Average customer rating:
- Tremendous score
- Complete Beatles Song Library
- Amazing. Binding easy to fix.
- Small type no problem
- Beginners to Cover Bands
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The Beatles - Complete Scores
The Beatles
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
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Similar Items:
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The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook
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The Beatles Anthology
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Best of The Beatles for Acoustic Guitar (Guitar Signature Licks)
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Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles
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The Beatles Anthology
ASIN: 0793518326 |
Product Description
A fitting tribute to possibly the greatest pop band ever The Beatles! This outstanding hard-cover edition features over 1100 pages with full scores and lyrics to all 213 titles recorded by The Beatles. Guitar and bass parts are in both standard notation and tablature. Also includes a full discography. The book is packaged in its own protective box. A must-own for any serious Beatles fan or collector!
Customer Reviews:
Tremendous score.......2007-09-06
This is GREAT! So happy this was finally released. My husband and I are both musicians. Can't tell you how marvelous it is to watch this score while listening to the Beatles' performances.
Complete Beatles Song Library.......2007-09-01
If you love the Beatles and love music - this is a must have. It is beautiful looking in hard cover and slides into a nice protective sleeve. The print is small and so tough to read. A way around this would be to provide a CD or download capabiltiy with a password so a purchaser could print out a particular song. I would have rated this a 5 with this included. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to own this -- plus I think its a pretty good value, but I would pay $10 more to be able to download the music or have a companion CD/DVD.
Amazing. Binding easy to fix........2007-08-23
As previous reviewers have said, the transcriptions aren't perfect, but the errors are minor enough that anyone with enough of an ear to notice them can fix them. For the amount that this collection is an absolutely awe-inspiring piece of work, I don't think that a few minor errors should count against it.
Many reviewers have had issues with the binding being too thick and the book too big and cumbersome to balance on a music stand. I fixed this problem by simply taking the book to a copy shop and having them rebind it for me into three volumes. It only cost me ten dollars and it has made my life infinitely easier.
Small type no problem.......2007-07-30
An excellent resource for musicians. The small type mentioned in numerous reviews is not that small and anyone with access to a copier can enlarge the image of any song you happen to be working on. I was impressed that even "Revolution #9" was scored. A very good companion volume to "The Compleat Beatles" that I purchased back in 1982.
Beginners to Cover Bands.......2007-07-18
I've been trying to teach myself guitar for over two years now. Being in my forties, I don't have the time (or talent)to sit with a CD/MP3 player and try to figure a song out. I've purchased other song books, chordbooks, easy play books, etc... Each one falls short in providing not only accurate information, but enough information for a relative beginner to play. This book provides, in my opinion, all the necessary information for a beginner, expert, or cover band to play. Notation, tab, chords, chord fingering and strumming patterns. To date, this is the only book I would recommend.
Book Description
A fascinating memoir featuring never-before-told stories from Beatles recording engineer Geoff Emerick—the industry legend who made music history by crafting the groundbreaking sound of the group's most famous records, including Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and Abbey Road
Geoff Emerick was only fifteen years old when he began working with the Beatles as assistant engineer for their early classics “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You.” Incredibly, at the age of nineteen, he was promoted to full engineer, taking the helm for the group's groundbreaking album Revolver. Ten months later, he joined forces with the Beatles for the recording of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, hailed by Rolling Stone as the greatest album ever made. In their constant quest for experimentation and new sounds—and despite the technical limitations of the pre-digital age—Emerick developed a slew of innovative recording techniques, many of which are still in use today.
In Here, There and Everywhere, Emerick tells his story for the first time, taking the reader through the hallowed (though somewhat dingy) corridors of Abbey Road Studios to give rare insights into the Beatles' unique creative processes and personalities and provide a behind-the- scenes look at how the greatest band of all time made their greatest records. As Emerick describes the Beatles' transformation from wide-eyed Liverpool teenagers into tour-savvy professionals, he provides a startling picture of the Fab Four. Fascinating and moving, Here, There and Everywhere illuminates the creative tensions within the band that fueled their early success, but would ultimately lead them to record in separate studios while the partnership was disintegrating.
“We all owe some debt to Geoff Emerick's self-effacing work as an engineer and producer . . . there is very little that any group of scruffy musicians can throw at him that he cannot put into some kind of good sonic order. I feel fortunate to have worked with him.”
—Elvis Costello
Customer Reviews:
The co-producer of Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's!!!.......2007-10-10
If you're the kind of Beatle fan that love discussing not only about their lives and accomplishments, but also getting down to the technical aspects involved in the creation of their revolutionary music, this is A MUST ONE to have.
Reading it is a very enjoyable experience, especially when it comes down to the explanation of the tricks they had to do in the then pre-historic technology (but still, great) Abbey Road studio to generate and record the very special sonic wishes of the Beatles.
The book itself made me realize (this time for sure) that Geoff Emerick is, really, the co-producer of Revolver and Pepper. And that means a lot!
Vitally Important Perspective.......2007-10-09
I am about 50 pages from finishing this book, but one thing I want to point out is that Geoff Emerick does not fawn all over Paul at the expense of the other Beatles, as has been stated in previous reviews. Most people I know have their favorite Beatle, and Mr. Emerick is no exception. He makes it clear that Paul was always the most friendly and diplomatic of the four, and this coincides with what we already knew. Whereas the other Beatles may have had a tendency to put up buffers around themselves, Paul tended to be the outgoing and friendly one, and I'm sure that was a comfort to Emerick, who was trying to fit in with the world's most popular pop recording group. Just the same, and as proof of his objectivity, Emerick also points to the contributions made by Paul toward the overall friction that developed and led to the break-up of the Beatles. Emerick also eventually has very positive things to say about Lennon and Harrison, and illustrates the bridges and appreciations that developed between him and them. So, don't be put off by those reviews that criticize Emerick for being unduly biased. If you have listened intently to Beatles recordings, many of your conclusions will be confirmed by what Geoff Emerick has to say in this book. I think he did an amazing job, and if you are into uncovering new and interesting detail about the Beatles and how they worked in the studio, don't pass this one by.
