Beatlesongs

by William J. Dowlding

A complete and fascinating chronicle of Beatles music and history, Beatlesongs details the growth, evolution, and dissolution of the most influential group of out time.

Drawing together information from sources that include interviews, insider accounts, magazines, and news wire services, this is a complete profile of every Beatles song ever written -- from recording details such as who played which instruments and sang what harmonies to how each song fared on the charts and how other musicians and critics felt about it. Chronologically arranged by U.K. release date, Beatlesongs nails down dates, places, participants, and other intriguing facts in a truly remarkable portrait of the Liverpudlian legends.

Behind each song is a story -- like Paul's criticism of George's guitar playing during the Rubber Soul sessions, John's acid trip during the Sgt. Pepper's session, and the selection process for the Revolver album cover. And carefully examined along the way are the Beatles' evolving musical talents, their stormy private lives, and their successful -- and unsuccessful -- collaborations.

Beatlesongs is truly an inside look at the Fab Four and a treasure for all their fans.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Reference, History, Rock N Roll

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 1989

Reviews

[Julio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hace unas semanas hice un curso(mi primer curso!) en Coursera (www.coursera.org). Para empezar suave y con algo que me encantara, seguí un curso llamado The Music of the Beatles, que analizaba todos los álbumes del más grande grupo de música pop de la historia. 6 semanas de revisar, analizar y estudiar la música de los Beatles así como su historia y su entorno. Fue un enorme placer, altamente recomendable.

El libro de base para el curso es este Beatlesongs. Un trabajo cuidadoso y bien documentado sobre cada disco y cada canción que publicaron oficialmente los Beatles. Siguiendo la edición inglesa de sus discos, aunque con referencias y explicaciones sobres los discos, diferentes, que aparecieron en los EEUU. Una lectura que llega a ser apasionante y que es bueno tener siempre como referencia.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a Coursera class on the Beatles that I took earlier this year. I actually finished it a while ago, but never got around to actually reviewing it. For the purposes of the class, which went in depth into every single and album the Beatles released throughout their career, this book was perfect. It gives detailed information on everything the Beatles released, going so far as to list guest artists on different tracks, who wrote the song (even the percentage of the song each member was responsible for if authorship went to more than one person), where the song was recorded and performed live, etc.

If you're a big fan of the Beatles or are a music buff in general, then this is a good resource to pick up. I feel like I learned a lot by reading the entire thing. Also, don't be scared by the textbook-like style of this book. Even though this presents a lot of information and in a somewhat dense manner, it was never boring to me. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to get absorbed in it, and how much I learned and retained in the process.

[Art the Turtle of Amazing Girth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally rad to learn how each song was written and motivations behind each

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, I did not read the entire book. I used it as a reference for a Beatles music class I was taking on Coursera. I love how this book breaks down the albums and the songs to give the important details of the recordings as well as the stories behind the songs. The book is well researched and contains a lot of quotes form the Beatles and their contemporaries. I really enjoyed reading some of the stories behind the music and it enhanced the class I took quite a bit. I did read most of the book, just not all of it because certain songs were not covered in depth within the class and I was able to dive in to whichever songs I had an interest in. I definitely recommend this book for any Beatles fan who would like to delve behind the music. This book is certainly a valuable resource.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource for fanatics. It's not something I've read straight through; instead when I'm listening to an album I refer to it for more info on the songs. For instance, lately I've been listening to the White Album a lot. I already knew a few things about this album, like John hated "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da" but I had no idea that it's considered white reggae or that Paul unitentionally mixed up the lyrics and then decided to just keep them that way. The book also includes chart history, authorship and instrumentation along with quotes from John, Paul, George and Ringo and other sources.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beatlesongs by William J. Dowlding is a great book for you if you are just starting off as a new Beatles fan, and also very good if you are already a Beatles fan and want to expand your knowledge on songs and albums. Beatlesongs includes: Details of every album, details of every song, details on who played what on a specific track, first and secondhand quotes of every song and album, song ideas and origins, album covers, album title origins, copies of each album and single sold, The Beatles' thoughts on their albums and songs after recording and history of their covers and tracks. I have been a big Beatles fan for about 2 years now and even I found things in here that I did not know prior to reading this spectacular book. The reason I give 4 stars is because, while it is very good for new fans, I did know about 90% of everything in this book already from other sources. You could get the same information and more in a lot less time watching documentaries, reading articles on magazine websites and just having been a Beatles fan for a long time. I really likes that it gives you info on what instruments that they played because it was nice to know which guitars and basses that John, Paul and George played on each track and how they got that sound. This book excels in explaining why they chose to have distortion, reverb, and specific sounds on tracks and albums. This book also does very well in explaining authorship of certain songs and how much was contributed by each member a la song. Overall if you are a new Beatles fan and you like learning about songwriting, technical and business aspects of the Beatles than this book is a perfect match for you. If you are a long-time Beatles fan this book is honestly a stoppable book. Good Day e'ryone.

