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The Beatles Lyrics: The Unseen Story Behind Their Music
by Hunter Davies The BeatlesMany books have appeared over the years about the Beatles lyrics -- about the words of those songs which the whole world knows and sings, and will sing for ever, as long as we have the breath to hum the tunes. But no one has ever tried to track down and publish the original versions of the classic songs -- showing the words in the Beatles' own handwriting, how they first wrote them, how they scribbled them down on pieces of paper or backs of envelopes, with all the crossings out and changes.By revealing and publishing these original manuscripts for the first time we gain a unique insight into the creative process of Lennon and McCartney, how they did it, what they were thinking, how they changed their minds, and then came up with the words we now all know.Such a book has never been published, firstly because of copyright reasons, with ownership divided between Michael Jackson and Sony, and secondly because no one has been able to track them all down. The author of the only authorised biography of The Beatles, Hunter Davies, has sought out nearly one hundred Beatles lyrics. His expert introduction describes the creativity of the greatest ever rock band -- then he lists and illustrates each song, in chronological order, putting each song in context: what the Beatles were doing at the time, how and when they came to write and then record it, how the original version differs from the final one. The wonder is that almost every Beatles song has a great story behind it -- whether it is 'In My Life', 'For No One', 'Yesterday', 'Eleanor Rigby', or 'Yellow Submarine'.
The Beatles Way: Fab Wisdom for Everyday Life
by Larry LangeBy analyzing the Beatles' extraordinary journey, Larry Lange has discerned specific principles that illustrate how to live more profound, richer, and happier lives. These principles include harnessing the power of dreaming, learning to set and meet goals, dealing with fear of the unknown, working as a team while remaining self-sufficient, keeping dreams fresh, and remaining open to spirituality and social responsibility. The book offers these principles of success and the exuberance of the Beatles as an alternative to traditional personal growth books.
The Beatles Way: Fab Wisdom for Everyday Life
by Larry Lange Laura CarlsmithThirty-one years after their break-up, the Beatles remain as popular as ever. In this analysis of the Beatles' journey, the author discerns specific principles that illustrate how to live more profound, richer, and happier lives, and offers these principles of success and the exuberance of the Beatles as an alternative to traditional personal growth books.
The Beatles and Sixties Britain
by Marcus CollinsThough the Beatles are nowadays considered national treasures, this book shows how and why they inspired phobia as well as mania in 1960s Britain. As symbols of modernity in the early sixties, they functioned as a stress test for British institutions and identities, at once displaying the possibilities and establishing the limits of change. Later in the decade, they developed forms of living, loving, thinking, looking, creating, worshipping and campaigning which became subjects of intense controversy. The ambivalent attitudes contemporaries displayed towards the Beatles are not captured in hackneyed ideas of the 'swinging sixties', the 'permissive society' and the all-conquering 'Fab Four'. Drawing upon a wealth of contemporary sources, The Beatles and Sixties Britain offers a new understanding of the band as existing in creative tension with postwar British society: their disruptive presence inciting a wholesale re-examination of social, political and cultural norms.
The Beatles and Vocal Expression (Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series)
by Bláithín DugganThe Beatles and Vocal Expression examines popular song through the topic of paralanguage – a sub-category of nonverbal communication that addresses characteristics of speech that modify meaning and convey emotion. It responds to the general consensus regarding the limitations of Western art music notation to analyse popular song, assesses paralinguistic voice qualities giving rise to expressive tropes within and across songs, and lastly addresses gaps in existing Beatles scholarship. Taking The Beatles’ UK studio albums (1963–1970), paralinguistic voice qualities are examined in relation to concepts, characteristics, metaphors, and functions of paralanguage in vocal performance. Tropes, such as rising and falling intonation on words of woe, have historical connections to performative and conversational techniques. This interdisciplinary analysis is achieved through musicology, sound studies, applied linguistics, and cultural history. The new methodology locates paralinguistic voice qualities in recordings, identifies features, shows functions, and draws aural threads within and across popular songs.