He should know; he was there.......2007-09-28
Few accounts of history are more accurate than the first-hand kind, and that is what we have with Mr. Emerick's outstanding book. To his credit, this thoroughly British gentleman focuses on what he actually saw versus what is commonly known about the Beatles. His tone is respectful, but he does not shy away from saying what he thinks based on what he saw and how he was treated. Mr. Emerick went on to engineer and produce some great acts, which I hope are the subjects of a future book. And consider this: When I was 19, I was just learning to tie my shoes. He was engineering the "Revolver" album!
Class Act.......2007-09-17
I couldn't put this book down....what a fascinating first hand account of one of the most infuential musical experiences in modern history. I think you will find it particularly interesting if you write and record music, as Geoff's recollections are incredibly detailed and specific. It's truly unbelievable that he could remember so much of what happened in such picture perfect detail, and it is a lasting testament to critical and often unsung heroics of the worlds best audio engineers. Howard Massey did an excellent job helping Geoff make this material completely accessible to the lay person and fan as well. When I proposed to my wife in 2002 I wrote a symphonic piece and surprised her at Capitol Records in Studio A, where we recorded it live (I proposed afterwards). While they were mixing the music we took a tour of Capitol Records, and when we returned there was a gentleman in the studio playing the most beautiful music on the grand piano. We listened for awhile, then entered to studio and spoke with him for almost half an hour. What a lovely man, and what great music. That was Geoff Emerick. Perhaps someday we will hear you on the other side of the glass young man:)
Thanks so much for sharing your amazing life with us Geoff. As I sit at my grand piano in Maui I can't thank you enough for the inspiration. Warmest aloha from Maui, Tim & Michele Heile
Here, There and Everywhere.......2007-09-03
Geoff Emerick was there for the creation of the Beatle sound. It is well written with enjoyable person information.
Product Description
This book is the sixth and final installment of Bruce Spizer's critically accliamed books on the Beatles American records. It details the stories behind the records released by Swan, United Artists, Decca, MGM, Atco and Polydor, each who ingeniously marketed their limited number of Beatles recordings to victims of Beatlemania. It also covers the theme albums issued by Capitol Records in the 70s and 80s such as Rock 'N' Roll Music and Love Songs, as well as The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl, Rarities and the unreleased Sessions LP.
Customer Reviews:
ANOTHER EXCELLENT BOOK FROM MR. SPIZER.......2007-09-27
I have all of Bruce Spizer's Beatle related books and this final instalment matches all of the others for sheer detail and quality. It's a mind boggling journey through all of the Beatles "other label" US releases and certainly an education for collectors and fans alike. I especially like the "Capitol in The 70's & 80's" chapter covering the various compilation Lp's issued such as "Hollywood Bowl", "Rock & Roll Music" "Reel Music" & "Love Songs"..this completes a "Capitol" loose end.
It's a typically thorough book and sits proudly alongside the other Spizer instalments and the 50+ other Beatles tomes on my bookshelf. Well done Bruce. Very recommended to Beatles fans and Collectors alike.
Bruce Spizer Beatles Swan Song book.......2007-08-09
I was lucky enough to see Bruce Spizer at the 2007 Chicago Beatlefest.
I purchased the book "The Beatles Swan Song" and was very happy that Bruce personally signed the book for me.
This "blooming book" / (i.e a reference to A Hard Day's night)is a must read!!!!!
The book is hard back and the print is very legible (even for my eyes) and the graphics are just lovely.
The content?....let me say this again, "Thank you Bruce, I appreciate your work and research you did."
"THE BEATLES SWAN SONG" book is simply an amazing piece of work!!! VERY HISTORICAL!!!
Beatles Swan Song.......2007-07-07
Mr Spizer is the ultimate Beatle book author.In both content and quality he is outstanding.This book like all the others before it is very helpful and entertaining.
Another excellent Beatles reference.......2007-06-16
While not a book for casual readers wanting to learn about the Beatles, this is an indispensable, necessary reference book for anyone interested in the details of the vinyl record output of the Fab Four.
If you are familiar with the author's earlier efforts, you know that you need this one too.
If you want to learn about their original releases on Capitol, Apple, Vee-Jay, buy his earlier books. This one covers Swan, MGM, Polydor, Decca, United Artists, post-Apple Capitol Records and a hodge podge of others.
My only disappointment is that he isn't going to give the Spizer Treatment to all of the non-Beatle artists recordings released on vinyl on Apple Records. But his Herculean efforts so far are quite an accomplishment for any mortal. To track down details on those other, sometimes very obscure artists, may be too much to ask of one man.....
A great gift idea for the Beatle lover you know.......2007-05-26
I bought this book for my brother for his 50th birthday. He knows as much as or more than most about the Beatles' history, but he found this book refreshing with lots of new and interesting info about the Fab Four and their music and records. He calls me with little tidbits about the Beatles all the time! Great pics, too!
