The Beatles Anthology :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Just Buy It! Like, now!

2008-09-28
If there was one book about the Beatles that you should be stranded on a desert island with, it would be this one. It is made up entirely of interviews, most of which are both new and not featured in the Anthology film. All the great personalities within the Beatles shine through.

Ok, I'm going on out a limb, here, assuming that you haven't already gotten this book. It probably is a bit of stretch, seeing as everybody and his brother owns this mother, but I couldn't allow myself to continue living unless I included it here. You MIGHT not own a copy of this, for one of the following very legitimate reasons:

1. You live in some kind of cave that does not get delivery service,
2. You have chronic back pain and were afraid to pick up a book this heavy,
3. You were too busy pleasuring your super-model girlfriend,
4. You figured since you saw the Anthology video there was no need.

Actually, only the first 3 reasons are any good. The fourth one, as I will explain, is not.

The Anthology book is not just a retelling of what you saw in the video. It is a complimentary piece that explores in-depth those issues the video did not have time for. Best of all, they didn't just hire some slob to re-tell the Beatles story. Instead, they mined about a million hours of interviews and conducted a million hours more to create a book that is so densely packed with information they have to kill 23 squid to get the ink they need to print each glorious copy. *

Frankly, this is the Beatles story as told by the Beatles themselves in their own Beatle words. On top of that, being an official Apple product, this book layers endless glossy pictures across the pages. Text and images merge and become something new.

This book is huge, heavy, and awe-inspiring. If you don't have it, and you care anything about the Beatles, drop what you are doing and get yourself a copy.

*no squids were harmed during the writing of this review.

Great Compilation

2008-05-19
One of the best since Peter Brown's "The love you make",but has a lot of detail about the fab four as to their musical career and experiences in show business. I would read it again if i could. Good investment.

The best book ever about the fab 4

2008-05-05
No other book tells the beatles story like this, awesome pictures and comments by the fb4 as well as people that worked with them

Anthology plusses and minuses

2008-04-07
I am 56 and so just caught the end of the Beatles era. I enjoy their music, but would not label myself as a Beatles "fan". What I liked most about this book was discovering what happened in fact that I was only vaguely aware of at the time.

One strength of the book is the illustrations. Many of these would not be considered worthwhile to include in a biography, but they can stir interest, such as seeing portions of contracts for their performances did for me. Another strength is hearing the story directly from the band members. (John's "contributions" were taken from interviews he gave prior to his death.) They do debunk some silly rumors that have persisted about the band. I also enjoyed hearing the circumstances that prompted the writing of many of the songs they recorded.

One negative is that, being an anthology, you get the various opinions on what occurred at key points in time. These can be repetitive and even contradictory among the different band members. So, you do not get the persistence and continuity of having one point of view from the author. The book follows the general sequence of the band's development, but doesn't provide an exact chronology which is sometimes an annoying omission. At times the Beatles are quite candid and at other times I feel like they are offering up answers that protect one another as I would expect from any close group of musicians.

All in all I now have a much greater appreciation of the Beatles phenomenon, their contribution to popular culture and their personalities. However, I still feel that I know "the whole story" and would only consider this book to be one key reference towards understanding the group.

excelent purchase

2008-03-03
This is an excelent book, it is the Beatles story told by them, the book quality is amazing, clear pictures, hardcover is the way to go with this book.
The only problem I see in this book is the size, it would be almost impossible to carry it in a bag, it is heavy and big to carry, it is a book to read confortably in your bed drinking a Margarita and imagining the adventures of the most succesful band in the history of music.

Great Book - Great stories.

2007-05-21
This extraordinary project has been made possible because Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr have agreed to tell their combined story especially for this book. Together with Yoko Ono Lennon, they have also made available the full transcripts (including all the outtakes) of the television and video series The Beatles Anthology. Through painstaking compilation of sources worldwide, John Lennon's words are equally represented in this remarkable volume. Furthermore, The Beatles have opened their personal and management archives specifically for this project, allowing the unprecedented release of photographs which they took along their ride to fame, as well as fascinating documents and memorabilia from their homes and offices.

What a book The Beatles Anthology is! Each page is brimming with personal stories and rare vintage images. Snapshots from their family collections take us back to the days when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey were just boys growing up in Liverpool. They talk in turn about those early years and how they came to join the band that would make them known around the world as John, Paul, George and Ringo. Then, weaving back and forth, they tell the astonishing story of life as The Beatles: the first rough gigs, the phenomenon of their rise to fame, the musical and social change of their heyday, all the way through to their breakup. From the time Ringo tried to take this drum kit home on the bus to their much anticipated audience with Elvis, from the making of the Sgt. Pepper album to their last photo session together at John's house, The Beatles Anthology is a once-in-a-lifetime collection of The Beatles' own memories.

Interwoven with these are the recollections of such associates as road manager Neil Aspinall, producer George Martin and spokesman Derek Taylor. And included in the vast array of photographs are materials from both Apple and EMI, who also opened their archives for this project. This, indeed, is the inside story, providing a wealth of previously unpublished material in both word and image.

Created with their full cooperation, The Beatles Anthology is, in effect, The Beatles' autobiography. Like their music has been a part of so many of our lives, it's warm, frank, funny, poignant and bold. At last, here is The Beatles' own story.

