The Beatles

by Mike Evans

Beatles (Focus on)

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Art

224 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Over 40 years after their final records were made, the Beatles are still the most popular band in pop music history. Their name is known by millions around the world, and their music is timeless." -- from the introduction, on page 6

The Beatles may not set the world ablaze for those aforementioned 'millions' who are already vastly familiar with all sorts of facts and minutiae regarding the 'Fab Four,' but newcomers looking for a broad career overview of the group along with some occasionally detailed - but often perfunctory - text could probably do a lot worse than this coffee table-like hardcover edition. (Seriously, the chronological chapters tend to be so matter-of-factly unadventurous in nature that they end up being as generic as the book's title.) It does, however, boast hundreds of photographs - of both the well-known and rare types - that make it at least interesting to page through on a quiet morning.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

There wasn't much here that I didn't already know, and there were a few minor errors, but on the whole, it's a good overview of The Beatles. I would recommend it to someone who wanted a basic introduction to them.

[George Kingsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a basic overview of the Beatles, Mike Evan's book is really effective; it covers the entire history of the band, from the early skiffling days of the Quarrymen all the way up to the release of digitally- remastered back catalogue in 2009.

Though slightly generic and scattershot, this book served me well and has steered me towards more focused materials about the band.

[Michael B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simplified overview of the Beatles’ career; would have liked more
OK; recommend this as an introduction to the band

[William Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good factual and intetesting book

[speng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stole this from a bar in kavos n read it on the plane to distract myself from the fact i thought i was gonna die in a lightning storm

[Joseph McHale · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick and easy to read book on the Beatles. Great to read to start you off, but not so accurate in some areas as well as being a bit all over the place in some parts.

[Lee Coulson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well illustrated overview of the Beatles career, including many photos rarely seen in other Beatle publications, particularly of the bands supporting cast. The written content is solid too, with chapters organised thematically around Beatle albums and films. There is a little new information for Beatleholics to be found here and the writing style is fairly prosaic but there are some little touches throughout to enliven the text. Little breakout boxes titled Did You Know provide fun facts to complement the text, such as the BBC mistakenly reporting that Ringo had his toenails not tonsils removed in a 1964 story! Factual information about each British single, EP, film and album release is also covered in similar breakout boxes along with short interesting analyses or opinions about album tracks. American releases are similarly covered, including the mashed up early US albums, reflecting the probable American audience for this book. A few minor errors seemed have slipped by the author/editors in these sections such as that Do You Want To Know A Secret is listed as George’s only vocal on the Please Please Me album (he also sang Chains) that Why Don’t We Do It In The Road featured only Paul (Ringo played on the track too) and Flying was the only song credited to all four Beatles (Dig It from Let It Be was the other). Nonetheless, such quibbles aside, this handsome hardback book would make an ideal introduction for a Beatles newbie or a nice addition to the Fab library of more hard core fans.

[Manuel Vásquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd actually give it 3.5 stars
It was very interesting and well informed. Problem is, I could find now and then some stupid mistakes (unimportant) like a very poor or mistaken description of an image, or some context mistakes.. nothing essential.
On the other hand it provides a lot of great uncommon images which is something I loved.
I'm also really glad that the book has some curious details on it, like the little cut mini images every page of one of the Beatles jumping from the scenes of A hard day's night.

[Tyler G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was ok. I didn't really like it, but I didn't dislike it. I would recommend it to someone who really likes the Beatles, but not if they don't really care about the Beatles, like me. Other than that though, it was petty good and did a good job of explaining the Beatles and their lives, both individually and separately. It was ok, but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has great pictures, interesting info on specific songs and albums, and is a very easy read. That said, there were some errors and the chronology jumped around a bit. Overall, it is a fun read that fans will enjoy.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Lots of facts, pics and history on one of music's best.

[Aaron Badgley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a good summary of The Beatles, a few errors, but great photos.
A great introduction.