Which Beatle book are you reading right now? - Print Topic

None at the moment, but I have on order:

* While My Guitar Gently Weeps : The Music of George Harrison by Simon Leng - really looking forward to this.
* Harrison by Editors of the Rolling Stone - Hmm, not so sure about this one. But it has pictures. :)

Recently read:

* Here, there, and everywhere : my life recording the music of the Beatles / Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey. - excellent. Highly recommended for a technician's vs. gossippy look at the Beatles working.

* The Beatles anthology. - Great. Massive and massively wonderful. Like the video series but more adult and in depth.

* Magical mystery tours : my life with the Beatles / Tony Bramwell with Rosemary Kingsland. - after a strong start in Liverpool, got boring. Same old biography stuff you find in any Beatles bio.

* The Beatles : the biography / Bob Spitz. - another one that started really strong, and petered out into recycled gossip. Too bad.

* The Beatles : ten years that shook the world / editor-in-chief, Paul Trynka - Um, I don't really remember it. I think it was pretty good.

* Once there was a way-- : photographs of the Beatles / by Harry Benson. - the photographer is an exploitist pig, IMHO. Okay to look through, but I would never buy it and support him. :D

* The Beatles : every little thing : a compendium of witty, weird and ever-surprising facts about the fab four / Maxwell MacKenzie. - Trivia completely randomly organized. Recommended if you want to flip pages pointlessly, like bedtime reading.

* The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band / Allan F. Moore. - social and musical critique.

* The Beatles : the music was never the same / Marvin Martin. - another one I'm having a tough time remembering. I think it was okay.

* A day in the life : the music and artistry of the Beatles / by Mark Hertsgaard. - I have no memory of this whatsoever. That's what I get for reading 20 books in 2 months. I think the Beatles were in this book. :B

* I, me, mine / by George Harrison. - pretty interesting, if only for his omissions. It's a random skip through his life, so if you don't already know his story you'll be hopelessly lost (for example, he never explains who Patti is or how he met her). A quick read, unique, some really interesting notes related to his songs. Published before John's death.

* Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison by Marc Shapiro - yuck! Exploitive crap, just recycled stories plagarized from various sources.

* The Beatles : the fabulous story of John, Paul, George and Ringo - published before John's death; interesting snapshot of their history.

* Warman's Beatles Field Guide: Values And Identification by Tim Neely - I think this is the one that is so worth picking up just for the 3 articles at the back. I can't remember the guy's name, some DJ whose last name starts with P. Something like Charles Prolosky (but that's not it). He gives fascinating statistics about their songs and was lobbying for the Beatles to win more Grammys (which they did in 1996).

^So you've already read all the good and bad things said about them, I guess! ;)
I haven't read half of your list, more or less, but I'm curious about some of them ... after reading your comments!!!

Heh! This doesn't even include the "first" batch I read back in 1996 or whenever I caught the Anthology bug. I read Shout, The Love You Make, the Playboy Interviews, lots of Lennon bios, one on Paul-- pretty much anything that was around. Then I went off in a different direction for a few years, on to other obsessions. Earlier this year, I started getting more interested in George, and went on another information rampage. ;D

Basically I just go to the library and check out whatever's there. If I feel I really must own something, then I buy it. There are some books that the library doesn't carry, so these I buy, like the Simon Leng book that sounds really interesting. But usually I browse and return.

But you're quite correct, fan opinion does influence me tremendously. If I read on a message board or Amazon that a book is crap, or the person is basically trying to make a buck off the Beatles without offering anything new, then I do indeed avoid that book (unless I can get it out of the library for free, in which case I permit myself to toss it aside if it's as nasty as rumor reports). I really don't like the gossipy stuff, but I very much enjoy learning about the Beatles' personal philosophies, and as much as I can about their creative process. Also, how well they handled fame (or not). Just an amazing group of people to read about. Cheers!

Quoted from harihead

* The Beatles : the biography / Bob Spitz. - another one that started really strong, and petered out into recycled gossip. Too bad.

This seems to be full of mistakes.

I've heard that the best book about the group is one called "Paperback Writer" ... but as I'm not very keen on books about them (as I've already said) I can't tell who wrote it and less if it's a good choice!
Has anybody here read it?

Quoted from raxo

I've heard that the best book about the group is one called "Paperback Writer" ... but as I'm not very keen on books about them (as I've already said) I can't tell who wrote it and less if it's a good choice!
Has anybody here read it?

Isn't that a spoof book?

Quoted from The End

Isn't that a spoof book?

It could be ... I haven't read it (probably I'm not gonna do never) ... but I've heard it was one of the best ??)

I have read a few picture ones really! Just showing nice quality pictures of them, saying where it was from and stuff!

But have read a few normal beatle ones! the sadest part was the day by day accounts! But I can imagine that the anthology isn't going to tell me anymore then I already know! but we'll see!

I have a few beatle quiz books aswell! ;)

I've only read the Lewisohn's and the Anthology book. I suppose, having grown up with them, I don't really feel the need to read much more. I'm looking for a good book on Beatles bootlegs though, if anyone knows of one?

Quoted from BlueMeanie

I'm looking for a good book on Beatles bootlegs though, if anyone knows of one?

Why don't we write one ourselves?

Speaking if bootlegs, how can I go into the bootleg forum part?? Cause it says its locked and I don't know how I can join? bootlegs are my favorite! :D :D

Quoted from harihead

* The Beatles : ten years that shook the world / editor-in-chief, Paul Trynka - Um, I don't really remember it. I think it was pretty good.

yeah, thats the one I am reading at the present! It has a very good layout actually! picks out some vital parts through the Beatles career and talks of them!

Thanks, McLennon! I seem to remember liking that one. But I was just consuming books in giant gulps the way I tend to do, and didn't take notes. Alas. I'll have to visit the library again and review every book in their collection! :D

Thanks, Bobber, for the comment on The Beatles : the biography by Bob Spitz. When I hit a book that starts making errors, I switch into skim mode, because I don't really trust what the author has to say. So take note, Beatle fans! You can skip this one.

And yes, I agree with BlueMeanie. The Anthology book is the best if you're only going to read one. I just like to read for relaxation in the evenings, so I'm always seeking out new books. Cheers!

===========

Okay, Raxo, you got me to look up "Paperback Writer". It's a spoof, as The End said, a fictional parody of the Beatles, a romp about "What if the Beatles got back together in 1979?" It was written in 1978, in the same general timeframe as The Rutles, when people could make fun of the Fab Four and it was still funny because Lennon's murder hadn't made everyone depressed for the next 25 years.

The book sounds pretty good. Here are some quotes from Amazon:

"Bigger than Jesus! What John really meant, of course, was that the Beatles were simply "taller" than Jesus. ... This in a nutshell captures the tone of the book."

"A loving, biting reimagining of Beatlemania in a manner that I'm sure John would have found hysterical."

And of course, there are the people who seem not to get it. I enjoyed this piece of unintended humor:

"I think it would help if you had some knowledge of The Beatles before reading it, if only to give you a further appreciation of the humour. For example, did you know that Roll over Beethoven was inspired by McCartney trying to teach his English sheepdog some new tricks. "

;D ;D ;D

Quoted from harihead

[...]Okay, Raxo, you got me to look up "Paperback Writer". It's a spoof, as The End said, a fictional parody of the Beatles, a romp about "What if the Beatles got back together in 1979?" It was written in 1978, in the same general timeframe as The Rutles, when people could make fun of the Fab Four and it was still funny because Lennon's murder hadn't made everyone depressed for the next 25 years.

