The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology [Paperback]

"The Beatles As Musicians is a well-researched, serious-minded scholarly work that stands easily as the best volume of its genre. Students enrolled in music education programs at the university level will benefit tremendously from many of professor Everett's astute observations and advanced theories concerning the music of The Beatles. As a college-level textbook, this book rates an A+."--Goldmine

"Stunning in its thoroughness....An ambitious and serious analytical undertaking, and the only contribution of its kind to date, this book deserves careful attention from all who would include all musics in the 20th-century canon."--Choice

"This is an excellent book that will appeal to musicologists, theorists, and general readers with any interest in the Beatles....Everett has written the most important book on the Beatles to appear so far; it will become an indispensable part of any future work on the group and their music. He nicely and securely balances detailed music-anal

Given the phenomenal fame and commercial success that the Beatles knew for the entire course of their familiar career, their music per se has received surprisingly little detailed attention. Not all of their cultural influence can be traced to long hair and flashy clothing; the Beatles had numerous fresh ideas about melody, harmony, counterpoint, rhythm, form, colours, and textures. Or consider how much new ground was broken by their lyrics alone--both the themes and imagery of the Beatles' poetry are key parts of what made (and still makes) this group so important, so popular, and so imitated. This book is a comprehensive chronological study of every aspect of the Fab Four's musical life--including full examinations of composition, performance practice, recording, and historical context--during their transcendent late period (1966-1970). Rich, authoritative interpretations are interwoven through a documentary study of many thousands of audio, print, and other sources.

Walter Everett is Associate Professor of Music in Music Theory at the University of Michigan.