Customer Reviews

I, Me, Mine

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As an inveterate Beatles' fan, it comes as no surprise that I would heartily endorse this book. Long dubbed the Quiet Beatle and other similar cliches, George Harrison does indeed offer his voice and reflections in this work. Always a private man, George's wordings here can be described as almost cryptic.

This work provides readers with a "glimpse" of George growing up; the former Beatle describes his working class roots in Liverpool, his musical muse and later, his work as a gifted composer, guitarist and lyricist. Indeed, George Harrison has expanded musical horizons; in 1965 he became enamored of the sitar and included it on several songs on "Rubber Soul" and later collections.

His lifelong quest for spiritual knowledge and core belief system are explored; indeed, it is in his own words he explains that he does not follow an "organized" or "traditional" religion, but rather bases his spiritual feelings around his internal beliefs.

I like the input the artist's wife Olivia offered; her words are a welcome and added treat to this work. Indeed, it is Olivia's contribution that make the reissue of this work even better and more effective in touching readers.

With George's passing in 2001, I was under the impression that his memoirs would be revamped. Unfortunately this is not the case. I Me Mine is still the standard bearing book about the "Quiet Beatle". Although the "Quiet Beatle" remains quiet even in his memoirs.

The introduction written by his wife Oliva is a nice touch to this book. George's last touch to this book was made while John Lennon was still alive. In the book, George gives us a glance into his upper-middle class childhood as well as his early days as a musician. The reader also sees a very concise version of the development of the Beatles. Then, the book seems to leap into the break up of the band. George does spend a significant portion of his memoirs of his life with the Beatles discussing his religious development. The 77 pages of memoirs are concluded with George discussing his hobbies such as gardening and racing.

The remainder of the book is photographs and explanations the songs he wrote for the Beatles and his solo work pre-1980's. The song explanations are interesting for people who are true George Harrison fans. In regard to the photographs, some of the captions are a reflection of George's great sense of humor.

While I think this is a beautiful book with great artwork that gives a great deal of insight into who George Harrison was, I can only hope a quality, thorough biography of George Harrison will be written.

I went to the book store to find an autobiography on George Harrison; and I came across this. 10% of this book is about the life of George, 20% of this book were pictures; & 70% of the rest were songs. This is not considered an autobiography in my opinon. An autobiograph is a story about your whole life, from when you were a little kid, to your present time. This book didn't live up to what it was suppose it be. I gave it 3 stars because, I found the last part very interesting, on why & how he wrote his songs & what they mean; and I liked what his wife wrote in the introduction too. If you want to get this for your George Harrison collection, then this is for you, but I would get it at the library first before buying this. I still love you George.

did not recieve it the first time, sent an email to seller, quick response back and book arrived promptly the second time and in great condition :)

As an inveterate Beatles' fan, it comes as no surprise that I would heartily endorse this book. Long dubbed the Quiet Beatle and other similar cliches, George Harrison does indeed offer his voice and reflections in this work. Always a private man, George's wordings here can be described as almost cryptic.
This work provides readers with a "glimpse" of George growing up; the former Beatle describes his working class roots in Liverpool, his musical muse and later, his work as a gifted composer, guitarist and lyricist. Indeed, George Harrison has expanded musical horizons; in 1965 he became enamored of the sitar and included it on several songs on "Rubber Soul" and later collections.

His lifelong quest for spiritual knowledge and core belief system are explored; indeed, it is in his own words he explains that he does not follow an "organized" or "traditional" religion, but rather bases his spiritual feelings around his internal beliefs.

I like the input the artist's wife Olivia offered; her words are a welcome and added treat to this work. Indeed, it is Olivia's contribution that make the reissue of this work even better and more effective in touching readers.

As an inveterate Beatles' fan, it comes as no surprise that I would heartily endorse this book. Long dubbed the Quiet Beatle and other similar cliches, George Harrison does indeed offer his voice and reflections in this work. Always a private man, George's wordings here can be described as almost cryptic.
This work provides readers with a "glimpse" of George growing up; the former Beatle describes his working class roots in Liverpool, his musical muse and later, his work as a gifted composer, guitarist and lyricist. Indeed, George Harrison has expanded musical horizons; in 1965 he became enamored of the sitar and included it on several songs on "Rubber Soul" and later collections.

His lifelong quest for spiritual knowledge and core belief system are explored; indeed, it is in his own words he explains that he does not follow an "organized" or "traditional" religion, but rather bases his spiritual feelings around his internal beliefs.

I like the input the artist's wife Olivia offered; her words are a welcome and added treat to this work. Indeed, it is Olivia's contribution that make the reissue of this work even better and more effective in touching readers.

Admittedly, it's more archival stuff than a straightforward autobiography, BUT, there is such talent, intelligence, heart and humour in these pages that George comes virtually to life.

