The Mammoth Book of the Beatles [Paperback]

Sean Egan (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Mammoth Book of | Publication Date: June 9, 2009

This exciting compilation includes more than 30 contemporary accounts, articles, and interviews (from Maureen Cleave’s “Beatles Bigger than Christ” feature, to their debunking in News of the World just before the Sgt. Pepper release), plus latter-day memoirs and re-assessments, on the most wildly popular band in the world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sean Egan’s previous books include The Rough Guide to the Rolling Stones and 100 Albums That Changed Music. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; 1 edition (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762436271
• ISBN-13: 978-0762436279
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #512,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Informative Guide to JPG&R!, July 16, 2009

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of the Beatles (Paperback)

To anyone who might cry out: "Not another Beatlles book," chill out. This is a good 'un! THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF THE BEATLES offers up almost 600 pages of memoirs, interviews, musical critiques, magazine and newspaper articles, etc. that together present an insightful tour down memory lane. And all for $13.95!

Though the title page states that the book was "Edited and with an introduction by Sean Egan," in fact Egan wrote most of the material. That's a good thing because he is a gifted, insightful, witty, knowledgeable writer who does a first rate job of capturing the Beatles life and times. What I found most valuable was his ability to recreate those long-ago days and show the significance of the various stages of the Beatles development as a band and as social arbiters.

Egan's critiques of the various singles and albums released over the years are nicely done - critical yet affectionate. Though Egan loves run-on sentences, he's able to pull them off. For example, in describing John and Paul harmonizing on "One After 909," he states that "when (they) swing together into a "Weeell..." halfway through the number as seamlessly and brotherly as an Everlys joint vocal, it's enough to bring tears to the eyes, a reminder of the golden days of a partnership once so harmonious and which begat so much pleasure for so many millions and is about to disappear into history."

The book is divided into Life and Art; Dissenters; Film and TV; Beatle Women; Interviews; and In the End, an all-encompassing review of the Fab Four by Paul Gambacinni. (Other contributors range from Hunter Davies to Kenneth Tynan to Lester Bangs). Included in the book are such items as Maureen Cleave's "more popular than Jesus" article, Paul's 1970 self-interview, Glyn Johns' memories of recording "Let It Be," interviews with Pete Best, Astrid Kirschherr, George Martin, Cynthia Lennon, Pattie Boyd, and Macca himself, a 30+ page discography of Beatles and solo Beatles UK releases and much, much more.

In short, THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF THE BEATLES is a marvelous book, deserving of a wide readership. Obviously Beatle fans will love it. But others with an incomplete knowledge of the Beatles, rock music and life in the 60s will enjoy it - and learn from it - as well. It truly is a magical mystery tour starring four men who not only made great music but changed the world as well. Highly recommended.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a valuable item for those who loves THE BEATLES stories, January 10, 2010

By 

Annibal C. De Amorim (Brazil) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of the Beatles (Paperback)

I just wanted you to to know this book is a must for those trying to grasp some stories about the greatest rock n' rfoll band of our times.
It is a precious item for those who appreciate findind out about the ups and down of THE BEATLES.
I love it.
Annibal

2.0 out of 5 stars A lot of material but in many cases gratuitously contrarian, December 12, 2011

By 

J. Howley "Connoisseur-at-large" (Metro Motown, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of the Beatles (Paperback)

Many of the contemporary stories written DURING the Beatles' active career are very enjoyable and informative, but in much of the review/analysis material written by Egan himself he seems to be going out of his way to be contrarian and critical, often to ridiculous lengths.

I suppose he wanted to document he wasn't just another rapturous Fab Four fanboi, but in his attempts to establish his "critical legitimacy" he makes some far-fetched statements: he rates "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" as "simply not very good," "Penny Lane" as "not that great," "Strawberry Fields Forever" "good but not great," "Paperback Writer" a "catch-up enterprise," "All You Need is Love" a "piece of hack work," and so on and so on.

His breakdown of the White Album is just bizarre -- in an arbitrary theoretical exercise of cutting the 30 song double-LP down to a 14-song single disc, he discounts "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" as a "failed experiment," "Bungalow Bill" as "rubbish," and McCartney throwaways "Ob-La-Di" and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" (!?!) as "classic." With that last, you have to wonder if he isn't just trolling.

Of course a critical opinion cannot be "wrong," but Egan definitely pushes the limits of that proposition.

Throughout the book Egan assumes an air of continual condescending nitpicking (much in the face of nearly-unanimous critical opinion over 40 years), begging the question that if the Beatles really irritated him that much, why write the book?