The Beatles and the Beatlesque: A Crossdisciplinary Analysis of Sound Production and Stylistic Impact
by Dario Martinelli Paolo BucciarelliThe Beatles and the Beatlesque address a paradox emanating from The Beatles’ music through a cross-disciplinary hybrid of reflections, drawing from both, musical practice itself and academic research. Indeed, despite their extreme stylistic variety, The Beatles’ songs seem to always bear a distinctive identity that emerges even more in similar works by other artists, whether they are merely inspired, derivative or explicitly paying homage. The authors, a musicologist and music producer, emphasize the importance of record production in The Beatles' music in a way that does justice not only to the final artifacts (the released songs) but also to the creative process itself (i.e., the songs "in the making").Through an investigation into the work of George Martin and his team, as well as The Beatles themselves, this text sheds light on the role of the studio in shaping the group's eclectic but unique sound. The chapters address what makes a song “Beatlesque”, to what extent production choices are responsible for developing a style, production being understood not as a mere set of technicalities, but also in a more conceptual way, as well as the aesthetics, semiotics and philosophy that animated studio activity. The outcome is a book that will appeal to both students and researchers, as well as, of course, musicophiles of all kinds.
The Beatles from A to Zed: An Alphabetical Mystery Tour
by Peter Asher“At last, I finally understand the alphabet! I also love this book: secret Beatles knowledge from one of the closest insiders.” —Steve MartinPeter Asher met the Beatles in the spring of 1963, the start of a lifelong association with the band and its members. He had a front-row seat as they elevated pop music into an art form, and he was present at the creation of some of the most iconic music of our times.Asher is also a talented musician in his own right, with a great ear for what was new and fresh. He was asked by Paul McCartney to help start Apple Records; the first artist Asher discovered and signed up was a young American singer-songwriter named James Taylor. Before long he would be not only managing and producing Taylor but also working with Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond, Robin Williams, Joni Mitchell, and Cher, among others.The Beatles from A to Zed grows out of his popular radio program “From Me to You” on SiriusXM’s The Beatles Channel, where he shares memories and insights about the Fab Four and their music. Here he weaves his reflections into a whimsical alphabetical journey that focuses not only on songs whose titles start with each letter, but also on recurrent themes in the Beatles’ music, the instruments they played, the innovations they pioneered, the artists who influenced them, the key people in their lives, and the cultural events of the time.Few can match Peter Asher for his fresh and personal perspective on the Beatles. And no one is a more congenial and entertaining guide to their music.
The Beatles in America
by Robert Santelli Gloria Steinem Peter Thompson Ed Sanders Chris HutchinsThe Beatles in America is a limited edition special e-short presented by the Smithsonian and the Grammy Museum. It’s hard to believe that the Beatles first came to America 50 years ago. Their influence cannot be understated- music, fashion, design, film, production, politics, and then some. The Beatles gave an outsized American by-product, rock’n’roll, a different look and sound while simultaneously providing a soundtrack to a cultural revolution. The Beatles in America is an exciting look at the legacy that the Beatles created featuring never-before-published photographs by Ringo Starr from his private portfolio, along with great articles spanning the Fab Four’s career from beginning to end and interviews with both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The Beatles in America also features recollections on the Beatles influence from classic rockers like Smokey Robinson, Pat Benatar, John Fogerty, Brian Wilson, and others. The Beatles in America is a must for old fans looking back on a popular culture phenomena and new fans getting a view of a band that continues to inspire music today.
The Beatles in America: The Stories, the Scene, the Memories
by Spencer LeighThis is the definitive, fully illustrated account of the Beatles' concerts and controversies, and of how the United States dominated their lives in so many ways. Written by one of the acknowledged experts on the Fab Four, Liverpool’s own Spencer Leigh, The Beatles in America covers their North American tours in 1964, 1965, and 1966, highlights their transformation into global superstars, and recount the story to the band's breakup, covering significant events like John and Yoko's "Bed-In" in Montreal and the release of their single "Give Peace a Chance," providing a comprehensive overview of "the Beatles in America." Included are interviews with fellow musicians, promoters, and audience members, together with rare photographs and memorabilia. Early in 1964, with Beatlemania raging in the UK, the Beatles topped the US charts with “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and became a sensation on American TV with The Ed Sullivan Show—on which they appeared no fewer than three occasions, on consecutive Sundays in February 1964. In April of that year, they held all Top Five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 and were playing such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and Shea Stadium. As predicted, they had become bigger than Elvis. After their first appearances of 1964 (at Carnegie Hall and in Washington, DC), The Beatles went on to do a full North American tour in 1964, a shorter tour in 1965, and a final, 13-date tour in 1966 (each of which is covered in detail in this book), transforming them into global superstars. But when John Lennon commented that the band was “bigger than Jesus,” things turned sour, and there were public burnings of their records. The final chapter and epilogue of the book take the story of “the Beatles in America” up to the band’s breakup and beyond, including John and Yoko’s June 1, 1969, “Bed-In” in Montreal and the release of the couple’s single “Give Peace a Chance.”
The Beatles in Context (Composers in Context)
by Kenneth WomackSince their first performances in 1960, The Beatles' cultural influence grew in unparalleled ways. From Liverpool to Beatlemania, and from dance halls to Abbey Road Studios and the digital age, the band's impact exploded during their heyday, and has endured in the decades following their disbandment. Beatles fashion and celebrity culture, politics, psychedelia and the Summer of Love, all highlight different aspects of the band's complex relationship with the world around them. With a wide range of short, snapshot chapters, The Beatles in Context brings together key themes in which to better explore The Beatles' lives and work and understand their cultural legacy, focusing on the people and places central to The Beatles' careers, the visual media that contributed to their enduring success, and the culture and politics of their time.
The Beatles through a Glass Onion: Reconsidering the White Album (Tracking Pop)
by Mark OsteenThe Beatles, the 1968 double LP more commonly known as the White Album, has always been viewed as an oddity in the group’s oeuvre. Many have found it to be inconsistent, sprawling, and self-indulgent. The Beatles through a Glass Onion is the first-ever scholarly volume to explore this seminal recording at length, bringing together contributions by some of the most eminent scholars of rock music writing today. It marks a reconsideration of this iconic but under-appreciated recording and reaffirms the White Album’s significance in the Beatles’ career and in rock history. This volume treats the White Album as a whole, with essays scrutinizing it from a wide range of perspectives. These essays place the album within the social and political context of a turbulent historical moment; locate it within the Beatles’ lives and careers, taking into consideration the complex personal forces at play during the recording sessions; investigate the musical as well as pharmaceutical influences on the record; reveal how it reflects new developments in the Beatles’ songwriting and arranging; revisit the question of its alleged disunity; and finally, track its legacy and the breadth of its influence on later rock, pop, and hip-hop artists. The Beatles through a Glass Onion features the scholarship of Adam Bradley, Vincent Benitez, Lori Burns, John Covach, Walter Everett, Michael Frontani, Steve Hamelman, Ian Inglis, John Kimsey, Mark Osteen, Russell Reising, Stephen Valdez, Anthony D. Villa, Kenneth Womack, and Alyssa Woods. John Covach’s Afterword summarizes the White Album’s lasting impact and value. The Beatles through a Glass Onion represents a landmark work of rock music scholarship. It will prove to be an essential and enduring contribution to the field.
The Beatles vs The Rolling Stones: Sound Opinions on the Great Rock 'n' Roll Rivalry
by Greg Kot Jim DeRogatisTwo of the world’s preeminent music journalists tackle the liveliest debate in rock history: which band is the greatest ever—the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? More than two dozen topics of debate are addressed, with cases being made both for the lads from Liverpool and rock’s proto bad boys. From the Cavern and Crawdaddy clubs through head-to-head comparisons of specific albums (e.g., Exile or “the White Album”?), members’ roles within the bands, the Svengali-like managers, influential producers, musical influences, and more, this is the book that dares confront the topics over which fans have agonized for years. Illustrated throughout with photography and memorabilia.
