Disclosure: I received a review copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
We Beatles fans are still being fed even almost 60 years after the breakup of the greatest rock band of all time. Recently, some old Top of the Pops footage has resurfaced and whether or not you’re looking forward to it based on first impressions, there’s going to be a Beatles biopic and I guess an accompanying cinematic universe, all directed by Sam Mendes.
If you’re a music nerd/historian, good news there’s a new book coming out called The Beatles’ Touring Era, written by music historian Kevin Womack and Beatles expert Scott Freiman. The former has written multiple books about The Beatles and the latter has hosted the series Deconstructing The Beatles. Both are co-hosts of the Fab Four Masterclass and have hosted Beatles themed trips to London and Liverpool, two cities all Beatles fans need to make a pilgrimage to at least once! So you’re getting some expert knowledge and analysis of the subject matter. As someone who used to spend their free time in university hanging out in the library reading all the books about classic rock I could find, I jumped on the opportunity to review this book. This is right up my alley: comprehensive, well organised, in depth information and analysis focused on a specific era (or rather eras) of Beatle history. While I’m more of a classic rock generalist, I know a lot about The Beatles and Beatle lore, and even I can say I’ve learnt a lot from this book.
I don’t think we need to introduce The Beatles, if you’re here, you love them. In short what makes The Beatles so special is they really were the voices of a generation, created such consistently good music throughout their time as a band, and that has helped them continue to stay relevant for future generations. Starting with them, Boomers finally felt like it was music by their generation for their generation. The Beatles in such a short period of time had such a varied discography and broke the mould in many ways multiple times. One of the most notable ways they’ve broken the mould is making the decision to stop touring in 1966 (doesn’t help that there were some SNAFUs). A risky move since touring is so crucial to success, but it was one only The Beatles could make, because they were on top. If the 60s belonged to anyone, it would have to be The Beatles, no question about it. It was a dynamic decade and The Beatles were the tastemakers. Everyone can find at least one Beatles song they love. That’s not something I can say about every band. Have I made my point clear?
The book is very well written, starting with an informative introduction that is a great explainer for all the different concepts: all the lingo you need to understand music recording, everyone’s role in the studio, equipment used, instruments used and who it belonged to. I always appreciate when authors don’t take that kind of knowledge for granted and they explain it in plain English. There’s a lot of technical discussion of the book and if that’s not for you, don’t worry, there’s a lot that you can get out of this book if you’re more into the stories behind the songs, the recordings of the songs, and Beatles history. Admittedly, I’m not a musician so I’m not going to understand the technical stuff. I just love the history of rock and roll and the stories behind the musicians and their music.
The book overall gives readers a real appreciation for what The Beatles were able to do in four years, especially given that the technology was way more limited and primitive than what we have now. They were prolific and so hardworking, always writing and innovating. It really shows that being a rock star is nearly more work than a day job. You can’t clock out when you’re a musician, you’ve always gotta work: practising, rehearsing, writing, recording, touring, promoting.
It’s well organised with chapters dedicated to each Beatles album “era”. Every chapter begins with an introduction of the album and has sections on not only the songs on the albums themselves, but also non-album singles released around that time as well as some outtakes. Each song gets a dedicated overview with sections about songwriting, arrangement, recording, interesting facts, and “banger moments” that make the song special. I especially love how their diverse influences are acknowledged throughout the book: R&B, rockabilly, country, girl groups, and Indian classical music.
Overall, this book is definitely a great read for a music major or someone familiar with music recording terminology, but I think there’s also valuable stuff in here for popular music historians and Beatles fans. I think the general public can read and appreciate this book for sure. It’s absolutely worth the read.
Bonus: My favourite Beatles song from each era
Since this book review is quite short, I wanted to add a couple of opinions here to spark discussion.
