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The Rough Guide to The Beatles
The Beatles are the ultimate band - the most popular, the most respected, the most influential. The Rough Guide to the Beatles covers every aspect of the Fab Four, delving deep into the Beatles music, lyrics, movies and the Beatles solo careers. Features include: The Story: from Liverpool clubs to Beatlemania. The Music: incisive reviews of every Beatles and solo album and new Beatle Music from George Martin's son Giles. The Canon: the inside track on the 50 greatest songs. On Screen: the movies, the promos and the TV appearances and new coverage of the upcoming Rock Band-style video game of Beatle music.The Fifth Beatle: George Martin, Yoko Ono, Magic Alex and other contenders as well as the resignation and death of Neil Aspinall. Beatleology: the best books, the weirdest covers, the most obsessive websites, the obscurest trivia. This updated edition includes new material on Cirque Du Soleil 's acclaimed Love Show - the only officially endorsed Beatles theatrical presentation, Paul McCartney's albums Memory Almost Full, Ecce Cor Meum and Electric Arguments and the media circus surrounding the McCartney/ Mills divorce. All you need is this!
- GenresMusicNonfictionBiography
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 6, 2010
This is the best "everything-you-want-to-know-about" The Beatles!
There is a chapter for every single subject, right down to website links, lists of songs, albums, books, you name it. It doesn't focus on the two most successful Beatles either. It stays true to them all and spotlights them each in the book. Including all of the deemed fifth Beatle(s).
A "fab" book that I have to recommend to every Beatle, (no scratch that), music fan!
There is a chapter for every single subject, right down to website links, lists of songs, albums, books, you name it. It doesn't focus on the two most successful Beatles either. It stays true to them all and spotlights them each in the book. Including all of the deemed fifth Beatle(s).
A "fab" book that I have to recommend to every Beatle, (no scratch that), music fan!
October 2, 2018
Chock full of meaty Beatleness.
January 31, 2026
Come and get it
This was a thoughtful Christmas present from my sister, and I took it along to read while visiting her (and various Beatles sites) in Liverpool this week. It's a compact, detailed guide to all aspects of that famous band: the history, the records, films and books, and the careers of John, Paul, George and Ringo after the dissolution of the group in 1970. Reading it from cover to cover (which I guess you wouldn't normally do with something that's intended to be a guide book) gives you an insightful impression of the breadth and depth of "one of the few times in musical history when the most popular was also the best" [pv].
The book begins with an account of the records they made in their lifetime (including the almost unbelievable period from 1963 to 1966, during which they released thirteen singles and seven albums, all of which still sound as fresh as paint today), and the compilations and anthologies which appeared after their break-up. This is followed by a brisk assessment of their solo careers (which could be viewed as wildly idiosyncratic, reflecting their different personalities, interests and talents) ranging from classics like "Band On The Run" and "All Things Must Pass" to less illustrious works such as "Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins" - for which George's comment from elsewhere: "Avant Garde a clue" [p128] might be appropriate - or the eight albums Ringo released between 1981 and 2008 or George's six records from 1976-1992 (most of which were unfamiliar to me). There are some real gems in this account of the music, including the author's comment on p82 that the "immediacy and muscle [given to the sound in the remixes on 'Let It Be... Naked'] gives the impression of everything being louder than everything else. Now that's a good mix" and the hitherto unknown fact (to me) that one of the backing singers on "Give Peace A Chance" was Petula Clark [p95]. Later on, when discussing the Beatles' TV appearances, the author comments that the band was a "Trojan horse concealing the future. And the beautiful part was, while Britain was as dumbly welcoming as the Trojans, The Beatles were probably as oblivious to what they were carrying as was the wooden horse" [p152].
There's also a nice section on people and places relating to the group including the story of how, following the 1968 closure of the Apple boutique, Paul McCartney returned "to scrape the words 'Hey Jude' on the inside of the whitewashed windows" to publicise their imminent single release "but had to remove it after a local Jewish delicatessen-owner objected" [p269]. Finally, I was astonished at the revelation [p255] that the sculptor of the Eleanor Rigby statue in Stanley Street (near to The Cavern) was Tommy Steele. Just one of the great things in this book, which is strongly recommended.
This was a thoughtful Christmas present from my sister, and I took it along to read while visiting her (and various Beatles sites) in Liverpool this week. It's a compact, detailed guide to all aspects of that famous band: the history, the records, films and books, and the careers of John, Paul, George and Ringo after the dissolution of the group in 1970. Reading it from cover to cover (which I guess you wouldn't normally do with something that's intended to be a guide book) gives you an insightful impression of the breadth and depth of "one of the few times in musical history when the most popular was also the best" [pv].
The book begins with an account of the records they made in their lifetime (including the almost unbelievable period from 1963 to 1966, during which they released thirteen singles and seven albums, all of which still sound as fresh as paint today), and the compilations and anthologies which appeared after their break-up. This is followed by a brisk assessment of their solo careers (which could be viewed as wildly idiosyncratic, reflecting their different personalities, interests and talents) ranging from classics like "Band On The Run" and "All Things Must Pass" to less illustrious works such as "Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins" - for which George's comment from elsewhere: "Avant Garde a clue" [p128] might be appropriate - or the eight albums Ringo released between 1981 and 2008 or George's six records from 1976-1992 (most of which were unfamiliar to me). There are some real gems in this account of the music, including the author's comment on p82 that the "immediacy and muscle [given to the sound in the remixes on 'Let It Be... Naked'] gives the impression of everything being louder than everything else. Now that's a good mix" and the hitherto unknown fact (to me) that one of the backing singers on "Give Peace A Chance" was Petula Clark [p95]. Later on, when discussing the Beatles' TV appearances, the author comments that the band was a "Trojan horse concealing the future. And the beautiful part was, while Britain was as dumbly welcoming as the Trojans, The Beatles were probably as oblivious to what they were carrying as was the wooden horse" [p152].
