The Beatles Are Coming: The Birth of Beatlemania in America

by Bruce Spizer

The Beatles Are Coming! covers the Beatles first visit to the United States and the events leading up to the group's arrival on February 7, 1964. It is the most thorough and accurate book ever published on how Beatlemania evolved in America. The book details why Capitol Records turned down the Beatles four times before finally agreeing to release their records. It tells the stories of two small companies, Vee-Jay and Swan, who issued the group's records without success in 1963. It details the American media coverage of the Beatles in late 1963, when Beatlemania was viewed as a curious fad happening in England that could never catch on in the United States. It explains how the Beatles were booked for The Jack Paar Program and The Ed Sullivan Show, as well as two concerts at Carnegie Hall. The book concludes with stories and pictures of the Beatles historic first U.S. visit in February, 1964. The book contains over 450 images, including many previously unpublished photos of the Beatles. Foreword by Walter Cronkite.

Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction, Rock N Roll

246 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2003

About the author

Bruce Spizer is an American tax attorney and music historian.
Bruce Spizer is a life-long native of New Orleans and a first generation Beatles fan. He is a well-known Beatles author/historian and is considered one of the world's leading experts on the Beatles. A "taxman" by day, Bruce is a Board Certified Tax Attorney and CPA. A "paperback writer" by night, Bruce is the author of ten critically acclaimed books on the Beatles, including "The Beatles Are Coming! The Birth of Beatlemania in America," "The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper: A Fans' Perspective," "The Beatles White Album and the Launch pf Apple" and "Beatles For Sale on Parlophone Records," which covers all of the Beatles records issued in the U.K. from 1962 - 1970. His articles have appeared in American History, Beatlefan, Goldmine and Parade. He has appeared on ABC's Good Morning America and Nightline, CBS's The Early Show, Fox National News, CNN, and morning shows in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Nashville, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. He is a frequent guest on local, national and international radio programs, including those broadcast by NPR, ABC and the BBC. Bruce has been a guest speaker at numerous Beatles conventions in the U.S. and U.K. and at the Grammy Museum, the Paley Center for Media, the Newseum, the American Film Institute, New York's Lincoln Center and the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame & Museum in Cleveland. He wrote the questions and answers for the Beatles edition of Trivial Pursuit. Bruce serves as a consultant for Universal Music Group, Capitol Records and Apple Corps, Ltd. on Beatles projects. His credits on Beatles releases include the multi-million selling CD "1," the CD box set "The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2" (wrote the essay), "The U.S. Albums" box set, the Ron Howard film "Eight Days A Week" and the deluxe edition of the 50th Anniversary release of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

Reviews

[Richard West · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice, lavishly illustrated, coffee-table sized book with high-gloss pages throughout which makes it well worth the money.

Details almost day-by-day the activities of the Fab Four when they first came to America; also gets into the shenanigans involving several record companies to issue Beatle product and helps collectors identify counterfeit and fake albums. If there were almost no text and just the pictures of Beatle products, record labels, album and 45 covers, that would be sufficient, but there's a lot more. And, if you ever wondered why the Beatles and not someone else, and what the fuss was all about, you'll find the answers here.

The book also comes with a large Beatle poster showing more memorabilia and other items related to the Beatles first trip to the US - hard to believe it was over 50 years ago.

Not just for the fan of the Beatles, but for anyone who wants to re-live those fun times or if you're just curious, or if you want to see the memorabilia Mom tossed out, it's all here!

Great book and a fun read.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will not find a more detailed account of the Beatles' visit to America, nor the events leading up to it, anywhere else. Brilliantly researched, meticulous, and uncovering several myths in the process. Spizer is a godsend to those Beatles fans who want every minute detail of exactly how things happened. Regular readers will probably get bogged down in reading about "Love Me Do"'s airplay on American radio in 1963, for example. A primary source of Beatles history for those who care.

[Chet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good,detailed book on the Beatles arrival in America and events leading up. At times, a little too detailed but still a must read for Beatles and music fans.

[Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feel like I actually learned some stuff that I didn't know!

[Dave Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing piece of research. Spizer somehow manages to convey the excitement of the anticipation of the Beatles first visit to North America while providing incredibly detailed accounts of the incidents— major and minor — that surrounded this event. As close as many of us will ever come to experiencing Beatlemania.