The book sounds pretty good. Here are some quotes from Amazon:

"Bigger than Jesus! What John really meant, of course, was that the Beatles were simply "taller" than Jesus. ... This in a nutshell captures the tone of the book."

"A loving, biting reimagining of Beatlemania in a manner that I'm sure John would have found hysterical."

And of course, there are the people who seem not to get it. I enjoyed this piece of unintended humor:

"I think it would help if you had some knowledge of The Beatles before reading it, if only to give you a further appreciation of the humour. For example, did you know that Roll over Beethoven was inspired by McCartney trying to teach his English sheepdog some new tricks. "

;D ;D ;D

Thanks for the info, harihead! ...
I knew nothing about this book ... and it's curious because we've been debating here that hipothetical "reunion in 1979" just few days ago! :)

Quoted from McLennon

Speaking if bootlegs, how can I go into the bootleg forum part?? Cause it says its locked and I don't know how I can join? bootlegs are my favorite! :D :D

Why don't you try to send a Private Message to The End or Bobber? ;)

I recently read Geoff Emerick's book and loved it. Then I started Anthology and got half through it. I was beginning to read the Bob Spitz biography but thought better of it after reading some of the comments here. I do have Ten Years That Shook the World, so maybe I'll get back into that one. Oh, I also read Ringo's Postcards From the Boys. That was a quick and very cute read. But I just ordered Levon Helm's This Wheels on Fire, so the Beatles might have to wait a while.

Quoted from Sandra

I recently read Geoff Emerick's book and loved it. Then I started Anthology and got half through it. I was beginning to read the Bob Spitz biography but thought better of it after reading some of the comments here.

Good call! I really enjoyed Geoff's book. The "She Loves You" recording was my favorite part-- all those wild girls! ;D

If you read the beginning of Bob's book, you read the best part (IMHO). He gives a wonderful history of Liverpool and the destruction following the war. 70% of housing destroyed, if I recall; no wonder George's family was on the housing list for so long.

I'm very glad to hear your opinion of Ringo's Postcards From the Boys. I hope I can pick that up sometime; it seems light and sweet. :) Thanks.

Quoted from harihead

I'm very glad to hear your opinion of Ringo's Postcards From the Boys. I hope I can pick that up sometime; it seems light and sweet. :) Thanks.

I just ordered that from Amazon Marketplace for £0.99, brand new!! I'd forgoteen all about it until it was mentioned here.

Quoted from BlueMeanie

I just ordered that from Amazon Marketplace for £0.99, brand new!!

Eek! Thanks, BlueMeanie! I'm off to Amazon... again!

I'm just finished Simon Leng's excellent book While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison. Wow! Finally someone has done an insightful and satisfying exploration of George's life. This is the kind of book I wish had been available when George died. I intend to read it again, listening to every song as I go through (I was too impatient this time to do that).

Unlike some others ::), Leng did thorough research of his subject. He knows George's music inside and out, and can place it appropriately into the musical context of what was going on at the time. Clearly Leng's interests include all music, and he supplements his knowledge with numerous interviews with Harrison's musical buddies. What's also amazing is that this book is so well written, it made me laugh out loud a few times. Just a delight from cover to cover.

Here's an example of one of his song reviews, in this case, "Simply Shady". Leng does a musical appraisal, and then places the song in the context of George's life and the times:

Quoted Text

"Simply Shady" could have been based on a Young rocker, not only because of the slightly ragged, gruff vocals and earthy arrangement, but also because of the decidedly no-frills production. Unfortunately for George, the world was not ready for his reincarnation as Neil Young, and the song was panned...
"Simply Shady" neatly shatters the "Beatle George" image and reveals the uncomfortable truths of life. Too much drink and failed relationships are hardly uncommon experiences but, for fans readying their Sgt. Pepper costumes for the Dark Horse tour, it was all too much.

I love this book so much I plan to start a thread on it soon. It might have to wait a few weeks until my schedule loosens up, but I look forward to sharing other excerpts and discussing it with you all. Cheers!

I just started reading "The Beatles Songbook I". It's only the lyrics of the songs with some remarks at the side. I find it interesting to read the songs ;D lots of short stories, but makes a change to the listening experience. :)

None at the mo - Just dipping into Revolution In The Head from time to time.
Just flick through the pages and reading up on songs I'm enjoying at the moment.

Macdonald highlighted a 'bass flourish' during the song 'The Word' at approx 1:15 .. so I went and listened to one speaker ... and smiled when I heard what he was describing .... my girlfriend just shakes her head from time to time :B

Quoted from Indica

Macdonald highlighted a 'bass flourish' during the song 'The Word' at approx 1:15 .. so I went and listened to one speaker ... and smiled when I heard what he was describing ....

Indica, I'm just as bad. *high fives you* :D

Quoted from harihead

I'm very glad to hear your opinion of Ringo's Postcards From the Boys. I hope I can pick that up sometime; it seems light and sweet. :) Thanks.

I have that book! I havn't read it yet!

I've been reading through The Beatles: Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn recently while listening to my Beatles collection on my iPod.

I just started reading "The Longest Cocktail Party" it's about Apple and how it started and collapsed written by Richard Dilello "The House Hippie" who was there from beginning to end. It's good so far Derek Taylor was his boss and right know he's talking about when Apple released "Two Virgins" and the infamous cover.

Nice LENNON picture MR. KITE. ;D

Im reading SHOUT by PHILIP NORMAN again ,the first time i read i was 18 years old when it came out !
Still a definative BEATLES book and a joy to read.

Mark Lewisohn's Complete Chronicle ...

Ive been reading LENNON LEGEND ,AN ILLISTRATED LIFE OF JOHN LENNON, and you get an exact replica of the lyrics of LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS by courtsey of d.. opps
sony/atv tunes llc
fastenating ;)

Quoted from Indica

None at the mo - Just dipping into Revolution In The Head from time to time.
Just flick through the pages and reading up on songs I'm enjoying at the moment.

Macdonald highlighted a 'bass flourish' during the song 'The Word' at approx 1:15 .. so I went and listened to one speaker ... and smiled when I heard what he was describing .... my girlfriend just shakes her head from time to time :B

I take it you are as much a music nut as Me!!!!!!!!!!!! :D 8)

Quoted from Indica

None at the mo - Just dipping into Revolution In The Head from time to time.
Just flick through the pages and reading up on songs I'm enjoying at the moment.

Macdonald highlighted a 'bass flourish' during the song 'The Word' at approx 1:15 .. so I went and listened to one speaker ... and smiled when I heard what he was describing .... my girlfriend just shakes her head from time to time :B

That is the beauty of that book for sure. ;). One of my faves. A must have for any music playing Beatle fan.

I read "The Beatles" by Bob Spitz. (Never read a full Beatles bio before, but read many others about classic rock bands.)

I thought it was one of the best books I've ever read.

Quoted from silby

I read "The Beatles" by Bob Spitz. (Never read a full Beatles bio before, but read many others about classic rock bands.)

I thought it was one of the best books I've ever read.

Hi Silby, welcome to DM's.
But I gotta correct you. The Beatles by Bob Spitz is full of wrong information. Funny thing is that critics loved the book, Beatles fans most often did not. In fact, there is a special site that is trying to sum up each and every mistake Spitz made. It's here: http://www.daytrippin.com/reviews.htm#spitz%20review

Quoted from Bobber

Hi Silby, welcome to DM's.
But I gotta correct you. The Beatles by Bob Spitz is full of wrong information. Funny thing is that critics loved the book, Beatles fans most often did not. In fact, there is a special site that is trying to sum up each and every mistake Spitz made. It's here: http://www.daytrippin.com/reviews.htm#spitz%20review

Unfortunately, the critics are not always the experts.