There's also a nice section on people and places relating to the group including the story of how, following the 1968 closure of the Apple boutique, Paul McCartney returned "to scrape the words 'Hey Jude' on the inside of the whitewashed windows" to publicise their imminent single release "but had to remove it after a local Jewish delicatessen-owner objected" [p269]. Finally, I was astonished at the revelation [p255] that the sculptor of the Eleanor Rigby statue in Stanley Street (near to The Cavern) was Tommy Steele. Just one of the great things in this book, which is strongly recommended.
February 23, 2019
I found this a great book to dip in and out of, with lots of interesting little snippets, and succinctly written. Good, clear layout, and a lot packed into quite a small volume.
January 11, 2008
Rough Guide to the The Beatles is a great place to start if you're getting into the Beatles. Gives you all the information you need -- records, books, movies, etc. -- for both the Beatles themselves and their respective careers afterwards. Because it touches on so many aspects, it makes it easy to figure out where you want to go next (Do I buy the albums? Do I read the McCartney bio? Etc.).
I'm also planning on keeping the book for when I'm done reading about the Beatles. It's a great reference work, and while most of the reference information is available on the web, having it in book form (and indexed) makes it easier to work with.
I can't give it 5 stars, though. My big gripe that keeps it from a fifth star is that the editing is atrocious. I don't think a spell check was done ('follows' is written in one place as 'follos'), and -- something I've never seen before -- some quotes were begun with a " and ended with a '. There was also some mistakes in the 'canon' section, as some of the songs were on Past Masters Volume 1 but not indicated as such. Hopefully the next edition will correct this.
My final 'wish' for the next edition is that the book section includes a list of other books. Here There and Everywhere isn't listed -- is that because the author hadn't read it, hadn't liked it, or hadn't deemed it worthy for inclusion? I don't expect a paragraph about every book, but a couple lists (maybe one labelled 'Only if you have time' and another 'Don't bother') of other books would have be very beneficial.
Again, great place to start if you're getting into the Beatles, and a handy reference if you're already into them.
I'm also planning on keeping the book for when I'm done reading about the Beatles. It's a great reference work, and while most of the reference information is available on the web, having it in book form (and indexed) makes it easier to work with.
I can't give it 5 stars, though. My big gripe that keeps it from a fifth star is that the editing is atrocious. I don't think a spell check was done ('follows' is written in one place as 'follos'), and -- something I've never seen before -- some quotes were begun with a " and ended with a '. There was also some mistakes in the 'canon' section, as some of the songs were on Past Masters Volume 1 but not indicated as such. Hopefully the next edition will correct this.
My final 'wish' for the next edition is that the book section includes a list of other books. Here There and Everywhere isn't listed -- is that because the author hadn't read it, hadn't liked it, or hadn't deemed it worthy for inclusion? I don't expect a paragraph about every book, but a couple lists (maybe one labelled 'Only if you have time' and another 'Don't bother') of other books would have be very beneficial.
Again, great place to start if you're getting into the Beatles, and a handy reference if you're already into them.
August 29, 2012
Reading this book was a wonderful experience. As a reader, you are given information on every aspect of the Beatles experience: the pre-band years, all of their music- albums, singles, EPs, post-band compilations, their solo careers, the "fifth Beatle", the rumors, the books, biographies, movies, documentaries, really everything. Because of this, it doesn't go into too much detail about the years as a band. Still, it was a great, entertaining, and informative read. I especially enjoyed learning about their singles (the A and B sides), different candidates considered for the fifth Beatle, and excerpts from their interviews and press conferences. In included a lot of quotes from the fab four, as well as people who were vital to the Beatles experience, which was fantastic.
August 15, 2011
This is like the Beatles bible. It has almost everything you need to know!
March 31, 2012
Sólo me hacen amarlos más <3
Aunque le llamen "Rough guide" está muy completo, hasta hay una sección dedicada a analizar los rumores de The Beatles, incluyendo el de "Paul is dead"
Aunque le llamen "Rough guide" está muy completo, hasta hay una sección dedicada a analizar los rumores de The Beatles, incluyendo el de "Paul is dead"
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December 31, 2017Libri sui Beatles ce ne sono molti. Troppi. Allora perché scriverne uno nuovo? Beh, magari per dare un nuovo punto di vista, credo sia la causa motivante di questo libro che come spesso capita ha preso un titolo italiano completamente diverso da quello inglese. Come suoi punti a favore, ci sono sicuramente la struttura del libro che non si limita al periodo 1962-1970 ma si insinua nelle carriere successive, e ha delle sezioni sulle cinquanta migliori loro canzoni, sulla parte cinematografica, compresi i filmati promozionali che oggi sarebbero stati chiamati videoclip, e finanche i luoghi beatlesiani. D'altra parte, ogni tanto Ingham scivola sul gossip più trito: nulla di strano, visto che tra i libri citati nei ringraziamenti c'è quello tristemente noto di Guiliano. Non sono infine d'accordo sul non avere lasciato anche il testo inglese sulla spiegazione di alcuni degli "indizi" nel video di Free as a bird, perché a mio parere la cosa rende difficile al lettore casuale la correlazione tra l'indizio e il brano.
In definitiva, il libro può essere interessante ma solo se non si è degli appassionati beatlesiani.
In definitiva, il libro può essere interessante ma solo se non si è degli appassionati beatlesiani.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews