The Beatles Anthology

Great collection book for any Beatles fan to go along with The Beatles Anthology DVDs

Wow. First off, one can't help but marvel at the fact that this book is HUGE! This makes every other Beatles biography look rather pathetic in comparison. The sheer number of superbly reproduced, and more often than not never-before-seen, photographs is mind-boggling. This is the absolute definitive story of the Beatles, as told by them, so all the speculation and conflicting stories that have surfaced in previous books is completely irrelevant. If you are a Beatles fan, then this book is an absolute MUST. And believe me, once you buy this book, you will be able to retire any and all of your existing Beatles biographies for use as coasters, placemats, puppy training papers or the like. I also strongly encourage you to look into the new CD, "Beatles 1." All 27 of the original number 1 singles have been digitally remastered (spectacularly, I might add!) and the sound is unbelievable.

How can any Beatles fan not be delirious over the arrival of this book? I spent four hours glued to it, lovingly turning each page, laughing, smiling and astounded over so many previously unseen photos. I have 400 Beatles books in my collection in many different languages. This book beats them all in content, style, text, arrangement and producing pure bliss in the reader. Some of the early photos from the Cavern and Hamburg years have appeared before in Mike McGear's 1977 book, but there are other new photos when the boys were so young it's almost piercing to look at them. My only slight criticism is that much of the text was lifted directly from the Beatles Anthology series. This was disappointing, but the soaring positives of this weighty book cancel out any whining. For all of us Beatles fans, this is the apex of what will be offered for a long time. You will cherish this book and get endless hours of fascination and enjoyment from it. John, Paul, George and Ringo...still producing powerful emotions. They always will.

Hundreds of books have been written about The Beatles, but it iscrushingly obvious when reading this Anthology volume that by far thebest one would naturally come from the bandmembers themselves. [Theprice] seems like an incredible bargain considering the size andquality of this work, which covers the years 1940 (the birth of Ringoand John) to the breakup in 1970. At 368 coffee-table sized pagesit's already huge, but the small print makes it almost double thatsize. The book would be worth it just for the photos alone, whichare beautifully reprinted--many from the early years are actually incolor--chronicling dozens of previously unpublished, intimate momentstaken straight from the group's personal archives. But what reallymakes this one essential is the text itself, which is taken frominterviews conducted with Paul, George and Ringo in the 90s and anexhaustive compilation of Lennon quotes from all points in his life (Irecognized many, but there were also some I've never seen before).Even after the dozens upon dozens of biographies which have recountedthe group's earth-shattering tale ad nauseum, you feel like you'rereading it for the first time. All four bandmembers speak with athousand times more wit, frankness and detail than all of theirprevious biographers combined; in fact, they manage to offer upjuicier tales, and more interesting spins on already known events,than anything you've read before even in the most gossipy bios--andyou get it this time knowing that it's honest (you know it's honestwhen you hear conflicting memories about certain events!)."Anthology" is especially revealing when it comes to thechildhoods and Hamburg era: you get to hear about the first timeGeorge got laid (right in front of the other three bandmembers!), orwhen Ringo was a member of the Dingle gang, or what they did atteenage parties. The detail is so thorough and vividly recalled forthe early years (and butressed by the photos) that you feel likeyou're living it as it actually happened. No stone is left unturnedabout the famous years, either: George and Ringo philosophize abouttheir first LSD trips and the meaning of "Tomorrow NeverKnows", the Maharishi controversy is finally put to rest (hint:he never made a pass at anybody), and new insight is shed on theevolution of the friendships between John and the other three. Moreis made about the breakup than was on the "Anthology"videos, including Yoko's presence and the business hassles, as well asthe making of "Abbey Road". Finally, all of this is toldwith such an elegant sense of Beatle humor that even the heaviestmoments are a joy to read. Also included are excerpts from StuSutcliffe and Brian Epstein's personal diaries. With this volume nowfinally released, the only other essential Beatle books to get areLewishon's "Beatles Chronicle" and Miles' "The Beatles:A Diary", both of which give exact reference dates anddescriptions for every live show, radio, recording and filming session(as well as more great

Just got the "Anthology" yesterday, and let me throw a few words at you:Hefty. Dense. Comprehensive.Pictures? It's crammed with them. Is it readable? While most books made up of interview quotes can be frustratingly Helter Skelter, the quotes in "Anthology" are edited so that the book flows in a highly readable narrative style. I feared that this book might be a cheap cashing-in. Rather, it's a beautifully mammoth effort.

With the wealth of info already out there on The Beatles, one may ask "Do we need more?" In some cases, the answer would be... "No." In this case, I say "Welcome." This book is huge for one thing. There are a lot of pictures you've seen before, but a lot of personal pics seen for the first time. Like the video Anthology, we get to see a more personal side to The Beatles in this book. One drawback is that you'll notice some of the same images from the video as you do in here. Also, in terms of content you'll often just see written quotes from the video. Regardless, there is plenty of new material here to make this a "5 star" effort. Having read almost every Beatle book out there, I would have to say this is a definite buy. Final Note: Once again, only drawback is some overlap with the video Anthology which is expected.