Quoted from BlueMeanie

Unfortunately, the critics are not always the experts.

You know, this explains a lot. I have been frequently disappointed by supposedly "well-regarded" books on the Beatles. But unless you read a lot of them, you don't really build up enough of a picture to know when someone is just repeating stories that they've heard, or even just making things up that don't mesh with other very good evidence we have, such as recorded events or interviews.

Mr.Spitz - oh dear .... Some of those errors are ridiculous!

Undated version of 'Shout' by Phillip Norman. Great Read!!
I wanna read Bob Spitz book but i've reading dodgy reviews.
(maybe will read to make my own opinion!)

I dont like the language Philip Norman uses in Shout. I was trying to get Bob Spitz for ages (waiting for the price to go down)... im still waiting. But at the mo im reading Cellerful of Noise

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

I was trying to get Bob Spitz for ages (waiting for the price to go down)... im still waiting.

Keep waiting. It's not worth the money.

Philip Norman was brought up on the Isle of Wight so he has to be sound! ;D

http://www.pfd.co.uk/clients/normanp/b-aut.html

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

I dont like the language Philip Norman uses in Shout. I was trying to get Bob Spitz for ages (waiting for the price to go down)... im still waiting. But at the mo im reading Cellerful of Noise

Bob Spitz started out okay, but then lost momentum and delivered a pretty typical Beatles book-- meaning not very interesting or insightful if you've read lots of B books before. I like to check them out through the library if I can, to see if I like them.

How do you like Cellerful of Noise? That one I haven't seen yet.

I got the newer edition so it had a forward by Martin Lewis (i think that was the man's name). That wasnt very exciting as it gave a general overview of Brian and what he did- which i knew already. So, dont bother with the forward. I read the first few pages of CoN and I liked it. Brian has really good english and he writes very lively.

It took me ages to find the book. Glad I found it

I've just finished reading The Beatles 365 days, John Lennon a story in photographs, and John Lennon All I want is the Truth. I might ask my dad to buy me A Spaniard in the Works or in His Own Write, has anyone read them? If you have, are they worth reading? :-/

Quoted from Tara_the_beatle_freak

I've just finished reading The Beatles 365 days, John Lennon a story in photographs, and John Lennon All I want is the Truth. I might ask my dad to buy me A Spaniard in the Works or in His Own Write, has anyone read them? If you have, are they worth reading? :-/

Seems to me, TtBF, that you are a Lennon fan. I have read In His Own Right and A Spaniard in the Works and I enjoyed it. It gives you quite an insight on his early life. So I say, read it.

Quoted from Tara_the_beatle_freak

[...] I might ask my dad to buy me A Spaniard in the Works or in His Own Write, has anyone read them? If you have, are they worth reading? :-/

Few weeks ago some people wrote about it here:
http://dmbeatles.com/forums/b-lennon/m-1172618289/

TheMasterOfGoingFaster asked "Are they worth getting?" here:
http://dmbeatles.com/forums/b-books/m-1098037339/

Syn Lennon "John"

Very interesting book about their releitionships and their live together, about young John and his character.

Bob Spitz "The Beatles". Just started it .

I'm reading the Hunter Davies authorized biography, The Beatles, the 1996 version. Paul said in some interview I saw on Youtube that it was the only one that was any good; most of the others get almost everything wrong. I figure, he ought to know! :)

Quoted from Beatlemania

Syn Lennon "John"

Very interesting book about their releitionships and their live together, about young John and his character.

How far are you? I couldn't bring myself to read further ch 16.... I just couldn't. :'( i'd say the best chapters in this book are ch 2-5 (I read them twice!)

I've just started reading 'Revolver- secret history of the beatles
by Geoffrey Giuliano & Avalon Giuliano.
I don't really like Geoffrey Giuliano's books but i'm giving this
one a go.

my last beatle book was Beatles in Hamburg Lexicon

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

How far are you? I couldn't bring myself to read further ch 16.... I just couldn't. :'( i'd say the best chapters in this book are ch 2-5 (I read them twice!)

I`m reading chapter 3) I like second too)

Just finished reading Cellerful of Noise. Man, was Eppy a great businessman? I really enjoyed it (Eppy's language- using metaphors yet a the same time all proper). There were some new Beatles stories, which were quite funny. I would definately recommened this book.

Now I'm starting to read A Twist of Lennon. I want to comapre it to John

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

Now I'm starting to read A Twist of Lennon. I want to comapre it to John

I just finished John last night. It was much better than I'd expected; I'd read all these reviews about how she'd got certain facts wrong about this or that, like Sheridan's record My Bonnie "didn't sell many copies" when it did in Germany, just not the UK. That sort of nitpicky thing didn't get in the way at all. It was a highly personal account about Cynthia's experiences with John, the other Beatle wives (particularly Yoko), and a little bit about the other Beatles. I found it moving and was glad she came out with what she thought was a more honest account than her older A Twist of Lennon, which she said she'd tamed down to try to keep the peace. K_Eyes, I'd be interested in your report.

I still can't find Cellarful of Noise over here (for a reasonable price). I'll keep looking!

Adamzero, how did you like Giuliano's Revolver? I'm afraid I'm too angry with Giuliano to pick up anything of his, and they don't stock him at the library... Hmm, wonder why? ;) I did read the sample pages on Amazon and didn't find anything new.

I'm starting to read Monty Python's Autobiography book. I'm starting by looking up all the Beatles references. So cool that Beatles were fans of Python. Michael Palin apparently kept a diary forever, and has some great reminisces. Cheers!

Quoted from harihead

Adamzero, how did you like Giuliano's Revolver? I'm afraid I'm too angry with Giuliano to pick up anything of his, and they don't stock him at the library... Hmm, wonder why? ;) I did read the sample pages on Amazon and didn't find anything new.

I'm starting to read Monty Python's Autobiography book. I'm starting by looking up all the Beatles references. So cool that Beatles were fans of Python. Michael Palin apparently kept a diary forever, and has some great reminisces. Cheers!

I'm half way through Revolver & it's not bad. Nothing special on facts i didn't know
but it has interesting interviews with other people who worked with the fabs. i'm
not particully keen on Giuliano myself but just found it in the libery.

Yeah, i got Michael Palin's autobiography for christmas & i'm wading my way through it, very
very funny! George did say he believed that the spirit of the Beatles carried on into Monty Python.
I'm an obsessed Python freak myself along with the Beatles. ;)

Quoted from Andy Smith

I'm an obsessed Python freak myself along with the Beatles. ;)

Soul brother! *high five*

Good on you, being able to get the Giuliano book from the library. Please share any earth-shattering revelations. Heh. Cheers!

Quoted from harihead

Soul brother! *high five*

Good on you, being able to get the Giuliano book from the library. Please share any earth-shattering revelations. Heh. Cheers!

Python Rules!!!!!!!!!!!It's just a flesh wound! ;D So,you're saying Coconuts migrate? :o ;D

Quoted from Revolution

Python Rules!!!!!!!!!!!

spare a talent for an old ex-leaper! :P he's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!!! ;D

We should start a Python thread, just to trade quotes! :)

For those interestied, some reviews of books about John here:
http://www.bagism.com/library/book-reviews.html

I picked up Julia Baird's new book 'Imagine This' growing up with
my brother. Looks a great book & i saw Julia at a convention a few years back
when i was .. oh "14". So Young!! :)

Quoted from Andy Smith

I picked up Julia Baird's new book 'Imagine This' growing up with
my brother. Looks a great book & i saw Julia at a convention a few years back
when i was .. oh "14". So Young!! :)

You actually saw her, like, physically? :o
I'll be very interested to know what you think bout the book. As i doubted whether i should get it or not

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

You actually saw her, like, physically?t

She was a guest at a conveention over 10 years ago now in
Derby, England (where i live) & she was giving a speech on John
& asking questions from the people. I tried to speak to her but she was
only there for a short while but it was amazing to actually see her!! :o
I did however meet Alister Taylor at another convention & a great gentleman
he was!

