Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved

This book puts you right in the heart of the Beatles and the Stones inner circle. It provides closeup intimate insight into the personal lives of George Harrison, Ringo, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, David Bowie, and Bob Dylan. Honestly, I'm only about 3/4 of the way through the book so there may be even more to come. But this book really immerses you into the whole lifestyle of the highest royalty of rock in the late 60's and early 70's with more personal detail than you probably ever even dreamed you'd ever be privy to. If you ever wondered what it was like to BE a Beatle or a Stone at home, or a Beatle or Stone's wife or girlfriend, this book will answer all your questions and many more you never even thought to ask. To call it a "pageturner" doesn't even begin to describe how fascinating this book really is. My only criticism is that, because Miss O'Dell is not a musician, you're not going to hear a whole lot about the music itself, except as it relates to her personally (as in the songs written about her by Leon Russell and George Harrison or her singing in the chorus of "Hey Jude" or adding sound effects to "Revolution #9" or helping to collate lyrics for "All Things Must Pass" and "Exile on Main Street"!) But that's okay, because if she had been a musician, she probably would never have gotten so close to the stars on a personal level. Bottom line, this book tells it like it was and like it never will be again. You couldn't hope for more of an intimate insider's look into this rarified world.

Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved Many of us grew up not just listening to the Beatles, but LOVING them...feeling something different...maybe female, no..no...it transcended that, but definitely stronger than admiration...it felt intimate. It felt as if you were family...well, okay, distant family, but still a like a cousin who couldn't wait to see and hear the updates about each step in their music and lives...waiting for the post cards. Rather than from your mother, however, you got your updates from the radio, t.v., Rolling Stone and Circus and 16 and Tiger Beat...or the drum beats of friends. Because every single thing you wanted to learn and emulate and remember about this amazing, reverberating time in your life seem to somehow generate directly from these four magical men, you also came to greatly admire their insiders...the wives, the friends, the staff, the scruffs. They seemed like they were family too. Their lives were so appealing since they experienced the magic firsthand. I remember distinctly wanting to know more about Chris O'Dell...I had seen her photo on albums, and there she was on the rooftop for Let It Be! And, just why did George Harrison write a song about her? I thought she must be someone very special. Chris O'Dell was just exactly where I wanted to be. And, as it turns out, she was not only there, but everywhere and led an even more amazing life than any of us could ever imagine. Whether you shared that kind of experience or not, this is the book that music fans have been waiting to read since the 60's. Clearly it is not a repeat of any other biographer or insider's account. It is a true, fresh view...an extraordinary account by Chris O'Dell, who was there...who can truly say she was family. Bravo, Chris and thank you.

Given all the rock memoirs that have emerged over the past twenty years or so, it's hard to pick up another without thinking wearily, "Now what?" After all, Chris O'Dell was not a star herself, but a friend, employee, helper, and lover of a few you might have heard of. It's easy to be cynical, but I fell in love with this twenty pages in. Guilelessly, like Alice down the rabbit hole, Miss O'Dell stumbled upon a life even she could not have dreamed. Looking back, she paints a living portrait of the Beatles, the Stones, her friend Patti Boyd Harrison Clapton, and many others. At the same time, however, she manages to tell an engaging tale of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll with a loving, caring eye and a warm, forgiving heart. After all, she reminds us, even the highest (literally or figuratively) among them had also stumbled onto that 60s Mount Olympus unprepared for what fame, money, and position could do for--or against--friendship, love, artistry, and happiness. An unusually insightful and loving account of an amazing time.

This book, once picked up, is difficult to put down. I have read almost every book on the Beatles, and there were first hand accounts of stories just hinted in other books. Great insights into the Beatles and the women in their lives, and the goings on at Apple. Interesting accounts of how musicians feel about their peers. There were loads of surprises too. Miss O'Dell's voice is instantly likable. her honest and wide-eyed approach is refreshing. She is practically sitting on the couch with you telling you about all her mostly wonderful adventures. I simply did not want the book to end. I hope there are more stories she hasn't shared yet......Can I pre-order her next one?