Ticket to Ride

Rating:
Summary: Dateline meets the Beatles
Review: Kane had a wonderful opportunity when he traveled with the Beatles during those early tours. This book certainly gives some interesting highlights of how hectic those days were, but the style of his writing diminishes the work to the level of a Stone Phillips report on NBC. There's way too much foreshadowing, giving it the feel of "When we get back from this commercial, you'll hear how the one of the Beatles made an anti-semitic remark..."

Yes, as one reviewer put it, you'll see how the boys were actually nice, regular people, but Kane writes with an ineptitude typical of our televised society. Or else he doesn't have the story he thinks. And yes, the enclosed cd consists largely of John, Paul, George, and Ringo saying, "Hello, Larry."

Some interesting tidbits for a Beatle afficionado, but overall, a disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: Unreliable Eyewitness
Review: Larry has a fascinating story to tell, but it is told from memory with minimal fact-checking. Things he claims to be fact are just plain wrong. At least two times in the book, he describes a Beatle (first Ringo, later on George) reading a "Green Hornet" comic book. Sorry, but that is impossible, there was no "Green Hornet" comic being published in 1964. They must have been reading a "Green Lantern" comic, which was published at the time.

Later, Larry says that actress Peggy Lipton was among the celebrity visitors to the Beatles' hotel in 1964. She may have had a few acting credits in 1963-64 but she was totally unknown until 1968 when she got her starring role in "The Mod Squad."

Then, after a few pages describing pseudo-psychic Jeanne Dixon's prediction that the Beatles' plane would crash, Larry states that Jeanne Dixon later found fame as Nancy Reagan's White House astrologer. Again he is absolutely wrong. He is confusing Jeanne Dixon with Joan Quigley, who had her 15 minutes of fame riding the Reagans' coattails.

Since the author is so obviously WRONG about so many details, he just can't be relied on to get his other facts straight either. He is relying on his memory only and after 40 years, he is not remembering the details.

Rating:
Summary: Dodging Jelly Beans and Cans of Fruit Salad
Review: Larry Kane was 21 when he accompanied the Beatles on their first and second American tours. What is striking about Kane and the Beatles is how mature they seem (for the most part) in the face of unprecedentedly frantic, and sometimes terrifying, whirlwind tours. Sometimes it is startling to think just how young they were -- at one point Kane mentions that George was concerned about his pimples.

The fans were often hysterical, and there were thousands of them. They climbed on top of cars the Beatles were to travel in, collapsing the roofs. They threw jelly beans, filet mignons, and cans of fruit salad at the Beatles while they were performing. They stalked them and hid out in their rooms. It must have been frightening. But the Beatles maintained a good humor and seemed to be enjoying themselves, according to Kane.

This is a fun book, with the occasional unexpected tidbit to keep things interesting. For instance, John Lennon and Jayne Mansfield were a hot item in Hollywood when the Beatles played there. Kane seems to be genuinely fond of the Beatles, except perhaps for Paul, who is painted as a bit standoffish and calculating in this book.

Minor drawbacks to Ticket to Ride are that there is no index, and the CD is almost unnecessary. Kane has included all the transcripts of the "interviews" (snippets, really), and the CD has so much explanation from Kane, that in 60 minutes of recording, there may be about 10 minutes of actual Beatles, and much of that consists of gems as "Hey, Larry, how ya' doin'." And Kane makes rather a big deal of Brian Epstein making a pass at him. He hints at it throughout the book, and when he finally tells the whole story near the end, it consists of an invitation which Kane declines, Epstein is disappointed, but doesn't take it any further.

