A fascinating study of Brian Wilson's creative career as a composer, producer, performer, and collaborator that addresses all aspects of Brian's five-decade-long music career through his creative methods and processes. The cofounder and central figure of one of America's most successful vocal groups, The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson is a standout artist with an astonishing volume of diverse work spanning over half a century that serves as testament to his creative output and influence on modern music. Today, Wilson stands as a survivor of life challenges stemming from substance abuse and mental illness and enjoys a revitalized career in which he continues to create new works and perform around the world to enthusiastic audiences in sold-out venues. This unique book covers the breadth of Wilson's creative life as composer, producer, performer, and collaborator, not only as a Beach Boy, but also as a solo artist and collaborator with artists such as Jan and Dean, The Honeys, Spring, The Castells, and The Hondells. The book also surveys his less-examined work as a performer of the music of George Gershwin, of the songs from Disney films, and of children's books and movies. Because of its breadth, The Words and Music of Brian Wilson will appeal both to dedicated and casual fans alike of The Beach Boys and of Brian Wilson as well as to scholars in popular music and American studies. Presents the first complete and career-spanning biography of Brian Wilson and detailed examination of his musical career Considers Wilson's work with The Beach Boys and the many performers and bands with whom he collaborated as producer, songwriter, and performer in a chronological narrative instead of categorizing his work as "Beach Boys" and "Other" Discusses Wilson's diverse musical activities as comprising equal parts devoted to composition, production, performance, and collaboration Sorts through various conflicting narratives about Brian Wilson's career in order to provide an accurate account of his creative chronology

Listen to Psychedelic Rock! contains more than 50 entries covering the people, records, places, and events that shaped one of the most exciting and influential periods in popular music. This addition to the Exploring a Music Genre series concentrates solely on psychedelic rock music. Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre covers over fifty topics, arranged alphabetically, that are central to learning about psychedelic music and will enable readers to understand the breadth and ongoing influence of psychedelia through to the present day. The title contains biographical sketches on selected artists, "song-by-song" descriptions of many albums, and short, informative essays on participants who were influential in the original psychedelic movement. A background section introduces the genre and a legacy section shows how psychedelic music has cemented its place in the world, while another section shows the tremendous impact the music has had on popular culture. Information on record labels and year-of-release dates for all musical entries make it easy for any reader to navigate this title - a must-have for high school and college readers as well as for music scholars and fans of the genre. Provides readers with a thorough overview of artists and albums whose works came to define psychedelic music Addresses the differences between psychedelia in England and in the United States Discusses the intellectual and literary influence on psychedelia in England Provides easy reference to more than fifty individual topics through A-Z organization Contextualizes the music in American history