The Beatles Anthology

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!!!

Average customer rating:

Enjoyable Read
Great read!
Great book for Beatle-lovers
Terribly Revealing, Sad
A Very Nice Biography

John
Cynthia Lennon
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 030733855X
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Amazon.com

This isn't Cynthia Lennon's first book about her legendary ex-husband. A Twist of Lennon--a slim volume that John tried to suppress on grounds of libel--came out in 1978. But now, 25 years after his death, she finally feels ready to tell the "full and truthful story" of their life together. Why? In his foreword, son Julian writes of their being "dismissed or at best treated as insignificant bit players" in the story of John's life; it's Cynthia's goal, with John, to set the record straight. She does make a case for being more than just "the impressionable young girl who fell for him, then trapped him into marriage," and it's moving to read, in his own words, of John's love for his son. And while there's nothing new in her account of the Fab Four's rise to fame, as the greatest success story of the rock era, it's a legend that bears retelling. But most salient of all are Cynthia's sketches of pain, regret, and intimidation. John was indeed a brilliant, loving man, but he was also "passionately jealous," "verbally cutting," sometimes abusive, and often neglectful. (It is hinted that his behavior may have paralleled that of the woman who raised him, his Aunt Mimi.) Unfortunately, Cynthia's "response to John's provocative and cruel behavior was to stick by him more solidly than ever...[feeling] that if he could trust me and believe that I loved him he might soften."

It's not this dysfunction, however, but rather John's use of LSD, on which she blames the emotional "chasm" that led to the failure of their marriage. And though the Lennons' divorce comes relatively late in the book, the pages that follow are by far the saddest, as they chronicle John's increasing distance from and neglect of his former family--especially Julian, who would only see his father three times after he moved to New York in 1971. It's no surprise that Cynthia lays much of the blame for this at the feet of Yoko Ono, who is described as controlling and insensitive, especially in the wake of John's murder. But even though there's a lot of bitterness and resentment in these pages, it's not overwhelming, being offset by Cynthia's fierce love for her son and her continuing affection for her ex-husband. A full picture of John Lennon's life will never exist as long as Ono judges herself unable to write about their time together, but John goes a long way toward improving the situation. --Benjamin Lukoff

Book Description

The Extraordinary Story of a Man, a Legend and a Marriage

When she was eighteen years old, a girl named Cynthia Powell met a boy named John Lennon and they fell in love. Their ten-year relationship coincided with the start of the Beatles phenomenon—from Liverpool’s dockside clubs to the dizzying worldwide fame that followed. And Cynthia Lennon, John’s first wife, was an integral part of the swirl of events that are now an indelible part of the history of rock and roll.

In John, Cynthia recalls those times with the loving honesty of an insider, offering new and fascinating insights into the life of John Lennon and the early days of the Beatles. And with the perspective only years can provide she also tells the compelling story of her marriage to a man who was to become a music legend, a cultural hero and a defining figure of the twentieth century.

Cynthia has seldom talked in any detail about her marriage and the painful events that followed John’s tragic assassination in 1980. Now she candidly reveals the good and the bad, the loving and the cruel sides of John. She tells of the breakdown of their marriage and the beginning of his relationship with Yoko Ono in more detail than has ever been disclosed before and documents the difficulties estrangement from John—and his subsequent death—brought for herself and their son, Julian.

In John, Cynthia Lennon has created a vivid portrait of the 1960s, the Beatles and the man she never stopped loving.

The time has come when I feel ready to tell the truth about John and me, our years together and the years since his death. There is so much that I have never said, so many incidents I have never spoken of and so many feelings I have never expressed: great love on one hand; pain, torment and humiliation on the other. Only I know what really happened between us, why we stayed together, why we parted and the price I have paid for being John’s wife.

I want to tell the real story of the real John—the infuriating, lovable, sometimes cruel, funny, talented and needy man who made such an impact on the world. — From the Introduction

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable Read.......2007-10-07

This accounting rings of a genuine attempt to be truthful and honest. Hasn't everyone spoken with a close friend or relative, who recounts stories of their estranged spouse or relative and sometimes tend to embellish the stories in their favor? It`s human nature, and that may be the case in some instances throughout this book, but it appears Cynthia Lennon is attempting to be honest to the public and honest with herself. As a Beatle fan, many of the stories were familiar, but with more detail. From time to time, Cynthia comments in a way to give John and Yoko the benefit of the doubt and even tries to show Yoko respect. Most of the time, I felt I was reading Cynthia's honest opinion and honest recounting of how things really played out.

An example of hearsay or conjecture is Cynthia's telling of John's purchasing of Aunt Mimi's house back in the 60s with the intention of it passing down to John's two half sisters. Apparently, after Mimi's death (she survived John) Yoko sold it immediately and the two half-sisters received nothing. Nobody really will ever know John's intention concerning that if it was not directly expressed in his Will.

