The Beatles Anthology by The Beatles

The Beatles Anthology Reviews

• 
  Paul Bryant

  I like how we have a practically perfect understanding of the dynamics of these four personalities as they catapulted out of the 50s, created a great firebally comet in the firmament of the 60s and came splat thunk blackened hole trees blown down down down in the 70s. How the balance of power so tellingly and decisively tipped from Lennon, the pushy braggart who wrote nearly all of A Hard day's Night album, the nervy insecure one, over to McCartney the guy with the work ethic who actually thought the Beatles should do stuff and not just lay in bed all day eating acid and not writing songs. I like how Lennon would complain that McCartney would call them all up and say okay lads, time to make an album, and McCartney would have 8 songs already written, and Lennon would have none, NONE, but just this halfbaked little scrap which would turn into A Day in the Life -
  
  sample dialogue - McCartney is ranting on about what the Get Back project should be, they should end up doing the whole album live on tv, yeah, and Lennon says
  
  "I get it! You want a job!"
  
  and later McCartney says "I didn't understand why he didn't!". I can see how by 1969 they just couldn't stand McCartney any more. No offence, but really! You can see the balance of power shifting over in the A sides of the (British) singles - first they're all Lennon, then they're all McCartney. It was a subtle coup. You could say that first they were a group of four, then three as George got bored and dropped out and wanted to deincarnate, so Sgt Pepper was made more or less by the Threetles (plus Lieutenant Martin), then just two left as Lennon swanned off with that foreign woman, and then there was just a guy sitting on his jack jones playing her majesty's a pretty nice gal but she doesn't have a lot to say. I like how the best solo album was made by the third best songwriter immediately after they split up as a dramatic demonstration of what they had overlooked. I like the idea of George Harrison being the third best songwriter in a group. I like the weird greatness-strikes-where-it-pleases quality of their background, I went and saw their houses up in Liverpool and George and Ringo's houses, let me tell you, were rough, I think Americans would not have used them as kennels for their pet dogs, when they got famous in 63 all the fans used to sit on george's parents' back wall and watch members of George's family walk from the house to the outside toilet at the bottom of the garden and back again. I like the idea of two of the greatest pop composers of the 20th century living a few streets away from each other in a provincial rundown English town. I like the way that Lennon the radical was living in a prim stockbroker's house in a prim stockbroker's town during the swingingest part of the 60s, married with a kid, whilst his straight fellow Beatle was living in the middle of London having a fruity time of it. I like how they did very few crap songs, yes, Rocky Raccoon and Yellow Submarine and Run for your Life are indeed crap and about ten others but that's not bad given the speed they cranked it all out, everything over and done with in seven years, the whole thing over before any of them were thirty.
  
  I like how when they talked at length about who write what, even in the middle of bitterness, and being interviewed seperately, they only disagreed about one song (In My Life - both J & P think they wrote the melody.)
  
  I like how you can hardly talk about the Beatles' story without running into uncuddly un-moptoppy stuff - the pills, hookers and trannies of the Reeperbahn - the gay manager who was in love with John and liked rough trade - the heaps of drugs, especially acid - the various John-inflicted scandals like him and Yoko stark bollock naked on the front of Two Virgins album - heh! Not cuddly.
  
  This is a treat of a book but don't give it to your frail Beatle-loving granny because she'll topple over as she lifts it up and will be crushed under its weight, which would be a sad end for the old dear. It's massive. So only give it to strong Beatle fans.
• 
  Just

  How could I have forgotten to add this book to my library? I love, love, love The Beatles. I was totally born in the wrong generation because I love all 60's music. Although The Beatles are by the far the most amazing from that generation and any generation since...in my humble opinion.
  This book has been a reference book for me so far mostly. I haven't had a chance to read it front to back yet. It is quite large and difficult to curl up with on the couch. I do drag it off the bookshelf and go through it in pieces often. I read John Lennon's history completely of course because he is my favorite. I have also looked up quite a few songs that I just wondered where the ideas for them came from.
  I love this book because I know everything in it was approved by and actual quotes and interviews given by the british gents themselves.... John's info from past interviews of course.
  The storys are great, the photos are terrific. As a Beatles fan you cannot be without this book. I am proud to have this book in my collection of favorites.
  I added this book to the "also saw the movie" shelf because I own The Beatles Anthology dvd set as well. I first watched them on tv back in the 90's.
• 
  Jackie "the Librarian"

  A comprehensive history of the Fab Four, starting off with short biographies of each of the lads, and then following their career together as a band. It concludes with an epilogue of each lad, as well, and a tribute to John Lennon.
  