A terrific companion to your George Harrison CD collection!

This book doesn't spend too much time on trivial gossip, or that other Beatle junk with the obsession on Jelly Babies and cutsie matching suits. This is real. George only goes into his life in 60 pages, which tells of his growth as a spiritual human being. His feelings on the whole Beatlemania stuff, and what is really important. The emphasis are on his songs that he wrote from "Don't Bother Me" up until 1980, when this book came out. I remember being a teenager going to the library and reading this book several times over. I am always facinated with what inspires a person with a particular song, and with many of these songs, it can be as simple as waiting for a friend to show up to your home, or warning another friend about his ruining his teeth with candy, or it can be something greater than our selves and be about a relationship with God. One thing I remember (and I might be wrong) is that the layout of the original book is different from this one. I seem to remember there being pictures throughout the book, and this new edition, they are all at the front, with the captions at the back. I like the addition of the new preface by his widow.

It has never been acceptable merely to be passionate about The Beatles collectively: You MUST have a personal favorite. John Lennon was always mine, by dint of his court jester persona and his wordsmithing, with George Harrison a close second. Being shy myself, I identified with the so-called Quiet Beatle and liked his scornful "don't bother me" attitude, which was integral to so many of his songs. Harrison's meticulous and versatile guitar work, never show-offish and always tasteful, was my main inspiration for wanting to learn to play, too. The Beatle least comfortable with his immortality, Harrison could be openly contemptuous of Beatlemania and often referred to himself ruefully as Beatle George, a title he felt he could never live down. Off-putting to some, maybe, his cantankerousness only made Harrison more interesting to me.

Predictably, Harrison takes a larkish approach to telling his life story. In his foreword, he facetiously calls "I Me Mine" (named after a forgettable tune from "Let It Be") "a little ego detour," but the book's tone is actually rather self-effacing. It's not an autobiography per se, although there is a six chapter text section that hits the high points of Harrison's life up until that time (late Seventies) and allows the mystical Beatle to rhapsodize on some of his passions: spirituality, gardening and, surprisingly, Formula One motor racing. Written by Harrison in a conversational style, with extensive "notes" by longtime Beatles confidant/press officer Derek Taylor, the text is a rambling sketch of a very private man determined to stay that way. (A clue to Harrison's reticence is found in the book's "backword," where he includes the cryptic quote, "Tell not all that you know because he who tells all that he knows, often tells more than he knows.") Luckily for his admirers, Harrison would more forthcoming, particularly on Beatle matters, in "The Beatles Anthology".

The photo section (48 black and white plates) is extraordinary, with lots of unique snaps that haven't seen print before in countless other Beatle books. Two of my favorites: a box of Good News chocolates, the inspiration for Harrison's "Savoy Truffle" from "The White Album," and a cancelled check for one million pounds paid to Inland Revenue, which the notorious taxman-baiter calls "punishment for being cheeky and making lots of money."

The bulk of the book is devoted to examining Harrison's songs, beginning with "Don't Bother Me" from "Meet the Beatles" (1964) through "Blow Away" from the excellent "George Harrison" LP (1979). For each song, Harrison provides a brief (usually) insight into his inspiration and shares his original, handwritten lyric sheets, replete with notes and illustrations. While words were never really Harrison's forte, it's still fascinating to glimpse a Beatle's creative process in such detail. The book includes the final versions of Harrison's songs as they were recorded, and it's interesting to compare them to the working models. "Taxman," in particular, was very rough indeed until Lennon offered Harrison the use of his acid pen - a fact Harrison curiously fails to mention here.

TRIVIA NOTE: The book's first edition was a signed, limited edition of 2,000 numbered copies, hand-bound in leather, by Genesis Publications, Ltd., Guildford, Surrey, England. My humble copy of "I Me Mine" is a 1980 Simon and Schuster edition, a birthday present from my sister (George was her favorite Beatle) in 1983.

It was refreshing to read an autobiography which was not ghost written by a professional writer. George's personality, wit, and humor shine through on the page and amplify his songs. The all too brief section of the book which was composed of his memoirs alternates sections written by George with passages by Derek Taylor, a long time confidante of George and the Beatles. Derek's passages provide a narrative structure that George's more free form achronological writing hangs onto.

As a life-long Beatle fan, I found the book fascinating. This isn't the first book that you want to read about the Beatles or George, but it is one which indispensable for any serious fan. I particularly liked the back half of the book where he has the lyrics of many of his Beatles songs and solo career songs, brief comments on the songs, and reproductions of the original notes for the songs. This back half is more of resource, something to flip through while listening to one of George's albums. It probably isn't something you would want to read straight through.

I remember when the book was first published in as a limited run leather bound book. It was prohibitively expensive and I was happy when a friend lent me his copy. It only took me 20 years to get one of my own - even if it isn't leather bound.