Yesterday: The Beatles Once Upon a Time

This is a coffee table book of photography of The Beatles in 1964, around the time they were filming Hard Day's Night. These candid shots show the band members in their early days: young, handsome, and excited about the future. I enjoyed the photographs of Liverpool, especially the photographs taken in the famous Cavern Club where The Beatles played early in their rise to fame. This book is likely to interest only Beatles fanatics, since the photographs are limited to such a short time in the band's career.

I like this book but it has as many photos of Astrid as it does her subjects (I am exaggerating). Her preference for George is well known so there are many wonderful photos of him, just in case you are looking for a book with great George photos. Anyway, I am cynical I know but it seemed to me that Astrid really wanted to ride on the Beatles bandwagon. I would not have expected that being around the others, knowing that her love Stu was gone, would have pleased her so much. I noticed also that she abandoned the Beatles haircut and was vitually indistinguishable from Pattie and Cynthia. She looked good. All in all a nice photo essay of the early Beatles.

If you are a Beatles keenie and would enjoy seeing previously unpublished photos of the boys, this book is for you. It's a unique, bittersweet collection showing the joy and innocence which characterized the group's very early days together. A wonderful bonus is Astrid's introduction which provides information about these early days that was news even to this life-long Beatles fanatic!

My wife loved it and it made an a great addition to her Beatles collection.

have not read book but Astrid was their female babe friend in Hamburg. She was dating Klause Voorman, Artist on "Revolver" and Manfred Mann Bass player. Astrid and Stu Sutcliffe were in love with each other. Stu was the real 5th Beatle, friend of John and incompetent bass player for the Beatles before he died. Astrid took several famous pictures of the Beatles in Germany. She created A. the Beatles Haircut and B. the stylistic photo of the Beatles in half light and half dark as used on Meet the Beatles album cover and the British "With the Beatles" album cover. I will buy the book and read her perspective since she has a strong and unique postion in the early Beatles legacy. Kevin Johnson Houston, Texas