  I don't know how objective this account is, but it was certainly LONG. Loaded with narratives from those who knew the Beatles, and quotes from the Beatles themselves, and studded with photos, it was a lot to assimilate. I mean, really, by the end, I was feeling a bit bloated with Beatles trivia. I probably shouldn't have bolted it down like I did.
  
  This is waaaay too much for the casual fan - this is a coffee table book you could almost use AS the coffee table, it's just that large in size. But for Beatles nuts, it's a wonderful book to wallow around in.
• 
  Rahul Matthew

  When the Beatles came to India,they denounced drugs and took to advanced Transcendental Meditation lessons from a Maharishi,the world was stunned!!!They created there most creative work on the White album!!!
• 
  Ana

  The Beatles are easily one of my all-time absolute favorite bands. I previously had the pleasure of watching the 593 minutes documentary series and finally got the chance to read this book too and I loved it. Love how extensive it is and not afraid to go into lot of details. A great kind of book to not maybe reread, but flip through whenever you want to. Though there is a catch with that because you may or may not end up very emotional, but it's still worth it. Super happy I got to read this.
• 
  Mark

  A very well put together visual and verbal account of life with, for and by the Beatles (text s almost completely comprised of quoted passages)> an accompanying document to the Anthology CD collection and/or the documentary DVD. I like this because as a coffee table book, it is one of those that are more than likely to draw the interest of friends just because it is sitting there. And if you're bored, it's one of those nice ones to just pick up and jump in anywhere.
  I was an 8 year old kid when I first caught them both on the radio (KPOI, Honolulu) and the Ed Sullivan show. Their first US release (Meet The Beatles) got dragged along as my "inseparable possession" during that year's Anchorage Earthquake/Big Island tsunami alert (on Oahu, on the south shore, we still got the alert, since sizable tsunamis easily become "wraparounds".) And needless to say once I saw their first movie at the theater, I was drawn magnetically.
  I still think Lennon and McCartney are the songwriters of the 20th C.
  I know there will be successors here in the 21st, but I am also still looking for the new format which will occur once people get on and old of the "Beatles 4/5 piece guitar band" which has been the paradigm and model for every single rock band that came after them- and anyone who denies their band has this impetus is lying. Every band that came after has wanted, on one level or another, to be "the Next". But lightning rarely strikes the same way twice. And I am looking for that Next Big Thing, not the Next Beatles, the next step and evolution of the musical world that will have the impact on this century the way the Beatles had one on the last. And it won't be guitar bands, I am meaning, something DIFFERENT... just as long as it is not "mechanized-servo pop." Because in order to truly be music I think it needs the human element in the process.
  Nobody wrote better love songs. Dylan writes (and wrote) some gentle ones too, and on a deeper level and also wrote in a fashion which seemed to always consider a timeless perspective of morality, but please remember that two or three generations now have lived with this music, and it's influenced unmistakably, the modern idea and ideal of love. And for music to have triumphed in this way is absolutely remarkable, and if there is any group of persons in the field you could say were most responsible for this shift since the 1960's, it would have to have been the Beatles.
• 
  Nicole

  I finished my Beatles History class! This was used as our class' textbook. At first I was skeptical when I realized this is essentially a nearly 400 page primary source. However, over time, I began to enjoy getting through each section. I like how the anecdotes are brief and the interviews seamlessly transition into different years and time periods of the band.
  
  It definitely takes time to get used to the subtle humor in here. I particularly love the part where they're discussing Magical Mystery Tour and Paul tries to defend the film saying "I think we were all to blame for what went wrong". And Ringo immediately counters "this entire thing was Paul's idea..."
• 
  Alexander O.

  This is not a book. This is cultural heritage.
• 
  Billy

  Everything Beatles! By the Beatles! What could be wrong?,
  
  Take 4 guys from England that changed the world of music forever and have them tell the story of their meteoric rise to fame and dominance of the music industry for decades and what do you have? THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY.
  
  John, Paul, George and Ringo made the music that we listen to today what it is. Without the British Invasion, we would never have had the development of rock and roll as it is today. Elvis and the Beatles, they are the fathers of rock and roll. This is half of that story.
  
  The Anthology is a great compilation of photos, album covers, artwork, lyrics, personal stories, articles and everything else Beatles. If you like the Beatles, then this is the source for every bit of information about the first super-group. You can probably find other books out there about the Beatles, but this was written by the fab four; you really can't go anywhere else to get the information you get in this book.
  
