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Best Beatles Book?
14 June 2010
12.19am
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HammerDealer
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Ringo only, George only, Paul only, or a Beatles book feature everyone. I’ve already read a good Lennon one.

What would be your favorite be, not involving Lennon.

If you favorite is a Lennon only book, please feel free to mention it. Thanks. 🙂

When I Twish And Shout, it makes the Girl say "What Goes On?", and than I say, "I do this Here, There and Everywhere", and than she finishes by saying "Honey Don't".

14 June 2010
8.03am
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A Fiendish Thingy
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I don't really have a favorite, so I'll just list a bunch, okay? Okay. a-hard-days-night-george-9

 

I loved “Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison ” by Marc Shapiro… the title is a little dramatic, but then again, so is the book; it made me cry.a-hard-days-night-ringo-6 (If you're a hard-core George fan, I recommend you read his autobiography, “I Me Mine a-hard-days-night-george-6The pictures in there are great!)

A good Paul one is “McCartney” by Chris Salewicz, it's super in-depth and also made me cry.

I haven't read any Ringo books besides the one I'm reading currently, called “Ringo Starr : Straight Man or Joker?” and it seems okay so far. It's more of a reference book than one that you can really get into, you know?

I also enjoyed “Here, There, and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles” by Geoff Emerick, a sound engineer. It makes you feel like he's your grandpa, just telling you stories 'bout the good ol' days. a-hard-days-night-ringo-9

A super recommendable one, if you're really familiar with the Beatles' discography (which you probably are, considering the website you just posted on a-hard-days-night-paul-11) is “The Beatles and Philosophy” edited by Baur & Baur. It analyzes their songs as though the Beatles were philosophers, and it's incredibly entertaining. a-hard-days-night-john-6

I'm in love, but I'm lazy.

14 July 2010
3.00am
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RufusWild
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The Spitz book is pretty essential, though it has a few obvious mistakes (and therefore probably many more I didn't catch.)  Anthology.  The Lewisohn day by day recording sessions is an incredibly great book, totally engrossing.  (More so for me than his Chronicle.)  Philip Norman's Shout! was awfully good, too.  Those are good for a start.

"We were just a band, who made it very very big, that's all."

14 July 2010
6.03am
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John Lemon
strawberry fields
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An awesome lennon one ( I know you said no lennon a-hard-days-night-paul-11haha) I am currently reading; which you may not of heard of is shoulda been there by jude southerland.  I got recommended by a Beatles historian back in the myspace blog age.  It is fantastic,a-hard-days-night-george-9 told in a fictional story type manor but useing actual facts.  It is quite amazing how well she interprets conversations, and events.  You wont want to put it down. The author is also very personable, and will sign the book and email you if you have any questionsa-hard-days-night-john-6.  They could use this book and actually make a great movie out of it.a-hard-days-night-ringo-4.

5 September 2010
9.21pm
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DoctorRobert
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Revolution in the Head by Ian McDonald is my favourite Beatles book. Just excellent journalism, summing up every single Beatles recording as well as reporting on the cultural Revolution of the Sixties and the Beatles role in it. A must-have, in my opinion.

You all will have read that Dave Dee is no longer with us. But Mickey and Titch and I would like to carry on the good work that's always gone down in number two.

15 September 2010
12.38am
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MotherNaturesDaughter
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Personally the best one I have read so far is “Ticket To Ride : Inside the Beatles' 1964 Tour that Changed the World” by Larry Kane. It's chock full of information on the American tours in 1964, 1965, and some about the shooting of Help ! in the Bahamas. It's really given me a lot of great insight into what the tours are like and what went on during them. I love how in depth it is, because the author was actually there. But it does have some mature content, so beware if you aren't really good with that kind of stuff.

"I am definitely a mad man with a box."- Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor of Doctor Who (Episode 1 Season 5: The Eleventh Hour)

15 September 2010
12.52am
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skye
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Hmm, sounds interesting. I haven't had a Beatles book to read in a while, maybe I'll give it a try. a-hard-days-night-ringo-10

Welcome to the forum!

Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!

15 September 2010
9.47am
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vonbontee
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RufusWild said:

The Spitz book is pretty essential, though it has a few obvious mistakes (and therefore probably many more I didn't catch.) 


Yeah, I love that one!  Forgetting the inaccuracies (many of which are pretty trivial imo), his book is just plain dramatic, engrossing like a good novel, with the familiar-but-undeniably-powerful and classic rise/soar/fall structure.  In fact, it's practically a tragic love story, with two men, opposites who attract, falling in (non-sexual) love and starting a “family”…then watching their marriage slowly-but-surely collapse and their love vanish, as the opposing viewpoints that drew them together and made them such a formidable couple, slowly and inevitably drive them apart and destroy the family. A very moving book – it's hard for any Beatles fan to read it without getting increasingly saddened as that grim conclusion approaches.

GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty. 

