Books on the Beatles

BOOKS I'VE READ

BEATLESONGS by William J. Dowlding

I read this book during the Beatles class I took at IUPUI at Indianapolis. It is an excellent reference book. It lists all the information you would ever want to know about Beatle albums and songs. The thing I liked about this book was the quotes from the Beatles about individual songs, albums, and each other. It gives you an inside look at how their songs were created. I used this book to create my ULTIMATE ALBUM PAGE.

THE BEATLES by Hunter Davies

I also read this book during my Beatles class. It is the only authorized biography of the Beatles. It chronicles the lives of John, Paul, George and Ringo from childhood to about 1968. It is a good source of information, however, it is very polite. Being that this is an authorized biography, each Beatle and their respective families had to approve of the material in this book. Because of this, many things about their personal lives were omitted or altered in order to preserve their early image of being nice Liverpool boys. A lot of the juicy stuff was left out, but it is still worth reading.

SHOUT! By Philip Norman

This is a must read for any Beatles fan. It takes a more personal look at the lives of John, Paul, George and Ringo from their start as a band to the aftermath of Beatlemania. It covers events in their personal lives as well as their professional lives, such as the near-collapse of Apple and the point when they realized they would be broke within six months if they didn't get some kind of control over the plethora of neglected projects, business affairs, and excessive spending by their employees. It also details the arrival of Yoko Ono on the Beatles scene and the relationships between the Beatles. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

BOOKS YOU'VE READ

Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now by Barry Miles

"I have read well over 25 books about the Beatles. Although I've enjoyed reading them all (even the lousy ones), by far the best book in my opinion is "Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now". I realize this book isn't limited to The Beatles as it also covers and concentrates on Paul Mccartney as an individual and on his solo career as well. I believe it is the best book (I have read) about The Beatles and therefore I recommend it highly." ~Mark Losben

Some of these won't be easy to find , but look for THE BEATLES FOREVER by Nicholas Schaffner , a wittily written account of the Beatlemaniacal years and after . Very affectionate and knowledgeable tone - it's from the point of view of a young fan looking back and remembering just how he felt and what other's reactions were . A really enjoyable book . Also, THE BEATLES : AN ILLUSTRATED RECORD by Tony Tyler and someone else . Lots of rare pictures and informed comment - one of the authors is a musician , which helps to put across the sounds the group came up with . The other essential ones would be THE COMPLETE BEATLES RECORDING SESSIONS by Mark Lewisohn and REVOLUTION IN THE HEAD by Ian McDonald - both easy to get . Hope you can find 'em !Regards Andy

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. What books have you read or do you recommend? Use the link below to email me and I will post your message on this page.

Visit Amazon.com for a full selection of books on the Beatles

mlmorric@msn.com