Matt's Top 5 Favorite BEATLES BOOKS |
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- Matt gives his top 5 favorite Beatles Books and overall offers 15 books fans may want to consider.
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Andy Babiuk is from Rochester New York and was a member of the cult band the Chesterfield Kings. He did a similar book on the Rolling Stones and their gear. He owns a music store in Fairport New York, and is currently working with Clem Burke of Blondie and Elliot Easton of the cars.
Chesterfield Kings👍👌
OMG - I had no idea he was in the Chesterfield Kings. I saw them open for the Psychedelic Furs in Rochester (Triangle Theater?) in 1982 or 83, and I remember that the music was Beatly!
The Beatles Recording Sessions by Lewisohn is a must have. Not only a great read but good for reference materials as well.
I do have that one and I've always loved it. Lewisohn really hates that book now because he was forced into a format (and work count) that knew wouldn't work. I have a feeling what is prolonging his Volume II of All These Years, is that he may incorporate new sessions info into this volume. I say this based on some of his appearances in podcasts over the years.
@@popgoesthe60s52 I had no idea about that. Thank you for the info.
yeah, a masterpiece.
Beatles Forever and Illustrated Record were the 2 books that taught me a lot about the Beatles when I first became a fan. Close to my heart. They were Bibles for a while for me.
Not a lot of Beatles books to choose from back in the 1970’s.
Actually, Tyler and Carr, who wrote that book claimed they only spent two weeks on it and were not fans of the band. They spent a substantial amount of more time on the Rolling Stones, illustrated record, a band that they actually liked.
I believe I read that book in the '80's and really liked it. A Barnes & Noble search didn't turn it up. (Well, it did, but it was a different book by the same title. Maybe out of print?)
Me too!
The "Illustrated Record" started falling apart, the binding, not too long after I got it…for Christmas in 75 I think.
Ahhh yes the great "Illustrated Record" book, an early fave of mine which I literally tore apart reading and rereading. What I especially recall about it was the authors literally and inexplicably savaging the "Help!" album! My copy of the book is long gone but I believe they in so many words call the album a piece of trash and by far the worst album from The Beatles to that date, even tearing apart the classic "Yesterday." Does anyone know why they might have had such incredible contempt for what I and many consider an extremely fine album?!?
I realized something while watching this video, which is I never really had the patience to watch a video like this where a person talks about their interests amd knowledge in such detail, but my curiosity and love for the Beatles has really made me much more open minded. It's really crazy how the Beatles turned me on to so many things like listening to albums as a whole, reading books (especially biographies), reading articles, watching interviews etc. I truly feel that had I not clicked on the music video of Hey Jude in youtube 3 years ago, my life would have been drastically different today (maybe boring). I bet their are many other young fans like me out there who might share this particular experience. And yeah they've got some nice tunes too haha. Its always nice to see a new upload in your channel, appreciate the work Matt!
I appreciate that! Much thanks!
I know you briefly mentioned Lewisohn's book about the Beatles' sessions but I consider it extremely informative because it documents their most valuable contributions to the world - their recorded music. I'm with you on "Tune In", too. Reading it took me back to my garage band days when me and my bandmates would take any gig we could get no matter where it was or what it paid. It portrays them as just regular guys with dreams of fame and fortune. That was refreshing. Great job on the list.
I've read only one book of The Beatles: Here, There, And Everywhere by Geoff Emerick, the guy who was actually there witnessing the evolution of their music. And he does not hold back with the criticism, good and bad. I love that book. He tells it from his perspective in real time.
Except he really doesn't as Geoff's book was ghost written for him by Howard Massey. It also has a pro McCartney anti Harrison bias based on the relationships he had with the two men and this bizarre total recall of every conversation he'd supposedly had with them thirty - forty plus years later. I'd be very sceptical of this one.
Except he didn't write a word of it and it's extremely biased. You really should read more Beatles books.
If anyone wants an enjoyable read about working in the Apple offices, 1969-70, I'd easily recommend ''The Longest Cocktail Party''', Richard Dilello
It's not a legit Beatles book, but a hilarious spoof, Paperback Writer by Mark Shipper is a really fun read about The Beatles reuniting in the late '70's, only to end up as the opening act for Peter Frampton (spoiler alert). Probably out of print and hard to find, but seek a copy if you haven't read it and save it for when you need a good laugh.
Hey Matt, is that Heart album, y'know the one with Bebe Le Strange on it, your favorite by them? (I often see it in the background. Sometimes I like to look at your albums in the background. See which ones I can recognise.)
I got The Beatles Forever as a Christmas gift when I was young, my first Beatles book! I have to recommend it, it’s chock full of photos of the group at various stages, as well as pics of memorabilia and record sleeves. A great introduction & well written!
"Beatles Gear" is a great book! All young musicians should read it, because I've met so many young guys who think that you have to buy a really expensive guitar to become a good musician. In that book they can find out that The Beatles had really cheap instruments in the beginning and you can work wonders with cheap equipment.
Another Mark Lewisohn tome is "The Complete Beatles Chronicle." A list with details of every gig the Beatles did. They did a lot. Also recommended is any book by Bruce Spizer. He organized the Beatles recordings by record label. Swan, Capitol, Apple, etc. My favorite is "The Beatles are Coming! The Birth of Beatlemania in America" Much to learn and re-live. Read it twice.
Thanks for doing this. With most groups and performers there are usually one or two books worth reading, but with the Beatles, so many and growing even now.
By the way, the Lewishon “tune in” contains a lot of genealogy and as a Genealogist it was very interesting. I have done some revelatory Genealogy on Paul McCartney that Mark and I had corresponded about and he was going to incorporate some of my research in further books on the Beatles.
That is very cool, Michael! What an honor.
Such a long list and no "Here, there and everywhere" by Geoff Emerick??
The problem with “the Beatles illustrated record” and a similar styled book on the who was that the glue was terrible. 80% of the books now are falling apart because the glue dried badly and they fall apart within a few readings.
So true. My Exemplar is falling apart. But it's a great book.
