Abbey Road to Zapple Records: The Beatles Encyclopedia [Paperback]

Judson Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

Contains updated information on new Beatles material associated with the Anthology, complete track listings from their albums, and appendices on the Beatles' songs, their release dates, and even a cross-reference of British and American versions of early albums.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Musician and Beatles fan Westover has compiled a clever assortment of charts and graphs to show how Capitol Records in the United States routinely dismantled the Beatles's original U.K. albums in order to create more product. Westover has created "fan-in" and "fan-out" charts that visually identify the U.K. sources for the songs on each of the Beatles's U.S. albums and vice versa. Also included are graphs that track each U.S. album's chart performance in Billboard. Unfortunately, because of their large scale, these graphs are difficult to read, and Westover makes no attempt to analyze an album's drastic fluctuation in chart position. Additional charts and tables include a list of the Beatles's Grammy nominations and awards, an overview of the various U.S. record companies that released Beatles product, and even a chart that sorts all Beatles songs by playing times. Despite its drawbacks, this unique book compiles information not easily found elsewhere. Knight's "encyclopedia" is not so successful. While Knight (Don't Fence Me In) did not intend to create an exhaustive reference work like Bill Harry's Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia (Hyperion, 1993), his criteria for inclusion are purely subjective. He only included topics about which there was something "particularly fascinating to say." But readers don't even learn all the details about topics he does include. Instead, Knight tosses out one or two interesting tidbits and then moves on to the next event, emphasizing offbeat details. (He lists, for example, the five Beatles tracks on which George Harrison plays the sitar.) A fun read, but, unlike Westover, Knight adds nothing new to the ever-increasing list of books already available on the Beatles.ALloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Author

"In writing this book," the author explains, "I set out to test all the little rumors for myself. Is it true that `Strawberry Fields Forever' is about drugs? Did the Beatles once record as the Beat Brothers? Was Abbey Road really the Beatles' last album? (The answers, working backward in true Beatles style, are yes, no, and most likely not.)"

Noting that "*The Guinness Book of World Records* originated from the disputes over sports records which Irish bar patrons would often argue over pints of Guinness," the author goes on to say in the preface to *Abbey Road to Zapple Records,* "Likewise the origins of this book lie in all the intriguing little stories I used to hear from my elders concerning the Beatles--some of them true; some... shall we say, embellished." At its heart, *Abbey Road to Zapple Records* is about such "intriguing little stories." As the author has observed, "We all have our little stories, which is why I think we were all so deeply affected by the killing of John Lennon. It wasn't just him we were crying for: it was our youth, our childhood, all the unfulfilled longings which found expression in the Beatles' music. And that, ultimately, is the reason that justifies the existence of not only this, but the next hundred books about the Beatles."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878332405
• ISBN-13: 978-0878332403
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,476,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely fabulous, November 18, 1999

By 

Jason Parsons ([e-mail]) (Dallas, Tx) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abbey Road to Zapple Records: The Beatles Encyclopedia (Paperback)

This book is the most comprehensive book of facts that I have ever read about the Beatles. Anything that you want to know about them is here. All the questions and myths are answered in an easy to read and entertaining format.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique book with plenty of unusual insights, September 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Abbey Road to Zapple Records: The Beatles Encyclopedia (Paperback)

I've been a Beatles fan for many years, and have read a fair amount about the band. I really loved the fact that this book presented information I'd never read elsewhere. I highly recommend this book to any Beatles fan!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT investment for Beatles fans, December 5, 2002

By 

H.C. Joiner - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abbey Road to Zapple Records: The Beatles Encyclopedia (Paperback)

My Beatles CDs sound ten times better thanks to this book. In addition to the songwriting, one of the things I love most about the Beatles is how lushly produced their music is. Thanks to this book, I can quickly look up any song title and get "the stories behind the songs".

Basically, this is a well-researched, well-written guide laid out in an incredibly useful format. A must.