Best book on the beatles reddit

1- The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions

, by Mark Lewisohn. Indisputably the #1 Beatles book, particularly for listeners primarily interested in their music. It covers all of their 1962-70 EMI recording sessions in great detail, with a lot of stories that clear up how many of their songs were recorded. And it’s not dry or overly technical—indeed it’s quite fascinating reading, with lots of quotes from George Martin, Paul McCartney, and many of the session musicians and engineers who contributed to the records.

2- The Beatles Anthology

by the Beatles. You’ve probably heard about this one, since it was a #1 bestseller a few years ago. It’s true that it offers a somewhat distorted perspective since it relies almost wholly on direct quotes from the Beatles themselves, and doesn’t include contextual information or quotes from other insiders who might paint a more controversial picture, like Yoko Ono, Phil Spector, Allen Klein, or Pete Best. But it does have loads and loads of first-hand stories from the Beatles about their career, and tons of great photos.

3- The Beatles: 10 YEARS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD

The Beatles: 10 Years that Shook the World is an unrivalled day-by-day account of the band that changed the face of music, by the world’s greatest rock writers and key personalities of the era. The book chronicles the private and public events that revolutionized the music world, led to Beatlemania, and culminated in the Beatles’ dramatic split. The foreword is written by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.

4- A Hard Day’s Write, Revised Edition: The Stories Behind Every Beatles’ Song

A lavishly illustrated, rollicking account of the real people and events that inspired the Beatles’ lyrics.

Who was “just seventeen” and made Paul’s heart go “boom”? Was there really an Eleanor Rigby? Where’s Penny Lane? In A Hard Day’s Write, music journalist Steve Turner shatters many well-worn myths and adds a new dimension to the Fab Four’s rich legacy by investigating for the first time the ordinary people and events immortalized in the Beatles’ music and now occupying a special niche in popular culture’s collective imagination.

Arranged chronologically by album, the book breaks new ground by exploring how private incidents influenced the group’s writing and how their music evolved. Turner reveals that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was really a drawing by Julian Lennon of his childhood friend; Bungalow Bill was an all-American tiger hunter; Doctor Robert was a New York ‘speech doctor’; and much more. A longtime Beatles admirer, Turner tracked down and interviewed the real-life subjects of the songs, probed public records and newspaper archives, and spoke in depth to the people closet to the Beatles to unearth tales that have never before been made public. The result is a book that chronicles an untold story of the Beatles themselves.

Illustrated with over 200 photographs, A Hard Day’s Write is a visually alluring and highly entertaining journey to the land stretching just beneath your conscious mind, mapped out with strawberry fields, fool-topped hills, and long and winding roads.

5- The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record

The book also contains five useful appendices covering everything from chart records and awards to tour dates. With its meticulous research and easy-to-understand approach, this is the only Beatles book that you’ll ever need.

A nearly exhaustive chronicle of the Fab Four. Ostensibly the “only Beatles book that you’ll ever need,” Mercifully, however, only the first third is devoted to a diary of daily events; the remainder is an alphabetized song list and chronological discography. Cross’s hip, lively narrative—”August 7, 1957: The Quarrymen’s debut at the Cavern Club. Paul couldn’t make it because he was away at scout camp (not very rock ‘n’ roll!)…” As for the beginning of the end, signs of strain began well before 1970— Yoko Ono’s conquest of Lennon, McCartney’s bossiness, Lennon’s heroin addiction, business conflicts with manager Allen Klein—but Cross wisely refrains from passing judgment on the definitive cause of the breakup. Not the only Beatles book you’ll ever need, but entertaining nonetheless.

6-Beatles Gear, Revised Edition

Now in paperback and updated with new material and photos, this acclaimed book is the first to examine the guitars, basses, drums, keyboards, amplifiers Рeverything The Beatles used to become history̥s greatest rock ̥n̥ roll band. It analyzes all the gear and how the trend-setting Beatles played it to sculpt an unforgettable range of sounds. Year by year, Beatles Gear examines in fine detail specific instruments, amplifiers, and other equipment used by each artist Рfrom the pre-Beatle days in 1956-57 Liverpool, throughout the global Beatlemania of the ̥60s, to the group̥s disbanding in 1970.

7- Revolution in the Head

8- The Beatles

In this behind-the-scenes look at the most famous musical group in history, Hunter Davies gives the complete story of the Beatles. As the only authorized biographer, Davies had full access to the Fab Four as well as their help and encouragement. He spent eighteen months with them when they were at the peak of their musical genius and at the pinnacle of their popularity, and he remained friends with each of the members as they went their separate ways.

This updated edition addresses recent changes in the lives of the Beatles: Paul’s marriage, George’s death, and their new books and records. 42 photographs

9- Songs, Pictures and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles Records on Vee-Jay

Although most of the Beatles American records were released by Capitol
Records and later by Apple Records, the group’s initial recordings
appeared on Vee-Jay, an independent label based in Chicago that
specialized in blues and gospel recordings.

10- Beatlesongs

A complete and fascinating chronicle of Beatles music and history, Beatlesongs details the growth, evolution, and dissolution of the most influential group of out time.
Drawing together information from sources that include interviews, insider accounts, magazines, and news wire services, this is a complete profile of every Beatles song ever written — from recording details such as who played which instruments and sang what harmonies to how each song fared on the charts and how other musicians and critics felt about it. Chronologically arranged by U.K. release date, Beatlesongs nails down dates, places, participants, and other intriguing facts in a truly remarkable portrait of the Liverpudlian legends.
Behind each song is a story — like Paul’s criticism of George’s guitar playing during the Rubber Soulsessions, John’s acid trip during the Sgt. Pepper’s session, and the selection process for the Revolveralbum cover. And carefully examined along the way are the Beatles’ evolving musical talents, their stormy private lives, and their successful — and unsuccessful — collaborations.
Beatlesongs is truly an inside look at the Fab Four and a treasure for all their fans.

11- Ticket To Ride: Inside the Beatles’ 1964 Tour that Changed the World (with CD)

It was 40 years ago — more or less — that a 22year-old broadcast journalist from Florida was invited by manager Brian Epstein to travel with the Beatles to every stop on their first North American tours. The only American reporter in the official press party, Larry Kane obtained exclusive, revealing interviews with John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Fortunately, Kane saved his original notes and tapes, and shares them here for the first time. That material provides the basis for his intimate look back at the phenomenon of the Fab Four, and insights into the humor and personality of each group member.Ticket to Ride, illustrated with more than 30 photographs, captures a rare time in history, gracefully melding the story of the Beatles revolution with the changing tenor of the country. Hear John Lennon’s early public criticism of the Vietnam War, and learn about the night the Beatles met Bob Dylan. “We had a crazy party the night we met [Dylan],” Paul recounts. I thought I got the meaning to life that night. Ticket to Ride includes a 60minute audio CD featuring rare interviews.

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