高清福利片

In 2012, I watched as the remaining members of the Beach Boys played together for their 50th anniversary. As they launched into聽, I reflected on the experience of listening to elderly men sing about what they鈥檒l be when they 鈥済row up鈥�, in a band whose name never allows them to grow old.

This contrast captured the essence of the Beach Boys鈥� story 鈥� one of both joy and sadness, of hits and misses, and of friendship and family.

The new Disney+ documentary, The Beach Boys, is a two-hour journey through the band鈥檚 musical history, from the early days as teens playing music in the Wilsons鈥� garage up to the mid-1970s.

But while there are some touching moments, overall it felt like a missed opportunity to tell the band鈥檚 story in a new way and from a more modern perspective.

The past few years have seen a number of box sets and re-releases of the Beach Boys鈥� music, as well as the publication of the band鈥檚聽聽earlier this year. The new documentary feels like part of this wider effort to document the band鈥檚 legacy while the surviving members are still able to participate.

This version of the Beach Boys鈥� history is mostly sunny, celebrating the band鈥檚 successes, its journey to relevance 鈥� then irrelevance 鈥� and relevance again.

However, it brushes over some of the more complex and difficult stories. Perhaps this is partly why the documentary unexpectedly stops in the mid-1970s, ending on the redemption of the band after its聽聽compilation and the 鈥淏rian is Back鈥� campaign, without fully explaining where and why he had gone in the first place.

As a result, it misses some important threads of their story, including the menacing influence of Brian鈥檚 psychologist, Eugene Landy, the deaths of Dennis and Carl Wilson, the 2000s revival as Brian Wilson returned to the stage, and the coming together and subsequent聽. This is a difficult story to tell in two hours.

While there are highlights, such as the ending with a touching reunion of the surviving band members at Paradise Cove, the documentary ultimately feels rather similar to previous documentaries on the band鈥檚 legacy.

The Beach Boys鈥� story didn鈥檛 end in the mid-1970s. In many ways, they are more loved than ever. In the past 20 years, there has been renewed interest in their music through books, articles and podcasts.

The band is still influencing new music and young artists, from the聽, to聽, to the brilliant new Lemon Twigs album聽.

The documentary could have included some of the diverse voices from this newer generation of musicians, writers and scholars to add a fresh, exciting perspective on how their music continues to resonate.

Watching Mike, Al and Bruce tell much of the narrative in newly filmed interviews, it鈥檚 hard not to notice the absence of Brian. He appears almost entirely through archival clips like his departed brothers Dennis and Carl.

This year Brian lost his聽聽and, due to declining health, has since been placed聽聽to ensure he is cared for. This absence, combined with images of Brian at the vibrant peak of his creativity, is bittersweet.

At the end of the documentary Carl Wilson recalls asking Brian, 鈥淲hy did you think we succeeded?鈥� To which Brian replied: 鈥淚 think the music celebrated the joy of life in a real simple way.鈥�

While this is true, the magic of the Beach Boys鈥� music also lies in its celebration of joyfulness聽despite聽great difficulties, and the fierce desire to keep an endless summer alive. Their story is made stronger by the acknowledgement of the turbulent tides, as well as the perfect waves.

When I was researching the Beach Boys for my doctorate, one of the most interesting findings was that the word 鈥渘ow鈥� was one of the most common words used in their lyrics, especially during the early-to-mid 1960s: 鈥溾��; 鈥溾��.

It鈥檚 a word that explains part of why their music still resonates: the Beach Boys鈥� songs exist in an endless present they created for themselves and made welcome to others. Historian David Leaf calls this the Beach Boys鈥� 鈥淐alifornia myth鈥� and聽聽its appeal:

For kids whose oceans and beaches were made by intersecting asphalt and fire hydrants, whose winters were filled with long, cold, snowy nights, California had to be the end of the rainbow.

For many, that end of the rainbow still exists in a Beach Boys鈥� record. This documentary may provide an opportunity for those new to their music and history to become curious about the rest of their story.

If you鈥檇 like to listen to some of the songs featured in the Beach Boys鈥� documentary, along with some lesser-known tracks, listen to this curated playlist of some favourites from their early-to-mid career.

Dr Jadey O'Regan is lecturer in Contemporary Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She is co-author of聽Co-author of (2022),聽which combines pop musicology and music psychology to understand pop music in an interdisciplinary way. This story was first published in 聽Hero photo: supplied by Disney/Getty.