A Necessary Companion to All Your Other Beatles Books
If you are a Beatles fan who enjoys reading about them (and not just listening) then you have to own this book. It is the story of the Beatles from their own lips. Is it the definitive Beatles book? Well, the Beatles have a vested interest in preserving their legacy so are we getting the true picture? And Lennon's absence--he's represented as well as possible--slants the overall balance to McCartney. It has more detail than the video anthology which glosses over the break up and many other details. But the Anthology book should be read as one of several crucial Beatles books mentioned in many other reviews. My favorites are the Peter Brown book, Richard DiLello's "The Longest Cocktail Party" (as much about Apple as the Beatles but a hoot!) and Nicholas Schaffner's "Beatles Forever", still my favorite after all these years. The Anthology is not the only Beatles book to own.
Just Buy It! Like, now!
If there was one book about the Beatles that you should be stranded on a desert island with, it would be this one. It is made up entirely of interviews, most of which are both new and not featured in the Anthology film. All the great personalities within the Beatles shine through.
Ok, I'm going on out a limb, here, assuming that you haven't already gotten this book. It probably is a bit of stretch, seeing as everybody and his brother owns this mother, but I couldn't allow myself to continue living unless I included it here. You MIGHT not own a copy of this, for one of the following very legitimate reasons:
1. You live in some kind of cave that does not get delivery service,
2. You have chronic back pain and were afraid to pick up a book this heavy,
3. You were too busy pleasuring your super-model girlfriend,
4. You figured since you saw the Anthology video there was no need.
Actually, only the first 3 reasons are any good. The fourth one, as I will explain, is not.
The Anthology book is not just a retelling of what you saw in the video. It is a complimentary piece that explores in-depth those issues the video did not have time for. Best of all, they didn't just hire some slob to re-tell the Beatles story. Instead, they mined about a million hours of interviews and conducted a million hours more to create a book that is so densely packed with information they have to kill 23 squid to get the ink they need to print each glorious copy. *
Frankly, this is the Beatles story as told by the Beatles themselves in their own Beatle words. On top of that, being an official Apple product, this book layers endless glossy pictures across the pages. Text and images merge and become something new.
This book is huge, heavy, and awe-inspiring. If you don't have it, and you care anything about the Beatles, drop what you are doing and get yourself a copy.
*no squids were harmed during the writing of this review.
Great Compilation
One of the best since Peter Brown's "The love you make",but has a lot of detail about the fab four as to their musical career and experiences in show business. I would read it again if i could. Good investment.
The best book ever about the fab 4
No other book tells the beatles story like this, awesome pictures and comments by the fb4 as well as people that worked with them
Anthology plusses and minuses
I am 56 and so just caught the end of the Beatles era. I enjoy their music, but would not label myself as a Beatles "fan". What I liked most about this book was discovering what happened in fact that I was only vaguely aware of at the time.
One strength of the book is the illustrations. Many of these would not be considered worthwhile to include in a biography, but they can stir interest, such as seeing portions of contracts for their performances did for me. Another strength is hearing the story directly from the band members. (John's "contributions" were taken from interviews he gave prior to his death.) They do debunk some silly rumors that have persisted about the band. I also enjoyed hearing the circumstances that prompted the writing of many of the songs they recorded.
One negative is that, being an anthology, you get the various opinions on what occurred at key points in time. These can be repetitive and even contradictory among the different band members. So, you do not get the persistence and continuity of having one point of view from the author. The book follows the general sequence of the band's development, but doesn't provide an exact chronology which is sometimes an annoying omission. At times the Beatles are quite candid and at other times I feel like they are offering up answers that protect one another as I would expect from any close group of musicians.
All in all I now have a much greater appreciation of the Beatles phenomenon, their contribution to popular culture and their personalities. However, I still feel that I know "the whole story" and would only consider this book to be one key reference towards understanding the group.
