The Beatles in 100 Objects

by Brian Southall

From pre-Beatlemania instruments and outfits to the official announcement of the band's split, and here are 100 of the most famous or influential objects associated with the Fab Four. Authoritative commentary from distinguished rock music critic Brian Southall accompanies the photographs of each item, revealing its significance in the Beatles' history—whether it's a special place, landmark moment, career-changing achievement, or just a curious day in the life.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Brian Southall worked as a journalist with Music Business Weekly, Melody Maker and Disc before joining A&M Records. He moved to EMI Records and EMI Music, where, during a 15 year career, he served in press, promotion, marketing, artist development and corporate communications. From 1989 he was a consultant to Warner Music International, HMV Group and both the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the International Federation of the phonographic Industry (IFPI). Among other books, he has written are the official history of Abbey Road Studios and the Story of Northern Songs, both published by Omnibus Press.

Reviews

[Loretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, anyway. This book was about the greatest band on the planet! The greatest band ever, in the whole entire universe! The Beatles! Sure, being a tremendous Beatles fan, I knew a lot of the stories and the memorabilia, but it was nice to stroll down memory lane. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!!!!

"We love you, Beatles. Oh, yes, we do. We love you, Beatles and we'll be true. When you're not near to us, we're blue, oh Beatles, we love you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"! 😘

[Amanda Yamate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the photos and anecdotes, learned a bit more than I already knew, but wish it didn’t have so many grammatical errors :-/ Also, the photos/anecdotes were not in chronological order...might have caused less repetition in the texts if they were.

[Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

A sloppy mess of a book chock full of grammatical typos and just plain factual errors. The most glaring example is in the selection of John Lennon's 6-string Rickenbacker guitar as one of the "100 Objects" which is illustrated with a photo of ... George's 12-string Rickenbacker! Later in the book Southall tries to tell us that none of the famous Apple rooftop performances from January 1969 "ever made it on to an official Beatles release". I guess he feels the Let It Be album was an unofficial release as it actually contains three songs from the roof. It all adds up to lazy editing and fact-checking, which is surprising as I enjoyed two of his other Beatle related books (Northern Songs, and his history of Abbey Road Studios). As well, some of the "objects" are questionable, such as Ringo's Abbey Road ashtray. Having exhausted all one can say about the ashtray Ringo used while recording in less than half a page, Southall has to fill in the blank space with non-related facts and lore, a familiar pattern throughout the book. Not at all recommended.

[Lisa Shafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was superb!
Obviously, it's for die-hard Beatles' fans; it would be a bit much for anyone who didn't already have a basic knowledge of the group's hit, records, and history.
The objects are arranged chronologically, from the early days to post-break up, and wonderful details are included everywhere. This is NOT "basic" Beatles; this is in-depth Beatles' history.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take a Magical Mystery Tour back to the heady days of Beatlemania when John, Paul, George and Ringo were front-page news around the world. Brian Southall's appealing book traces the Fab Four's history by describing and illustrating 100 objects - guitars, drum kits, suits, lyric sheets, audition tapes, film scripts, show posters, gold records, cars, etc. - that JPG&R used, created and inspired. It's a fun read - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

Mike O. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the information they give in the background is a bit repetitive, but overall, this is a great read. The pictures are good quality, with inserts of the items being used during their career. Most of the entries have interesting anecdotes and facts that are pretty awesome. I think breaking down their career by representing them in specific objects was great, because all of those items stood for something quite bigger than itself! It's also a quick read, but highly recommended for any Beatle fan!

[Mysteryfan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable journey down Memory Lane (Penny (for your thoughts) Lane?). Lots of the items are from the early days, before they hit America and it was nice to read about them. The illustrations were glorious and the stories associated with each item were fascinating. I loved the stories behind the boots and the suits. It seemed well-researched and detailed.

[Aaron Badgley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun fact book, well structured, great illustraions.
Quick read, informative and one that was honestily hard to put down.
Well done.

[Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting pieces of Beatle history with nice explanations.