Beatles Book:

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Editorial Review:

Philip Norman's biography of the Beatles is the definitive work on the world's most influential band -- a beautifully written account of their lives, their music, and their times. Now brought completely up to date, this epic tale charts the rise of four scruffy Liverpool lads from their wild, often comical early days to the astonishing heights of Beatlemania, from the chaos of Apple and the collapse of hippy idealism to the band's acrimonious split. It also describes their struggle to escape the smothering Beatles' legacy and the tragic deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison. Witty, insightful, and moving, Shout! is essential reading not just for Beatles fans but for anyone with an interest in pop music.

Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation Reviews:
Some virtues, MANY faults -- there are now far better Beatles books
2009-06-16 - Philip Norman writes well; he crafts a narrative about the Beatles that reads more like a novel than a standard work of history. The early part of the book, in which he describes the Beatles' origins and early career, is quite good. But it's straight downhill, and rapidly, from those first chapters.

Norman credits John Lennon with being "80 percent of the Beatles," and this perspective prevents him from being able to understand the band's dynamics or appreciate what Paul, George, and Ringo brought to the group. All the Beatles were gifted, all were flawed, all behaved surprisingly well at times and horribly at others. Anyone who wants to write a history of the Beatles that helps readers understand why the band was able to create such timeless music and why the group came apart needs to be able to take a balanced view of all its members. Bob Spitz's "The Beatles" is a vastly better account of the band, in terms of accuracy and objectivity (sadly, it's not as well-written), and the Beatles' own "Anthology" is a much better place to start for anyone newly interested in the band. "The Beatles: Ten Years That Shook The World" is an excellent, fair-minded, and far-ranging resource. For those who want in-depth understanding of the Beatles' music, Tim Riley's "Tell Me Why" is the best book.

"Shout!" is a third-rate book at best when compared with those just mentioned. As someone who likes some of all four of the Beatles' solo albums, it dismayed me to see Norman dismiss George and Ringo as lucky, rather than talented, and to watch him pour contempt on Paul (this last gets worse in later editions, as Norman gloats over each of Paul's missteps).

The reality is that without George's talent as a guitarist, openness to Eastern music, and later songwriting skill, the Beatles' legacy would have been greatly impoverished. As for Ringo, Tim Riley points out in "Tell Me Why" that Ringo's fills were nothing short of revolutionary, that his steadiness was a crucial underpinning to the band's inventiveness, and that he deserves credit as one of the founders of rock drumming. And John chose Paul as a songwriting partner and virtual co-leader for good reason: he recognized Paul's musical versatility and melodic ability, and knew that Paul was just as ambitious as he was. They both had outsize egos and did and said some stupid, cruel things, especially when sniping at each other after the breakup. But the Beatles are unimaginable without the push-and-pull of their close, competitive relationship, and Norman does neither of them a favor by vilifying Paul and his solo music.

Now Norman's recent biography of John suggests he is disillusioned even with his favorite Beatle. Despite the way he is portrayed in "Shout!," Paul McCartney agreed to talk to Norman for the biography of John, as did Yoko Ono. Both distanced themselves from the book when it appeared, with Yoko explicitly stating that Norman was "mean to John."

Far, far better to read a book by someone who combines Norman's willingness to criticize the members of the Beatles with what he conspicuously lacks -- a genuine appreciation of their music and some compassion for all of them as flawed people.

A Definitive Work
2009-06-07 - This book, first published in 1981 and reissued in 1993, was yet put to a third edition in 2003 to incorporate the deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison and the knighting of Sir Paul McCartney along with his disastrous marriage to Heather Mills--so it feels quite up to date. Norman tells it like it is, painting our heroes with warts and all. The chapters are divided into five parts: Wishing, Getting, Having, Wasting, and Lasting. No band seemed less poised for stardom until it was thrust upon them before some of them had turned 21. They were a core group of blokes, united in their Liverpudlian northerness, who by wit and charm and pure musical genius won over a generation, a world. Paul was the most into the group until the last, generating brilliant ideas and bossing his cohorts into resentment to get it just right. John was the edgy and angry artist, rounding out Paul's sugary songs into hits and also crafting his own remonstrations that were then tempered by Paul successfully. George, by Normans's account, was a mediocre and cantankerous player, who seemed to have his best success on his own, often disdaining his years as a Beatle. Ringo, never renowned for his talent (he couldn't do a good drum roll, according to some), emerges as the emotional center of the group,--kind, lovable, and even-tempered.

But there are things in this book that you might not want to know about your heroes. How George (after a plethora of infidelities) slept with Maureen, dooming not only his marriage but Ringo's. How John's caustic personality made him yell tauntingly "Run, Cindy, run . . ." as their train pulled away from the station heading to the Maharishi without his wife as his she was trying to jump aboard. He later even had loud sex with a gal at a party, so that Yoko and everyone else in the next room could hear. Ringo and wife Barbara Bach packed away the booze. Paul became a despot over animal rights, refusing even fake fur to be present on his tours. This is after he betrayed Jane Asher with a groupie, going on to marry Linda who was the animal activist.

But some of the wives shine in this account. After George had been stabbed multiple times by an intruder, his Olivia conks the guy repeatedly with a poker and lamp base, putting him into the hospital. Linda is Paul's soulmate and Yoko is John's. Barbara saves Ringo from alcoholism, and he her. But Maureen and Jane and Cynthia and Patti should not be forgotten. In a hellish fishbowl, they all stood by their men loyally for many years before being replaced. Ringo is to credited for seeing Maureen through her terminal bout of cancer long after their divorce.

This is a cautionary tale of young men being given talent, wealth, and fame beyond normal reckoning. Whether along the way they handled it well or otherwise, this book reminds us of the priceless gift that they gave us all . . .



Scream and shout!
2009-03-29 - I'm not a fan of the Beatles, not especially, but a mention of this book in Malcom Gladwell's Outliers caught my interest. Very well written, documented, balanced, and fun to read. Among other things, young Lennon and McCartney's Liverpool comes out as a rough but magical place. Also a very colourful tour of the 60s. A must, really.

Pretty much everything the average person wanted to know (and more!) about The Beatles
2009-01-20 - I'll be honest; I bought this book for a course on the Beatles and expected it, like all other textbooks, to be rather dry. But it was actually enjoyable to read. However, it might have contained a bit toooo much for the average Beatles' fan (i.e., myself). Some details seemed rather pointless, like the author wrote them in just so he could show how much he had researched the band. The book seems long just by looking at it, but you don't really know how many minute and seemingly insignificant details the author left in until you actually start reading. Interesting stuff for the most part, though.

Read THIS book
2008-10-25 - If you are a Beatles fan like I am, this is a MUST read. It provides a really interesting account of the Beatles and their music, their lives and inspirations. After reading a lot of books on them, this is the only one worth reading