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Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Rosemary Kingsland (Author) "Liverpool, the grimy northern town that John, Paul, George, Ringo and I were born and grew up in, was a dynamic port full of sea..." (more)
Key Phrases: skiffle group, mystery tour, New York, Abbey Road, George Martin (more...)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bramwell, a longtime Beatles business associate and childhood friend, offers a fond, intimate portrait of the Fab Four. His often gossipy recollections illuminate the players from their days as young "scousers" in working-class Liverpool to their formation as a group, and from their exhausting early stints in Hamburg to their astonishing stardom. Readers will be surprised to learn how much money the Beatles left on the table owing to the bad deals that Brian Epstein, the Beatles' respected but conflicted manager, made. Still, the group remained fiercely loyal to Epstein, who made them—and many others—rich beyond their dreams, cutting deals in what was then uncharted business territory. Throughout, Paul comes off as down to earth, Ringo as sophisticated and "Hollywood," and George, charming and gentle, if a bit unusual. Not surprisingly, it is John who piques the most interest. Bramwell blisters Yoko Ono, "the Princess of Darkness," and suggests that either she brainwashed John or that he was suffering from mental illness. Although music historians and Beatles collectors may feel they know the story, Bramwell's memoir is much more than Beatles history. Energetically written, this is a vivid and intensely personal look at not only the Beatles but at a storybook trip from the docks of Liverpool to swinging London and the very epicenter of the British invasion. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

"If you want to know anything about the Beatles, ask Tony Bramwell. He remembers more than I do."- Sir Paul McCartney to Donovan in a January 2002 interview

Tony Bramwell's remarkable life began in a postwar Liverpool suburb, where he was childhood friends with three of the Beatles long before they were famous. And by the time he caught up with George Harrison on the top of a bus going to check out "The Beatles, direct from Hamburg"--one of whom George turned out to be--Tony was well on his way to staying by them for every step of their meteoric rise.

If anything needed taking care of, Tony Bramwell was the man the Beatles called, the man they knew they could trust. His story has been sought after for years, and now, here it is, full of untold stories and detailing with an insider's shrewd eye the Apple empire's incomparable rise, Brian Epstein's frolics, Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, Phil Spector's eccentric behavior, and new stories about Yoko Ono, the Stones, and the life--his life.

From developing the first Beatle music videos to heading Apple Films, and from riding bikes and trading records with George Harrison to working and partying with everyone from the Beatles to Hendrix, Ray Charles, and The Who, Tony's life really did (and does) encompass a who's who of rock.

His story reveals fresh insights into the Beatles' childhoods and families, their early recordings and songwriting, the politics at Apple, and Yoko's pursuit of John and her growing influence over the Beatles' lives. And it uncovers new information about the Shea Stadium concert footage, John Lennon's late-night "escapes," and more. From the Cavern Club to the rooftop concert, from the first number one to the last, and from scraps of song lyrics to the discovery of the famous Mr. Kite circus poster, Tony Bramwell really did see it all.

Conversational, direct, and honest, the ultimate Beatles insider finally shares his own version of the frantic and glorious ascent of four boys from Liverpool lads to rock and roll kings.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (March 24, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031233043X
ISBN-13: 978-0312330439
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #185,225 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#90 in Books > Entertainment > Pop Culture > Music > Beatles

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
Liverpool, the grimy northern town that John, Paul, George, Ringo and I were born and grew up in, was a dynamic port full of sea shanties, sailors and music. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
skiffle group, mystery tour

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Abbey Road, George Martin, John Lennon, Derek Taylor, Ron Kass, Buddy Holly, Neil Aspinall, Phil Spector, Dick James, Peter Brown, Brian Epstein, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Best, Eric Clapton, Los Angeles, Magic Alex, Allen Klein, Robert Fraser, West End, Savile Row, Tony Cox, George Harrison, Jack Oliver, Oxford Street

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 41 books:

Yellow Submarine by The Beatles on 8 pages
Mersey Beat by Harry on page 44, and page 57
The Primal Scream (A Delta Book) by Arthur Janov on page 338, and page 367
Abbey Road (Update) by Brian Southall on page 200, and page 280
Carole King by Paula Taylor on page 359, and page 417

See all 41 books this book cites

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

The Beatles Anthology by Paul McCartney

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Paul McCartney by Barry Miles

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On This Day in Music History by Jay Warner

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The Kinks by Doug Hinman

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	68% buy the item featured on this page: Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles 4.0 out of 5 stars (40)
	16% buy Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles 4.4 out of 5 stars (192) $10.20
	7% buy The Beatles Anthology 4.8 out of 5 stars (218) $37.80
	5% buy A Hard Day's Write, 3e: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song 4.4 out of 5 stars (26) $18.00