  This is a must have for any Beatles fan. A must have for anyone that appreciates the history of music and rock & roll. Well, this is just a must have.
  
  What more can I say? The Beatles were the original. Their story is great, their music is great, this book is great. Fact, period, end of story.
• 
  Frederick

  I'm nothing if not a Beatles fan, but I find this book mind-numbingly boring, as I did the ANTHOLOGY TV special.
  My problem may arise from the fact that we do not have the interviewer's questions, just the interviewees's answers. I think this means reading this book (or watching the DVD) is comparable to watching a dubbed movie: Something crucial is missing. The context in which each answer is given has been removed. The interviewers clearly have put some words into each Beatle's mouth. The Beatles are, in effect, reacting to prodding.
  A much better picture of the Beatles is provided in Rngo Starr's book POSTCARDS FROM THE BOYS, in which the various postcards George, Paul and John sent him are reproduced. There's no middleman.
• 
  David

  Their story, and the way it became a part of the culture and the collective consciousness, seems almost mythical. This book is a very good record of the career. But like the Anthology show, it's missing John's mature perspective on those years, and therefore does not always give a fair representation of his role. Nothing that could have been done about that, unfortunately.
• 
  Kate

  Amazing. This book taught me so much. It's great that the four of them wrote this, because they are the ones who know what happened, and they can call each other out on what didn't. Full of music and images, this book is a *must* for anyone who considers themselves a Beatle-maniac.
• 
  Hunter

  I enjoy the Beatles music however hoped for more clarity. A missing narrative should have explained vague statements that were not clarified in the interviews. 3 stars.
• 
  Italia8989

  My aesthetic is tying someone to a chair and forcing them to listen to Revolution 9 on loop. I'm not joking.
  
  My love for the Beatles is incomprehensible and increases infinityfold tenfold from understanding the writing and theory that goes behind their musicianship. They have brought me the majority of joy, identification, and even purpose to my life for the last several months. This might seem unhealthy, but it would be a lot more unhealthy for me to be mentally ill.
  
  The combination of the realness of the Beatles' personalities, their multi-chordal harmonies and melodies, and their writing have made them as esteemed as they are. They are imperfect and yet that is why we love them. Their backgrounds are all different but we can identify with their working class struggles. Their music also covers a broad spectrum because of Paul's background in brass instrumentation, George with sick Indian sitars, and John with electronics. (Oh, John.) If anyone is a true prototype of a vessel to inspiration, they are it.
  
  The book is organized in an appealing way where readers get short biographies of each of the Beatles and then get a chronological synopsis of their experiences. Most of the information included I already knew but in specific details and words of the Fab Four. It is written in an interview format without the questions. It was organized well and flows consistently.
  
  It is not possible to judge the writing of a book like this but the Beatles' speech is better and more fluent than the YA crap out there. They have a bigger vocabulary than most authors. Everything is explained well and it is strong material because something of this nature would not have been published with bare dialogue if it was not.
  
  There are parts that were a bit slow to read but they were still enjoyable insights of information. I would have liked more in-depth explanations about the background of songs and music theory, but it is not romanticized. (This was probably good for someone like me.)
  
  The purpose of an Anthology is to chronicle a segment of connecting stories and how they influence each other. The Beatles' childhood is included until they meet and go to Hamburg and then subsequently become the Rutles. After this, they talk about their times between touring and then studio work. The anthology's mood becomes darker between Sgt. Pepper era and the White Album because of their separation. Overall, the purpose is to display the reasons of how the Beatles came to be and how they parted ways.
  
  There was more symbolism in this nonfiction than there is in most classical literature. The same goes for the album cover of Sgt. Pepper (the album which seems to be their least favorite; they make me laugh). The Beatles were a family and their separation was gradual as in most unhappy marriages. The book teaches many values and ethics of acceptance of LGBT, inter-racial marriages, equality among sexes, and tolerance of religious beliefs. Again, more than most literature.
  
  To me, the purpose of this book was for the Beatles to clarify who they are without pretentious assumptions. It expresses how strangely humble they were about their music (perfectionists usually are the best), how they were not about any B.S., and that they were just a band. John suspected that a part of him suspects he is nothing and the other "God Almighty." The Beatles knew they were good by technical standards but they started out like any band does. They were just fucking good. It is a way to look at it from an enlightening perspective. It is so healthy to be able to trust people and their outlooks to be truthful.
  
  I hope that if anyone reads this review they not only listen to the Beatles, but get to know them. Watching their charisma onstage and humorous antics is also what made me fall in love with them. Through music and poetry they express feelings that help me feel like someone understands and identifies with my own. And their guitars are sick.
  