One thing is painfully obvious. John Lennon neglected the relationship with his first-born son, and one cannot help to put some of the blame on Yoko Ono. During the 70's and until his untimely death in 1980, he saw Julian only a handful of times. John Lennon may have been a musical genius, but by the end of this book, I could not help but think he was one major hypocrite. Everyone is human, and you really never know until you walk a mile in another man's shoes, but it just smacks of John Lennon being a terrible father and Yoko Ono being selfish.

I thought it might be a good idea to search Amazon and see if Yoko had written a tell-all biography. It just may be that she will never be able to escape the "witch" label she has been given, but I noted that of much of her written stuff, she had little to no customer reviews. Could it be nobody cares what she has to say? Of her CD's, the reviews stretch the gamut from great to downright awful.

Nevertheless, this book is easy reading and as a fan, I gobbled up much of it. I believe Cynthia Lennon truly believes it was a blessing and a curse to be associated with the Lennon name.

Great read!.......2007-09-22

There are plenty of great descriptions of this book below. I just want to add that I loved it and would recommend it. I practically devoured this book.

Great book for Beatle-lovers.......2007-09-12

At the end of this book, Cynthia Lennon says that if she had known all that would have transpired between her and John, she would have turned and walked away the first time she met him. What a sad sad commentary on the life she had with him. I read "A Twist of Lennon" 20-plus years ago and it was interesting to see the same events replayed, with far less humor (I missed that humor!) but also with many new details inserted -- like the relationship with John's sisters or the fact that John had hit her once. And I learned alot what happened after she divorced John and he shamefully left her with very little money. But the two villians here are Yoko Ono and Auntie Mimi. I give Cynthia credit for trying to be even-handed about John, mentioning the good and the bad, and as Cynthia is now on her fourth marriage, I hope she's learned to pick the right guy now.

Terribly Revealing, Sad.......2007-08-14

It truly upsets me that I was able to read the entire Beatles Anthology book (all those hundreds of pages) and have no idea what John had put Cynthia and Julian through during the years of his first marriage. I think what bothers me most is not his behavior - which was despicable, selfish and COWARDLY by any standard of human decency - but moreso the success that he and Yoko had in covering up what had been done to Cynthia and Julian. Theirs was an effort to literally rewrite history as if the two had never existed and, tragically, they were nearly successful. If not for Julian's musical success, you have to wonder if we'd still be in the dark (and I say that as someone who never even heard about Cynthia's 1978 book despite being a huge Beatles fan growing up).

There is so much to be disgusted by here - the way John disrespected and humiliated a woman who had been loyal and true to him, while never having the guts to actually voice his doubts or true feelings to her face. The way he abandoned his son for large stretches at a time, simultaneously telling us all to welcome peace and love into our hearts. Perhaps what is most despicable is the way he tried to frame Cynthia in a ridiculous adultery plot in order to take her son from her and deny her much-deserved alimony payments. That is so profoundly hypocritical and cancerous given his behavior with other women throughout the marriage that it makes you wonder if he was indeed mentally ill as some have suggested. Either that, or Yoko was indeed an absolute master manipulator who preyed on his weaknesses with precision.

Marriages are tough, and to me, this is a great book for any man to read who struggles with commitment and coming to terms with himself when faced with true intimacy in a first marriage. Lennon gives us a textbook example of how NOT to conduct oneself in such a situation - how to repress feelings, deny reality, and hurt those who love you the most.

The real tragedy is that he threw away a woman who recognized his flaws and was still ready to stand by him, a woman that by most accounts made him a stronger, happier, saner person during her time with him. And of course the woman who gave him a beautiful son who idolized him, the son she birthed and raised on her own, never with so much as a thank you from John.

Tragic. And all the more unsettling because it does not diminish Lennon's music or his public message. There WAS great wisdom there. What a shame that the man himself could not enjoy more of its fruits during his time on this earth. He has, ultimately, only himself to blame, despite his troubled upbringing.

A Very Nice Biography.......2007-08-11

This book by Cynthia Lennon touched me deeply. She is so honest in this book that it is sometimes heartbreaking.
I have read I, Me, Mine by George Harrison and was extremely disappointed.
This book at least gives quite a bit of information about John's early life, Beatlemania years and his final years. It also discusses, openly and honestly, his relationship with his son, Julian. It is very well written by a woman that truly loved her husband. Way to go, Cynthia.

All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Average customer rating:

The Walrus and the Carpenter
If you are a real fan you will love this!
I COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!! 10 STARS!!!
Listen to this Book!
"She doesn't need a Beatle. Who needs a Beatle?"

