DM's Beatles forums
Beatles forums => Books, Magazines, Articles => Topic started by: apple sauce on October 31, 2005, 12:40:28 AM
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Just thought you all might want to look into this stunning Beatle book! Traces the lads heritage back through a couple of generations and is written more as a "History book" than a musical one! It's being released with a $39.99 price point! Goes into explicit detail about recording of numerous Beatle songs that in itself is worth the price. Just look on some book sites for the name of it lost the article about it!!!!!!
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It's called the Beatle's Biography author Bob Spitz and is reviewd on Amazon books! A very worth while purchase!
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On the Xmas list i think...Cheers. ;)
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This Book has many mistakes not buy for now when you ask me...
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This Book has many mistakes not buy for now when you ask me...
Nobody cares about your opinions here Dirk.
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"Mistakes" from a "date" point I can deal with there were over 600 people interviewed fror this book with in depth descriptions of studio recordings that in itself would make it a good read for me!
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OH my!! I just spelt "for" wrong! See mistakes?
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This Book has many mistakes not buy for now when you ask me...
Apparently daytrippin.com has found some interesting nitpicks.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/371630p-316189c.html
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No nitpicking mistakes I have read about on Amazon.com, instead basic historic clunkers a "101" fan would make out from the sky. Stuff that makes you go "how can I trust the rest?" (...900 pages, small types!)
I don't remember the examples, but go read some of the negative reviews: those sure cool you off a bit!
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I probably shouldn't have used the word nitpicks--corrections would be more correct. Don't these publishing houses have editors and factcheckers anymore?
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lots of heated discussion on the spitz book here:
http://www.beatlelinks.net/forums/showthread.php?t=24247
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The more that's written? The less that's true.....I wonder how this legacy will change Beatle history after reading the posts here.
When's the point that too many facts blind you? I often wonder. lol
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I just started this book and I'm around page 50. It seems pretty good, but so far it seems like the author is a big John fan.
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Am always very sceptical if someone comes out with a new book about them guys. You can't believe anything, no matter who the author is. IMHO it's just another book written by another person with a different point of view. Same as Goldman, Cynthia, Peter Brown, Hunter Davies.....ad infinitum.
There are certainly books I enjoy reading but in the end it's always up to the readers rationality and comprehension to choose from all given information whether they might be true or not.
The only ones who could tell how it really was are the guys themselves. And I don't even think they would always tell the truth about certain things - they're only human as anybody else
....let me take you down.....nothing is real....Always, no sometimes, think it's me, but you know I know when it's a dream.
I think I know I mean a 'Yes' but it's all wrong, that is I think I disagree....
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When I was young(ish) - a long time ago! - I went into a bookshop and tore up a load of pages in a certain author's book!!!!
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You have to tell us who. I need to understand.
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I know Goldman's one-sided, but it is an excellent read in terms of cast of characters. He does tend to reduce the players to caricatures from a 1930s MGM Musical, but it's fun in a perverse way that the hagiographic bios aren't.
Spitz seems to be covering alot of old ground without adding that much more new or exciting. Lewisohn, A Day in the Life and Revolution in the Head seem alot more worthwhile even though they're not bios. As sources they all give Paul his due, which I don't think any of the Beatles bios tend to do. Maybe with the exception of Davies, but it's more publicity than bio.
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You have to tell us who. I need to understand.
Have a listen to God II by U2 - the clue is in there somewhere! ;D
By the way, instant karma, or so it appears, DID indeed get him!!!
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Sorry to dredge up a year-plus old topic, but just wondering if anyone ever decided to read it and what your opinions ending up being. I read it in the paperback version.
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It is full of errors. There is even a list on the internet somewhere summing all the mistakes up. I thought that the author went very into irrelevant details. No wonder it was 900 pages!
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I thought that the author went very into irrelevant details. No wonder it was 900 pages!
But some of us long to know how often the Beatles clipped their toenails!
Seriously, I haven't found any biography about the Beatles that I actually wanted to own. The more "objective" biographies seem to be full of flat-out errors or rampant speculation (not often indicated as such). The officially endorsed biographies are full of omissions. So I visit my library a lot!
I will probably end up owning the Hunter Davies biography and the Beatles Anthology mega-book. Even though these are "official" releases, I at least feel I'm getting a view direct from the source. I enjoy how the different members remember events differently and contradict each other. To me, that's life! We all remember things slightly differently, particularly as we *cough* mature.
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And waiting for the results of the Mark Lewisohn mega-project!
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It is full of errors. There is even a list on the internet somewhere summing all the mistakes up. I thought that the author went very into irrelevant details. No wonder it was 900 pages!
You admitting dirk was right??
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Oh, Dirk is quite knowledgable and I haven't read his post on this, but he surely can be right. It's a shame that his charactar has another side as well.
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I'm on page 805, and I'm lovin' it. Of course, its my first Beatle book, so I really have nothing to compare it to. So far, from being a member of this Forum, I haven't run across any contradictions. And no, I have not clicked on those links. Maybe I'll wait until I'm finished with the book.
