Book Reviews 4
Days in the Life: The Lost Beatles Archives
Richard Buskin,1998
Rating:
***
Likes:
This book is great for the unreleased photos it has. The photos are high quality and large, of course, are great.It is also accompanied by a video showing various Beatles sites in Liverpool and London.
Dislikes:
The photos are all black and white, and it would have been nice to have some color. Also they are only of one time period, and it would have been nice to see photos of other times, being that they changed so much over the years. The commentary on the side also is lacking and almost annoying.
Overall:
A hardcore fan looking for collectible or a fan that only wants high quality pictures this book is good. The pictures are extremely nice, and have never been seen before. So, it's worthwhile.
IMAGINE: John Lennon
Andrew Solt & Sam Egan, 1988
Rating:
*****
Likes:
The pictures in this book are phenomenol. Many are in color and some black and white ones as well. They chronicle all of the stages in John's life. It also has quotations from the most important figures in John's life, John, Yoko, Aunt Mimi, Julian, Sean and Elliot Mintz (John's best friend and Yoko's spokesperson. It offers insight to John's true feelings and his personality and the difficulties he had in life. It makes it easier to understand his behavior as well. It is also accompanied by a movie, which is truly THE movie for John Lennon fans.
Dislikes:
My few dislikes are that the chronology of John's life in the end be more thorough and that the book be longer since it was so good.
This book is great and a must have for John fans. The photos and quotes make this book a real eye-opener to understand John's life and personality. It is also really easy and intersting reading.
Overall:
Lennon: The Definitive Biography
Ray Coleman, 1992
Rating:
*****
Likes:
Any other biography on John's life is not even worth getting once you read this book. It has details beyond belief. It takes you through his whole turbulent life, and does not glorify him, but makes him out to be human. It also has interesting pictures and material John wrote to friends that provide great information. It does not get any more thorough than this book.
Dislikes:
The book is incredibly long,(it was previously released as two separate volumes), but if you want to know anything about John it is here. It does not have the number of pictures that I would like, and all that are there are common black and white ones.
Overall:
If you want to know about John Lennon, get this book, it's as simple as that. There is no other replacement for the wealth of material of this book. It puts John in perspective, showing his gifts and flaws.
Many Years From Now
Barry Miles, 1997
Rating:
****
Likes:
This book is as thorough and definitive on Paul as Lennon by Ray Coleman is on John. It tells of Paul's life, from the very beginning until very recently, although, due to the time it was released it does not include Linda's death. It is also an official biography which means it has more details and insight offered personally from Paul. It has great information on the way Paul lives his life, raised his kids, his love of Linda and a chapter devoted to John's impact.
Dislikes:
The book could use more quotes from Paul. It is easily noticeable what Paul said, and what the writer, Barry Miles says. Miles is much more bitter towards John, and it brings the book down. The book also discusses every Lennon-McCartney song, which is both a plus and a minus. The positive is obvious, but negatively, it makes Paul seem like a glutton for credit. Due to John's death, Paul can claim credit for writing songs, with no retaliation from anyone. There are only a few examples of credit Paul takes that are in conflict of what John says, but they really ruin the book.
Overall:
Simply because it is an official book, it is a must have. Paul's life is more interesting than one can imagine, and he is often overlooked for some things in his life. He describes his life well, not asking for pity or glorification. The descriptions of the songs also make it worthwhile. It also provides insight to Paul, and his is often more discrete with his life than John was, so it was informative.
John Lennon: In My Life
Pete Shotton with Nicholaus Schaffner, 1988
Rating:
*****
This book is one of the best books I've read that show John Lennon the person, and the friend. Pete is possibly one of the best to tell of John from that perspective since he knew John since they were around 11 and stayed being friends with John until John died, something that is not too easy if you know anything about John. This book shows John in all his likeness. From how generous, funny, and intelligent he can be, to how insensitive and hurtful he can be. Pete shows the John Lennon he knew, he is not trying to make him to be a saint. On the contrary, Pete discusses many things about John that we would not like to hear, for example his alleged affair with Brian is discussed here. The best thing about this book is its humor and its realness. It makes John to seem accessible, to really get a sense of what it was like to know him as an individual and not some rock star legend. The book does not play with romantic words, the "F word" is probably the word most often used in the book, but it helps to get a sense of John's dialogue and attitude. There are many great black and white pictures as well.
Likes:
Dislikes:
There really are no dislikes of this book that can be avoided. Pete stays true in preserving John's memory, but tells it like it is. One flaw is that it does not detail a tremendous amount of Beatles history or little known facts. But that's not the point of the book. Leave that for Mark Lewisohn to do. This book's objective is to tell about John, not the Beatles, and specifically how Pete knew John. There really are no flaws with that.
Overall:
I highly recommend this book. Just the humor with the stories of John and Pete as two trouble making kids make it worthwhile. It is not definitive. It only discusses John through Pete's eyes. But it is honest, and shows John at his worst and best. A very funny, loving tribute to John that really allows the reader to feel what John Lennon was like as a man, not a rock star.