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All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words: Unpublished, Unvarnished, and Told by The Beatles and Their Inner Circle
An oral history of The Beatles from never-before-seen interviews.
All You Need Is Love is a groundbreaking oral history of the one of the most enduring musical acts of all time. The material is comprised of intimate interviews with Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, their families, friends and business associates that were conducted by Beatles intimate Peter Brown and author Steven Gaines in 1980-1981 during the preparation of their international bestseller, The Love You Make , which spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list in 1983 and remains the biggest selling biography worldwide about the Beatles
Only a small portion of the contents of these transcribed interviews have ever been revealed. The interviews are unique and candid. The information, stories, and experiences, and the authority of the people who relate to them, have historic value. No collection like this can ever be assembled again.
In addition to interviews with Paul, Yoko, Ringo and George, Brown and Gaines also include interviews from ex-wives Cynthia Lennon, Pattie Harrison Clapton, and Maureen Starkey, as well as the major social and business figures of the Beatles’ inner circle. Among other sought-after information the interviews contribute definitively as to why the Beatles broke up.
All You Need Is Love is a groundbreaking oral history of the one of the most enduring musical acts of all time. The material is comprised of intimate interviews with Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, their families, friends and business associates that were conducted by Beatles intimate Peter Brown and author Steven Gaines in 1980-1981 during the preparation of their international bestseller, The Love You Make , which spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list in 1983 and remains the biggest selling biography worldwide about the Beatles
Only a small portion of the contents of these transcribed interviews have ever been revealed. The interviews are unique and candid. The information, stories, and experiences, and the authority of the people who relate to them, have historic value. No collection like this can ever be assembled again.
In addition to interviews with Paul, Yoko, Ringo and George, Brown and Gaines also include interviews from ex-wives Cynthia Lennon, Pattie Harrison Clapton, and Maureen Starkey, as well as the major social and business figures of the Beatles’ inner circle. Among other sought-after information the interviews contribute definitively as to why the Beatles broke up.
352 pages, Paperback
Published June 24, 2025
358 people are currently reading
4177 people want to read
About the author
Peter Brown
4 books4 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Peter Brown is an American-based English businessman. He was part of the Beatles' management team as Epstein's and the Beatles' personal assistant. He was involved in founding Apple Corps and served as board member. After Epstein's death, he took over his duties. After the Beatles disbanded in 1970, Brown went on to establish several companies (such as the Entertainment Development Company and Brown & Powers - now BLJ Worldwide).
Peter Brown is an American-based English businessman. He was part of the Beatles' management team as Epstein's and the Beatles' personal assistant. He was involved in founding Apple Corps and served as board member. After Epstein's death, he took over his duties. After the Beatles disbanded in 1970, Brown went on to establish several companies (such as the Entertainment Development Company and Brown & Powers - now BLJ Worldwide).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
May 11, 2025
I don’t think I’m the right reader for this book.
Maybe I would have been at some point. I’ve discovered the Beatles as a kid, and tried my best to learn everything I could about the Fab Four — which is easier said than done in the pre-Internet Eastern Europe. Later on I happily read The Beatles Anthology and loved the entire Get Back documentary released a few years ago. I am familiar with the general story of the band, and a few conflicts, and the overall mess that happened as the guys were getting sick and tired of each other and making questionable business decision while high on everything possible.
But this book is aimed very much NOT at a casual fan. Compiled by former members of the Beatles entourage, it is full of interviews with the people in their orbit as well as the Beatles themselves, from the decade or so after the band broke up. Apparently these authors have written a biography of the band in the eighties, and these interviews are what’s left. Good knowledge of the history of the Beatles is pretty much a must, as well as a certain level of wanting to obsessively know all the minutiae. The events mentioned in the interviews, and the references, and the importance and relevance of these to me felt too removed by both the passage of time and the lack of my need to know all sides of minutiae surrounding people and events. I just don’t care enough — I like the music, but I’m left cold by their drug use or maharishi or questionable managers or what the woman who dated John Lennon has to say. And I don’t care for the dismissiveness with which quite a few men who disliked particular women in the Beatles’ life (Yoko and Linda) would dismiss their looks before anything of their personalities. Some things do not age well.
Apparently I’d prefer a biography book rather than transcripts of candid interviews that focus too much on things other that what made them great - the music.
I suppose I’m learning that the less I know about my childhood idols, the better I like them. And it’s music that matters, and not the dirty laundry.
And I’m not a die-hard fan.