Product Description
For the first time ever! 200 of the Beatles' hits arranged in fake book format, featuring guitar chord frames and lyrics. Songs include: All My Loving, All You Need is Love, And I Love Her, Baby, You're A Rich Man, Back In the USSR, The Ballad of John & Yoko, Blackbird, Can't Buy Me Love, Come Together, A Day In The Life, Day Tripper, Dear Prudence, Do You Want to Know A Secret, Drive My Car, Eight Days A Week, Eleanor Rigby, The Fool On the Hill, Get Back, Glass Onion, Good Day Sunshine, Got to Get You Into My Life, A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Helter Skelter, Here Comes The Sun, Here, There, and Everywhere, Hey Jude, I Want To Hold Your Hand, I Saw Her Standing There, In My Life, Lady Madonna, Let It Be, The Long & Winding Road, Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds, Michelle, Norwegian Wood, Paperback Writer, Penny Lane, Revolution, She Loves You, Something, Strawberry Fields Forever, Twist & Shout, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, With A Little Help From My Friends, Yellow Submarine, Yesterday and many more!
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic!.......2007-10-15
What a great time I've been having out on my lanai turning the pages to find another Beatles tune to play for the first time! Like prior reviews, not turning those pages while playing the song is such a benefit. I'm a solo act in SW Florida and I've already added a few obscure, compared to Let it Be or Hey Jude, songs to my songlist. Fool on the Hill, She's a Woman, Tell Me Why, and more. If you want to rekindle playing music and are know Beatles tunes, this is the book to get! Highly recommended.
Tom D
Fabulous book.......2006-06-30
Great guitar tabs, comprehensive, and lays flat due to spriral binding. Bought one for ourselves and one as a gift...both are now treasured volumes.
A relief.........2005-08-19
I have a copy of "The Beatles Complete" which is a Japanese publication that is thicker than a telephone book, hard bound, and weighs a ton. It has useless detail like drum staves so that each song takes four pages to get through. I got pretty good at turning the pages, but it won't sit on a piano, and it's pretty hard to learn a song when it is not on a single page. Furthermore the publisher has managed to engage charlatan transcribers who have gotten half the words wrong. They seem to think checking the published lyrics would be unethical, or perhaps they think their non-native and illogical made up words more creative? Beats me. She rubs you, yeah yeah yeah! The book is good as a cutting board or excelent as a weight while the glue sets after a guitar repair. Now the review of the Fake Book:
The songs are all on a single or facing page. Sweet. It sits on a piano stand. Far out. The lyrics are correct.
I tried a test, sitting the book on my bed and playing through random songs on guitar. Some of the chord diagrams are not ideal, but playing by the chord names, with only an occasional cheat off the diagrams is a very flexible method. Perhaps a chord is mislabled here and there, a major for a minor, and there seems to be a Bm missing as the second chord in 'across the universe'.
This can be overlooked. The binding is a bit weak. The plastic ring is good because it lays flat, but it can detach itself and the cover paper is too light. But if you consider this something to use, a bit of wear and tear shouldn't be too troubling. I'll get a new one if this gives up the ghost.
And Your Bird Can Sing.......2005-05-17
This book is a music teacher's wish come true and a music student's answered prayer. It contains Beatle songs from obscure to well-known classic staples and will no doubt delight fans of all degrees.
The chords work for the recordings; the diagrams are accurate and the songs can be played by students at the intermediate level. Beatle songs are a staple of life; performers of all genres have included Beatle songs in their repertoires; the Beatles are a part of culture that will remain timeless and immutable. We need this book!
Buy it if you love the Beatles........2003-05-03
The book has 200 songs, there are chord diagrams, and the vocal notes seem pretty accurate. Each and every song is on one page or on two adjacent pages so that NO page turning is need for any song. This apparent blessing may also be a curse for those who don't have Eagle eyes, since the cleff is very, very small. Has almost any song you would want to play, Elinor Rigbie is the only notable song that I found missing. [its] is a little pricey, but any authentic beatles fan who's a musician should buy this book.
Product Description
This great collection features all 194 songs written and sung by The Beatles, specially transcribed here for strumming guitarists, from the actual recordings, in the original keys. Each song includes chord symbols, guitar chord boxes and complete lyrics. Also features a helpful playing guide and a full discography.
Customer Reviews:
Correct transcriptions, small book.......2007-10-17
I got this book and agree with the other reviewers. The problem is its small size and the binding. It's impossible to keep it open on the music stand without some big clips. But the chords are correct and the songs are in the recorded keys. I find this a much better resource than websites such as chordie.com which are full of chord errors.
FANTASTIC! The chords are incredibly accurate, and the format is terrific.......2007-10-08
Look, I'm as cheap as the next guy, and so for a while I attempted to download guitar chords for Beatles songs from the net. But while some of the stuff I downloaded was OK, none of it was as good as the stuff in this book. The chords in this book are incredibly accurate--if they aren't the exact chords the Beatles played, they definitely SOUND like the chords they played--and in the proper keys.
The authors also provide chord diagrams for every chord in every song at the top of the song, and these show cases where an unconvention fingering is required, or where something other than the open chord is used (e.g. if one A is the standard open A, and the second is the 5th fret one, that is clearly noted). That's an incredible help, since so often chord music just tells you the name of the chord and leaves it to you to determine which version of that chord to play.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone looking to strum Beatles songs on their guitars. It's the best guitar chord book I've ever seen for ANY group, period.
On top of that, it's a bargain.
The only downside of this book is that it's a bit hard to keep the book open to the page you want, since the pages aren't huge and the binding it tight. But given how good this book is, I can live with that.
5 stars out of 5, and no reservations (other than the quibble about keeping the book open).
(I wish they'd come out with another volume covering the Beatles' solo output!)
Great music, lousy presentation.......2007-09-21
Well done. All the good songs with guitar chords and words. But the binding is murder. I took it to Kinko's, where they sliced off the binding, punched the book for a 3-hole notebook and slid the cover into the clear envelope on the outside of the binder. Now the black binder lies flat against the music stand and everyone is happy.