All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312254644

Amazon.com

John Lennon could be angry, as he is in Lennon Remembers: The Full Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970, and nasty, as proven by Albert Goldman's brilliant, scathing The Lives of John Lennon.

But he could also be charming, smart, and extraordinarily witty, as he is in his last interview, published in book form as All We Are Saying. Co-interviewee Yoko Ono is charm-free but valuable, because she sparks the conversation and brings up fascinating stuff that Lennon wished she hadn't, like their mad plots to kidnap her daughter from her ex-husband. As interviewer David Sheff's tape rolls, John and Yoko's anecdotes flow effortlessly: the joys of making their 1980 comeback album, Double Fantasy; the mortifying horrors of John's "lost weekend" in L.A. with Harry Nilsson; John's interestingly twisted family life; John and Yoko and Paul's last get-together, watching Saturday Night Live the night producer Lorne Michaels offered the Beatles $3,200 to reunite on the show (they almost got in a cab and did it!).

Best of all is Lennon's song-by-song account of who wrote which famous tunes and where they came from. "Strawberry Fields" contains an entire childhood memoir, and the production reflects Paul's alleged "sabotage" of Lennon's work. "Please Please Me" was based on a Roy Orbison melody and Bing Crosby's punning song title "Please (Lend an Ear to My Pleas)." The "element'ry penguins" in "I Am the Walrus" refer to idiots like Allen Ginsberg who chant "Hare Krishna" worshipfully. "Hey Jude" was Paul's song comforting John's son Julian when John left his family for Yoko, and Paul's unconscious, reluctant farewell to his writing partner ("go out and get her").

Lennon had been publicly silent and artistically dormant for five years before these interviews, and he was just bursting with the exhilaration of the rebirth of his imagination days before his death. Reading this book is like sharing a day in the life of a very happy man. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

Twenty years ago David Sheff climbed the back steps of the Dakota into the personal thoughts and dreams of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. From the kitchen to the studio and up those fateful Dakota steps, Sheff recorded 20 hours of tape, discussing everything from childhood to the Beatles.Sheff gives a rare and last glimpse of John and Yoko, one that seemed to look beyond the kitchen table to the future of the world with startling premonitions of what was to come.AUTHORBIO: David Sheff's articles and interviews have appeared in Playboy, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Wired, Outside, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Esquire and Observer Magazine in England, Foreign Literature in Russia and Playboy (Shueisha) in Japan. He also writes for and is West Coast editor of Yahoo! Internet Life magazine.Other interviews, including those with Ansel Adams, nuclear physicist Ted Taylor, Gore Vidal, Steve Jobs, Tom Hanks, Scott Peck, Betty Friedan, and Keith Haring, received wide recognition, as did his "Portrait of a Generation" in Rolling Stone. His radio documentaries for National Public Radio on John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird won several awards.When it first appeared in 1981, Sheff's "The Playboy Interviews With John Lennon and Yoko Ono," which has been described as "historic," "compelling and compassionate" and "definitive," was a Literary Guild selection.

Customer Reviews:

The Walrus and the Carpenter.......2007-01-09

My favorite Lennon quote comes not from this book, but from the Beatle's set during the Royal Variety Performance for the British Royal Family in 1963: "Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry." I love that, though I've been told you need to be raised in the British class-consciousness to fully appreciate the insolence of that.

I grabbed this book just out of curiosity, as a Beatles fan and a Lennon fan in particular. I read in a review that Lennon goes through the whole catalog of Beatles songs and comments on them. I thought that would be interesting to read. Yoko Ono was the least of my concerns, but they were and are a package deal. I bought into the popular cultural conception of Yoko as the villainess who broke up the Beatles. So the first thing that struck me, reading these interviews, is what an intelligent, sympathetic, and likeable figure she is, when heard in her own words, in the comforts of her home base. And the two of them together actually seem like a nice, well-matched couple, decent people who- against the odds- had found contentment amid the surreal circumstances of their lives. No doubt that they are eccentric in some ways, and some of their philosophizing has that post-Hippie, flaky, dated feel, as you might expect. They are artists after all. But at the same time, they surprised me at times at how level-headed they came off. Despite the near deification of the Beatles, it is John who continuously reminds us that they were just a rock and roll band that was in the right place at the right time and wrote some good songs. And they are able to honestly talk about the strain on their relationship caused by their celebrity. With all the typical defiant talk about letting people think whatever they are going to think, Yoko admits to the heartache of bad press: "It's a very strange thing that society can do that much to a relationship, but it does because we're social animals. We're social beings. A relationship is not isolated from society." "Society can break an individual. That is what happened." John, too, often displays the vulnerability buried within the armor of the iconoclast: "We're both sensitive people and we were both hurt by a lot of it." Enough time has passed for them to analyze the hostility garnered by Yoko, as a woman, when she began managing John's business affairs. John talks about the attitude towards Yoko at these meetings where she was the only woman, "They're all male, you know, just big and fat, vodka lunch, shouting males, like trained dogs, trained to attack all the time." Yoko is wonderful, chiming in with "I was emasculated." Then launching into her formulation of male aggressiveness, "you must have the womb-envy thing," she speculates. Men are aggressive to mask their intimidation and jealousy. After all, she notes, "we give life."