It bored me, but then I listened to Hey Jude, and Two of Us, and Help, and it all got better.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
Maybe I would have been at some point. I’ve discovered the Beatles as a kid, and tried my best to learn everything I could about the Fab Four — which is easier said than done in the pre-Internet Eastern Europe. Later on I happily read The Beatles Anthology and loved the entire Get Back documentary released a few years ago. I am familiar with the general story of the band, and a few conflicts, and the overall mess that happened as the guys were getting sick and tired of each other and making questionable business decision while high on everything possible.
But this book is aimed very much NOT at a casual fan. Compiled by former members of the Beatles entourage, it is full of interviews with the people in their orbit as well as the Beatles themselves, from the decade or so after the band broke up. Apparently these authors have written a biography of the band in the eighties, and these interviews are what’s left. Good knowledge of the history of the Beatles is pretty much a must, as well as a certain level of wanting to obsessively know all the minutiae. The events mentioned in the interviews, and the references, and the importance and relevance of these to me felt too removed by both the passage of time and the lack of my need to know all sides of minutiae surrounding people and events. I just don’t care enough — I like the music, but I’m left cold by their drug use or maharishi or questionable managers or what the woman who dated John Lennon has to say. And I don’t care for the dismissiveness with which quite a few men who disliked particular women in the Beatles’ life (Yoko and Linda) would dismiss their looks before anything of their personalities. Some things do not age well.
Apparently I’d prefer a biography book rather than transcripts of candid interviews that focus too much on things other that what made them great - the music.
I suppose I’m learning that the less I know about my childhood idols, the better I like them. And it’s music that matters, and not the dirty laundry.
And I’m not a die-hard fan.
It bored me, but then I listened to Hey Jude, and Two of Us, and Help, and it all got better.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
May 16, 2024
I have the original first edition hardcover of The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles, published in 1983 by these same two authors. It's one of my favorite Beatles biographies of all time, and was reread on countless occasions. Perhaps it's because Peter Brown was with The Beatles from the beginning....the Liverpool days. Brian Epstein, who discovered The Beatles and whose family owned the NEMS stores in Liverpool, tapped Brown to manage the record department, then to serve as an integral part of the management team of The Beatles. He was best man at John and Yoko's wedding and is even mentioned by name in the song "The Ballad of John and Yoko". I distinctly remember the book opening up with a bang with Cynthia Lennon coming home from a vacation to find Yoko wearing her bathrobe, supplanting her at John's side.
This new book is an outgrowth of the interview transcripts culled from all the main players in Beatle world that fashioned that earlier book. These interviews took place during 1980-1981. I believe the only interview post John Lennon's murder was the one with Yoko Ono. All the others were taken months and weeks before that earth shattering tragedy. Therefore, this perspective lends a unique time capsule effect and authenticity to this oral format biography. Here are some of the people's transcripts included in this book:
Pattie Boyd (first wife of George Harrison)
Maureen Starkey (first wife of Ringo Starr)
Cynthia Lennon (first wife of John Lennon)
May Pang (personal assistant/girlfriend of John Lennon)
Allen Klein (Beatles manager after death of Brian Epstein)
Neil Aspinall (road manager/personal assistant/Apple executive)
Alistair Taylor (personal assistant of Brian Epstein)
Alexis Mardas aka "Magic Alex" (electronics inventor)
Yoko Ono (John Lennon's 2nd wife)
I was particularly riveted by the transcript interview of Alexis Mardas. He was an electronics engineer who dazzled mainly John Lennon with inventions like light-changing wallpaper and a magic light box. However, over time he was thought of as somewhat of a con man. His transcript was the most frank and intelligently spoken assessment of many Beatles situations, particularly why John Lennon and Paul McCartney ultimately chose their marital spouses Yoko Ono and Linda Eastman, when neither was that attractive- in light of the fact that they could have any gorgeous women they wanted and yet married these women. I wish his interview was longer....he was that forthright, unabashed, and spot on in his commentary.
I looked at some other reviews of this book and some people said they "learned nothing new", but the whole point is that these interviews (by the way from many people who are now no longer with us) were recorded during 1980-1981...so you have to accept that context going in. The fascination comes from hearing the actual words coming out of their mouths, not fashioned by an author into the original biography The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles. I was also intrigued by the interview with Maureen Starkey, Ringo's first wife. This woman never gave an interview save the one with Ringo to the press following their marriage in 1965. She was already divorced from Ringo at the time of the interview, yet a couple of times she was so unsure of whether she should be talking about certain subjects that she asked if she could call Ringo and check with him about it. I am a Beatles diehard fan of half a century, so for me these little kernels of new information are like gold. So of course, I loved this book.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There was one glaring mistake I found in this book. In a section discussing drummer Ringo Starr, they referenced an earlier broken wedding engagement to someone named Elsie Gleave. Elsie Gleave was Ringo's MOTHER!!