Complete.......2007-08-08
By far one of the most "complete" compilation type songbooks I have bought thus far. Many guitar/piano songbooks covering various bands are almost always lacking the song you would like to do. This book is very thorough, and I find myself using it all the time.
It also is set up very simplistic. Easy to follow compared to others I have. Set up alphabetically for easy access to whatever song you would like to play. Highly recommended if you like playing some of the old Beatles stuff.
Pretty darn close..........2007-07-18
This is absolutely the closest I've ever seen any music book come as far as its accuracy. Chords I've never been able to figure out on my own are easily provided in this song book and appear to be totally accurate. My only complaint is the binding...too hard to keep the book open. I had mine cut and made into a spiral which works beautifully. Definitely worth the money!
Average customer rating:
- Great Book - Great stories.
- An amazing book
- Only Book You Need
- Everything Beatles! By the Beatles! What could be wrong?
- THE BEST CHRONICLE OF THE BEST ROCK AND ROLL BAND: THE BEATLES AGAIN!!!
|
The Beatles Anthology
Beatles ,
John Lennon ,
Paul McCartney ,
George Harrison , and
Ringo Starr
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Similar Items:
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The Beatles Anthology
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A Hard Day's Write, 3e: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song
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The Beatles: 10 Years That Shook the World
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Anthology 2
ASIN: 0811826848
Release Date: 2000-10-05 |
Book Description
Created with their full cooperation, The Beatles Anthology is, in effect, The Beatles' autobiography. Like their music, which has been a part of so many of our lives, this landmark release is warm, frank, funny, poignant and bold. At last, here is The Beatles' own story. Each page is brimming with personal stories and rare, vintage images. Includes over 340,000 words and over 1300 images, including unseen photographs and personal memorabilia.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book - Great stories........2007-05-22
The only negative is the size of the book. There should be a smaller hardcover or paperback edition. The content is superb and a great coffee table book, but it's difficult to curl up with this book in bed.
An amazing book.......2007-05-13
I really liked Anthology. Not because it told the basic story, which I already got from other biographies. What makes this book really valuable is that it gives the view from inside the eye of the hurricane.
I mean, what's it like when the world starts screaming in your face?
Telling moments... There's a snapshot of John and Paul clutching their guitars as they head onstage for a concert, but their eyes are grim and tired. Paul is holding up his guitar like he needs a shield to ward off a punch to the face. It's a rather frightening photograph, and you feel sorry for them.
Or you wonder, what was George Harrison thinking, when he set off on a stroll through Height-Ashbury - that no one would notice him?
Or you sense, how much fun they seem to have had touring Australia.
Or their "family photos" from vacation trips... about as boring as anyone's photos. Except it's them. THEM.
The book seamlessly works fresh material from the three Beatles (and a few others) with parts of old John Lennon interviews, so it all reads smoothly, like it was all done at once - really great. The book is a fascinating trip all over again... I read it for two days through and hardly put it down.
Only Book You Need.......2007-05-11
As a hard core Beatles fan I can recommend many books,but if I had to recommend only one it would probably be this one. This is a complete,definitive biography,told in their own words. Not surprising that they should feel the need to do this. With all the tabloid fiction out there, I'm surprised they didn't do this earlier. I'm also not surprised that some people are calling it incomplete, saying that this seems to be their version of the story that they want put out. Could it be because this IS the actual true story about them? No really! Do they mean to imply that they ( the Beatles) actually know more about this subject (the Beatles) then some idiot who met them twice, or (maybe not at all) and decided to make some money by writing a second rate book? The audacity! This book tells the story from birth to break up. There is no filler, just facts. And it is told in their own funny,matter of fact,no nonsense way.
Of course the music is the spotlight. Each album is gone over with a fine tooth comb and you are lifted right into the atmosphere, and events unfolding behind the scenes that made each album special. Actually everything they talk about,from their childhoods to Beatlemania seems to lift you right into the scene. This is helped by the gorgeous pictures, almost all of them from their personal collections. Even if you are illiterate you will want this book just for the pictures. By the way, John's quarter of the story is told through interviews. Thank goodness he gave so many. Some of the pictures even have his written comments scrawled on them,showing us exactly how he felt at the time. There are hundreds of pictures of documents, handwritten play lists, handwritten lyrics, notes, hotel and restaurant bills,lists of concerts (again with John's handwritten comments about what was going on.) These guys kept everything! I can't beleive that Paul and Ringo actually kept plane and hotel receipts from a long ago trip to Greece with Jane Asher and Maureen Cox.(at that time,the future Mrs. Starkey) There is even a document at the top corner of one of the pages, (I bet a lot of people missed it) which refers to the request for some lice removal medicine to be delivered to one unfortunate Beatle's home. Of course they are NOT talking about head lice,and having read Peter Brown's pointless,vindictive book,The Love You Make,I know that this may have been Paul's way of saying,'Yes it's true but Epstein's creepy,lackey had no right to put it in a book (and make lots of money). Or maybe I read it in that other rag, Yesterday by Chet Flippo. I had the misfortune of reading both books. Don't make the same mistake.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind reading juicy,personal stuff as long as it's true and not embellishment. And there are plenty of interesting,sexy, stories,and stories of John's craziness but coming from their mouths, I know they are true. Except for that peeing on nuns story. Really John! George says it never happened and I beleive him. This book is like a huge memoir. A personal scrapbook and photo album. You will enjoy it's beauty,candidness, and it's entertaining style. And it's not true that most of these stories have been told before. I've read hundreds of books on the Fabs and 90% of this book is fresh, especially the early years. While you're at it, get the Anthology DVD set also. It's completely different from this book! Talk about quality, and value for money! Something that's always been important to the Beatles.
