The Beatles Anthology [Hardcover]

The Beatles anthology answers that question to the above. It is beautifully readable, and painstaking work that must have gone in to it to achieve that standard almost beggar's belief.

The story is told form the point of view of the individual Beatles, their producer George Martin, Neil Aspinall their road manager and Derek Taylor one time spokesperson.

Although John Lennon was killed twenty years ago, the way his account is interlaced with the other members of the bands is seamless and provides a poignant reminder of just what the world of music lost as well as the far greater tragedy for his wife, family and friends.

This book covers the Beatles entire history from the early Liverppol pre-Cavern days through to and now looking back, the inevitably bitter break up in 1970.

The best areas of the book are the detailed accounts of their early Hamburg days, and the wonderfully chaotic yet disasterous running of Apple, the record company the Beatles set up in the late sixties.

Through out the whole story of the beatles, the anecdotes are illuminating, and in the detail fascinating. For example the inspiration behind some of their songs, is breathtaking in how seemingly insignificant phrases and ideas can be turned into gold by sheer unadulterated talent.

All four of the Beatles characters do come through vividly, although it is hard to tell how much is revealed to us by accident or by deliberate act.

For example Ringo appears almost hopelessly and fantastically positive about everything to do with the Beatles.

George Harrison, the quietest of the Beatles seems much more radical in his thinking than even John Lennon was at his peak. He was much more into Eastern philosphy than Lennon which to me appears suprising.

Paul Macartney, does seem to be the one who was hurt most by the Beatles breakup, although he comes through as the most egotistical of the Beatles, although certainly not off-puttingly so.

Lennon himself reamins the most complex character in the Beatles, and it seems through this anthology he never (unsurprisingly) got over the early tragedies in his life and therefore built at a times a deliberately cynical persona, which belied his true personality.

The book I think is also illuminating on Yoko Ono's part in the breakup in the Beatles. The surving beatles are much kinder over time to her now, when they say it was many factors that split up the Beatles, not just her appearing on the scene.

She appears from reading this even if they can't admit to it to have been the impetus that finally broke up the Beatles. Although she probably saved the beatles from becoming a band staying on just for the sake of it, and becoming perhaps a pale shadow of themselves.

The book itself is well designed, although the print is a little on the small side.

The overtyping on some of the pictures can be a little hard to see at times. Although this is just minor quibble. The book is well basically fantastic and shows the beatles inter-relationships in marvellous and often affectionate detail.

The book is packed with photos, scanned images of handwritten song lyrics and notes written by the Beatles, and tons of interviews. In terms of Beatles trivia and information, it's absolutely first rate and fascinating. If you're the kind of Beatles fan who likes to listen to their live recordings, rare studio outtakes, alternate recordings, etc. -- you probably "have" to own this book.

The only drawback of the book -- if you're not 100% obsessed by the Beatles -- is that the interview format really is a slow way to tell the Beatles story. For each event in their career, you get four different versions of how it happened (sometimes more, because other leading Beatles characters are interviewed, too), and it can take a long time to get through the thread of the story. So, if you want to string together how their career happened and how the band imploded, it takes a little longer than one would like. But if you're a Beatle-ologist and want to revel in the small details of their career, it's absolutely first rate.

In summary, any Beatles fan -- casual or serious -- would love this, especially as a gift. The more casual you are about the Beatles, though, the more likley you are to skim the book rather than absorb every detail.

After the 'Love Me Do' entering the charts at number 17, the fascinating account of the dichotomy of Beatles and fame begins. Beatlemania and the blistering world of touring are dealt with in illuminating detail, the band members conveying the tension of 'screaming' with encapsulating language; perhaps the foremost example of sharp description in the book however is perhaps where the band describe how disabled people for instance were brought to the Beatles as though they could heal them. The distressing nature of these images arte well conveyed.

The technical aspects of music making are covered shrewdly and thoroughly, as one sees the evolution of their sound through 'Rubber Soul', 'Revolver', 'Sgt Pepper', and 'The White Album' - a possible critiscism here however is that at times the band assume too much knowledge of the reader.

For me, what enables this biography to rise above the thousands of others is that it can be viewed as a vivid pastiche of social comment, echoing the general movement of the Sixties. Lennon's views on religion are intelligent and well-reasoned; Harrison's immersion in Eastern Philosophy ('Transcendental Meditation') is important, and in fact incredibly persuasive - new avenues are opened to the reader's mind.

From Lennon's raucous song emerges a discussion of 'Revolution'; that short episode can be seen as a synopsis of the whole era of the Beatles and indeed their biography. The introduction of characters such as George Martin and Derek Taylor, along with Neil Aspinall, add balance to a story that might otherwise be perceived to be too biased. The graphical work is awesome - the same could be said of this wonderful biography, all the way through illuminating on many levels of intelligence, from the happy-go-lucky attitudes of the early years to the taught break-up. No biography has been better constructed.