An amazing book 2007-05-13
I really liked Anthology. Not because it told the basic story, which I already got from other biographies. What makes this book really valuable is that it gives the view from inside the eye of the hurricane.

I mean, what's it like when the world starts screaming in your face?

Telling moments... There's a snapshot of John and Paul clutching their guitars as they head onstage for a concert, but their eyes are grim and tired. Paul is holding up his guitar like he needs a shield to ward off a punch to the face. It's a rather frightening photograph, and you feel sorry for them.

Or you wonder, what was George Harrison thinking, when he set off on a stroll through Height-Ashbury - that no one would notice him?

Or you sense, how much fun they seem to have had touring Australia.

Or their "family photos" from vacation trips... about as boring as anyone's photos. Except it's them. THEM.

The book seamlessly works fresh material from the three Beatles (and a few others) with parts of old John Lennon interviews, so it all reads smoothly, like it was all done at once - really great. The book is a fascinating trip all over again... I read it for two days through and hardly put it down.

Only Book You Need 2007-05-11
As a hard core Beatles fan I can recommend many books,but if I had to recommend only one it would probably be this one. This is a complete,definitive biography,told in their own words. Not surprising that they should feel the need to do this. With all the tabloid fiction out there, I'm surprised they didn't do this earlier. I'm also not surprised that some people are calling it incomplete, saying that this seems to be their version of the story that they want put out. Could it be because this IS the actual true story about them? No really! Do they mean to imply that they ( the Beatles) actually know more about this subject (the Beatles) then some idiot who met them twice, or (maybe not at all) and decided to make some money by writing a second rate book? The audacity! This book tells the story from birth to break up. There is no filler, just facts. And it is told in their own funny,matter of fact,no nonsense way.

Of course the music is the spotlight. Each album is gone over with a fine tooth comb and you are lifted right into the atmosphere, and events unfolding behind the scenes that made each album special. Actually everything they talk about,from their childhoods to Beatlemania seems to lift you right into the scene. This is helped by the gorgeous pictures, almost all of them from their personal collections. Even if you are illiterate you will want this book just for the pictures. By the way, John's quarter of the story is told through interviews. Thank goodness he gave so many. Some of the pictures even have his written comments scrawled on them,showing us exactly how he felt at the time. There are hundreds of pictures of documents, handwritten play lists, handwritten lyrics, notes, hotel and restaurant bills,lists of concerts (again with John's handwritten comments about what was going on.) These guys kept everything! I can't beleive that Paul and Ringo actually kept plane and hotel receipts from a long ago trip to Greece with Jane Asher and Maureen Cox.(at that time,the future Mrs. Starkey) There is even a document at the top corner of one of the pages, (I bet a lot of people missed it) which refers to the request for some lice removal medicine to be delivered to one unfortunate Beatle's home. Of course they are NOT talking about head lice,and having read Peter Brown's pointless,vindictive book,The Love You Make,I know that this may have been Paul's way of saying,'Yes it's true but Epstein's creepy,lackey had no right to put it in a book (and make lots of money). Or maybe I read it in that other rag, Yesterday by Chet Flippo. I had the misfortune of reading both books. Don't make the same mistake.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind reading juicy,personal stuff as long as it's true and not embellishment. And there are plenty of interesting,sexy, stories,and stories of John's craziness but coming from their mouths, I know they are true. Except for that peeing on nuns story. Really John! George says it never happened and I beleive him. This book is like a huge memoir. A personal scrapbook and photo album. You will enjoy it's beauty,candidness, and it's entertaining style. And it's not true that most of these stories have been told before. I've read hundreds of books on the Fabs and 90% of this book is fresh, especially the early years. While you're at it, get the Anthology DVD set also. It's completely different from this book! Talk about quality, and value for money! Something that's always been important to the Beatles.

Everything Beatles! By the Beatles! What could be wrong? 2007-05-09
Take 4 guys from England that changed the world of music forever and have them tell the story of their meteoric rise to fame and dominance of the music industry for decades and what do you have? THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY.

John, Paul, George and Ringo made the music that we listen to today what it is. Without the British Invasion, we would never have had the development of rock and roll as it is today. Elvis and the Beatles, they are the fathers of rock and roll. This is half of that story.

The Anthology is a great compilation of photos, album covers, artwork, lyrics, personal stories, articles and everything else Beatles. If you like the Beatles, then this is the source for every bit of information about the first super-group. You can probably find other books out there about the Beatles, but this was written by the fab four; you really can't go anywhere else to get the information you get in this book.

This is a must have for any Beatles fan. A must have for anyone that appreciates the history of music and rock & roll. Well, this is just a must have.

What more can I say? The Beatles were the original. Their story is great, their music is great, this book is great. Fact, period, end of story.

THE BEST CHRONICLE OF THE BEST ROCK AND ROLL BAND: THE BEATLES AGAIN!!! 2007-01-10
WoooW!! What an elaborated and extensive material about the best band in the world! this book has every moment, every day, every story about the greatest John, Paul, George and Ringo told by themselves; this book is an invaluable work and every people who likes every kind of music has to buy it! I recommend it especially for the young people who begin to play music and former musical groups with their friends, I'm sure everyone will love this book. THE BEATLES SHOKING ALL THE WORLD AGAIN!!!