Rating: 
Summary: Did it really happen so?
Review: Anyway, the book is really good and very readable but...Firstly I read a lot of articles, interviews about and with The Beatles (John, Paul, George, Ringo, George Martin, Brian Epstein...) and I think that this book painted a too positive picture of the band. It's not worth hiding the bad and unpleasant side of the group, especially during the Hamburg-period and during the world-tours in 65-66. They weren't angels at all and sometimes it is very illuminating to know the negative side of their character, for instance when you would like to understand the lyrics of the songs. This book isn't critical at all and for a great biography it is claimed to be critical and therefore well-balanced. It's worth reading but you have to know that this is a kind of fairy-tale.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved it then; love it now - yeah, yeah, yeah
Review: As a 14 year old Beatle fan I read this book in its original release in 1968. (I think just about everyone in my Catholic girl's school in Queens was reading it). I loved reading about the birth of the Beatles; their days in Liverpool and Hamburg, their early influences, etc. I have always remained a fan and recently reread the book. I loved it just as much the second time around -- it brought me back to a time I loved and I remembered how great it was the grow up in the 60's and the Beatles were a big part of that great decade. My 14 year old daugher (also a Beatles fan) loves it as well. I never expected this reaction - I was suprised that the Beatles still have a huge amount of young fans. Suprised and happy because we certainly have found some common ground. She loved learning about the Beatles and the decade they came to represent. I do think this is the best book on the Beatles to date I (and the only authorized one as far as I know)- although I hear there will soon be an autobiography by Paul, George and Ringo. It's a must read for any Beatles fan!
Rating:
Summary: Loved it then; love it now - yeah, yeah, yeah
Review: As a 14 year old Beatle fan I read this book in its original release in 1968. (I think just about everyone in my Catholic girl's school in Queens was reading it). I loved reading about the birth of the Beatles; their days in Liverpool and Hamburg, their early influences, etc. I have always remained a fan and recently reread the book. I loved it just as much the second time around -- it brought me back to a time I loved and I remembered how great it was the grow up in the 60's and the Beatles were a big part of that great decade. My 14 year old daugher (also a Beatles fan) loves it as well. I never expected this reaction - I was suprised that the Beatles still have a huge amount of young fans. Suprised and happy because we certainly have found some common ground. She loved learning about the Beatles and the decade they came to represent. I do think this is the best book on the Beatles to date I (and the only authorized one as far as I know)- although I hear there will soon be an autobiography by Paul, George and Ringo. It's a must read for any Beatles fan!
Rating: 
Summary: fab book on the Fab Four
Review: I finished reading this book recently and I have to say it is an excellent book. When Hunter Davies first interviewed the Beatles for this book from 1967-1968, it was before all the bickering and fighting started and before Yoko came into the picture. Davies takes an inside look in thier home and family life, the songwriting process, and recording sessions. It also gives a pretty good background on their childhoods and how they all met. Not to mention a lot of great pictures, including some I never seen before. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because it is not a totally definative bio. Lots of things were left out because it upset thier family members. For example, it is not mentioned that Brian Epstein was homosexual because it upset his mother at the time. And some things were left out of John's childhood because it upset his aunt Mimi. Other than that, I reccomend that you read this book. It is smart and thouroughly researched. A must have for all Beatles fans!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Introduction to the Beatles
Review: I was too young to remember much of the Beatles in their heyday, and although I was familiar with a lot of their songs, I did not know a lot about them as individuals. Two things happened towards the end of last year to arouse my interest. The first was the death of George Harrison, with all the media interest it generated. The second was when I asked my niece Imogen (then aged seven) what she wanted for Christmas. "A Beatles CD" came the reply. And this from a little girl whose parents are too young to remember much of the sixties. So much for those who say that the Beatles are only relevant to ageing ex-hippies, not to modern youngsters. I decided to look for a book which gave the full story of the group. this was surprisingly difficult to find in the shops, but I eventually came across Hunter Davies's book on Amazon. This was just what I was looking for. Most biographies of popstars and showbiz celebrities are very lightweight affairs, but Davies's book is solid and workmanlike and full of useful information, despite having first been published in 1968 at the height of the Beatles boom. The sections about the Beatles' early years are excellent. My only criticism is that their later years are not covered in such detail, although there are possibly reasons for this. When the book was first published, Davies may well have thought that the events of 1966-68 (when the Beatles did much of their best work) were too well-known to be retold in great detail. The book also includes a postscript dating from 1985; I would have liked this to have been more detailed, but perhaps the author, who knew the Beatles personally, felt that it was not appropriate to go into detail about the events surrounding the group's break-up in 1969-70. He may also have felt that the details of their post-1970 careers were beyond the scope of his book. All in all, I felt that this was an excellent book which I could recommend to anyone looking like me for an introduction to the Beatles' lives and work.