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

[...]
I'll be very interested to know what you think bout the book. As i doubted whether i should get it or not

This is what I've read about it ...

"Includes up to 50 black and white photos. Until now, the true story of John Lennon�s childhood has never been told. John�s sister Julia has herself been on a personal journey that has made it possible only now to reveal the full extent of the pain and difficulties�as well as the happier times�living inside John Lennon�s family brought. Julia reveals the various strong, self-willed and selfish women who surrounded John as he grew up. John was removed from his mother at the age of 5 to live with his Aunt Mimi, and here Julia shows for the first time the cruelty of this decision�to both mother and son, she sheds a new light on his upbringing with Mimi which is often at dramatic odds with the accepted tale. John�s frequent visits to his mother and sisters gave him the liveliness, freedom and love he sought and allowed him to develop his musical talents. The tragic death of their mother, knocked down outside Aunt Mimi�s house by a speeding car when John was 17, meant that life for him and his sisters would never be the same again."

Quoted from Andy Smith

She was a guest at a conveention over 10 years ago now in
Derby, England (where i live) & she was giving a speech on John
& asking questions from the people. I tried to speak to her but she was
only there for a short while but it was amazing to actually see her!! :o
I did however meet Alister Taylor at another convention & a great gentleman
he was!

Damn... thats NOT fair!!!! :P

And Raxo,
Thing is, she didnt actually live with her brother, or did she? And a lot of the stuff in the book is about her and Julie from what i saw

By the way, how do you quote two people in one reply?

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

[...]
By the way, how do you quote two people in one reply?

Before you press the "Post" button when you've already answered the first quoted text, don't post it but copy all the text and go back to the thread to quote the second reply and then past there the "previous" non-posted reply ... I'm not sure if it makes sense :-/ ...

Quoted from raxo

This is what I've read about it ...

"Includes up to 50 black and white photos. Until now, the true story of John Lennon’s childhood has never been told. John’s sister Julia has herself been on a personal journey that has made it possible only now to reveal the full extent of the pain and difficulties—as well as the happier times—living inside John Lennon’s family brought. Julia reveals the various strong, self-willed and selfish women who surrounded John as he grew up. John was removed from his mother at the age of 5 to live with his Aunt Mimi, and here Julia shows for the first time the cruelty of this decision—to both mother and son, she sheds a new light on his upbringing with Mimi which is often at dramatic odds with the accepted tale. John’s frequent visits to his mother and sisters gave him the liveliness, freedom and love he sought and allowed him to develop his musical talents. The tragic death of their mother, knocked down outside Aunt Mimi’s house by a speeding car when John was 17, meant that life for him and his sisters would never be the same again."

Thanks for the info!

Quoted from raxo

Before you press the "Post" button when you've already answered the first quoted text, don't post it but copy all the text and go back to the thread to quote the second reply and then past there the "previous" non-posted reply ... I'm not sure if it makes sense :-/ ...

Thanks again! Hey it worked!!!!!

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

Thanks for the info!

Thanks again! Hey it worked!!!!!

Hope this is not going to be the last time!LOL!  ;D

OK, more difficult this time :P ... a quoted text inside another quoted text: copy the quoted text that it's going to be "inside" the other and paste it in the place you want it but always between the two "quote"s  ...

Example: [quote=] (quoted text here ... with its own "quote"s too!!!) [quote] ... and voila!  8)

I guess this makes even less sense  :B ...

Quoted from raxo

OK, more difficult this time :P ... a quoted text inside another quoted text: copy the quoted text that it's going to be "inside" the other and paste it in the place you want it but always between the two "quote"s  ...

Example: [quote=] (quoted text here ... with its own "quote"s too!!!) [quote] ... and voila!  8)

I guess this makes even less sense  :B ...

But how do you quote something from already quoted text that comes from previously quoted text in another thread, maybe even on another forum, and not even this year but maybe last year or the year before and can I have it in green please?

Quoted from BlueMeanie

But how do you quote something from already quoted text that comes from previously quoted text in another thread, maybe even on another forum, and not even this year but maybe last year or the year before and can I have it in green please?

Are you in a hurry or I've got time? 8)

Quoted from raxo

Are you in a hurry or I've got time? 8)

Ha! I finally finished "A Twist of Lennon". All I can say really is that it's a very easy and light book to read. It doesn't go into much detail which is where it differs from "John". The perfect book for me would be "John" with the ending of "A Twist of Lennon". By the way, it's interesting how Twist was Cynthia's second husband's name... if im not mistaken.

I'm taking a break with Beatles books and thought i'll read some classic literature.

Thanks for your report, KE! It sounds like A Twist of Lennon is not a must-read, since I've already read John. I found _that_ pretty light going!

Cool note about Twist being an ex-husband. #3, actually:
1970 - Italian hotelier Roberto Bassanini, divorced in 1973.

1976 - John Twist, an engineer from Lancashire. They divorced in 1983 (after this book came out in 1978! Very interesting. So was it a deliberate or unconscious connection?)

2002 - Noel Charles, a night club owner.

I'm reading All You Need Is Ears right now and received The True Beginnings (by the family Best) recently. The latter looks pretty, with nice pictures. The George Martin book is a good read too.

Just finished reading Geoffrey Giuliano's 'Revolution'.
Not a bad book for begginer's (maybe) but nothing that special
on trivia or knowledge. :-/ Never been keen on him but this book
is OK, i suppose.
I'm now starting Julia Baird's Book (would you like me, sitting there
with me hooter scraping away at this booook! ;D ;D).

^ why read Andy Smith if parading is better? ;)

Read it quickly coz i want to see your review

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

^ why read Andy Smith if parading is better? ;)

Read it quickly coz i want to see your review

I will, while tormenting my eyes! ;D
Anyway, your a bit old for that sort of chat arn't yr? ;D :P

I recently finished 'Magical Mystery Tour' by Tony Bramwell

it was OK- pretty standard story of the Beatles, learn some new things from it though. He did seem to be a bit kind of taking every opportunity he could to try to give proof of how well he knew the beatles...which got a bit annoying after a while, but I would say it's definately worth a read as easy-reading, learn some stuff maybe. And besides, I liked the cover :)

By the way, has anyone read some book called 'John Lennon Called Me Normal' because I was watching a Pink Floyd documentary and there was some guy on it who was apparently author of that book (sorry cant remember his name!) so, if anyone has read it I would be interested to hear if it's good :)

Quoted from tangerine

By the way, has anyone read some book called 'John Lennon Called Me Normal' because I was watching a Pink Floyd documentary and there was some guy on it who was apparently author of that book (sorry cant remember his name!) so, if anyone has read it I would be interested to hear if it's good :)

Haven't read the book, but the author is Norman Smith who was an engineer on most of The Beatles recordings up until Rubber Soul, I think. He also produced the first couple of Floyd albums.

A.K.A. Hurricane Smith, he had 3 hit singles in the UK between '71 and '72.

Norman Smith (born 22 February 1923) is a musician and record producer. He was the engineer on all of the recordings by the Beatles up until 1965 when EMI promoted him from engineer to producer. The last Beatles album he recorded was Rubber Soul.

Smith, on 17 June 1965 (nickname 'Normal', & '2 dB's Smith') while working with the Beatles was once offered 15,000 UKP by the band's music publishing company (Dick James Music) to buy outright a song he had written, which he offered to finalise the track line-up of the Help! LP.