[Darren Skomoroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and well researched. Nicely annotated and the layout is fantastic. The percentages afforded to the band members is a nice touch and even the breakdown that is found at the end of the book as to which member had contributed. There are very few, minor errors but pretty impressive nevertheless.

Dowlding's book is a must read for Beatle fans and is a superior piece over Ian MacDonald's 'Revolution in the Head' that is a largely subjective perspective on The Beatles and their music. Dowlding is far more objective and does not get mired in caustic commentary and perpetual Beatle bashing.

[Angelle Tusa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book for the casual fan, but a great resource for Beatle nerds who want to know exactly who wrote and played what on each song. I particularly enjoy the quotes included where they talk about inspiration for the songs or what they thought about them. Some songs have no such comments at all, which makes it a bit disappointing. The book is also in need of a new edition to account for The Beatles Anthology singles at the least, and a better formatting for the e-book version would also be a nice touch.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book waaaayyy back in the late '80s when it was published and still have it to this day. It's not the type of book to be read straight through, as it is primarily a reference book. Even three decades later, I still find myself picking this book up from time to time and reading Dowlding's tidbits about the Beatles' recordings and songwriting.

While this book is not as essential as, say, Mark Lewisohn's Complete Beatles Recording Sessions or Ian MacDonald's Revolution in the Head, it is still an enjoyable and informative book about the Fab Four.

[Rachel Pieters · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting older book filled with factoids about Beayles songs & albums, as well as snippets of interviews gathered from magazines. Kind of a hodgepodge of gathered information to give you the slightest insight into who wrote each song, what it may have been about, and what some people thought of it. Not comprehensive by any means, but may be of interest to some.

[Dan Amrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my go-to resource books for Beatles trivia, particularly when trying to determine which specific instruments were played by whom.

[Dave]

A decent book in 89, but badly out of date.

[Thomas Cavanagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads it in 12th grease and reread again to prepare for a lecture. Some info now proven inaccurate but most very useful.

[Brian Master · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous insights into the music and especially the personalities of The Beatles and those within their recording circle.. A true keeper!

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song by song, the Beatles (and close associates) share how the tune and lyrics were written, who was responsible for them, and how the band felt about each song (then and in the 70's/80's).

Remarkably, John and Paul only disagree on their contributions to songs once or twice over their entire canon. And, even though they were squabbling rivals by the 70's, they give each other their begrudging due on songs they appreciated...and they give each other hell over songs they disdained.

A fun, insightful read for any Beatles fan.

[Carla Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've got this on loan from Clint Wells, one of the biggest Beatles fans I know. I'm not reading straight through, but I am read ing up on all of the CDs I own before moving into other parts of the book. And then? I suppose I'll have to buy the rest of their albums...
--
Well, I now have all the studio albums except With the Beatles, so I decided it was time to go ahead and finish this one off. Now I need to buy my own copy; this is essential reading for a Beatles fan.
--
Bought my own within a week or two of returning Clint's. I've missed having it around.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song by song listing of every cut the Beatles recorded with quotes and notes about each song. Not The Beatles Recording Sessions, but very good.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Beatles song - who wrote it, who played on it, what it meant and what its commercial or critical impact was. 100% essential for serious Beatles fans.

[Rob Branigin · Rating 4 out of 5]

obsolete and - as often as not - just factually WRONG, but still somehow a sentimental favorite.

[Tad Richards · Rating 1 out of 5]

How do books like this get published? It's a clip job, no new material, no original research, and not even a very good clip job.

[Chris Leib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful insight and interesting little tidbits throughout surrounding the Beatles music.

[Pjtibbetts · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Lennon on "And Your Bird Can Sing": "one of my throwaways" (!)

[Marco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is a modern classic. And the Beatles recording sessions.

[Brent Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Song-by-song quick reference, showing composing credit (e.g., Lennon .6, McCartney, .2, Starr .2). Just enough detail to give you a context for each song and its value. Great resource!

[Chris Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have had this book for some time. Great reference material. Compilation of many interviews detailing the origin and history of the Beatle catalog.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are legitimately interested in the Beatles' albums, songwriting and the songs themselves, this book is indispensable.

[Patrick Macke · Rating 5 out of 5]

many Beatles song books, this one is the best; all the facts, great quotes ... all in an easy format by album

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good listing with history of all the Beattles Songs.

[Rkb 2015 · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

not sure which part of England Liverpool is in, but they did record in London quite a bit.

[Joan Villamil Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

.