Beatles Book:

		List Price: $34.99		Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation Salesrank: 79379 Released: April 1, 1987
		Our Price: $18.98
		Used Price: $11.50
		Media: Paperback

Editorial Review:
All new piano/vocal arrangements of more than 120 of the Beatles greatest hits. A truly remarkable collection including: All My Loving * And I Love Her * Come Together * Eleanor Rigby * Get Back * Help! * Hey Jude * I Want To Hold Your Hand * Let It Be * Michelle * many, many more.

The Beatles Best: Over 120 Great Beatles Hits (Piano, Vocal, Guitar) Reviews:
needs to be redone
2009-09-09 - This is for piano/guitar/vocal. It's not big-note or simplified piano. The guitar claim arises from there being chord diagrams (not merely names) at the appropriate points. The lyrics are accurate and the whole thing is official. Neither are the songs shortened.

But you're probably going to rue buying this for the following reasons:

1. This collection includes about 120 popular Beatles songs, but the same publisher offers a two-volume version of what can be reasonably be called the band's complete catalog: The Beatles Complete - Volume 1 - Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook and The Beatles Complete - Volume 2 - Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook. I know for sure these two are offered together as a boxed set, but I cannot locate the link on Amazon. Some songs that you'd think would be in this "highlights anthology" aren't here; instead you have to buy the full monty. The transcriptions in those volumes are note-for-note the same as the ones in the volume you're seeing on this page, I can confirm.

2. The book is thick, very thick. I believe I saw it offered in a spiral-bound volume somewhere on Amazon; if you do not buy that one, you'll have to spiral-bind it yourself because the binding is poor and will crack the first time you open it flat. In fact, I had to have it spiral-bound into three smaller volumes since this anthology was so thick that it couldn't fit on the sheet-holder of my keyboard without obtruding over the keys!

3. This thing needs to be redone, guys. I mean really. The date of publication is 1975, and this ISBN (0-88188-598-3) says "2nd Edition" on the cover, but I believe that just means they've corrected obvious errors. They haven't fundamentally reworked the way they've transcribed the songs.

What I mean is that the songs are not some shrewd pianist's best attempt to note what John and Paul were really doing -- even at the piano! Instead, the vocal line is incorporated in the piano treble, if you get what I mean. Singing is usually not necessary: the whole thing seems mean to be an instrumental, with the vocal line patently redundant.

Take "Let It Be" as an obvious example of what I mean, something that the folks at Hal Leonard should have been able to nail perfectly. When the Beatles played that, the piano truly was accompaniment in the sense that Paul's voice alone provided the melody. But in the Hal Leonard version, the melody is sewn inextricably into the piano part, with the result that if you play these as written without singing, they end up sounding like Muzak versions.

Yes, folks: if you were to play these faithfully as presented, you would not be playing the same keys as the Beatles played, even on piano songs where presumably the original notes can be ferreted out with 100% accuracy. Instead you'll be playing renditions, the quality of which varies from song to song but is usually acceptable for what they are.

Now, although this book doesn't say it's "simplified piano" (and it's not), but if you were to master Hal Leonard's transcription of "Let it Be," then carefully compare it to the actual record, you'd find that what you're playing is something much simpler than what Paul played. I found this to be true for every song I tried. (A glaring example of this is the harpsichord riff from "In My Life": the version presented here -- pp. 256-6 -- is inaccurate because it's so elementary.)

That's why I say this needs to be redone by pedantic Beatles fans who would insist on transcribing the actual notes. (Currently the best source I know of for such authenticity is the many instructional videos I've seen on YouTube.)

New Item ordered was not new when received
2008-07-05 - The problem was not the publisher of the book, our problem is that we ordered and paid for a new item. We received a book with damaged corners and worse a brown sticky substance on the edges of 2/3's of the pages in the book. It is difficult to play music when the pages do not turn easily. Further, we wrote to Amazon customer service regarding the fact that we received a damaged book even though we ordered and paid for a new item. Amazon did not even acknowledge our complaint much less check in to the reason we did not receive the product in the condition ordered.

The content is good but...
2007-10-17 - I bought this product as "new" but Amazon packaged it in a very tight box so when I received it was damaged at the corners giving the impression I bought a used one. Amazon you should be more careful about this, otherwise I don't see any reason buying on the internet so It'll be best to buy it on a bookstore.



Save your money
2006-06-09 - The arrangements in this book are maddeningly inaccurate. They range from boring to bad. If you're a fan of Beatles composition, chords and harmonies you'll be very disappointed.

Playtime With the Beatles!
2005-08-10 - This book is ideal for piano players and it is also good for guitar references. The only real drawback this book had was the chord progressions were not fully accurate. For people who play guitar, just try using some of the chords in this book for some of the songs and your ears will tell you that this just ain't quite right.

You will find an excellent selection of Beatle songs and intermediate guitarists will undoubtedly get a lot out of this book. If you are a stickler about the harmonies and the chord accuracy, this is not the book for you.