And it hasnt aged weel with the writing. They barely disguise theri disdain for McCartney because of their political views.
Thanks for sharing your top Beatle books Matt👍 One thing Id like to share about Andy Babiuk's book Beatles Gear, about the time after George Harrison's passing I bought this book and I read for the first time the story of Lucy the red Gibson guitar. And during the Christmas Holiday of 2002 during a family gathering in Guadalajara Mexico I was showing the book to my musician friend Robert, and telling him the story of a guy called Miguel Ochoa and lost red Gibson guitar named Lucy, and to my big surprise Robert say's to me:I know Miguel, I'll give you his number- I was speechless. So I gave Miguel a call, He was very polite and asked him if it was okay to meet with him and He said"Sure, no problem". He gave me an address at a club where He was playing with his band The Stone Facade, sat down at a booth with Miguel and his lovely wife Carmen, asked him about the whole story about Lucy, showed him the book and got him to autograph at the bottom of the picture of Lucy, Miguel even showed me a couple of old Polaroid photos from 1972 of Him and the red Gibson guitar along with bandmate Tony Baker ( who was heavily involved in communicating with a grumpy George Harrison and getting Lucy back in his hands) As a matter of fact, it was Mal Evans who was sent down to Mexico to retreive Lucy and immediatley flew back to L.A. and to A&M studios where George got his Guitar back.-years later I also met Tony Baker in Redwood City, Ca. (close to where l live in Northern California) He was working as a music teacher at Gelb Music Store, He kindly autographed underneath the picture of Lucy alongside Miguel's signature.
Wow, what a cool story, Ernie! Thank you.
Recommended also : The Longest Cocktail Party by Richard DiLello.
I have a first ediiton of the Beatles an Illustrated Record, and also a first edition of The Longest Cocktail Party - a GREAT read!
I bought You Never Give me Your Money and read it. I was very disappointed with it. The details of the legal hassles was good, but Doggett came across as biased towards Klein and a McCartney hater over and over and over again - and not very funny just a dickhead really. A bit like Tyler and Carr in theri book come across as left wing nut jobs who also hate McCartney. Love your channel but the Doggett book was disappointing.
This book absolutely fucking hammers Lennon and Harrison and I've read passages supporting this in a couple of videos. What makes this book great is that he hammers everyone equally - and they all deserve it. This is balance. As for Klein, his foibles are certainly not overlooked, though his is given more of a fair shake than most writers give him.
I'd love to hear your opinion on the original authorized biography by Hunter Davies. I know it's had a million revisions/updates since 1968 but at the time it was considered quite shocking (the Fab Four taking drugs and dropping F-bombs every other sentence!) I've always found it a unique snapshot of the era, despite Lennon and Mccartney both distancing themselves from it in later years. Maybe not the greatest prose in the world but definitely a fascinating peek inside the Beatle bubble during a tumultuous spell for the band. Anyway, love your channel.
Interestingly, I was listening to a podcast that says really goes in-depth into dissecting Tune In and they're of the thinking that Mark Lewisohn was heavily biased in favour of Lennon in the book, where the author paints John as the leader of the band and the others were supporting players. The Beatles, as Lennon himself said, was his band, so even though Lewisohn has stated in the intro that Paul and John as music creators were equal, the rest of the book gives more room to John and paints Paul as a pale comparison. Did you get that feeling when reading the book?
Tune In concludes at the end of 1962. The first album had not been recorded yet. At that point the group was definitely Lennon’s baby. I did not interpret Lewisohn painting the others as supporting players.
Great video which makes me want to read many of the books you discussed. Of course, this makes me curious about the flip side. Your picks for the worst Beatle books. Which ones are overrated? Which ones are pure junk?
I realized that I will have to do a follow up to this video that will take in some of the dubious writers that have graced the Beatles landscape!
When I was a kid (in the 70s) I had a book called Paperback Writer by Mark Shipper. It was a funny alternate universe version of The Beatles' story. I loved it. I always had a problem with An Illustrated Record. George is my favorite Fab, but the book's authors seem to view him as the weak link. His songs are always the low point of every album, an opinion I totally disagree with. I have some of the others you showed, a couple I need to check out. No Bruce Spizer? I enjoy his books.
Are you going to read the Kenneth Womack book on Mal Evans?
Yes, just got it.
'The Beatles An Illustrated Record' is a terrific book with superb full colour photos and covers the 1962 to 1970 period in great style.
However, at the time of publication (1975), the weekly NME music paper, for whom the book's authors wrote, was conducting a vicious and snide campaign against Lennon and particularly Harrison.
Tony Tyler was at the forefront of the sneering (along with Nick Kent and others). Although they toned down their comments for the book, it's content, especially with regard to the solo careers, should be viewed in this context.
Anything Lewisohn is involved with is excellent. I've always really liked Mark Hertsgaard's A Day in the Life. Bob Spitz's The Beatles and Larry Kane's books, especially Ticket to Ride, are well written. Pete Shotton's John Lennon In My Life is also fun because it gives a backstage view of parts of the Fab world. Same with George Martin's All You Need is Ears.
Great video once again!
Hi Matt. Like most long time fans, I must have at least 75 Beatles related books, almost all purchased in the pre internet era.
A few stand out for me because of the delight invoked the first time I read them.
The Man Who Gave The Beatles Away, a memoir of their first serious manager, most likely ghost written, is a super fun read and feels like a movie. The movie that was made, by Dick Clark's production company, is o.k., and does have it's moments, but could have been so much better. As said by others, Illustrated record by Roy Carr was a watershed book that was very important in the 70's. How they became the Beatles, I assume written by an actual fan, (Gareth L.Pawlowsky) is really well done for it's time,1990, loaded with neat pics and at the time, unseen documents. Beatles Songs by W.J . Dowlding was also a bunch of fun, although more recent publications may considered more thorough. Ken Howlett's The BBC archives/Beatles at the Beeb are great for detail and were first out of the gate. The ART OF THE BEATLES ( Mike Evans) is a very special tomb because not enough study has been given to that element of their talent, and not nearly enough about the works of Stu Sutcliff. My copy is a 1984 paperback edition. The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions + Chronicle (Mark Lewishon) is a large and heavy book to sit with with, but is pretty much essential. For me, an obvious honourable mention has got to go to In His Own Write and Spaniard In The Works, John's own pre Python, post Goons examples of British whimsy, word play and sarcasm. My TOP of the wish list at the moment is a book I am unlikely to ever own. An independently published look (yes another) at the Beatles Hamburg era, from 2021. Written by Thorsten Knublauch, THE BEATLES MACH SCHAU IN HAMBURG has been getting superb reviews for detail and all new information.
