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Richard DiLello

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The Longest Cocktail Party: An Insider Account of The Beatles & the Wild Rise and Fall of Their Multi-Million Dollar Apple Empire: An Insider Account of ... Dollar Apple Empire, Paperback Book Kindle Edition

by Richard DiLello (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Apple Records was a noble experiment created in the spirit of the 1960s by four musicians who came to represent everything that was best about those tumultuous, experimental, and liberating times. The Beatles started out with the greatest of intentions, but reality soon got in the way. Much has been written about this period in the history of The Beatles' evolution and dissolution---some of it true, some of it wildly exaggerated, but not much of it first-hand. The Longest Cocktail Party is a rare exception. Written by Richard DiLello, who served as Apple Record's "House Hippie" from 1968 to 1970, this unusual first-hand glimpse into The Beatles' empire humorously chronicles the stranger-than-life stories that were to become legendary, including visits by the Hell's Angels and endless tales of celebrity antics. Alfred Music is proud to offer this latest edition, which features a new and insightful foreword by the author. Originally published by Playboy Press in 1972, The Longest Cocktail Party has proven itself a timeless chronicle of this most colorful period in pop history.

Print length

379 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Alfred Music
Publication date

June 10, 2014
File size

42228 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Incisive, evocative and hilariously funny. The Beatles are shadowy figures, but this is a fine view of rock's most inspired folly." Mojo

"Marvellous. If you want to know what Apple was like, this is the book." Alastair Taylor, former general manager, Apple

About the Author

Richard Dilello lives in Los Angeles.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00P9R4B18
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Alfred Music (June 10, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 10, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 42228 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 379 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #637,852 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #166 in Music Reference (Kindle Store)
- #582 in Rock Music (Kindle Store)
- #708 in Music Reference (Books)

Customer Reviews:
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4.3 out of 5

126 global ratings

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T. Drof

DiLello has an excellent flowing conversational style

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2016

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I had read this book back in '75 and wanted to revisit it, as I have read quite a few Beatles accounts over the years, but have always been fascinated by Apple Corps, Ltd. DiLello has an excellent flowing conversational style, and one of the things I've liked most is his account of the other artists associated with Apple. Reading this as a teenager made me wish I was in the author's shoes. If you're a Beatles fan, this is a fun escape.

2 people found this helpful

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bob dismas

One of the best reads on The Beatles' Apple Corps experiment

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2022

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I always loved this book by Apple's in-house hippie, Richard Di Lello. I had it years ago, decades really, as a standard-size paperback and was happy to be able to pick up this most recent edition. Bigger and better, yes. Makes for perfect reading after watching The Beatles Get Back revisionist rock-doc, which I just did very recently. Di Lello's innocent hipster fingers rest easy on the pulse of the whole Apple Corps experiment / experience, and he spins the tale with humor, heart, and a sense of wonder. That Apple ultimately failed to achieve its lofty, altruistic goals is undoubtedly heartbreaking. But reading The Longest Cocktail Party, the ending was written on the wall from the very beginning; however, its all too brief but winding road was filled with wondrous moments of art and adventure.

One person found this helpful

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David Bailey

Beatles

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2020

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Great book about my favorite band.

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2022

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I was hoping this book would tell me more about how the Beatles were managing & running Apple, but it was weirdly written—some chapters were only a 1/2 a page long—and it felt like more of a diary of strange events that had happened on a particular day, instead of a history of what the Beatles were going through while Apple existed during the end of the their story. It wasn't an easy read—I sort of forced my way through it—but if you're interested about what it was like to work at Apple on a day to day basis, this might be the book for you. It just wasn't what I was hoping it was going to be.

2 people found this helpful

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BillyJoe Gabriel

Great Book and Fast service

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2019

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Great Book and Fast service

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ers

great book a must for any beatle

Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2018

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great book a must for any beatle fan

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thediamondsea

finally back in print!

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2014

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This is a good, juicy, salacious, swinging-sixties, Mad-Men-for-Real, fly-on-the-wall memoir written by Apple Corps' "House Hippie," who actually got paid to hang around Derek Taylor (the Beatle's press officer)'s office and watch the craziness of 1967-1970 unfold. I only wish there were more!

