By Randall G. Mielke –Â Aurora Beacon-News – August 1, 2016
The beauty of music is that you don’t need to be rich to do it or enjoy it,” said singer and songwriter Mike Love who, along with his three cousins, Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson, and friend Al Jardine, formed The Beach Boys in 1961. “You only need two or three people to harmonize. For us it started as a family hobby and it became a profession.”
It’s a profession that has lasted 55 years, and much of it is chronicled in Love’s autobiography “Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy,” which will be released on Sept. 13.
“I feel so blessed,” said the 75-year-old Love. “In my book I detail how my mother, as a little girl, was in Kansas during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s and she moved to California. The one thing they had as a family was music. One generation later, due to the atmosphere of growing up with music, I am blessed to be presenting music to the public.”
The Beach Boys, featuring original member Mike Love, will perform at 7 p.m. Friday at RiverEdge Park in Aurora. The Motown group The Temptations also will perform.
From the beginning, The Beach Boys’ multilayer vocal harmonies and lyrics reflected a Southern California youth culture of surfing, cars and romance. The Beach Boys signed with Capitol Records in 1962, and released their first album, “Surfin’ Safari.” Since then, The Beach Boys have sold more than 100 million records. The group’s hits include “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “I Get Around,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “Good Vibrations,” “Surfin’ U.S.A.” and “Kokomo,” among others. The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Also appearing at RiverEdge Park are the soulful and funky Temptations. The Temptations are known for their choreography, distinct harmonies and flashy wardrobe, and for their success with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The Temptations’ hits include “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “My Girl,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” among others.
Mike Love co-wrote numerous Beach Boys hits including “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “California Girls” and “Good Vibrations.” Many of the songs were written with his cousin, Brian Wilson.
“When Brian and I were together at the piano it was so effortless,” Love said. “He is so gifted with chord progressions and harmonies. It’s the harmonies and the blend of voices that distinguishes The Beach Boys from other groups.”
As with any wildly successful musical group, The Beach Boys have had a multitude of ups and downs over the years.
“I had never written an autobiography, so people never saw my point of view,” said Love about his book that tracks his tenure as a Beach Boy. “There is a lot of conjecture and opinion out there which isn’t accurate. The book is my story the way I lived it: what I contributed, how I contributed. From my perspective, I want to set the record straight.”
Dennis Wilson drowned in 1983 and Carl Wilson died of lung cancer in 1998. Over the years, many configurations of the band with Mike Love and longtime band member Bruce Johnston continued to tour while other original band members Brian Wilson and Al Jardine pursued solo projects or toured with their own groups. The Beach Boys touring band that will perform at RiverEdge Park features Love, Johnston, Scott Totten, Jeffrey Foskett, Brian Eichenberger, Tim Bonhomme and John Cowsill.
Love is especially proud of his involvement in the song “Good Vibrations,” which he co-wrote with Brian Wilson.
“For success, ‘Good Vibrations’ is number one,” he said. “It is unlike any other song. The structure of it is perfect. It is vocally strong.”
And, it has the line “I’m pickin’ up good vibrations, she’s giving me excitations.”
“I don’t know if ‘excitations’ is in Webster’s dictionary or not, but it rhymes with good vibrations,” Love said. “It’s called poetic license.”
Randall G. Mielke is a freelance writer.
The Beach Boys & The Temptations
When:Â Aug. 5
Where:Â RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway Ave., Aurora
Tickets:Â SOLD OUT
Information: 630-896-6666 or www.riveredgeaurora.com