This new book is an outgrowth of the interview transcripts culled from all the main players in Beatle world that fashioned that earlier book. These interviews took place during 1980-1981. I believe the only interview post John Lennon's murder was the one with Yoko Ono. All the others were taken months and weeks before that earth shattering tragedy. Therefore, this perspective lends a unique time capsule effect and authenticity to this oral format biography. Here are some of the people's transcripts included in this book:
Pattie Boyd (first wife of George Harrison)
Maureen Starkey (first wife of Ringo Starr)
Cynthia Lennon (first wife of John Lennon)
May Pang (personal assistant/girlfriend of John Lennon)
Allen Klein (Beatles manager after death of Brian Epstein)
Neil Aspinall (road manager/personal assistant/Apple executive)
Alistair Taylor (personal assistant of Brian Epstein)
Alexis Mardas aka "Magic Alex" (electronics inventor)
Yoko Ono (John Lennon's 2nd wife)
I was particularly riveted by the transcript interview of Alexis Mardas. He was an electronics engineer who dazzled mainly John Lennon with inventions like light-changing wallpaper and a magic light box. However, over time he was thought of as somewhat of a con man. His transcript was the most frank and intelligently spoken assessment of many Beatles situations, particularly why John Lennon and Paul McCartney ultimately chose their marital spouses Yoko Ono and Linda Eastman, when neither was that attractive- in light of the fact that they could have any gorgeous women they wanted and yet married these women. I wish his interview was longer....he was that forthright, unabashed, and spot on in his commentary.
I looked at some other reviews of this book and some people said they "learned nothing new", but the whole point is that these interviews (by the way from many people who are now no longer with us) were recorded during 1980-1981...so you have to accept that context going in. The fascination comes from hearing the actual words coming out of their mouths, not fashioned by an author into the original biography The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles. I was also intrigued by the interview with Maureen Starkey, Ringo's first wife. This woman never gave an interview save the one with Ringo to the press following their marriage in 1965. She was already divorced from Ringo at the time of the interview, yet a couple of times she was so unsure of whether she should be talking about certain subjects that she asked if she could call Ringo and check with him about it. I am a Beatles diehard fan of half a century, so for me these little kernels of new information are like gold. So of course, I loved this book.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There was one glaring mistake I found in this book. In a section discussing drummer Ringo Starr, they referenced an earlier broken wedding engagement to someone named Elsie Gleave. Elsie Gleave was Ringo's MOTHER!!
April 12, 2024
This book is a series of interviews of Paul, George, Ringo & the Beatles
wives, friends & associates. As for myself as a longtime fan I found this a bit dull and not very informative. The transcribed interviews were way short and must have been heavily edited as I can't imagine such brief recordings given the subject. I was expecting a much, much longer narrative. By the way the dust cover blurb about Peter Brown lauds him as the only real person
mentioned in a Beatle song ("Ballad of John & Yoko" 'Peter Brown phoned to say - you can make it okay - you can get married in Gibraltar near Spain...)
What about "Taxman's" reference to Mr. Wilson & Mr. Heath? I know this is off the wall but what can I say, I'm an old fan.
There were some amusing parts but in general I felt the book was a bit of a letdown and a disappointment.
wives, friends & associates. As for myself as a longtime fan I found this a bit dull and not very informative. The transcribed interviews were way short and must have been heavily edited as I can't imagine such brief recordings given the subject. I was expecting a much, much longer narrative. By the way the dust cover blurb about Peter Brown lauds him as the only real person
mentioned in a Beatle song ("Ballad of John & Yoko" 'Peter Brown phoned to say - you can make it okay - you can get married in Gibraltar near Spain...)
What about "Taxman's" reference to Mr. Wilson & Mr. Heath? I know this is off the wall but what can I say, I'm an old fan.
There were some amusing parts but in general I felt the book was a bit of a letdown and a disappointment.
April 24, 2024
3.5
Hmm... interesting. I learned some new things. But also it was confusing as I was reading because it didn't give a time frame for each specific interview.
Hmm... interesting. I learned some new things. But also it was confusing as I was reading because it didn't give a time frame for each specific interview.
April 13, 2024
This book is unnecessary and nothing really new. There's very little Beatles "in their own words" here. A disappointment.
June 15, 2024
Interesting in parts an oral history of the beatles taken from interviews with the band and others connected to them
April 22, 2024
All You Need is Love is a series of interviews, never seen or published before. They were conducted by Peter Brown and Stephen Gaines right around the time the demise of the Beatles was imminent. These never published interviews are with the Beatles themselves (exluding John Lennon) and with characters who were all within the Beatles' inner circle - Brian Epstein, Neil Aspinall, Pattie Boyd Harrison, Yoko Ono and May Pang to name just a few.