The most valuable part of this book, in which John systematically goes through almost every Beatles and solo Lennon song, is a concession John granted after blowing Playboy's scoop by giving an interview to Newsweek magazine. We get John's feelings about each of the songs as well as the memories triggered by them, what was going on in that period of his life and how they were written. Though John continues with the superficial model of `John songs' and `Paul songs,' we see that the truth is more complicated, they wrote the best of the Beatles "one-on-one, eyeball to eyeball... both playing into each other's noses." We see why they were great together (and why George and Ringo are two very lucky men to have been along for the ride) and why neither of them, as solo musicians, could produce songs that measure up well to the Beatles. There are several examples of the two of them contributing little touches to each others songs, the little shadings that profoundly deepen the work. Without Paul, John was mostly a writer of catchy tunes, superficial fluff with great hooks. Some of Paul's solo works come close to the best of the Beatles, but for the most part, he was missing the nuances- the melodies and tenderness- of Paul's sound. A song like "Michele" is a perfect example. Paul wrote a pretty little love ballad. John heard it shortly after hearing Nina Simone sing the blues, and he suggested the bluesy "I love you, I love you, I love you," bridge. Paul writes "It's getting better all the time," and John adds "it couldn't get much worse." Paul writes "We can work it out" and John adds "Life is very short..." Or conversely, John writes about "A Day in the Life," about a man violently killing himself, and Paul adds the sweetest little lick to ever float into a song from nowhere: "I'd love to turn you on." And so on. I particularly recommend this section as a morning commute read, riding the train with Ipod in hand, keeping the songs in your ears as you read John's analysis of them.

Of course, one can't read these interviews without being constantly reminded that John was assassinated just months afterwards. It gave me chills to read some of John's philosophizing in that light, "Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King are great examples of fantastic nonviolents who died violently. I can never work that out. We're pacifists, but I'm not sure what it means when you're such a pacifist that you get shot."

And the heartbreak is palpable when reading of the pride John took in stepping out of the action and becoming a full time father to Sean. "Here we are: I'm going to be forty, Sean's going to be five. Isn't it great! We survived!"

If you are a real fan you will love this!.......2006-08-14

This for me is better than any other book because it is reading the acutual words that John said. He gives his own first hand comments on each song (no guessing what each song was about -- he tells you). When he can't remember (it was the 60's after all) John will say so. The most important thing he says is "get interested in your own life" meant in the very kindest way John wants to remind us that we can identify with him, we can love him, but to please NOT make him to focus of your life -- YOU should be the focus of YOUR life. His insights to life can help you acchieve insights of your own. John rules! But I am thankful that he reminds us it is not important to memorize his height and weight or other "facts" but rather to LIVE the life we have -- as I wish he had the option to do. American must stop naming cruel people and making them famous if we do not want more useful people to be killed by those who have little human value -- of course that is only my take -- I can't rule YOUR thoughts (and for that you should be glad ha, ha).

Get the book if you are a Beatles or John Lennon fan... ;-)

I COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!! 10 STARS!!!.......2005-12-30

INCLUDES AN AMAZING SERIES OF QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS, THAT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN! I WAS SURPRISED AT SOME OF JOHN'S ANSWERS; BUT IT DID MAKE SENSE COMING FROM HIM. I WON'T SPOIL IT FOR EVERYONE....SO EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A DIE HARD LENNON FAN, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED BY THIS FUNNY AND TOUCHING PIECE OF WORK...JUST BEAUTIFUL!

Listen to this Book!.......2005-11-16

John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono give an excellent interview by pulling out all stops. Sheff's interview in "Playboy" with the pair is a vital oral history about the former Beatle's life and his insight on each Beatle song. Sheff takes readers on a Magical Mystery Tour through the recording studio; the Dakota and in and around the neighborhood. The interview is candid and direct; readers are given a clear look of and at John and Yoko.

John is shown, warts and all in real, living color. He is not glamorized nor vilified; he is presented as the man that he was. John Lennon was many things to many people; Sixties icon; musician extraordinaire; artist; spouse; father; author; actor; joker; interviewee; "militant pacifist," an oxymoronic term. John was a very complex man and this Rubik's cube of a book puts the pieces together in such a way that readers can readily assemble their image of John Lennon.

