With a Little Help from My Friends: The Making of Sgt. Pepper

I'm pretty surprised about the few people here who have actually bashed this book. As a big Beatle fan and one who's read tons of books about them, I don't recall any inconsistancy's in this book whatsoever. Though short, this is probably one of the most prized Beatle books in my collection. My only complaint is I wish George Martin would do the same thing he's done here with Sgt. Pepper and write books about the sessions for the White Album, Revolver and Abby Rd. : ) A treasure to own. A book to read and re-read over and over.

While this book is ostensibly about the making of Sgt. Pepper, it's more revealing of George Martin and his view of The Beatles. The sections detailing album production (coupled with Martin's musical analyses) tend to be rather dry, and the divvying of songwriting credit provides little more than grist for the Lennon-McCartney argument mill. What turns out to be most interesting is Martin and Pearson's ability to communicate some of the feeling of the times, some of the extra-studio influences that brought the Beatles to the making of Sgt. Pepper, and subsequently led to the creation of the album.With the huge number of books written about The Beatles, one could easily point to other volumes that cover some or all of this ground. But Martin had a unique position in the Beatles coterie, and though this volume is far from a tell-all, it does leverage his vantage point. It's not explosive in a way that radically redefines one's view of The Beatles or their times, but it does provide some first-hand perspective that adds shades to the ever aging picture. How much of this is accurate, and how much is shaded memory, is hard to say. Beatles fanatics may find the so-called McCartney-esque slant infuriating, but those who simply lived through times will find Martin's writing pleasantly evocative.

I'm interested in obtaining a copy of this book. If you have one to sell, email me at [email protected].

An excellent account of the making of the greatest rock'n'roll album ever produced: Sgt Pepper, written by the man who put it together. There's been a lot of claptrap about who, if anyone, could be considered "the fifth Beatle". I say it's George Martin. Why? The Beatles are about music, and outside of the four, no one had a hand with their material as Martin did. If you loved the Sgt Pepper album, you'll like this book.

Martin does a great job with this book. Song by song, it lets you go to Abbey Road and see the fab four record. Sometimes Martin gets emotional, sometimes funny, and sometimes personal. He tells about his close relation to the Beatles and how they grew together during the making of an album that changed rock n' roll forever. Any Beatles fan must read this book.