Customer Reviews

The Beatles Fake Book: C Edition (Fake Books)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is far more accurate than any other fake book. And unlike most of them, every key matches the recording.

Of course you don't get all the details. If that's what you want, Wolf Marshall's guitar books are the best.

If you like turning pages in the middle of each verse and then turning back to 'del signo' you'll be reall happy with the complete scores.

But if you want the whole song on one page, this is the ticket. Someone put some hard work into this little sucker.

I use a fine point pen to copy the harmonies from the scores.

Sometimes I even write the bass line in using an alternate color.

Works for me.

I like getting thru entire songs without stopping to turn pages.

I'm a piano teacher who is having fun introducing my teen students to the Beatles songs, both famous and obscure, from the simple early ones to the interesting later ones. This book is wonderful for two reasons: As other reviewers have noted, the chords given fit the recordings, and the songs are accessible to intermediate level pianists.

The Beatles songs are now part of the classic pop repertoire; even jazz singers at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City include them. This book will be a valuable addition to your piano/guitar library.

I have a copy of "The Beatles Complete" which is a Japanese publication that is thicker than a telephone book, hard bound, and weighs a ton. It has useless detail like drum staves so that each song takes four pages to get through. I got pretty good at turning the pages, but it won't sit on a piano, and it's pretty hard to learn a song when it is not on a single page. Furthermore the publisher has managed to engage charlatan transcribers who have gotten half the words wrong. They seem to think checking the published lyrics would be unethical, or perhaps they think their non-native and illogical made up words more creative? Beats me. She rubs you, yeah yeah yeah! The book is good as a cutting board or excelent as a weight while the glue sets after a guitar repair. Now the review of the Fake Book:

The songs are all on a single or facing page. Sweet. It sits on a piano stand. Far out. The lyrics are correct.

I tried a test, sitting the book on my bed and playing through random songs on guitar. Some of the chord diagrams are not ideal, but playing by the chord names, with only an occasional cheat off the diagrams is a very flexible method. Perhaps a chord is mislabled here and there, a major for a minor, and there seems to be a Bm missing as the second chord in 'across the universe'.

This can be overlooked. The binding is a bit weak. The plastic ring is good because it lays flat, but it can detach itself and the cover paper is too light. But if you consider this something to use, a bit of wear and tear shouldn't be too troubling. I'll get a new one if this gives up the ghost.

The book has 200 songs, there are chord diagrams, and the vocal notes seem pretty accurate. Each and every song is on one page or on two adjacent pages so that NO page turning is need for any song. This apparent blessing may also be a curse for those who don't have Eagle eyes, since the cleff is very, very small. Has almost any song you would want to play, Elinor Rigbie is the only notable song that I found missing. [its] is a little pricey, but any authentic beatles fan who's a musician should buy this book.

I bought this book in 1991 when I first bought a guitar, and it helped me learn how to do simple chord changes and figure out the basics of playing guitar. But a lot of the songs are just plain wrong. They don't really sound like the famous versions, and as a result they can be more frustrating than anything else. You're much better off with the Beatles Complete Scores book, which gets all the songs right.

This book is the most accurate concerning keys and chord changing. I've tried A LOT of books before, and even bigger editions with better bindings didn't come close... This one is compact and has over 200 songs - even obscure tunes (you know my name...) and others. It has the pictures of the chords, but is not a beginner's book, for it has some tricky chord formations and changings. Ps.: Forget the lamers below, buy this book. You won't regret it...

I already own Complete Scores and a 1987 "Beatles Complete", but I bought this so I would have something to use in performance, to cue me on lyrics and music without any page turns. Surprise: the arrangements are in such tiny print that it's virtually impossible to use this in performance as a fake book. You just can't read the words unless your face is only a few inches from the book, with perfect lighting. I would gladly have paid more if they'd laid out each song on 2 facing pages, but instead they usually cram 3 songs on those 2 facing pages. Compare this to the Real Book, which is thicker because it is typeset so you can actually use it in performance as a fake book.

The Beatles music? 5 stars, of course. The arrangements here? Good enough, the ones I've bothered to hunch over and read; 4 stars. The layout and usefulness of this book for its advertised purpose? 1 star.

This book is the most accurate concerning keys and chord changing. I've tried A LOT of books before, and even bigger editions with better bindings didn't come close... This one is compact and has over 200 songs - even obscure tunes (you know my name...) and others. It has the pictures of the chords, but is not a beginner's book, for it has some tricky chord formations and changings. Ps.: Forget the lamers below, buy this book. You won't regret it...

This book is a music teacher's wish come true and a music student's answered prayer. It contains Beatle songs from obscure to well-known classic staples and will no doubt delight fans of all degrees.

The chords work for the recordings; the diagrams are accurate and the songs can be played by students at the intermediate level. Beatle songs are a staple of life; performers of all genres have included Beatle songs in their repertoires; the Beatles are a part of culture that will remain timeless and immutable. We need this book!

This is an excellent book! The purpose of a 'fake book' is not to provide note-for-note transcriptions, but to show the chords, melody, and lyrics so you can play your own arrangement. I play guitar, and with this book I can easily sit around all day and play and sing these wonderful songs to my heart's content. Very fun, and a great way to learn! It really helps that all songs are on one or two facing pages, so no page-turning is involved.

These charts are very accurate, contrary to another comment below. I'm on my second copy of this book in seven years (it does tend to fall apart after a while) and have been very happy with the accuracy of the chords, unlike some other books I've seen.

If you want to play note-for-note riffs and leads, then get the The Complete Scores, but if you just want to play and sing the songs, this book can't be beat!