  It is sad sometimes to be obsessed with anything that is outdated because of its lack of acceptance and popularity (and the Beatles are still popular compared to most "outdated" things). However, it is also sad because these same people get killed and grow old. I hope to go on creating music like they did in their names.
  
  *Comment if you have feedback or want recommendations and memes.
• 
  Krishna कृष्णा کرشنا

  I have certainly become a beatlemaniac!
• 
  Noelle VanVleet

  Alternate uses for this book:
  
  -A unique coffee table. Laid down flat, this book is the perfect size and shape for a coffee table. Great conversation starter!
  
  -A personal shield. Protect yourself from attacks of all kind with this hefty volume! If you open it and set it upright, you and a friend can both hide behind it while shooting at your enemies without fear of being hit by return fire.
  
  -A budget box spring. Need a low cost box spring for that mattress? Try this large mattress-shaped book! It lacks the spring of a box, but it'll do in a pinch!
  
  -A canopy for your smart car. Position the book, spine up, over your smart car. Or, position it in advance and then simply drive the car between the two covers. The plastic cover will protect the vehicle from rain, and the thickness and weight of the book will provide protection from storms and tornados.
  
  
  In case you missed it, this is a big book. It is very large and very thick. I dropped it on more than one occasion when trying to pick it up with one hand and discovering the one hand could not heft it. But it was a fun read in spite of its awkwardness. I love the Beatles music, so it was fun to hear their story in their own words. I did sometimes miss the clarity of a narrative which would explain vague statements or situations which were not clarified in interviews. The stories were an amusing mix of humor, honesty, and a touch of the absurd. There is Paul stating the opinion that all the world's problems (war, world hunger, you name it) would be solved if everyone would simply take LSD. And John, who infuriated the US with his statement that "the Beatles are bigger than Jesus," when what he was trying to convey was that the modern church was failing to reach the younger generation and needed to update its music style. George, who was convinced he had extended his life by 20 years through meditation (and claimed to know someone who had been alive since the days of Christ, and I never figured out if he was serious or not). Ringo, who was inspired by a basket of fish and chips to write "Octopus' Garden" after leaving the group in a huff. But it was also interesting to see their interviews change, their opinions adjust as time went by. And always, to hear what was behind their music and their lyrics, and how they became a legend. This was a good read. But next time I'm going to pick a normal sized, normal-length book.
• 
  Kerry

  Epping awesome. Granted the massive coffee-table book means that most people do just that...put it on their coffee-table to give the notion of being well-read.
  
  Me? I love reading large, heavy, uncomfortbale books to read that have been a pain in the ass to travel on my daily work routine. That being said...phenomenal. If you want to know the story behind the Beatles...might as well take it from them. I mean, there was a lot of LSD and other drugs running amok thru their career, so I mean it may not be perfect and slightly hazy, but they don't pull the punches and have no qualms throwing each other under the bus occasionally.
  
  Loved it...and for the few weeks it took me to battle thru it with that damned thing called work and life getting in the way I spent it humming and listening to the Beatles catalog. You'll fall in love all over again. Or at least get a decent acid trip on the Yellow Submarine.
• 
  Brittany

  I can't really put into words my respect for The Beatles. Anything I said would just sound cheesy and lame. (Trust me, I've tried.) Just know that they're incomparable. And anybody who thinks they're no good or overrated just doesn't know what they're talking about. All they would have to do is listen, truly listen, and they would know. And maybe read this book. That would help too.
  
  I read this ridiculously huge book from cover to absolute cover!! It's the only way to really see the raw truth of The Beatles from beginning to end because it's told in their own words. It took me a whole semester to finish it, but I felt like I knew them all personally when I was done, which was the best feeling. And now I am just a fountain of Beatles knowledge!! Did you know that the original lyrics to Yesterday were "Scrambled eggs, oh my baby how I love your legs?" Mmmm hmmmm.......
  
  
• 
  Pedro

  This book will always be in my currently-reading list because its one of those books which I will constantly open and read something random and in no particular order. Like many people, I have read a lot of books about the Beatles, and you read some of the same facts over and over. But when you are a fan, you constantly see how good or bad a book about one of the Beatles is. I still watch "Help" and laugh hard when the Beatles walk into the restroom and George's shirt rips off, and listen to "Abbey Road" and be mesmerized when the jam session begins with "Because" and goes on through "The End". Not once have I skipped through those tracks. So picking up this book every once is a while is just like (now) searching through my iPod for whatever Beatles song or album I may want to listen to.
• 
  David

  Interested in the Beatles? Get their history straight from the source -- the band members themselves. There are lots of great quotes and insight in the book. My only complaints:
  
  1.) The book was a bit heavy on the early years. Perhaps they were more interested in telling their story back then vs. the later years when they all weren't getting along as well.
  
