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List Price: $16.95 | | Publisher: John Blake
Salesrank: 873029
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| Used Price: $17.44 |
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| Media: Paperback |
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Editorial Review:
Look at the first contract with Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, and you will see only one other name—Alistair Taylor's. By the band’s side from the very beginning, he beheld the inception and growth of the most extraordinary musical phenomenon of the last century. But he was also there when things started to go wrong—when George Harrison quit the band at the height of their success and when it all started to spiral out of control. And he reveals for the first time exactly what caused their break-up. As Brian Epstein’s right-hand man, Alistair Taylor was with the charismatic manager when he first saw The Beatles perform at The Cavern. Taylor later became the band’s ever-present Mr. Fix-it. He bought islands, handled paternity cases, and became a close and trusted friend. It was he who found Epstein’s body after his suicide and, in the reorganization that followed, Taylor went on to become General Manager of Apple, The Beatles’ record company.
With the Beatles Reviews:
You can call him Al 
2007-02-15 - Well. The poor bugger got sacked after having sacrified most of his life fixing things for the boys. The story is clattered with errors but that's probably because it is told straitght from the heart. This is probably also why you have to read some stories at least three times. Having complained before about this publishing house I will once again urge J.Blake to invest in a senior editor.
with the beatles 
2006-11-04 - Mr Taylor would be one of the closest people in the world to give us some insight into the hectic lives of the Beatles in the 60's. His narrative in insightful and interesting, revealing unknown facts & opinions that are not found anywhere else.
Meh...it's okay.
2006-09-24 - Taylor's book is a quick read, and a decent way for a Beatle fan to pass the time. It is packed with interesting (if not-very-detailed) anecdotes about the Fab Four that I have not read elsewhere. However, it is poorly edited. The author tends to group unrelated anecdotes together. Strangely, on page 52 he references Ringo as a member of the band, waiting with the others for Brian Epstein to get them a recording contract, but Pete Best is not sacked until page 59! Speaking of Pete, he is barely mentioned in this book.
Once or twice, the author completely contradicts himself. Interestingly, the first half of the book seems to be organized and written better than the latter half; perhaps the author was up against a deadline? Still, this does not excuse the poor editing job.
I do not recommend this book for readers who do not already know the Beatles' basic story, as the author skips around quite a bit, and does not give adequate background information on some of the lesser-known "characters" in Beatle history.
I give this book two stars, as it *is* somewhat entertaining, and has several neat photos I have not seen elsewhere. Alistair Taylor's story has the potential to be very interesting, but he needs a) an EDITOR and b) to expand upon his anecdotes with more detail. Perhaps this book could be polished up and re-released??
Sacked by Allen Klein
2006-05-14 - Another reviewer characterized this book as a hodge-podge of anecdotes. That's just about right. The anecdotes are definitely of interest to the hardcore Beatle enthusiast--certainly this fan of books on the fabs learned a few things--but Taylor is not a master of chronology and in a few cases the ensuing decades since these events took place may have become garbled in the grey matter. To wit: on page 206 Lennon has "just discovered" acid in 1967 and pesters Taylor to try it. However, if we flip back to page 142, we have Lennon in Oct 1965 plotting to drop tabs of acid into the Queen's drink during their MBE awards ceremony. Had Lennon even heard of acid in 1965? What about the celebrated dinner party with the dentist, the inspiration for "Dr. Robert(s)"...? Is that no longer the "true" introduction of the Beatles to acid? Did that occur before the MBE awards? What gives, Taylor? Contradictory and confusing.
Nonetheless, an entertaining, if slight, volume. Its particularly strong on Brian Epstein and McCartney's relationship with Jane Asher. Taylor provides plenty of details on other topics as well, of course.
Taylor's book belongs in a special category of books by those who were sacked by Allen Klein. There may be others, but Richard DiLello's excellent "The Longest Cocktail Party" comes to mind. (Actually, both belong to a slightly larger category: those who were sacked by any edition of the Beatles management..then we can include "Beatle: The Pete Best Story" as well).
Don't hesitate to buy and enjoy.
All Icing and No Cake 
2006-04-10 - As the owner of a fairly large collection of Beatle-related material, including a vast library of albums, guitars and books, and as one who has visited Liverpool and London on many occasions, I speak from some base of knowledge when I say that Alstair Taylor's book, "Meet the Beatles", adds absolutely nothing new to the story of "the boys", as those closely associated with "The Beatles", liked to call them. This primer on "The Fab Four" is all icing and no cake, an effort that simply skims the surface and lacks any depth or fresh perspectives whatsoever. Taylor's book reads as if he focused solely on the headlines and skipped the story in, say, "The Liverpool Echo". Anyone even remotely interested in "The Beatles" could have penned this book without even resorting to research. There was not one single insight of any value. For one who was supposed to be part of the inner circle, Taylor's view of events seemed very dim and distant. As a glorified gofer, Taylor must have been out of the room getting tea and jam butties for John, Paul, George or Ringo whenever anything of significance occurred. My understanding is that Taylor is on the dole and in a bad way financially, which might explain why this book was published at this time, but it does not excuse this most cursory and disappointing piece of veneer.
