Brian Wilson: ‘There’s love in the music and people can relate to the love, regardless of whether you're two years old or 92 years old. For me, music is about love. Love is the message I want to share. I hope people feel that in my music. That makes the hard work worth it.’
Mike Love: ‘The environment in which we grew up and the things we chose to sing about primarily, which were the beautiful things about growing up in Southern California - the lovely girls, the lovely cars, the lovely weather and the lovely beaches - it was like an endless summer.’
Al Jardine: ‘We were just having fun and it developed into something else. It's funny. We were really an accident - but a good accident. And our first record seemed to be enough for us. We sure didn't think we'd be recording into the next century.’
Carl Wilson: ‘The music on the face of it is very simple. However, musically speaking, a lot of it is quite deep and complex. It was about going to the beach and having a car and the American experience, but a lot of the songs are master works.' 
Dennis Wilson: ‘I think it’s the heart that you put into what you’re doing that’s important. Each member of the Beach Boys puts their whole heart and soul into what they do, and that is probably the saving grace of the group. Few families are together spiritually and emotionally over art.' 
Bruce Johnston: ‘It's the most wonderful life singing all over the world about the beauty of growing up in California, as seen from the heart and soul of Mike Love and Brian Wilson's magical song writing.’
Here, for the first time in print, is the history of The Beach Boys, by The Beach Boys. Their only official book, The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys is an anthology of one of the world’s greatest bands. Through their unique sound, complex harmonies, sensational live shows and use of innovative recording techniques, The Beach Boys have become woven into the cultural fabric of America and beyond. This book documents how it happened.
Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston have agreed to tell their combined story especially for this book, and through meticulous compilation of sources worldwide, Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson’s words are equally represented. Joining them are a host of contributors who have been involved with or inspired by the band's music, including Peter Blake, Lindsey Buckingham, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Ray Davies, Bob Dylan, Def Leppard, the Flaming Lips, Bobby Gillespie, David Lee Roth, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Jim Kerr, Roger McGuinn, Graham Nash, Jimmy Page, Carly Simon, Pete Townshend, Rufus Wainwright and Thom Yorke. Their story is accompanied by an exciting visual journey of iconic images, never before seen negatives and unearthed ephemera. The band’s personal archives have allowed unprecedented access into their lives and story through photographs and fascinating documents. Also opening their archives are Brother Records and Capitol Records, all of which assist in illustrating their remarkable journey.
The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys documents how they went from a Hawthorne garage band to a cultural institution. The band tell the astounding story of their lives as Beach Boys: perfecting their harmonies – an integral part of their signature sound – their rise to fame as a surf group, the fearless progression that moved them away from writing songs about surfing and hot-rods to eventually becoming the most pioneering, ambitious and musically complex bands in history. From the time they played Czechoslovakia to the real story behind the fabled SMiLE album, from their early Seventies identity crisis to their inconceivable revival, this volume is a once-in-a-lifetime collection of The Beach Boys’ own memories.
A group collaboration, The Beach Boys by the Beach Boys is, in effect, The Beach Boys’ autobiography. Like their music, it is poignant, frank, often humorous but always sincere. Finally, here is The Beach Boys’ own story.