Rating:
Summary: One of the 1st True Books on the Beatles!
Review: I'm sure there were books about the Beatles written before this, but this book was written with the Beatles (complete with interviews). Hunter Davies includes some of his own opinions in later editions but this is about the Fab 4, their rise, and where they were in 1968 when this book originally came out (John admits to be bored with life as Yoko Ono had not yet been a household name to us and George was already sick of being a Beatle at the time). The later editions have a section about the breakup, what they did individually in the 1970's, the tragedy of John Lennon in 1980 and more recent interviews with Paul, George, and Ringo. You can trust Davies since he got the Beatles' authorization and respected their privacy (he mentions that George Harrison asked that certain things not be printed). As Davies points out, this story is about the rise and not the fall.
Rating:
Summary: Vital source
Review: Thank heaven for Beatle scholarship that this book was written. Competent journalist Hunter Davies spent a year observing the Beatles and interviewing them in their own homes during the heady, fascinating year of 1967. He emerged with a time piece: the Beatles as they were at that time, reflecting on what came before and unaware of what was yet to come. A chapter describing the writing and recording of "With a Little Help From My Friends," "Getting Better," and "Magical Mystery Tour" offers unique and especially valuable glimpses of the Beatles at work. Chapters depicting the home life and personal outlook of each Beatle are also very interesting. I must also say that for an authorised biography, this is remarkably honest. Perceptive readers will be able to detect the whole truth here, and a fine introduction written by the author years later helps fill in any gaps. Apart from being hugely entertaining, this book is a tremendous boon to historians interested in the Beatles.
Rating:
Summary: Vital source
Review: Thank heaven for Beatle scholarship that this book was written. Competent journalist Hunter Davies spent a year observing the Beatles and interviewing them in their own homes during the heady, fascinating year of 1967. He emerged with a time piece: the Beatles as they were at that time, reflecting on what came before and unaware of what was yet to come. A chapter describing the writing and recording of "With a Little Help From My Friends," "Getting Better," and "Magical Mystery Tour" offers unique and especially valuable glimpses of the Beatles at work. Chapters depicting the home life and personal outlook of each Beatle are also very interesting. I must also say that for an authorised biography, this is remarkably honest. Perceptive readers will be able to detect the whole truth here, and a fine introduction written by the author years later helps fill in any gaps. Apart from being hugely entertaining, this book is a tremendous boon to historians interested in the Beatles.
Rating:
Summary: Honest, Interesting Account of the Beatles' Rise to Stardom
Review: The Beatles are undoubtedly the most popular band in world history. Hunter Davies creates a thorough, honest biography of the four famous members and their rise to stardom. Because this book was written in 1967, Davies gets an insight into the Beatles' lives before they began fighting. Davies writes an honest account of the Beatles' lives, chronicling their lives from birth, but the reader can sense that some facts have been omitted, perhaps to save the dignity of the Beatles' family members. However, Davies gives enough information for readers to fill in the blanks. The book contains loads of interesting facts, pictures, and Beatles memorabilia. All things considered, The Beatles is a great book for any Beatles enthusiast or rock music fan.
Rating:
Summary: The Beatles as we loved them
Review: This is a fabulous evocation of the fab four's rise to greatness, written with just the right amount of reverence and objectivity. Davies manages to ellicit some great anecdotes from people who were closest to The Beatles. Mimi, Paul's dad, the Harrisons, close friends, Fred Lennon (John's dad), Pete Best; they all get to have their say. The book is especially strong during the Hamburg years (loosely 59-62). Davies captures the growth in their popularity, attracting interesting characters along the way, yet having no fan base outside Liverpool and Hamburg. He demonstrates so vividly the growing desperation of the boys to make it big. Once the rollercoaster took off then the book is on trickier ground. Davies clearly wants to divulge stuff which The Beatles were not keen on him revealing (Davies was writing the book during 1967/early 68). For instance, Lennon was heavily into drugs at this time and Hunter Davies refers to John as being in a daze. Yes, you have to read between the lines! One of the strengths of this book is its matter-of-fact delivery. Although Davies is clearly a fan he still keeps his feet on the ground. The death of Brian Epstein is well-handled. Remember, this was written before all the Klein, Apple, Ono nonsense hit the fan. Yet Davies manages to convey a growing sense of isolation amongst the group. His pen-portraits of each member is uncannily (eerily) accurate, bearing in mind the general public thought The Beatles were a rock-solid national institution. The book is a cracker and loses a star of its rating only because of a rather mysterious lack of detail around Rubber Soul and Revolver. The rest is gear!
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