While Lennon and McCartney were still churning out the hits, there was all sorts of deceit and double crossing going on backstage at Beatles HQ. This book is a really interesting and eye opening look at what a commodity they became. It's extraordinary to remember just how intense their fame was - and how new all the fan adoration and media scrutiny was back in the 1960s. Apart from Presley, the Beatles were the first to receive this level of fame and the interviews within this book reflect just what a powerful and successful business they quickly became - and also how it all ended.
Because each interview is transcribed verbatim the interviewees voices are really heard. There's no suggestion here, it's all fact (which makes it all the more interesting when different characters contradict one another in their statements). The interviews can take a little while to get used to, at first I found them a little staid, but then I started to really enjoy the authenticity of this style. I was intrigued to learn about all these different players within the Beatles circle and the roles they played and their own personal reflections of the sixties. I found it quite suprising how many of these interviewees had now died and become part of history and how few of them were female. Back then it was definitely a man's world.
Unique and compelling and very honest. If you're a Beatles fan you'll enjoy this.
While Lennon and McCartney were still churning out the hits, there was all sorts of deceit and double crossing going on backstage at Beatles HQ. This book is a really interesting and eye opening look at what a commodity they became. It's extraordinary to remember just how intense their fame was - and how new all the fan adoration and media scrutiny was back in the 1960s. Apart from Presley, the Beatles were the first to receive this level of fame and the interviews within this book reflect just what a powerful and successful business they quickly became - and also how it all ended.
Because each interview is transcribed verbatim the interviewees voices are really heard. There's no suggestion here, it's all fact (which makes it all the more interesting when different characters contradict one another in their statements). The interviews can take a little while to get used to, at first I found them a little staid, but then I started to really enjoy the authenticity of this style. I was intrigued to learn about all these different players within the Beatles circle and the roles they played and their own personal reflections of the sixties. I found it quite suprising how many of these interviewees had now died and become part of history and how few of them were female. Back then it was definitely a man's world.
Unique and compelling and very honest. If you're a Beatles fan you'll enjoy this.
January 31, 2026
Love the book! Just reading the different recollections of so many of the major and minor players in the Beatles universe made it so very interesting for a Beatles geek like me. I do believe that Brian Epstein for better or worse was the glue that kept the boys together. Once he died everything unraveled at a tremendously fast pace. There was no one after that that could keep them together. Sad but like everthing in life “all good things do come to an end”.
April 23, 2024
I found this interesting and thoughtfully put together. It added some nuance and understanding to the band as well as to the individual Beatles for me. I imagine I’ll be mulling this over for a bit.
December 26, 2024
A compilation of interviews done roughly from 1978-1982 with many of the key players in the Beatles story, including some you rarely see interviewed like Allan Klein, Maureen Starkey and Magic Alex. Beatlemaniacs will probably find some interesting bits. Of special note are Paul & George’s comments on John Lennon, recorded prior to his death.
April 17, 2024
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I have to say I did find parts more interesting than others. As well as interviews from Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and their families, friends and business associates, there was also some from Ex wives, Cynthia Lennon, Patti Harrison Clapton and Maureen Starkey. I would recommend given this book a read as everyone's views are different and there is something for everyone, there are even a few fun parts that you will enjoy.
May 8, 2024
Did you know:
-That George Harrison, NOT John Lennon, wrote the song "Dear Prudence" (because George "longed for (Mia Farrow's sister Prudence) so much" while at the Maharishi's ashram in Rishikesh) (page 111);
-That BOTH Dick James (page 73) AND Vic Lewis (page 89) were one-time bandleaders and singers whose only hit(s) were the novelty song "Robin Hood";
-That before marrying Maureen, Ringo's one and only engagement was to BOTH "a girl named Elsie Greaves" (page 290) and (per Ringo himself on page 305) "Geraldine...Jerry";
-That Neil Aspinall, following the dissolution of the band, "edit(ed) a film that would eventually be released as "Let It Be" (page 130).
Did you, as a longtime fan and follower of all things Beatles, know these things before reading "All You Need Is Love"?
Well of course you didn't know these because these are just some examples of the egregious bullshit that passes for history in this ridiculous book. I think both Ringo and the late (she died in 1987) Elsie Graves, HIS MOTHER, would be shocked to learn that they were at one time engaged to be married.
Now, to be fair, the examples I have cited above are all from the introductions to some of the various
interviews that comprise this book, so I really have no idea who is responsible for this shoddy work, but don't worry, the incomprehensibility doesn't stop there. Read the supposedly verbatim transcripts of the interviews with (for example) Yoko Ono and/or Allen Klein and ask yourself if they are remotely coherent.
