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All The Songs
All The Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release
** EBOOK DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY IMAGES**
Every album and every song ever released by the Beatles-from "Please Please Me" (U.S. 1963) to "The Long and Winding Road" (U.S. 1970)-is dissected, discussed, and analyzed by two music historians in this lively and fully illustrated work.All the Songs delves deep into the history and origins of the Beatles and their music. This first-of-its-kind book draws upon decades of research, as music historians Margotin and Guesdon recount the circumstances that led to the composition of every song, the recording process, and the instruments used.Here, we learn that one of John Lennon's favorite guitars was a 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri, which he bought for 100 in 1960 in Hamburg, Germany. We also learn that "Love Me Do," recorded in Abbey Road Studios in September 1962, took 18 takes to get right, even though it was one of the first songs John and Paul ever wrote together. And the authors reveal that when the Beatles performed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, John's microphone wasn't turned on, so viewers heard only Paul singing.All the Songs is the must-have Beatles book for the any true Beatles fan.
Every album and every song ever released by the Beatles-from "Please Please Me" (U.S. 1963) to "The Long and Winding Road" (U.S. 1970)-is dissected, discussed, and analyzed by two music historians in this lively and fully illustrated work.All the Songs delves deep into the history and origins of the Beatles and their music. This first-of-its-kind book draws upon decades of research, as music historians Margotin and Guesdon recount the circumstances that led to the composition of every song, the recording process, and the instruments used.Here, we learn that one of John Lennon's favorite guitars was a 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri, which he bought for 100 in 1960 in Hamburg, Germany. We also learn that "Love Me Do," recorded in Abbey Road Studios in September 1962, took 18 takes to get right, even though it was one of the first songs John and Paul ever wrote together. And the authors reveal that when the Beatles performed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, John's microphone wasn't turned on, so viewers heard only Paul singing.All the Songs is the must-have Beatles book for the any true Beatles fan.
905 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2013
266 people are currently reading
916 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
November 24, 2022
A few months back, I received Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics as a gift. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My biggest complaint was that it was not comprehensive and there were a number of songs that I hoped to see some intimate details dropped by Paul and they were absent. This book delivered; thus, the difference in rating. The authors have opinions and I don’t mind that mine are sometimes different. This massive dive is to my taste. Here is just less than 10% of the exploration of the two songs issued on a single 45 rpm: “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane.”
"“Strawberry Fields Forever,” which summed up the essence of the Beatles’ art in four minutes, is probably the key song in their entire repertoire. The creative power of the group was at its peak and its musical vision had reached an unrivaled strength. This song incarnated the spirit of the sixties and prefigured their masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band."
"In early 1967, Brian Epstein urged George Martin to produce a new single. Having on hand the two greatest songs of the group, Martin suggested a double A-side with two songs meant for the Sgt. Pepper album: “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane.” Unfortunately, the single only reached second place in the British charts, behind “Release Me” by Engelbert Humperdinck. It was a slap in the face for the Beatles, but also a big relief: from then on, they would be under less pressure. Martin regretted his whole life not including the songs on Sgt. Pepper and suggesting two side A’s instead: “One of the biggest mistakes I ever made."
"John did a superb recording of his lead vocal and with his very peculiar sense of humor, slipped in at the end of the piece the famous cranberry sauce, two small words that at first seemed harmless but later launched the most fanciful rumors about the so-called death of Paul, some people hearing, I buried Paul!"
"But John had a surprise for the whole team. He phoned George Martin and said, “I like the beginning of the first one, and I like the end of the second one. Why don’t we just join them together?” Flabbergasted, Martin replied, “Well, there are only two things against it. One is that they’re in different keys; the other is that they’re in different tempos.” “Yeah, but you can do something about it, I know. You can fix it, George.”"
Extra
Several of you have messaged me to ask how deep this book dives into details of The Beatles’ song-making and recording. Here’s a good example:
I believe that “Yesterday” still holds its place in the GBR for the number of different artists recording the tune (3000+)
"On June 14, after the band had completed “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and “I’m Down,” Paul was still fresh and energetic enough to end the recording session with “Yesterday.” Alone, he recorded the song on his Epiphone Texan acoustic guitar in just two takes. The performance was remarkable. Paul tuned his instrument down a whole step for greater flexibility. Three days later on June 17, the string quartet was recorded. Satisfied by the musicians’ excellent performance, George Martin asked Paul to perform an additional vocal, but it was judged inferior to the recording made on June 14, except for the line … something wrong now I long for yesterday (at 0:52). Norman Smith substituted the line in the mono mix made the same day. Paul had recorded the second vocal while listening to the original recording on the famous White Elephant speaker. Therefore, the original vocal track leaked from the studio speaker into the second recording, which gave the impression that Paul’s vocal was doubled—but only for those seven words!"
My biggest complaint was that it was not comprehensive and there were a number of songs that I hoped to see some intimate details dropped by Paul and they were absent. This book delivered; thus, the difference in rating. The authors have opinions and I don’t mind that mine are sometimes different. This massive dive is to my taste. Here is just less than 10% of the exploration of the two songs issued on a single 45 rpm: “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane.”
"“Strawberry Fields Forever,” which summed up the essence of the Beatles’ art in four minutes, is probably the key song in their entire repertoire. The creative power of the group was at its peak and its musical vision had reached an unrivaled strength. This song incarnated the spirit of the sixties and prefigured their masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band."