I just had to share my top 10 (or so) books. Of course, there is a lot of overlap between your list and mine. Your focus seems to be weighted toward the later stages of the Beatles story. Mine are more focused on origins. I recon that might be deeply influenced by the difference in our ages.
The overlaps
- Tune In (Two volumes - a must for any true fan.)
- Anthology
- Revolution in the Head
- Beatles Gear (amazing). Oh and I understand the pic of the Rick 330 next to Toots Theilemans is not just the model that John used, that's the actual guitar! Someone carefully analyzed the grain pattern to make that determination. A great example of those obscure details that we fans are obsessed with.
Mine
- Hamburg Days - A limited edition art book produced and signed by Astrid Kirchherr (photos) and Klaus Voorman (graphic art).
- In His Own Write.
- Hunter Davies book. (I have my original paperback from when it first came out.)
- Beatles London (A Lewison book outlining all the places the Beatles were associated with in the capital).
- The Beatles Chronicle (calendarized and x-referenced list of every Beatles gig that Mark Lewison could find in 1992. One of my earliest acquisitions).
- The Beatles as Musicians (very technical).
- Beatles Guitar Techniques (outlining typically guitar intros etc - great source for amateur musicians such as ourselves).
- Birth of the Beatles by Sam Leach. (A charming outlier).
Thanks for your stuff. I am always delighted to see a new post.
Hello! Some of your choices are in my collection so I will have to do a part 2!
Abso-effin'-lutely!@@popgoesthe60s52
"Riding So High" is a very valuable book about the Beatles, as told through their drug-use. I learned a lot from that book, and it helps explain a lot of the Beatles' behavior, especially Lennon's addiction to heroin (which explains a lot of John's instability and unreliability). I HIGHLY recommend it for fans.
Cool topic, Matt! I'm currently reading THE BEATLES: The Biography, by Bob Spitz. It's quite good and I've read several other Beatles bios. It's funny, when you read a bio, it takes forever to get out of the childhood/teen/Hamburg/Cavern years! Crikey, I'm on page 237 and we're just getting into the Cavern sessions! Another good one is The Mammoth Book of The Beatles: An Anthology of Landmark Interviews, First-Hand Accounts, and Memoirs of The Fab Four, edited by Sean Egan.
Of course, there's also volume one of the massive series being undertaken by Mark Lewisohn, THE BEATLES: ALL THESE YEARS Vol. 1 TUNE IN. If anyone wants a deep dive into childhood/teen/Hamburg/Cavern, this is the definitive deep dive for you. He also did, which I have, THE BEATLES: RECORDING SESSIONS. Caveat... Mark said, when TUNE IN came out, that his recording sessions book contains a few errors, which he intended to correct in a revised version. There was a reissue of the recording sessions in October of 2013, the same month that TUNE IN was released, so I'm not sure if that 2013 paperback edition has the revisions included or if he was talking about a future revised edition. Anyway, it is a very thorough book. He interviewed 80 people who witnessed the sessions and listened to 400 hours of his recorded interviews with witnesses plus raw session tapes in preparing for the book.
I have Spitz's book and still have to read it. I'll have to check out The Mammoth Book of The Beatles, I don't have that one.
@@popgoesthe60s52 I have the Mammoth Book in paperback. The neat thing about it is lots of actual newspaper stories and editorials from the British press in real time when they were at the peak of their career as active band Beatles. So, you get a lot of information from the contemporary time in which it happened, bringing it to life in thrilling ways. It reveals how blown away fans, press, and the British people in general were from about '63 thru ''70. The mania is full tilt in that book and I found out stuff I never knew before. Highly recommended. I just found out the Mammoth Book (it's actually small in size, which I guess is a Beatles joke?) is out-of-print, but Amazon has used copies starting at $4.95 and as far as Bob Spitz, he's just an excellent writer. I love his writing style and he's very well researched in his writing. No fluff, just solid info very beautifully written. He's got writing chops.
@@popgoesthe60s52 The Spitz book is not half as bad as it was made to be (due to some glaring mistakes) but beware. Spitz is a follower of one specific (American) style of biography writing that veers from the path of responsible fact-reporting and errs on the side of the novel ('Oh dear' said John with a broad smile ...), in other words, it colours the picture by pretending to have been eye-amd-ear-witness to some scenes. One other writer who uses the same (very unscholarly) approach was Albert Goldman, albeit in a much more blatant and biased way. Spitz knew Goldman well and indeed was able to use some of Goldman's research (which Spitz claims was more serious than the Lennon book would suggest) for his own work.
@@aureliande2659 I tend toward the critique style of writing like Schaffner so I've been slow to being reading the Spitz book. I know Spitz was outside of that Rock & Roll Journalist circle so that is a positive.
Erin Weber's book is fantastic. Not only for The Beatles history but also for understanding how any history gets written.
I read the book "Apple to the core" back in about 72 or 73 which dealt with the business of the Beatles. I don't remember all that much about it except it really ripped apart Allen Klein who I believe tried to sue the author.
Same ... almost exactly!
Riding so high is up there with lewisohn’s books. Explains all their creativity came through on whatever drugs they were using. Great experiment in human behavior. Gotta hand it to them though,no matter what drugs they were taking they still managed to write great songs.