John makes no bones abut the Beatles being part of his past; he appears to want to move further down the Long & Winding Road without further Hard Day's Nights in re his Beatle history. It was also interesting to learn what groups and artists John liked and how he felt they influenced him.

Hats off to Sheff for introducing readers to each person in the interview. If there is one literary pitfall to avoid, it is never, repeat, never spring characters or real people onto readers without introducing them. That weakens a work and Sheff is quite adept at dodging this trap.

John appeared to be moving at a quicker pace in this interview; whereas Sheff wanted to discuss the Beatles more in depth, John gave one word answers to Beatle related questions and seemed eager to discuss his 1980 album, "Double Fantasy" as well as works he was planning after that.

This is a bittersweet book for Beatle and Lennon fans because of John's untimely death in late 1980. Even so, the book remains an excellent source of information about the man who founded the World's Number One Band, the Beatles and the man who made the world listen.

Listen to John Lennon.

"She doesn't need a Beatle. Who needs a Beatle?".......2005-08-31

Indeed, All We Are Saying: The Last Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono pulls out the punches. The book shows how far former Beatle, John Lennon, had come and where he was headed. David Sheff's "Playboy" interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono is the most fascinating piece of oral history about Lennon's life as well as the story behind every Beatle song. Sheff intimately takes reader through the studio, John and Yoko's Dakota apartment, and down the neighborhood coffeeshop sharing a cappuccino. All We Are Saying presents an extremely candid and frank interview that was held two months prior to Lennon's passing. Sheff reveals Lennon's growth and new beginning that would unfortunately be cut short.

All We Are Saying does not lack in humor and seriousness. This was the man, not the Sixties icon who sang against a "Revolution," who still had dreams and aspirations to accomplish at the time the interview was conducted. For fans of Lennon as well as the Beatles, this was Lennon stripped down and open for questions, and he merely tells it like it is or was. He expresses the breakup of the Beatles, and emphasizes that they were great, but they were in the past. He talks about the ups and downs of his individual experience from being a heroin addict to a househusband. He was living in the here and now, and the music that he was making at the time reflected that mantra. Though the references he made about the music scene now appear dated, Lennon was ahead of his game and kept up with bands, such as the Clash, Pretenders, and the B-52's. He even raves how the B-52's rip-off Yoko's style of music.

Sheff writes the interview in clear and picturesque narrative. For every new chapter, he introduces the reader to where the interview is going. However, the concluding portions of the book appear too rushed. Sheff appears to have wanted to discuss or at least learn about every tidbit about each Beatles song, which almost portrayed a to-do list, and at times it appears as if he did not want to run out of tape. From the transcript of the interview, Lennon appears too tired to talk about each and every Beatle song as he answers with yes and no answers. For the most part, Lennon wanted to speak about his new album at the time, "Double Fantasy", and new projects he was planning.

All We Are Saying is an important document of the life of John Lennon. For Beatle and Lennon fans, the book is quite ironic and sad due to the circumstance, but that should not stop any one from learning more about one of the most legendary artists of the twentieth century.

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A Wonderful and Very Enjoyable book about a Great Man.
Really, really funny!
Shameless
wonderful book
Memories and Creative Inventions

Memories of John Lennon
Yoko Ono
Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060594551
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Amazon.com

Twenty-five years after his death is still too soon for Yoko Ono to write about life with her famous husband. "I could not open that part of my heart while it's still shaking," she writes in her introduction to Memories of John Lennon, and so the long-awaited inside story of one of the last century's great romances remains untold. Instead, Ono solicited material from over 70 of Lennon's friends, contemporaries, and admirers, and is marking that terrible anniversary with a collection of their reminiscences. (Notably absent are Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Lennon's first wife, Cynthia, who just wrote her own book on their decade together.)

As might be expected, there is a fair amount of hero-worship in these pages--Paul Reiser and Nils Lofgren both call the Beatle a "friend I never met," and B-52s singer Kate Pierson admits to considering him "practically a mythological figure." Some, too, choose to memorialize him in poem, art, or song, none of which particularly resonate. But the book is not without its share of engaging moments, most of which come from those who actually spent time with Lennon. Family confidant Elliot Mintz writes of the devoted husband, "how he used to brush [Yoko's] hair...or when we'd be going out to a restaurant and she would put her coat on and he would adjust her collar so that it would look pretty and frame her face." Double Fantasy drummer Andy Newmark remembers the spirited musician, exhorting him to simplify his fills and just "play like Ringo." Donovan recalls days with the Maharishi in Rishikesh, teaching Lennon to finger-pick his guitar and hearing "Julia" and "Dear Prudence" as they were composed. Others cover the political activist, compassionate friend, and loving father. Memories of John Lennon can hardly be called a balanced portrait of the man, but neither is it all dull hagiography. Worth a look, though it may not be essential reading. --Benjamin Lukoff

Book Description

The widow of one of the most influential rockers of all time gathers the fondest memories of John Lennon, from those who knew him best, in time for the 25th anniversary of his assassination.

