The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics [Hardcover]

Alan Aldridge (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics is a must-have for every Fab Four fan. The seminal band of the sixties and seventies, the Beatles commanded an unparalled influence that crossed all barriers and lifted pop music to a new level of recognition and artisitic achievement.

The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics features color photographs and delightful artwork on every page—more than 300 illustrations—along with the lyrics of more than 200 songs. Quotes from John, Paul, George, and Ringo provide candid, witty, insightful commentary on the songs and their origins, often clarifying controversial lyrics.

Take a “magical mystery tour” through the poetic musings of the band that continues to captivate generation after generation. It’s the ultimate tribute, in words and pictures, to the best band of all time.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

First published in 1969, this reissued collection of illustrated lyrics for 200 Beatles songs will be a treasure for any fan of the Fab Four. Editor and Beatle-buddy Alan Aldridge states in his introduction to the original edition: "What I have tried to do is present a book [that] is as entertaining to the eye and the imagination as a Beatles album is to the ear." Indeed, he more than succeeds, creating a lavish pageant of art and music that embraces not only the Beatles but also the psychedelic spirit of the entire era.

In 320 photos and illustrations, renowned artists offer their interpretations of various songs. "Help" is visualized by Ronald Searle; "Fixing a Hole," by Tomi Ungerer; "Glass Onion," by Peter Max; "I'm So Tired," by David Hockney; and "Oh, Darling," by Ralph Steadman. Aldridge also contributes his own trippy illustrations, which reflect the bold, bulbous, cartoons-on-acid style of 1960s poster art. This rich compilation also has brief quotes from the Beatles explaining the origins of the themes and lyrics of certain songs. For example, despite the buzz that "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is about LSD, according to Paul, "What happened was that John's son Julian did a drawing at school and brought it home, and he has a schoolmate named Lucy, and John said, 'What's that?' and he said 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds.'" Band members also share their thoughts on superstardom, including this now weighty comment from John: "I don't intend to be a performing flea anymore. I was the dreamweaver, but although I'll be around I don't intend to be running at 20,000 miles an hour trying to prove myself. I don't want to die at 40." It can't bring them back, but The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics can take you on a long and winding road of nostalgia. --Brangien Davis

About the Author

Alan Aldridge is an award-winning graphic designer and artist based in London. He was also a colleague and friend of the Beatles. This extraordinary collection is the result of his idea to have artists illustrate their songs in any and every way possible for print.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157912058X
• ISBN-13: 978-1579120580
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #476,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Handsome book, but why the snubbing of Harrison/Starr songs?, February 15, 2003

By 

Todd M. Pence (Fairfax, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics (Hardcover)

Overall, this is a nice volume which augments the lyrics of the Beatles with striking and memorable illustrations, particularly from editor Aldridge, which very well capture the spirit of the Beatles' music. However, the book contains one serious shortcoming: its inexplicable (and unexplained) leaving out of almost all of the Beatle numbers not written by Lennon/McCartney. This means that such indispensible songs such as "Here Comes The Sun", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Something", "Old Brown Shoe", and "Octopus's Garden" (among others) are conspicously absent from this collection. Why? Instead, we get at least a dozen Lennon/McCartney compositions that were never actually recorded by the Fab Four, as well as Lennon's three most famous songs from his early solo career.
Another drawback is that the lyrics are presented in a seemingly random, haphazard order as opposed to any kind of a chronological or even thematic one.
A wonderful concept well-executed, but must be docked points for incompleteness because of the missing Harrison and Starr songs.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the Beatlemaniac who has all their books..., December 1, 1998

By 

Studebaker Hoch, [e-mail] (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics (Paperback)

No reviews, no bios, just great lyrics and good art. This book was originally published during the late 60s, and so the art reflects the time. My only complaint: "Two of Us" is not about Paul and Linda (as the picture suggests), it's about the friendship of John and Paul (lines like "you and I have memories, longer than the road that stretches out ahead" make little sense in regard to Linda; Paul had only recently met her at the time of the song's writing, and he went on to spend the next 30 years with her). That aside, I say no Beatle library is complete without it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Illustrated Beatles Lyrics? Great!, February 5, 2001

By 

Ziggy, the Last of the Space Cowboys (Pig Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics (Paperback)

"The Beatles: Illustrated Lyrics" is a must-have for Beatles fans everywhere. This book features the lyrics from most Beatles songs, each song paired with anadventurous illustration capturing the mood and theme/s of that particular song. Many of the illustrations are brilliant works of art, especially those for "Eleanor Rigby", "I Want You", "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Dear Prudence" and are great to look at when listening to the songs. I found the illustration for "She's Leaving Home" - a comic strip of the story told in the song to be ecceptionally neat. Some of the pictures are interesting to say the least: "Cry Baby Cry", "Blackbird" and "Tomorrow Never Knows", whereas others are just darned weird, such as "Dr. Robert", "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Within You Without You" - but hey, even some of the weird illustrations are fun to look at. Also featured throughout the book is a selection of fan art - all of it pretty good.

In conclusion, if you are a die-hard Beatles fan, you shouldn't be without this book. Sure, it's not for everyone (some of the art may be a little too much for some people), but if you love the Beatles and if you love poetry, by all means grab a copy.