Everything Beatles! By the Beatles! What could be wrong?.......2007-05-09
Take 4 guys from England that changed the world of music forever and have them tell the story of their meteoric rise to fame and dominance of the music industry for decades and what do you have? THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY.
John, Paul, George and Ringo made the music that we listen to today what it is. Without the British Invasion, we would never have had the development of rock and roll as it is today. Elvis and the Beatles, they are the fathers of rock and roll. This is half of that story.
The Anthology is a great compilation of photos, album covers, artwork, lyrics, personal stories, articles and everything else Beatles. If you like the Beatles, then this is the source for every bit of information about the first super-group. You can probably find other books out there about the Beatles, but this was written by the fab four; you really can't go anywhere else to get the information you get in this book.
This is a must have for any Beatles fan. A must have for anyone that appreciates the history of music and rock & roll. Well, this is just a must have.
What more can I say? The Beatles were the original. Their story is great, their music is great, this book is great. Fact, period, end of story.
THE BEST CHRONICLE OF THE BEST ROCK AND ROLL BAND: THE BEATLES AGAIN!!!.......2007-01-10
WoooW!! What an elaborated and extensive material about the best band in the world! this book has every moment, every day, every story about the greatest John, Paul, George and Ringo told by themselves; this book is an invaluable work and every people who likes every kind of music has to buy it! I recommend it especially for the young people who begin to play music and former musical groups with their friends, I'm sure everyone will love this book. THE BEATLES SHOKING ALL THE WORLD AGAIN!!!
Book Description
"George," he said, "I don't know if you'd be interested, but there's a chap who's come in with a tape of a group he runs. They haven't got a recording contract, and I wonder if you'd like to see him and listen to what he's got?""Certainly," I said, "I'm willing to listen to anything. Ask him to come and see me." "O.K., I will. His name's Brian Epstein...."All You Need Is Ears is the story of George Martin, the man who spotted the Beatles' talent, who recorded and produced them from the start, and who brought their musical ideas to life. In this witty and charming autobiography, he describes exactly what it was like to work in the studio with the Beatles--from the first audition (and his decision to scrap Pete Best on drums) to the wild experimentation of Sgt. Pepper (complete with sound effects, animal noises and full orchestras in evening dress at the direct request of Paul McCartney).This is a singular look at the most important musical group of all time, and how they made the music that changed the world: No other book can provide George Martin's inside look at their creative process, at the play of genius and practical improvisation that gave them their sound; it is an indispensable read for Beatle lovers and anyone interested in the music world.
Customer Reviews:
One of the VIP's in Contemporary Music.......2007-10-10
The book is full of insights and is very fun to read.
It also has a lot of good pictures too.
I strongly recommend it.
Posted Bio.......2007-04-04
Just to point out --
The biography posted is for George Martin, the sci-fi writer,
who isn't the same person (as far as I know!) as the Beatles'
producer. FYI.
A good book that should have been great.......2007-03-05
George Martin was the 5th Beatle. He gave them their first break after they had been turned down by all the labels. Without the break he gave them, Martin muses that the Beatles may have just given it up and gone their separate ways. Apparently George Martin was the only one around that was willing to take a chance on these scruffs from Liverpool that would chane the world.
It seems that Paul was the one Beatle that could have made it on his own, but if not as on of The Beatles, then as what? Could he have been a backup for Tony Sheridan, or a bass player for Little Richard? Thankfully, we will never know. Would the other Beatles have likely gotten working class jobs, and/or just self-destructed? As always, the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.
It is hard to imagine a world without the Beatles, but that just underscores the importance of George Martin in giving them their lucky break. George Martin played all positions with the Beatles, except for vocalist. He produced, directed, arranged, and even played piano and harpsichord on many records. He brought that classical influence of strings and horns into the Beatles music, starting with Yesterday. Any die-hard fan will want to read this book, however, beware: it is diluted a bit with stories about other recording artists that have little relation to the reason why I bought the book in the first place, i.e., The Beatles. Nevertheless, it does have a few anecdotes that have not been seen elsewhere, so yes, it is worth buying and reading. You can always skip the parts that you don't care about.
George Martin is very informative on the evolution of multitrack recording technology, so that should be of interest to anybody that wonders how they got all those "layer cakes" out of the primitive equipment of the day.
I enjoyed the book immensely, but I think George Martin could have done better given his intimate knowledge of one of the greatest cultural phenomena of all time. Sometimes he seems a little aloof in the book, as if he hardly cares, but it is probably just old-school English understatement at its best, or maybe a futile attempt to downplay that he is probably their biggest fan, if not one of their oldest.
On a side note, it is too bad that George Martin was never rewarded financially (at least up to 1979 when this book was published) on a level that would have been commensurate with the important role he played in not only discovering, but also developing the greatest band of all time. As always, the Beatles come off as cheap, uncharitable and self-indulgent on this score. As the book explains, Martin was offered some royalties under the table, (as a kickback from an unscrupulous publisher) but he never compromised his ethics. Eventually I'm sure he made a nice living through his long association with the Fab 4, but not what one might expect, according to the book, at least up to 1979. A lot has happened in the financial world of The Beatles since this book was written, including the huge Vegas production of Love, in which Martin played an integral role along with his son, Giles. It's nice to see a music producer that is more driven by quality and innovation than the lowest common demoniators. I wish we had more like him.
My rating says 3 stars, but that was a mistake. I really gave it a 4.
Beatles.......2007-01-18
A must read for anyone involved in the making of music as it pertains to production and recording. It however exhibits George Martins conservative nature and is someone bias from his perspective. A much superior book is Here,There, and Everywhere by Geoff Emerick. It is the same subject matter but much more detailed and objective.
Okay but not all that I wanted.......2007-01-05
I wish there were more technical specifics in the descriptions of various sessions. Sir George gets you into Abbey Road studio #2 and lets you know about his experiences with various artists.