It's just not possible to take much in this sloppy, shoddy book at face value. The authors claim that virtually all of these interviews were conducted around 1980-81, often just before (McCartney) or after (Yoko) Lennon's horrific murder, so I don't know why that sat on them for over 40 years. Maybe when they decided the re-listen to them in preparation for this book, they threaded the tape wrong (much as John Lennon said he did when he discovered the "backwards" audio that comprised a part of the song "Rain") and just decided the go ahead and publish the gobbledegook they came up with.
My advice? AVOID THIS BOOK.
-That George Harrison, NOT John Lennon, wrote the song "Dear Prudence" (because George "longed for (Mia Farrow's sister Prudence) so much" while at the Maharishi's ashram in Rishikesh) (page 111);
-That BOTH Dick James (page 73) AND Vic Lewis (page 89) were one-time bandleaders and singers whose only hit(s) were the novelty song "Robin Hood";
-That before marrying Maureen, Ringo's one and only engagement was to BOTH "a girl named Elsie Greaves" (page 290) and (per Ringo himself on page 305) "Geraldine...Jerry";
-That Neil Aspinall, following the dissolution of the band, "edit(ed) a film that would eventually be released as "Let It Be" (page 130).
Did you, as a longtime fan and follower of all things Beatles, know these things before reading "All You Need Is Love"?
Well of course you didn't know these because these are just some examples of the egregious bullshit that passes for history in this ridiculous book. I think both Ringo and the late (she died in 1987) Elsie Graves, HIS MOTHER, would be shocked to learn that they were at one time engaged to be married.
Now, to be fair, the examples I have cited above are all from the introductions to some of the various
interviews that comprise this book, so I really have no idea who is responsible for this shoddy work, but don't worry, the incomprehensibility doesn't stop there. Read the supposedly verbatim transcripts of the interviews with (for example) Yoko Ono and/or Allen Klein and ask yourself if they are remotely coherent.
It's just not possible to take much in this sloppy, shoddy book at face value. The authors claim that virtually all of these interviews were conducted around 1980-81, often just before (McCartney) or after (Yoko) Lennon's horrific murder, so I don't know why that sat on them for over 40 years. Maybe when they decided the re-listen to them in preparation for this book, they threaded the tape wrong (much as John Lennon said he did when he discovered the "backwards" audio that comprised a part of the song "Rain") and just decided the go ahead and publish the gobbledegook they came up with.
My advice? AVOID THIS BOOK.
March 11, 2025
To call this book disappointing would be an understatement. Truthfully, it was a gift and maybe I would have read it at some point anyway but I remember hearing about this book and looking it up and saw the reviews were not very high...and I understand why now. Let's start with the misleading title: I see here on Goodreads it says "an oral history of the Beatles": now that is certainly much more accurate however on the actual book it claims "The Beatles: In Their Own Words"...um not really. Yes there are interviews with George, Paul, and Ringo but that's only three chapters out of like 20 or however many. Most of the interviews are with other people relating to the band. The other issue I have is that since these are just interviews that have clearly basically been transcribed for the book, it can be a bit all over the place and people aren't very succinct in their retelling of events. And who's to say how accurate people's memories are? I mean clearly there are different versions of how things went down according to various people.
I also noticed at least two blatant errors from the authors. One was relating to Dear Prudence: it says it was written by George (wrong) who was enamored with Prudence Farrow...um, to my recollection the song was by John and it was written because she locked herself up meditating all day long. How a book can just write something so completely incorrect without fact checking it is insane to me!!! The other one is a bit smaller but in the afterword they say Paul would say "where are we going..." with reply of "to the toppermost of the poppermost" but again I'm pretty sure it was John who would say that...
It says that these interviews all took place in 1980/81 and there never seems to be any explanation as to why it took 40 years for them to be released but I have to say maybe they would have been better left in the vault.
Grade: D+
I also noticed at least two blatant errors from the authors. One was relating to Dear Prudence: it says it was written by George (wrong) who was enamored with Prudence Farrow...um, to my recollection the song was by John and it was written because she locked herself up meditating all day long. How a book can just write something so completely incorrect without fact checking it is insane to me!!! The other one is a bit smaller but in the afterword they say Paul would say "where are we going..." with reply of "to the toppermost of the poppermost" but again I'm pretty sure it was John who would say that...
It says that these interviews all took place in 1980/81 and there never seems to be any explanation as to why it took 40 years for them to be released but I have to say maybe they would have been better left in the vault.