"In early 1967, Brian Epstein urged George Martin to produce a new single. Having on hand the two greatest songs of the group, Martin suggested a double A-side with two songs meant for the Sgt. Pepper album: “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane.” Unfortunately, the single only reached second place in the British charts, behind “Release Me” by Engelbert Humperdinck. It was a slap in the face for the Beatles, but also a big relief: from then on, they would be under less pressure. Martin regretted his whole life not including the songs on Sgt. Pepper and suggesting two side A’s instead: “One of the biggest mistakes I ever made."
"John did a superb recording of his lead vocal and with his very peculiar sense of humor, slipped in at the end of the piece the famous cranberry sauce, two small words that at first seemed harmless but later launched the most fanciful rumors about the so-called death of Paul, some people hearing, I buried Paul!"
"But John had a surprise for the whole team. He phoned George Martin and said, “I like the beginning of the first one, and I like the end of the second one. Why don’t we just join them together?” Flabbergasted, Martin replied, “Well, there are only two things against it. One is that they’re in different keys; the other is that they’re in different tempos.” “Yeah, but you can do something about it, I know. You can fix it, George.”"
Extra
Several of you have messaged me to ask how deep this book dives into details of The Beatles’ song-making and recording. Here’s a good example:
I believe that “Yesterday” still holds its place in the GBR for the number of different artists recording the tune (3000+)
"On June 14, after the band had completed “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and “I’m Down,” Paul was still fresh and energetic enough to end the recording session with “Yesterday.” Alone, he recorded the song on his Epiphone Texan acoustic guitar in just two takes. The performance was remarkable. Paul tuned his instrument down a whole step for greater flexibility. Three days later on June 17, the string quartet was recorded. Satisfied by the musicians’ excellent performance, George Martin asked Paul to perform an additional vocal, but it was judged inferior to the recording made on June 14, except for the line … something wrong now I long for yesterday (at 0:52). Norman Smith substituted the line in the mono mix made the same day. Paul had recorded the second vocal while listening to the original recording on the famous White Elephant speaker. Therefore, the original vocal track leaked from the studio speaker into the second recording, which gave the impression that Paul’s vocal was doubled—but only for those seven words!"
September 25, 2020
Earlier this year I wasn’t too thrilled about the Bob Dylan effort of this duo. I found their Bob Dylan: All the Songs far too superficial in its discussion of the lyrics, importance and background of the songs and too detailed at the same time, i.e. concerning the technical titbits. The combination of coffee table book and work of reference, albeit beautiful, didn’t work.
Here, surprisingly, it works. All the songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release featured fun facts that even I as a Beatle fan did not know. Even the pictures…I just don’t know how they manage to still come up with new ones. Maybe the Beatles are just more fun. There is no end, it seems.
When I told the wife that I found this book so much better than the duo’s Dylan book, she said: “Of course, honey, The Beatles are with four”.
Point taken.
Here, surprisingly, it works. All the songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release featured fun facts that even I as a Beatle fan did not know. Even the pictures…I just don’t know how they manage to still come up with new ones. Maybe the Beatles are just more fun. There is no end, it seems.
When I told the wife that I found this book so much better than the duo’s Dylan book, she said: “Of course, honey, The Beatles are with four”.
Point taken.
December 8, 2013
Subtitled, “The story behind every Beatles release” this is a HUGE volume (nearly 700 pages) – a virtual treasure trove of information and an obvious labour of love. Much of the information contained in this book has been made available before, in works such as The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, but this is a great collation of information nevertheless and it is well laid out and clearly designed. Another minus point is that the book deals solely with every Beatles release, so does not cover songs they did not put out on record. However, the pluses of this book more than make up for the minuses.
This is a more of a coffee table book than anything else, ideal to dip into. It lists, comprehensively and with great detail all the album and single recording sessions – using UK releases as the basis for the book, but also mentioning American releases (often different, especially in the early years). This mammoth read takes us from Love Me Do to You Know My Name (Look Up the Number). Each release has copious details; for example the chapter on the album Help! lists when it was released, where it charted and for how long, singles taken from it, the background to the album, instruments used, the genesis of the work, production and technical details for each track. There are also lots of interesting snippets, such as songs that were discarded, singles released and even explanations for all sorts of tiny noises in the background and who made them.
Of course, any book on the Beatles recording sessions must contain information on both Abbey Road studios and George Martin, who did so much to translate the Beatles visions into recorded music. Nick Mason, of Pink Floyd, said, “every time the Beatles worked at Abbey Road, the atmosphere of the studios was transformed. You could feel their presence.” Although their last recording session there was in 1970, their presence, and influence, is still felt – both at Abbey Road and in the world of music. If you are interested in how that music was made, then this is the book for you.
This is a more of a coffee table book than anything else, ideal to dip into. It lists, comprehensively and with great detail all the album and single recording sessions – using UK releases as the basis for the book, but also mentioning American releases (often different, especially in the early years). This mammoth read takes us from Love Me Do to You Know My Name (Look Up the Number). Each release has copious details; for example the chapter on the album Help! lists when it was released, where it charted and for how long, singles taken from it, the background to the album, instruments used, the genesis of the work, production and technical details for each track. There are also lots of interesting snippets, such as songs that were discarded, singles released and even explanations for all sorts of tiny noises in the background and who made them.
Of course, any book on the Beatles recording sessions must contain information on both Abbey Road studios and George Martin, who did so much to translate the Beatles visions into recorded music. Nick Mason, of Pink Floyd, said, “every time the Beatles worked at Abbey Road, the atmosphere of the studios was transformed. You could feel their presence.” Although their last recording session there was in 1970, their presence, and influence, is still felt – both at Abbey Road and in the world of music. If you are interested in how that music was made, then this is the book for you.
