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"MacDonald's inspired critique has become the work against which all other Beatles books are measured."
--"Observer"
"Arguably the most indispensable Beatles book ever published has just become more indispensable."
--"Uncut"
"A triumph -- compelling, seductive, delightful."
--Nick Hornby
--"Observer"
"Arguably the most indispensable Beatles book ever published has just become more indispensable."
--"Uncut"
"A triumph -- compelling, seductive, delightful."
--Nick Hornby
Observer
MacDonald’s inspired critique has become the work against which all other Beatles book are measured.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book upon first release and have read it on a daily basis since; why I don't know every word I can only put down to my short term memory. My attraction to the Beatles when I was in my 20's was during the anthology period. I had heard of the Beatles like most people (my mum was a big fan and wanted to call me McCartney, they settled on Paul - thank god), what inspired me to by this book was seeing the I am the walrus video. I was already a Lennon fan at this point but did not know the history of his band, I heard working class hero and was hooked but what surprised me, and still does is the change from "she love you - yeah, yeah, yeah" to " I am the walrus" and this booked explained it and summed it up 100%. I personally would like for Mr McDonald to do the same with Lennon's solo work.
Buy it, read it, keep it, love it, 5 stars aren't enough
Buy it, read it, keep it, love it, 5 stars aren't enough
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought 'Revolution In The Head' when it first came out in the mid 1990s, and was blown away. When 'Live At The BBC' and the 'Anthology' albums were released a couple of years later, MacDonald revised it to cover all the Beatle material that had suddenly become canonical. The great virtue of this book, IMO, is the extraordinary job MacDonald did in synthesising all the available knowledge about how the Beatles recorded their music and presenting it as part of his account of their rise and fall. He goes on a song-by-song basis, and his judgments about which Beatle songs are more inspired than others are hard to argue with. (Personally I like 'If You've Got Trouble', though.) This book's only rival in the how-they-did-it stakes is Walter Everett's monumental two-volume technical study, 'The Beatles as Musicians'.
MacDonald sees the Beatles' career as rising to a peak with 'Sgt. Pepper', from which it then gradually slopes downwards, reaching a nadir with 'Free As A Bird'. This is the best presentation of what might be called the English Version of the Beatles' creative arc. He is bracingly caustic about what he sees as the generally negative effect of the Beatles' heavy drug use and embrace of randomness, feeling that little was gained by them consciously abandoning their judgment of what worked and what didn't, and he's usefully respectful of what other writers criticise as Paul McCartney's bossiness. MacDonald rightly perceives that if McCartney hadn't been so nannyish and overbearing in the final years, they might not have lasted even as short a time as they did. He is not afraid to dismiss a song as 'sniggering nonsense' (Maxwell's Silver Hammer, in case you were wondering - fair comment, I'd have said.) Elsewhere, he can be oddly blinkered; he ridicules pianist Glenn Gould's dislike of the Fabs, saying that Gould, one of the greatest musicians of the century, was here displaying 'an embarrassingly tin ear'. But this fails to engage properly with Gould's case, which in fact was quite a coherent argument and which raised the question of how much one's 'ear' is a matter of cultural expectation rather than natural musicality.
However, I think he over-emphasises the long-term damage done by some of the more avant-garde elements in Sixties culture. His criticisms of postmodernism seem a bit dated now; does anyone still talk about 'postmodernism' anymore? The closer he stays to his subject, the better and more insightful he is, but when he turns to the present, he just gets cranky and nostalgic (e.g. his foolish dismissal, in another book, of the late Bill Hicks as an unfunny Lenny Bruce wannabe. Bruce at his worst was far less funny than Hicks at his.)
It's clear by the end that, for MacDonald, Western culture had been declining in quality since the Beatles' breakup. For someone like me who was born after the band split, an attitude like that is far from helpful, or even meaningful. However, those who find MacDonald's pessimism convincing might want to reflect that he was prone to depression, and indeed took his own life only a couple of years after the final edition of this book was published. A tragic footnote to one of the great rock books ever.