In early 1967, he began working with a new group, Pink Floyd, producing their first three studio albums The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, A Saucerful of Secrets, and Ummagumma. During the sessions for the song "Remember a Day", drummer Nick Mason became agitated that he could not come up with the right drum part for the song. Smith, however, knew what he wanted with the drums, so he played the part himself. Still, Pink Floyd outgrew their producer somewhat, referring to him as "Normal" instead of Norman, although numerous books quote John Lennon as having come up with the nickname.

In 1968, Smith produced one of the first rock concept albums, The Pretty Things' S.F. Sorrow.

In 1971, Smith, as a recording artist under the name of Hurricane Smith, had a UK hit with "Don't Let It Die". In 1972 he enjoyed a transatlantic hit with "Oh Babe What Would You Say?", which became a U.S. # 1 Cashbox hit. This recording was a demo of a song that he had written for a different artist to record. When he played it for fellow record producer Mickie Most, Most was impressed enough to tell him to release it as it was.

Also from Smith's self-titled debut album was a third hit single, a cover of Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Who Was It?".

Some minor hits followed, like "My Mother Was Her Name" (1972), "Beautiful Day, Beautiful Night" (1973) and "To Make You My Baby" (1974). However, his subsequent attempts at producing successful recordings proved elusive.

In 2004, Smith released a new CD, From Me To You (SFMCD030), including new recordings of his biggest self-penned hits, "Don't Let It Die" and "Oh Babe, What Would You Say?", and includes messages in the liner notes from Sir Paul McCartney and members of Pink Floyd. Interviews on the disc can be cited to confirm the information given above.

Norman Smith has written a book, his memoirs, entitled John Lennon Called Me Normal. It debuted on 16 March 2007 as a strictly limited first edition, at The Fest for Beatles Fans in Secaucus, New Jersey, at which Smith appeared live and sang "Oh Babe" to a packed, cheering ballroom of fans. An expanded market edition of the book is due for worldwide release in summer 2007. The book contains never-before-published pictures, newly revealed historical facts about the Beatles and Pink Floyd at Abbey Road Studios, as well as the fascinating details of Smith's life as an RAF Glider Pilot, family man and "British Invasion" renaissance man.

ay, thanks! ;D that's excellente

Quoted from Andy Smith

I will, while tormenting my eyes! ;D
Anyway, your a bit old for that sort of chat arn't yr? ;D :P

.. but I'm clean... :P

Quoted from DarkSweetLady

I ME MINE

How are you liking it so far? By the way, read carefully the pictures' captions...

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

.. but I'm clean... :P

Are Yr? ;D

^ Course I am! I'm a human being aren't I?

...People are going to blame us for spamming... ::)

Just finished George Martin's 'All You Need Is Ears' and Geoff Emericks 'Here There & Everywhere.' Both great reads. Geoff offers many insights into the dynamics and relationship of the band. If anyone knows, then this man does. ;)

Quoted from An Apple Beatle

Just finished George Martin's 'All You Need Is Ears' and Geoff Emericks 'Here There & Everywhere.' Both great reads. Geoff offers many insights into the dynamics and relationship of the band. If anyone knows, then this man does. ;)

Yeah, I wanna read Geoff's book, looks very good & he's always been a trustworthy man! :)
Never read George Martin's book, so i'll need to seek it out :o

Geoff's Here, There and Everywhere. What a great book!

Anyone read Jurgen Vollmer's book about the Beatles in Hamburg?

I skimmed through Cynthia's book, John, a couple of weeks ago. I read a chapter and it seemed very good. I haven't bought it yet, though.

Quoted from Flaming Pie in the Sky

I skimmed through Cynthia's book, John, a couple of weeks ago. I read a chapter and it seemed very good. I haven't bought it yet, though.

I'd definately recommand it (I reviewed it here before). Its not the usual "twist of lennon".

I've never read Twist of Lennon.
Has anybody here read it & what's it like?

I think I told you to get it before Sky... it gives sort of the other side of John (John by Cyn Lennon)

I already read I Me Mine but I was finishing up the songs... then I'm going to read Lennon Revealed.....

^^ I'm reading Lennon Revealed

I've only read Shout! by Philip Norman... I liked it. Quite informative, and I liked how he also gives background facts, like what was happening in the world around the Beatles at that time.
I want to read Hunter Davies' book (I've read little bits... selectively, I'm afraid  :B)
I've also read some bits from John and I Me Mine (well, they were birthday presents for K_E, and I had to have a bit of a read and see what is it that I'm giving her  ;))
I sometimes "steal" I Me Mine to read about the song lyrics and stories behind them...

Wow, great thread, loads of great Beatles books out there...  :)

Quoted from Andy Smith

I've never read Twist of Lennon.
Has anybody here read it & what's it like?

Well now. Twist of Lennon (not to confuze with Lemon- jokies). Its a more restrained book of the John-Cynthia story. It appears that she (Cynthia) writes more in order to please the public and media and it has more "stories" about the other people. It also contains Cyn's poems (which are quite nice) and her drawings. In fact, it is more about Cyn than both of them.

Read more here. and the post after
http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/b-books/m-1169261662/s-60/#num72

^ oooh! Can I proudly say I did a raxo??? ;)

Quoted from Kaleidoscope_Eyes

[...]^ oooh! Can I proudly say I did a raxo??? ;)

LOL! Many people here would say (proudly? I'm not sure) so ;) ...

not been reading an awful lot of the Beatles lately :-/ as i've been
reading biographies on Tony Visconti, Anne Frank, & Graham Chapman.
yes, very odd choices i have but i love to read so much on people! :)

I am currently reading Revolution: The Making Of The Beatles\' White Album by David Quantick. Some good fresh views on overly-familiar material, so far so good. I really like books that analyze each song, such as Revolution In The Head by Ian MacDonald.

This book is part of the Vinyl Frontier series of books, I have another in the series called I Just Wasn\'t Made For These Times: The Making Of Pet Sounds but I haven\'t started that one yet.

Quoted from Michelle Revolution

I really like books that analyze each song, such as Revolution In The Head by Ian MacDonald.

yeah, me too. i'm slightly obsessed with that kinda thing! tha or
a-z books (like Bill Harry's :))

I have Bill Harry\'s book too and I agree it is an addictive read. There are a few silly errors in there though but who is qualified to proof-read a book of that sort? Despite the errors, I wouldn\'t be without this book.

Quoted from Michelle Revolution

I am currently reading Revolution: The Making Of The Beatles\' White Album by David Quantick. Some good fresh views on overly-familiar material, so far so good. I really like books that analyze each song, such as Revolution In The Head by Ian MacDonald.

This book is part of the Vinyl Frontier series of books, I have another in the series called I Just Wasn\'t Made For These Times: The Making Of Pet Sounds but I haven\'t started that one yet.

They should both be interesting to read, Michelle. They've become companion books for their respective albums.

For me, Pet Sounds remains a complicated album. I knew that when it was first released. I can remember saying to myself "I'm too young to understand all of this now." There remain some things I've yet to understand. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times: Brian Wilson and the Making Of Pet Sounds would be a great book to read on my upcoming vacation.

Pet Sounds had a very strong effect on me at a young age, i have great memories
of first discovering it when i was about 14 or 15. It was a great summer as well when
i discovered the album, same as when i discovered the fabs & Sgt Pepper. :)
i played pet sounds so much & still do which drives my folks crazy! ;D
Haven't read that book but i want to, it's not a huge read as i assume?
:)

Quoted from Hello Goodbye

They should both be interesting to read, Michelle. They\'ve become companion books for their respective albums.

