A Day in the Life : The Music and Artistry of the Beatles

Rating:
Summary: the BEST book on the beatles I've seen
Review: Very informative, full of facts and ONLY facts. Who they were, what they did, where they were..... everything you ever wanted to know................ .............almost

Rating:
Summary: too flowery...
Review: While a big Beatles fan myself, I found this book to be too flowery, overly gushing with fan/hero-worship. A more objective and critical work of the Beatles' music can be found in Ian MacDonald's "Revolution in the Head, the Beatles' Records and the Sixties".

Rating:
Summary: Repetitive, shallow valentine with a few insights
Review: Why would Hertsgaard title this book "A Day in the Life" and then dismiss the song by that name in a vague paragraph? That's one of the many inconsistencies in a book that is afraid to say anything critical about the Beatles, to the point of sacrificing reader interest. While he does effectively detail the chronology of the Beatles' success, he does not offer any new or original insights into the group itself. As he recounts the studio chatter from a recording session, Hertsgaard sounds like a wallflower guest at a party, eavesdropping on the popular guests and then winkingly recounting the talk as if he were "one of the boys". Transparent and disappointing, "A Day in the Life" reads like the fan club newsletter, edited and approved by Paul himself.