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Customer Reviews

40 Reviews

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4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sparkling Emerald of a Book, April 13, 2005

By	Doctor Quartz (Huntington Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I love this book. I stopped reading Beatles books after the Goldman Lennon biography, partly out of disgust, but this one is a great one to come back to. It's a bittersweet joy. Bramwell, who basically knew all the Beatles since they were pretty-much kids is full of great stories I've never read anywhere else (or forgotten), like how Stuart Sutcliff got the head injury that eventually killed him or what Paul did the night he joined the Beatles. On several pages you get a marvelous feel for exactly what it was like to be sitting with John or Paul, rubbing elbows, talking, in a pub, or at Mick and Keith's house. Bramwell's take on Yoko and Lennon's initial negative reaction to her is fascinating--as are his tales about Brian. Some of the dollar/pound figures he tosses about, estimating how much the Beatles lost to bad deals, will leave you slack jawed. Thanks for this fantastic book Tony! It's got a lion's heart. Both the beginning and ending of this book left me sighing, sadly, gladly...

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical! , June 23, 2005

By	travelling librarian - See all my reviews

I bought this book because, while not a hardcore Beatles fan, I lived through that magical era when I and my friends were young and anything was possible. It's an evocative gem, a little chunk of history, one that brilliantly paints the fun, the music, the madness. Tony Bramwell tells his story in an intimate way, as if you're his best mate, drinking a pint of beer down at the local. You can imagine yourself sitting there half the night, talking, discussing, having a laugh, remembering.

There are moments of irony, witty stories, sad stories. There are many wonderful pages when whole scenes come vividly to life, such as the opening scene, riding through snowy Liverpool Streets one Christmas with a young George, when the world lay before them and the future seemed bright and shining with promise; or later, riding on a midnight train with a jaded John, who was totally off his rocker. We read of Paul in sunny, languid Hotel California, and then move with him to a rainy day in London Town when he discusses his hero, Buddy Holly. The Stones talk of music; Ringo shaves his head in Paris and wonders how he looks ("Bald" Bramwell tells him.) I'll never forget reading of the summer's day when Paul escapes the pressures of fame, to walk along a meandering stream in the country with his dog, Martha. The day ends with Paul playing the piano in a traditional country pub while the locals sing along. Bramwell was there; but even though people like me weren't, every word paints a picture and you can imagine that you were.

Much is made of Brian Epstein, full of angst and torment. His kindness, genius and neuroses are portrayed vividly. His bizarre sex life and manic use of drugs, when everyone thought he was goody two shoes, is discussed. Bramwell runs a theatre for him and some moments leap off the page: such as James Baldwin - fresh from his exile in France - telling Brian to admit that he's a queer; Jimmy Hendrix dazzling London; an unknown Yoko Ono running across stage like a spider, then sitting stoically while the audience cuts off her clothes. When Brian sees her, starkers and illegal, he almost swoons in dismay. Bramwell goes on to describe how Yoko initially stalked John before capturing him. He describes rave-ups in erotically charged mews flats all over town; dinners with Joan Crawford, millionaire Getty and the louche Chelsea set; the hilarious punch-up in Cannes with Sharon Osbourne; the night Bruce Springsteen ran away from his big come back concert and ended up watching films in Bramwell's home... the stories just keep on coming. You feel you were actually there, caught up in the frenzy and the fun. And yet -- don't get it wrong -- this isn't a drug or sex-driven book, or even a tell-all. It's charming and kindly told. And, although you would need to go to the index to appreciate the full extent of all the famous and great names mentioned, the Beatles are its core and its strength.

I wish more books had the narrative story-telling voice of Dickens, or R.L. Stevenson, as this biography does. Bramwell actually lived through those vanished years and lived to tell the tale. This book is as enjoyable and as deeply satisfying as a pint of good nutty ale. Cheers!

