If You Like the Beatles...: Here Are Over 200 Bands, Films, Records and Other Oddities That You Will Love

by Bruce Pollock

The Beatles came up in the rock and-and-roll era, when Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley defined cool. Their early shows were big beat bacchanals, the Brit interpretation of that crazy American sound. But it wasn't long before they were absorbing and creating more and more music – from folk to experimental, to psychedelia and hard rock, quite literally changing music forever and influencing hundreds of great bands in the process.

This is the first book for music lovers that begins with the simple premise, “If you like the Beatles . . ., ” and takes off from there, digging into their influences and everything that came after them, opening up new doors for listeners looking for no-risk discs to expand their collection.

Beginning with the Beatles' lesser-known roots in rockabilly and Tin Pan Alley, and working through American R&B, the British Invasion, California folk, and the Summer of Love, and to the great pop and rock bands of the '80s, '90s, and the 21st century, this is a must-have for anyone who likes the Beatles, which is...everyone.

Genres: Music

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

Reviews

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pollock uses the vast world of The Beatles as a springboard to tell the story of pop and rock from roots of the Beatles through the quartet's arc to the faintest echoes in modern rock. At times the book is a mash-up of unsynthesized trivia, but I enjoyed it as a quick read that was at times an exhilarating, breathless jaunt through decades of memorable music.

My interview with the author is at https://archive.org/details/BrucePoll...

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Frankly this book was incredibly disappointing in that it offered very little in the way of a critical introduction to the supposed '...over 200 bands, films, records and other oddities that would garner a Beatles' fans' interest. Instead, for the most part Pollock recounts with rather tiresome and mundane prose a listing of almost anyone who might have up to six degrees of separation from John, Paul, George or Ringo. Instead of positing individual entries and discussing their merits as an influence on or being influenced by the Beatles, Pollock rambles on through dozens upon dozens of musical acts, occasionally supplementing these with a literary, TV or film reference, and leaves the reader wondering why the hell would one want to explore these 'new' veins of popular culture interest.

For example, Pollock makes a point of citing the links (artistic and personal) between the Beatles and The Goons. That's fine, however the observation is posed rather uncritically without sufficient examination of the link between the two performing groups. That Pollock doesn't sufficiently explore the surrealistic or anarchic verbal humour linking Milligan with Lennon, and by deeper association, Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll, seems like a lost opportunity. Yes, there is a considered discussion of George Martin's production techniques, as honed on releases by the Goons and then fully employed with the Beatles, yet having read the relevant passages there is little in the way of a recommendation for the reader to consider Milligan, Sellers and Secombe as key influences on the Beatles.

There is plenty of discussion, quite rightly, of the music that might be linked to the Beatles and Pollock develops a complex and detailed narrative of this aspect of his subject. However not enough is made of the the non-musical emanations of popular culture one might link to the Fab Four. For example, considering the importance of the first two Beatles' films ('A Hard Day's Night' and 'Help') it is surprising that there is no examination of similar films released in that era (e.g. 'Hold On' featuring Herman's Hermits) or a reflection on the British film industry of the 1960s. It might be suggested that more could've been said about George Harrison's Handmade Film studios, or even the desultory acting careers of Lennon, McCartney and Starr, yet this is forgotten.

Some of the least relevant or distaff connections are made in this book yet others that should've been mentioned arte ignored. It was disappointing to see no mention whatsoever of Jeff Lynne's first major band, the Idle Race, with his later Electric Light Orchestra (once called 'son of Beatles' by John Lennon himself) given only a paragraph or two. The more famous Merseybeat acts get a shout out however (e.g. Gerry & the Pacemakers) not enough is said of the wider Liverpool scene. Yes, Pollock ticks off some of the influences and contemporaries of 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' but entirely misses out on the Pretty Things 'SF Sorrow'.

Ultimately my most trenchant criticism for this book is not so much the content per se but more how it has been written and organised. It would've served Pollock and his publishers far better if they had compiled separate entries for each reference and then developed a discussion on each artist, act, text or other creative artefact. Instead of trudging through some rather boring and meandering prose the reader could have picked specific entries from the book and then explored them accordingly.

Beatles fans might enjoy this book, as may those who enjoy learning more about popular culture and music since the heady days of Beatlemania. However if one is looking for inspiration to discover new artists, new books, new films, new experiences based on your passion for John, Paul, George and Ringo, well maybe surfing YouTube might be a better option.

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jumped about a tad too much. Admit is knowledgeable yet photos unitized between short chapters consisted of ballpark throw out pictures of James Bond and Frank Zappa? Very shy for much Beatle photos? Lame.

Not a great book though does have its merits. Author does ramble and it becomes having to pick between things to absorb. Repetitive at times. Biased. Typographical errors…

I’ve read plenty regarding The Beatles and am familiar with their tale. This throws a somewhat correct timeframe where original usage of songs the lads grew up with and learned to use in Hamburg and The Cavern appearances; and using in the recordings. Where those songsmith’s creation involved is mentioned in historical linage list as reference.

A mashing of musical History of what was also occurring around them.

As another POV with bits and bites of information.

[David Pattison · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot to like about this. It's pacy, comprehensive in its appreciation of different musical genres, well-researched and not afraid to be opinionated.

It deals, on the whole quite smoothly, both with the music that influenced the group,from the Great American Songbook through to rockabilly and R & B and Dylan, to the many forms of music that were in turn informed by the Beatles' varied repertoire: seventies pop through to post-millennium rock.

There's a good discography at the end with the author's selection of Beatles covers, alongside recommended recordings from all of the above categories, which should provoke debate among musical anoraks: are the Bay City Rollers and the Spice Girls worthy of a place on the same longlist as Led Zeppelin and the Velvet Underground? Discuss.

There are some weaknesses however. The overlaps between some chapters causes the author to repeat himself on occasions, and there's a bit of favouritism it seems in the author's discussion of post-Beatles acts. For example, Supertramp and 10cc both get a mention in the main text and the discography - and rightly so - but progheads like me might quibble at the way Genesis for instance are only mentioned in passing, and Stackridge - who were even produced once by the great George Martin, RIP - are ignored completely, while both of these groups, among others, were flagged up as possible "replacement Beatles" in the seventies.

Some dates don't seem right, even accounting for mismatches between UK and US release dates. And Lene Lovich's Stateless LP is credited to Lydia Lunch (Freudian slip perhaps).

But despite that, it's an easy read and worth a look for anyone who likes to go beyond the surface of popular music.