>>REVIEW
THE BEATLES: THE BIOGRAPHY
Bob Spitz
Little, Brown, 992 pp.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, another Beatles book. Just what don’t we already know about these four lads from Liverpool?
For those who have done their Beatles homework, this new biography won’t shock or amaze, but it does add another piece to the massive Beatles jigsaw, thanks to extensive investigation and first-hand accounts by previously unheard-from sources.
Author and journalist Bob Spitz spent seven years exhaustively researching The Beatles’ career and, in the end, whittled the resultant manuscript down from an original 2,800 pages to a mere 900 or so. He succeeds in creating a fresh perspective with amazing detail and clarity. The numerous interviews with various waitresses, sound technicians, fellow musicians, friends and fans, etc., are all cited page by page in the notes section.
The biography zeroes in on certain moments in Beatles history, including specific recording sessions, tours, press conferences and performances.
Getting things off to a rollicking start, the book’s prologue is dated "December 27, 1960" and tells of a Christmas dance held at the town hall of Litherland, a tiny village west of Liverpool. At the time, The Beatles had just returned from extensive gigging in Hamburg, Germany, where they’d been busily honing their chops. The band on this particular night consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, drummer Pete Best and fill-in bass player Chas Newby. The Beatles had been added at the last minute to the bottom of the bill.
"The pounding came in rhythmic waves and once it started it did not stop," writes Spitz. All heads snapped forward and stared wild-eyed at the deafening ambush. The music crashing around them was discernibly a species of rock ’n’ roll but played unlike they had ever heard it before…. It was convulsive, ugly, frightening, and visceral in the way it touched off a frenzy in the crowd."
So momentous was this evening that Spitz refers to it as the instant "they had become The Beatles." After reading the prologue, you’re hooked and hungry for more.
From there, Spitz reverts to the beginning, chronicling the history of Liverpool and each Beatle. Through the early years in Hamburg, to Beatlemania, groupies, drugs, Sgt. Pepper, the Maharishi, Yoko Ono and the inevitable breakup, we’re treated to Spitz’s personal take on each moment and how it changed the course of history.
This latest biography is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in The Beatles. A splendid time is guaranteed for all. |
Copyright ©2005 FFWD. All rights reserved.