Good insight and details about the Music of the Beatles.
Written: Sep 01 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Yields specific facts about songs origins and evolution. Detailed research notes & bibliography.
Cons: Few pictures if you like/need photos. The ones given are simple and not great quality.
The Bottom Line: A fine book the provides music/song detail and interesting facts in a chronological order. Group and Individual personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Easy reading and following of such details too.
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| imaginetr's Full Review: A Day in the Life: The Music & Artistry of the Bea... |
Released in 1995, 441 pages from introduction through the index, this book retails for approximately $23.95 U.S. I received it as a gift. Written by Mark Hertsgaard an internationally recognized journalist and author. Easy reading with good size type/print.
Here is an outline of the books 438 total pages:
Introduction - short, 2 page intro.
Table of contents - 2 pages
The actual book/reading material - 318 pages
Chronology of Released recordings - 4.5 pages
Research notes - 110 pages
The research notes are broken into four parts:
Author’s comments - 5 pages
Bibliography - 3 pages
Chapter notes - 90 pages
Index - 12 pages
The chapters are titled as follows:
1. Inside Abby Road Studios ("A Day in the Life")
2. Four lads from Liverpool
3. Starting a reputation (Please Please Me)
4. Mach Schau!: The Hamburg-Liverpool Apprenticeship
5. Where Music Had to Go (With the Beatles)
6. Life with Brian: Manager Brian Epstein
7. I Heard a Funny Chord (A Hard Days Night)
8. The burdens of Fame: Beatlmania
9. War Weary (Beatles For Sale)
10. The Naturals: The Lennon-McCartney Collaboration
11. Fresh Sounds (Help!)
12. Four-way Synergy: That Inexplicable Charisma
13. Coming of Age (Rubber Soul)
14. "Think Symphonically" Producer George Martin
15. Listen to the Color of Your Dream (Revolver)
16. We All Want to Change the World: Drugs, Politics, and Spirituality.
17. Rock'n'Roll as Art (Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)
18. Organized Chaos (Magical Mystery Tour)
19. The Ballad of John and Yoko
20. Inner turmoil, Creative Abundance (The Beatles)
21. In My Hour of Darkness (Let it Be)
22. The Breakup Heard 'Round the World
23. A Final Masterpiece (Abbey Road)
24. The Classics of Their Time: The Beatles in History
I am a huge fan of the Beatles music and always interested in specials and documentaries about the Beatles. I am not a hard-core trivia expert on the Beatles and so a book such as this one is very entertaining to me as it does provide insight into the songs creation that I was not aware of before. Not only chronological information but specific lyrical and musical information about the development of certain songs. Which Beatle wrote which song? Who sang it? Who contributed what specific line in the lyrics? Musical development down to the chord progression etc.
It also discusses the individual style, strengths and weaknesses of each Beatle. It provides a sparing chapter on the history of the Beatles, and throughout the chapters it interjects some historical facts about how family and childhood may have influenced each. Also about musical influences such as Elvis, Little Richard, Bob Dylan etc.
I like how the book stays in the chronology of the music and career of the Beatles. It gives me a sense of their starting young and enthusiastically, hard working always, but then the pressures and burn out with fame. It speaks about their personalities and charisma as a group and individuals. It also discusses the major influences of the Beatles inner circle: Brian Epstein, George Martin, Yoko Ono etc. Finally, a look back at the growing discontent and estrangement among the group leading to the breakup.
A large part of the research for the book stems from the over 400 hours of recordings during the Beatles studio sessions which was part of the Beatles anthology effort.
One part of the book that I was not particularly impressed by was the author’s interpretation of certain songs and albums. In these instances I found them to be merely critic like descriptions and perceptions whereas I've never like art critics because each persons taste is different so where the author may call the "Beatles for Sale" album weak and trashy, another may praise it. But he's the author and is at liberty to include his perceptions.
All in all a fine book for any Beatles fan to read.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
imaginetr
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Location: Pacific Northwest, Washington
Reviews written: 33
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Husband and father, born in Washington 1961, military brat and college grad.
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