Hello Matt. I've been watching your channel for quite some time but only recently subscribed. While I have most of the books in your review, I am surprised you did not mention "Recording the Beatles" by Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehaw. It's an excellent source of material and a treasure among my collection. While it is currently out of print, that should change soon, according to their website. It is worthy!
hi matt ,my favorite beatle book is THE BEATLES FOREVER by NICHOLAS SCHAFFNER
it's from a fan's point of view,came out in 1977-78,stuff loaded with cool info and pic sleeves and goes into full beatles as well as solo,let me know as it's a lot of fun to read,take care......bill
The Beatles: An Illustrated Record was my Beatles Bible from 1975 to the early 80s. Read it over and over. Had STRONG disagreements with the authors, who I thought were unnecessarily harsh on many of their reviews of Beatles singles & albums. Nevertheless, the pictures were voluminous and captivating.
What no Albert Goldman? I'm shocked. LOL. I believe the fire was at Ringo's rented home in the Hollywood Hills around 1979 if I remember correctly. One of the first books for me that shattered the image was Peter Brown's "The Love You Make." Some pretty shabby behavior all around. Of course, take it for what it's worth. (Geoff Emerick's' book was also good on that level, especially since he didn't like George and to a lesser extent Ringo) Also, Ray Coleman's "Lennon" was also a revelation in regard to how Lennon could be so mercurial in his feelings toward Cynthia, as also expressed in her book "John," which revealed how he was told he would be killed by one psychic if memory serves. "The Beatles in Hamburg" by Ian Inglis was also a good read, as was the "John Lennon Letters" by Hunter Davies. One more I'll throw in: "The Making of John Lennon," by Francis Kenny, a sort of psychological look at Lennon. Some of the material is repeated in all these books but you can pick up a few new nuggets every once in a while. Thanks for the video, Matt.
The "Get Back" book was originally published as "Drugs, Divorce, and a Slipping Image" (from a tabloid article that had amused the Beatles in 1-69) with the tapes freely quoted, but Apple suppressed it under the then-recent J.D. Salinger ruling, which made the GB tapes an unpublished manuscript. The original edition might be publishable now, with so much of the material officially released.
I've still got an original '65 copy of John's 'Spaniard in the Works.'
I started collecting the books in the 70s and agree with the Illustrated Record and Beatles Forever. One book I really enjoyed was "The Man Who Gave The Beatles Away" by Allan Williams. Some great stories and I remember at the time there were a lot of excellent photos that I never saw before. I remember also liking the Hunter Davies book back then. Any thoughts on that one? Good topic Matt. Thanks. :- )
In the late '70s the Alan Williams book was a great guide for how to behave in the burgeoning punk rock era, taught by guys who done it all before in 1960! And the dozens of leather suited Beatle pix were absolutely mindblowing at the time.
Beatles Forever - By Nicholas Schaffer - Beautés Illustrated Record - Tyler and Carr,Tune In Lweisohn, Growing up with the Beatles Ron Schamberg
Good afternoon. I bought some of the early Beatle books when they first came out, but up until a couple of months ago, the only current books that I owned were the large coffee-table sized ones. This changed when I overheard a conversation between a customer and a record stall owner about when Mark Lewishon’s part two of his history would be coming out. Although I’ve got his Abbey Road Studio Sessions book, this one had completely passed me by. Fast forward to today, and I’m half way through the standard volume one with the two book version to come next. Great videos by the way, and well worth subscribing to. Andy from the U.K.
Great video thanks!
You didn’t mention probably the best book written’Dreaming the Beatles’ by Rob Sheffield
A must read and re-read
You will love it.. I promise
I absolutely agree.
That is one that has been recommended and I have to get - thank you!
Nice collection Matt. Another book you might wanna pick up if you don't have which I think is a fun, light read is "Growing up with The Beatles" by Ron Shaumbug(spelling?). I believe it came out in the late 70's right around the same time as The Beatles Forever book. My brothers bought it for me as a Christmas present. The author basically recounts his days and memories of becoming and being a Beatles fan around, I believe, the Kansas City area from the beginnings when he first "I want to hold your hand" in Feb '64 to his going away to college in the early 70's. It's just a fun account of his trials and tribulations of not just being a Beatles fan but also a teenager "growing up". I lost my copy in between going away to college or moving from new home to another one. I would like to eventually pick up another copy one of these days.
"Growing up with the Beatles: An illustrated tribute" by Ron Schaumburg was published in 1976. This was one that I looked at a lot in book stores in the late '70's, and it took me a while to splash out the cash. But surprisingly, I found that I liked it quite a bit, especially when I was older and could appreciate the author's awkwardness and vulnerability with his personal recollections, like going to a barbershop with a copy of the Pepper LP to show the barber how he wanted his haircut (like Ringo's in the gatefold), so he would look cool for an upcoming event, and getting a haircut that resembled a fuzzy tennis ball instead. But he still thanked and tipped the barber, not wanting to offend, even through it took a long time to grown out. Just a good, average guy, trying his best.
Nicholas Schaffner's "The Beatles Forever" [1977] actually mentions Ron's book as an example of the type of then available Beatle books, placed squarely in the goofy category. But it's still an interesting read.
I bought that book in 7th grade mostly because it was stuffed with (at the time) comparatively rare pics that I studied every detail of. I also related to the author's nerdly predicaments!
Of course I love your videos. I think that Ian Macdonald book would be interesting to me. I was born in 1949 so my actual interest is 1940 in terms of what was happening in the world. I mean Rita Hayworth and those lovely movies of days gone by by. I have a picture book of those days and I feel I belong in a time earlier than the 1960's. Can you get it? I love what you are doing and have immense passion for your interest. Thanks for all that you do. God bless you.
Lewinsohn is too ambitious for his own sake. It’s overloaded with mundane details hardly relevant for understanding the phenomenon of The Beatles’ music. In fact, he hardly ever mentions any actual recordings. Not to mention it is a rip off. It was published to a great fanfare as the first volume over a decade ago and to this very day not even a beep about next volumes. I have hope they would ever appear.
