Rating:  Summary: The Best Book Review: I've read a lot of Beatle books and a few of them are really bad. Especially solo bios. Rumours were suddenly turned into fact and it was just unbelievable. They made me feel dirty like I couldn't wash my hands clean. I couldn't fix the lies and I was furious that people probably believed them!! I received a Beatlefest catalogue in the mail and I saw this book. The summary said "authorized" and all that. So I thought, I'd better get it; it was brand-new and up-to-date. I saved my summer money to buy it, bought the first edition (not easy either for someone who's always broke) and settled down to read it, praying that I had not bought another trashy Beatle book. Thank God, I didn't. This book is so wonderful in the way that it lets Paul speak and say what he thinks and lets others who were there talk too. The facts were given in a very wonderful manner; this was NOT like reading a textbook bio. I enjoyed every word. It's a book I'll definitely read over and over; it's so great I'll never get tired of it. Barry Miles has style--he knows how to write. He paints a truthful and accurate picture of Paul and does not seem biased against any of the other Beatles, which a lot of writers are. Miles obviously has a great respect and love for Paul; it shows. What better way to spend a few bucks? BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S THE BEST YOU'LL EVER READ!!!!!!!!!
Rating:  Summary: McCartney Exposed Review: This year Santa left me the John Lennon Anthology box and this book. Many Years From Now I'm sure I'll still be playing the CD's but hopefully I'll have forgotten all about the time I wasted on this smug, humorless and self satisfied piece of drivel. Dame Paul obviously chose Miles to "ghost" the book because he knew that he'd not be challenged on any of his rather ridiculous claims and Miles does nothing to analyze any of Paul's statements. Does anybody know if Geroge Martin has commented on or reviwed this bbok? I'd love to know what he has to say. Now, having revealed that he invented MTV, avant-garde music and every other major art form of the 20th century, what is left to be revealed in the inevitable 2nd volume?
Rating:  Summary: Sort of "McCartney Remembers" Review: Paul tends to be charming and superficial in interviews, so I was amazed by how candid and intimate he is in this book. Not unlike John in his landmark "Lennon Remembers" Rolling Stone interviews. There are annoying typos in the hardcover version which I hope were corrected when it went pb, but beyond that I really recommend this book to any Beatle fan.
Rating:  Summary: wonderful insights to the original ideas behind the music Review: This book is chalk full of details, clarifications, and memories of the Beatles, their music and realationships, from McCartney himself. The only weaknesses in the book, are minor ones. The author assumes the readers know every bit player and their relationship to the Beatles, when in fact, the readers may not know. This was especially evident in the Indigo Gallery Chapter. Although the book is great read, and McCartney's insights and history are extrordinary, the author also tends in parts, to lean towards obsequiousness and celebrity pandering which I found unnecessory. These rather minor flaws however, should not stop you from buying this most worthwhile and enjoyable book.
Rating:  Summary: Paul's side of the story Review: This is Paul's side of the Beatles story, and not surprisingly he comes out looking good. But then, we must give him his due, which many rock critics have seemed unwilling to do in light of Lennon's premature death. Paul was a musical powerhouse, a studio genius, an eminently popular yet complicated artist, a cultural sponge, an ideas man, a major mover and shaker of the Beatles and the sixties. It is interesting to read of his life with the Ashers, previously rather shadowy, and of his early days with Linda. It would be interesting to hear his take on life in the seventies in more detail, particularly his relatinship with Denny Laine.
Rating:  Summary: Honest and well written. Review: I found the book fascinating and enjoyed its' honesty. It was very interesting to read the where, how and when of all the songs that I have enjoyed over the years. I also found it interesting and fascinating to read how the contributions of people close to Sir McCartney helped to develope his immense talent. It was a plus that the words were from Sir McCartney himself. The history and facts that were included by Barry Miles made the story even more captivating. Barry Miles is to be commended.
Rating:  Summary: "A great for McCartney lovers" Review: This book is great for all Beatles and Paul McCartney fans. Paul's quotes and words about what the songs are really about are terrific. The story rarely gets boring as it tells almost everything about Paul's life, from losing his mother and meeting John, to playing in Hamburg, to the fame of the Beatles and finally to the present time and all that fits in between. One trouble I found with the book is how ready Barry Miles is to put down John as a doped up, lazy junkie...very far from the truth. He also finds ways to put Paul on an altar and condemn nearly EVERYTHING John has done. This is not true at all of Paul's words which are quoted as he rarely has anything bad to say about John, which is reassuring. Finally, another fault I found with the book is how Paul seems to be a glutton for credit of nearly every great Lennon-McCartney song...he gives himself much of the credit of the great songs of John's and claims he could almost never write a "middle-eight". Most disturbing of these claims is his taking 40% of the writing credit for "Norwegian Wood", says he wrote the entire musical part of "In My Life", and he takes a lot of credit for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". However, he is not as ready to share the credit with many of his songs. But all in all I would recommend this book for Beatle fans as it gives an inside view of how things began and tells a story behind most of the songs made and then gives good details surrounding the break-up and justifies his actions when suing the other Beatles.
Rating:  Summary: One of the best books I've ever read!!! BUY IT NOW!!! Review: This book gave me the sense of traveling through Sir McCartney's life from the time he was a young teenager up to his Knighting in 1997. He seemed to give an honest assessment of all the things whirling around him during his legendary life and did not sugar coat the bad stuff. As a McCartney/Beatle fan, I throughly enjoyed this book. It was almost sad when I had read the last page........
Rating:  Summary: I loved the book, Paul's interviews kept me laughing. Review: The book was great. Some of the things Paul said were so funny. Then, there were the sad parts, like when he talks about John. I had many laughs, tears, and shear smiles all throughout the book.
Rating:  Summary: Intimate...I thoroughly enjoyed it. Review: I really liked the the book because for the first time I got a glimpse of the inner PM. However, the book lacked details of Paul's Wings years, his Michael Jackson fiasco(where MJ screwed him out of his songs), and his Tokyo jail saga. Even so, the book's a worthy read, especially for those who labour under the illusion that paul didn't love john and value that friendship--this really comes across in the book, as does his love for his family.
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