Grade: D+
August 2, 2024
I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did; as a collection of interview transcripts that are over 40 years old (nearly all of them conducted in 1980 as research for a book Peter Brown and Steven Gaines wrote; the interview with Yoko One took place in 1981, after Lennon's murder), I viewed it as an interesting supplement to Beatles fandom, or maybe just a late-in-life cash-grab by the interviewers. And honestly, both of those assessments are likely true. Yet on top of that, there's a slice-of-life, of the moment brilliance to so many stray comments in the book. Paul McCartney and George Harrison and Ringo Starr (no John Lennon in the book unfortunately, except as a haunting presence) and their wives and girlfriends and managers and fixers: they all make comments that I can fit into the Beatles history that I know (and I am not remotely close to as dedicated a fan as many; the constant references by the interviewers and the insiders they spoke with to Triumph Investment Trust or the Ad Lib Club or Alexis "Magic Alex" Mardas frequently had me lost) but which--by virtue of having been spoken mostly by people who were in their 30s or, at most, their early 40s, without the polishing that time and wisdom and four additional decades of Beatles mythologizing has provided--come off as fresh and revealing and even surprising. So really, a charming collection, none more so than the conclusion of Brown and Gaines's interview with Neil Aspinall:
"You know what's amazing about Abby Road for me, right? Is the last track on the last side of the last Beatles album is 'The End.' Then they followed it with the national anthem [actually, McCartney's delightful ditty, 'Her Majesty'...which is maybe the same thing?]--just like when you were a kid when you were leaving the cinema, they played the anthem. If they didn't know it was the end after doing that, man, then nobody did. For me, that is like, amazing. That's why they can never get back together. Because they've done it. 'Cause they've done the end. And the end says you've got to 'carry the weight, man.' That's what we're all doing here. Whoever was ever associated with them in whatever capacity, including them, right, you've all got to carry whatever the weight is. And, uh, for me, it's part of why they were unique. You know, no other band has ever done the last track on their last album and called it 'The End.' That's it. So the ball game's over, thank you very much, and do something else" (p. 141).
"You know what's amazing about Abby Road for me, right? Is the last track on the last side of the last Beatles album is 'The End.' Then they followed it with the national anthem [actually, McCartney's delightful ditty, 'Her Majesty'...which is maybe the same thing?]--just like when you were a kid when you were leaving the cinema, they played the anthem. If they didn't know it was the end after doing that, man, then nobody did. For me, that is like, amazing. That's why they can never get back together. Because they've done it. 'Cause they've done the end. And the end says you've got to 'carry the weight, man.' That's what we're all doing here. Whoever was ever associated with them in whatever capacity, including them, right, you've all got to carry whatever the weight is. And, uh, for me, it's part of why they were unique. You know, no other band has ever done the last track on their last album and called it 'The End.' That's it. So the ball game's over, thank you very much, and do something else" (p. 141).
January 31, 2026
Wooler: You know, I'm wondering how the Beatles are going to view this finished book. Peter, do you think you will still be friends with the Beatles?"Illuminating... like a UV light in a hotel room.
Brown: I don't know. I might be. (page 72)
You might suspect this is a "scraping the barrel" type book; a lukewarm sequel to the predecessor from 41 years earlier, The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles. (Macca (in?)famously burned that one.) But not so. These interviews are truly uncut gems. At some points, Brown & Gaines quite unethically build bridges just to burn them, for example Yoko specifically says "I would not like you to write this" (page 218) when asked about heroin. As the authors rightly point out, the fact that most of the interviews were recorded before Lennon's death adds a layer of meaning and importance. Interviewees have never spoken the same way since then.
Some inaccuracies:Reading wise, it's all dialogue with the subjects changing regularly, so it's very engaging and digestible. Highly recommended for completists.
Ringo's first fiancée is named as "Elsie Greaves" (page 290). This seems to be a mixup of Elsie Gleave, Ringo's mother, and Harry Graves, Ringo's stepfather. (Ironically you could compare this slip-up to a Ringoism.) The fiancée's name was Geraldine McGovern. On page 305 Ringo manages to recall just her first name.
On page 322, Paul is described as being the leader of the "toppermost" chant, but I'm pretty sure it was always John who led that.
Page 111: Brown says George Harrison wrote "Dear Prudence" to woo her, when in fact this is well-documented as being a platonic song written by Lennon.
And finally, Brown really embarrasses himself by saying he has the "charming credential" of being the "only real person" named in a Beatles song. Very demonstrably untrue. It's unfortunate since he could've been slightly less boastful and just mentioned how charming it was to be name-checked in the first place. Peter Brown is already very well woven into the fabric of Beatles history, so he needn't exaggerate to impress.
April 24, 2024
Well, here's another Beatles book to throw onto the pile/fire.
What sets this one apart is that, throughout its sequence of interviews, we get the opportunity to hear from people who are often mentioned in the Beatles' story but whose perspective is rarely heard, like 'Magic' Alex Mardas (a BS artist if ever there was one), Mo Starkey, and a robust defence from end-of-level Blue Meanie, Allen Klein.
