Customer Reviews

The Man Who Made the Beatles: An Intimate Biography of Brian Epstein

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The biography of the Beatles manager which gets to grips with the enigma that was Brian Epstein.
Ray Coleman examines Epstein's life with telling contributions from family and friends and the artistes and business associates who populated his brief life.
Epstein's childhood and adolescence are sensitively probed with Coleman playing sleuth psychologist to good effect.
Interesting observations are made with regard to Brian's family and his peers. The author builds this picture of the young Brian Epstein skilfully.
Of course, the real meat of this story begins with Epstein's own discovery of The Beatles and Coleman doesen't disappoint. Aside from his own reflections of what drove Brian to enter a sphere alien to him, he ellicits some great contributions from the stars in Brian's stable (Cilla Black and Gerry Marsden, particularly). His business partners and rivals also get a good airing and the overall picture of the man and his devotion to his stable of chart-toppers becomes clearer with each page. Indeed, the many poignant examples of Brian's sheer love of The Beatles makes what happened towards the end unbearably painful to read.
As, it seems, with anything to do with The Beatles, there is a definite change of mood from mid 1965 onwards. From here on in melancholia is the watchword. I defy any reader not to feel a huge sadness at the way Brian Epstein's personality/character became imbued with negativity and chaos. The author pulls no punches as he guides us towards the ultimate despair.

Could it be - with the "Fifth Beatle" Epstein biopic in the pipeline, an online petition for him to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and talk of a statue being built in Liverpool in his honour - that Brian Epstein, manager of The Beatles, will finally receive the recognition he deserves? Sadly, it doesn't seem that the remaining Beatles are at the forefront of this "campaign": in fact in 2000 they published an autobiography suggesting that Epstein wanted to pay The Beatles a fixed wage in order to keep the rest of the band's earnings for himself (many others who knew and worked with him have rebuffed this, pointing to his financial inexperience and ineptitude at the beginning of his managerial career). Cilla Black, whom Epstein also managed, let it be known last year that she had written to Paul McCartney, hoping that he would help Epstein to be better honoured, but never received a reply.

So for the time being, those who want to learn, hear or see more of the charismatic Beatles manager will have to content themselves with three books, two of which are now out of print: Epstein's autobiography A Cellarful of Noise (published in 1964 as Beatlemania was at its most maniacal), Ray Coleman's Brian Epstein: The Man Who Made The Beatles (1989) and Debbie Geller's The Brian Epstein Story (1999). And what a brilliant tribute Ray Coleman's biography is. Over 460 pages, Coleman - former editor-in-chief of Melody Maker and author of John Lennon: The Definitive Biography (1984) - unfolds the complex, multifaceted personality of the Beatles manager, peppering his account with engrossing insights, unseen photographs and private letters (showing Epstein's flowery handwriting). Written with the support and encouragement of the Epstein family, Coleman recounts Brian's erratic and eventful life, from his birth at 4 Rodney Street, Liverpool, to a rapid change of schools, his coming-out to his parents, the torturous identity problems he suffered as a Jewish homosexual, the short-lived theatrical training he received at RADA, his work at the family-owned NEMS record store on Great Charlotte Street to his discovery of the supergroup. Here Coleman debunks a few myths: Epstein had already heard about The Beatles before he set foot in the Cavern Club on 9 November 1961, not only from articles published in the Mersey Beat magazine sold at his shop, but also from numerous customer requests for their single 'My Bonnie' which had been released in Germany. Fascinatingly, Coleman also reveals that Decca was not the first record company to turn The Beatles down: EMI (who later signed them) first rejected them. Coleman reprints the rejection letter, confirmed by three senior producers at EMI, in which R.N. White informs Epstein: "We feel that we have sufficient groups of this type at the present under contract" (18 December 1961).

Tales follow of how the handsome Epstein (which he apparently liked pronounced Ep-steen) smartened and 'sanitised' The Beatles, hiding their private lives from fanatical fans and the hawk-eyed press. Of how he skillfully averted PR disasters after a Beatle had once again put the boot in. About how George Harrison was often the most difficult Beatle for him ("too demanding") and how pained he was by John Lennon's queer- and Jew-bashing humour. Coleman deftly denies claims that Epstein and Lennon had a homosexual relationship during their twelve-day escape to Barcelona in spring 1963 - a claim tediously reawakened by the new Philip Norman biography of Lennon. As The Beatles consolidate their fame, and Epstein takes on more and acts, he suffers a descent into acute insomnia, a gradual dependency on pills and alcohol (not necessarily unusual at that time), and an intensification of his long-standing loneliness and insecurity. His workaholic behaviour, characterised by an inability to delegate and a voracious desire to expand and succeed, became particularly straining. With his contract coming up for renewal in September 1967, Epstein feared losing control of The Beatles (correctly sensing a threat in the form of Allen Klein, who would later become manager of three Beatles after Epstein's death). But this doesn't prevent Coleman from capturing the jovial wit and flamboyance of the man. There is an amusing tale of Brian's chaotic erraticism: more than one colleague tells of how he had a habit of careering through red lights in his Bentley and then stopping at green ones (with the suggestion that he was in fact colour blind!).

