Shout: The Beatles in Their Generation: Amazon.ca: Philip Norman: Books

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"The best, most detailed, and most serious biography of the Beatles and their time."

-- Chicago Sun-Times

"Nothing less than thrilling...the definitive biography."

-- The New York Times --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Book Description

/Philip Norman Now back in print--"The best, most detailed, and most serious biography of the Beatles and their times" (Chicago Sun Times). Shout! is the classic chronology of the Beatiles, from the naive joy of their early recordings to the psychedelic triumph of "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, " from the unified sounds of "Abbey Road, " to the collapse of Apple Corp. into anger and suspi.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
JOHN LENNON was born on October 9, 1940, during one of the fiercest night raids by Hitler's Luftwaffe on Liverpool. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is NOT for amateurs, May 14 2004

By

Veronique (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation (Hardcover)

Two things make this book a very special one.
First : you wouldn't believe how good and precise is the account of the Beatles beginnings. A good part of the book takes place before the big hit Love me do, so if you really are interested in how did it all started, this book is a must-read.
Second : this book gives A LOT of details about the managing of the Beatles, from the very beginning to the Apple corporation and to the breakup. Lot's of contracts are clearly described, numbers are showed, every businessman who came close to the Beatles has his biography in the book. Actually, the way Norman puts his energy in describing the whole management thing seems to make him forget about saying anything about the music...

If you are a longtime fan of the Beatles and know their history, you can read this book for extra details you won't find in other books. P.Norman's research is quite thorough, and will please someone who wants to know more about Brian Epstein, for example, or about Apple.

If you're looking for a really good book about the music of the Beatles, you're wasting your time with "Shout!". Your best bet would then be "The Art of the Beatles". THIS book is terrific.

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4.0 out of 5 stars A 'Fab'ulous Read..., Jun 9 2009

By

Bob at the lake (Parham, Ont, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation (Paperback)

This titillating read has a 'gossip' kind of quality to it and held my interest from beginning to end. It touches upon the good, bad and ugly details surrounding the lives of the four lads from Liverpool and some of their closest associates. If your trust even a portion of what Mr. Norman writes you cannot help but come away feeling that fame and fortune is not all it's cracked up to be. I never thought the perverse Mr. Epstein could be so inept and mismanage the Beatles business finances to such an extent that he did nor did I have any idea of just how ruthless and greedy the 'suits' could be? And who would have thought, the brightest Beatle was the most angry and agressive, the least talented had the biggest heart, the quietest was the most synical and crusty and the most controlling had the most sensitivity to the fans? The drawback with this book is that Mr. Norman was unable to interview any of the principal subject's thus it is difficult to know how much of his book is juiced up for our reading pleasure and how much of it is a factual account of what really happened. For example, the author notes that John Lennon first spotted the 'Double Fantasy' freesia in Hong Kong. I have read other written accounts noting it was Bermuda. Which source is more credible? Also, this book fails to answer some key questions for me ie. what happened to the remains of George and John? And what was it that Paul wanted when he failed to reach the author by phone? However, the pace of this book and diverse range of topics covered make it a must read for any Beatles fan. I found that it was much like going to a car race and waiting for the next wreck to happen.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - REALLY Sad Ending, Aug 16 2001

By

Magic Mike "Groove Daddy" (Louisville KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shout: The Beatles in Their Generation (Paperback)

Even though I knew how the story ended, it really shook me when it reached its ineveitable conclusion. What caught me by surprise was the sheer joy I experienced by reading the beginning of the story...I'd always been somewhat familiar with the origins of The Beatles, but had never read the detailed version described in this book. I was swept away by the magical progression of this amazing story, and loved it so much that I was unconsciously hoping it would all end differently. The fact that it didn't was (stupidly, I know) dissapointing, and reminded me again of why I prefer fiction. Yeah, there's sad endings there too, but you don't always see them coming.

When all is said and done, however, the really great thing is that the music will always remain...if the ending to this book bums you out, try the ending to the Abbey Road album instead...a much more pleasurable alternative.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything!
This book is a wonderful veiw into the Beatles lives. It starts right at the begining with Johns birth and goes all the way to their final break up. Read more

Published on Jan 19 2001 by Natasha

3.0 out of 5 stars good but...
this is a good book, but norman really drags it out! no offence to any one (belive me i am CRAZY about the beatles! ) but this book is just plain boring! Read more

Published on Mar 31 2000 by laurel