The Beatles: Messages from John, Paul, George and Ringo

by Chris Hutchins

THE BEATLES: Messages from John, Paul, George and Ringo THE postcard on the cover of this book says it all. The card was written by John Lennon and sent to his friend Chris Hutchins. On the card’s photograph of the Beatles, John had drawn a fifth member – the founder of the group Stuart Sutcliffe who John went on to describe as the best friend he ever had. This is the kind of confidence John, Paul George and Ringo shared with writer Hutchins who they befriended in their days as ‘unknowns’ in Hamburg. He shared their adventures during the heady days of Beatlemania; he was with them during their American tours in the 60s, sharing their euphoria and their sad moments. It was, for example, at Hutchins’ Chelsea apartment that Paul met the actress Jane Asher, who he later became engaged to. And it was Hutchins who arranged a party with Elvis Presley, the man they had always wanted to meet – alas, a meeting which was to cause a cataclysmic feud between Presley and Lennon which the author explains in detail along with how President Nixon and J Edgar Hoover got involved. This is the Beatles story from the inside . . .

Genres: Music

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2015

About the author

CHRIS HUTCHINS is an established author of highly acclaimed biographies of the rich, the famous and the royals. His first, FERGIE CONFIDENTIAL, was an intimate biography of the Duchess of York and chronicled her troubled marriage to the Queen’s favourite son. This was followed by a revelatory biography of the late Princess of Wales, DIANA’S NIGHTMARE, and an acclaimed psychological profile of her, DIANA ON THE EDGE. ATHINA, The Last Onassis penetrated deeply into the world of the Onassis dynasty. ELVIS MEETS THE BEATLES was about the night he took the group to meet Presley and the serious repercussions which followed. More recently Hutchins has turned his attention to matters Russian with fearless biographies of that country’s leader, PUTIN, and best-known oligarch ABRAMOVICH: The billionaire from nowhere. The author returns to the royal stage with HARRY: The People’s Prince.

Reviews

[Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this book, in many ways, is quite similar to the previous book I read: much of it is about the same time period and is written by another insider journalist though this time around he was actually friends with the boys. And this one worked much better for me. I can't explain but the writing was much more in line with what I would hope for. Though I do think the title of this book is misleading. I think I was expecting it to be more like it says "messages" i.e. postcards or things of that nature but instead it's just chronicling the Beatles' lives early on and beyond. I also feel like it could have been called "The Beatles and Elvis" because there really was quite a lot relating to the two. Overall though I enjoyed it and even learned some new things.
Grade: B+

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat scattershot but still interesting behind-the-scenes account of the author's interactions with The Beatles, Elvis, their managers, and others within their orbits. Fascinating for the light it sheds on a number of episodes that are well-known to Beatles fans, particularly the summit between the band and The King.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Beatles will always have a place in my heart. They were a part of my teen years and their music is incomparable. I want to thank Chris Hutchins for the book and the inside look at this group. It must have been amazing to have known any of the Beatles. I'm glad he shared what he knew with those of us who were and are "fans."

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a recent Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

I used to be a great fan of the Beatles, so was thrilled when I found I was one of the lucky winners of this book. A fascinating book, with several interesting pictures.

[Stone · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Beatles book you can skip. Really.
Full of historical mistakes.
Save your money on this one.