MacDonald sees the Beatles' career as rising to a peak with 'Sgt. Pepper', from which it then gradually slopes downwards, reaching a nadir with 'Free As A Bird'. This is the best presentation of what might be called the English Version of the Beatles' creative arc. He is bracingly caustic about what he sees as the generally negative effect of the Beatles' heavy drug use and embrace of randomness, feeling that little was gained by them consciously abandoning their judgment of what worked and what didn't, and he's usefully respectful of what other writers criticise as Paul McCartney's bossiness. MacDonald rightly perceives that if McCartney hadn't been so nannyish and overbearing in the final years, they might not have lasted even as short a time as they did. He is not afraid to dismiss a song as 'sniggering nonsense' (Maxwell's Silver Hammer, in case you were wondering - fair comment, I'd have said.) Elsewhere, he can be oddly blinkered; he ridicules pianist Glenn Gould's dislike of the Fabs, saying that Gould, one of the greatest musicians of the century, was here displaying 'an embarrassingly tin ear'. But this fails to engage properly with Gould's case, which in fact was quite a coherent argument and which raised the question of how much one's 'ear' is a matter of cultural expectation rather than natural musicality.
However, I think he over-emphasises the long-term damage done by some of the more avant-garde elements in Sixties culture. His criticisms of postmodernism seem a bit dated now; does anyone still talk about 'postmodernism' anymore? The closer he stays to his subject, the better and more insightful he is, but when he turns to the present, he just gets cranky and nostalgic (e.g. his foolish dismissal, in another book, of the late Bill Hicks as an unfunny Lenny Bruce wannabe. Bruce at his worst was far less funny than Hicks at his.)
It's clear by the end that, for MacDonald, Western culture had been declining in quality since the Beatles' breakup. For someone like me who was born after the band split, an attitude like that is far from helpful, or even meaningful. However, those who find MacDonald's pessimism convincing might want to reflect that he was prone to depression, and indeed took his own life only a couple of years after the final edition of this book was published. A tragic footnote to one of the great rock books ever.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Not only the best book ever written about the Beatles, possibly one of the greatest rock tomes ever created. People who deny it are like people who say the Beatles aren't all they're cracked up to be - they're just being contrary for the sake of it. Brilliant.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Like it says, 'the book The Beatles deserved'....
If you think you know the Beatles, think again. Have a dip into this and realise why the band was streets ahead of everyone else (and it pretty much still is. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mikeonfreeserve
Say Goodbye To Four Hours
If you are a music fan then surely at some stage you will read a book about The Beatles. MacDonald's book is a superb analysis of the fab four. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Deebhoy
Interesting, Infuriating and a thoroughly enjoying read
For any Beatles fan it is a constant struggle to try and learn everything you possibly can about the best band of all time. Read more
Published 17 months ago by M Simpson
good!
book arrived as described and quickly, but it is a library book so not sure why is that....
Published 19 months ago by Lavender
A superb tome
This book is a wonderful book. The buyer who dismissed this book as "pretentious" must be one of those inverted snobs who is terrified by the prospect of approaching anything in a... Read more
Published on 17 July 2007 by Mr. Thomas Birch
You Say You Want a Revolution...
This extraordinary book critiques most of the Beatles' songs. It dissects, analyzes and explains the lyrics of the Beatles' songs; it compliments the intelligence of all readers. Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2007 by BeatleBangs1964
A Book Worth Owning (With A Grain Of Salt)
This book is definitely a must-have for any reader interested in The Beatles and craving a detailed chronology of their music as it was recorded. Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2007 by Symon Jerycho
It's all about the music
I too bought the 1st paperback edition in the mid 90s, and it has been well thumbed over the years. I was glad to see this updated edition covering the anthology series and I... Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2007 by Grover Netzer
Knowledgeable, intelligent and well-written
MacDonald understood music, society, and the occasionally disastrous effects of drugs, mysticism and fame. Read more
Published on 12 Aug 2006 by Eclectic / clueless
pretentious bullshit
...with little or no knowledge of the essence of rock&roll.
Quite simply an incredibly annoying besserwisser at work.
Beware...
Quite simply an incredibly annoying besserwisser at work.
Beware...
Published on 12 July 2006 by toulouse
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