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The Beatles: From Yesterday to Today
Photographs help trace the evolution of the popular rock group and depict the pressures they were under from their legion of fans
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
56 people want to read
About the author
LIFE
1,174 books70 followersLife was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, Life was a wide-ranging weekly general interest magazine known for the quality of its photography.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 11, 2020
A solid 4 stars for some wonderful photos. Like any magazine, it can't tell you the full story of such a big phenomenon, so one shouldn't expect any hardcore biography when reading this.
Also: Nik Cohn is back, and he is attacking the poor Beatles once again in his essay piece. This time he's come for Paul and his songs, and seems capable of praising only Lennon's music. I quote from the text:
The music itself, though, is not so easily dismissed. Some of it has dated. The early rockers sound clusmy today, and many of Paul McCartney's ballads--"Michelle", "Yesterday", even "Eleanor Rigby"--seem hopelessly mushy. Yet the best of their work, especially when John Lennon dominates, is as riveting as ever. Play "Strawberry Fields Forever", say, or "I Am The Walrus", churning and half-crazed and unforgettable. Or "Ticket to Ride" or "Help!"-- there is a vitality there, a freshness of invention and a melodic richness, that the passage of years cannot touch.
I know it's not completely brutal, and Paul doesn't exactly need my support, but I just found this worth calling out. I also don't want to be one of those fans who is triggered by any criticism of the artist. But to put down Paul when talking about "melodic richness" is laughable. And what exactly is he talking about with "clumsy" early rockers? Anyway, moving on.
Minor squabbles:
- Must we use such fluffy and sanitized language to talk about Ringo's father abandoning the family? To quote, his father "had a tough time being the world's first Beatle daddy". Pretty gross.
- The myth of the air raids on the day of John's birth is perpetuated. It has been proven there were no bombings on this day.
- This is less of an issue... it is mentioned that the Cavern has 18 steps. I haven't learned much about this, but I did read elsewhere that it is actually 17. I'm probably just biased towards this because that would make it the same number of steps as the ones in 221B Baker Street. The famous, fabled, 17 steps. This is really a matter of logistics and technicalities as well. What counts as a step? Each tred? Do you count the top and bottom floor? Or just where there are risers? Architectural debates ensue.
- Not technically an error, but the NEMS "someone" who ordered "My Bonnie" should be named as Raymond Jones. Just like the LSD supplying dentist. John Riley. Granted, this magazine was published in 1996, and who knows how much of this information was available at the time. (It's so easy to access the Beatles minutiae nowadays, when it's just a click away via the internet!) Or, they may have thought it was too much unnecessary detail to include. But it doesn't hurt, I say.
- Finally, it is stated that Ringo "filled in" on "My Bonnie". This implies that it is he drumming on the Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers record. When in fact it is Pete.
Also: Nik Cohn is back, and he is attacking the poor Beatles once again in his essay piece. This time he's come for Paul and his songs, and seems capable of praising only Lennon's music. I quote from the text:
The music itself, though, is not so easily dismissed. Some of it has dated. The early rockers sound clusmy today, and many of Paul McCartney's ballads--"Michelle", "Yesterday", even "Eleanor Rigby"--seem hopelessly mushy. Yet the best of their work, especially when John Lennon dominates, is as riveting as ever. Play "Strawberry Fields Forever", say, or "I Am The Walrus", churning and half-crazed and unforgettable. Or "Ticket to Ride" or "Help!"-- there is a vitality there, a freshness of invention and a melodic richness, that the passage of years cannot touch.
I know it's not completely brutal, and Paul doesn't exactly need my support, but I just found this worth calling out. I also don't want to be one of those fans who is triggered by any criticism of the artist. But to put down Paul when talking about "melodic richness" is laughable. And what exactly is he talking about with "clumsy" early rockers? Anyway, moving on.
Minor squabbles:
- Must we use such fluffy and sanitized language to talk about Ringo's father abandoning the family? To quote, his father "had a tough time being the world's first Beatle daddy". Pretty gross.
- The myth of the air raids on the day of John's birth is perpetuated. It has been proven there were no bombings on this day.
- This is less of an issue... it is mentioned that the Cavern has 18 steps. I haven't learned much about this, but I did read elsewhere that it is actually 17. I'm probably just biased towards this because that would make it the same number of steps as the ones in 221B Baker Street. The famous, fabled, 17 steps. This is really a matter of logistics and technicalities as well. What counts as a step? Each tred? Do you count the top and bottom floor? Or just where there are risers? Architectural debates ensue.
- Not technically an error, but the NEMS "someone" who ordered "My Bonnie" should be named as Raymond Jones. Just like the LSD supplying dentist. John Riley. Granted, this magazine was published in 1996, and who knows how much of this information was available at the time. (It's so easy to access the Beatles minutiae nowadays, when it's just a click away via the internet!) Or, they may have thought it was too much unnecessary detail to include. But it doesn't hurt, I say.
- Finally, it is stated that Ringo "filled in" on "My Bonnie". This implies that it is he drumming on the Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers record. When in fact it is Pete.
February 19, 2021
Great pictures but lots of bias in the journalism. I prefer to read history as facts and not someone’s opinion of them. Plus, most of the information I already knew. I was looking for some new and lesser known facts.
March 9, 2021
Was excellent.
Probably read in the late 1990s.
Entered here in 2021.
Probably read in the late 1990s.
Entered here in 2021.
February 21, 2013
Inspired by the Beatles Anthology sessions of the mid-1990s, Life Magazine quickly put this book together for Beatles fans. Re-released after George Harrison passed away in November 2001. Nice photos and a fun little trip back to the 60s. I've read this several times.
July 31, 2007
Title says it all. Great pictures.
January 23, 2016
This magazine-sized book contains a chronological history of the band's highlights, paired with a lot of wonderful photography. It's a fast and fun read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews