A legacy in literary form | The Beatles Anthology

A great book - but could have been a little bit better | The Beatles Anthology | Beatles, John Lennon, ...

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	• The Beatles Anthology Beatles, John Lennon, ... Chronicle Books, 2000 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 222 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A must for any Beatles fan

I do not believe it is necessary for me to go into all the detail that prior commentators have gone into. Let me just sum it up: This book is a must read for any Beatles fan. After all, it is about the Beatles, by the Beatles. Well written and full of previously unreleased photos and copies of memorobilia such as letters, posters, etc. However, there are two criticisms that I have:

First, the book's format leaves much to be desired. It is physically huge and heavy and not comfortable to handle. The print is very tiny and there is much printed language superimposed on photographs, letters, etc. I would have loved to sit down with this book to knock it off in two or three reading sessions, but alas, that is impossible, because the book is so physically uncomfortable to handle and an eyestrain to read.

Secondly, while the content itself is admirable, I believe someone who is not already a Beatles fan and who is not already somewhat knowledgeable about the Beatles (and there may be 4 or 5 people on the planet who fit that category) this book may not be a good introduction to the greatest band in history. I would suggest first reading the Hunter Davies biography of a similar biography before tackling this massive Anthology.

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A legacy in literary form

A friend of mine got me this book for Christmas in 2000. This was an addition to my Beatles memorabilia(I got the 3 double-disc Anthology CD's and the eight-volume VHS tapes between 1995 and 1997 respectively). This "coffee table" book was authored by all four Beatles Paul McCartney,Richard "Ringo Starr" Starkey,the late John Lennon and the late George Harrison(Harrison was alive when this book went to press and came to bookstores). All four Beatles give their own life histories through the 1970 disbanding. Lennon tells about the death of his mother Julia who was run over by an intoxicated off-duty policeman. Lennon wrote several odes to her,those being entitled JULIA,MOTHER and MY MUMMY'S DEAD. The latter two songs were Lennon's post-Beatles compositions both appearing on PLASTIC ONO BAND,released in late 1970. This book is a revision and update of the 1964 Capitol Records album THE BEATLES STORY. Many people over the years have written books about the Beatles legacy but this item is the ultimate one. Lennon and McCartney first met in 1957 when Lennon was 17 and McCartney was 15. McCartney brought a few buddies to see John's band called The Quarrymen. After the concert,John and Paul had a nice get-acquainted chat and became fast friends. Paul joined the Quarrymen and a short time later,he recruited Harrison. These Liverpool,England lads always loved American Rock 'n Roll. McCartney was 14 when his mother passed away. TBS did not say how she died. McCartney's dad was a cotton salesman. Harrison came up the Beatles' legendary "mop-top" hairstyle. He recalled in an interview that one day when he and the other Beatles were swimming,they emerged from the pool with their hair over their foreheads. They decided they liked it,and it has remained. Ringo joined the Beatles following the ousting of Pete Best. Best didn't seem to be doing a great drumming job,according to John,Paul and George. Naturally mournful-faced Ringo was previously drumming for Rory Storme & The Hurricanes. The oldest Beatle,three months Lennon's senior,was called Ringo because of his passion for wearing lots of rings(four on each hand). Illness forced Ringo to drop out of school as a child(he had been in and out a few times). Ringo sought employment at an engineering company before his drumming career. In 1958,18-year-old Ringo received his first drum kit that Christmas. He's still drumming today although he sings more often. Ringo always loved to sing during the Beatles' performances,but preferred to leave the vocal work to his three fellow Beatles. Pre-Beatles,Harrison had a short-lived job as an electrician. He quit because he "kept blowing everything up". Lennon,who came up with "Beatles",caused controversy in 1966,telling a concert audience that the band was "more popular than Jesus Christ". The outrageous comment led to a bonfire in Alabama. Fans placed their Beatles memorabilia into the fire. This also led to the band abandoning touring and spending their business time in the studio. Harrison developed in interest in Indian music and culture. You can hear Harrison playing the sitar on songs like NORWEGIAN WOOD(THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN) and WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU. While recording the LET IT BE album in January 1969,the band gave a free concert atop the Abbey Road Studios roof. You can see a clip of it in the 1988 Warner Bros. documentary IMAGINE-THE DEFINITIVE PORTRAIT OF JOHN LENNON. What led to the Beatles' break-up was managerial and musical differences between Lennon and McCartney(the pair remained friends though). All four Beatles were already married so I guess we can say another reason why they broke up was because so they could spend more time with their wives. Lennon was already into his second marriage to Tokyo-born Yoko Ono. Lennon's first marriage to Cynthia Powell ended in 1968. That marriage brought Lennon's rock star son Julian who is now aged 42. Since the disbanding of the Beatles,all four members have pursued successful solo careers. I dedicate this item to the memories of Lennon,who was murdered in 1980 in New York City,where he last lived and Harrison,who succumbed to lung cancer in 2001.

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A great book - but could have been a little bit better

I love this book. But I have got two major bugbears with it. The first one is the way they whitewash over some of most interesting events - the break-up for example is nowhere near as prickly as some other books describe it. But to hear the Beatles talk about the events through their own eyes is great - even more so for Ringo and George, because their biographies weren't very detailed.
The other problem I have with it is that it just focuses on the history - it hasn't even got a proper discography at the back. I would have enjoyed some reproductions of the covers, for example, and some information about chart placings. I would also have enjoyed some more quotes and memories from the other people involved.
But these are all minor points - I do love the book, and I thoroughly recommend it to everyone.

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everything about the Beatles, by the Beatles

a very rich collection of every Beatles story, hundreds of full color pictures, anecdotes, just everything that was "the Beatles". a brilliant result of the last time Paul, George and Ringo got to work together for telling us their compelte story as the band which shaked the world.
hard cover, luxurious publish.
Beatles excelence 100%

If you were to buy one book about the Beatles...

There are way too many books about The Beatles, and this one is by far THE one to have. Culled from interviews exclusively for the book (and in Lennon's case, the lengthy interviews he gave over the years), it builds a story about 4 guys who came from nothing, worked hard, and changed music.

Like most authorized bios, its weakness is in glossing over the less savory moments in the band's history, but the rare photos and amount of material and stories told by the four that is included more than makes up for it.

This is something that will take time to read, but don't let the size and amount of pages fool you, either.

Because it is part of a bigger package that was put out at the same time the video documentary and 6 CD set, combined together, they are as definitive as you can get about The Beatles.

I'd recommend the hardcover over the paperback version only because it will last longer, but the price of the paperback version is great for what you get.

I had recently seen Bob Dylan's "Scrapbook" in the store, and hope that The Beatles will put something similar out.

Pete Best and Cynthia Lennon have written books that offer their insights to the early years that I think are worth checking out. "All You Need Is Ears" offers George Martin's insight to the Fabs. Mark Lewisohn and Bruce Spizer have also written books that are the "go to" reference books if you are into collecting or want to know when a particular session happened. John Lennon's "A Spaniard in the Works" and "In His Own Write", Ringo's "Postcards From The Boys" and Harrison's "I Me Mine" are also worth checking out. Ray Coleman and Barry Miles have also written comprehensive bios on John and Paul.

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