Customer Reviews

Beatles for Sale: The Musical Secrets of the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band of All Time

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

 

 

This book provides a song-by-song account (in chronological order of release) of everything The Beatles ever recorded and released as a group (although it mysteriously leaves out Anthology 3 and BBC). The author has set himself the task to prove that "The Beatles weren't Gods, but four highly motivated, but otherwise normal, Liverpool lads". Four lads, who in their early career, suppressed their artistic urges in favour of monetary gain and a high media profile. After they had become hugely successful, they could then reap the benefits from all the hard work, and allow themselves to experiment, as EMI didn't have a clue (according to the author) as to where they or the pop music market were headed. The author stresses the point (a lot!) that in order to understand The Beatles' music and thereby deconstructing the myths that surround it, it is important to recognize the influence of the work of other artists on their songs, stating that "Writing music from thin air can be a long and torturous process; it is often far easier to start from the basis of someone else's song and adapt part of it into something new". To prove that The Beatles worked like this, the author quotes George Harrison who once claimed that if you named him any Beatles song, he could tell you the record it was based on, and further quotes John Lennon who once said that he would often take another artist's song and would change it to the point he couldn't be sued for it. Although the author then states that it's not true that all Beatles songs were a result of reworking other songs, he keeps coming back to it in the text that follows in the rest of the book. Now we all know that Please, Please Me was influenced by Roy Orbison, but the the author's list goes on and on: I Saw Her Standing There - based on `Talkin' Bout You' and `Little Queenie', Do You Want To Know A Secret - based on `Runaround Sue' and `It Might As Well Rain Until September', I'm Only Sleeping - based on `Daydream', Yer Blues - based on `Heartbreak Hotel', In My Life - based on `Tracks Of My Tears', Michelle - based on `Trombone' and so on and on and on). Of course other songs that were around at the time influenced The Beatles, but to state it like this is just not on.
I personally feel he went way over the top with all the references to other songs he thinks he has found. Apart from this list of plagiarism, the book provides a description of each song and for the Lennon/McCartney songs, tries to indicate who was the principal writer. As remarked here often before, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but once it's in print you have to explain why you think that a certain songs is either good or bad. Just to call `She's A Woman' a simplistic power-chord rocker, calling the lyrics to `Another Girl' revealing of Paul's spoilt pop-prince behaviour at the time and `If I Needed Someone' a song that goes nowhere, and then not providing any solid information as to why, isn't helping anyone.
Unfortunately, this book is absolutely full of such statements, and that is why, together with the objections raised regarding the alleged plagiarism, I really can't recommend this book.

This book is a truly ridiculous attempt to make the reader look a bit closer at the Beatles' canon of songs and realize that the fab four really weren't all that fab after all.
Going song by song, the author repeatedly accuses the band of essentially ripping off other people's music and endlessly uses adjectives like 'lame' and 'mundane' when describing their songs. I really had to stop reading this piece of trash when the author asserted that the song "The End" was good until ruined by Paul's lyric "and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make". What PLANET is this guy from?!!

Terrible. I am returning this book for a store credit this morning.....

First of all the sub title to this book was musical secrets of The Beatles, which is why I had my wife get this for me for x-mas-that title sure sounded interesting and I was hoping to find out something new musically wise---let me say this, the "musical secrets" are nothing more that this idiot's misinformed and often lame OPINIONS of the songs themselves--which, are given as pure fact, and, like stated in other reviews, have no meritial evidence or explaination offered to back them up. In fact, I wish I had the time to list all the fallacies this guy offers up as indisputible fact, but I don't, so all I can say is this is just another pathetic Beatle Rip Off Book, that proves once again that any book with the words "The Beatles" on the cover is going to sell. It's sad that new fans that don't know much about the band could read this and believe any of it, while hard core fans like myself would waste any of their time and money on it. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone to even waste their spittle talking about this piece of crap. I just wish I could give it a negative star and not be forced to give it 1 star.

If you are a Beatles fan, find a better book. I'd give this Zero Stars if it was possible. This worthless tome spews all sorts of fantasy that seems to have been made up as it was written. The almost surreal stretches of imagination to connect a Beatle song to some obscure record are preposterous to the point of being laughable! The purported "secrets" mentioned in the publisher's blurb seem to have no basis in fact either, so please find a more worthwhile book if you have any interest in the Beatles' music. A good place to find solid information is Mark Lewisohn's "The Beatles: Recording Sessions," which are the Abbey Road studio notes taken by listening to the actual recording session tapes! There are few minor errors there, too, but nothing near the egregious errors/fantasy in this book! Save your money!

This book, Beatles for Sale: The Musical Secrets of the Greates Rock 'N' Roll Band of All Time, is one of the best, most informative books I have ever read. The years of research David Rowley spent on this book really paid off. After reading this book I had to go listen to every Beatles record I owned, and I haven't looked at the Beatles the same way after.

This book is perfect for a BEATLES enthusiast. In this case it was bought for a 14 year old musician, who is still devouring the book.

The supplier who sent the book from the UK was wonderfully informative and went to a great deal of trouble to make sure I was content with the transaction.

Next to Elvis, the Fab Four were the greatest music artist of the 20th century. The author tries his best to claim that they stole their songs from other artists. (like Motown). although they influenced them, he WAY OVERRATES their role in the Beatles' songs!

Luckily, the author is unable to convince me or any sane person to respect the Fabs any less for their songs which defined the sixties and popular culture like no-one else apart from the King (Elvis).

This book is not for a true fan of the Beatles, or a true fan of music.

An interesting look at a side of the Beatles, that other books have not bothered to look into. They have for too long been untouchable and it is good to see someone take a critical look at them for once.

Although I enjoy listening to Beatles music as much as anyone else, I have never been a fan of books revealing the so-called "secrets" behind their successes. However that changed when I received a copy of "Beatles for Sale: The Musical Secrets of the Greatest Rock'n'roll Band of All Time" for Christmas.
On opening the book I looked at it as cynically as I could, almost determined not to like what I saw. However by the end of the first chapter I was hooked.
In his tour de force David Rowley described the Beatles as being marketed as cynically as any boy band today and divulges some of their songwriting and recording secrets.
While many know that the Beatles song title "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" reduces to the acronym of one of the many illegal drugs that kept sixties Britain (and America) swinging - few know the verbal secrets of the bands many other songs. Rowley does, and he reveals it too.
The songs that the fab four "stole" from others, the commercial compromises that the group made to get that hit success - all unveiled in this thoroughly enjoyable book.
As I finished the book, I found myself to have only one major criticism - that it had to end. Will there be a sequel? I, for one, hope so.
In conclusion, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Beatles or even those, like me, who have cynically come to loathe many of the other "pop-histories" on the market today.