November 28, 2015
I was thinking I had read just about everything published about the Beatles, both their personal lives and music, when I heard about this book. If you've been listening to their music since they were introduced on the Ed Sullivan Show (like me), and still have a playlist on your iPod (like me), this book will be your best friend for long time. The book outlines the genesis and production details of the songs from the beginning of their career to their break-up (oh so devastating when it happened!). There are also lots of photos, some of which I had never seen.
This is the perfect book to have sitting on your coffee table for when you have just a few minutes to read such as between football plays, while cooking dinner, waiting for your carpool partner, etc. This should also be on everyone's holiday shopping list as we all have a Beatles fan somewhere in the family, right?
This is the perfect book to have sitting on your coffee table for when you have just a few minutes to read such as between football plays, while cooking dinner, waiting for your carpool partner, etc. This should also be on everyone's holiday shopping list as we all have a Beatles fan somewhere in the family, right?
August 6, 2013
ARC provided by NetGalley.
Do you like the Beatles? Do you reeeeeeally like the Beatles? No, seriously, are you more or less obsessed with the Beatles and have a strong desire to know even the smallest fact about their career, music, instruments, their composition process, and their post-production decisions? Then this, my friend, is the book for you! I'm not big on the Beatles or texts about their music but I can't imagine a more detailed book on the topic exists on the planet. All the Songs is a treasure trove of information for fans and more facts and photos than you can shake a stick at for non-fans (who should still check it out simply to be awed by the vast amount of information) -- this is reference by fan boys at its best.
Do you like the Beatles? Do you reeeeeeally like the Beatles? No, seriously, are you more or less obsessed with the Beatles and have a strong desire to know even the smallest fact about their career, music, instruments, their composition process, and their post-production decisions? Then this, my friend, is the book for you! I'm not big on the Beatles or texts about their music but I can't imagine a more detailed book on the topic exists on the planet. All the Songs is a treasure trove of information for fans and more facts and photos than you can shake a stick at for non-fans (who should still check it out simply to be awed by the vast amount of information) -- this is reference by fan boys at its best.
January 13, 2016
It's very interesting to read about the stories behind the songs and who wrote what. But it's also devastating to read how, within 10 years, four best friends lost their friendship, what led to the break-up of the world's greatest band.
May 22, 2025
I finally FINALLY finished this book and have now listened to every official Beatles release!! What a journey this has been since Nov 15 2023 when I started. The Beatles’ music is forever written in my heart and is loved immensely in my household (Nate teaching me how to play Revolution 1, random late night piano covers, Beatles Sundays growing up as a kid). I will never be able to pinpoint when I became a fan because it was always there. I feel like I know so much more now about the technical part of what went into the song creations, as well as some of the dynamics between the members and what they were dealing with in each studio session. This is by no means a perfect book, with some parts like simple contradictions on credit (though the Beatles themselves did not make this easy since they forget and so much is recorded out of order), my least favorite part being that the contributors of this book felt to give their own opinions such as “This is the worst Beatles song” or “this song is their best” or even “Everyone dislikes this song” - to me one of the best parts of this music is that every song means something different to every person who appreciates the Beatles, and the Fab Four also had differing opinions when it came to their own songs and each other’s. I would have liked a more factual representation without the personal opinions. However the fun facts and the organization of the book made this a great journey for me to listen to the songs while reading. One day I would love to come back to it or read Paul’s lyric book. Beatles Forever ❤️
August 3, 2016
Review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.5 stars.
Fabulous.
While it seems that most of this information has been available through other sources, this compendium packs it all together and ties it up with the perfect packaging.
I absolutely loved getting the little tidbits of information in quick, rapid form. This is not necessarily a book to sit and read cover to cover (although I did it that way), but rather it is intended to be used as a reference. Want to know about a particular Beatles song; who wrote it, who played on it, who sang, what instruments did they play, how many takes did it take to get it right, who the engineers were? Look it up here.
To learn that George is the one singing on "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Devil in Her Heart" -- I never knew! And while there's nothing I would specifically do with the information, it's interesting to learn what instruments are used and when someone changed instruments before the recording of a song.
I very much liked the relative simplicity to the lay-out and design of the book. I felt that I got a good amount of information for every song, and simply and easily. From sticky-note graphics that shared a Beatles tidbit, to the assortment of photos, to the technical information list, this book compiles all the information in a very easy to read format.
Almost daily I learned something from this book that was interesting or exciting enough that I shared it with my family (my sixteen year old son is a tremendous Beatles fan) at the dinner table.
I'm not sure that there's anything in this book that is new or revelatory, but Margotin and Guesdon have done a remarkable amount of research to pack as much factual information here as possible. The bibliography at the end of the book alone is almost worth the price of admission!
Yes, there are some errors. I've read some of the other reviews for this book (and am always amused at how certain some people are about how much they know to be factual ... even if they weren't there) and admit that there are some proofing errors and some date correlation that doesn't match up. I read an ARC, so I have to trust that some of this gets cleaned up before final print. But larger questions (who wrote which song, which instruments were used, etc) -- well... as this book points out, even the individual Beatles themselves don't always remember accurately how things happened. Paul and John might both claim 'ownership' of a particular song -- how can we expect that they will remember which guitar was used in the recording? Unless there are photos or written documentation (and even the written documentation is sometimes called in to question) ... much is often the result of deduction. Fair enough.
The book is written from the perspective of the British releases of the songs/albums.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the Beatles, music history, or music recording studies!
Looking for a good book? All the Songs is an indispensable reference book that every Beatles fan or music historian should have on hand!
Fabulous.
While it seems that most of this information has been available through other sources, this compendium packs it all together and ties it up with the perfect packaging.
