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Original Essays | May 22, 2012

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4 Burnside Music- Rock Biography

The Beatles: The Biography

by Bob Spitz

The Beatles: The Biography Cover

ISBN13: 9780316803526
ISBN10: 0316803529
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

As soon as The Beatles became famous, the spin machine began to construct a myth--one that has continued to this day. But the truth is much more interesting, much more exciting, and much more moving. In this masterpiece, Bob Spitz has written the biography for which Beatles fans have been waiting. 32 pages of b/w photos.

Review:

"With this massive opus, veteran music journalist Spitz (Dylan: A Biography) tells the definitive story of the band that sparked a cultural revolution. Calling on books, articles, radio programs and primary interviews, Spitz follows the band from each member's family origins in working-class Liverpool to the band's agonizing final days. Spitz's unflinching biography reveals that not only did the Beatles pioneer a new era of rock but they also were on the cutting edge of rock star excess, from their 1961 amphetamine-fueled sets in the clubs of Hamburg to their eventual appetites for stronger drugs, including marijuana, LSD, cocaine and, eventually for John Lennon, heroin. Sex was also part of the equation; in 1962, when the band cut its first audition for Sir George Martin, all four members had a venereal disease, and both John's and Paul McCartney's girlfriends were pregnant. Spitz details the tangled web of bad business deals that flowed from novice manager Brian Epstein (though the heavily conflicted Epstein can be forgiven since he was in uncharted territory). Although this is a hefty volume steeped in research, Spitz writes economically, and with flair, letting the facts and characters speak for themselves. In doing so, he captures an ironic sadness that accompanied the Beatles' runaway success — how their dreams of stardom, once realized, became a prison, forcing the band to spend large parts of their youth in hotel rooms to avoid mobs and to stage elaborate escapes from literally life-threatening situations after appearances. As with all great history writing, Spitz both captures a moment in time and humanizes his subjects. While some will blanch at the unsettling dark sides of the Beatles, most will come to appreciate the band even more for knowing the incredible personal odysseys they endured. 32 pages of b&w photos. Agent, Sloan Harris. 196,500 first printing; major ad/promo. (Nov. 7)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

Spitz restores the Beatles to what they were: a loud, angry rock and roll band, kids that became gods, not gods who happened to look like kids. This is a biography of the band in full, not merely the story of John and Paul and their two mates from Liverpool.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
psaucerman, November 20, 2007 (view all comments by psaucerman)
This was an easy, entertaining and informative read. Spitz presents a good deal of information from the early days in Liverpool and in Hamburg in a clear way, laying the ground work for the band's rise in fame. He illustrates the elation and the tensions that their huge fame brought upon the lads, and methodically walks through the chemical and emotional demise of Epstein and, later, John Lennon. While a lot is familiar here, there is a good deal of new material as well. Sptiz's writing style makes sense of the quite chaotic lives of the Liverpool Lads.

One has to be a committed fan to hoist this massive 900+ page tome, but overall the reading's easy and quite rewarding.
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AnaContessa, November 18, 2007 (view all comments by AnaContessa)
There is at least one error in this new Beatles book. A caption under an early photo of George Harrison and Pattie Boyd said they met on the set of the movie, "HELP!", when in fact they met on the set of the film, "A Hard Day's Night".
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780316803526
Subtitle:
The Biography
Author:
Spitz, Bob
Author:
Spitz, Robert
Publisher:
Little Brown and Company
Subject:
General
Subject:
Composers & Musicians - Rock
Subject:
England
Subject:
Rock musicians
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Music
Subject:
Genres & Styles - Pop Vocal
Copyright:
2005
Publication Date:
October 2005
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
983
Dimensions:
9.40x6.40x1.99 in. 3.04 lbs.
Age Level:
13-22
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Related Subjects

Arts and Entertainment » Music » Genres and Styles » Rock » Biographies

The Beatles: The Biography Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$11.50 In Stock
Product details 983 pages Little Brown and Company - English 9780316803526 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "With this massive opus, veteran music journalist Spitz (Dylan: A Biography) tells the definitive story of the band that sparked a cultural revolution. Calling on books, articles, radio programs and primary interviews, Spitz follows the band from each member's family origins in working-class Liverpool to the band's agonizing final days. Spitz's unflinching biography reveals that not only did the Beatles pioneer a new era of rock but they also were on the cutting edge of rock star excess, from their 1961 amphetamine-fueled sets in the clubs of Hamburg to their eventual appetites for stronger drugs, including marijuana, LSD, cocaine and, eventually for John Lennon, heroin. Sex was also part of the equation; in 1962, when the band cut its first audition for Sir George Martin, all four members had a venereal disease, and both John's and Paul McCartney's girlfriends were pregnant. Spitz details the tangled web of bad business deals that flowed from novice manager Brian Epstein (though the heavily conflicted Epstein can be forgiven since he was in uncharted territory). Although this is a hefty volume steeped in research, Spitz writes economically, and with flair, letting the facts and characters speak for themselves. In doing so, he captures an ironic sadness that accompanied the Beatles' runaway success — how their dreams of stardom, once realized, became a prison, forcing the band to spend large parts of their youth in hotel rooms to avoid mobs and to stage elaborate escapes from literally life-threatening situations after appearances. As with all great history writing, Spitz both captures a moment in time and humanizes his subjects. While some will blanch at the unsettling dark sides of the Beatles, most will come to appreciate the band even more for knowing the incredible personal odysseys they endured. 32 pages of b&w photos. Agent, Sloan Harris. 196,500 first printing; major ad/promo. (Nov. 7)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Synopsis" by , Spitz restores the Beatles to what they were: a loud, angry rock and roll band, kids that became gods, not gods who happened to look like kids. This is a biography of the band in full, not merely the story of John and Paul and their two mates from Liverpool.
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