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent read, November 20, 2005

By	C. Davis "ramlin33" (Somewhere in Utopia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This has been some year with some excellent Beatle books being published. This year three books on the Beatles have been published that are, to some extent, companions of each other. Tony Bramwell's book, Tony Barrow's Book and Geoffrey Ellis' book. Each of the authors were part of the second or third ring (Mal Evans and Neil Aspinal being part of the "first ring") of Beatle intimates who were part of "the back room boys" helping the Beatles in their business and other endeavours. Of the three, Tony Bramwell comes over as the more jovial character who enjoyed himself and had fun during the swinging sixties, dating many girls and so on. Of all the books I have read about the Beatles (50 plus), I think only Tony Bramwell, Richard Dilillo and Derek Taylor come out enjoying themselves and having little, if any, resentment.
Tony Bramwell was originally a friend of George Harrison's and graduated to working with Brian Epstein at NEMS and then became a Record Promoter at Apple. It is very hard to argue against his impressions - because that it was what they are - his impressions of what happened and what life was like during his tenure at NEMS and Apple - it is not a history book. There are criticisms of certain factual errors in the book, and I do not think that is so important - what is invaluable and what makes it an absolute must for all Beatle fans is his description of the behavior of the Beatles and their times during the 60's.
There are criticisms posted here that Tony is too "pro Paul". I think such criticisms are unwarranted and imply that the author has a grudge against John. Simply put, John was no saint - and it's the human, eclectic and contradictory qualities in John which, today, so many of his fans, including me, find interesting (in fact far more interesting than certain other members of the fab four). If John gets a "bad press" from this book, then please also read the other books, referred to above - the recollections of Geoff Ellis and Tony Barrow are not too different (and even Derek Taylor, in his wonderful, but out of print book, "As Time Goes By", alludes to the difficulty in handling John when Yoko comes on the scene). I would also add, for those who criticize this book as being "anti John" that they should also read the John Lennon Rolling Stone interview (published as a book under the title "Lennon Remembers") where the great man himself admitted he (as well as the other Beatles) were complete b******* to their entourage (especially Neil and Mal). For those who think the book is "too pro Paul", I would suggest reading Alistair Taylor's book who balances matters by revealing the lack of any support Paul gave him when Klein dumped him (or alternatively read Peter Brown's book).
All in all Tony Bramwell's book is very good, well written and well worth reading. BTW, for those advanced Beatlemanicas out there it is interesting to compare Tony Bramwell's description of his visit, with Paul and Derek Taylor, to a pub, one summers day in 1968, to the village of Harold with Derek Taylor's description of the same event in his book "As time goes by".
Lastly, for those who are interested in the life of Brian Epstein, this book gives an excellent description and wonderful recollections of the man, which, combined with the recollections of Tony Barrow and Geoffrey Ellis in their respective books, probably gives the best rounded picture of the man (indeed, I think you'll learn more about Brian Epstein than you will about the Beatles from those three books).

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Lay back, relax, and psych yourself up for some juicy tidbits...
*bytheway, for fans of Yoko Ono, it'd probably be advisable to overlook this book. Or maybe not...your call =) *

*also, one may have to read other Beatles chronicles... Read more

Published 6 months ago by ricca

2.0 out of 5 stars Breezy and entertaining, but is it trustworthy?
Tony Bramwell, his co-author and his publishers make great play of the idea that he was part of the Beatles' "inner circle". Read more

Published 9 months ago by lexo1941

4.0 out of 5 stars among the best
Tony Bramwell has given us a lucid insider's view into the Beatles' tight circle. Some of this is hilarious stuff and it is actually refreshing to read Bramwell's shots at the... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Dennis York

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beatles, by one who knew them
This is not so much an analysis of the Beatles' unbelievable career or their music as it is a rather breezy, first-person account of the segment of their lives that Tony Bramwell... Read more

Published 23 months ago by Wayne Engle

3.0 out of 5 stars Curious
This book is required reading for any Beatles enthusiast; however, although Bramwell seemingly has the credentials--knowing Paul and George since childhood--to write such a book,... Read more

Published 24 months ago by Dk Dk

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but flawed
The first half of this book is very interesting, even to someone who has read nearly everything on the band and knows the story backwards and forward as myself. Read more

Published on October 10, 2007 by Mister B

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but a great read for any Beatles fan
Essentially this was a great book until I reached the latter part. The first 3/4ths were highly entertaining and kept me hooked. Read more

Published on April 6, 2007 by Laura E. St Jacques

5.0 out of 5 stars Top Three Beatles Book
Fabulous insider's look at the real Fab Four, not the media myth. Bramwell was a Liverpool peer, grew up with these kids and started lugging their equipment when still wet behind... Read more

Published on February 10, 2007 by Bradley F. Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved the behind-doors details in this book!
Tony Bramwell wrote a marvelous book, sparing no detail on his decades long friendship with the Beatles. Read more

Published on August 12, 2006 by Ann Savage

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but flawed
A chatty book. The focus in the first half seems to me to be on Brian Epstein and his long slide towards an early death from nervous and physical exhaustian and, of course, drug... Read more

Published on August 3, 2006 by James B. Nipe

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