Global Beatles Day
The definitive, comprehensive biography of Brian Epstein—the man who built the Beatles—by eminent Beatles biographer Philip Norman
There will never be another pop manager like Brian Epstein, the young record retailer from Liverpool behind the 20th century’s greatest romance. Having achieved his much-derided aim of making the Beatles “bigger than Elvis,” Brian went on to make them bigger than any earthly instrument could measure. Only a handful of years older, he nonetheless referred them as “The Boys,” protecting and pampering them like the children he could never hope to have.
Brian’s achievement in a profession in which he had no experience, and for which nor rulebook existed, remains jaw-dropping. A devout classical music fan, he was nonetheless solely responsible for a new genre of pop that was to change its course, and Britain’s international image, forever—yet, disgracefully, earn him no public honor nor even thanks.
Mr. Moonlight draws on a cache of exclusive interviews with those closest to Brain, including his mother, Queenie, and brother, Clive, to tell the story of this hugely complex, self-contradictory, and ultimately tragic character. This revelatory narrative explores the unplumbed depths of Brian’s many trials and tribulations—how he almost lost the Beatles to organized crime, the antisemitism and homophobia he had to face even at the height of his success, his complex relationship with John Lennon that led to their reckless “Spanish Honeymoon”—and sheds new light on Brian’s mysterious, lonely death in the throes of the so-called Summer of Love.
“Rich with insider authenticity…Gives us a glimpse into genius”: the definitive book of Beatles songs, shown as first written by their own hands and put into authoritative context (Wall Street Journal).
For the Beatles, writing songs was a process that could happen anytime — songs we all know by heart often began as a scribble on the back of an envelope or on hotel stationery. These original documents have ended up scattered across the world at museums and universities and with collectors and friends. Many have never been published before. More than 100 songs and lyrics are reproduced in The Beatles Lyrics, providing Hunter Davies a unique platform to tell the story of the music.
The intimacy of these reproductions — there are sections crossed out and rewritten, and words tossed into the final recordings that were never written down — ensures that The Beatles Lyrics will be a treasure for musicians, scholars, and fans everywhere.
“A fascinating, intimate glimpse into the creative process behind some of the greatest pop songs ever written.” —Christian Science Monitor
For the Beatles, writing songs was a process that could happen anytime — songs we all know by heart often began as a scribble on the back of an envelope or on hotel stationery. These original documents have ended up scattered across the world at museums and universities and with collectors and friends. Many have never been published before. More than 100 songs and lyrics are reproduced in The Beatles Lyrics, providing Hunter Davies a unique platform to tell the story of the music.
The intimacy of these reproductions — there are sections crossed out and rewritten, and words tossed into the final recordings that were never written down — ensures that The Beatles Lyrics will be a treasure for musicians, scholars, and fans everywhere.
“A fascinating, intimate glimpse into the creative process behind some of the greatest pop songs ever written.” —Christian Science Monitor
The definitive biography of The Beatles, hailed as “irresistible” by the New York Times, “riveting” by the Boston Globe, and “masterful” by Time.
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 — the highs and the lows, the love and the rivalry, the awe and the jealousy, the drugs, the tears, the thrill, and the magic to never be repeated. In this vast, revelatory, exuberantly acclaimed, and bestselling book, Bob Spitz has written the biography for which Beatles fans have long waited.
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 — the highs and the lows, the love and the rivalry, the awe and the jealousy, the drugs, the tears, the thrill, and the magic to never be repeated. In this vast, revelatory, exuberantly acclaimed, and bestselling book, Bob Spitz has written the biography for which Beatles fans have long waited.
All the Songs delves deep into the history and origins of the Beatles and their music. This first-of-its-kind book draws upon decades of research, as music historians Margotin and Guesdon recount the circumstances that led to the composition of every song, the recording process, and the instruments used.
Here, we learn that one of John Lennon’s favorite guitars was a 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri, which he bought for £100 in 1960 in Hamburg, Germany. We also learn that “Love Me Do,” recorded in Abbey Road Studios in September 1962, took 18 takes to get right, even though it was one of the first songs John and Paul ever wrote together. The authors also reveal that when the Beatles performed “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, John’s microphone wasn’t turned on, so viewers only heard Paul singing.
There are hundreds of photographs throughout the book, including rare black-and-white publicity stills, images of the Beatles’ instruments, and engaging shots of the musicians at work in the recording studio.
All the Songs is the must-have book for the any true Beatles fan.
The definitive Paul McCartney biography, written with his approval by bestselling biographer Philip Norman.
Since the age of twenty-one, Paul McCartney has lived one of the ultimate rock-n-roll lives played out on the most public of stages. Now, Paul’s story is told by rock music’s foremost biographer, with McCartney’s consent and access to family members and close friends who have never spoken on the record before.
Paul McCartney reveals the complex character behind the favßade and sheds new light on his childhood — blighted by his mother’s death but redeemed by the father who introduced him to music. This is the first definitive account of Paul’s often troubled partnership with John Lennon, his personal trauma after the Beatles’ breakup, and his subsequent struggle to get back to the top with Wings — which nearly got him murdered in Africa and brought him nine days in a Tokyo jail. Readers will learn about his marriage to Linda, including their much-criticized musical collaboration, and a moving account of her death. Packed with new information and critical insights, Paul McCartney will be the definitive biography of a musical legend.