Ticket to Ride is well worth an afternoon, perhaps while listening to your old Help! album.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting material, but...
Review: Like many Beatles fans, I was extremely interested in this book, and eager to read it. But when I did read it, I found several things disconcerting. I found nothing wrong with his writing style, but I was irritated at Larry's redundancy. Too often, he had to stop and explain the state America was in after JFK's assassination. Our memories aren't that bad, Larry; you don't have to remind us more than once. Another painful detail was that Larry came across as biased. He said himself that his favorite Beatle was John, and so he constantly places John on the pedestal, fawning over him and throwing nothing but praise upon him. Now, don't get me wrong, I love and adore John. But when one wants to know about ALL of the Beatles on this tour, one may get fed up. Larry almost completely ignores Paul in this book, mentioning him here and there, almost as if he had never included Paul in the first draft, and had to go back and place a reference in. The interviews printed in the book don't always seem to be the best of the crop.

However, for all its faults, the book still manages to come across as good. Larry described numerous events that made me laugh and smile. I had never heard of many of these events. Perhaps the most appealing part of Ticket To Ride is that it is focused on one period of time. Most Beatle biographies only summarize the '64 and '65 tours, then press on to the next chapter. This book is a refreshing in-depth tour of both of those concert-filled years. Larry only occasionally mentions the Beatles in their later years until the end of the book. He was very focused.

Ticket To Ride is not necessary to any collection, but it would be a nice addition. Fans who were the original Beatlemaniacs may find this book to be a wonderful glimpse into the past.

I enjoyed the book very much, but some things kept me from giving it a five-star rating. I would give it a three-and-a-half star rating, but since I cannot, I'll bump it up to four stars.

Rating:
Summary: Ticket to Ride Review
Review: The book is an easy read but the journalistic integrity is questionable. At age 21 one tends to embellish and throw in more than a modicum of fantasy into one's stories. Sometimes memories are created or adjusted to be what we want them to be. This is human nature and is inescapable. I feel Mr. Kane fell victim to his own human nature on more than one occasion in his tome.

Rating:
Summary: Larry Kane had a ticket, but missed the boat
Review: The events recounted here might well have provided the journalistic mother lode for the writer lucky enough to live through them. Viewed through a 40-year lens, the story of the Beatles' raucous mid-'60s tours might have taught us a lot about the band as individuals and as a group; about the development and performance of their early music; about the era's incredibly rudimentary state of road-show management and technology; about the quaintly naïve interplay between musicians and fans; about the birth of the cultural revolution in which the Beatles played such a significant role; and about the nascent movement's early exposure to sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. It seems a writer would really have to work at it to take a story this potentially rich and render it completely unenlightening and unsatsifying.
Well, meet the hard-working Larry Kane. With "Ticket to Ride," he did it. It's difficult to see in hindsight how a grown man, a contemporary of the band, and a professional journalist into the bargain, could possibly have learned so little from his presence on the tours, to say nothing of the intervening four decades. His naivete permeates the book to the point that the reader wonders if he wrote it when he was 22, immediately after the 1964 and '65 Beatle tours on which was a traveling reporter, then inexplicably stashed the pages for all these years.
Examples of Kane's feeble storytelling abound, but retelling them is not worth the effort it would take. Neither, frankly, is reading the book. Suffice it to say that a man who knows nothing about music or the music business should not try to write a book about music, nor should a guy who can't figure out why a young woman might want access to Paul McCartney's hotel room try to tell the story of a rock band on tour. Beyond being unbelievable, it's just plain embarrassing.
It's too bad that such a juicy topic didn't rate a better book, but that's the way it goes. Maybe somebody else was on those tours, somebody with a clue, and will yet deliver a satisfying book about them. I sure hope so. Because not even the presence of the Beatles can save "Ticket to Ride" from consignment to the Things Not to Do list, and that's a real shame.

Rating:
Summary: A cut above the rest
Review: There are some reviewers who missed the main point of Kane's book: The things that happened on the 1964 tour never happened before on the scale that it did - the beyond insane antics of obsessed fans, the hysteria, the mayhem. People here are comparing the stories they've heard over the years of the antics of pop stars to this and what happened then pales in comparison to what goes on today. People have to remember that Kane grew up in the 1950's and what was going on in the early-to-mid 1960's was never seen before (and hasn't been seen since). It was like living in another world and time period.