The Beatles' Second Album
by Dave MarshThe Beatles' Second Album runs only 22 minutes, with just 11 songs<br>--many of which the group didn't write. <p>Despite all that, the album personifies the Beatles: the world's greatest rock'n'roll band, according to well-known rock'n'roll critic and author Dave Marsh. <p>With its overload of rock'n'roll, R&B, and early soul influence, including "Roll Over Beethoven," and "Long Tall Sally", The Beatles' Second Album - the book and the album - offers a great vantage point from which to see the group's enormous impact on pop music and culture. <p>Marsh breaks new ground by focusing on the Beatles' US recordings and how they evolved from British releases at a time when the two nations' approaches to rock'n'roll production were vastly different.
The Beatles: A Life in Music (Want to know More about Rock & Pop?)
by Hugh FielderFor the Internet generation, a quick introduction to the first global music phenomenon. Meet John, Paul, George and Ringo.The Beatles were – are – probably the most famous and successful band in the world, and despite breaking up over 40 years ago, their popularity remains rock solid, with fans ever-thirsty for new celebrations of their work. Organized by year, this brilliant book covers all the major events in their relatively short career.
The Beatles: A Little Golden Book Biography (Little Golden Book)
by Judy KatschkeHelp your little one dream big with a Little Golden Book biography about one of the greatest bands of all time—The Beatles! Little Golden Book biographies are the perfect introduction to nonfiction for young readers—as well as fans of all ages!This Little Golden Book about The Beatles—four friends from Liverpool who became the best-selling music act of all time—is an inspiring read-aloud for young children, as well as their parents and grandparents who are fans of the Fab Four. Experience Beatlemania all over again when reading about the band—from their humble beginnings to their unforgettable arrival in the U.S.Look for more Little Golden Book biographies: • Willie Nelson • Beyoncé • Dolly Parton • Taylor Swift • Tony Bennett
The Beatles: Celebrating 50 Years of Beatlemania in America
by Ben NussbaumA celebration of the four longhaired, oddly dressed chaps who took over America—filled with facts, stories, and photos. Within just two months of the Beatles&’ debut on Ed Sullivan&’s variety hour, the band had secured all five top spots on Billboard&’s Hot 100, and before year&’s end would sell an astonishing ten million records. Filled with dozens of color and black and white photographs, The Beatles details the rise and fall of the Fab Four, and the stories behind the men, their relationships, the creation of the songs, the tours, the albums, and the unstoppable spread of Beatlemania around the globe. Topics covered include: The band's rise to fame in 1964 and their grueling schedule of sixty-six tours in three yearsThe unique songwriting partnership between John Lennon and Paul McCartneyThe Soviet Union's banning and bashing of the band—and how it backfiredA debate over the best Beatles tunesThe inevitable demise of the Fab Four, and the reasons behind itThe long solo careers of the four artists after the dissolution of the bandThe five top contenders for the &“Fifth Beatle&” (plus ten runners-up)The story of Capitol Records exec who nearly stalled the Beatles&’ entrance into AmericaA look at the band&’s children, discussing the music careers of Julian Lennon, Sean Lennon, Zak Starkey, James McCartney, and Dhani Harrison
The Beatles: Every Little Thing
by Maxwell MackenzieJohn, Paul, George and Ringo still rule! The music of the most important and popular group ever fills the airwaves to this day, winning a new generation of fans to the fold almost thirty years after the quartet disbanded. For everyone who has ever been entranced by the Beatles' joyful, electrifying magic, Every Little Thing offers a treasury of fascinating facts, trivia and remarkable behind-the-scenes revelations—from the wild days and wilder nights at Germany's Cavern Club to their last day together in the recording studio. Here is a book packed with choice, little-known tidbits about the "Fab Four:" the groundbreaking album they recorded in one session; the famous faces that were removed from the "Sgt. Pepper" cover; the misunderstanding that sparked an explosive political melee in Manila. Aficionados will flock to this incomparable volume, which provides everything you ever wanted to know—and more—about the phenomenal group that changed popular music forever.
