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Review
Walter Everett's recent contribution to the extensive literature on the Beatles is a welcome addition to the serious musicological study of the most influential rock musicians in history. (Journal of Musicological Research )
... features a huge variety of musical examples ... particularly beneficial when used in conjunction with the actual recordings. (Journal of Musicological Research )
The author's writing style throughout is so lucid that anyone with a desire to understand his discussions will be able to follow them ... Everett's work is not only important in elucidating the music of the Beatles, it also serves as a model for further scholarship in rock music and the variety of analytical approaches that can be used for the understanding of this repertoire. (Journal of Musicological Research )
... features a huge variety of musical examples ... particularly beneficial when used in conjunction with the actual recordings. (Journal of Musicological Research )
The author's writing style throughout is so lucid that anyone with a desire to understand his discussions will be able to follow them ... Everett's work is not only important in elucidating the music of the Beatles, it also serves as a model for further scholarship in rock music and the variety of analytical approaches that can be used for the understanding of this repertoire. (Journal of Musicological Research )
Product Description
The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul is a comprehensive, chronologically-ordered study of every aspect of the group's musical life--composition, performance, recording and reception histories--from its beginnings in 1956 through 1965. Richly authoritative interpretations from every available reliable musical document are interwoven through a documentary study of many thousands of audio, video, print, and multimedia sources. The text will enable general readers and musicians as well as educated music theorists to learn new levels of beauty in the music of the Beatles.
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Five miles southeast of the city center of Liverpool rises a ridge of red sandstone; atop the crest sits Woolton Village. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Five miles southeast of the city center of Liverpool rises a ridge of red sandstone; atop the crest sits Woolton Village. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The first time I read (or tried to read) Walter Everett's two-volume study of the Beatles' musical development, I thought it was niggling, pedestrian and not a patch on Ian Macdonald's justly celebrated book "Revolution in the Head". That was a few years ago. In the meantime, my knowledge of music theory has advanced a good deal and I can now see that, far from being overly detailed supplements to Macdonald, Everett's books are in some ways much better.
What we have here is an Associate Professor of Music analysing the Beatles' music and providing a detailed commentary on how the Beatles' music does what it does. This is therefore a tricky read if you don't know the meaning of terms such as "voice leading", "Dorian mode" and "parallel fifths", and it also helps considerably if you can read music because there are a lot of (well-chosen) examples. If, however, your knowledge of theory is up to snuff, it's possible to appreciate something like Prof. Everett's seven-page analysis of "She Loves You" as truly enlightening.
His research is exceptionally wide-ranging. He seems to have listened to nearly every bootleg ever released, and although there are many transcriptions of the Beatles' music he has a properly sceptical attitude to the value of transcribing rock. He quotes a Paul story about George Martin having to write down "A Hard Day's Night", and asking Lennon what exactly was the note for "-innnng" as in "working like a dog" - was it a flat VII? A VI? Lennon thought about but didn't think that it was either, and Harrison suggested that it was "something in between". "Yeah," decided Lennon, "write *that* down."
He is an acute analyst of the Beatles as players, too, and offers one of the best arguments as to why Ringo was a better drummer than Pete Best (basically, Ringo was more imaginative). These books are far better than I thought they were on first reading, and must count as some of the best writing about the Beatles, but it has to be said that his caveat in the introduction is well taken: anyone without a reasonably advanced knowledge of music theory will not be able to see why the books are so good.
Although this book covers the earlier part of the Beatles' career, it was actually written after the volume that covers their later stuff (from "Revolver" to the later "Anthology" stuff), which I am now looking forward with intense excitement to re-reading.
Ian Macdonald's book cited above is a better book for the general reader, but as time goes by I get increasingly tired of Macdonald's apocalyptic and downbeat tone. His long and fascinating introduction climaxes in a despairing outburst about the total collapse of meaning and truth in contemporary Western society, which reads to me more like a symptom of the depression that would eventually cause Macdonald to take his own life. Everett, by comparison, is less pretentious and more convincing. Books like his are examples of the kind of fidelity to truth and scholarship which Macdonald seemed to fear had passed from the world.
What we have here is an Associate Professor of Music analysing the Beatles' music and providing a detailed commentary on how the Beatles' music does what it does. This is therefore a tricky read if you don't know the meaning of terms such as "voice leading", "Dorian mode" and "parallel fifths", and it also helps considerably if you can read music because there are a lot of (well-chosen) examples. If, however, your knowledge of theory is up to snuff, it's possible to appreciate something like Prof. Everett's seven-page analysis of "She Loves You" as truly enlightening.