My personal favorite is Ian MacDonald. At least he writes about music, providing brief essays to paint convincing pictures of social scene behind records. His insights into music are quite interested by, but one is well advised to read something about the author before reading his book. To put it mildly, he was not a happy man and actually musically his first love of as Shostakovich, about whom he wrote a breakthrough if controversial book. As far as his opinions about The Beatles, after reading the Revolution one might be forgiven to think Fab Four hardly recorded a good song. Ian sets impossible standards, probably suitable for a genius like Shostakovich but hardly appropriate for four amateurs musicians that could barely read music. Most of all, he forgets that the best thing about Beatles’ songs is that they are fun, the fact they are often simple ditties is irrelevant given they provided pop entertainment for millions. Still, Ian while merciless can cut through the fluff and point at gems when he hears them. highly recommended.
One of my favorites is 'Growing Up With The Beatles' by Ron Schaumburg (1980). The author was 12 or 13 when the Beatles played Ed Sullivan. It follows the author and the band as the 60s progressed, year to year, album to album. A great snapshot of America in the 60s through the eyes of a teenager. Schaumburg is not an authority on the Beatles and his band details are sometimes erroneous. However, reading about how hearing Hey Jude for the first time got him through is first heartbreak is refreshing and underlines what made the Beatles so important - perhaps more so than knowing who played the guitar solo on Hey Bulldog.
Anything Mark Lewisohn authors is going to be good. My first favorite Beatles book was The Beatles forever by Nicholas Schaffner. What do you think of any Beatles book author by Geoffrey Giuliano? Many Beatles fans don’t trust him and his facts
I will be addressing Mr. Giuliano in what I hope to be a part II to this video.
My top 5 books
The Beatles Forever- Nicolas Schaffner
In My Life- Pete Shotton
The Beatles Illustrated Record- Tony Tyler and Roy Carr
The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics- Alan Aldridge
All You Need Is Ears- George Martin
I’m not too crazy about books like The Love You Make. They published excerpts in the National inquirer.
I'm terrified that Mark Lewisohn's trilogy will never be completed. The final instalment seems so far away yet it will probably be the most enlightening.
Also, no disrespect to Philip Norman but his biography of John left me cold. The Aunt Mimi letters were excellent but apart from that, any serious fan could have written it.
I enjoy the fun book : 'Where's Ringo' .. it is a take off of 'Where's Waldo' ... you have to locate Ringo and Beatle artifacts in is's pages, and a great way to learn about the Fab Four for beginners.
Glad to see Beatlesongs. I bought it around the time you did. It was mind blowing before Revolution in the Head and Recording Sessions for me. The Paul is Dead Hysteria entries are pretty entertaining.
I noticed there's a Mal Evans' biography released in the past week or so, anybody read it? Worthwhile? I always thought Mal Evans never got his due in the Beatles' universe.
Fab video Matt! Wow you showed many of my faves too! The Nick Schaffer book and Carr and Tyler book were so amazing to me in the 70s! Andy Babiuk’s book is fantastic. He was in a cool band called The Chesterfield Kings and more recently in a supergroup called The Empty Hearts with Wally Palmar (The Romantics), Clem Burke (Blondie) and Elliot Easton (The Cars). Cool bands! Enjoyed this presentation! Cheers 🍻 Matt
Lennon knew his gear, and by Hamburg was an expert. I believe the tan rick and painted black if I recall correctly. Conversley, his Epiphone hollow body was that red sunburst in '66 and was later sanded down to a plain wood finish a' la' White Album and beyond.
Confession time.Back in the day I bought a friend of mine Schaffner’s book ‘Beatles forever’ for his birthday but not before I had read it cover to cover. 😄
One book I did love as a boy because it was so funny was Paperback Writer by Mark somebody. It was a spoof version of their story. They get back together and release anew LP.
Mark Shipper, 1978. Absolutely hilarious!
I love Revolution in the Head and the audio book version is the best. A number of narrators participate but the standout is Robyn Hitchcock of the Soft Boys (the 'snear' in his voice is worthy of John Lennon). However, the best thing about the book, are the three essays on the 60s, as a decade, that divide the book into it's relevant sections. How that decade (and the Beatles) effected and changed the psyche of the world. And I know 1000s of people poopoo the book now but I will always have a soft spot for the Authroised Biography by Hunter Davies (esp how each edition was updated for decades after) and I totally understand that it was partly written to appease certain family members to allow final signoff but there is enough there to get the story... and its the only one that was written at the time.
Interesting subject, I got lots of Beatles books but no one of these!
Must be thousand books.
On tracks serie is a good one....
hi Matt, i enjoy your videos your one og my go to youtubers. About john getting his first Rickenbacker he got that while they were in Hamburg
If you have ANY of their bootlegs, you at least KNOW Whisky Flats.. heh heh heh...
Anything by Mark Lewisohn is good and Revolution in the Head. Also Michael Braun's Love Me Do and The Beatles in Dream and History by Devin McKinney is good.
I have all of those books Matt but would have to mention Hunter Davies book and Many Years From Now
Revolution In Your Head is The 🐐 of Beatles books 📚 😲 😲 😲 😲 😲 😲 😲 😊😊😊
I like books where Author has direct knowledge..and no axe to grind...3 BEST BOOKS in my opinion are Geoff Emerick's , Here There & Everywhere(Studio insight)...and Ticket to Ride by Larry Kane(Touring insight)...and The Beatle Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn(Actual Studio logs)....all 3 amazing info/insight
Emerick had a couple of axes to grind, sadly - Harrison, being the most obvious and also Martin. Some of his accounts in the book are reportedly from his co-workers, so these things must be weighed. I would like to do a full review on this book in the future. Still has a lot of solid info.
Yes I had Beatles Forever as well when I first discovered Beatles in the 1980's
Thanks Matt … great choices … looking forward to the new book on Mal too : )
Just got it today!
❤ aha. I can see revolution in the head. Fabulous. Do you have illustrated record?