Book Description
A fully updated and revised edition of the classic album-by-album, song-by-song study of the Beatles.
A unique combination of musical analysis and cultural history, Tell Me Why stands alone among Beatles books with its single-minded focus on the most important aspect of the band: its music. Riley offers a new, deeper understanding of the Beatles by closely considering each song and album they recorded in an exploration as rigorous as it is soulful. He tirelessly sifts through the Beatles discography, making clear that the legendary four were more than mere teen idols: they were brilliant innovators who mastered an extremely detailed art. Since the first publication of Tell Me Why in 1988, new primary source material has appeared--Paul McCartney's authorized biography, the Anthology CDs and videos, the complete Parlophone-sequenced albums on CD, the Live at the BBC sessions, and the global smash 1. Riley incorporates all the new material in an update that makes this a crucial book for Beatles fans.
Customer Reviews:
Getting the Beat out of the Beatles.......2007-05-03
I did not like the Beatles when I first heard them in high school, but by the time Sgt. Pepper came out, I had matured enough to discover that they were a very special phenomenon. Now there are so many books about them that it is hard to know what to read to get the best sense of their contribution to music. I recommend Tim Riley's book for that purpose. The best thing about this book is that it will increase your sensitivity to the Beatles creative art as you listen to their songs. If you pay attention, you will be able to hear the way Paul brings the bass in to support the lead guitar or to counter the drums. You can hear how Ringo changes the beat in accord with what the song is trying to convey, and you have a better sense of how the words and music work together.
As other reviewers have noted, it does require some knowledge of music, notably chord theory, to understand some of the details, I do not think it is entirely necessary. I know just enough about chords to understand major and minor changes and what they mean to the music, but I get lost when he goes into descriptions of the tonic and dominant. You will also need to know a lot about percussion, because he refers not generally to Ringo's drumming, but to what he is using (high hats, tom-toms, snare, etc.). It is clear from this book that Ringo contributed more to the group than he is usually credited with doing. He is the one, according to Riley, who was able to subdue his ego and try to keep everything together with his beat and ability to complement everyone else.
Riley likes John Lennon the best and tends to favor whatever Lennon did, albeit not uncritically. He gives Paul a rougher time, putting down any song that lacks an edge or an angle as another "silly love song" unless it rises to the level of a standard such as "Yesterday." Unlike other reviewers, I did not find his analysis of George Harrison's contribution to be all that insulting, but I do think he understated Harrison's contributions as a forward looking instrumentalist. Riley has a low opinion of the vocal abilities of both Starr and Harrison, but it is true that both (and a lot of other singers) suffer in comparison to both Lennon and McCartney, whose vocalizing was overshadowed by their composing talent.
You also need to understand that he is writing his opinions of the meanings of the lyrics and the reasons the Beatles did certain things musically. His bias shows clearly. He admires the group and his disappoint over some of their less than stellar creations is palpable. It is a very high standard that they set for themselves and, although Riley acknowledges the timeless nature of their best work, he is scathing in his criticism of their more mediocre efforts. Bruce Greenfield's review is correct in saying that Riley pontificates a bit too much. I also found it irritating that he claims to know exactly what the lads were trying to do with each note and word. Again, these are only Riley's opinions. Another problem I had with that is that he goes into great detail on the songs he likes and admires, but if a song does not measure up to that, he will give it a sentence or two, dismissively.
I found value in the book from his ability to explain some of the innovations the Beatles developed from the very beginning of their career. A few of these are almost common knowledge to rock fans, such as the use of feedback at the start of "I Feel Fine" to George Harrison's introduction of the sitahr. There are some very good insights that never occurred to me, though. Riley points out that the lyrics to "She Loves You" break new ground in that although it is sung in the first person, the singer is speaking to a friend rather than to the listener. Their music conveys a sense of excitement and joy in carrying this good news. Another example is from McCartney's bridge in "Day in the Life," which is marked by a quicker sharper beat from Ringo. Riley notes that this beat evokes the "corporate precision" of every day life, but notes that while this may seem like waking from Lennon's nightmare verses, it becomes hard to tell who is singing about the real nightmare.
You really have to listen to the song while reading the book and even then, it is often hard to hear what Riley is writing about. He devotes a lot of words to explaining how different sounds come from the right, left or center in stereo, but I found it hard to detect these even after numerous playing. Perhaps, as others have pointed out, it is very hard to hear without the 1982 masters.
Riley uses the albums that were originally issued on Parlophone and neither the US Capitol releases (which were a greedy manipulation of the buying public while sacrificing the art of the Beatles created in sequencing the songs) nor CDs. Younger readers will have difficulty relating to his idea of endings and beginnings of vinyl sides, which CDs have rendered meaningless.
In the second edition, Riley gives a bow to Mark Lewisohn's book "The Beatles Recording Sessions," which is a description based on Lewisohn's hearing of all of the Beatle's master tapes. This book has its own insights and I would recommend it as a less harsh book than this one. Riley did not have the use of Lewisohn's book in writing "Tell Me Why," and it is clear that he would have benefited from it. The two authors disagree on a number of points so it would is useful to have the balance of their opposing views.