Since the age of twenty-one, Paul McCartney has lived one of the ultimate rock-n-roll lives played out on the most public of stages. Now, Paul’s story is told by rock music’s foremost biographer, with McCartney’s consent and access to family members and close friends who have never spoken on the record before.
Paul McCartney reveals the complex character behind the favßade and sheds new light on his childhood — blighted by his mother’s death but redeemed by the father who introduced him to music. This is the first definitive account of Paul’s often troubled partnership with John Lennon, his personal trauma after the Beatles’ breakup, and his subsequent struggle to get back to the top with Wings — which nearly got him murdered in Africa and brought him nine days in a Tokyo jail. Readers will learn about his marriage to Linda, including their much-criticized musical collaboration, and a moving account of her death. Packed with new information and critical insights, Paul McCartney will be the definitive biography of a musical legend.
Discover one of the greatest true crime stories in music history, as only the world’s #1 bestselling author can tell it.
With the Beatles, John Lennon surpasses his youthful dreams, achieving a level of superstardom that defies classification. “We were the best bloody band there was,” he says. “There was nobody to touch us.”
Nobody except the original nowhere man, Mark David Chapman. Chapman once worshipped his idols from afar—but now harbors grudges against those, like Lennon, whom he feels betrayed him. He’s convinced Lennon has misled fans with his message of hope and peace. And Chapman’s not staying away any longer.
By the summer of 1980, Lennon is recording new music for the first time in years, energized and ready for it to be “(Just Like) Starting Over.” He can’t wait to show the world what he will do. Neither can Chapman, who quits his security job and boards a flight to New York, a handgun and bullets stowed in his luggage.
Enriched by exclusive interviews with Lennon’s friends and associates, including Paul McCartney, The Last Days of John Lennon is the thrilling true story of two men who changed history: One whose indelible songs enliven our world to this day—and the other who ended the beautiful music with five pulls of a trigger.
An intimate look inside the Beatles and their relationships with their muses, the eight women who shared the Beatles’ lives from their teens through Beatlemania and to the breakup.
The story of the women behind the Beatles has never been written. From their earliest teens, the boys who became the Beatles clearly loved women, and their choice of women partners reveals peculiarities of temperament and ambition that illuminates the Beatles in a surprising new way. In relaying the lives of the Beatles’ women, With a Love Like That charts unrecorded collaborations and reveals startling autobiographical stories behind the band’s most famous songs. It also unfolds as an eye-opening alternative history of the forces that brought the Beatles together and ultimately tore them apart.
Like the young Beatles themselves, the eight women who embarked on a journey with them that would forever change music knew nothing of where it would lead. Among them was Cynthia Powell, who was an anchor for John, became his first wife, and also had a child with him. Mo Cox was Ringo’s first wife, who would start a family with him and eventually have a long-term affair with George. Iris Caldwell had romances with Paul and George in the Beatles’ early days, and Dot Rhone loved Paul, but was too naive for the rock star lifestyle. Jane Asher was also romanced by Paul, and would become his fiancee, only to break up with him when she learned of his infidelity. Pattie Boyd famously married George Harrison, only to be wooed by Eric Clapton. Then, of course, there were the two relationships that effectively ended the Beatles: John and Yoko Ono, and Paul and Linda Eastman.
Drawing from interviews in which key figures in the Beatles’ story will recount the truth of their private lives for the first time, With a Love Like That will reveal a side of the Beatles we have never seen before.
The story of the women behind the Beatles has never been written. From their earliest teens, the boys who became the Beatles clearly loved women, and their choice of women partners reveals peculiarities of temperament and ambition that illuminates the Beatles in a surprising new way. In relaying the lives of the Beatles’ women, With a Love Like That charts unrecorded collaborations and reveals startling autobiographical stories behind the band’s most famous songs. It also unfolds as an eye-opening alternative history of the forces that brought the Beatles together and ultimately tore them apart.
Like the young Beatles themselves, the eight women who embarked on a journey with them that would forever change music knew nothing of where it would lead. Among them was Cynthia Powell, who was an anchor for John, became his first wife, and also had a child with him. Mo Cox was Ringo’s first wife, who would start a family with him and eventually have a long-term affair with George. Iris Caldwell had romances with Paul and George in the Beatles’ early days, and Dot Rhone loved Paul, but was too naive for the rock star lifestyle. Jane Asher was also romanced by Paul, and would become his fiancee, only to break up with him when she learned of his infidelity. Pattie Boyd famously married George Harrison, only to be wooed by Eric Clapton. Then, of course, there were the two relationships that effectively ended the Beatles: John and Yoko Ono, and Paul and Linda Eastman.
Drawing from interviews in which key figures in the Beatles’ story will recount the truth of their private lives for the first time, With a Love Like That will reveal a side of the Beatles we have never seen before.