I've read Here, There, and Everywhere by Geoff Emerick, which is a Beatle book, of course, but not exactly a bio. More of just a collection of opinions, as if you were reading his diary.
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I'm on page 805, and I'm lovin' it. Of course, its my first Beatle book, so I really have nothing to compare it to. So far, from being a member of this Forum, I haven't run across any contradictions. And no, I have not clicked on those links. Maybe I'll wait until I'm finished with the book.
I've read Here, There, and Everywhere by Geoff Emerick, which is a Beatle book, of course, but not exactly a bio. More of just a collection of opinions, as if you were reading his diary.
You will come to see that George and Patti really didn't meet on the set of Help! for a start.
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I just bought this book today
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I just bought this book today
Pity.
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So then, which is your "perfect Beatle book?" Enlighten us poor pitiful souls who have stumbled upon and wasted money on "trash."
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So then, which is your "perfect Beatle book?" Enlighten us poor pitiful souls who have stumbled upon and wasted money on "trash."
Read this thread if you want to know. There's lots of good books and it depends and what part you want to know more about. Spitz' book is just full of errors and the story of The Beatles is already paved with it. I certainly hope you'll find this a satisfying answer, pitiful soul.
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What's funny is that, before I came here, I was reading about Spitz's book on DVDTalk.com, and they said Spitz's book was the new 'definitive' book on the Beatles, as opposed to the one that was approved by the Beatles themselves (I forget who at the moment...Hunter Davis, I think was the author).
Guess those folks, all of them, are misinformed. I'm not being sarcastic, either, Mr. Bobber.
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What's funny is that most critics think it's a great book. Most Beatlesfans I've asked about it, think it is terrible. It depends on who you want to believe. A lot of critics tend to not read 900 pages of a Beatlesbook. Most Beatlesfans do.
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Spitz's book started out promising-- didn't he give a lot of info on Liverpool history? (I mix up my Beatles books because I only borrow them out of the library). So reading the beginning, it looks good. If you go in farther, it gets less and less good until it's all the same old recycled rumor-filled uninsightful stuff that I find in most Beatles books.
I need to write my own! ;D
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Spitz's book started out promising-- didn't he give a lot of info on Liverpool history? (I mix up my Beatles books because I only borrow them out of the library). So reading the beginning, it looks good. If you go in farther, it gets less and less good until it's all the same old recycled rumor-filled uninsightful stuff that I find in most Beatles books.
y'know what, i think the same, i'm just finishing it off! quite a long read.
It's a well-written book but strange facts that i've never heard in the Beatle
history before. sometimes i wonder at these writers.
don't get me wrong, i do liked Spitz's work but it's quite an odd book i find.
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^ I think he was under deadline, and just ran out of time! ::) ;D
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I've read to about page 500 and there's more errors than I can count
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im reading it right now im on about page 100 and it's alright so far
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This book is a long, tedious read. It took me forever to get thru the book. And yes, lots and lots of errors.......
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If you go in farther, it gets less and less good until it's all the same old recycled rumor-filled uninsightful stuff that I find in most Beatles books.
That was my reaction, too. I took two cracks at reading it and gave up both times. The critics, I suspect, were reading each other's reviews instead of the book.
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I said "sh it man, that book is too big.... lol my sister gave it to me 'cause she didn't want it so now its sitting on a shelf here in my room
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Come on! There's nothing wrong with having a good, thick book! This reminds me of the time where I would submit essays that went over the word limit and all my friends would frown at me :( I can empathise with Bob Spitz! But really, the book is well-written and certainly worth a read. Who cares if there's a couple of errors? It's not a big deal, his book is based on different people's accounts of the beatles, which are all going to differ anyway.
The beginning was great and really gave a perfect insight into the why the beatles were the way they were and their lives before they were beatles. Some good stories are certainly told :) I thought that by the time he got passed beatlemania and through to the breakup years things started to go downhill and yes, I think he may have been on a deadline because everything goes by too quickly (which is probably hard for those to believe who think that a 900 pg book is too bloated). Personally I could've done with more info on the latter years and the beatles' relationships. But nonetheless, it's very enjoyable and I really loved Spitz writing style. It's one of those good books you can sit down with every night before you go to sleep and read and not have it be a chore. Plus, a beatles book really needs to be long- after you finish it you should feel like you've completed an epic journey or experienced the time of the beatles.
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Who cares if there's a couple of errors?
As a matter of fact I really do care. Especially if it is presented as the new truth.
The beginning was great and really gave a perfect insight into the why the beatles were the way they were and their lives before they were beatles.
Because if you don't care about a couple of errors, why should you believe this?
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The problem with having a lot of errors in your book is that it implies that you either don't care about getting facts right or are incapable of logically sorting them out from rubbish. Spitz also raises the hackles on my neck when he says that he used Albert Goldman's "archive;" while I've no idea what's in this, Goldman's books are sub-literary dumpsters overflowing with rubbish, and his "archive" (what?), if it is to be used at all, would have to be sorted very carefully. Spitz's error and rumor filled book suggests that he was hardly the man for that.