A Celebration of The Beatles' Music........2007-04-05
I loved this book. I don't know why so many people seemed to have a problem with it. Tim Riley is a knowledgable music critic,schooled in musical theory and an expert on classical music. He also absolutely adores the Beatles' music. With very few exceptions,he loves everything they ever did and tells,in great detail exactly what it was musically,that made them so special. Each and every song from Love Me Do to Let it Be,just like the title says,album by album, song by song. Actually,my love of the Beatles' music is a viceral thing. From the moment I first heard the opening chords of I Want to Hold Your Hand,this music seemed to enter my blood stream. I still get the same feeling whenever I listen to certain favorite songs,or hear their voices in harmony. But I never understood it in musical theory terms. The chord progressions, changes from major to minor chords in the same song, this had never been done before in pop music, only classical,until the Beatles. This is what excited everybody about their music but only other musicians can describe it accurately. Us lay people just think, "that song makes me cry" or "wow, I've never heard anything like this before". Riley dissects each song,practically note by note,every guitar lick,bass line, and drum fill. He particularly loves Rubber Soul and Revolver sighting them as two of the greatest albums of all time. He also loves Please Please Me, With the Beatles, and A Hard Day's Night. So he doesn't just give their later music a lot of acclaim,which would have been annoying. He feels that all of these albums were important, along with Abbey Road and the White Album. He describes them in a way that makes you think of them as little works of art. Each one pivotal and ground breaking in their own unique way. He also describes why each Beatle was wonderful and essential to the greatness of each song and album. He never lets you forget that they were an ensemble. He worships John and Paul's singing, calling McCartney's voice, "peerless". He details their songwriting and George's. He talks about how BOTH Lennon and McCartney were melodists, not only McCartney. He points out Paul's melodic,inventive bass lines,George and John's brilliant guitar work (not just George's like other books have). And he loves Ringo,calling his drumming underrated, because it was. He goes into so much detail about Ringo's drumming that it made me sit up and take notice of it also. Listen to 'Rain' and 'Ticket to Ride' and Ringo's live drumming, which he also loves. He dissects the Live at the BBC cds, and after reading that long section,I've begun to listen to all the things he hears on them. I see what a great live band they were. This book made me listen to their music from a fresh perspective, and I realize that I never really HEARD their music until now. There is so much going on, on their records. So much to listen to. While reading this book you need to have a cd player handy and a good pair of head phones with a bass booster. You need to be able to hear what he's talking about. In this new edition there is a section added which details the 3 Antology CDs, Live at the BBC,and others that have been released since the first edition of this book came out, in 1988.There is also a section on the solo records. You don't have to be a musician to enjoy this book either. You just have to be a fan of Beatle music.
Beatle Theory.......2007-02-13
I love this book. The author's trenchant, insightful analysis of the Beatles' music is nothing short of scholarly. He brilliantly discusses what the Beatles used to create their own unique sound. Fans will no doubt love and appreciate the Beatles all the more.
Tim Riley's research into the background of each Beatle is accurate and well done. He piques readers' interest in the group all the more by making them more aware of the influences that led them to create the songs they did.
This book is one musicians, guitarists in particular will love. Readers are treated to discussions of chord progressions so as to play Beatle songs the Beatles' way.
Very Enjoyable Book.......2006-09-22
I enjoyed this book immensely. I appreciated the song-by-song analysis from someone who obviously is a true scholar of music -- his articulation of what were the ingredients that went into making the Beatles' music so great truly enhanced my appreciation of them.
His knowledge of biographical and historical information -- such priceless vignettes as John's gleeful enjoyment of an obscure, chaotic Side B by a one-hit wonder group -- puts their music in a wider context, further deepening our understanding of how their music developed.
I dabble in music theory so I did appreciate the technical aspects of the book, such as getting into chord progression and such. I read this book many times -- it has provided me with many enjoyable hours.
Not for the Casual Fan or Non-Musician.......2005-12-31
"Tell Me Why" is a good look at the Beatles for what they are remembered for: the music. Long after all the gossip and backbiting and innuendos are forgotten, that is all that remains. And if you are a casual fan and only have "Tell Me Why" to guide you, I wish you the best luck in the world.
Tim Riley is a professional music critic, which means apparently that he thinks his audience will understand every musical notation cited in the text. If you really love discussing the difference between G chords and A chords, this will make your day. But for the rest of us, it's a bit much at times.
To be fair, though, if you get through the musician-speak without beating your head against the wall, you'll find that the book does a fairly fantastic job of getting at the heart of the music. By eschewing flowery discussions of the Beatles' history and concentrating on the music itself, Riley ends up creating a look at the creative process rarely dissected with such skill.
Riley has his opinions and isn't afraid to state them, especially in regards to what he considers the "fallow" period of late 1967 (after the release of the much-hyped Sgt. Pepper). Riley also pulls no punches in holding Paul McCartney's feet to the fire for his abandonment of the risk-taking that characterized his partnership with Lennon, instead becoming the pop-song behemoth that we all love to hate. The portrait that emerges of the Beatles as a group is that of a multitalented band with endless streams of talent on which to draw, with even their lesser efforts (Magical Mystery Tour, Let It Be, etc) having some worth not found in other music from the era.
Mark Hertsgaard's masterful "A Day In The Life" is probably a better selection for those who are casual or half-hearted fans, because it covers much of the same territory with little of the dedication to music-speak that colors some of the best passages in this book. But for a simple, nuts-and-bolts look at what made the Beatles' music special, and as a discussion of each and every song they ever recorded, "Tell Me Why" is hard to beat.
In the end, there is just the music. And it is a body of music worthy of such discussion as to have countless books written about it. But "Tell Me Why" is a nice one-book source for much of the motivation behind each song the Fab Four committed to vinyl, even if it's overboard with the musical composition language. If you can overcome that, you might find a good book about why the Beatles matter long after their last performance together.
Book Description
Contains the following two books: (1) The Beatles Story on Capitol Records, Part One: Beatlemania & The Singles and (2) The Beatles Story on Capitol Records, Part Two: The Albums in a special slipcase. Hard cover with over 1,200 color photos throughout, including all picture sleeves, album covers, label variations, trade advertisements, posters and point of purchase displays. Essential and entertaining for both casual fans and serious collectors.