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15 October 2010
8.29pm
mr. Sun king coming together
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Isn’t Many Years From Now Very Slanted to give Paul the Credit he deserves in every single situation
However I realize why Lennon and McCartney Disagree about who wrote what
Lennon was fast Mine or Paul’s in interviews whereas Paul Gave more details than Mine or His

As if it matters how a man falls down.'

'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.

16 October 2010
12.08am
mr. Sun king coming together
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Hey paulsbass welcome back
Thanks for agreeing with me

As if it matters how a man falls down.'

'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.

16 October 2010
6.45pm
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MeanMrsMustard
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paulsbass said:

mr. Sun king coming together said:

Isn't Many Years From Now Very Slanted to give Paul the Credit he deserves in every single situation

However I realize why Lennon and McCartney Disagree about who wrote what

Lennon was fast Mine or Paul's in interviews whereas Paul Gave more details than Mine or His


I think I mostly understood your posting, and I agree: Paul often says “I give John 60/80/90 percent of that song” or takes the credit himself, and it always fits my impression of who wrote what (the percentage of the lead vocals are always a good guideline).
 

Some people will always slant Macca, no matter what he says…


Yay! You're back! 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Paul usually had a really good memory for who did what…. a-hard-days-night-george-10 

If I seem to act unkind, it's only me, it's not my mind that is confusing things.

7 February 2011
8.07pm
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Lets pretend we just cant see her face
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A Fiendish Thingy said:

 

I loved “Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison ” by Marc Shapiro… the title is a little dramatic, but then again, so is the book; it made me cry.a-hard-days-night-ringo-6 (If you're a hard-core George fan, I recommend you read his autobiography, “I Me Mine a-hard-days-night-george-6The pictures in there are great!)

 


I just got Behind Sad Eyes in the mail today! Super excited 

When are you free to take some tea with me?

7 February 2011
8.17pm
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vonbontee
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I'm wondering what the title means – is “behind sad eyes” a George Harrison  lyric?

It sounds like it's playing off Pete Townshend's “Behind Blue Eyes” for reasons I can't imagine. And wasn't Ringo the one with the saddest eyes, anyways?

GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty. 

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7 February 2011
8.18pm
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StarWisher
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a-hard-days-night-ringo-8(and one more) Holy cow, I'm reading the introduction on Google Books and it already sounds like a pretty down book. Let me know how you like it, please!

ETA: This intro keeps getting crazier. Ha!

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." — Dr. Seuss

 

 

7 February 2011
9.53pm
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PennyLane
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I started reading the Sputz book but had to stop because of classes but I read “You Never Give Me Your Money ” which is a great book about the post-Beatles. I haven't read about them individually.

Well we all shine on like the moon, the stars, and the sun.

7 February 2011
10.54pm
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Lets pretend we just cant see her face
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Alright, I was finally able to pry myself away from the book. I can't think of any lyrics that go along with the title. In the introduction, the author talks about how George is introverted and how he would put on a façade of being happy but you could tell by looking at his eyes. It seems like that's where he came up with the title. I think he was playing off Pete. a-hard-days-night-john-2

When are you free to take some tea with me?

28 May 2011
9.03pm
JFKin60
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MotherNaturesDaughter said:

Personally the best one I have read so far is “Ticket To Ride : Inside the Beatles' 1964 Tour that Changed the World” by Larry Kane. It's chock full of information on the American tours in 1964, 1965, and some about the shooting of Help ! in the Bahamas. It's really given me a lot of great insight into what the tours are like and what went on during them. I love how in depth it is, because the author was actually there. But it does have some mature content, so beware if you aren't really good with that kind of stuff.

Wow…No disrespect, but this is the one book I tell everyone NOT to read…

Kane repeats himself so often in this book and comes off like some kiddy fan to me.

You have a great screen name though!

"If George Harrison can have a triple album, why can't I have a double album?"–Yoko Ono

28 May 2011
9.06pm
mr. Sun king coming together
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And yet you like Here There And Everywhere by Emerick? That reeks of hypocrisy, as Emerick was very kiddish and so Anti George!!!

As if it matters how a man falls down.'

'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.

28 May 2011
10.54pm
JFKin60
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How was Emerick “kiddish?”

He was anything but…

Anti-George? He lauded him later in the book and complimented his music many times.

It should have been obvious to anyone that he was just an ordinary guitarist.

"If George Harrison can have a triple album, why can't I have a double album?"–Yoko Ono

10 July 2011
5.02pm
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Flaming Pie1
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I hit a few good ones of late:

apple01

Fab by Howard Sounds — a good bio of Macca and objective (doesn't think much of Macca's post-Beatles output, but who does?)

The Beatles: Off the Record by Keith Badman — an exhaustive record of quotes by Beatles and associates in chronological order.

John Lennon : The Life by Phillip Norman — The best Lennon bio I've read.

Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America by Jonathan Gould — excellent group and cultural bio.  Far better than the Spitz bio

You Never Give Me Your Money by Peter Doggett — I never figured a corporate bio would be that interesting; however, it's a fascinating insight into one of the major reasons why the band broke up and the acrimony between Paul and the others that made up much of the post-Beatle era.

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