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The Beatles: The Biography
 
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The Beatles: The Biography [Hardcover]

Bob Spitz (Author)
2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. With this massive opus, veteran music journalist Spitz (Dylan: A Biography) tells the definitive story of the band that sparked a cultural revolution. Calling on books, articles, radio programs and primary interviews, Spitz follows the band from each member's family origins in working-class Liverpool to the band's agonizing final days. Spitz's unflinching biography reveals that not only did the Beatles pioneer a new era of rock but they also were on the cutting edge of rock star excess, from their 1961 amphetamine-fueled sets in the clubs of Hamburg to their eventual appetites for stronger drugs, including marijuana, LSD, cocaine and, eventually for John Lennon, heroin. Sex was also part of the equation; in 1962, when the band cut its first audition for Sir George Martin, all four members had a venereal disease, and both John's and Paul McCartney's girlfriends were pregnant. Spitz details the tangled web of bad business deals that flowed from novice manager Brian Epstein (though the heavily conflicted Epstein can be forgiven since he was in uncharted territory). Although this is a hefty volume steeped in research, Spitz writes economically, and with flair, letting the facts and characters speak for themselves. In doing so, he captures an ironic sadness that accompanied the Beatles' runaway success—how their dreams of stardom, once realized, became a prison, forcing the band to spend large parts of their youth in hotel rooms to avoid mobs and to stage elaborate escapes from literally life-threatening situations after appearances. As with all great history writing, Spitz both captures a moment in time and humanizes his subjects. While some will blanch at the unsettling dark sides of the Beatles, most will come to appreciate the band even more for knowing the incredible personal odysseys they endured. 32 pages of b&w photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile

Given their impact on the music world, it's surprising to realize that the Beatles were together for only about 10 years. Here in detail are those years, plus a few others. With an appropriate British accent, Alfred Molina tells of the Liverpool upbringing, the coming together (not an immediate success), the creative process ("Hey, Jude" was written for John's son Julian), the tours and recording sessions, the genesis of the record covers, the drugs and girlfriends, and the ultimate breakup. The text is so interesting that all Molina has to do is read it capably and clearly--which he does. J.B.G. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
2.2 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Current review is too harsh, May 28 2007
By 
This review is from: The Beatles: The Biography (Paperback)
Perhaps there are some inaccuracies but I really enjoyed this book and was sorry to finish it. Bob Spitz's writing style and detail drew me in to the Liverpool way of life dating back to Paul, John, George, and Ringo's grandparents. You really got a feel for the influences that shaped the boys' lives. It still seems inconceivable that these four young, commonplace boys took the world by storm and created incredible music that is as good today as it was when it was written. If you're not hung up on "the list" of inaccuracies, there is tons of great writing here. I loved this book.
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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Get Out Your Red Marking Pens, Folks!, Nov 15 2005
By A Customer
This review is from: The Beatles: The Biography (Audio CD)
This book is rife with errors that are so glaring it makes you wonder how on earth this got past the editor's desk. This is just EMBARRASSING! The Beatle Literati are not pleased with this book AT ALL! This is definitely NOT the work of a Paperback Writer!

Allow me to itemize some of the more glaring mistakes, an extensive list of which have also been compiled by people directly involved with a well-known Beatle magazine. Again, the mistakes in this book are ludicrous and inexcusable!

*There are photographs of the Beatles taken in 1960, supposedly at the Star Club. That is impossible because the Star Club did not open until 1962!

*Erroneous captions - the Top Ten Club is mistakenly listed as the Star Club in some photographs taken in 1961.

*Date errors, such as when George Harrison met Pattie Boyd. The pair met in 1964 on the set of "A Hard Day's Night" and NOT in 1963 as is claimed in this book! Paul's 21st birthday was in 1963 and at that time, George and Pattie had never even met.

*Another error in re George and Pattie is in a photograph saying they met during the filming of the 1965 movie, "Help!" That is incorrect. They met in 1964 on the set of "A Hard Day's Night."

*A king sized error can be found in the 1964 photograph of John mugging with somebody's daughter in Central Park. His own son, Julian was then 10 months old and was in England during the Beatles' first whirlwind tour of America!

*The photograph of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan is erroneously captioned as being their last appearance on his show in August of 1965. NOT TRUE! That picture was taken during their February 1964 performances. The 1965 Ed Sullivan performance was filmed on August 14, 1965, one day before the famous first Shea Stadium concert and was aired on September 12, 1965.

*The 1965 "Rubber Soul" album was reported as having "an unheard of 14 cuts." Not true. At that time, all of the Beatles' UK albums had 14 cuts save for "A Hard Day's Night," which had 13.

*"Run For Your Life" was not the last song recorded for "Rubber Soul." It was the very first.

There are more, but I think you have gotten the idea. How on earth this got past the editors I will never know. If that isn't bad enough, there are plenty of mistakes throughout the text as well. Beatle literati will pick them up right off the bat. I don't know if these errors were allowed through with the thought that they would remain unnoticed, but the errors were extensive to the point where I just cannot recommend this book.

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4.0 out of 5 stars The Best Beatles Bio, Oct 7 2011
By 
James Bailie "jimmy" (London, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Beatles: The Biography (Paperback)
Spitz's book is slightly marred by its rock journalism prose style, which is a little bit in love with itself, and the occasional strange editorial comment, but it is nonetheless, a highly readable tome. The book goes into greater detail on the early years than other Beatle Bios. I cannot comment on the author's claim to have gone back to primary sources wherever possible to dig up the "true" story. I wasn't there. If you're wondering which Beatles bio to purchase, the comprehensiveness of this one recommends it over its peers.
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