Beatlesongs

by William J. Dowlding

Book Overview

A complete and fascinating chronicle of Beatles music and history, Beatlesongs details the growth, evolution, and dissolution of the most influential group of out time.
Drawing together information from sources that include interviews, insider accounts, magazines, and news wire services, this is a complete profile of every Beatles song ever written -- from recording details such as who played which instruments and sang what harmonies to how each song fared on the charts and how other musicians and critics felt about it. Chronologically arranged by U.K. release date, Beatlesongs nails down dates, places, participants, and other intriguing facts in a truly remarkable portrait of the Liverpudlian legends.
Behind each song is a story -- like Paul's criticism of George's guitar playing during the Rubber Soul sessions, John's acid trip during the Sgt. Pepper's session, and the selection process for the Revolver album cover. And carefully examined along the way are the Beatles' evolving musical talents, their stormy private lives, and their successful -- and unsuccessful -- collaborations.
Beatlesongs is truly an inside look at the Fab Four and a treasure for all their fans.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671682296
• ISBN13: 9780671682293
• Release Date: October 1989
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A Closer Look at the Songs

I realize I am in the minority, but I hated the Beatles Anthology Cd sets. The little music on the cd's was not worth the price. In contrast, this book is worth every penny for Beatles fans as it gives the reader a new look at the songs.Dowlding takes a look at each Beatle song in this book and explains the authorship, meaning of the song, where it was recorded, quotes about the songs, as well as other miscellaneous information. I picked this book up several times at a book store. After reading through the book so many times in the store, I had to purchase and read the whole book. I was not disappointed. While the book is not written in s story format, it is an easy read. You can skip around to your favorite Beatles songs and not miss a thing. I suggest reading the story behind "Octopus's Garden". It is a very interesting story as are many of the other stories.

This is the second best Beatles book ever written

If not for the "Anthology," this book would be the best Beatles book ever written. However, the "Anthology," bumps this book down to No. 2. No shame, of course, to be author of one of the best books ever written by THE best musical group of the twentieth century! This book has everything you'd want to know about each individual song. It has every single instrument or vocal and who performed it. It includes not only the dates each song was recorded but, (for most songs), what was recorded on each date. It includes the real authorship of each song. For example, it will say under "Can't Buy Me Love,":"McCartney (.9) and Lennon (.1), meaning McCartney wrote 90% of the song, and Lennon 10%. The book includes information about each single and album, how it did on the charts, and roughly how many copies were sold. There are quotes by the Beatles and other musicians and people about songs. This is definitely one of the best Beatles book ever written. To quote the author in his introduction, "This is the book I always wanted to find in a bookstore." If you want to know the details about each Beatles song, this is the book for you.

VERY informative and objective; right on the money

Beatlesongs is THE book for the stories behind the songs by one of the best musical groups of all time. It gives all the facts (who wrote the song, when it was recorded, etc.)as well as critical views of the songs (comments from Beatles and others). This book also shows discrepancies in the facts behind the music. Arranged in a well-organized format, it is the ideal Beatle reference book. It has settled many disputes about the music for me personally. All in all, this is a wonderful book. It is well researched, and anyone would be hard pressed to prove any of the information presented therein wrong. I consider it a must-have for any true Beatle fan.

An excellent companion book

An excellent companion book. I find myself constantly referring to when I listen to Beatle songs. The information on who played what, who wrote what is all there. The only disappointment is that I'd like to have had more beatle quotes. Some excellent songs have no quotes at all. Quotes from others are interesting also.

Absolutely indispensible

This is by far the most important book for any Beatlemaniac to own--from the burgeoning fan to the certified nut. Be it the album, the song, or informative quotes, this book has all the info you need. Excellent. My own copy is battered and worn from years of use.