Tracing a line from Brian Wilson's very first musical loves (George Gershwin and the Four Freshmen) through to the Smile and Pet Sounds tours, this book details over 50 years in the musical life of one of America's foremost pop composers. It looks at the birth and evolution of his musical ideas, also discussing a number of songs.

Philip Lambert's infinite need to delve deeper into the musical oeuvre of Brian Wilson - by understanding the technical basis of his sound worlds; exploring the music Wilson heard as a child - creates a different type of biography, taking the perspective from within Brian Wilson's music, instead of from his personal life, though they are interwoven, and results in this engaging work.

Lambert's work is extraordinary for what it is, examining the young songwriter piece by piece as Wilson teases out his own voice. It's not exactly poetry, but it is of extraordinary value.