His research is exceptionally wide-ranging. He seems to have listened to nearly every bootleg ever released, and although there are many transcriptions of the Beatles' music he has a properly sceptical attitude to the value of transcribing rock. He quotes a Paul story about George Martin having to write down "A Hard Day's Night", and asking Lennon what exactly was the note for "-innnng" as in "working like a dog" - was it a flat VII? A VI? Lennon thought about but didn't think that it was either, and Harrison suggested that it was "something in between". "Yeah," decided Lennon, "write *that* down."
He is an acute analyst of the Beatles as players, too, and offers one of the best arguments as to why Ringo was a better drummer than Pete Best (basically, Ringo was more imaginative). These books are far better than I thought they were on first reading, and must count as some of the best writing about the Beatles, but it has to be said that his caveat in the introduction is well taken: anyone without a reasonably advanced knowledge of music theory will not be able to see why the books are so good.
Although this book covers the earlier part of the Beatles' career, it was actually written after the volume that covers their later stuff (from "Revolver" to the later "Anthology" stuff), which I am now looking forward with intense excitement to re-reading.
Ian Macdonald's book cited above is a better book for the general reader, but as time goes by I get increasingly tired of Macdonald's apocalyptic and downbeat tone. His long and fascinating introduction climaxes in a despairing outburst about the total collapse of meaning and truth in contemporary Western society, which reads to me more like a symptom of the depression that would eventually cause Macdonald to take his own life. Everett, by comparison, is less pretentious and more convincing. Books like his are examples of the kind of fidelity to truth and scholarship which Macdonald seemed to fear had passed from the world.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
11 reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
The Definitive Musicological View Of The Beatles
7 Nov 2001
Format:Paperback
Walt Everett's previous volume of THE BEATLES AS MUSICIANS (BAM) dealt with the period from REVOLVER to ABBEY ROAD. Now he completes the story with the "prequel" -- from the QUARRYMEN to RUBBER SOUL.
The reason that the project is split into two volumes is simple: to preserve all the detail which is necessary to this ambitious endeavour. It's also a "unique" project: to encompass the complete musicology, instrumentation and recording history of the most influential musical force of the last fourty years.
Everett speaks with the authority of a musicological professional and the with the unabashed admiration of a listener, providing a cross-over point for those who want to study the Beatles work from both viewpoints.
I think it's important to note that Everett updates Lewisohn quite significantly. He's used a much broader set of source material (all meticulously referenced), the results of thirty years of study and a musicians ear to make sense of the raw data provided by Lewisohn and others.
Beyond the invaluable song-by-song treatment, Everett provides a detailed description of their early years and efforts. Like the preceding volume, the book includes many examples and detailed references.
The student of the Beatles' music is blessed by a rich literature. These two volumes are among the three or four most important resources for those interested in the musicology, instruments and sessions themselves. The two books are in a class of their own and redefine the standard of rock-pop musicology.
Ian Hammond
www.beathoven.com
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Essential for serious Beatles fans
8 Dec 2001
Format:Paperback
This is perhaps the most exhaustive study of Beatles' musicianship ever written. Everett takes the music seriously and examines the development of the Beatles as musicians and composers. To be sure, the book presupposes that the reader be familiar with music theory. Even if you're not (as I am not), the book still offers wonderful insights into the songs and into the Beatles' early history in Liverpool and Hamburg. And I've not found a better book to discuss the recording history and sessions. If you're serious about Beatles' music, buy this book and Everett's volume on the late Beatles (from Revolver to the Anthology) and Mark Lewissohn's Complete Beatles Chronicle and the Anthology volume by the Beatles. But Everett's book is intended for readers seriously interested in the music.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Dense, but wonderful.
10 Dec 2002
Format:Paperback
Yes, this book is very dense and technical, I am not a musician and was a bit lost at times, however, the author structures the book in such a way that you can skim or skip what is over your head (a lot for me) and still get something out of this book.
For me, one of the most important and rare things about this book is the way the author does not fall into the John vs. Paul biases like so many others who have written on this topic. He gives both men the written ananlysis and technical break down of their work they deserve and does not short change Paul in favor of John. This is appreciated as I believe it gives the best description of how the songwriting evolved through the talents of both men.
He also gives the same critical analysis of George Harrison's songs, this is rare indeed.
For these reasons I highly recommend the book for serious Beatle fans.
I am already burning through the second book.
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