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Book suggestions..
21 February 2010
11.21pm
Sunii
Carnegie Hall
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I am wanting to order some Beatles books on the internet.

Any suggestions for books?Smile

 

Thursday night your stockings needed mending.

22 February 2010
1.42am
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skye
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Anthology seems popular. I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

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

22 February 2010
2.38am
Sunii
Carnegie Hall
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I actually already have Anthology. Great book!Smile

 

Thursday night your stockings needed mending.

22 February 2010
2.54am
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skye
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So then is there anything in particular that you want to learn more about?

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

22 February 2010
1.05pm
Sunii
Carnegie Hall
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Drug use, what the songs mean, secrets, maybe a biography about one of the boys….that kind of stuff.

 

Thursday night your stockings needed mending.

22 February 2010
8.32pm
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mjb
Carnegie Hall
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Sunii said:

Drug use, what the songs mean, secrets, maybe a biography about one of the boys….that kind of stuff.


Sunii,

some of the best books have already been discussed on this topic on the forum, so take a look at the various ones and maybe one will interest you.

Hunter Davies's biography is the best biog (I think) as a whole group, but remember it was written in the sixties. Solo-wise Many Years From Now is the closest you'll get to a McCartney autobiography and I Me Mine is the same for George.  In it they both talk about their songs. If you want to find out all about John growing up and as a Beatle then Cynthia Lennon's autobiography called John is very good as is the one by his half sister Julia (I think that's called My Brother John???). Blimey I could go on and on……

"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"

22 February 2010
9.02pm
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Joe
Pepperland
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If you're a John fan, I recommend two interview books: All We Are Saying by David Sheff and Lennon Remembers by Jann S Wenner. Those should give you a very good idea of his character. In AWAS he gives memories of plenty of Beatles-era songs. McCartney does the same in All Those Years Ago, which I think is an essential purchase.

The Hunter Davies book is good, but personally I'd wait for Mark Lewisohn's Beatles biog. Most of the other biogs seem pretty flawed in one way or another, although I've heard very good things about Jonathan Gould's Can't Buy Me Love (which I own but have yet to read).

Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs

Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!

22 February 2010
11.36pm
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mjb
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Joe said:

“….but personally I'd wait for Mark Lewisohn's Beatles biog. Most of the other biogs seem pretty flawed in one way or another….”


That's a big ask of patience Joe! Isn't Lewisohn supposed to be doing three volumes with 4 year intervals (or something similar)? I'll be close to my pension by then Surprised

And don't you mean Many Years From Now for Paul? You've had me 'googling' for a book I didn't know about…. Laugh

"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"

23 February 2010
12.50pm
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Joe
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Oh damn, yes, I meant Many Years From Now. It was a long day yesterday…

Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs

Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!

23 February 2010
4.35pm
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PeterWeatherby
A Park in the Dark
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I second the recommendation for Many Years from Now.  I thought that book was just absolutely fabulous.  However, it is slightly out-dated (what is it, 13 years old now?), so if you want to fill in some of the gaps, get Carlin's book Paul McCartney: A Life – that covers his career with “Wings” and beyond, Linda's death, his marriage to and divorce from Heather Mills, and a bit more.

I still like Norman's John Lennon : The Life for a good biog about John.

I've also enjoyed Spitz's biography The Beatles: The Biography, but I've heard some complaints about it.  I thought it was a good read, but my eyebrows went up a couple of times, like when he made reference to “Harry the Horse” in the song “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.”  Would a real Beatles follower make that blunder?  And shouldn't the author of a Beatles biography at least be a solid follower of their work?

Not a bit like Cagney.

23 February 2010
5.34pm
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Joe
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This put me off reading the Spitz book: http://www.beatlesnews.com/new…..rrors.html

I've got Philip Norman's Lennon biog but I've been putting it off as I really didn't enjoy Shout!. One day I'll get to it. He's good at the research and interview stuff (though I think Mark Lewisohn did a lot of the former in Shout!), but I dislike his prose style.

Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs

Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!

23 February 2010
11.39pm
Sunii
Carnegie Hall
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Thanks for the book suggestions everyone!Smile

 

Thursday night your stockings needed mending.

24 February 2010
12.57am
iCaramba
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Joe said:

This put me off reading the Spitz bookhttp://www.beatlesnews.com/new…..rrors.html

I've got Philip Norman's Lennon biog but I've been putting it off as I really didn't enjoy Shout!. One day I'll get to it. He's good at the research and interview stuff (though I think Mark Lewisohn did a lot of the former in Shout!), but I dislike his prose style.