I absolutely loved getting the little tidbits of information in quick, rapid form. This is not necessarily a book to sit and read cover to cover (although I did it that way), but rather it is intended to be used as a reference. Want to know about a particular Beatles song; who wrote it, who played on it, who sang, what instruments did they play, how many takes did it take to get it right, who the engineers were? Look it up here.
To learn that George is the one singing on "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Devil in Her Heart" -- I never knew! And while there's nothing I would specifically do with the information, it's interesting to learn what instruments are used and when someone changed instruments before the recording of a song.
I very much liked the relative simplicity to the lay-out and design of the book. I felt that I got a good amount of information for every song, and simply and easily. From sticky-note graphics that shared a Beatles tidbit, to the assortment of photos, to the technical information list, this book compiles all the information in a very easy to read format.
Almost daily I learned something from this book that was interesting or exciting enough that I shared it with my family (my sixteen year old son is a tremendous Beatles fan) at the dinner table.
I'm not sure that there's anything in this book that is new or revelatory, but Margotin and Guesdon have done a remarkable amount of research to pack as much factual information here as possible. The bibliography at the end of the book alone is almost worth the price of admission!
Yes, there are some errors. I've read some of the other reviews for this book (and am always amused at how certain some people are about how much they know to be factual ... even if they weren't there) and admit that there are some proofing errors and some date correlation that doesn't match up. I read an ARC, so I have to trust that some of this gets cleaned up before final print. But larger questions (who wrote which song, which instruments were used, etc) -- well... as this book points out, even the individual Beatles themselves don't always remember accurately how things happened. Paul and John might both claim 'ownership' of a particular song -- how can we expect that they will remember which guitar was used in the recording? Unless there are photos or written documentation (and even the written documentation is sometimes called in to question) ... much is often the result of deduction. Fair enough.
The book is written from the perspective of the British releases of the songs/albums.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the Beatles, music history, or music recording studies!
Looking for a good book? All the Songs is an indispensable reference book that every Beatles fan or music historian should have on hand!
April 2, 2014
I wouldn't say I'm the biggest Beatles fan in the world, but I definitely love them and all their music. This book was really cool and I'm glad I got a chance to read it, because I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. The 672 page book goes album by album, track by track, and tells you who wrote each song, when and where it was recorded, and the team behind the production. It's a huge book, but it was a quick read for me. There are a ton of awesome pictures and little tidbits of information that take up a lot of space. I also skipped around the technical parts that detailed the instruments and production, but did read every song's story. I loved learning that most songs didn't take more than ten takes to record and some, like Twist and Shout, Dear Prudence, and Hey Jude, only took one! There were even some songs recorded the same day they were written. It points out errors in lyrics, music and production, which is kind of cool and had me playing the songs as I was reading along. I was fascinated by the group dynamic too. John didn't like many of the songs Paul wrote because they were too happy and positive. Paul was fed up with John's image concerns. George really got the short end of the stick though some of his songs were the best ones. I think this is the perfect book for the Beatles lover in your life, but definitely get the hard copy. It was hard to follow in ebook format, so I had to read it on my computer.
I received this book from NetGalley for review purposes.
I received this book from NetGalley for review purposes.
December 9, 2017
A recent trip to England and Liverpool, in particular, re-stoked my long dormant interest in the Beatles. We took a guided tour with a local cabbie/musician who was a fount of information as we visited the original homes of each mop-top as well as other local haunts like The Cavern, Abbey Lane and Strawberry Fields. This visit left me wanting to learn more and more about this seminal group, who helped revolutionize the music and the culture of the sixties and beyond.
"All the Songs" takes a deep dive into every one of the recorded Beatles songs, beginning with the genesis of each and the mechanics of what went into each one of them. Much of the book was over my head, technically, as I don't have the background (or the interest) in knowing who played what and how each number was produced, arranged, over-dubbed, etc. If you do, I'm sure this would be a five star read. I did appreciate, however, the background and thumbnail meaning of each song as well as the context around how the group evolved and ultimately dissolved.
I think a better selection for me to read would be a good historical rendering, but this one whet my appetite to learn more. The one thing that I did comprehend, though, was that collectively, this group was comprised of musical geniuses who, despite their popularity (or maybe because of it), never got their just do in the annals of music. For me, their music sounds just as fresh and novel today as it did then and never fails to bring a smile to my face.
"All the Songs" takes a deep dive into every one of the recorded Beatles songs, beginning with the genesis of each and the mechanics of what went into each one of them. Much of the book was over my head, technically, as I don't have the background (or the interest) in knowing who played what and how each number was produced, arranged, over-dubbed, etc. If you do, I'm sure this would be a five star read. I did appreciate, however, the background and thumbnail meaning of each song as well as the context around how the group evolved and ultimately dissolved.
I think a better selection for me to read would be a good historical rendering, but this one whet my appetite to learn more. The one thing that I did comprehend, though, was that collectively, this group was comprised of musical geniuses who, despite their popularity (or maybe because of it), never got their just do in the annals of music. For me, their music sounds just as fresh and novel today as it did then and never fails to bring a smile to my face.
January 2, 2016
Note: I read the first third of this story as a digital ARC from NetGalley, but received the book in print for Christmas, so I finished reading in that format.
This is a hefty, hefty book, but it'll end up being a must-own for Beatles fans. A large portion of the book is devoted to photographs, so it's not a demanding read and there are lots of interesting tidbits for diehard fans, although some of them are common knowledge by this point (eg. John shredding his vocals on "Twist and Shout").
Fans with a background in music will find even more to appreciate, as the instruments and technical details are reported for each song. I skimmed over much of this, but I still found much to appreciate. In the future, I want to read each section and listen to the appropriate album to pick up on the small details mentioned by the authors.