The concept of Memories of John Lennon is simple, and yet its scope will be tremendous. Yoko Ono, the widow of John Lennon, one of the most influential musicians in the world, will gather from those who knew him best, and from those who have been influenced by him, their memories of this legend. Even in death Lennon and his work continue to inspire people across the world – his albums continue to sell, as do his drawings and books containing conversations with this now–mythical figure.

Yoko fascinates as well – at 70 she is on the Billboard charts (at #9 in May 2003). She is a controversial figure, always capable of garnering publicity and attention, the love, and wrath, of the most obsessed Lennon fans.

This will be a tremendous eulogy, 25 years after his death, from those people who spent the most time with him in his life. It will bring fans even closer to knowing the man who brought us 'Revolver' and 'Imagine'.

Download Description

John Lennon . . . as much a part of our world today as he ever was

He touched many lives in his brief forty years, and continues to move and inspire millions more to this day. Now, invited by Yoko Ono, friends, family, and fans from all walks of life -- including some of the great artists of our day -- reminisce about Lennon as a visionary and friend, musician and performer, husband and father, activist and jokester.

In their own words and drawings, poems and photos, Lennon's life from his childhood through the Beatles years to the happiness and tragedy of his final days become stunningly vivid.

Intimate glimpses gathered from musicians who knew John, such as Pete Townshend, Sir Elton John, Billy Preston, and Joan Baez; friends and relatives such as producer David Geffen, publicist Elliot Mintz, and cousin Mike Cadwallader; and artists who followed him such as Bono, Alicia Keys, Steve Earle, Jello Biafra, and Carlos Santana.

And, for the first time, renowned photographer Annie Liebovitz presents every frame of the historic last session with John and Yoko.

Memories of John Lennon is a rich and deeply felt appreciation of a truly great man.

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful and Very Enjoyable book about a Great Man........2007-01-20

Being a big fan, I have read many books about John and The Beatles. This book really shows you who he really was, with private memories of him. The book is composed of people who have had experiences with John or just were admiring fans. John changed so much. And he changed so many lives.
I could barely put this book down. It made me laugh and cry. It is a book to be treasured.

Really, really funny!.......2006-07-13

Way too many entries contain the phrase, "Well, I never met John, but..." and at least as many (sometimes the same entries!!) say "Yoko, love of his life and John's saviour..." or something like that. (Alica Keyes and her mom each has an entry of that sort.)

Might there not have been, in all the surviving people who actually knew John, maybe one or 2 who didn't deify Yoko? [I have to add at this point that I didn't have any preconceived idea of her. I was given a copy of this book and got my input from that. That inspired me to read more Beatles biographies later.]

This was a project so self-serving, so shameless, that it was really quite funny. It gets three stars for entertainment alone, and I think the production process for this book went something like this:

[Alicia Keyes and Tori Amos are having lunch at a tea shop in Manhatten. They are approached by Yoko Ono and two bodyguards.]

Yoko: Ms. Keyes, Ms. Amos. I'm sure you know me but have been too polite to violate my privacy.

Tori: Huh?
Alicia: YOKO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Yoko: I am compiling a book of memories of my late husband, John, whose contribution to art was recognizing mine. Would you like to participate?

Tori: But I never met the guy.

Yoko: That is immaterial. This is art; what matters is the impression. Write you impressions of me--I mean him, and you can be in a book.

Alicia: Wow!!

[at the next table, a man and his wife have been eavesdropping.]

Man: I think the way John treated his first wife is appalling, but has some absurdist potential. Can I write about that?

Yoko: [hissing] YOUR input is not necessary, Mr. Woody Allen!

Bianca Jagger [at next table] Guess you don't want mine, either.

Alicia: I can be in a book! I can be in a book!

Shameless.......2006-06-19

Memories Of John Lennon, "edited" and introduced by Yoko Ono. I put that word in quotes because I'm skeptical that this book was edited at all.

A real editor might have reminded contributor and onetime activist Tariq Ali that "Revolution" was a single, not an album.

Ali also writes of the day Lennon died:

"I think the tribute [John] would have loved was the spontaneous grief in Moscow as kids rushed to the Lenin hills and sang "Back in the U.S.S.R."

Yes, if I were John Lennon, I'd love it if people grieved for me by singing a Paul McCartney song, too.

Ali shares pride-of-place for ignorance with of all people, Ray Charles, who makes a similar mistake about "Yesterday."

The book as a whole overflows with gushing, largely unearned sentiment. If it was just another one of those things it would be bad enough but it's also absolute psychic head for Yoko.