Epstein's accidental death at 32 at his Chapel Street home in London - found with a "low lethal" level of barbiturates found in his blood - was a tragic waste. As one negotiating partner remembers, "[he was] a sensitive, cultured and caring person whose death struck me as a total waste. The Beatles never seemed to have that team stability when he had gone".

A gripping read!

I spent more time with reading this book more than my other Beatle books. Mr. Brian Epstein is very well brought out in this book than any other. Things writen in this book will be moved as the author describes almost every detail in the book. It has alot of interesting facts: The funny experiences Brian had in the military, how Brian was an off-and-on homosexual, his mood swings, the time he screamed with the other fans during a Beatle concert, problems he were having with his boyfriend Dizz, the relationship he had with the Beatles, cute pictures of him when he was a baby, and I could go on and on. Just read the book, Beatlefans interested in the Man who made The Beatles will enjoy it.

Ray Coleman's monumental book on Brian Epstein is another proof of the author's seriousness, depth and respect for his work (after John Lennon's comprehensive biography). The extent of the research is impressive, the analysis -- thorough and subtle, the description -- precise and intelligent, and the tone of the book is respectful, with accents of sympathy and affection for the person whose role in The Beatles phenomenon is essential.

After reading the book, not only can the reader understand Brian's personality and explain his behaviour, but many fuzzy aspects in the Beatles history become crystal clear and more than one myth are demystified. Two examples: before I read the book I was puzzled by the "Raymond Jones" story, and more precisely by Epstein's transparent (and naïve) lie, spread by himself inclusively through his autobiography. Since it is obvious he knew the Beatles way before some clients asked about "My Bonnie" -- he knew them basically from Bill Harry and his publication "The Mersey Beat", but also from... the Beatles themselves who already had a reputation in his store: they were frequent visitors, well known for listening to the new records and not buying them -- then why pretending he had never heard about them before some kids asked about the Hamburg record? Well, beyond Epstein's inclination to pathos, theatricality and resplendence, beyond his possessiveness and obsession with them, lies some trivia: in 1963 he had a terrible and irreconcilable row with Bill Harry because of "The Mersey Beat" paper. So much so, that he deprived Harry of the historical truth, mystifying facts and creating a parallel 'reality'. Besides, he absolutely wanted to be THE ONLY ONE to ever have "discovered" the Beatles, passing under silence or drastically minimizing the role and real help of Bill Harry, Bob Wooler or Sam Leach in 1960-1961. Epstein needed exclusivity like air in the Beatles story, therefore the "birth" of Raymond Jones.

The second example concerns the Beatles themselves: many people consider John the most difficult and tough of the group, whereas the three others wear some gross labels -- generally remote from reality. It seems that John, although the most (vitriolically) outspoken, was in many respects the most understanding and forgiving of all. Also, John seems the only one who really, fully understood Epstein and -- more importantly -- openly acknowledged Brian's providential role in the Beatles becoming a successful band. It was easygoing Paul of all people who challenged Brian big time. To the point that in 1966-67 Paul became ruthless to Brian, judging him severely and in public, hurting him on many occasions, adding to Brian's turmoil.

The book has some irritable shortcomings (hence the four stars): first, it is way too repetitive; not only it abounds in clichés ("Brian could not delegate", "He was so lonely", "Brain was bearing the burden of being Jewish and gay" on every page), but repeats the same event, fact or interpretation many times -- it seems that since the author made a research or interviewed people, he absolutely wanted to give the public everything he found out or was told, no matter how redundant.

Second, the timeline is often puzzling, with mixed references to past or future events, switches in time (back and forth, like rewinding or forwarding a tape), sudden changes of events from a paragraph to another, associations between totally different events, big gaps (on one page there is a very succinct passage from the Christmas 1965 to the Christmas 1966) and fastidious gluts (interminable discussions about Brian's relations with Gerry Mardsen, Tommy Steele or Cilla Black...).

This transforms the book into a major compilation of sources, quotations, repeated conclusions that look like an immense, detailed, often incoherent, disordered draft. It's like Coleman rushed to publish all his notes, not bothering to organise the jumble.

These shortcomings make the book sometimes heavy and totally uninteresting (or worse), difficult to ingest, but they do not diminish the quality of the information or analysis. It seems some biographers are excellent researchers and analysts but not good enough writers. A second edition summing up the events and putting some order in them, would have given a slimmer version, far more interesting and easy to read, and would have permitted accessibility to an excellent, insightful perception of Brian Epstein by Ray Coleman.

Hidden mysteries exposed, cant put the book down once you start, the Beatles were more than what was expected and then some. Lennon, was more than talented as expressed by Epstein, who was clearly a friend. Sadly, he was alone in his own world. Even in a crowed studio with acquaintances, media, and tons of interviews, Epstein couldnt believe what had happened through his works, frustrations, and failures...His biggest contribution besides himself, The Beatles......!