The White Book: The Beatles, the Bands, the Biz: An Insider's Look at an Era (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: John Lennon, Ron Kass, Capitol Records (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The second memoir from record-industry vet Mansfield (The Beatles, the Bible and Bodega Bay), a simple look at a complex happening, recounts his overwhelmingly positive experiences working with the Fab Four (and others) as they put together their late-career masterpiece The White Album. Mansfield relates how a lucky break in the 1960s took him from promotions executive for Hollywood's Capitol Records to U.S. manager of Beatles-owned Apple Records. One of the few Americans allowed into the group's inner circle, Mansfield presents revealing one-on-one time with each band member, yielding insight beyond their public personas. He notes, for instance, that mere words can't explain how intimidating John Lennon and Yoko Ono were. Though he provides his side of artistic debates (should Hey Jude or Revolution be the first Apple single?), and eyewitness accounts of key Beatles moments (including the group's final public performance atop the label's London headquarters), Mansfield misses numerous opportunities to provide insider details and to comment on the progress (or lack thereof) in the recording industry; further, Mansfield's awkward writing style—clumsy metaphors and alliteration, short chapters and confusing chronology—gives the work an amateurish feel. As Mansfield notes in the foreword, this book is something to enjoy because of its simplicity: engaging but hardly essential reading for the casual fan. (Oct. 30)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Through exclusive photos and personal stories, former US manager of Apple Records and Grammy Award winning producer Ken Mansfield offers a compelling memoir that delves into his life in the 1960s and '70s and his unique partnership with the Beatles and other musicians who orbited their world. As observer, friend, and colleague, Mansfield sat in their recording sessions, partied in their swimming pools, took their irate calls, and publicized their successes. Entertaining, historically accurate, and illuminating a side of the Fab Four known only to a few like Mansfield, The White Book shines fresh light on the true characters behind the cultural phenomena that revolutionized a generation. As the former Head of Apple Records International, Jack Oliver, has said of Ken, "He is one of the few insiders left that bore witness to the highs and lows of those insane days when we ruled the world."

"Ken has a unique gift. He can take you in the room and have you sit with the folk he knows and make you one of the gang, part of the plan. and considering these folk include the Beatles, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, the Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, David Cassidy and a whole host more that is some doing. I really enjoyed sitting in on his world and I respect the affection he has for our game, and what he brought to it, will get you."

ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM
Rolling Stones Manager and Producer

"Ken Mansfield brings us a new and closely personal perspective not only on the Beatles, but on a whole cast of musical characters from Brian Wilson to Don Ho. An observant and perceptive man in the centre of the storm; a contradictory man, both ambitious and spiritual, but at the heart of the record industry during its most exciting years and enjoying every minute of it. I lived through those years with Ken and we became friends. It is a pleasure to experience so much of it all again through the accuracy of his story telling and the clarity of his memory."

PETER ASHER
Peter and Gordon/A&R Chief Apple Records/Producer-Manager (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King et al)

"Journalism is normally a very inexact science. Many of the countless books about the Beatles have been written by researchers-not by people who were actually there. Everyone has experienced reading a book or article where one's own inside knowledge about a particular person or event shows up inaccuracies on the part of the writer that totally distort the truth. This book is an exception-I know because I was there for some of it myself. Ken Mansfield and I unknowingly shared the experience of the famous Apple rooftop session where I was nervously adjusting mikes and cables for the sound recording of that unforgettable day. Ken was not only working for the Beatles through their heyday, he was also their trusted friend. There is no one better equipped to tell the Beatles' story-truthfully-and more importantly-factually, from the inside."

ALAN PARSONS
Engineer to the Beatles/Pink Floyd, Multi Platinum Producer, Alan Parsons Project

"Unlike many people claiming a Beatles connection, Ken Mansfield doesn't have an agenda or try to elevate his role or importance. Ken comes across as a man who knows how lucky he was to be where he was and enjoys sharing his stories with us. Ken was there and that is why The White Book is informative, fresh and entertaining without being ego-driven."

BRUCE SPIZER
Author, Beatle Historian

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Collectors edition (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595551018
• ISBN-13: 978-1595551016
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #234,785 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars With a Little Help From My Friends..., November 13, 2007

By	Max Clendaniel (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

How fortunate we are that Ken Mansfield is finally sharing his memories about his old friends; friends who just happen to be John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr - The Beatles. What's unique in reading Ken's catbird seat perspective, is that not only was he working for The Beatles, he was their valued friend. He has no other agenda when telling his insider recollections, than to share and reflect on a unique time in history, that he was a very real part of. What I love about this book is that we're hearing stories about the Beatles by a venerable part of their world; intimate memories from a man who's kept quiet for a long time so as not to betray a sacred trust. I am touched by the raw honesty he reveals about how his life was changed by being with exceptional people in exceptional times. Knowing that his book was done with the blessing of Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrision and the surviving Beatles, tells you that this is a rare edition, indeed.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, funny, engaging, a must read!, November 13, 2007

By	Cie (MI United States) - See all my reviews

"When I picked up "The White Book," I honestly had no idea what to expect. What a pleasant surprise! I had never heard of Ken Mansfield before, and I consider myself a fairly knowledgeable Beatles fan. Mansfield, who was the former U.S. Manager of Apple Records, opts to take the high road in this engaging, funny and touching memoir that lifts up the Beatles rather than tears them down like so many other books. The Idaho-native made his way through the music business ranks in the 1960s and 1970s and knows how to tell a story, often sprinkling his prose with self-effacing humor and Lennon-esqe wit. Mansfield offers insightful and anecdotal information on the Fab Four, the Beach Boys, Waylon Jennings, David Cassidy and Dolly Parton. Not only does Mansfield give readers untold stories and beautiful pictures of the lads from Liverpool but us an insiders peep into the insane world of the recording industry. Required reading for Beatles fans and those looking to earn a living in the music business."

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Floyd from Pennsylvania , November 13, 2007

By	FLOYD HENRY (MIDDLESEX) - See all my reviews

In a unique way this is the most insightful book on the Beatles, Apple Records and the times of this magical happening I have read. Mansfield was there from the early years with the band plus into the later years and he shares private moments with these incredible people without betrayal. Scores of fresh new pics prove the intimacy of his relationship and make this an incredible read.