Person after person: Yoko was the love of John's life; as an artist, Yoko was 30 years ahead of her time; the only possible reason one can be critical of Yoko is if one is racist or sexist or probably both.

I'm not saying some of it isn't true. I'm not one of those people who thinks Yoko was the devil (it's just that she couldn't sing). I'm saying it's unseemly for someone to include all that stuff about themselves in a book.

When they're not scubbing clean The Perfect Story of John and Yoko, the contributors are rewriting their own personal history as well. Or staking their claims to their own part of The Lennon Story.

Jann Wenner tells (again) the story of putting Lennon on the cover of the first Rolling Stone and conducting his lengthy interview with John. What he omits is that Lennon was furious with Wenner when the interview was published as a book against his express wishes.

Donovan's piece turns out to be about how, as he remembers it, he taught Lennon to finger-pick...and suggested the design for "The White Album."

It gets two stars because there are one or two nice things. But for the most part this is more of the revionist, there-is-nothing-nasty-in-John's-life deification of the man that has forced me to the following position:

Never trust anyone who says their favorite John Lennon song is "Imagine." They're drippy people.

wonderful book.......2006-05-30

this book is very touching and dear, it made me cry and laugh, and i think there will always be people who will say bad things about yoko because she has the courage to stand up for her politics, the courage to be true to who she is... people may not like these politics or they make think she's too radical or they may be saying those thing because of racism (as elliot mintz talked about john lennon's belief of this). i was really touched by this book and anyone who loved the many aspects of who john lennon was should read this book

Memories and Creative Inventions.......2006-05-26

Super inspirational book with a wealth of information about one of the most interesting people of the 20th Century and also one of the most complex members of the famous rock groups, the Beatles. I found my own creative juices flowing while reading this rich list of testimonials by others in contact with and being influenced from afar by John Lennon, the real person. The book's writers speak of the artist within this sensitive man as we may never have known him before. Thank you Yoko Ono for the creative inspiration offered to all those open minded sensitive souls willing to read this book. All positive energies needing connection between those same open minded readers of this book throughout the universe are possible! What else can be said.. SO READ IT - NOW! As John Lennon said, "We are all part of the sky, more so than of the ground".

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The Art and Music of John Lennon
John Robertson
Manufacturer: Omnibus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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biop of lennon
Amazing
Beautiful Book!
A Big, Beautiful Book
I loved it!

Imagine: John Lennon
Andrew Solt , and Sam Egan
Manufacturer: Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Imagine (Deluxe Edition)

ASIN: 0140274332

Book Description

Imagine: John Lennon, authorized by Yoko Ono and drawn extensively from material in the late Beatle's personal archives, is more than a tribute to his timeless legacy. Rare film footage, photographs, and the words of family and friends--plus a wealth of Lennon's own quintessential wit and candor--paint a uniquely intimate portrait of the man behind the legend. Here is the poignant story of the tough Liverpool kid who conquered the world with his music, from childhood through dank Hamburg and Liverpool clubs to Beatlemania, from global fame and wealth to a never-ending search for fulfillment as an artist and a man. It charts his loves--for his first wife, Cynthia; his sons, Julian and Sean; and his great collaborator Yoko Ono--and his passions, art, music, and above all his work for peace. From Lennon the performer, in spectacular shots by the world's top rock photographers, to Lennon the lover, father, and human being in intimate family photographs (many never-before published), Imagine captures the man who was the touchstone for his generation. Originally published as the companion to a film biography of Lennon, the book is a handsome tribute to his life and art, and will make an elegant gift for Beatles fans and all admirers of John Lennon's music and imagination.

Customer Reviews:

biop of lennon.......2003-07-06

a great visual journey into john lennon's life with plenty of intimate photographs

Amazing.......2003-02-09

i bought this book after seeing the rave reviews it got, thinking it was a real reading book. turned out to be a HUGE, glossy pictorial account..... but it's just as good probably better. awesome rare photos and quotes by the man and friends, and packed full of priceless memories. get it.

Beautiful Book!.......2001-02-22

All I can say is that this book is the best I've ever owned on any member of the Beatles. Jammed full of pictures and a detailed bio, this book is everything that you need to know about John Lennon's life, work, and social standings. I give it an A++++. Forwarded by Yoko Ono.

A Big, Beautiful Book.......2000-10-16

The perfect coffee-table book for fans of John Lennon and his music. Lots of lovely photos and illustrations, plus commentary from Lennon & those closest to him. Includes a very useful chronology & dscography. Highly recommended, as is the film upon which it is based.

I loved it!.......1999-01-10

This is really a great book. It gave me allot of facts. Not just about the working John but also the person John Lennon. The picuters are big and very well taken. It's pictures we have seen before from the Beatles time. But also pictures from his personal life with his sons and wives. It's a wonderful book and a great tribution to John. I loved it.

