The Beatles: All These Years by Mark Lewisohn | Page 43 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

Not exactly a fair assessment, no.

First, there is no hyperbole. I don’t think Lewisohn is prone to that as he seems fairly straight forward.

If you look at the chapter listings for each version, you will notice considerable differences in the chapters themselves as well as a slightly different structure. I had both versions until I gave the abbreviated one to my brother. I seem to recall Brian and George Martin receiving their own introductory chapters in the smaller (seems weird to call it that) version, where the larger version rolls them seamlessly into the story as history unfolded.

The point that I and Linde made upthread about more detail (” green shirt with a V-neck collar” vs just “a shirt”) were just rudimentary examples of how much more was told. More extensive interviews of those who were around, more articles uncovered by research and things like that add more background to those details and are more prevalent in the larger version.

If you are interested in the story behind the band, the smaller version will more than fill the bill. If you want to know more about the who, what, why, when and where behind the story, I highly recommend the larger.

You really can’t go wrong regardless, IMO. Hope that helps.

I’d have to consult my copy of Tune In, but here is my initial thought.

I seem to recall that while the scene may not have played out as dramatically as some documentaries or stories would leave you to believe, a confrontation between Alf and Julia concerning the “custody” of John did take place in someone’s house. If memory serves, however, I do not believe John was in the room while the discussions took place. To me, this would mean that he really did not have a choice in the matter nor did he need to make it on a wind swept beach with tears in his eyes.   

How the rumor was started is anyone’s guess.