My favourite song from Please Please Me: “Do You Want to Know a Secret”
I really like George Harrison’s voice and for OG Beatles fans who were there from the start, this would have been your introduction to his voice. Fellow Merseybeat group Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas recorded a version of this song too. If you’re a big Disney fan, you might have noticed the influence of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There’s also a doo-wop influence in the song, borrowing from The Stereos “I Really Love You”. Doo-wop is often forgotten about in classic rock history and I think it deserves a lot more appreciation among younger rock and roll fans. Thankfully I think there’s some revived interest in doo-wop thanks to Satanic doo-wop group Twin Temple.
My favourite song from With The Beatles: “Please Mr Postman”
Girl groups are a very important part of the 60s and they were an important part of the popular music sound of the time. The 60s were the golden age of girl groups. Girl groups appealed to both genders and across different ethnic backgrounds. The Beatles were big fans of girl groups and so they covered some songs by girl groups. This one, “Please Mr Postman” was originally by The Marvelettes, signed to Motown. I love how in the 60s men weren’t afraid to cover girl group songs. The Beatles did a fabulous job and that’s because they were really good at harmonies. All the great rock bands love girl groups!
My favourite song from A Hard Day’s Night: “A Hard Day’s Night”
I know it’s cliched, but that opening chord is so iconic you can hear it even without hearing the song and people have been discussing and analysing it since the song came out in 1964. When fans heard that song in the intro of the movie of the same name, they screamed and their lives had changed forever. Gotta love the Rickenbacker 12 string guitar! A maths professor in Canada analysed the opening chord using Fourier transforms. Who said that classic rock can’t be academic? The way I’d love to hear this song again for the first time. It’s like a religious experience.
My favourite song from With The Beatles: “Words of Love”
People say groups like Badfinger and ELO picked up where The Beatles left off. I’d say The Beatles picked up where Buddy Holly left off. Recently I rewatched The Buddy Holly Story in honour of Buddy Holly’s 90th heavenly birthday. Buddy Holly to me will always be the biggest “what if”. I’m especially fascinated with celebrities that died right as the world was changing because of the mystery (like James Dean, Sam Cooke, and Jimi Hendrix). We’ll never know for sure, but I think Buddy Holly would have loved the 60s and he would have continued innovating. I have a feeling he would have wanted The Beatles to be an opening act for him and he might have wanted to work with them, producing their songs or even collaborating musically. The Beatles really did Buddy proud with this cover of “Words of Love” and I just love when rock musicians of the 60s and beyond cover 50s songs to keep that era alive. It’s a misunderstood decade that deserves so much more love. It really did lay the groundwork for the counterculture that was to come.
My favourite song from Help!: “You’re Going To Lose That Girl”
I love how much influence R&B has on rock and roll and one of the coolest traits of Black American music is the call and response, one of my favourite examples of all time has to be on Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say” from 1959, such an ahead of its time song, listen at 4:30 to hear the call and response. You wanna talk about the sexual revolution and free love? Well it started before the 60s. The other thing I love about “You’re Going to Lose That Girl” is the bongos.
My favourite song from Rubber Soul: “If I Needed Someone”
Rubber Soul is a great autumn album, and it’s a great album all year round too. If I had to pick a favourite Beatles album it’d have to be a tie between Rubber Soul and Revolver. Mid 60s Beatles will always be my favourite. The songs get more complex and varied, but they could still be played live. It’s so hard to pick a favourite song from each of these albums, but if I had to pick for Rubber Soul, it’d have to be the jangly Byrdsesque “If I Needed Someone”. I love The Byrds and I love George Harrison. It’s beautiful, especially when there’s the tambourine and the ahhhhh, that’s just heavenly.
My favourite song from Revolver: “Tomorrow Never Knows”
“Tomorrow Never Knows” is my favourite Beatles song. I love psychedelic rock and I love the visuals that accompany it and the tingly feeling I get when I listen to it. I love the Indian influences in this song, the poetic Timothy Leary like lyrics, and the heavy guitar effects. The Beatles really shone in the studio and took the studio to new places, innovating. That creative rivalry between The Beatles and The Beach Boys led to some amazing stuff for both bands and it influenced so many artists that came afterwards. Their contemporaries loved it and future generations of rock musicians are captivated too.
What are your favourite Beatles songs from their albums from Please Please Me to Revolver? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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