The Beatles: Get Back
by Hanif Kureishi Ethan A. Russell Peter Jackson Linda McCartney The BeatlesThe most anticipated book in more than a decade by the legendary band, The Beatles: Get Back is the official account of the creation of their final album, Let It Be, told in The Beatles’ own words, illustrated with hundreds of previously unpublished images, including photos by Ethan A. Russell and Linda McCartney. Half a century after the 1970 Let It Be album and film, this milestone book coincides with the global release of Peter Jackson’s documentary feature film, The Beatles: Get Back. <p><p> The book opens in January 1969, the beginning of The Beatles’ last year as a band. The BEATLES (The White Album) is at number one in the charts and the foursome gather in London for a new project. Over 21 days, first at Twickenham Film Studios and then at their own brand-new Apple Studios, with cameras and tape recorders documenting every day’s work and conversations, the band rehearse a huge number of songs, culminating in their final concert, which famously takes place on the rooftop of their own office building, bringing central London to a halt. <p><p> The Beatles: Get Back tells the story of those sessions through transcripts of the band’s candid conversations. Drawing on over 120 hours of sound recordings, leading music writer John Harris edits the richly captivating text to give us a fly-on-the-wall experience of being there in the studios. These sessions come vividly to life through hundreds of unpublished, extraordinary images by two photographers who had special access to their sessions—Ethan A. Russell and Linda Eastman (who married Paul McCartney two months later). Also included are many unseen high-resolution film-frames, selected from the 55 hours of restored footage from which Peter Jackson’s documentary is also drawn. <p><p> Legend has it that these sessions were a grim time for a band falling apart. However, as acclaimed novelist Hanif Kureishi writes in his introduction, “In fact this was a productive time for them, when they created some of their best work. And it is here that we have the privilege of witnessing their early drafts, the mistakes, the drift and digressions, the boredom, the excitement, joyous jamming and sudden breakthroughs that led to the work we now know and admire." Half a century after their final performance, this book completes the story of the creative genius, timeless music, and inspiring legacy of The Beatles.
The Beatles: Here, There And Everywhere
by Nancy J. HajeskiOne of the most recognizable, enduring, and best-selling bands of all time, The Beatles’ influence spans time, genre, and geography. Originally popular in Liverpool and Hamburg, their fame soon spread worldwide, and they enjoyed immense popularity in the United States. Now The Beatles: Here, There, and Everywhere maps out the journey of this legendary rock sensation. Relive everything from the tentative debut of the Liverpool natives in Hamburg’s tawdry red light district to their innovative recordings at Abbey Road Studio. In this unique book, you will learn about the Beatles’ famous audition at Decca studios, the flat at 57 Green Street, their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, plus many other stops along their road to stardom. With full spreads devoted to each British album, additional notes on instrumentation and solo careers, plus tons of Fab Facts, this book will captivate fans of all ages. A unique way to explore the history of this legendary group, The Beatles: Here There, and Everywhere provides you with a ticket to ride on their journey.
The Beatles: The BBC Archives
by Kevin HowlettA carefully curated collection of the surviving transcripts of the Beatles’ appearances on BBC Radio and Television from 1962 to 1970, featuring commentary from author and Beatles expert Kevin Howlett and rare photographs and memorabilia from the BBC.The year 2013 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ first album, Please, Please Me. To celebrate this event with material that has never been in print or has not repeatedly resurfaced is a challenge. But a great deal of both—namely, never-before-seen BBC transcripts, historical documents, and rare photos—will be the main thrust of the book The Beatles: The BBC Archives. Not since The Beatles’ Anthology of 2000 has a work of this magnitude been offered.Author Kevin Howlett delves into the BBC television and radio archives and draws on previously unpublished transcripts of interviews, as well as personal reminiscences from presenters, producers, and studio staff to reveal the creative and personal evolution of the band—from the witty, irreverent foursome of the early sixties, to the more reflective and confessional individuals before the split at the end of the decade. Each chapter details a full year in the life of the band and is introduced with an engaging text by Howlett that puts the following material into historical context. The book features rare photos of the Fab Four at the BBCs studios, both onstage and off, and eight removables documents of historical merit, direct from the BBC archive itself.This is the story of two of Britain’s most important cultural forces in tandem . . . word for word, event by event, as it happened with verbatim, unabridged transcripts. This has never been offered to reader before; it is a significant publishing event.
