With the Beatles

Rating:
Summary: Many great stories
Review: Alistair Taylor was Brian Epstein's personal assistant and the "Mr. Fix-it" to the Beatles in the sixties. In this long overdue memoir, Mr. Taylor takes us briskly through the Beatles story firsthand, from Taylor's accompanying Epstein to see the Beatles for the first time at the Cavern, to his final ignominious sacking at the hands of Allen Klein. Anyone who has an interest in picking this book up will probably already have a pretty good understanding of the Beatles' history, so it won't matter that the book is cursory in describing the chronological details of that story. Instead, this book is best read for its many anecdotes, which give us insight into the personalities involved, especially Brian, John, and Paul. Taylor himself comes off as a likeable, loyal fellow and while he is honest, he does not dish nasty dirt the way Peter Brown did in his book "The Love You Make." Taylor also takes time to clear up certain myths, among them the idea that there ever was a "Raymond Jones" who came looking for the Beatles' German single "My Bonnie" at Brian Epstein's shop. (Taylor made the name up when he placed the order himself.)Taylor also cannot hide his disappointment with the Beatles, whom he served so loyally, when they did nothing to prevent his firing in the end. (Indeed, they don't even mention Taylor in "the Beatles Anthology," though they do reprint the famous photo ad he appeared in for Apple records.)
So, while this book is rather a jumpy hodge-podge of anecdotes, it will give you a new admiration for Brian Epstein, an appreciation of the mirthful madness of working with the Beatles, and some understanding of why they inspired such loyalty in the first place. Recommended for fans.

Rating:
Summary: The Beatles from the Inside
Review: Just when you thought you had read everything there was to know about the Beatles, another book comes along! But this one is unlike the others in that it is told from a different angle. Alistair Taylor was in a unique position and this book shows it. I am glad to add it to my collection of books about the Beatles.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, something new about the fab four!!!!
Review: You'll learn stuff about the Beatles and those around them that you won't see anywhere else! Some good, some not so good, some bad. Eye-opening and a great read!!!