We really love your videos. Finally somebody hip and cool talking about the greatest band ever. The only thing in life better than Beatle music is great Beatle books...And the dvds of course. The Love You Make is a good book. I read it decades ago..Still the Davies Beatles Biography (I guess I'm prejudiced for it) was the best because it was the first, and had all the history up to 1968..But I'm not so sure what people now a daze would think of it in this 'Too Much Information Age'..The Longest Cocktail Party was a gas too. There was nothing about rock journalism in the mid 60s. Even by the early 70s, so you didn't really know shit..Even by the early 70s all we had was the albums, the album covers, and Circus and Creem mags And having to physically go to concerts to see our favorite rock bands and stars. (We saw the 'Wing Over America ' tour in high school in the mid 70s) I loved that band. Jimmy and Denny..We didn't even have video casettes tapes till 1979, or rock video VCR tapes till the early 80s. No dvds, no You Tube..The people who did write the few books, or cool articles, and the rock DJs back then were hippie freaks like us. They were fuckin' cooler than us. The news, and newspaper reporters back then didn't give a fuck about rock and roll. They didn't know shit..But we had American Bandstand, Ed Sullivan Show and then the kick ass Midnight Special show and shit..Well now that we're all older and can't go to too many concerts much, thank God for dvds, TH-cam and videos like yours. We really love this stuff...thanx frankny65yroldwhitekid rockfan @popgoesthe60s52
I really appreciate that, Frank. Much thanks!
Matt, my comments aren't about the 5 Beatles books you're talking about. Wondering you're finished talking about the Beach Boys history as a group, and also, if you've ever heard of a 1960s band from Texas called The Clique, which had 5-6 members, with multiple singers. They did the original version of the song "Superman", which R.E.M. covered years later.
I do know the Clique and I’m working on part 5 of my Beach Boys series now, so that will be out soon.
I am a Gear Head type of insane Beatles fan, and I was just wondering if you’d ever seen the book called “Recording The Beatles”, by chance….?
It was a super deluxe box set type, and while I was sick a few years back, I had to sell it. And, believe it or not, I got $1,200+, just because of its amazingness, but also it’s scarcity. My favorite, gear-related book.
I am also a fan of “Here, There, and Everywhere” by Geoff Emerick, of course… can’t go wrong talking about recording especially when it’s written by Emerick….
Oh yeah! Aside from the Beatles anthology book you showed, I am not sure I had ever heard of, nor ever even seen any of the other books you just showed me!
So, cheers to you, my friend!
Thank you for all you do. I’m a big fan.
I’m really enjoying the Beach Boys saga right now as well!
Keep up the fantastic work!
Thank you, I have not heard of that series of books but I will have to keep and eye out for them.
Cool video.Here's a little Beatles story...OK ya gotta be kidding me. I don't understand. Is every Beatle fan from the 60s and early 70s dead except me and some of my friends?.By the time I was 12 in 1969 I had all the Beatle records as a kid, as they first came out in America. I knew nothing about The Beatles except their music and album covers, and pictures and TV appearances, especially The Ed Sullivan Show. This would be the six years from 1964 to 1969 when I was 7 8 9 10 11 and 12. In late 1968 'The Beatles Authorized Biography' by Hunter Davies came out. It was I think the first real serious important Beatles book. This guy got to hang with The Beatles for like 4 months to write it. I got it in 1969. And I had never yet read an adult book before in my life..I was just a kid. But I tried my ass off to read it. It took a long time. I found out every fuckin' thing about The Beatles right then and there. The complete history without the bullshit. All the behind the scenes people that I never heard of. (The Beatles had not yet broken up yet). The book was killer. How come this book is not on the list? Now that I could read, so by the early 70s I got the book 'The Longest Cocktail Party' by Richard De'Lello (the 'House Hippie' at Apple) in 1972. It was ALL about the freaky things that went on at the Apple Boutique from like 1968 to about 1971. Kick Ass fuckin' book. Why isn't THAT on the list? Then I read just about every important book ever about The Beatles for the next 5 decades. Some were on your list and kicked ass. Especially the one I got from my girlfriend for my 18th birthday in 1976. The one on your list 'The Beatles Illustrated Record'. Great book. I still have it but it's in bad condition after all these years. This book was The Beatlles Bible for me, and still is to this day. It was about all their albums. And it's way better than pretty much every book that covers their albums. It seems that most of the people who write Beatle books are people who were born after they broke up. Or even much later. Not too cool. 'The Beatles Anthology' book was killer'. In the last few decades 90% of Beatle books aren't too good..But fun anyway. I love the other 10% better. I think me and some of my friends are the only ones left alive who remember The Beatles in the 60s when we got the albums and singles as they came out. And we watched The Beatles change the world as little kids. I saw the Beatles change completely from record to record and we went with it. It was nuts. We had older brothers and sisters who explained to us what The Beatles, and Bob Dylan, and Donavan, and the Airplane, and The Doors, etc. were really all about now in '66 and '67. I remember it crystal clear. I remember the day 'Strawberry Fields' came out on the AM radio in early 67. (FM wasn't invented yet), and we saw the video on tv and got the 45. I said mom look at The Beatles, they look so different. I thought it was great. I said listen to this mom. I said what's up with this? She said 'It looks like The Beatles grew up'. She thought they were pretty much kids music before that. But she like them anyway..After that single, and 'Pepper' a few months later, she loved them. Is there anybody still left alive who remembers this stuff? Or is it just me, and some of my friends, and Paul and Ringo? lol. We really love The Beatles..Me and my friends started a band in high school in the mid 70s because we could play a little. We played 60s music, and the Beatle songs we could figure out. We called that band 'Stupid Bloody Tuesday'. Thanx for this video. frankny65yroldwhitekid rockfan
Hey Frank! There are a couple of books like the Davies book that I have to reread. The Love You Make is another. I got these from the library when I was a teen and have only recently reacquired some copies so I plan to reread them and mention them in a part 2 video.
One Beatles book that has always intrigued me is Richard Warren Lipack's 1996 "Epoch Moments and Secrets: John Lennon and The Beatles at the Mirror of Man's Destiny"
A book that begs to be discussed amongst Beatles/1960s fans but rarely mentioned today if ever.
I am unaware of that book! I will have to check it out - thanks!
Matt, a particular favorite of mine was "A Day In The Life: The Music and Artistry of The Beatles" by Mark Hertsgaard.
That is another I have to read.