Although I agree that Lewisohn's will definitely be worth the wait, I think Sunii could get a lot out of the Spitz bio. The errors are unforgivable, yes… but there are no “major” factual errors. It's a really well-written book that gives you good, deep insight into the history of the band and the relationships within it. Great info on the early days! (Which really fascinates me.)

Also, I loved Norman's Lennon bio… much better than Shout! He's very heavy on John's early days (childhood up until stardom) and he presents controversial themes very fairly (in my opinion). Also, it's one of the few books that presents John in a balanced way… a very troubled, but also a very loving person.

Sunii, I suggest you read Spitz and note the errors mentioned. I think that reading something by a 3rd party gives good insight and (mostly) non-biased history. Whatever you read, just remember there are many sides to the story… Cool

24 February 2010
1.17am
Sunii
Carnegie Hall
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iCaramba said:


Although I agree that Lewisohn's will definitely be worth the wait, I think Sunii could get a lot out of the Spitz bio. The errors are unforgivable, yes… but there are no “major” factual errors. It's a really well-written book that gives you good, deep insight into the history of the band and the relationships within it. Great info on the early days! (Which really fascinates me.)

Also, I loved Norman's Lennon bio… much better than Shout! He's very heavy on John's early days (childhood up until stardom) and he presents controversial themes very fairly (in my opinion). Also, it's one of the few books that presents John in a balanced way… a very troubled, but also a very loving person.

Sunii, I suggest you read Spitz and note the errors mentioned. I think that reading something by a 3rd party gives good insight and (mostly) non-biased history. Whatever you read, just remember there are many sides to the story… Cool


Thanks! When I read your review on the book, I immediatley ordered it! Even though you said there are a few errors, I will easily be able to point them all out and not take in any false info. I am excited about recieving it! You make it sound like a really good book..so thanks again!

 

Thursday night your stockings needed mending.

6 March 2010
8.24pm
Marcelo
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I can’t believe this! As I said in other thread, I’ve just bought Philip Norman’s “John Lennon : the life”! What a coincidence!

It was in a mall, waiting for Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”… another book related to good old Johnnie.

I'd like to say "thank you" on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition.
John Lennon

19 April 2010
7.02pm
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PeterWeatherby
A Park in the Dark
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You know what I would like to find?  A decent biog about Ringo.  But I’ve only seen two possible titles that looked any good (both were by Clayson, Ringo Starr : A Life, and Ringo Starr : Straight Man or Joker?), and neither of them seem to have gotten very good reviews.  What’s a Beatles fan to do?

 

a-hard-days-night-ringo-4

Not a bit like Cagney.

19 April 2010
8.11pm
iCaramba
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So… Sunii, what do you think of he Spitz book?

And Marcelo, ¿te gustó la biografía de Norman?

a-hard-days-night-george-4

27 April 2010
6.17pm
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sgtpepperbowman
Virginia, United States
The Jacaranda
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I own two books, “John,Paul,George, and Ringo” and “Beatles Gear” The first one is like a timeline book of everything the Beatles did, its like Anthology but better. I found it at my local Barnes and Noble. The latter book is about their guitars they played and was ordered from Amazon.

I am the walrus that lives in a yellow submarine because I like to be in an octopus' garden

27 April 2010
10.08pm
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Von Bontee
496 km NW of the '69 Toronto Rock n Roll Revival
Apple rooftop
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Sunii said:

iCaramba said:


Although I agree that Lewisohn’s will definitely be worth the wait, I think Sunii could get a lot out of the Spitz bio. The errors are unforgivable, yes… but there are no “major” factual errors. It’s a really well-written book that gives you good, deep insight into the history of the band and the relationships within it. Great info on the early days! (Which really fascinates me.)

Sunii, I suggest you read Spitz and note the errors mentioned. I think that reading something by a 3rd party gives good insight and (mostly) non-biased history. Whatever you read, just remember there are many sides to the story… Cool


Thanks! When I read your review on the book, I immediatley ordered it! Even though you said there are a few errors, I will easily be able to point them all out and not take in any false info. I am excited about recieving it! You make it sound like a really good book..so thanks again!


 I think I read somewhere that many of the errors in the Spitz book have been corrected in later editions.

 

 

 

Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.

         

29 April 2010
2.21pm
fulumin
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I highly recommend “Here, There And Everywhere ” by Geoff Emerick.  He was The Beatles sound engineer on Revolver , Sgt. Pepper , Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey Road and he even talks about working with Paul on Band On The Run in 1973.  Very interesting insight especially from a musician’s or engineer’s standpoint.

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