For me, Pet Sounds remains a complicated album. I knew that when it was first released. I can remember saying to myself \"I\'m too young to understand all of this now.\" There remain some things I\'ve yet to understand. I Just Wasn\'t Made For These Times: Brian Wilson and the Making Of Pet Sounds would be a great book to read on my upcoming vacation.

That was a very insightful conclusion for one so young and it was also very honest of you. Sometimes Pet Sounds reminds of the old Emperor\'s New Clothes fable - are some people afraid to admit that they don\'t like it, in fear of being frowned upon by their peers? Personally speaking, I don\'t think this album is as good as it thinks it is, which you may think is strange when I tell you it\'s one of my favorite albums. I don\'t believe hype, I listen to music on its merits, i.e. through my own ears.

I like sticking to biographies when it comes to the beatles.... I don't like reading books that analyze every song...beatle music is to be enjoyed not to be broken down and studied....it doesn't seem important how they were written...all you need is to listen to them...and what they mean to you not some author you never met to tell you what they mean....

Quoted from Michelle Revolution

That was a very insightful conclusion for one so young and it was also very honest of you. Sometimes Pet Sounds reminds of the old Emperor's New Clothes fable - are some people afraid to admit that they don't like it, in fear of being frowned upon by their peers? Personally speaking, I don't think this album is as good as it thinks it is, which you may think is strange when I tell you it's one of my favorite albums. I don't believe hype, I listen to music on its merits, i.e. through my own ears.

Well said, Michelle. Pet sounds was a radical departure from what we expected of the Beach Boys at the time. But like the Beatles, they were responding to a "call of the times." The mid-to-late 1960s was a tumultuous time worldwide and growing up during that time was a bit difficult. One could chose to remain oblivious to what was going on or confront the problems that existed. In retrospect, both the Beatles and the Beach Boys influenced society more than we were aware of at the time. We absolutely could not go on listening to British Rock Invasion or domestic Surf Music indefinitely.

For me, Rubber Soul and Pet Sounds coincided with a new level of awareness I was experiencing in coming of age. I guess Pet Sounds was more difficult for me to understand because Brian Wilson is just so hard to figure out!

I'm not entirely sure why you're getting those backslashes when you type an apostrphe but try going to Control Panel and clicking on Keyboard and then click on the Language tab and see if it says "English (United States)" and "United States 101" under the Layout heading. If not, select it from the drop-down menu. I hope that helps.

Has any one read 'The Beatles' by Hunter Davies? and what you thought about it? I never read any Beatle books before and just bought this one but havn't started reading it yet.

I so want to get cynthia's Book 'John'. I was about to get his sister Julia's book but changed my mind.

I began to read Hunter Davies a long time ago but put it down..It seemed to be a safe, official biography of the band written in it's time. That just did not appeal to me. Now I am a sucker for books about the people that worked with them and their recording techniques.

I read it a long time ago when it was the only bio available. You should definitely read it to see what the authorized biography was all about and how it compares to more recent publications.

Quoted from Hello Goodbye

I\'m not entirely sure why you\'re getting those backslashes when you type an apostrphe but try going to Control Panel and clicking on Keyboard and then click on the Language tab and see if it says \"English (United States)\" and \"United States 101\" under the Layout heading. If not, select it from the drop-down menu. I hope that helps.

OK, I\'ve done that - let\'s see if that\'s fixed thing...

Quoted from Michelle Revolution

OK, I\'ve done that - let\'s see if that\'s fixed thing...

Oh mess, thanks anyway Hello Goodbye. :)

The Rough Guide to The Beatles (2nd Edition)

Quoted from maninthequeue

The Rough Guide to The Beatles (2nd Edition)

That's an excellant little book. i enjoyed it & it's always good to refer back to! ;)

I�m reading Larry Kane�s �Ticket to Ride� right now and�wow! I�m amazed that the Beatles toured as long as they did, and they're still on their first pass through the US. Every concert is a riot, with keen dangers, dozens of kids hurt, mayhem breaking loose. At Kane's first concert, a girl behind him is trampled and left with a broken leg. I�m halfway through the �64 American tour and I�m exhausted already.

One bummer-- I got this off Amazon and it was supposed to be "new", but it's autographed by Kane (not bad!) and the CD is missing (bad!). So... does anyone know where I can find just the CD? It as a series of Kane's taped interviews, I think. Thank you!

I borrowed Richie Unterberger's 'The Unreleased Beatles' book from the libery yesterday, it's
a fun read, similar to Chrinicle by Mark Lewishon. :)

Quoted from harihead

I�m reading Larry Kane�s �Ticket to Ride�

I've got his book �Lennon Revealed�

Just starting on ' Beatles- The Dream Is Over'.

I just finished reading - The Beatles unseen.

But now i'm reading The Beatles - Stories behind the songs...

Does Patti's biography count..?

Quoted from NoraNora4

Does Patti's biography count..?

I would say, absolutely! Who's likely to read it besides Beatles fans? (I think Eric fans would want to avoid it...)

What do you think of the books you just read? I haven't read either of those. My library doesn't have them.

At the moment I'm reading Paul's biography 'Many Years From Now' by Barry Miles. I'm halfway through and Paul appears to spend very little time with the Beatles, apart from songwriting with John. It's very much a solo biography. We'll see what I think when I get done with it.

Okay:)

Theyre both very good actually,

And Patties biographies brilliant too, Some new things i never knew:D

xoxo

I finished Tony Bramwell's "Magical Mystery Tours, My Life With The Beatles" a few weeks ago, it was pretty good. And now I'm reading the "The Beatles Authorized Biography".

I am reading Cynthia Lennons book.

I'm re-reading Paul's autobiography "Many Years From Now" (co-written by Barry Miles who is really excellent)(Barry & John Dunbar are long-time friends of Macca from the days of the Indica Art gallery)

Paul pretty much tells his life story--all the previously known facts about meeting John at the church fete, the infamous Hamburg days, the Cavern etc., all the way to his post Beatles, Wings period and beyond. My favorite section of the book is "The Making of the Albums", in which he dissects nearly every Lennon/McCartney song and tells us his degree of contribution to each one. After reading this lengthy book, I got the general feeling that Paul was very much in competion with John, artistically, and that he was trying to assert (even more than just convey)his importance in the Beatles. The book is simultaneously egomaniacal yet extremely informative. He basically gives the inspiration for almost all the songs he and John wrote together. For that alone, it's a great read (if you can stomach McCartney's excessive bragging)

as far as factual errors, I'll with hold judgement on that...Paul was closer to the subject than I was. He was a Beatle, I wasn't. Any autobigraphy is riddled with personal perception, but I believe 98% of his recollection (factually) What I wasn't too thrilled about was his unabashed pomposity....but he's easily forgiven by me when I think of all the joy he gave me with his music over the years. Let the clinical, emotion-less future archivists sort out the veracity of his claims, he's PAUL McCARTNEY FOR CHRISSAKE! HE WROTE YESTERDAY, CASE CLOSED.

Quoted from 829

I'm re-reading Paul's autobiography "Many Years From Now" (co-written by Barry Miles who is really excellent)

Excellant Book, can't believe it's about 10 years old!! :o
Interesting view point's from Macca as well, he has a good memory
(almost full! :P)

Quoted from 829

After reading this lengthy book, I got the general feeling that Paul was very much in competion with John, artistically, and that he was trying to assert (even more than just convey)his importance in the Beatles.

I think the reason they kept pumping out great songs in no time at all, especially earlier on, is undoubtedly the competition between the two of them. I'm sure they both wanted the A side of every single that came out.

Quoted from BlueMeanie

I think the reason they kept pumping out great songs in no time at all, especially earlier on, is undoubtedly the competition between the two of them. I'm sure they both wanted the A side of every single that came out.

We have been down this road many a time, but I agree. I would go as far as to say competition was vital to their success, far more so than any dreams of some brotherly commune. Songs had to fight for their place on albums and as singles, something most other bands don't have to consider, there normally being one dominant talent (or a lyrics/music combo)

Quoted from Andy Smith

Excellant Book, can't believe it's about 10 years old!! :o
Interesting view point's from Macca as well, he has a good memory
(almost full! :P)

by the way--and I know I should be shot for this, but I think I'm the only one who hasnt heard Almost Full yet..
*hangs head in shame*

Quoted from 829

by the way--and I know I should be shot for this, but I think I'm the only one who hasnt heard Almost Full yet..
*hangs head in shame*

:o :o :o What! You don't know what your missing!!!

Now starting on 'Day By Day, Song By Song, Record By Record'.

I just finished Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America by Jonathan Gould. What a wonderful book! Unlike some of these hack jobs, this is truly a labor of love. Gould has obviously loved and appreciated the Beatles for a long time, and as a result has created the only Beatles biography that I would actually care to own (besides Hunter Davies' for its historical relevance).

Gould approaches his subject from 3 essential viewpoints: the history of the Beatles themselves (the more traditional biography), an analysis of their music, and (the highpoint for me) setting their music in the historial and musical context of the times. The controversy surrounding "Revolution", for example, becomes much more understandable when you see, there in a nutshell, the kinds of protests and street fighting that was taking place around the globe. Knowing that the song "And Your Bird Can Sing" was written about Frank Sinatra certainly boosts my appreciation. ;D

In addition to being fanatically researched (which I love), the book is written in a delightful style. Gould's words are warm and accessible, his reflections well-considered. He's throwing out an opinion, obviously, but this is an opinion he has mulled probably for years. I found it all fascinating and a really great read. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the Beatles in the context of their times or simply appreciate their music once again from a thoughtful standpoint. Cheers!

Quoted from harihead

relevance).

Gould approaches . Knowing that the song "And Your Bird Can Sing" was written about Frank Sinatra certainly boosts my appreciation. ;D

WOW !!! had NO idea about that ... an 'Ol Blue Eyes diss ?That took guts !! ;D The words are so cutting in "Bird" (--no doubt, that was John) Cheers!..even though I'm half Italian myself, AND from the same homestate as Sinatra, I've always felt he was just a glorified thug. I must confess though, George seemed to have more favorable opinions on old Frank--(you'll hear that a bit on the Dark Horse album)..and don't forget, F. S. gave Harrison the ULTIMATE compliment saying "Something" was "the greatest love song written in the last 50 years (at the time)"

-km

You would love this book, MMM. :) The story is, Frank took a swipe at the Beatles first-- and John will not be swiped at! "Bird" was a favorite term of Old Blue Eyes, hence the lyric. I think Frank (as many other established performers) was forced to eat crow (heh) when the Beatles turned into an enduring musical phenomenon, not just a fad as most people (including the Beatles) had started out believing. I just adore their brazen "Oh, yeah?" attitude. That is a special gift of youth; may it never die!

Quoted from harihead

You would love this book, MMM. :) The story is, Frank took a swipe at the Beatles first-- and John will not be swiped at! "Bird" was a favorite term of Old Blue Eyes, hence the lyric. I think Frank (as many other established performers) was forced to eat crow (heh) when the Beatles turned into an enduring musical phenomenon, not just a fad as most people (including the Beatles) had started out believing. I just adore their brazen "Oh, yeah?" attitude. That is a special gift of youth; may it never die!

that is nothing short of awesome, Hari! I know what you meant when you said most ppl including the Beatles themselves never dreamed of the success they would ultimately reach. There's a bit of old footage from late '63 or early '64 (used in "The Compleat Beatles", I believe) that has the boys talking about where they would be years from now. It's so ironic now, Ringo for instance, saying things in his souse accent like "I hope to open up a lady's hair salon"--I'm paraphrasing, of course, but something along those lines. They had NO IDEA....
it seems almost endearing in retrospect that they would think like that, in such modest terms. It's charming to see things like that preserved on film. It was an innocent time.
As for Sinatra eating crow...........YES !!!!! The best revenge is SUCCESS...and we'll all agree The Fab had a hefty portion (ya think Kev ? lol) another "rat pack" type to eat crow was Dean Martin--like I described in another post, he pretty much thought the Stones were a joke....yeah RIGHT, Dino...did HE sell as many records as Jagger & Co.?? Dont think so. Vindication is sweet ;D *snicker* *snicker* *snicker*

Here There & Everywhere: My Life Recording the Beatles

^Just like George M is there talking to you in this book....Really enjoyed it.

Quoted from The walrus

I so want to get cynthia's Book 'John'. I was about to get his sister Julia's book but changed my mind.

I would say to you don't waste your money, but you probably already bought it. I stopped reading it after being half-way through - the book offered up no "secrets" or revelations into John Lennon's personal life at all, really. She talked about what the Beatles did, which you can find out everywhere else. Pah.

Hi there. I'm new.

The Sinatra connection is merely Gould's theory, and while anyone's interpretation is "valid" (the ear cares about the actual music a lot more than the lyrics anyway), this brings to mind the problem I tend to have with any lone person's "definitive" version of the Beatles' musical story: The new slants are presented as facts, case closed, no argument allowed, whereas they're just good guesses. Gould doesn't seem to realize that "bird" is slang for "girl" in the UK, and he ignores certain words that certainly sound directed to a woman rather than an overrated lounge singer ("Look in my direction/I'll be around").

Here's a long-winded review. I agree that Can't Buy Me Love is, for the most part, outstanding, but it's marred by the usual useless bits of criticism, and Gould places too much importance on the lyrics, ignoring a lot of the melodies, harmonic climates, arrangements, etc. that made the Beatles music appealing. He thinks "Cry Baby Cry" sucks just because of the lyrics, for instance, and doesn't even address its catchy chord progression.

Still, this six-hundred-page surprise is exceptionally insightful and well written. It even startles you with brilliant bits of humor when you're least expecting them. In spite of getting a few lyrics wrong (doesn't he have the songs handy?), he's written a book about the Beatles and their impact for (gasp) intelligent adults who appreciate the watertight application of a wide vocabulary.

Regrettably, as with too many books that center on the work of musical artists, it's tarnished by negative criticism of many songs -- even entire album-sides, written off with incongruent flippancy. Nobody would suggest that every piece of music the group recorded is fantastic, but this berating adds nothing, merely warding off the reader a bit and detracting from the astute bulk of the book.

Why does everyone who writes a Beatles volume feel that he must intermittently assume the musically cynical, aloof and utterly useless role of "music critic"? It's not as if it changes people's tastes, or the way the music sounds coming out of the speakers.

The irrelevant disapproval periodically pulls the book down from its otherwise enlightening and highly erudite bearing into the realm of isolated and quite useless subjectivity. And the charm of the early recordings is, for some reason, utterly lost on the author. We honestly don't care which songs you don't like, Mr. Gould; the title and presented notion of your book, not to mention the majority of its prose (thankfully), don't indicate snide personal opinions, isolated from the substance; rather, a historical and sociological context-painting of the Beatles' music. You do this remarkably well, so you don't need to resort to imitating the hack writers of Rolling Stone and other immensely overrated periodicals.

Speaking of the misquoted lyrics, why not get pedantic about a few other bits while I'm at it, on behalf of like-minded fanatics: In "Paperback Writer," the background vocals are "frere jacques," not "paperbacker" sung merely "to the tune" of that French song. And Paul sings the first line of the "Lucy" chorus, not John - listen carefully. The collage of cut-up tapes in "Mr. Kite" is not heard after John introduces Henry the Horse, but rather at the end of the song, after he sings "topping the bill." Apart from the song citations, the normal slang is "old stamping ground," in keeping with the horse metaphor, not "stomping" (in spite of erroneous popular usage). And a "meteoric rise" doesn't exist, since meteors fall, not rise. Finally, LSD is not an acronym -- just initials. An acronym is a set of initials that actually spell out a word.

Anyway, the author's immaterial tracts of criticism aside, the book is superb, and this is coming from an extremely picky reader/writer whose favorite Beatles books include their own Anthology, Recording the Beatles, the Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, An Oral History and the incredibly good Many Years From Now (the best non-technical books tend to consist mainly of interview sections, rather than merely the author's removed take - for obvious reasons).

If the occasional inaccuracy doesn't annoy the reader too much, this book pleasantly separates itself from the ever-growing stack of "I wasn't there" accounts with a writing style that gloriously refuses to dumb itself down, insight worth its weight in syllables (for once), and a rare capacity for making dyed-in-the-skull music sound fresh. It's unquestionably worth reading - more than once, in fact, given the sheer amount of gossip-free historical and musical perception - to anyone who likes the Beatles' music and is interested in the environmental circumstances under which such revolutionary work buds, blossoms and thrives.

(Damn, I have some nerve.....sharing my Amazon review as my first post! What a dork, huh.)

Welcome to DM's Chris. Funny enough, a certain 'jongould' signed in a couple of days ago.

Thanks. Well, if it's really him (is this a particularly popular forum? I signed up because it was the only one I could find that had that whole, y'know, "literacy" thing going on), I certainly hope he's more graceful about what he surely must have anticipated would be overly picky reading than Spitz was to the Beatles Magazine bird. As it were.

It is him. I've sent him an e-mail and he confirmed. He admitted he's a bit tired talking about the book over and over again, but is willing to answer questions! Oh, and he said he would like to thank Harihead for her kind review.

Quoted from Chris

Speaking of the misquoted lyrics, why not get pedantic about a few other bits while I'm at it, on behalf of like-minded fanatics: In "Paperback Writer," the background vocals are "frere jacques," not "paperbacker" sung merely "to the tune" of that French song. And Paul sings the first line of the "Lucy" chorus, not John - listen carefully. The collage of cut-up tapes in "Mr. Kite" is not heard after John introduces Henry the Horse, but rather at the end of the song, after he sings "topping the bill." Apart from the song citations, the normal slang is "old stamping ground," in keeping with the horse metaphor, not "stomping" (in spite of erroneous popular usage). And a "meteoric rise" doesn't exist, since meteors fall, not rise. Finally, LSD is not an acronym -- just initials. An acronym is a set of initials that actually spell out a word.

I love this bit. I can be a picky little sod!! ;D

Welcome to the forum Chris.

Quoted from Chris

. Gould doesn't seem to realize that "bird" is slang for "girl" in the UK, and he ignores certain words that certainly sound directed to a woman rather than an overrated lounge singer ("Look in my direction/I'll be around").

You seem to ignore the existence of lyrical ambiguity, in the sense that artists are not averse to using double entendre or even dual-connotation in their symbolism..hence, Hari's point that Lennon's "bird" use might refer equally to a Sinatra "swipe" AND the English colloquial term for "girl"...why limit an artist of John's stature to only one meaning? Both are equally valid and can comfortably "cohabit" a song verse.

btw welcome, Chris.

were all Beatle pedantics here:)

picky sod #2,
MMM

Quoted from 829

You seem to ignore the existence of lyrical ambiguity, in the sense that artists are not averse to using double entendre or even dual-connotation in their symbolism..hence, Hari's point that Lennon's "bird" use might refer equally to a Sinatra "swipe" AND the English colloquial term for "girl"...why limit and artist of John's stature to only one meaning? Both are equally valid and can comfortably "cohabit" a song verse.

Excellent point. In fact, I suppose that where Lennon's concerned, ambiguity's the norm, rather than the exception.

Solid. This is my kind of forum.

Thanks for the comments, BM.......O-bloooooooooooo-ter-ate them!

Quoted from Chris

Solid. This is my kind of forum.

yes..@ dmbeatles, the Fab are respected, dissected,inspected,never negleted or corrected, collated,annotated, never repudiated...but MOST OF ALL, loved and listened to..

-mmm

Welcome to the forums Chris!
lots of Beatles people on the horizan! :D :)

What a great thread! Nice one Chris....The Beatles were a band at the end of the day and humoured themselves as such I feel. 'In' jokes betwen bands is a very important part of writing for a group that cuts the mustard. The Beatles have always inspired me that way. Lyrics should be ambigious in the sense that more people draw their own meanings. All a band can really achieve in a bigger sense is to reach peoples conscience.....I love The Beatles. What a balance they had.

Quoted from 829

yes..@ dmbeatles, the Fab are respected, dissected,inspected,never negleted or corrected, collated,annotated, never repudiated...but MOST OF ALL, loved and listened to..

-mmm

nice wordplay..Very right-eous. ;) ....As in good righteous. :)

Quoted from An Apple Beatle

nice wordplay..Very right-eous. ;) ....As in good righteous. :)

thx..see what happens when I take a break from The Fab and listen to too much Dylan ?? ;D

Geoff Emerick's Here There And Everywhere, an awesome book highly recommended.

I just came across a newish book about John, "Shoulda Been There," by Jude Kessler. It is historical fiction and supposedly based on twenty years of research.

Here is a link to an excerpt about John and Cyn in 1958:

http://www.ontherockbooks.com/Shoulda/excerpts.html

The writer really breathes some fresh life into a by now familiar story. I also have to give her credit for getting Cynthia's perceived rival, Helen Anderson's personality spot on.

I once spent an afternoon at Ms. Anderson's home in suburban Liverpool, talking about her college days with John and Cynthia, for a project that I was working on. She was so gracious and charming. The lady put me at ease and showed me some warm Liverpool hospitality.

I look forward to reading Ms. Kessler's book. The cover photo was taken by Astrid.

Has anyone read it yet?

Hi, Jude Kessler here! Thanks for the kind words, Ligger. I know the book release date is a bit confusing. It was copyrighted as a manuscript in 1994, but the book was actually only released the day before Thanksgiving in November (2007). It's been out for about 4 and a half months now.

I started the book in 1986 and did secondary research by building a 300 plus volume Beatle library in my home. But 1993, I knew I HAD to go to Liverpool if I wanted to do the book justice. I spent the next 7 years traveling back and forth to Liverpool to interview Bob Wooler, Allan Williams, June Furlong, Rod Murray, Colin Fallows, Joe Flannery, and on and on...And then spent years actually writing and rewriting the work.

It's unique...it reads like a novel, but each chapter is footnoted and has end notes which discuss the discrepancies in the non-fiction biographer's accounts of that particular event. It even has a Scouse glossary and an encyclopedia of the real characters in the book with bios of each.

There's a review of it on beatlelinks.net and one on daytrippin.com if y'wanna check it out.

And on my site, ontherockbooks.com, you can read a sample chapter, too.

I'd be glad to answer any questions about the book for anyone. I'll check back in tomorrow night to see if anyone has replied.

Thanks again for the kind words...I really appreciate it!

I'll also be glad to give any member of this site free shipping in addition to the $5 off sale on the book right now. Just e-mail me at kesslerjude@yahoo.com and tell me you are a member of this forum.

Talk to you soon!
Cheers!
Jude

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