6 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Love it

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2018

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Great

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ellen ripley

molto interessante

Reviewed in Italy on October 10, 2016

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Per grandi fans dei Beatles, questo libro di Richard Di Lello si occupa del periodo Apple e di tutti i problemi ad esso inerenti, che avvelenarono in qualche modo gli ultimi due anni del famoso complesso.

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Chankos

Hilariously Brilliant, Bittersweet Memoir

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2011

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"The Longest Cocktail Party" is not a "definitive" biography of The Beatles. It does not abound with exclusive contemporary Fab Four interviews (The Beatles themselves aren't even featured in it much), nor does it seek to offer weighty analysis of their music. It is neither a conventional account of their Apple Empire nor an in-depth examination of the myriad boardroom wheelings and dealings that eventually destroyed them.

So why is "The Longest Cocktail Party" hands-down one of the best Beatles books ever published?

In a nutshell, it puts us slap-bang inside The Beatles' HQ at 3 Savile Row, London, between 1968-1970, and it does so magnificently. During this time The Beatles were going to change the world with their utopian dream of "Western Communism" and every misunderstood (i.e.- talentless) artist, musician, freeloader or downright headcase from all corners of the globe dropped by to take a bite out of the Apple. And what a tale it is. The Apple Manifesto might well have been: Never A Dull Moment.

"House Hippy" Richard DiLello is our eyes and ears throughout this wonderful memoir. Luckily for us, he had a great eye for absorbing all of the madness and an even better ear for the relentlessly funny dialogue which flowed like all those Scotches and Cokes poured in Derek Taylor's Press Office. The vivid snatches of conversation allows the roll-call of wonderful characters to leap from the page. Reading this book is like being a fly on the wall in the coolest record company on earth.

The Beatles hang over proceedings like benevolent benefactors, flitting in and out of the Apple offices in various states of exasperation at the chaos they've unleashed; meanwhile the staff whisper in hushed, awed tones about the band's next grand scheme or the increasingly frequent news filtering through of furious arguments emanating from the studio.

As the notorious Allen Klein moves in and the cast of characters either jump ship or walk the plank, there's a genuinely poignant sadness which John Lennon, succinct as ever, would sum up in his magnificent solo debut: "The Dream Is Over."

DiLello shows us that it was at least a hell of alot of fun while it lasted. "The Longest Cocktail Party" is essential reading for anyone with a love of wit and a passion for The Beatles. If you're receptive to both, why wait any longer to pick up a copy?

4 people found this helpful

VALERIA CAMMARERI

it deserves more attention

Reviewed in Italy on February 9, 2013

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great story,is a book rich of humor, really underrated. I do hope it will be used as a script for a movie

N. DAVIES

A different perspective

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2010

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The novelty of this book is the perspective being from that of the Apple House Hippy giving it a fly-on-the-wall appeal with The Beatles and ancillary staff floating in and out of the scenes like bit-part players. You could imagine a play being made from this material.

McCartney comes across as the most productive and dedicated to the Apple ideal by producing by far the greatest number of artistes and contributing by far the greatest volume of material for them - when you consider his contribution to the White Album and Abbey Road during this period too it is quite remarkable. Harrison is next, committing time and effort to the development of Apple stable artistes while Ringo is the affable Beatle who goes out of his way to meet the visiting Lauren Bacall but otherwise is artistically inactive. Lennon is the main offender: launching Apple in New York with much talk of helping other artistes but actually doing nothing for anyone except dressing up as Santa Claus one Xmas and otherwise indulging himself in the Plastic Ono Band and his bagism. His only input is in being deliberately spiteful in insisting that White Trash's version of Golden Slumbers must be released when it's composer McCartney had already decided that a cover of his track should not be released by Apple.

The demise of The Beatles is reported via extracts from The Times. It is remarkable looking back now that Lennon, Harrison and Starr wanted the business entity called The Beatles to continue despite it not functioning or communicating in any effective form for so long - a High Court judge being required to give them a reality check.

Not a great book but a surprisingly worthy addition to the huge forests-worth of material already covering every conceivable aspect of the history of The Beatles.

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