There are also candid titbits from others in the "Now and Then" hitmakers' inner and outer circles, of which David Putnam is an unexpected standout (referring to Lennon as "insolent"), as well as a few unguarded words from Macca himself from a pre-Lennon's murder interview that are more revealing than any he might give today.
Otherwise, this is fairly lightweight material, and the author's practice of transcribing the interviewees' every um and ah and trailing off sentence is amateur-hour stuff, most likely included to pad out the word count.
What sets this one apart is that, throughout its sequence of interviews, we get the opportunity to hear from people who are often mentioned in the Beatles' story but whose perspective is rarely heard, like 'Magic' Alex Mardas (a BS artist if ever there was one), Mo Starkey, and a robust defence from end-of-level Blue Meanie, Allen Klein.
There are also candid titbits from others in the "Now and Then" hitmakers' inner and outer circles, of which David Putnam is an unexpected standout (referring to Lennon as "insolent"), as well as a few unguarded words from Macca himself from a pre-Lennon's murder interview that are more revealing than any he might give today.
Otherwise, this is fairly lightweight material, and the author's practice of transcribing the interviewees' every um and ah and trailing off sentence is amateur-hour stuff, most likely included to pad out the word count.
December 28, 2025
O título original é "uma história oral dos Beatles", e não "do fim dos Beatles". Nem todas as entrevistas falam sobre o fim da banda.
Me lembrou de Mate-me por favor, livro sobre a história do punk, contada apenas pelos próprios artistas. A diferença é que naquele livro foi feita uma edição de forma que o entrevistador desaparece, e o que um disse é desmentido ou complementado por outro na fala seguinte, logo abaixo. Neste caso, os entrevistadores insistem em alguns pontos e o entrevistado é constestado em notas do tipo "fulano tem outra versão, veja a entrevista dele".
O problema é que tudo fica tão fragmentado que não se sai com visão alguma do que realmente aconteceu. Outra questão é que o leitor tem que conhecer bem a história dos Beatles pra poder entender as minúcias que são tratadas nas entrevistas.
Tem alguns momentos interessantes, mas o resultado geral é bem irregular.
Me lembrou de Mate-me por favor, livro sobre a história do punk, contada apenas pelos próprios artistas. A diferença é que naquele livro foi feita uma edição de forma que o entrevistador desaparece, e o que um disse é desmentido ou complementado por outro na fala seguinte, logo abaixo. Neste caso, os entrevistadores insistem em alguns pontos e o entrevistado é constestado em notas do tipo "fulano tem outra versão, veja a entrevista dele".
O problema é que tudo fica tão fragmentado que não se sai com visão alguma do que realmente aconteceu. Outra questão é que o leitor tem que conhecer bem a história dos Beatles pra poder entender as minúcias que são tratadas nas entrevistas.
Tem alguns momentos interessantes, mas o resultado geral é bem irregular.
September 5, 2024
As a lifetime Beatles fan - started in 1963 - this collection of interviews all, save one, conducted in 1980, weeks before John’s death, was fascinating. The interviewees are asked many of the same questions and it is fascinating to see their varying responses.
I listened to the audio which, although it wasn’t the original voices of the interviewees, provided a better experience for me, but I will now go back and reread some of the interviews in the hard cover.
What is clear from the collection is when the Beatles broke up it was the right time - it doesn’t matter who gets pointed at for the end, it just was.
I listened to the audio which, although it wasn’t the original voices of the interviewees, provided a better experience for me, but I will now go back and reread some of the interviews in the hard cover.
What is clear from the collection is when the Beatles broke up it was the right time - it doesn’t matter who gets pointed at for the end, it just was.
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June 3, 2025I am not really a Beatles fan at all - but I love this type of stuff for my summer audios. Started this and got about 23% and thought I'm really not the right person for this book. I think you have to be a pretty big super fan or have a lot of previous knowledge of the Beatles to enjoy this. It does have some good personal accounts from various people around them and of course the group itself. It's a compilation of interviews, but there really isn't a time line. So for people like me who were looking for an good overall Beatles biography - this is not it!!!! DNF because you really need to know a lot about the band to get the point of the tidbits!!
June 21, 2024
Not a book for a casual Beatle fan. It’s not really a history of the band, but an interesting retelling of a number of specific significant events in the history of the band, esp exploring why they imploded and disbanded. It also explores a number of characters that had significant roles in the band, but again probably would not be interesting to a casual fan. Told from multiple points of view, some of which are obviously incompatible with each other, so obviously each reader can somewhat draw his/her own conclusions.