@@popgoesthe60s52 It was pre-Anthology so it was interesting to hear things I'd only read about.
Matt, I should have probably watched your entire video on your top 5 Beatles books! I also have a copy of the Sulpy/Schweighardt book on the Get Back sessions. A couple you didn't mention I'm wondering if you've heard of. One came out about 20 years ago, by a photographer who went with the Beatles in early 1968 to Rishikesh, India. Think the title of his book is The Beatles In Rishikesh, and has a ton of wonderful color photos that he took not only of the Beatles, but of the Maharishi's compound. Don't know what his name is. The second book which I've seen I think is called The Beatles From A To Z, and is set up like an encyclopedia. Reading through that, I was able to pick up a bunch of interesting little tidbits about the Beatles, such as the concert they did I think in either 1962 or 1963 with Gerry & The Pacemakers, where both groups were billed as "The Beatmakers", and the entire concert was recorded. Another thing was the name "The Ladders", which was the name of the group John, George and Ringo, with Klaus Voormann on bass, considered calling themselves when they briefly considered carrying on the Beatles, after Paul had left the group in the Spring of 1970. I don't know who put this book together, but I found it very informative.
Thanks Robert, I do have a couple of those. I will need to do a part 2 to this video!
Thanks for the video. Unfortunately, it's going to be detrimental to my bank balance though!
Although there's been some criticism of the accuracy of the drum notation in it, 'Ringo Starr and the Beatles Beat', by Alex Cain and Terry McCusker, is a fairly unknown but really excellent book that offers a different perspective on the group.
And of course there's the new book just out about Mal Evans ('Living the Beatles Legend' by Kenneth Womack) too.
Thank you for that recommendation, Mr. C! Just got the Mal book and reading it now.
Enjoyed your reviews. I still have a few of them from when they issued.
BEATLEMANIA! The real story of The Beatles UK Tours 1963-1965 by Martin Creasy. Very good book , had read it several times.
Thank you for that recommendation.
The introduction of Revolution in the Head is required reading.
In Australia at aged 15 in 1975. I was buying Beatle albums as I could afford them. My biggest problem was getting information on The Beatles. For a long time, all I had was a magazine called the 'Beatles Forever'. I think the central part of that magazine was written by Lillian Roxon. It was a good potted history of the band.
When the Beatles, 'An Illustrated Record' came out, I was ecstatic. It was a critical yet a loving look at their musical output. Their views on McCartney's early solo work is pretty dismissive. 'Ram's reversal of critical opinion these days is interesting and deserved. There was not much around to read in the mid 70s about the Beatles and these two publications sustained me for a long time.
I do also remember a book called: 'Apple to the Core' about their business dealings. I no longer have it, but I remember it as being pretty good.
Apple To the Core is one I still have to get.
Great show, as per usual. I’m shocked that Here There And Everywhere isn’t regarded higher by you. I thought it was great and completely devoid regarding any fanboy-ism. Great hearing Geoff’s insider insight, shouldn’t be undervalued.
Emerick's book is highly biased and it is unfortunate he struck back at Harrison in this book. IIt has also been alleged that Emerick had to get many of his accounts from co-workers, so this book gets dinged. I may do a video on it at some point
The Andy Aldridge illustrated Lyrics of the Beatles has wonderful art in two volumes. Early 1970s era.
Yes, I almost pulled that one off the shelf as well.
I wonder what Matt thinks of Peter Brown's book The Love You Make (if you read it Matt), I don't think it's ever been mentioned on the channel, or just in passing. It's the first "real" Beatles book I read as a teenage fan in the 80s, and I thought it was pretty informative at the time. I see it has been criticized as a bit of a self-aggrandizing project for the author, but I did learn a lot from it back then.
I think the book is pretty good and will get mentioned in my part II on this topic coming soon.
❤😂 you have the same library as me. How strange. Hard days write?
Has anyone read the biography written by Mal Evans son and another co-author? The interview I saw on the YT channel You can’t Unheard this with Mal’s son and the co-author was amazing. He apparently has a treasure trove of artifacts from his dad who was a closet archivist for the band.(edited for typos):)
Reading it now.
I can't agree with your read on Lewisohn. He emerged as a name with his Beatles Recording Sessions book long ago which seemed impressive in its day. But his effort in recent years to try and jockey himself as foremost authority on the Beatles is one I vehemently reject. I have seen some of his public forums on TH-cam where he pontificates about how his research has produced conclusive evidence on mysteries that no one else has such as why Pete Best was kicked out of the group. Lewisohn's conclusion that the evidence shows that Best was never one of them in terms of influence or likemindedness. That this is arguably true has nothing to do with why they discarded him when they did. The inclusion of Pete's performance on an unreleased recording of Love Me Do tells us all we need to know. His timing is uneven and he changes styles of playing in the middle of the song. He was booted because he was a lousy drummer. End of story. The Beatles were, if nothing else, very pragmatic. Had Pete been a steller drummer, they would not have discarded him on the eve of their recording career simply because he didn't fit in on a personal level.
George Harrison himself patently dismissed Lewisohn's attempts to portray himself as a great Beatles historian. Always the critical Beatle, he once complained "How can he speak with such authority when he wasn't even there?" While one can be an authority without being an eye-witness, there is something to George's complain in an era where participants of that history are still alive. I simply don't like Lewisohn's attitude. It has kept me from reading Tune-In. My own feeling is that he would do better at putting his efforts in to revising his Beatles Recording Sessions. While it seemed like a godsend back in the day, as time as gone on, I have been disappointed whenever I go back to it for information in recent years to be reminded that it is woefully incomplete.
Good comments, DayHomeOne. Allow me to address some of your points.
Sessions. To be fair to Lewisohn, Sessions was assigned to him with a preordained word count and a style he felt would not work. The project was already in motion when he accepted it. It rendered a very solid examination of tapes and logs for its time. Something that can be improved upon, of course. But it is unfair to judge it by today’s standards.