  2.) The book itself is physically big and heavy. Makes it a bit difficult for casual reading.
  
  3.) I wish they went into more details of their songs or even the recording process. Obviously there are tons of other books out on these subjects, but none were from the band themselves.
  
  All in all, still a great book!
• 
  Connor

  This is defiantly the best book on the fab four that I have ever read. The book starts off with the backgrounds of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The book starts of from John, George and Pauls Time in the quarrymen to the break up of the greatest band of all time. My favorite part was their early days of 1962 - 1966 where they go and take America by storm and when they start to use different materials for their songs of "Revolver". I would recommend this book to any music fans or Beatles fans. I rate it 5 stars.
• 
  Cedric Hendrix

  It would be slightly inaccurate to say that I "read" this book. I have seen every page, however. I think I can safely report that this is the most comprehensive compilation written about one of the most influential musical acts in history. It's everything I wanted to know about the Beatles, and then some. And some more on top of that. And then a bit more. And then they get to 1966. Every Beatle-maniac should own this book. Friends of Beatle-maniacs should spend a couple of hours pouring over its pages at your friend's house. Then go buy your own copy.
• 
  Josh

  Whether you're a fan of the beetles or not, this book has fascinating facts about the band to find out. It explains how they went from being working-class men to the biggest band in the world. As it turns out, their success didn't come over night. This book deals with the precautions it took to lead to success. Their hard work ethics and passion is what got them where we know them as today. Tying this book all together is a quote from John Lennon, "Trying to please everybody is impossible - if you did that, you'd end up in the middle with nobody liking you. You've just got to make the decision about what you think is your best, and do it.” That's what they set out to do and that's just what they did. The Beatles probably became so popular because they weren't afraid to appeal to the mainstream. Staying on their own path is what lead them on the path to success.
• 
  Dasha Shevchenko

  Calling all Beatles fans, this is the ultimate story.
  
  It took me over a year (with months-long pauses at times) to finish this behemoth of a book, but I've finally done it! And it truly is "the story of The Beatles — by The Beatles" (not to mention appearances by George Martin, Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall, and Derek Taylor).
  
  Filled with amazing photographs, letters, lyrics, and everything in between, this book serves as a perfectly good addition to anybody's coffee table, but I think it takes being a real fan to sit down and truly read every line of this long and winding narrative told from the perspective of the only four people that truly had some understanding of it. The book is chockful of jokes and anecdotes, as well as honest and thoughtful statements, and I definitely learned some new things that I wasn't expecting.
  
  Even though some might argue that allowing The Beatles to tell their story in their own words has
  "sanitized" the narrative a bit and makes this book based on opinion rather than fact (and these arguments do have their own merit), I found this book to be incredibly insightful and really enjoyable to read. I don't think I've ever read something that gave me so much insight into the constantly developing and changing relationship of 4 people who changed music forever (I'm still waiting to read Lewisohn's "Tune In", so maybe I'll come back in a few years to edit my previous statement).
  
  If you're a superfan (or maybe just a fan in general) and haven't read (or looked at) this book yet, where have you been??? Take some time and get on it, cause this one's definitely worth a read.
• 
  Julie

  It was a good thing I got this book from the library right before the coronavirus hit so I could have it for 2 months or else I never would have gotten through it. These coffee-table book is packed with pictures and text - it is so interesting but almost too overwhelming to get through. Toward the end, I began skimming it more. I think it would be a great book to own and look at now and then. A Beatles lover, it made me even more appreciative of them.
• 
  Nick

  This is a book for Beatle fans, and people convinced that the Beatles were the biggest cultural phenomenon of the 60s. Worth such a huge book, in short. Everything you could possibly want to know, mostly from the mouths of Themselves. As a read, Geoff Emerick's book is better because it sees the Beatles from a few steps away, but it is limited to the recording sessions Emerick participated in, and the time he spent with the Beatles, where this book covers the whole Beatle story up to about 1970. If you're a fan, get 'em both.
• 
  Rachel

  It only took 23 years from the time I bought it but I finally read this book! I loved every second of it and only wish there was more. Finishing it was like saying goodbye to four very dear friends. I’ll always love John Paul George & Ringo.