This book won't give you the multi-faceted view of the Beatles the way other biographies have, but that is also not the book's intent. I think it works best as a companion to the substantial amount of Beatles literature, and it's definitely an eye catching book to put out on the coffee table.
A small distraction for me was the author's liberal use of unwarranted exclamation points. Not a major concern, but it was frequent enough for me to take notice.
This is a hefty, hefty book, but it'll end up being a must-own for Beatles fans. A large portion of the book is devoted to photographs, so it's not a demanding read and there are lots of interesting tidbits for diehard fans, although some of them are common knowledge by this point (eg. John shredding his vocals on "Twist and Shout").
Fans with a background in music will find even more to appreciate, as the instruments and technical details are reported for each song. I skimmed over much of this, but I still found much to appreciate. In the future, I want to read each section and listen to the appropriate album to pick up on the small details mentioned by the authors.
This book won't give you the multi-faceted view of the Beatles the way other biographies have, but that is also not the book's intent. I think it works best as a companion to the substantial amount of Beatles literature, and it's definitely an eye catching book to put out on the coffee table.
A small distraction for me was the author's liberal use of unwarranted exclamation points. Not a major concern, but it was frequent enough for me to take notice.
March 5, 2017
Interessant stuk popgeschiedenis, het complete overzicht van alle songs gerangschikt per jaar. Bij iedere song wordt de songwriter, de muzikanten, opname, mix, techniek en achtergrond en productie weergegeven.
"Penny Lane is een buurt in Liverpool, een straat en een busstation waar Paul doorheen kwam als hij naar het huis van John ging. 'Ik woonde in Newcastle Road, in Penny Lane. Dus ik was de enige Beatle die in Penny Lane woonde, ' legde John in 1980 uit. Later verliet hij de buurt en verhuisde naar Woolton. Ten slotte was het Paul die er een nummer aan wijdde. De kapper Bioletti bestond echt, de brandweerkazerne was vlakbij, op de hoek was een bank en op Remembrence Day (11/11) waren elk jaar ook echte klaprozen te koop."
Blue suburban skies beschrijft op een poëtische manier een buurt die doodnormaal was. (p. 370)
Strawberry Fields Forever verwijst naar de naam van een centrum van het Leger des Heils, vlakbij het huis van tante Mimi in Liverpool, waar John Lennon als kind had gewoond.
"Penny Lane is een buurt in Liverpool, een straat en een busstation waar Paul doorheen kwam als hij naar het huis van John ging. 'Ik woonde in Newcastle Road, in Penny Lane. Dus ik was de enige Beatle die in Penny Lane woonde, ' legde John in 1980 uit. Later verliet hij de buurt en verhuisde naar Woolton. Ten slotte was het Paul die er een nummer aan wijdde. De kapper Bioletti bestond echt, de brandweerkazerne was vlakbij, op de hoek was een bank en op Remembrence Day (11/11) waren elk jaar ook echte klaprozen te koop."
Blue suburban skies beschrijft op een poëtische manier een buurt die doodnormaal was. (p. 370)
Strawberry Fields Forever verwijst naar de naam van een centrum van het Leger des Heils, vlakbij het huis van tante Mimi in Liverpool, waar John Lennon als kind had gewoond.
December 11, 2013
This book was so much fun to read! Granted, I didn't read it cover to cover, but I did read the stories behind all of the songs, and I even went through my iPod and listened along, trying to find the mistakes that were pointed out in the book. I loved seeing the pictures of the Beatles, especially Paul, because he was the best. Some of the song origins are really sad, like how, "We can work it out" was written because he was fighting with Jane Asher (who, may I say, was a fool), and "The Long and Winding Road" was written because of the never ending tension, stress, and fighting between the Beatles later on in their lives.
Also, Yoko Ono is really creepy.
Also, Yoko Ono is really creepy.
February 3, 2014
This is a tomb, maybe 750 pp! Skimmed the second half. Two pages on EVERY song they ever wrote-the genesis, the recording session, photos, etc. It made me sad near the end. The beginning was so much fun, as this group got started and everything went swimmingly for them and they changed the course of music in the world. For Beatles lovers, an excellent encyclopedia.
March 1, 2014
A very interesting book that gives some valuable insight into the creativity of the Beatles. It also, with other tomes I've read, makes me wonder that if John and Paul had showed George a bit more respect as a song writer, would the Beatles have lasted longer? A lot of interesting trivia and stories about each song. Worth a read.
February 15, 2017
I am teaching a history of rock-n-roll course and we just finished the Beatles. We went through every song in their catalog of music and I used this book to reference fun facts about each selection including which instruments were used.
March 27, 2014
Holy s&$£! What a reference!
September 17, 2017
Perfect gift for the Beatles obsessed. Like me. Yes, I read every word and was thoroughly entertained. What can I say about a book that delivers on everything the title implies.
November 1, 2017
The Beatles Compleet Jean-Michel Guesdon, Philippe Margotin
In dit boek analyseren ze alleen de singles en de oorspronkelijke Engelse albums. De inhoud van het boek is gerangschikt op verschijningdatum.
Maar ook de techniek, instrumenten en opnameprocedures van toen.
Tevens is het een boek vol unieke informatie en leuke anekdotes.
De Hamburg jaren waren de leerjaren voor The Beatles augustus 1960 waren John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe en Pete Best 17 tot 20 jaar. Stuart Sutcliffe is gestopt om weer te gaan schilderen en Pete Best werd uit de band gezet en vervangen door Ringo Starr.
Brain Ebstein hoorde van een plaat die in Duitsland was opgenomen My Bonnie van een uit Liverpool afkomstige Band. Hij besloot naar een optrede van hun te gaan in de Cavern Club in Liverpool waarna hij hun manager werd.
Brain probeerde een platen contract af te sluiten maar werd steeds afgewezen uiteindelijk maakte hij een afspraak bij George Martin van het Parlophonelabel.
Op 6 juni 1962 deden The Beatles voor het eerst een auditie in de Abby Road Studios ze waren erg zenuwachtig en aan het eind van de opname vroeg George Martin wat hun indruk was hij wist dat ze niet blij waren en vroeg is er iets wat je niet bevalt? George Harrison uw das bevalt me niet en met die opmerking was het ijs gebroken waarna een jarenlange samenwerking kwam met George Martin.
Wat ik zelf heel leuk vind van dit boek is dat de componisten vermeld werden en wie het idee voor het liedje aandroeg en hoe en met wie de opname tot stand kwam. Welke instrumenten en wie de solozang of wie op de achtergrond zong. De producer en de geluidtechnicus was. En vooral hoelang de sessies duurde men nam de platen achter elkaar op men had eigenlijk geen stem meer. Maar ook dat bij bepaalde liedjes de Beatlemania begon. En vooral hoelang ze in de top tien stonden. Met achterin het boek een begrippenlijst want al lezende kom je woorden tegen waarvan je de betekenis niet weet.
Het kwam allemaal weer boven bij mij een ongelofelijke tijd die jaren 60 ik bewaar daar leuke herinnering aan.
Het boek is een prachtig document een must voor een Beatle fan mooie herinneringen komen boven die je graag wil koesteren en elke plaat die uit kwam wilde je graag kopen.
Ik was jong in de jaren zestig en heb deze tijdbewust meegemaakt en werd al snel een Beatle fan.
Toen zij in 1966 stopte met hun tournees om zich te concentreren op de studio opnamen wat achteraf erg goed was dit werden hun betere jaren zij brachten een paar hele mooie LP’s uit.
Op Zaterdag 10 september 1983 was ik in Londen bij de Abby Road Studio je kon het bezichtigen wat toch echt een must is maar het was uitverkocht. Ik ben blijven wachten met hoop dat iemand zou afzeggen en ik had geluk ik heb de studio vanbinnen gezien.
Er was ook strijd tussen de Beatles en Rolling Stones fans je was voor de Beatles of voor de Stones ik ben nog steeds fan van beide dat moet kunnen!
In dit boek analyseren ze alleen de singles en de oorspronkelijke Engelse albums. De inhoud van het boek is gerangschikt op verschijningdatum.
Maar ook de techniek, instrumenten en opnameprocedures van toen.
Tevens is het een boek vol unieke informatie en leuke anekdotes.
De Hamburg jaren waren de leerjaren voor The Beatles augustus 1960 waren John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe en Pete Best 17 tot 20 jaar. Stuart Sutcliffe is gestopt om weer te gaan schilderen en Pete Best werd uit de band gezet en vervangen door Ringo Starr.
Brain Ebstein hoorde van een plaat die in Duitsland was opgenomen My Bonnie van een uit Liverpool afkomstige Band. Hij besloot naar een optrede van hun te gaan in de Cavern Club in Liverpool waarna hij hun manager werd.
Brain probeerde een platen contract af te sluiten maar werd steeds afgewezen uiteindelijk maakte hij een afspraak bij George Martin van het Parlophonelabel.
Op 6 juni 1962 deden The Beatles voor het eerst een auditie in de Abby Road Studios ze waren erg zenuwachtig en aan het eind van de opname vroeg George Martin wat hun indruk was hij wist dat ze niet blij waren en vroeg is er iets wat je niet bevalt? George Harrison uw das bevalt me niet en met die opmerking was het ijs gebroken waarna een jarenlange samenwerking kwam met George Martin.
Wat ik zelf heel leuk vind van dit boek is dat de componisten vermeld werden en wie het idee voor het liedje aandroeg en hoe en met wie de opname tot stand kwam. Welke instrumenten en wie de solozang of wie op de achtergrond zong. De producer en de geluidtechnicus was. En vooral hoelang de sessies duurde men nam de platen achter elkaar op men had eigenlijk geen stem meer. Maar ook dat bij bepaalde liedjes de Beatlemania begon. En vooral hoelang ze in de top tien stonden. Met achterin het boek een begrippenlijst want al lezende kom je woorden tegen waarvan je de betekenis niet weet.
Het kwam allemaal weer boven bij mij een ongelofelijke tijd die jaren 60 ik bewaar daar leuke herinnering aan.
Het boek is een prachtig document een must voor een Beatle fan mooie herinneringen komen boven die je graag wil koesteren en elke plaat die uit kwam wilde je graag kopen.
Ik was jong in de jaren zestig en heb deze tijdbewust meegemaakt en werd al snel een Beatle fan.
Toen zij in 1966 stopte met hun tournees om zich te concentreren op de studio opnamen wat achteraf erg goed was dit werden hun betere jaren zij brachten een paar hele mooie LP’s uit.
Op Zaterdag 10 september 1983 was ik in Londen bij de Abby Road Studio je kon het bezichtigen wat toch echt een must is maar het was uitverkocht. Ik ben blijven wachten met hoop dat iemand zou afzeggen en ik had geluk ik heb de studio vanbinnen gezien.
Er was ook strijd tussen de Beatles en Rolling Stones fans je was voor de Beatles of voor de Stones ik ben nog steeds fan van beide dat moet kunnen!
March 3, 2024
This was a disappointment to me. If you want a big Beatles picture book, or if you're obsessive about the studio dates, the recording sequence, and the specific model of instruments used, you would probably like it.
But I was after what the subtitle claims, the "story behind" each song, and that's only true in a the technical musical sense, not what I would call the "story." There's a tiny bit about the idea that led to each song, but it's usually just a sentence about the inspiration and discussion of which Beatles contributed to the writing. The lyrics aren't in the book, (the gravest error in my opinion) and attempts to analyze lyrics almost always quickly settle for some generic statement like "this is another one of John's nonsense lyrics" or "Paul wrote a really beautiful melody". There's nothing much about the cultural impact of the songs or how they were received by the public. Except for the off-album singles, you don't even get a record of how the songs charted. I wish they had saved the pages spent on album filler songs and some of the photographs, and used it to give more context to the songs that are memorable.
When all is said and done, the Beatles were just young guys caught up in a cultural phenomenon that was a force of its own, a phenomenon that was so strong that it damaged their relationships made it hard for them to enjoy the ride. I'm kind of tired of reading about their state of mind and arguments during their relatively brief run as a band. This book hints at that a lot, but doesn't really make much of a case of how it effected the individual songs. What endures is the music, and I could still read more about it. I don't know, maybe there isn't as much of a meaningful story behind most of these songs as I would like there to be, maybe it is "only rock and roll."
But I was after what the subtitle claims, the "story behind" each song, and that's only true in a the technical musical sense, not what I would call the "story." There's a tiny bit about the idea that led to each song, but it's usually just a sentence about the inspiration and discussion of which Beatles contributed to the writing. The lyrics aren't in the book, (the gravest error in my opinion) and attempts to analyze lyrics almost always quickly settle for some generic statement like "this is another one of John's nonsense lyrics" or "Paul wrote a really beautiful melody". There's nothing much about the cultural impact of the songs or how they were received by the public. Except for the off-album singles, you don't even get a record of how the songs charted. I wish they had saved the pages spent on album filler songs and some of the photographs, and used it to give more context to the songs that are memorable.
When all is said and done, the Beatles were just young guys caught up in a cultural phenomenon that was a force of its own, a phenomenon that was so strong that it damaged their relationships made it hard for them to enjoy the ride. I'm kind of tired of reading about their state of mind and arguments during their relatively brief run as a band. This book hints at that a lot, but doesn't really make much of a case of how it effected the individual songs. What endures is the music, and I could still read more about it. I don't know, maybe there isn't as much of a meaningful story behind most of these songs as I would like there to be, maybe it is "only rock and roll."
December 6, 2022
I confess that I hadn't listened to every Beatles song before and so reading about them all, one song per page or two, was a chance to do this in a dedicated way. But the endless details about who played which instrument and how many takes there were do begin to feel repetitive when read consecutively. At the same time, the individual personalities of the Beatles (and George Martin and some of the engineers) begin to become clearer as the pages/songs go by and the drama of the Beatles emerges as we move past Revolver and Sgt Pepper. Then who plays on a track starts to reveal some of the interpersonal dynamics of the group. That said, the authors might be repeating conventional wisdom about the band (particularly the role of John and Yoko's relationship) and some of the gossip may have to be taken with a grain of salt. For true Beatles nuts, there are details about various mistakes and other aberrations in the songs, if you listen closely enough. All told, an amazing band with an incredible legacy (and influence), so it was enjoyable to get back in touch with them.
September 23, 2024
A friend of mine lent me her copy of this book--660 pages excluding indexes! I actually read every page, using it as "the last thing I look at before drifting off to sleep" bedtime story book. It worked pretty well as that, since each entry is only a couple of pages long.
I grew up with the Beatles (I was just barely twelve years old when they came to the US in 1964), so I am familiar with their American hits. I also owned three of their later albums. The book is fascinating to read for its cataloging of recording mistakes on songs--and precisely where these occur on the songs (minute and second). (who knew there were so many mistakes!) It is also an eyeopening experience to read how quickly some of the songs were written and produced, and conversely how long others took to write and produce. Who knew that practically every recording had the guys overdubbing their voices and/or their instruments for adding depth to their sound--and how many different silly things they used as "instruments"?
I grew up with the Beatles (I was just barely twelve years old when they came to the US in 1964), so I am familiar with their American hits. I also owned three of their later albums. The book is fascinating to read for its cataloging of recording mistakes on songs--and precisely where these occur on the songs (minute and second). (who knew there were so many mistakes!) It is also an eyeopening experience to read how quickly some of the songs were written and produced, and conversely how long others took to write and produce. Who knew that practically every recording had the guys overdubbing their voices and/or their instruments for adding depth to their sound--and how many different silly things they used as "instruments"?
July 8, 2020
This is a very nice comprehensive guidebook on every standard Beatles song, including their singles and their albums. So, don't look for bootleg information here, or anything about their BBC sessions. There is also hardly anything to do with music theory in this book, so look for that, as well as lyrical interpretation and biographical descriptions, elsewhere.
Helpful reference information is provided for each track, and you get the who/what/where/when/ why/how for each one, including the recording details, the "genesis" behind the song's inspiration, a bonus "for Beatles fanatics" fun fact, and more.
All this information, of course, comes from earlier sources, and is readily available for free on fan websites, however many will find it convenient to have it all in one tome like this. Overall, it is a solid publication and I recommend it for fact-seeking Beatles fans.
Helpful reference information is provided for each track, and you get the who/what/where/when/ why/how for each one, including the recording details, the "genesis" behind the song's inspiration, a bonus "for Beatles fanatics" fun fact, and more.
All this information, of course, comes from earlier sources, and is readily available for free on fan websites, however many will find it convenient to have it all in one tome like this. Overall, it is a solid publication and I recommend it for fact-seeking Beatles fans.
June 25, 2017
Une rétrospective plutôt complète.
