Meet people from all over the World
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Author Topic: Revolution The Making Of The Beatles' White Album  (Read 3626 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Mr. Kite

  • A Beginning
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 169
  • What would the The Beatles be without Ringo?
Revolution The Making Of The Beatles' White Album
« on: August 11, 2004, 06:10:42 AM »

Hi there does anyone want to know by how many votes Nixon won his election to the presidency?  Want to know about some of the major battles of the Vietnam war or about the assinations of Dr. Martin Luthor King or Robert Kennedy?  Want to know more about The Beatles Recording the White Album well if you expected to know more about the latter then don't buy this terrible book.  I was wandering around the local Chapters bookstore looking for a new book to read and stumbling into the music section I glanced at the Beatles books and found this book "Revolution The Making Of The Beatles' White Album" By David Quantick.  The tittle intrigued me and after flipping through the book it seemed like a smart buy as the White Album is one of my favorite albums but after reading most of this horrible book over the next couple of days I have come to almost detest it yet I cannot seem to put it down I guess just because I want to see what the next stupid thing the author has to say is.  He starts out bt giving a historical review of what was happening in 1968 which I really didn't care about and in a couple of small scentances he'd sum up what the Beatles did in that particullar month in 1968.  Then he has a chapter on the people involved in the album and he gives us brief glimses of the Beatles themselves and as individuals and also a 10 page bio about Yoko Ono when everyone else even the Beatles themselves gets a scant 2 page at the maximum write up.  The next chapter delves into the songs where the author tries to explain the so called hidden meanings to some Beatle songs and comparing most of the songs to a well known song in the Beatles solo career.  He praises almost every McCartney song as pure genious whereas almost every Lennon song as just good or not very good and almost all of the songs on the Album of John's where appearently about Yoko Ono and nothing else.  The author also spews out many facts that most of us already know like the White Album started getting written in India and Dear Prudence was about Mia Farrow's Sister and Sexy Sadie was about the Maharishi.  The only neat thing that I found out about was about the Kinfauns seesions in which many of the songs on the White Album where demoed and the fact that Paul recorded many of the songs on the album by himself and in my opinion Paul made a conscience decision to omit the other Beatles from these songs because he wanted the track to be perfect and didn't want the other members imput.  He also makes the reader feel like George and Ringo where really secondary members to the Beatles and the band was just about the greatness of Lennon and McCartney which we all know is not true as anyone can tell you the Beatles was an equal partnership and as Paul proved on this album songs without the other 3 just don't sound right and also the author tries to make it look like Ringo left because he was having a hissy fit rather then just as a way of Protest.  Well I've written alot but if anyoe wants to check out what looks to be a good site about the making of the White Album then check out this site: http://www.geocities.com/white_album_2000/white_gold.htm it looks to be a treasure.  I also want to say that the authors view of most of the songs is his own view which he tries to pass off as the popular view of the song which in most cases is wrong.  I also learned that Lennon demoed a song at Kinfauns called "Child Of Nature"  which we would all know as "Jealous Guy" in his solo career and although the lyrics and tittle have changed the melody is hauntingly familliar.  Im closing also the author uses this word "Pastiche" which I have no clue what this word means I mean does anyone know what this word means?  Please if anyone else has read this book I'd like to hear your thoughts here and if you havn't read this book then stay away!

Mr. Kite

It's a pity Paul isn't here as he was the one with the acceptance speech in his pocket.

George Harrison (Speech at accepting the Beatles induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on behalf of himself and Ringo with Paul absent)
Logged
[size=14][size=14]-Mr. Kite![/size][size=14]<br />'ving been some days in preparation a splendid time is guaranteed for all![/size][/size]<br />

Mairi

  • That Means a Lot
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 7934
  • The owls are not what they seem
Re: Revolution The Making Of The Beatles' White Album
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2004, 10:52:04 PM »

Thanks for the heads-up. You'll save me some wasted money, then.
Logged
I am posting on an internet forum, therefore my opinion is fact.

Indica

  • A Thousand Pages
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3129
  • Getting into the Herbal Jazz
Re: Revolution The Making Of The Beatles' White Album
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2004, 11:06:59 PM »

I Bought David Quanticks Revolution*, and although his sharp opinions and often lame-wit sometimes annoys the reader more than anything, I thought the information of Charles Manson was well-researched  and generally interesting.

Some of the information, such as Vietnam etc was brief to say the least, but for me (using it as a research piece for my work), the design factor was alot more detailed than the anthology book, and well written.

Evaluations on such songs as Rocky Racoon are just absurd, and I totaly agree about the blatant personal views been edged in anyway possible.

Its not terrible, and not Gospel.
Like most Beatles Books, it needs to be taken with a pinch of Salt.
Logged
Whats the matter lads? Blue Meanies?

Mr. Kite

  • A Beginning
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 169
  • What would the The Beatles be without Ringo?
Re: Revolution The Making Of The Beatles' White Album
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2004, 11:56:47 PM »

He said and I quote that "Revolution 9 was the best thing The Beatles Ever did."  Needless to say I felt like throwing up after reading this and also he didn't even do good research he says that Brian Epstein first saw the Beatles on November 9, 1962 and they where signed (presumably to EMI) on May 9, 1962.  Funny that the Beatles where signed to a record deal before they met Brian if this was true then why did they need Brian for as Brian was very instrumental in getting the Beatles an audition at EMI.  After giving bad reviews to excellent songs like "Rocky Raccoon", "Helter Skelter", "Yer Blues" and excellent reviews to clunkers like "Revolution 9" and at one point he even claims that "Lovely Rita" possibly the only bad song on Sgt. Pepper was an Excellent McCartney song.  What really irked me was him claiming that "Back In The USSR" which is a great song was the greatest rock song of all time which I know for a fact is just ridiculous.  One wonders if the author ever actually heard the White Album before or has even heard of the Beatles at all.

Mr. Kite

 
It's a pity Paul isn't here as he was the one with the acceptance speech in his pocket.

George Harrison (Speech at accepting the Beatles induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on behalf of himself and Ringo with Paul absent)
Logged
[size=14][size=14]-Mr. Kite![/size][size=14]<br />'ving been some days in preparation a splendid time is guaranteed for all![/size][/size]<br />

Indica

  • A Thousand Pages
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3129
  • Getting into the Herbal Jazz
Re: Revolution The Making Of The Beatles' White Album
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2004, 02:20:46 PM »

Yeah, something which I think was unnecessary, and showed Harrison to be divulging into the petty squabbles again.
Logged
Whats the matter lads? Blue Meanies?

 

Page created in 0.378 seconds with 45 queries.