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With the Beatles |  | Author: Alistair Taylor
Publisher: John Blake
Category: Book
Buy Used: $134.00
as of 3/16/2010 02:10 EDT details
Used (7) from $134.00
Seller: monarchybooks
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 1334089
Media: Paperback
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 190403473X
Dewey Decimal Number: 781
EAN: 9781904034735
ASIN: 190403473X
Publication Date: May 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Millions of words have been written about The Beatles, but nobody knew them quite like Alistair Taylor. Originally published as A Secret History, and now in paperback, this is a unique insider portrait of the Fab Four.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
 You can call him Al February 15, 2007
Christian of Sweden (Helsingborg, Sweden)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Well. The poor bugger got sacked after having sacrified most of his life fixing things for the boys. The story is clattered with errors but that's probably because it is told straitght from the heart. This is probably also why you have to read some stories at least three times. Having complained before about this publishing house I will once again urge J.Blake to invest in a senior editor.
 with the beatles November 3, 2006
Steve West (pelham, al United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Mr Taylor would be one of the closest people in the world to give us some insight into the hectic lives of the Beatles in the 60's. His narrative in insightful and interesting, revealing unknown facts & opinions that are not found anywhere else.
Meh...it's okay. September 24, 2006
Jenny (Chico, California)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Taylor's book is a quick read, and a decent way for a Beatle fan to pass the time. It is packed with interesting (if not-very-detailed) anecdotes about the Fab Four that I have not read elsewhere. However, it is poorly edited. The author tends to group unrelated anecdotes together. Strangely, on page 52 he references Ringo as a member of the band, waiting with the others for Brian Epstein to get them a recording contract, but Pete Best is not sacked until page 59! Speaking of Pete, he is barely mentioned in this book.
Once or twice, the author completely contradicts himself. Interestingly, the first half of the book seems to be organized and written better than the latter half; perhaps the author was up against a deadline? Still, this does not excuse the poor editing job.
I do not recommend this book for readers who do not already know the Beatles' basic story, as the author skips around quite a bit, and does not give adequate background information on some of the lesser-known "characters" in Beatle history.
I give this book two stars, as it *is* somewhat entertaining, and has several neat photos I have not seen elsewhere. Alistair Taylor's story has the potential to be very interesting, but he needs a) an EDITOR and b) to expand upon his anecdotes with more detail. Perhaps this book could be polished up and re-released??
Sacked by Allen Klein May 14, 2006
Leggo Ami (Richmond, VA USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Another reviewer characterized this book as a hodge-podge of anecdotes. That's just about right. The anecdotes are definitely of interest to the hardcore Beatle enthusiast--certainly this fan of books on the fabs learned a few things--but Taylor is not a master of chronology and in a few cases the ensuing decades since these events took place may have become garbled in the grey matter. To wit: on page 206 Lennon has "just discovered" acid in 1967 and pesters Taylor to try it. However, if we flip back to page 142, we have Lennon in Oct 1965 plotting to drop tabs of acid into the Queen's drink during their MBE awards ceremony. Had Lennon even heard of acid in 1965? What about the celebrated dinner party with the dentist, the inspiration for "Dr. Robert(s)"...? Is that no longer the "true" introduction of the Beatles to acid? Did that occur before the MBE awards? What gives, Taylor? Contradictory and confusing.
Nonetheless, an entertaining, if slight, volume. Its particularly strong on Brian Epstein and McCartney's relationship with Jane Asher. Taylor provides plenty of details on other topics as well, of course.
Taylor's book belongs in a special category of books by those who were sacked by Allen Klein. There may be others, but Richard DiLello's excellent "The Longest Cocktail Party" comes to mind. (Actually, both belong to a slightly larger category: those who were sacked by any edition of the Beatles management..then we can include "Beatle: The Pete Best Story" as well).
Don't hesitate to buy and enjoy.
 All Icing and No Cake April 10, 2006
William F. Aubel (Bonita Springs, FL)
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
As the owner of a fairly large collection of Beatle-related material, including a vast library of albums, guitars and books, and as one who has visited Liverpool and London on many occasions, I speak from some base of knowledge when I say that Alstair Taylor's book, "Meet the Beatles", adds absolutely nothing new to the story of "the boys", as those closely associated with "The Beatles", liked to call them. This primer on "The Fab Four" is all icing and no cake, an effort that simply skims the surface and lacks any depth or fresh perspectives whatsoever. Taylor's book reads as if he focused solely on the headlines and skipped the story in, say, "The Liverpool Echo". Anyone even remotely interested in "The Beatles" could have penned this book without even resorting to research. There was not one single insight of any value. For one who was supposed to be part of the inner circle, Taylor's view of events seemed very dim and distant. As a glorified gofer, Taylor must have been out of the room getting tea and jam butties for John, Paul, George or Ringo whenever anything of significance occurred. My understanding is that Taylor is on the dole and in a bad way financially, which might explain why this book was published at this time, but it does not excuse this most cursory and disappointing piece of veneer.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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