Authority. The idea that Lewisohn is the fourmost authority on the Beatles comes mainly from his critics and his fans. If you haven’t read Tune In (I’ve read the expanded edition twice) then you simply aren’t qualified to make some of the comments you make here. Lewisohn’s documentation and citations alone are worthy of praise and he has relied on those elements more so than editorializing, something that has gotten other biographers further from the truth.
Harrison. The idea that “you had to be there’ to record history accurately, then I’d like to introduce you to a film called Rashomon. The scientific method of historiography has shown that primary sources alone can be extremely unreliable (See: Lennon Remembers). Lewisohn was in the wrong with regard to Harrison, who accused him of actually stealing source tapes, which were wild accusations that were easily debunked. Harrison, who originally was friendly with Lewisohn, soured on him once the latter began working for McCartney. You can hear a fuller story in this podcast (at the 1:32:00 mark) where Lewisohn explains some of the conflict in much more detail. th-cam.com/video/E9TAnOLEPRg/w-d-xo.html
As for Pete Best, the ongoing “reason why Best was fired” and the "unresolved" nature it has acquired has a lot to do with Best’s intentional misinformation but also a legion of fans (that includes several writers - one from Liverpool, big surprise) that continue to muddy the waters and prop up Pete. This needed deeper understanding and with Lewisohn’s research, came multiple reasons for dumping Best.
Sounds like you “reject his authority” on the Beatles because you “don’t like his attitude?” Really? Actually reading Tune In will certainly put you in better position to comment on his work. But if you go in with a bad attitude of your own, it will bias you from accepting his historical contribution.
Geoff Emerick’s “Here There and Everywhere”
Glad you mentioned Revolution In The Head, that's the #1 Fab book. Also essential is Rob Sheffield's Dreaming The Beatles, which is about the world's enduring love for the band, and a total page-turner. And given that many of us will never live to see Vols. II and III of Lewisohn, The Beatles by Bob Spitz is pretty definitive.
Oh!! Lewisohn's The Beatles Recording Sessions; the ultimate reference to what matters most -- the music.
Great video but no Philip Norman? 🤔
Doggett, MacDonald and Sulpy are three of my favorite authors as well. If you are looking for a series of books that documents the recorded history of The Beatles, beyond what Lewisohn wrote in the eighties or even in “Tune In”, I’d highly recommend John Winn’s three volumes (Way Beyond Compare, That Magic Feeling, Lifting Latches) which cover 1957-1970 and then “Eight Arms To Hold You” by Chip Madinger and Mark Easter which covers basically 1970 through the end of the twentieth century. They are a little out of date but the research is impeccable and the authors actually state where to locate each recording be it audio or video. Good call on Babiuk and Dowlding (who had the unfortunate circumstance of publishing his book within a few months of Lewisohn’s book which meant it was entirely overshadowed).
I haven't read Winn's work yet. Thanks for that recommendation.
I don’t think Mark Lewisohn will ever come out with another book. He’s been talking about it for 10 years.
Ah Tony… Ye have little faith. The proposal was one volume about every 10 years. We are on year 11 for volume II. I expect it out for Christmas (I hope!)
I have all these books Matt . And I can't even stand The Beatles 😂
The books? Really? I mean a good topic, but dude we want your opinions on the remixes that just dropped. Why are you avoiding it?
I have barely listened to them. I won't be buying them so I will have to rely on digital downloads. I am not an audiophile so this is a topic I will approach in a certain way.
Will his opinion change yours?
@@catherinewilson3880 it might! I’d like to hear his opinion, that’s what his whole channel is about. Hearing his perspective.
Some people don't have any patience.
@@Onio_ and some people can’t mind their business, it’s a crazy world
You should check out The Love you make written by Peter Brown very candid book even has footnotes at the bottom of the pages.
Yep, that was another early book that I read.
❤❤. And the Beatles forever. Great book.
NEW BOOK *'LIVING THE BEATLES LEGEND-THE MAL EVANS STORY'* by Ken Womack
(I speak spanish) Please ask to Ken Womak if he'll make his book version in spanish
Lo tengo programado para una entrevista en este canal, así que trataré de acordarme de preguntar si lo 🙂traducirán al español.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Gracias Matt, saludos desde Perú
Beatles Forever is a charming book, by a fan without being fawning. I do think Carr and Tyler are unjustfiably negative about George's solo work, and don't even think much of Walls and Bridges, when they are able to find some positives in STINYC! For me, Lewisohn's "Volume 1" is priceless, though hopes of a "Volume 2" seem to be growing ever faimter. Glad you mentioned Ringo's book, it's really lovely, a view of "The Beatles as pals" from the inside.
I just wonder if Lewisohn is waiting to read up on info from Kenneth Womack's book about Mal Evans, which is now published as far as I am aware. Perhaps that is what is holding up 'All These Years Vol. II'? After all, having access to Mal's story would surely add a weight to any serious Beatles biography. Or perhaps there are legal issues with some of the content for this second tome. Or maybe it is just taking as long as it takes, as Mark often states in his interviews. But we've now reached the 10-year date since Vol. I was published so hopefully something is in the pipeline. Good post, Matt - I have some of these books but will look out for others you mentioned in your video and within the comments here.
I know Mark Lewisohn has had access to the diaries before so I'm guessing he takes from them what he needs. I'm hoping Vol 2 is out by Christmas of next year.
Anybody having a problem accessing Matt's videos on Patreon ? When I click the link, or the watch on Patreon button, for the last two videos "Some People Thought My Review Was Harsh" and "An Interesting Take on Jackson's Video" all I get is a this page could not be found message .🙁
Hey Brix, that link was shown as "locked" when I posted it so I had to delete the post. Try this: tinyurl.com/27tw7dnc
@@popgoesthe60s52 Cheers Matt, it works , I just responded on the Patreon page, hope you got it ?
Aye Matt. Not sure if you’re aware of a new book coming out written by mal evans son Gary. Supposedly it’s Mals personal diaries that he had written while working for the Beatles. Kind of a fly on the wall book. Don’t know much more about it. Figured your the expert. Lol. You would know more about it. 😅
I will be discussing that book in the upcoming weeks!
@@popgoesthe60s52 fantastic. Happy thanksgiving to you and your family. 👍