Beatles: Fifty Fabulous Years

by Rodriguez Robert

Formed in Liverpool in 1960, the Beatles became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. The group—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—built its reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period. Molded into a professional act by manager Brian Epstein, the creativity of producer George Martin enhanced their musical potential. They gained popularity in the UK after their first single, “Love Me Do,” became a modest hit in late 1962, and acquired the nickname the Fab Four as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the following year. The Beatles are the best-selling band in history, with sales of over one billion units estimated by EMI Records. They have received seven Grammy Awards from the American National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score, and 15 Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Music, Biography Memoir

144 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2010

Reviews

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably didn't 'need' to read this, but I hadn't read a Beatles book in a while; I kinda enjoyed it...very light and just runs through the timeline, but hey. You could do a lot worse.

[Judy Tetour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but not a lot of new material. If you were. Beatles fan back in the 60s, you know all this. Still fun, however, and lots of great pictures.

[Anastaciaknits · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another freebie I picked up a while ago for my kindle (looks like no longer available), & I was so excited when I downloaded it that I immediately put it in my "to be read next" collection - and then promptly forgot about the book for a good six months or so.

Being born in the 70's, I of course missed the Beatles craze. I remember once seeing on television fans going crazy & screaming whenever they saw the Beatles & I asked my mom if that really happened, because it just seemed so crazy.

I really enjoyed reading the book, I've picked up lots of Beatles history over the years, but never really had had a cohesive picture. I knew of course about the "other, early Beatles", knew the basics about their breakup but didn't know about the court battles or all the complexities of life after being a Beatle. And, I'm a bit ashamed to admit this, but I had no idea how or why John Lennon was murdered, though at least I knew he had been murdered!

As with all biographies that I read, I often find myself wishing certain parts had more meat to the them, and other parts had a little less meat - I would have enjoyed hearing more about their personal lives, especially with their families, instead of all too brief section that was in this book, but all in all, I greatly enjoyed the book & recommend it to others who don't quite know the full Beatles story.

[Mad Dog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book that takes just a few hours to read. Solid. Covers all the bases (including the post-Beatles solo careers and other post-Beatles 'events'). I haven't read any other Beatles books, and this is (as far as I can tell) a good starter book. This book is pretty much a 'Beatles history' book, and it is ordered (for the most part) chronologically.

I'd like to find out more about the songs and their inspiration, and this book has a few 'little bits' about that. But that is not the purpose of this book. This book does briefly summarize the making of each of their albums (and it is is a 'good thing' that this book does that). Separately, I did recently buy a 'Rolling Stone special edition magazine' that focuses on 100 of their songs, but I seemed to have lost that.

[Steve Curll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a wonderful "Primer" for the second or third generation Beatles fan. It also contained great trivia for the old timers. Spoiler: Did you know that Wilfred Brambel (Paul's grandfather in "A Hard Days Night") Was 52 years old? While the Beatles drug use and sexual proclivities are mentioned, they are presented much more in balance with the rest of the story than most headline seeking biographies. This book remains pg rated,with the F word appearing only once as (correctly) part of a quote. A lighthearted and loving tribute for the original fans, and somewhat informative introduction for your 2nd and third generation Beatles fans. The computer edition also includes clips.

[Joel Ungar · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather disappointing book. At this point in the Beatles history, a new book should cover a lot of new ground, and this one doesn't. It did have a few little tidbits I hadn't read before, such as additional background on the negotiations to get the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. Some statements were wrong, with the most obvious being that "Tomorrow Never Knows" was drawn from John's reading of "The Egyptian Book of the Dead" - should have been "The Tibetan Book of the Dead."

[Emmanuel Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beatles:fifty fabulous years was a good book had a lot of information about the Beatles and others before their time I would Highly recommended the book to anyone who likes The Beatles or classic rock.It tells the story's of Ringo star Paul McCartney John Lennon and George Harrison before they were in the band.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun romp with the fab four...comes across a little disjointed but very well documented. Best surprise was learning about Ringo deeper than his stereotype. It is amazing all they accomplished musically in just 10 years. I love their music!

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light biography of the Beatles, with material covering the post-Beatles solo careers. Nothing earth shattering, but good starter material for the curious. It's a quick read and seems to be fairly objective in its coverage of the four Beatles.

[Felipe Naranjo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short, but excellent recalling of the fab four's "long and winding road". It has a bunch of pictures I've never seen of them and SOME Beatle's info I completely ignored before reading this. A must-read for any Beatle's fan.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This read was a romp in the park--fun, superficial, exciting at times, but a little spontaneously disjointed. It was a walk down memory lane for a girl of the 60's. I learned a few new facts about the fab four. Love their music so that made this book an enjoyable read.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great quick read about the history of the Beatles. As the book proceeds along the chronological timeline of the rise of the Beatles, it also provides lesser known tidbits of information about the Fab Four. An enjoyable book about one of my most favorite groups!

[Ian Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

QUick, easy read about a groundbreaking group. Learned a lot about them that I didn't know!

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grew up with the Beatles and always thought I knew everything there was to know about them. Wrong! Now I know why they did some of the things they did... Quick read, very informative and enjoyable.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifty fabulous years indeed! I would recommend this to any Beatles fan.

[Misfit]

Currently free on kindle. Had it sent to kindle for PC so's I can get color pics :)

[Pruitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read on the history of The Beatles.