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Showing reviews 1-5 of 45
 One of the best rock bios out there. January 23, 2010
Nicholas A. Mcclure (Traverse City, MI)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I read this book three times through out my life. It does a really great job of making a reader feel as if they were right there, and actually know the Beatles. The author has no problem gossiping over the Beatles' use of groupies and drugs, which may seem kind of harsh to some, for someone who was a trusted friend to the Beatles. I am interested to know what all the "inaccuracies" claimed by other reviewers are.
 Nothing New January 11, 2010
Joyce (U.S.)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
just finished reading this book...don't get it...this is supposed to be shocking??? All this stuff has been told before. I don't think it makes anyone look particularly bad, just human. I don't understand why lots of people thought it made George and Paul look bad, or why they thought it was more favorable to John. I kept reading, thinking "maybe I haven't gotten to the parts yet", but got to the end, and never saw anything new. It was definitely not the best beatles book ever written. I've read a lot, and most of them say the same things. Why Paul and Linda bothered to get that excited about it, I'll never know. I think he says something about Linda being a photographer and rock and roll groupie....so what, wasn't everyone then? He did talk about Paul being a control freak, but also that John was not in any shape to take charge at the time. Everyone knows all this. Didn't learn a single thing new, but did enjoy the insight into Brian. He made a few mistakes, but I believe he genuinely loved them, and did the best he could. I do think it was wrong of him to involve Stigwood and think about selling his interests without telling them. Also, having them sign to add 9 years to his royalties without telling them was not good. I think he did feel guilty about it though, and that's part of the reason why he got so out of control near the end. He should have just sat down with them and talked to them honestly about it all instead. they could have worked things out. Someone should have locked John and Paul into a room and kept them there, until they had worked out their differences. John was correct in worrying about taxes (I guess similar to capital gains, a lot all at once), but I wish they did not let money issues ruin their friendship and everything they had meant to each other over the years. Thought the part where Paul calls John and they start yelling about taxes, Paul hangs up and intends to call John Eastman and instead calls John back again and says, "John, it's Paul, you won't believe what that f--ing a--hole John Lennon did now" and John says, "what are you talking about? I'm the f---ing a--hole, John Lennon! I laughed so much! John and Paul should have taken the opportunity to start laughing about it and how ridiculous everything had gotten, and they should have worked it out. I know that John would have normally found that situation very funny, but was too pissed off by the taxes to appreciate the humor! Overall, book was o.k., nothing new, but some of the stuff about Brian was interesting.
Sometimes acurate, usually bitter November 9, 2009
NicNac13c (Orlando, Fl)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
If (like me) you're dying to know which Beatle had the biggest package, which Beatle got the clap in Hamburg, which Beatle had crabs, which Beatle probably got fellated by Brian and which Beatle slept with which other Beatle's wife, read this book. Just make sure you read Bob Spitz' extensive biography "The Beatles", Geoff Emerick's masterwork "Here, There and Everywhere", Richard DiLello's "The Longest Cocktail Party" and watch the Anthology videos first so you can separate the fact from the fuzzy fiction.
And if (like me) you've read at least three Beatle bios, you'll find all sorts of glaring inaccuracies in this book; dates and times are often mixed up, locations are occasions are sometimes wrong, and Brown is anything but impartial when talking about Paul, Linda and Yoko. It's all too clear that in Brown's mind The Beatles coldness caused Brian to overdose, John was a heartless fool for leaving Cynthia, Paul could do nothing right, Jane Asher was the ideal woman for Paul and he should have been shot for letting her get away, Linda was an talentless, ambitious groupie pothead who got lucky and Yoko was a talentless, ambitious, spiteful and vindicive Lady MacBeth who was guilty of prompting John to murder the dream of The Beatles. Oh, and Paul was being petty and vindictive when he made the agonizing decision to sue for the dissolution of The Beatles; after all, if he really loved the other Beatles he would have let them continue f***ing him for the seven years that were left on his contract while Apple rotted under Allen Klein's mismanagement.
This book is an odd read. On one hand, you get the idea that Peter Brown was a man who loved the four Beatles and on the other you get the idea that he is a deeply wounded yet very gossipy survivor of the worst split in the history of rock and roll.
(PS- I feel it is important that I clarify that I don't agree with Peter Brown; I believe that John, Yoko, Paul and especially Linda were and are beautiful people, and frankly Jane Asher seemed a bit too stuck up for Paul.)
 Gripping December 29, 2008
JAG 1 (Massachusetts, USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Whether or not you are a fan of the Beatles, this book is absolutely gripping. It reads like a juicy soap-opera of drug-addiction, bitching over money, sex scandals and the messy break-up. Beware though-I came away thinking that that Beatles and their entourage of wives, girlfriends, financers, and suck-ups were a bunch of jerks.
Extremely well-written though.
I guess you had to be there September 28, 2008
Matt Cornell-Reda (Michigan)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Peter Brown was one of the few guys who managed to make it out at the other end of the Beatles Blitzkrieg reasonably intact. In this book he shares his experiences and observations in a very matter of fact style. He takes on the whole Beatles madness in one felled swoop.
The hard-core fan who has read everything out there on the Beatles might not find a whole lot of new information here, but for a beginning fan (or someone who has a moderate knowledge of the Beatles) Brown's book is one of the better historical assessments of the band. This is partly because Brown is not an ego-maniac or embellisher: in fact, the writing in this book is far from flowery. It is also partly due to the fact that Brown had such a long-time working relationship with the Beatles (he was witness at both John's marriage to Yoko and Paul's to Linda, and is one of the few people immortalized by name in a Beatles' song.)
Brown essentially took over a lot of managerial duties after Epstien died and became a bigwig at Apple. In fact, he was so well respected by the Beatles that he was one of the few people to have survived Allen Klien's purges (at the Beatles request.)
But enough about his credibility.
This book provides an insider's look at the Beatles phenomenon. Brown has an intimate perspective on each of the four because he worked so close with them over the years and he is able to tap this wealth of nostalgia to give the reader a great overview of those fab years. He has co-written this book with another fellow, Steven Gaines, who does a decent job of holding the narrative together. I am always a little wary of books that are co-authored by someone (seems kind of wrong to me, like co-sex or co-taking a dump) but I suppose I can cut some slack to Brown seeing as he is not a writer by trade. Plus, it is hardly uncommon.
A unique thing about this book, also, is that its author had a close relationship with Brian Epstien. What this book is able to offer, in addition to the regular biographical stuff on the Beatles, is a fair amount of insight into what made their manager tick. This aspect of the book reminds the reader what an important factor Epstien was in the success of the Beatles.
So there it is. A little less snazzy of a read that Hunter's book, but a more thorough and well-rounded job. The right balance of detail and readability.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 45
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