Beach Boys - An American Band / Brian Wilson - I Just Wasn't Made for These Times

First up on this DVD is "An American Band." Own it because it's a wonderful historical and musical record of the Beach Boys from the very beginning. But don't expect a detailed, "warts-and-all" biography of the band. The full story of the Wilson family is as rife with tribulations as a Gothic novel. "An American Band" doesn't delve into the dark stuff except superficially; primarily, it's a feel-good infomercial for the Beach Boys through 1985 (a year or so after Dennis's death). Dennis's impossible lifestyle and struggles with drugs and alcohol are addressed just barely, although his sweat-drenched, inebriated attempt to croak out what had once been his signature song, "You Are So Beautiful," at his last July 4th concert is excruciatingly painful to watch. The band's struggles over the musical direction of the group (e.g., the SMiLE project) are similarly left unmentioned, except for Mike Love's self-serving remark that "we work best sticking with the formula." On the plus side, the video contains clips of the Boys, minus Brian, playing in Czechoslovakia -- the first Western band to do so, entertaining hundreds of thousands of people at their yearly July 4th concerts, and singing "California Girls" on t.v. while Jack Benny and Bob Hope monkey around on stage in ridiculous wigs hauling a surfboard. There's plenty of great music here, and you see the band's evolution over a 25-year period.The real meat of this DVD is in the second video, a black & white documentary about Brian, "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times." After 45 years of fandom, I feel like I finally understand something about who Brian is and why, as well as who he has become. Brian is famously candid, and candor is a hallmark of this video. Witness his ex-wife Marilyn and daughters Wendy and Carnie, especially Carnie, whose insights and ironic humor about Life With Brian show her to be wise beyond her 26 years. Collaborators Van Dyke Parks and Tony Asher have fascinating insiders' comments on the creation of "SMiLE" and "Pet Sounds." Rock icons like Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, Lindsay Buckingham, John Cale and David Crosby speak articulately about Brian's influence on their own work and relate amazing, funny, awestruck stories about Brian's creative process. I concur with Tom Petty's remark that Brian easily ranks with Beethoven or the great composers of any era. This video also contains some good remakes, sung by Brian at the time the video was made in 1995, prior to Carl's death in 1998, with an excellent band.Even taken together, these two videos leave a lot out. For instance, Brian's highly controversial therapist, Eugene Landy, is referred to only as "my assistant in the 80's" or "that guy." It's as if he's been turned into You-Know-Who from the Harry Potter books. I find that omission weird. If the guy was a Svengali, let's name names.Brian's mom, Audree, comes across as so guarded and cautious as to be almost catatonic. Perhaps it's too awful to discuss, but considering the appalling damage that Murry Wilson did to his sons, I kept asking myself the question: where was Audree when Brian and Dennis were being beaten to a pulp? Unknown, captain.Similarly, contradictory explanations for the demise of SMiLE reveal that there is still a lot of dust hiding under the rug on that one. The only thing clear is the long-lasting emotional devastation that Brian suffered as a result of abandoning the project.Perhaps it's unfair to expect pop documentaries to cover all the territory that a comprehensive biography of Brian and his brothers would require. All angst and misgivings aside, Brian speaks for himself quite a bit here, and beyond the funny and poignant stories told about him by others, hearing Brian in his own words is worth everything to me. If you're a fan of 20th century popular music and want to understand some things about one of the most influential bands of the rock era, you owe it to yourself to see this DVD. Along the way, you'll hear some great music, and you'll be greatly moved.

This is edited from the original earlier 80's movie release they did right after Dennis drowned, but it also has some new stuff included in place... so I am not sure if they should have left well enough alone or included ALL research material and make a 2 hour movie? Sad for me personally, as I saw them in concert just weeks before Dennis died, and what to this day still haunts me is this image: After the 1983 concert was done (Firefall opened for them in fact) and all band members left stage, the packed audience was standing and clapping still shouting for more and the stage had just cream colored instruments standing quiet there; then, all of a sudden Dennis Wilson came out to front edge of stage with soaked towel around his neck and walked back and forth to both ends of the stage, looked at everyone and blew kisses to the audience and thanking them deeply for coming to the show, and then waved as he turned around acting as if to say "goodbye for the last time"..... and then days later I see the news he drowned in a freak diving accident off his boat. It still haunts me to this day how he came out unexpectedly, nobody else around, and his actions you had to see then seemed to speak loudly of what was to be. Just weirded me out then and to this day thinking about it.But it is a great historic perspective of my favorite band and should give others who know little about the Beach Boys, a better understanding how they persevered for decades regardless of popular attitudes and the sheer amount of detailed & complex music writing abilities they had and a sound nobody can ever match. They truly were in a league of their own.

I flipped in 1985 when the first BB doc, "An American Band" came out. It had great archival footage and music, told the story (although skipping Manson, Blondie & Ricki, and their 70s output), and was reminiscent of the poorly titled "Compleat Beatles", out a few years earlier. What's good about this doc, like the later, superior "Endless Harmony", is that the BBs themselves are key participants in the storytelling. Don Was' B&W art doc, "I Just Wasn't Made...", is equally rewarding. Some important (and a few inconsequential) interviewees dish on Brian -- Linda Ronstadt notably shows she's intelligent with a psychological/sociological awareness, and Graham Nash (a likeable fellow) makes a fatal trivia mistake: "When was 'In My Room'? Was it '66?" No, dude, you're 3 years late. I've seen both the enclosed pan-n-scan version of IJWMFTT as well as the letterbox version. Sadly, the former is featured here, and that pegs the package down a notch. AAB has been improved over the original VHS in that the Pet Sounds sound clips are now replaced by the recently released stereo mix, and the opening and closing credits feature the stirring "Surf's Up" playing over film footage of a surfer in a tasty wave. But another notch down because of its inferiority to the "Endless Harmony" doc. Buy it, but as soon as you find IJWMFTT in widescreen and the aforementioned EH doc, trade this one in.

Although this isnt the tv bio-dramatization pic I remembered and actually I thought I'd ordered, 'An American Band' is still a great authorized biography of the Wilson family and their music. I'd watch it again, as a matter of fact! Lots of great songs and original film footage from all eras is included.The 2nd film on this dvd is a biography of Brian Wilson in particular, which is also very good.Of all the Beach Boys dvds out there, I'd reccommend this set as an excellent place to start.

This is an excellent double feature DVD. There's plenty of gossip and tales about the great Brian Wilson and it's often impossible to know whether they're true or not but when the statements come from the man himself and his family and fellow Beach Boys it makes it all the more touching that Brian has come through so much to be revered by his fans, peers and family as he so rightly deserves. I was glued to this DVD for the duration, without interruption, having set out originally to "watch a bit now then some later". A must for fans old and new in my opinion.

Not only it has 2 dvds in one. Both are fantastic! The first one is a documentary on the Beach Boys and their life. The second dvd is about Brian Wilson and it has precious gems in it. I think it is one of the best dvds done to this day, and you won't regret your purchase.

I used to have an old VHS copy of American Band (one of those huge, clunky, ex-rental ones) and to get it on DVD along with the excellent BW documentary is brilliant, especially at this price. Two excellent documentaries with great footage and interviews.

Very happy with this dvd. Some unseen performances of a great band

Ich wusste was mich erwartet