May 2, 2024
This book consists of unused interview material from Brown's previous Beatles book, The Love You Make (which wasn't well-liked by the subjects, Paul and Linda ceremoniously burnt theirs!) My response to this one is "Meh". The material has to be heavily edited as only a few pages are dedicated to each interview and are guided by the questions from Brown and seem to focus heavily on Brian Epstein's sexuality and Alan Klein. The reader needs to be pretty well versed in Beatles history to realize who/what is being discussed and honestly there isn't much new here. Most of the interviews were done right before John was killed and I have to wonder what different timing would have produced in terms of less focus on old hurts and more looking at the full picture. I particularly enjoyed the interview with Maureen Starkey and the other not-often-heard-from voices such as Patti Boyd and Cynthia Lennon. PS there are pictures included in the book and nearly every one has the author in it. I think this tells us more about Peter Brown than his subjects.
May 27, 2024
A fun read. Nothing explosive - after all, that would have been used in the first book these interviews went to fill. This is essentially the leftovers from dozens of interviews already plumbed for tidbits that will (possibly) satisfy the deep fans. Kinda worked for me. Your results may differ greatly.
July 5, 2024
This book has a treasure trove of previously unreleased material about the Beatles. It includes some unedited written interviews and unedited oral , recorded interviews that were transcribed. Many were from people associated in some way like Neil Aspinall, Brian Epstein, etc. All interviews were conducted before the 1980 murder of John Lennon.
August 22, 2024
Not a book for those searching for a jolly trip of nostalgia, this could burst that bubble. For those curious and wanting to examine behind the scenes of the Beatles phenomena this will shine a light. The collection of interviews provided recollections from different people of the same events and situations but with personal perspectives, consequently there is no one truth. However, what is clear is a sense of relationships, the power of privilege, talent and the price to pay.
April 19, 2024
Being from just outside Liverpool, and a massive fan of The Beatles, I was very much looking forward to this read, and it did not disappoint.
Here we have a collection of interviews of The Beatles from Peter Browne, which made an interesting read for me.
There are also interviews from Friends, Wives, associates and others which were a great addition to give other perspectives.
I must say, there doesn't appear to be a great deal of new material, but for me, that's not exactly a negative. It's still an interesting read, especially for Beatles fans or anyone interested in music.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's.
Here we have a collection of interviews of The Beatles from Peter Browne, which made an interesting read for me.
There are also interviews from Friends, Wives, associates and others which were a great addition to give other perspectives.
I must say, there doesn't appear to be a great deal of new material, but for me, that's not exactly a negative. It's still an interesting read, especially for Beatles fans or anyone interested in music.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's.
September 23, 2024
Meh- I was actually disappointed- mostly because my teenage beliefs about the Fab Four were ruined!
October 18, 2024
Keeping the age of these interviews and transcripts in mind, this is a very interesting read into the inner workings of the Beatles. Probably not too interesting for casual fans.
April 18, 2025
Absolutely atrocious book. It is SO bad that I can’t believe someone made money from it. Someone else wrote a review with the warning “Stay away” and I can completely agree.
The title is “The Beatles in their Own Words” yet of all the chapters only three were from members of the Beatles.
I thought the book would be about the Beatles and their years on the road and some stories but so much of the book talks about Brian Epstein’s death and then talks about the down fall of NEMS and other ventures. It really does not have anything to do with stories from the band.
So many of the chapters repeat stuff over and over and the information isn’t even interesting. The Allen Klein chapter is the longest and it was so brutal to get through I skipped most of it. And why wouldn’t you as the authors edit some of the transcripts of the recordings? Take out the “uhs” and “ums” when you write the book for god sake. Just brutal to read.
Not even sure one star does this crappy, god awful book justice. Good luck!
The title is “The Beatles in their Own Words” yet of all the chapters only three were from members of the Beatles.
I thought the book would be about the Beatles and their years on the road and some stories but so much of the book talks about Brian Epstein’s death and then talks about the down fall of NEMS and other ventures. It really does not have anything to do with stories from the band.
So many of the chapters repeat stuff over and over and the information isn’t even interesting. The Allen Klein chapter is the longest and it was so brutal to get through I skipped most of it. And why wouldn’t you as the authors edit some of the transcripts of the recordings? Take out the “uhs” and “ums” when you write the book for god sake. Just brutal to read.
Not even sure one star does this crappy, god awful book justice. Good luck!
November 14, 2025
A candid account of The Beatles by those who were there and conducted at a time (most are from 1980) before faulty memory and mythology clouds recollection. Reading Paul and George’s comments on John, weeks before his death, is fascinating. Excellent first hand accounts from a range of figures, some of whom didn’t make it to Anthology or aren’t widely interviewed or quoted in other Beatle books.
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