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As a matter of fact I really do care. Especially if it is presented as the new truth.
Because if you don't care about a couple of errors, why should you believe this?
No need to get angry...
I just don't think a couple of factual errors should completely taint one's opinion of a book. I suppose I'm judging it on different aspects, but I really think it was well-written. In fact, I think Spitz should re-release a revised edition to rid it of these errors so then everybody can be happy. And a few factual errors does not mean that everything Spitz says is worthless. It does make him incompetent. It just means he was off on a few dates...
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I was and am not angry. It's just that it does matter to me that the book contains so many errors when a lot of people and certainly younger Beatlesfans take it for facts. Maybe I'm being stubborn, but I would never buy another Bob Spitz book, revised or not. Call it 'losing credibility'.
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I was and am not angry. It's just that it does matter to me that the book contains so many errors when a lot of people and certainly younger Beatlesfans take it for facts.
This is a very good point. Those of us who've been reading/researching the Beatles for many years don't need to read stuff that has been inaccurately written. And if newer, much younger fans - such as we have on this forum - read them, possibly as their first Beatles book, it damages their reputation, and creates false history. So picky we shall be.
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I was and am not angry. It's just that it does matter to me that the book contains so many errors when a lot of people and certainly younger Beatlesfans take it for facts. Maybe I'm being stubborn, but I would never buy another Bob Spitz book, revised or not. Call it 'losing credibility'.
ahem!Quoted from Carry_Anne
This Book has many mistakes not buy for now when you ask me...
Nobody cares about your opinions here Dirk.
:X
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ahem! :X
Ah, that's just copy and paste! And it was Dirk!
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I've read this book last year and thought it was too long of a read. I also read many other "Beatles' Bios" during the years past. Let me ask you all this: which book do you think is "as close" to the real story of the Beatles??? Maybe there's one I missed out there.................
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which book do you think is "as close" to the real story of the Beatles??? Maybe there's one I missed out there.................
I've missed it, too: Hunter Davies' The Beatles, despite being the whitewash John said it was, is still worth reading because it has a contemporary account of The Beatles while they were making Sgt Pepper. Philip Norman's Shout! isn't bad, but the writer hasn't bothered to correct his errors despite several having put out several updated editions, and his take on Paul McCartney is the usual looking-down-his-nose seventies rock critic one. I'm waiting for Mark Lewisohn, actually. :)
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^^^^^^Thanks Geoff. I haven't got Hunter Davies book of the Beatles, but will do so. And Mark Lewisohn is writing a book???? When is it going to be released???? And I hate to admit, but I did like the "trashy" The Love You Make by Peter Brown. I kinda like the "trashy" rock-star books...............
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And Mark Lewisohn is writing a book???? When is it going to be released????
Three of them, apparently. This is a blurb from the agency that represents him (http://unitedagents.co.uk/books/mark-lewisohn/):
Throughout his long association with the Beatles, Mark Lewisohn has maintained a reputation for neutrality, objectivity and independence. These attributes will be paramount in his most ambitious project of all. Between 2003 and 2018 Lewisohn is giving his undivided attention to researching and writing what many feel could become the benchmark history of the Beatles and their times. To be published in three volumes - the first due out in 2010, then 2014 and finally 2018 - a mature narrative will draw upon extensive additional research, access to archives and literally thousands of interviews.
Says Lewisohn, "The Beatles story has been told very often but, in my view, rarely very well. I
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Hmmmm. The Complete Beatles Chronicle in more detail. Well, I'll certainly add these volumes to my library (which consists only of The Complete Beatles Chronicle, The Beatles (Hunter Davies), The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions and Beatles Gear (Andy Babiuk).
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^^^^^Very interesting info there, Geoff!!!! I'll damn sure keep my eye on this and when they come out, definitely add these to my Beatle book collection. Thanks for the information............
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Some more info in this thread http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1210366233/#num5
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the book tasted pretty bad too
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I found this book cheap on Kindle and, going through withdrawal after finishing the Lewisohn book, grabbed it. Before I read this thread about all the errors.
Anyway, errors aside, and it seems later editions might not have resolved them all, I enjoyed it well enough. Spitz has a more literary approach than some biographers which at best can set a good atmosphere. His opening chapter about the Beatles gig when they arrived back from Hamburg and just how wild and different they were to other bands at the time manages to convey the excitement of those performances. At other times his poetic license and descriptions seem a bit over the top. As an earlier commenter said, the last few years of the Beatles are dealt with relatively swiftly. And he has a curious way of ignoring George's contributions to the albums. At one point he's going on about the efforts Lennon and McCartney were going to to get the "unprecedented" 14 songs onto Rubber Soul (one of the uncorrected errors). He neglects at all to mention that George got two songs into the album, and that one is considered his first really good song (If I Needed Someone). This was after not mentioning George's two songs on Help. He doesn't seem anti-George at all. He has several positive references to him. It just seems like curious omissions.
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Stupid me. It's not errors in this book. It's alternative facts.