I just completed Ken Mansfield's "The Roof: The Beatle's Final Concert". It reads with the kind of honesty and sincerity of a friend recounting a special chapter in their lives. I found it open, funny, touching.
In this case your hypothetical friend is telling the story about his time with the Beatles and in close proximity. Not as a girlfriend, a fellow musician, or a fan but as someone who had professional working responsibilities as well as comradery with these four idolized giants of music.
One is more tested and, in effect, entitled when one is accountable in such high profile relationships and not simply a social friend or acquaintance. This perspective, in my opinion, brought me into the experience as a vicarious participant. You never know where life takes you until you get there. That's how Ken seems to tell his story and others at Apple. He clearly makes his story anyone's story as in "Had I been here or there at this time or that, I might have worked for The Beatles, I might have ended up on that rooftop."
Ken is at once speaking to the reader and to himself at times. He seems amazed, nostalgic, moved and even self critical at times. And isn't this what most of us do later in life and rare times of our lives that have now passed. I felt I had lived just a little bit of that time thru Ken's expressed memories with real people who became The Beatles, unexpectedly, and knew they were on an adventure of "how about we try this now?" like any other young artists in motion.
And if anything expresses how much he loved that group of cohabitants it is in his touching reflection on his friendship with Mal Evans. The piece on Mal near the end of the book is a place where you will read the clues that go backward thru the whole preceding narrative.
So I would recommend reading this as an honest unburnished memoir by someone who was close to The Beatles et al, uniquely for a fleeting moment. Fleeting in a similar way as the moment The Beatles came and went as a group.
A little bittersweet at times while also being funny and celebratory about a once in a lifetime (once in a century?) experience. The close of the story includes a moment of recorded self-discovery by the author, elements of which informed my own perspective on my life with its collection of experiences, albeit at a fair distance from "a day in the life" at Apple.
There are plenty of books about The Beatles with facts, figures, biographies, lyrics, etc. These are all inevitable by-products of fascination, respect, honor, inspiration, obligations to posterity. But if I wanted to hang out with a glass of wine in front of a fireplace with an academic or fan versus a friend with personal reminiscences, I would choose the reminiscing friend every time.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reviews with images
The Beatles Final Contest
If you are a Beatles fan you will enjoy this book.This also comes in a DVD form which will show the whole concert .
Top reviews from other countries
bluesland
Un buen libro para los fans de The Beatles
Reviewed in Mexico on August 30, 2022
Philip J. Mulliner
Written by someone who was there!
Reviewed in Canada on October 3, 2019