country and exploring themselves and other genres sounded like a good idea. It wasn’t a good idea for these guys. Dennis just went about his way. Mike didn’t want to mess with the formula and Carl could only do so much. 

What could have The Beach Boys done if they explored more? This album has a Moog synthesizer featured! They shared the concert stage with the Grateful Dead! 

The album didn’t sell and the band didn’t take this as step one of a new path. They didn’t grow and they didn’t mess with the formula. They retreated into being a nostalgia band. It worked for years. They sold out concerts and toured for years. 

“Holland” shows where they could have gone for better or worse. For that it’s worth listening to the album. The book is still available and a good read for fans. 

Here is a link to the book

https://www.amazon.com/Tired-California-Beach-Holland-Revisited-ebook/dp/B078VGWPLT/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=beach+boys+holland&qid=1600946924&s=books&sr=1-3