But McCartney never lost the spark of genius. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' for an endless procession of what even he has called silly love songs. Yet no book has revealed the headwaters of his genius or, for that matter, explained why the Beatles' talented and adventurous musician seemed to abandon his position as an innovator, trading the daring of 'Sgt. More than a rock star, more than a celebrity, McCartney is a cultural touchstone. Governments have celebrated him, persecuted him, thrown him in prison, and knighted him. He has been worshiped and ridiculed, his work revered and reviled. An international superstar for more than forty years, he has not only sold hundreds of millions of records but has also altered the course of popular culture. The composer of 'Yesterday,' 'Hey Jude,' 'Eleanor Rigby,' and 'Let It Be,' Paul McCartney is one of the most famous men in the world, yet one of the most elusive. The book explores McCartney through the perspective of his lyrics, spanning his career from his years with the Beatles to his solo albums today.

Drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before heard studio recordings, Carlin follows the Beach Boys from their earliest days through Brian's deepening emotional problems to his triumphant re-emergence with the release of Smile, the legendarily unreleased album he had originally shelved.The bestselling author of Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson now presents an in-depth biography of the legendary musician and icon Paul McCartney, exploring his impact on music and culture, his personal triumphs and defeats, and his post-Beatles relationships with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. In Catch a Wave, Peter Ames Carlin pulls back the curtain on Brian Wilson, one of popular music's most revered luminaries, as well as its biggest mystery.

In a few short years, they rode the wave all the way to the top, standing with the Beatles as one of the world's biggest bands.ĭespite their utopian visions, infectious hooks, and stunning harmonies, the Beach Boys were beset by drug abuse, jealousy, and terrifying mental illness. Now the subject of the movie Love & Mercy, starring John Cusack!īrian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, along with Mike Love and Al Jardine-better known as the Beach Boys-rocketed out of a working-class Los Angeles suburb in the early sixties, and their sun-and-surf sound captured the imagination of kids across the world.

Catch a Wave by Peter Ames Carlin