The Beatles: Illustrated Lyrics

by Alan Aldridge (Editor)

Great colorful book of Beatles Lyrics.

Genres: Music, Art, Nonfiction, Poetry, Reference, Biography, History

267 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 1969

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Alan Aldridge was a British artist, graphic designer and illustrator.

His career began in 1965 when he happened to meet the art director of Penguin Books, and began producing illustrations for book covers. Over the next two years he took over as art director, and introduced his style which resonated with the mood of the time. In 1968 he moved to his own graphic-design firm, INK, which became closely involved with graphic images for the Beatles and Apple Corps.[1]

During the 1960s and 1970s he was responsible for a great many album covers, and helped create the graphic style of that era. He designed a series of science fiction book covers for Penguin Books. He made a big impression with his illustrations for the Beatles Illustrated Song lyrics. He also provided illustrations for "The Penguin Book of Comics", a history of British and American comic art. His work was characterised by a flowing, cartoony style and soft airbrushing - very much in step with the psychedelic styles of the times. In the theatre, in February 1969 he designed the graphics for controversial Jane Arden (director) play Vagina Rex and the Gas Oven at the London Arts Laboratory, Drury Lane.

He is possibly best known, however, for the picture book The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper Feast (1973), a series of illustrations of anthropomorphic insects and other creatures, which he created in collaboration with William Plomer, who wrote the accompanying verses. This was based on William Roscoe's poem of the same name, but was inspired when Aldridge read that John Tenniel had told Lewis Carroll it was impossible to draw a wasp in a wig.

Aldridge also created the artwork for Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John in 1975.

Reviews

[Manny]

The Ballad of the Attractive Grad Student and the Professor Who Should Have Known Better

You make me dizzy, Miss Lizzy
The way you cut and paste
You make me dizzy, Miss Lizzy
There's nothing goes to waste
Come on, Miss Lizzy
Produce words as rigorous as they are chaste

[Chorus]
Wah wah-wah wah-wah-wah wah!
Wah wah-wah wah-wah-wah wah!
Wah wah-wah wah-wah-wah wah!
Wah wah-wah wah-wah-wah wah!

Come on, give me fever
Put your name next to mine
You make me dizzy, dizzy Lizzy
Yes it's coauthorin' time
Just a-rocking and a-rolling
Down in the academic slime

[Chorus]

You make me dizzy, Miss Lizzy
When you say let's write a book
Ooh baby
Stop givin' me that look
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon baby
To quote Churchill, up I am all shook

[Chorus]

Run and tell your mama
I'm offerin' you a job
Run and tell your brother
He's not gettin' one, that slob
You make me dizzy, Miss Lizzy
I'll regret this but what the hell

[Chorus]

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been accused of being a fan of “early Beatles”. I’m not sure that holds up. My fanaticism starts around Rubber Soul. However, I did call Please Please Me my favourite album for many years in my childhood just cause. So… who knows.

Yes, I did listen to every single song as I read the 178 song lyrics here. An absolute time, I tell ya. A funny observation: some Beatles fan will look DEEP into your soul and tell you that their favourite song is Revolution 9. I think that’s commendable.

[Mariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm Stu-ing over what I think about The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics by Alan Aldridge. There was a certain Ringo to the pictures Across the Universe of The Beatles lyrics. Some contributions (Alridge didn't write it ALANne) were a Taste of Honey, others casted a Paul on the Lonesome Tears in My Eyes. But nobody wants to know them and I never give them my money. Tomorrow never knows if I'll read this again. It BEAT(le)s reading anything else.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up with this book. My dad got the original 1969 edition as a birthday present from his older sister. It was kept semi-hidden in the back of the buffet with some of my parents' other racier albums--Richard Pryor, George Carlin. Eventually, I found these things out for myself, and this wonderful book became part of my life, too. It is an amazing montage of art work from the likes of Peter Max and Ronald Searle. It also includes some surreal photography along with gag comic strip graphics and some sexually provocative pieces, too.

I copied sketches of John Lennon that were in the book. I painted the "All You Need Is Love" piece on my bedroom walls when I was 14. I looked; I listened; I absorbed this visual feast. What a joy to see it again anew today.

[GoldGato · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, the Beatles were the musical group of my older siblings. In fact, if it wasn't for McCartney, I would have been clueless about his old band ("Wait...Paul was in another band?"). My friends and I marvelled as we listened to a band that was almost as cool as the Police and Prince. Then as each year progressed, the Beatles became the Sinatra of rock and roll, the elder tribesmen, so to speak.

Quite frankly, I don't know what they were smoking when they wrote these lyrics, but it worked. Alan Aldridge has edited some very Sixties-ish designs from various artists, with an emphasis on nipples. Psychedelic baby. The colours are deafening, rather like the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics. Still, it all comes together somehow and works as a nice collage of a long-gone era.

"For the benefit of Mr. Kite, there will be a show tonight on trampoline..."

"...Yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye"

Que??

Book Season = Year Round (just don't share with Danny Boyle)

[Paul Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote a review which was the usual incisive disquisition not on the actual book but on the topic the book was about, namely Beatles lyrics, and as I clicked on SAVE this hallowed website freaked out and fell over so my incisive disquisition was lost. But maybe I should stop using Goodreads as a substitute blog anyway.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it was still interesting. Based on the title, I was picturing illustrated scenes from the songs. There are a few of those (Penny Lane being one of the more memorable ones), but some of the photographs looked more like an excuse for the photographer to get to work with a topless model (with only Lovely Rita Meter Maid really bearing any relationship to the song it purports to illustrate).