The Beatles: The Biography
by Bob SpitzAs soon as The Beatles became famous, the spin machine began to construct a myth--one that has continued to this day. But the truth is much more interesting, much more exciting, and much more moving. In this masterpiece, Bob Spitz has written the biography for which Beatles fans have been waiting. 32 pages of b/w photos.
The Beatles: The Biography
by Bob SpitzAs soon as The Beatles became famous, the spin machine began to construct a myth--one that has continued to this day. But the truth is much more interesting, much more exciting, and much more moving. In this bestselling book, Bob Spitz has written the biography for which Beatles fans have long waited. 32 pages of b/w photos.
The Beatles: The Illustrated Lyrics
by Welbeck (INGRAM US)The lyrics to the songs of the Beatles read like poetry. This book treats them as such, and illustrates each track artistically, paying careful attention to detail and high design standards. The stories, themes and ideas behind nearly 200 songs are explored in this beautiful book that includes photographs, artwork and illustration to bring the Fab Four's lyrics to life as never before.
The Beatles: The Illustrated Lyrics
by Welbeck (INGRAM US)The lyrics to the songs of the Beatles read like poetry. This book treats them as such, and illustrates each track artistically, paying careful attention to detail and high design standards. The stories, themes and ideas behind nearly 200 songs are explored in this beautiful book that includes photographs, artwork and illustration to bring the Fab Four's lyrics to life as never before.
The Beautiful Music All Around Us: Field Recordings and the American Experience (Music in American Life)
by Stephen WadeThe Beautiful Music All Around Us presents the extraordinarily rich backstories of thirteen performances captured on Library of Congress field recordings between 1934 and 1942 in locations reaching from Southern Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta and the Great Plains. Including the children's play song "Shortenin' Bread," the fiddle tune "Bonaparte's Retreat," the blues "Another Man Done Gone," and the spiritual "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down," these performances were recorded in kitchens and churches, on porches and in prisons, in hotel rooms and school auditoriums. Documented during the golden age of the Library of Congress recordings, they capture not only the words and tunes of traditional songs but also the sounds of life in which the performances were embedded: children laugh, neighbors comment, trucks pass by. Musician and researcher Stephen Wade sought out the performers on these recordings, their families, fellow musicians, and others who remembered them. He reconstructs the sights and sounds of the recording sessions themselves and how the music worked in all their lives. Some of these performers developed musical reputations beyond these field recordings, but for many, these tracks represent their only appearances on record: prisoners at the Arkansas State Penitentiary jumping on "the Library's recording machine" in a rendering of "Rock Island Line"; Ora Dell Graham being called away from the schoolyard to sing the jump-rope rhyme "Pullin' the Skiff"; Luther Strong shaking off a hungover night in jail and borrowing a fiddle to rip into "Glory in the Meetinghouse." Alongside loving and expert profiles of these performers and their locales and communities, Wade also untangles the histories of these iconic songs and tunes, tracing them through slave songs and spirituals, British and homegrown ballads, fiddle contests, gospel quartets, and labor laments. By exploring how these singers and instrumentalists exerted their own creativity on inherited forms, "amplifying tradition's gifts," Wade shows how a single artist can make a difference within a democracy. Reflecting decades of research and detective work, the profiles and abundant photos in The Beautiful Music All Around Us bring to life largely unheralded individuals--domestics, farm laborers, state prisoners, schoolchildren, cowboys, housewives and mothers, loggers and miners--whose music has become part of the wider American musical soundscape. The paperback edition does not include an accompanying CD.