This all happened in 1964 at a time when people held way more conservative views and the slightest bit of impropriety would have destroyed an act and blackballed them from show business. Singing acts, solo artists and groups, also avoided the taboo subject of politics, especially the undeclared war in Viet Nam.

Larry Kane did a very good job of taking you backstage to the then-longest tour in rock history and bringing you front row and center and explaining the mindset of the obsessed Beatles fan - the women who felt that their favorite Beatle was singing to only them and the men who felt they were related to one of them and were entitled to be in their presence.

This book is a cut above the rest because Kane was actually there and had almost unlimited access to the boys (unlike others, whose books are basically compilations of everything they've ever read about the boys).

Rating:
Summary: A great view of the birth of Beatles fandom
Review: This book shines with Kane's anecdotes about events at -- and surrounding -- these early concerts. At most of the stops on the tour he recalls captivating tales of crazed fans, hasty and creative escapes by the Beatles, and the ways the band spent their time inbetween shows.

Kane can be redundant at times, especially in the early parts of the book and with some of the descriptions of the other people traveling with him on the tour. In fact, I found the whole middle section of the book that describes his traveling press/management companions as a distraction. However, he gets back on track again at the end when he details his encounters on the 1965 tour.

This is a fun and interesting book to read that will delight any level of Beatles fan. The CD is also fun to listen to, but doesn't have track numbers. So, if you lose your place, you have to fast-forward to the spot you last listened to.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This exuberant tale reads more like an adventure story than the factual record of the beatle's 1964 tour . It also serves as a sharply focused two way mirror for readers like me: The book offers a nostalgic, but crisp, retro-view of the people we were as the fab four was conquering America in 1964. It also provides a high buff insight into the enduring influences the Beatle's have had on us all, right up to today. I appreciate that this book is a journalist's diary .The author, reporter Larry Kane ,was there. There's no pop culture psycho-babble . There's no gossipy speculation.Just the real story, from front row seats at the concerts, to the cabin of the Electra that flew them cross-country, to behind closed doors at the post show parties. It's also a coming of age story for the members of group , who changed our music and (perhaps, unintentionally)led the sixties social revolution that caused all to choose sides or shut-up. In a parallel path, we see how the straight-laced, almost nerdish, 19 year old reporter covering them begins to find himself in the face of the beatle's decadent lifestyle. I had forgotten the obsessed, wacked out female fans, the overburdened cops who tried to keep them off the stage, and the parents who just wanted us to keep down the noise so they could hear their Patty Page records. The book traces the origins of the beatle's concern about the Viet Nam war and their burgeoning political activism. the final chapters bring us forward, closing the loop of time for the fab four and the author, who has had quite a career in television news. The book has everything we learned about in the sixties. SEX. DRUGS. ROCK AND ROLL.

Rating:
Summary: I Read the News Today, Oh, Boy...
Review: This is a sterling, high caliber first rate work.

Larry Kane, a veteran news reporter/broadcast journalist shares anecdotes of his year traveling with the Beatles. He covers the concerts from 1964 and 1965 and gives in-depth analyses of each individual Beatle. Kane's voice, the voice of a newsman rings pure and clear; he not only provides an objective reporting style, but he effectively includes his subjective feelings regarding the events and people he has covered.

This book contains material that is new even to inveterate Beatle fans; this book is a treasure trove of historical information. Kane covers incidents as seemingly humorous as George Harrison aiming his drink at an intrusive reporter to events as serious as the safety and personal observations of each Beatle.

Kane's writing style is very inclusive; in covering the issues and events, he skillfully draws his readers in so that one feels a part of what is taking place in the narratives. He is also quite adept at portraying the individuality of each person mentioned in the book. I like the way he has interviewed fans and included their input as well as updates on them. I was also delighted that Kane included a list of Beatles' concerts, dates and places during 1964 - 1965.

I have had the pleasure of hearing Larry Kane speak several times; he has a real gift and a real flair as a raconteur and this book is proof positive of that. A CD of interviews comes with the book and it is a bonus treat.

This is such a worthwhile book. I can't recommend it highly enough.