Les chansons sont décortiquées tant du point de vue technique que du point de vue poétique et social. J'aurais aimé avoir plus de détails sur cette dernière partie. Les non-musiciens seront certainement perdus dans les discussions techniques des détails d'enregistrement et des marques précises des instruments utilisés.
Le style d'écriture est parfois pauvre, l'auteur a tendance à réutiliser les mêmes phrases ou expressions de multiples fois.
Cela aurait été intéressant d'avoir une anthologie de ce genre, mais rédigée par plusieurs auteurs selon les chansons, chacun apportant un "assaisonnement" un peu différent, certains techniciens de la musique, d'autres peut-être plus des historiens de la musique ou journalistes musicaux.
Les chansons sont décortiquées tant du point de vue technique que du point de vue poétique et social. J'aurais aimé avoir plus de détails sur cette dernière partie. Les non-musiciens seront certainement perdus dans les discussions techniques des détails d'enregistrement et des marques précises des instruments utilisés.
Le style d'écriture est parfois pauvre, l'auteur a tendance à réutiliser les mêmes phrases ou expressions de multiples fois.
Cela aurait été intéressant d'avoir une anthologie de ce genre, mais rédigée par plusieurs auteurs selon les chansons, chacun apportant un "assaisonnement" un peu différent, certains techniciens de la musique, d'autres peut-être plus des historiens de la musique ou journalistes musicaux.
July 2, 2020
I have been gradually reading four of these "All the Songs" books (Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, & Bob Dylan). I think it’s appropriate that the one on the Beatle’s music was the one I completed first, considering they were the spark for me & my attempts at music making. These books are huge door stop volumes. I’ve actually strained my wrist lifting them. But a lot of it is taken up by great illustrations.
There is a quandary in reviewing these books. I love them, but they are definitely for fans only. The average person wouldn’t care at all which guitar George Harrison played on a particular track or the other details in both the composing & production of a tune. I do, so, four & a half stars it is. It's been particular fun while listening to the song itself.
There is a quandary in reviewing these books. I love them, but they are definitely for fans only. The average person wouldn’t care at all which guitar George Harrison played on a particular track or the other details in both the composing & production of a tune. I do, so, four & a half stars it is. It's been particular fun while listening to the song itself.
September 16, 2018
I thought this book gave less detail, a lot less detail, than a book I have called All Together Now. Few pictures and commentary, but so many facts about the songs. This book gave none of that.
While reading I noticed a bias toward Paul and a dislike for Yoko. I was very turned off by that. So many quotes are taken from Paul and his perspective that it seemed unbalanced.
I gave the book away to a hard-core Paul fan who won't notice or think it's biased.
If you are a long-term, die-hard Beatles fan, I just don't thinkthis book adds much new info. Newer or casual fans might like it as a place to start.
While reading I noticed a bias toward Paul and a dislike for Yoko. I was very turned off by that. So many quotes are taken from Paul and his perspective that it seemed unbalanced.
I gave the book away to a hard-core Paul fan who won't notice or think it's biased.
If you are a long-term, die-hard Beatles fan, I just don't thinkthis book adds much new info. Newer or casual fans might like it as a place to start.
June 21, 2017
Very interesting read, with a nice, consistent description of each song (genesis and production) in the order they were released. Great research with lots of details. This is not a "history of the Beatles" - there are other books for that. But if you're interested in their progression of songs, and a bit about how and why the managed to innovate so quickly, this is the book for you. Do yourself a favor and read it near your stereo, ipod, sonos, etc... so you can check out the songs as you're reading about them.
I was pretty bummed to read something *after* I finished it that there were apprently 200 pictures included in the book, of which the kindle version included ZERO of them. Not the authors fault - but another downside to buying e-books these days
I was pretty bummed to read something *after* I finished it that there were apprently 200 pictures included in the book, of which the kindle version included ZERO of them. Not the authors fault - but another downside to buying e-books these days
June 14, 2022
Not as interesting as I had hoped. Many technical notes about the recording process, that I mostly glossed over. I only read from Revolver onward, as I don't have much interest in their "pre-experimental" recordings. Some of the side notes are interesting, about mixing mistakes that can still be heard, and differences between the mono and stereo mixes. Particularly revealing - though in hindsight I don't know why I was surprised by this - was that many of the lyrics were afterthoughts just thrown together, without any meaning associated (this is especially true of John's songs).
December 19, 2022
All the Songs: The story behind every Beatles release.
No lyrics.
No list of songs. Not in the table of contents nor in the index. The book orders the recordings only approximately chronologically.
Little about the songs. We do learn that "Martha, My Dear" is about Paul's sheepdog. But we knew that.
We get details of the recording sessions: who the sound engineers were. How many takes each recording took. What date the mixing was done. Which guitars they used.
So it's not something the average Beatles fan will want to read more than once. If that.
No lyrics.
No list of songs. Not in the table of contents nor in the index. The book orders the recordings only approximately chronologically.
Little about the songs. We do learn that "Martha, My Dear" is about Paul's sheepdog. But we knew that.
We get details of the recording sessions: who the sound engineers were. How many takes each recording took. What date the mixing was done. Which guitars they used.
So it's not something the average Beatles fan will want to read more than once. If that.
May 30, 2019
This is a very comprehensive book on all the songs the Beatles sang that were recorded. It lists who wrote the song, who sang it, back up vocals and instruments played. There is a blurb about each song of how the song came about and the feelings behind them. There is also a production sheet of how many takes it took to record the song and how the songs were "mixed."
If you want to know which Beatle wrote and which Beatle sang which song, this is the book for you.
If you want to know which Beatle wrote and which Beatle sang which song, this is the book for you.
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