Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Beatles by numbers, November 8, 2005
This review is from: The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record (Paperback)
The website is terrific, but the book version is a real disappointment. As an entry point into the Beatles it's a decent first purchase, containing as it does a chronology, a discography, and a song-by-song breakdown, but the same money would be far better spent on Revolution In The Head and used copies of Lewisohn's Chronicle and Recording Sessions.
There's a lot here, but little that's new, no fresh insight, quite a few errors and a lot of gaping holes. For instance, most of the song summaries trot out the usual background info, yet for some there's not even that. Several entries just list the number of takes. There are four lines on Carnival Of Light. Not a word about the origin or recording of Old Brown Shoe.
So, if you're picking up the book knowing little about the major songs, then you're decently-served here. But if you already know about Penny Lane (and it's an area informally named after a street, Craig, not just a street), then you'll be disappointed by what this offers on the likes of Junk or If You've Got Troubles.
And that's the biggest disappointment about this book: that it spurns the opportunity to go where predecessors like Stannard's The Long And Winding Road couldn't, by giving equal weight to the previously unreleased songs on Anthology. Most of those get just a brief para acknowledging their belated release.
Last and least, the writing style, which could have used the guidance of an experienced editor. For instance, exclamation marks are used with abandon! Which makes for a very trying read! And the text is littered with profanity. There's nothing wrong with that, per se, but here it seems pointless and immature. Go ahead and use "f---ing" if the context demands it, but when you just mean "very", or "really", then "very" or "really" will probably do. Think Teddy Boy is bad? Then don't just say "it's s--t!" tell us what's s--t about it, whether it made it to any version of Get Back, and what McCartney ended up doing with it.
So is it a bad book? No. It's a two-star that would make a three-star if better written, a four-star if truly complete, and a five-star, must-have if only it would offer something new.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some people will love this book, and some will not, November 9, 2005
This review is from: The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record (Paperback)
I can see a lot of people loving this book, and a lot of other people... not. I think some may be put off by the author's writing style - which is quite loose. It also contains some strong language - be warned.
The text is rather "conversational". But the stronger language in use has a bonus - in that the author delves quite deeply into areas such as their drug use, that other books just touch upon. The break-up is brutally well-done, for example. It is quite clear from the text that The Beatles were not getting along at this point in their careers - and this is no epilogue to deliver a happy ending.
But if you are looking for a book that your children can read, then maybe this book is not for you.
Their love life, drug habits and earthy quotes (especially some of Johns diatribes) do tend to make you blush.
I certainly wouldn't let my 10-year-old child read this book.
The first part of the book - the history section - is very stong, very detailed and very complete. But as the previous reviewer states, the song section leaves out some of their later BBC session and Anthology releases, together with any bootleg recordings, which I do believe are contained on the accompanying website.
But every song that they released during their 8-year career is present and correct. (Maybe we will one day get an updated version - like 'A Hard Day's Write' perhaps?) But even so, the book still contains every song from their studio albums, singles, EPs and B-sides - which is more than enough for most fans. After all, these are the songs that you actually listen too day in and day out.
The length of the commentary does vary, depending on the fame of the song, and whether there is actually anything to say. Lennon and McCartney have, of course, admitted to knocking out songs in a rapid fashion during the early part of their career, and I don't expect that there is very much to tell about their genesis.
So whilst ALL commentaries contain session details, some just have an accompanying paragraph. A quick perusal of the website will show you exactly what I mean in this regard.
Most songs are given half-page to a page, increasing to 3 pages for the very famous songs. Hey Jude, Strawberry Fields Forever, A Day In The Life, Love Me Do and Revolution, for example, all have 2 or 3 pages devoted to each.
I found that the essays are generally more detailed than the ones contained in 'A Hard Days Write', whilst lacking the social commentary of 'Revolution In The Head'.
But the social commentary is mainly contained in the history section, of course.
To sum up, this is a large book with a definite writing style of its own. And you may be put off the stronger language. Or you may find the conversational style a breathe of fresh air - in an area too often filled with dreary tomes.
But hooray, I say, for a book with a bit of life. Just don't give it to your children!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a rock 'n roll beatles history, August 13, 2006
This review is from: The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record (Paperback)
if you are a frequent visitor to the website, then you will probably be interested to know what is included in the book and what has been left out of it, because it is not an exact copy of everything that he says on the internet.
The DAY-BY-DAY history section includes every year from 1956 to 1970. the website does include most of this, but the entire years of 1958, 1963 (the height of beatlemania), 1967 (the summer of love when the beatles released Sgt. Peppers) and 1970 (the painful year when the beatles split) are missing on the website - they are only available in the book.
i am happy to see that the useful lists of singles and albums released by other artists every month during that period are retained in the book.
the SONG-BY-SONG section includes every official song that the beatles released during their career (that is - every song released on their 13 albums, all of their singles and EPS, and including b-sides) . a lot of these songs are missing from the website. for example, some of their most major songs of their entire career: From me to you, i want to hold your hand, lucy in the sky with diamonds, nowhere man, please please me, something, strawberry fields forever, tomorrow never knows, twist and shout and youve got to hide your love away are only available in the book. but as a counterweight, the unreleased bootlegs are not here.
the RECORD-BY_RECORD section also includes the birtish and USA disocographies of EPS, which is not available on the website.
theb ook is weighty and their is a LOT to read. (500 pages +) and it is quite rock 'n roll. and by that i mean, it is not straight. as some readers have noted below, yes, he swears. and he inlcudes quotes from the band in which they swear. he also includes fruity quotes (especially from messier john lennon) about their -- how can i put this nicely -- girlfreinds and groupies, and drug usage. the beatles pulled no punches when they described some of their experiences in hamburg, and neither does he. the year 1964 is a good eye-opener. not only do they meet bob dylan and get introduced to 'mary jane', for example, (which is a most detailed passage in the book . i enjoyed their recollections of the band members and bob dylans friends who participated. they descibe the rolling of the famous joints in a most descriptive manner!) they also desribe the american tours, and everything that 'involved' in a most eye-opening way.
i frequently blushed at the some of the tales contained therein (and let me say, that i am no prude) but i also laughed double as much. most of all, i came away from this book wishing that i had lived the life of a beatle.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
