Beatle!: The Pete Best Story [Paperback]

Pete Best (Author), Patrick Doncaster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 2001

Before there was Ringo, there was Pete. Drummer with the Beatles from 1960 to 1962, Best played with the band in Liverpool and Hamburg, then was unceremoniously dropped on the eve of fame and fortune. In Beatle! he relates previously unknown anecdotes that form a fascinating look at the least-documented period of Beatles history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'It reads well and... - rare for a rock book these days - ...care and preparation went into it.' -- Melody Maker

'The Pete Best Story by Pete Best & Patrick Doncaster is a must for all fans of the Fab Four.' -- Woman's Own

'This is the first book by one of the original Beatles to describe in candid detail those early years' -- The News Line --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Plexus Publishing; 2nd edition (July 17, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0859653013
• ISBN-13: 978-0859653015
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,659,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must For Beatlemaniacs, Fascinating and Evocative, February 17, 2002

By 

First Things First "captainreflection" (Burbank, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beatle!: The Pete Best Story (Paperback)

Pete Best occupies a place in history worthy of a great Shakespearian character. He was the Beatles' original drummer who was sacked in favor of Ringo Starr at the precise moment the band was offered a recording contract by George Martin of E.M.I. Records. Best and co-author Patrick Doncaster tell the whole early Beatles saga, sparing us few details of the carousing, pranks and debauchery, but also imparting the fun, cameraderie, and musical growth of the Fab Four in those heady Mersyside days. I was expecting a fun read when I bought this book, but never expected the haunting, spooky feeling that remained after I finished the last chapter entitled "Down Among the Ghosts." In this short final chapter, Pete describes his emotions today when he wanders down into his mother's basement, the site of the former Casbah Club, one of the original Beatles venues. Here he lets himself travel back in his mind's eye to the rollicking days when Liverpool's musical explosion was going full tilt; and the bands, the screaming girls, the laughter, and dreams of glory were his everyday reality. In these visits, he conjures up the many departed people and former friends who poured downstairs each night. He sometimes takes a few whacks at his little brother's drum kit which sits by the old coffee bar. Then, he lets the cloud of memory evaporate, and climbs back up the stairs as today's Pete Best, a civil-servant living not far from his old home. Really a unique and amazing read!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The joy of being a Beatle, the pain of being left behind., July 31, 1998

By 

Joe Vance (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beatle!: The Pete Best Story (Paperback)

The Beatles' drummer of two years, Pete Best speaks from the heart in this book. He recalls the phone call from Paul McCartney that changed his life, the audition with The Beatles that he passed, finding himself in Hamburg 10 days later, working long hours and living in horendous conditions. Pete's love of the band and of band life as a young man is very obvious, and he gives the reader a whole new understanding of the Beatles' genesis, from their first days in Hamburg Germany, to the first Beatles recordings, their initial successes as a band, the easy women, the run-ins with German authorities, the personal jealousies that crept in, the early rumors that Beatles' new manager, Brian Epstein was replacing Pete as drummer, to the dark day when Pete was blindsided by the news of his dismissal. Also covered are Pete's recordings and tours with his own band and beyond. This is probably the best book written about the early Beatles, full of information, great stor! ies about the original "Fab Five", including Beatles original bassist, artist Stuart Sutcliffe, all told from the fascinating point of view of the most popular Beatle in Hamburg and Liverpool in the early 60's, Pete Best.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brutally honest account by the REAL fifth beatle, September 7, 2005

By 

james hambleton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beatle!: The Pete Best Story (Paperback)

Wow. I read this book and enjoyed it immensely. It is the most honest account I have read in years.
Pete Best was with the Beatles during the early sixties, when they had yet to hit the big time. They spent several months in Hamburg, just learning their trade. He was with them through the Cavern Club years and the Decca audition. But just when things started to go right for the band, he was sacked.
Why?
We don't know. Pete says that he still doesn't know after all these years.
You may expect the book to be bitter about the Beatles success - but it isn't. You may expect him to bad mouth the band throughout - but he doesn't. He paints them in a remarkably nice light, that comes across as both honest and believable.
He recounts tales about drugs, drink and girls - and describes the personalities of the big bands they met - Tony Sheridan and Gerry and the Pacemakers for example.
And he also gallently talks about the day he was sacked, and the reasons why he thinks they did it.
The prologue at the end that describes his subsequent career shows that we shouldn't be sorry for him at all... What we wouldn't give to be at the heart of that!