The Beatles Anthology

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Summary: The Most Comprehensive Beatles Book Ever
Review: Ever since they broke up 33 years ago, The Beatles' career has been dragged through the mud thanks to the deaths of Harrison and Lennon, wannabe/rip - offs like Oasis, and through film with the fictional VH1 schlock "Two Of Us". But "The Beatles Anthology" is undoubtedly the most comprehensive Beatles book ever written.

This is the first book especially comprised of updated commentary with the two surviving Beatles, the late but never forgotton Harrison and Lennon, and such Beatles associates like Sir George Martin and Derek Taylor. Accompanying these insightful, often funny, often poignant interviews are copies of important letters written by The Beatles and record company dittoes and tons of beautiful pictures that perfectly capsulize the different stages of the Beach Boys' career.

This book is probably the definitive Beatles book. However, if you have back problems, are pregnant or have arthritis but you want to own this heavy book, I reccommend the paperback edition.

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Summary: Like chatting with them: precious!
Review: Having being born after The Beatles broke up my discovery of the band's work occurred progressively in my high school years, as I got exposed to the bulk of their work and exploded when I got to College and first listened to the last leg of their recordings (after Sgt. Pepper). This alone would suffice for anyone to have enough respect for their music, however the Anthology book opened up a whole new dimension that was unfamiliar to me.

Going chronologically from their beginnings, the book is structured year by year, intercalating comments by each of them (George Martin, the fifth Beatle included, as well as several other people involved with them), flowing in a way that feels as if you were sitting with them in your living room, sipping a cup of tea (or coffee, if you prefer) while listening to the fab four talk about their lives while they were together. This effect is so impeccable that it's what I love most about the book.

Now, that's obviously not all. The 368 pages of the book (yes, it has 368, and the last one is a very Lennon-like "handwritten" statement saying "By hook or by crook I'll be last in this book -John Lennon") are beautifully packaged along with tons of pictures, copies of letters, posters, etc. that complement magnificently the already outstanding document that the "chat" between them represents.

Three years after its release it remains an awesome gift and an endless source of information. I am sure it will remain that way for a very long time.

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Summary: FAB AND GEAR BEYOND ALL AND ANYTHING BEATLES
Review: I was recently hospitalized for almost 3 weeks and dreading the impending boredom, I brought the Anthology with me. I admit I've had it since the day it was released and only scanned the photo's. Well needless to say, I read that book every day and was completely blown away. My life has been the Beatles for the past 35 years and this was the freshest Beatle experience I have ever had. The fabs have been reborn unto me and I can only say you will have the best Beatles experience in your life. (Unless of course you've seen them live)

Rating:
Summary: ....Of course I love this book....
Review: I actually sat down and read this book word for word (I've been somewhat idle this summer). Reading this book has rekindled my deep admiration of the Beatles. I like the way it sounds like an interview. I don't have problems following it. The pictures are good. It's worthwhile. I missed out on the "Paul is dead" stuff. There is a page about the subject, and that's it. Oh well. Good reading on heavy material. (That's a joke).

"By hook or by crook I'll be the last in this look on me book"
-John Lennon

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Summary: The Beatles Together Once Again
Review: The Beatles Anthology is a great book that has inspired me to learn even more about The Beatles. It follows the life of John, Paul, George, and Ringo from the start of The Beatles, to the breaking up. You experience everything The Beatles have experienced within this book. With many sad moments that show the breaking up, to the funny parts that make you laugh out loud, this book shows you what The Beatles went through together. Somehow I was much more drawn to reading about their life in their own words then to read about them in someone else's point of view. I'm glad George got to participate in the writing of this book before passing away. It is a great book and deserves five stars

Rating:
Summary: MUST OWN. This is an incredible asset to any Beatles Fans.
Review: There will be a day when every hotel room and house in the world has this book. Maybe. Hopefully. But it is just so amazing to flip through the world of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and to see what really went on.
This is so awsome...keeps me busy when I'm bored, and at other times. Must own.

Rating:
Summary: real beatles material
Review: this is a big book beautifully designed with a lot of photos that the beatles probably took themselves of eachother.
the photo editing is excellent and the text is brilliant. this is a very heavy book so its not a carry-on-the-subway or plane type of read. a much more deliberate stay at home and examine peice of work.

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Summary: This book should be in your collection
Review: Hi I'm 13 years old named Steve S. SJS. When I first got my copy of this book was for christmas, I immeditly read it day after day never put it down. In this book it is all told by the Beatles them selves, they talk about diffrent topics althroughout the book. This was one of my favorites labeled America, and if you know what type of impact the Beatles had on Americas music on Febuary 9,1964 when they appread on the Ed Sullivan show. In that section they talk about their apperance on the show and also some pictures that were taken in Central Park. But there are more ecsiting topics but this book also shows rare pictures taken inside the Bealtes studio's and the making of Abbey Road which shows atleast 6 pictures of mess ups of them walking across the street.
Well I hope you will have more fun reading this book then I did.

Here are some other fun beatles movies or Cds. Beatles Anthology the dvd. A Hard Days Night dvd. Abbey Road cd. Beatles 1 cd. Imagine John Lennon the dvd (movie was printed in 1988)

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Summary: I thought the only lonely place was on the moon
Review: As of last year, I've been a Beatles fan for more than half of my life. I got into the Beatles in a big way when I was 14, and just recently turned thirty. In the early days, 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' was my favorite song of all time and George was easily my favorite Beatle. Over the years, my appreciation for all of the Beatles, as a group and as individuals, grew enormously. Today, I'd say Paul is my favorite Beatle, if I had to pick one, with George following close behind. I have all of the music the four of them made, as a group, and as solo performers, and it's been a regular part of my life now for sixteen years.

John, Paul, George, and Ringo have had a tremendous influence on my life, musically, and otherwise, so it was quite a privilege and a revelation to be able to read their own story in their own words. I thought I knew just about everything there was to know about the Beatles. I'd read many biographies, watched the movies, the documentaries, and the Anthology series, made a pilgrimage to Liverpool and pretty much soaked up any and all Beatles trivia I could, but I was surprised by how much I learned reading the full document of their own words.

As someone who really likes both Paul and George, I found some of the passages in the ANTHOLOGY difficult to read. What I really saw more clearly in the book than in the videos was the schism between Paul and George & John that developed fairly early on and certainly contributed to their breakup.

Repeatedly George mentions the 'dental' incident in which he and John were slipped some LSD at a party by a mod London dentist in the mid sixties. Paul wasn't there to share the experience, and refused to try LSD for several more years, despite John and George's insistence that it would open up his mind.

Whether or not this was a big deal at the time, it's clear from George's reminiscences that it became one later for him. He often speaks in the ANTHOLOGY about how he felt much closer to John from that moment on, and you can really see how early the seeds for the 'Paul vs. the rest of the band' dynamic that later intensified into the Allen Klein/GET BACK/Phil Spector snowball were planted.

THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY is a must read for anyone who cares to know a little more about the lives of the four men responsible for all that wonderful music. It's not always an easy read, but along with the arguments and disagreements, the pages also reveal plenty of laughter, great memories and touching insight. And, as Paul sang at the end of ABBEY ROAD, all of that stuff probably balances out in the end anyway.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely perfect...
Review: This is the ultimate book for any Beatles fan , hardcore or casual. This is no sleazy celebrity biography, full of gossip and innuendo - simply pure Beatles magic with tons and tons of behind-the-scenes photos. By far the best book about the Beatles on the market. Enjoy!