We All Want to Change the World: The Life of John Lennon (H Books) (H Books)

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Beatles: just can't get enough...

We All Want to Change the World: The Life of John Lennon (H Books) (H Books)
John Wyse Jackson
Manufacturer: Haus Pub.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 190495037X

Book Description

John Lennon (1940-80) was the founder of the most successful pop/rock group of all time, The Beatles. Convinced of his genius from an early age, he explored his own complex, witty personality in his songs, drawing on drugs, meditation and psychotherapy for insights into his art. His career was transformed in 1968 when he joined forces with Yoko Ono. As the Beatles broke up, the extraordinary couple became public "clowns for peace", and familiar figures in the international protest movement. Lennon’s groundbreaking solo work during the 1970s would be overshadowed by the success of the 1971 "Imagine". The song became an anthem after he was shot by a mentally disturbed fan in New York on December 8, 1980.

John Wyse Jackson’s biography is published to commemorate the 25th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. Touching for the first time on his Irish roots and how his background influenced his music, philosophy and attitude to life and politics, it travels to the heart of the ‘little child inside the man’.

Customer Reviews:

Beatles: just can't get enough..........2006-04-13

Fans of the Beatles who can't get enough in the way of biographical coverages won't want to miss WE ALL WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD: THE LIFE OF JOHN LENNON. Lennon explored his personality through his music from childhood on, using drugs, meditation and psychotherapy for further insights. This biography is published to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his death and discusses his Irish roots for the first time, packing vintage black and white and color photos into a survey of the music and the man. From influences of promoters and fellow musicians to works created in collaboration, WE ALL WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD is a fine, lively survey hard to put down - highly recommended.

The Day John Met Paul: An Hour-by-Hour Account of How the Beatles Began

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Review

The Day John Met Paul: An Hour-by-Hour Account of How the Beatles Began
Jim O'Donnell
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415979331

Book Description

With many new photos and an updated introduction, The Day John Met Paul, a critically-acclaimed Beatles book, re-appears in a visually stunning second edition. The book is an hour-by-hour account of the fateful day the two founding Beatles met in July 1957. But it is much more than that: it's a spellbinding story of how fate brought together two men who would radically change the face of popular music, from its look and feel to its sound. Jim O'Donnell, a veteran rock music writer, spent eight years researching The Day John Met Paul. Published in 1996 and translated into several languages, the book was widely praised for its blend of accurate reporting and colorful storytelling. Long out of print, but revered among Beatles fans, the new printing enlivens the text with many well-chosen photos of the Liverpool landmarks--from Strawberry Field to Penny Lane--that played a role in the Beatles' lives and works.

The Day John Met Paul chronicles the first Day in the Life of the Beatles--a day that changed the musical world.

Customer Reviews:

Review.......2007-07-14

I own about 320 books about the Beatles, and this book is in my top 5 favorites. Why? It is a very unusual Beatle-related book. This book took years to research and it pays off. I felt like I had relived the day that they actually met. It is just fascinating to read as the hours count down to the very moment that the two meet at the fete.
Please remember: This book is just about one small slice of Beatle lore.
If you have all the esential Beatle books, then this will be a nice variation for you.

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A Family Album
Great Color Photos

The John Lennon Family Album
Yoko Ono
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

A Family Album.......2005-11-30

For me is a great book. Whith beautiful pictures. The only thing i didn't like, is that many pictures apeared to be out of focus.

Great Color Photos.......2001-01-22

This book contains numerous good photos of the Lennon family from the late 1970's. Primary locations featured are Hong Kong, Japan and New York City. John, Yoko and Sean are photographed in numerous nature scenes in Japan. John and Sean are pictured swimming together. Zoo visits, picnics and bicycle riding are also featured. In NYC John and Julian are shown sledding together in Central Park. Also, there are pictures from a birthday party in NYC for John and Sean. Overall, this book provides various intimate shots of the Lennon family at leisure.

John Lennon - Guitar Collection (Recorded Version (Guitar))

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Note-for-note

John Lennon - Guitar Collection (Recorded Version (Guitar))
John Lennon
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0634076590

Book Description

The first-ever Lennon guitar tab collection! 13 songs from the legendary Beatles frontman in note-for-note guitar transcriptions with tablature. Includes: Beautiful Boy - Give Peace a Chance - Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - Imagine - Nobody Told Me - (Just Like) Starting Over - Woman - and more.

Customer Reviews:

Note-for-note.......2006-03-10

Serious Lennon fans will appreciate this selection of note-for-note transcriptions of 13 songs. And beginning guitarists will appreciate the TAB. Songs include 'Working Class Hero,' 'Nobody Told Me,' 'I'm Losing You,' and 'Crippled Inside.'

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