Customer Reviews:
The best of Bruce's books about the Beatles.......2005-09-07
I bought these books when they first came out, and i wasn't disappointed. I previously read Bruce's book on Vee-Jay - and if you haven't read that then you should check it out too.
The Capitol volumes are easily the best, because they cover the Beatles best records. Everything from Meet The Beatles to Magical Mystery Tour is here, with the singles to match.
You get the album art and labels in full-colour, with info on the records like release dates and sales etc.
He also tells the story behind each release. For example, the famous Butcher cover gets a full run-down, as do the early Capitol singles when EMI had to bully them into releasing them.
Everything you ever wanted to know about the records is here.
A book for collectors.
Phenomonal.......2002-03-19
Beatles fans who thought the bar could not be raised any higher after the legendary Mark Lewisohn Beatles books (also available at Amazon.com, by the way) are in for a real treat. The Bruce Spizer books are a marvel. I have three so far and will buy the fourth one when it comes out. If you are into minute details and great archival images on large glossy high quality paper stock, BUY BRUCE SPIZER'S BOOKS. They are expensive but well worth the investment. They are must haves and certainly more information than most humans should or would care to know about the Beatles on Captiol Records.If there is a Beatle manic on your Xmas list, you can do no better than to splurge on this set of books. They are that good.
The best book set on the Beatles U.S. Records ever!!.......2001-02-13
I CAN'T IMAGINE HAVING ANY INTEREST AT ALL IN THE BEATLES AMERICAN RECORDS AND NOT OWNING THIS SET! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE INDIVIDUAL REVIEWS FOR EACH OF THESE VOLUMES, BY ALL MEANS, PLEASE DO! JUST TYPE IN "SPIZER" IN THE SEARCH BOX UNDER THE BOOKS CATEGORY AND YOU CAN READ ABOUT THESE AND ALL OF HIS MAGNIFICENT BOOKS!! LET ME SIMPLY SAY THAT THESE TWO VOLUMES ARE THE SINGLE BEST BOOKS EVER PUBLISHED ON ANY RECORDS, ANYWHERE AND IT HAPPENS TO BE A BLESSING TO US THAT MR. SPIZER CHOSE THE BEATLES AS HIS SUBJECT MATTER! QUITE SIMPLY, WHEN IT COMES TO THE BEATLES U.S. CAPITOL RECORDS, YOU GET ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU EVER DREAMED OF IN TERMS OF TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY! THIS 'SLIP-CASE' EDITION BEAUTIFULLY HOUSES BOTH VOLUMES IN A STUNNING AND STURDY MATCHING CASE! IT'S THE PERFECT PROTECTIVE PACKAGE FOR THE PERFECT BEATLES BOOKS! IF YOU ALREADY OWN BOTH BOOKS, DO WHAT I DID AND GET THE SLIP CASE EDITION FOR COLLECTING PURPOSES AND USE THE OTHERS AS YOUR 'USER' OR 'READING' COPIES! I ALSO IMPRESSED A FEW FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS BY PRESENTING THIS 'SLIP-CASE' EDITION AS A GIFT!
Customer Reviews:
A Must Have!!.......2007-10-12
This book is required reading for the diehard Beatles fan. I suspect that the studio documentation was just the normal level of detailed information they kept on those who recorded there, but in hindsight, having this particular info and retaining it looks pretty genius. A detailed account of every time the Beatles were in the recording studio with documents from the studio and the recollections of those who were present. The author is meticulous and obviously a fan himself. I really consider this book the Beatles bible.
Amazing..........2007-06-22
First, I find it amazing that anyone kept this information in such detail in the first place.
Secondly, it is amazing that it was ever complied and put into a book.
Thirdly it was amazing that anyone would a.) Publish the book, b.) Buy the book in the first place and c.) Actually read it, which I have. Perhaps most amazing of all is how imminently readable and enjoyable it really is.
I imagine prerequisite being that it is important for the reader to have a love of the art of recording as well as a serviceable knowledge of the Beatles' collected body of work. Mine is the first edition and, yes, there are minor flaws, but honestly they are few in number and nothing of the "glaring" type which actually demeans the book.
I had initially picked up the book in a shop and glanced through the photographs, then I absently read an entry and was hooked. I think this is, all-in-all, a very exceptional journal and a valid history of one of the greatest recording acts of all time. Over the years I have met numerous musicians who, although they might not be dyed in the wool Beatles fans, still recognize their incredible contribution to recording technique and innovation. Kudos of course to Sir George Martin as well.
I cannot conceive of a more definitive account than this.
From any road to Abbey Road this is in a league of its own!.......2007-05-31
As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" I know the years of research it took for me to compile the information on 121 live shows, 60 unreleased songs, 266 questions and answers, and prepare for 32 interviews.
Mark Lewisohn had to dig even deeper because of the amount of material that could be documented. The work is super-human. The Beatles deserved George Martin and Mark Lewisohn.
It is easy for those that wish to find fault even with a Rolls Royce but don't worry if you would have used different words for an A Flat Augmented 7th Chord or a bridge in a song, he gave you the most complete information at your fingertips and this can't be improved!
Thank you for your time,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"
SIMPLY EXCELLENT!.......2007-01-28
I'd been wanting this book since I first heard about it several years ago, but it was out of print. When I recently discovered it had been re-published, I ordered it and it's everything I'd heard it was. I wish Lewisohn had access to John, Paul, George and Ringo's solo sessions and would do similar books on them.
A must have for any Beatles Fan!.......2007-01-09
A great book with a day-by-day chronicle of The Beatles Recording Sessions, from their first days as musicians in a home-studio in Liverpool to spring of 1970 when the group had splitted.
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