[Antonio Ippolito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meravigliosa raccolta di immagini psichedeliche e non, a commento dei testi originali dei Fab Four

[Rory · Rating 5 out of 5]

***** Mind Blowing ***** I mean, My-Mind-Blowing, at least. Before coming across this accidentally on our library's third floor, I couldn't have recalled the title or even this book's existence (though I realize it's pretty well-known). But I've obviously read this book many times because every other image was immediately familiar. My mom must have had it sitting around; I even wonder if she didn't tear out some pages and hang them up. This is a must for fans of the Four OR anyone interested in 60s illustrative style. I kept elbowing Brock while I was skimming it, astonished to be seeing these trippy-ass graphics that so haunted (i.e. freaked) me (out) as a kid. WHOA.

[Kbg503 · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Fixing a Hole" is one of my favorite songs and to see the accompanying illustration by Tomi Ungerer who illustrated one of my favorite childhood books, makes this book even more precious.

That said, the book is also well used since I love to pick it up when I want Beatles' lyrics. I could try to search online just for that and find that ONE song, but then I'd miss out on having another song, quote, or illustration, catch my eye...there I will go!

[Vera Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this as an early holiday gift. Just when I thought there was nothing else unique to be published on The Beatles, here is this wondrously illustrated book featuring artistic depictions of many of their beloved songs. Mind you, this isn't a new book. It came out in the early 1970s. But when two volumes were published as one collection, it made this a must have for the bookshelves of any Beatles fan. A highly imaginative and colorful interpretation of the greatest pop songs ever written.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book. I own three copies, and my mom has about five copies that she cuts up and makes collages from. I have a couple that she made in my dorm room that I'm looking at right now, "Oh, Darling," "Help," - "Paperback Writer," being prominently featured. ;)

It's such a fun book, guys. Any Beatles fan needs to have this - or at least look through it. Simply awesome.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a fantastic collection of illustrations and photos by many famous contributors (my favorite has to be Peter Max, and the four alternate individual photos of the Beatles at the time of the White Album inner photo shoot).

Long out of print, but worth finding an used copy of the original printing or a reprinted softcover version.

[Patrick Boles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I still had this book. Nothing will make you smile faster then a flip through this book. Unless of course you hate the Beatles. Then I can't reccommend anything for you except a vaccination maybe.

[Judith Furedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the original edition which is out of print. This is a beautifully and lavishly illustrated book, it more than a book. Its a 'paegant.' You can take a look at the lyrics and the images inspired in various artist.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a surprise Christmas gift from my mum and I absolutely love it. I'm a huge Beatles fan and so to have a gorgeous hardcover book of their lyrics, all so beautifully illustrated is wonderful. This is a book I'll treasure.

[Biopresto · Rating 5 out of 5]

l'ISBN e' relativo alla edizione attuale de libro (1997).
Su BOL viene indicata come 1�� ed.

In realta', quella mia e' l'edizione del 1972, della quale ho provveduto ad uploadare la copertina (sempre che non venga sostituita con la nuova)..

[Nigel Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a demonstration of the pure brilliance that was the Beatles... More so Lennon for me... Pure class of a man and a beautiful human being.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book, very colorful and engaging. I only wish they'd have arranged the songs by album.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy, that was a fun book! And, I learned the vital lyrics to 'Across The Universe', from reading this book! And, the Peter Max-style artwork is especially entertaining!

[Jaimie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Beatles continue to be my go to answer when asked what my favourite band is, and I will continue to adore their music, but some of their offshoot projects are a bit off kilter. This little book which alleges to be an illustrated collection of Beatles lyrics doesn't quite live up to its claims or its flashy cover design. Not only does it not actually contain some of the Beatles songs (excuse me, but I want 100% of the catalogue, thank you!), but the illustrations are rather scattered and the arrangement leaves much to be desired. The Beatles are a band with wide ranging style in terms of their music, so it would make absolute sense to have an equally wide range of illustrators, but I honestly had a hard time connecting many of the pictures to their respective songs and without an arrangement by album the whole collection lacked any sort of narrative cohesion. Granted, the book does contain some of the 20th century’s best artists (Ralph Steadman! Jeanloup Sieff!) and some unique interpretations of the songs, but it was hard to read and enjoy something that was quite this random. I’m going to keep it in my collection, nonetheless, because it is worthwhile to be able to jump into some illustrated lyrics, and some are quite lovely on their own, but I will continue to be disappointed that the collection didn’t live up to my expectations as a whole.

[Kathy Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many colorful and creative interpretations of the songs from the Beatles catalog. Some are done with photographs. Others are spectacular illustrations from artist Alan Aldridge. My favorite is the one for There's A Place.
There are two volumes of these books. Best to get both of them, or the complete 2-volume set.

[Jeffrey Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

My copy is a 1969 first edition that is worn down with a torn book sleeve. It has a different cover than the one pictured here. When I first got it, I thought it was cooler that there were alternative face photos from the White Album. But as I got older I truly appreciated the fabulous artwork by some of the best artists of the late 1960's.

[Борис Бродский]

Every time I pick up this book, I get younger. Unforgettable melodies are playing again, I can't take my eyes off the masterpiece illustrations. Fantastic! Lord, thank you for the opportunity to create and enjoy the result of your children's creativity. May there be peace on Earth!

[Sophie Carmody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing artwork and photography by Alan Aldridge really made the lyrics come to life and very psychedelic. Strange that I never knew of this until recently as a massive Beatles fan but glad I own it now

[Selene Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the Beatles and their lyrics ......,great stuff!!

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am biased. I love this book.

[Sherrywd · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as exciting as I expected.

[Katie]

Lotta boobs.

[William Reid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok read