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The book arrived fast. Although this book was supposedly a slightly used copy I couldn't tell that it was used. It's going to be a wonderful Xmas gift for a much younger buddy of mine who is just now discovering what made The Beatles the cultural force they have become.
Errors in the captions include: Brian Epstein sitting on the stage of the Cavern Club in 1964 (the Beatles did not play the Cavern after 1963) George and Pattie on the set of Help. Regardless of how readable and enjoyable the narrative, it is impossible to overlook major editorial/factual errors. where, according to Spitz, they first met (they met on the site of A Hard Day's Night March/April 1964) the 'gang'-including Pattie Boyd- at Paul's twenty-first birthday party (June 18, 1963), George met Pattie ten months later. How can the reader trust anything written when basic, elementary facts are incorrect. For example, one needs to look no further than the picture layouts contained in the book. The aforementioned examples are far from isolated. I counted at least 75 inconsistencies in the text, totally unforgivable for a biography.
In my humble opinion, it's neither. As a Beatles fanatic with limited free time (that's quite a cross to bear)., I depend on Amazon's reader reviews to help determine my purchases. There have been literally hundreds of books about them from the atrocious to the sublime, from the inane to the masterful. Until then, Spitz will do. You might think that nearly 1000 pages devoted to the history of a rock band is unadulterated excess but you'd be wrong; some may find his descriptions of North England, Liverpool and Hamburg, and of the Beatles' individual forebears boring and unnecessary but they provide (at least for me they did) some necessary contextual clarity to the overall story. With Lewisohn's accuracy, completeness, and honesty being legend among Beatles fans, THERE'S a biography that will indeed be definitive.
Davies' account is somewhat sugar-coated to protect the sensitivities of family members at the time of its writing; he almost completely ignores Brian Epstein's homosexuality and downplays the Beatles' drug and sexual excesses somewhat. Both are good reads but each has its drawbacks. Norman is in my opinion a better read but has a tendency to hyperbole and doesn't do a good job of drawing a particularly large target on the back of Paul McCartney. So when the Spitz book hit the shelves I turned eagerly to Amazon readers for some guidance since I actually find them more accurate than the so-called professional critics.Spitz's biography has achieved the remarkable feat of being either among the best or the worst of its kind. The Beatles are probably the most talked-about and deeply explored musical performers in history. Spitz has made a biography that reads like a novel, which is no mean feat. I particularly enjoyed his ending each chapter with some cliff-hanger sentence or two that makes you want to continue reading even when your eyes are at half-mast.
On writing style and enjoyability alone I'd give the book 6 stars if it were possible, but the inaccuracies cannot be ignored (although I think they're less widespread than some reviewers indicate). Hence, I'm settling on 4 stars.Some have called it a poorly written book, while others consider it a definitive biography. Spitz's many factual errors have been frequently cited, and I agree that simple proof reading and fact-checking could have easily corrected this disturbing flaw in the book. Not counting the Beatles' "Anthology" I'd read two of the acknowledged leaders in the Beatle biography sweepstakes: Hunter Davies' authorized "The Beatles" and Philip Norman's "Shout". The definitive Beatles biography has yet to be written, but word has it that such a project is already underway.
While most reviewers give it 4 or 5 stars, almost 20% consider it no better than 1 or 2 stars. Also cited has been Spitz's famous "get an enema and a life", response to having these inaccuracies pointed out to him -- a response that is demeaning and below-the-belt for any author let alone one of Spitz's supposed reputation.On the other hand, it's an extremely fascinating read; much more complete and candid than Davies and much less demeaning and hyperbolic than Norman. Mark Lewisohn (of Beatles "Recording Sessions" and "Chronicles" fame) is reportedly working on a three-volume biography with a staggered release schedule. Try it.you'll like it.
Who are these fools trashing this book. The Beatles are a unique part of the 20th century, and Spitz has captured their phenomena in a dazzling book. George did NOT meet his future wife on the set of "Help." but rather on the set of "A Hard Day's Night." This is trivial carping; what these idiots don't realize is that, at most publishing companies (I know, I've worked there), things like photo captions are assigned to low-level employees.
The best tribute Spitz could have given to The Beatles is an honest book, and that's exactly what he's delivered. He wrote a nearly 1,000-page book, with seven years of research, and the result is remarkably error-free. I can only guess they are musical jock-sniffers, upset that their dream-dominated world has been upset.
Spitz likely had nothing to do with the captions. From what I gather reading the negative "reviews" on here, the naysayers are woefully ignorant. They attack photo captions in the book: That is NOT Julian Lennon in John's arms in Central Park.
Kudos to Spitz AND his editors. As for the book's critics, they seem to me an online version of Magic Alex -- all puff and no substance.
Sure, there are LOTS of inaccuracies. I mean, what else could possibly be new. Really die-hard fans will surely call out for Spitz's blood. And I'm not saying that because I consider myself a Beatles expert. My verdict (such as it is). And I soon realized that no matter how may people have written about the Beatles, no matter how much and how many times their story has been rehashed and retold, it is, after all, a story of the Beatles. But under Spitz's pen, the familiar becomes quite unfamiliar--whereas, in the past books I've read, a Beatles anecdote was told in a matter-of-fact way, Spitz creates a new spin on things by making me feel like I'm in the same room, studio, or car where events are unfolding.
And, for me, their incredible journey never fails to fascinate.If you think I'm overrating the Beatles, then sod off. But there is the cynicism that, unless the author had a place in that coveted inner-sanctum of the FabFour, there really couldn't be any other tidbit that can be dished out that hasn't been told in the past 3 or 4 books I've read.And YET, as I turned the first page, the excitement began to mount. *cackling an evil laugh* Details (and inaccuracies) aside, Bob Spitz's work is actually quite remarkable. And you know how that is.
I'm telling myself, as I pulled Bob Spitz's The Beatles: The Biography off the bookstore shelf, that reading yet another Beatles book is superfluous. In `setting the stage' by giving a seemingly palpable atmosphere of texture, sound, and light, he enchants a fan by making a faraway encounter come off as deeply personal.And surprisingly, there were new things I've learned about the band (Beatlemaniacs hold back your snort of disdain): their first recording `session' as the Quarrymen, the many kept-under-wraps Lennon rants and rages; Lennon's close-door reaction to the `bigger than Jesus' debacle, the darker side of Epstein (and sorry, I have not yet read any Epstein biography, so.)., and even how a Beatle felt about the many people who tried to get through the airtight Beatles bubble. Some were shocking, while others still were saddening (particularly when it all came apart). Read it. Rather than simply telling the story of how John and Paul met, how the band performed in Hamburg, or how Epstein forged an empire under the shadows of the band's fame, Spitz `situates' the stories, lending color and even feel to the events (notables are his depiction of pre-Beatles Liverpool, the hotbed that was the Reeperbahn, the ominous Marcos `snub,' the "bigger than Jesus" controversy, and the Paul and Linda meeting). It's not a difficult suggestion to follow, surely.Regardless of how many times something about a public persona has been told (particularly if there were 4 of them), either truthfully or otherwise, it just becomes a matter of comprehending how different people `see' the Beatles and accepting the fact that no one can ever really come close to knowing who these four `lads from Liverpool' really were.The only comfort is the music they've left behind. pfft.hardly. Credibility probably took a backstage in favor of making *his* FabFour story more thrilling than some.
His narrative finds engagement under his lyrical and sometimes dramatic prose. Certainly, of course, these are already very familiar stories to some people. So, an advice would be to just read more Beatles biographies. As far as consolations go, that isn't so bad.
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