Blackbird: The Life and Times of Paul McCartney

Rating:
Summary: Not so hot
Review: This book does try to show the different sides of a complex man, and it is the only one I know that deals heavily with McCartney's Wings years. The interview with Denny Laine is also of interest. Unfortunately, Guiliano is a self-promoting writer whose sketchy narrative is mostly quotations, and what little coherent prose there is of his is borrowed from his own other books. The Beatles are barely covered, and there's too much silly gossip. The author's penchant for passing judgement on any given event is also annoying.

Rating:
Summary: Research Schmesearch
Review: This book is frighteningly full of factual errors. Example: the author actually prints one of his erroneous statements directly under the one photograph that provides evidence to prove the statement wrong. The parade of factual errors which are easy to disprove is mind-boggling. That combined with the writing style of a seventh-grader makes this one pathetic piece of work.

Rating:
Summary: Research Schmesearch
Review: This book is frighteningly full of factual errors. Example: the author actually prints one of his erroneous statements directly under the one photograph that provides evidence to prove the statement wrong. The parade of factual errors which are easy to disprove is mind-boggling. That combined with the writing style of a seventh-grader makes this one pathetic piece of work.

Rating:
Summary: BAD
Review: This is a bad book, bad-hearted, badly written, and very, very badly reseached. The valuable works on McCartney are Barry Miles' "Many Years from Now", the Mark Lewishon chronicles, Hunter Davies' "The Beatles", Derek Taylor's marvellously even-handed "As Time Goes By", George Martin's two memoirs, Michael Braun's "Love Me Do" and Jim McDonnell's exquisite "The Day John Met Paul" (which is strangely reminiscent of Laurie Lee's classic "Cider With Rosie"!) - all of which actually qualify as "books". Serious musicologists will read Ian Macdonald's sublime "Revolution in the Head".