Scan barcode
erincataldi's review against another edition
4.0
This was a long and dense book BUT I found it utterly fascinating. I have never read about the Beatles before so most of this was fresh new information for me. Obviously I know the songs and I know about Yoko "breaking up the band" but I didn't really know anything meaningful about John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Jonathan Gould write a dense (600+ pages) book about the Beatles career, discography, and the influence that it had on America and Britain. I also loved how he went into depth about all the songs and it made it fun to listen along while I read. It was a bit of a slog BUT I have such a bigger appreciation for The Beatles and their music. I'm getting ready to go on a road trip and this book has inspired me to listen to all their albums in order. Again this book is dense and it may have info found in many of the other Beatles books, but I haven't read them and don't know - so to me it was a great introduction!
uscrx's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, interesting read about the group that was such a big part of my early years. Very well written, researched, and documented. So many interesting facts. Recommended.
craftyscene's review against another edition
3.0
What a beast of a book. This monster was 600 pages that could have been edited to about half that. Granted, the author writes not just about the Beatles, but what was going on in the UK, US, and the music scene. Intense and comprehensive? Absolutely. But also worth the read.
her_book_cottage's review against another edition
4.0
love the way this book is laid out. great surprises even for big Beatles fans.
alexsiddall's review against another edition
4.0
A well-told story of the Beatles from their beginnings to their break-up. Gould is particularly perceptive in his track-by-track analysis of their songs, which time and again took me back to the music, and time and again I heard things I hadn't appreciated before.
There have been some excellent books about the Beatles. This is one of the best I've come across.
There have been some excellent books about the Beatles. This is one of the best I've come across.
henrik_w's review against another edition
5.0
Comprehensive and authoritative. In addition to being a really good history of the Beatles (including the childhoods of all of them), I liked that almost all of their songs were described and analysed by the author, even though the music terminology is too advanced for me (tonic, syncopated, arpeggiated, glissando etc). I also really enjoyed how the Beatles were placed in the context of the times - there are history lessons on the British invasion, the summer of love, Woodstock etc, as well as comparisons to Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and more. Even though it took me quite a while to get through (606 pages), I really enjoyed it.
shelfimprovement's review against another edition
4.0
What I loved about this book is that it didn't just tell the story of how John, Paul, George, and Ringo met, wrote songs together and fell apart. Gould's exploration of how the cultures of Britain and America affected and were affected by the Beatles was fascinating.