By Jessica Schneider
Jonathan Gould’s latest book on The Beatles is called “Can’t Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America.”
Some of what Publishers Weekly notes is as follows:
“It begins with a musical wake-up call, Gould writes of A Hard Day’s Night—the harsh clash of a solitary chord that hangs in the air for an elongated moment, its densely packed notes swimming into focus like eyes adjusting to the light. On Here Comes the Sun, Gould describes George’s music, written as he became more steeped in Indian philosophy amidst turmoil within the band, as rays of sun cutting across the melting ice of winter… of coming through a long and arduous experience and emerging whole at the end.Focusing on the Beatles’ influences, musical (Elvis, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys) and otherwise (marijuana, LSD, the Maharishi Mahesh yogi), Gould elucidates the mystery of the band that changed the course of Western popular music.”
Likewise, Booklist states that:
“To understand the Beatles, Gould implies, you must understand where they came from. He follows them through their roller-coaster career: Hamburg, early days at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, their “conquest” of America, the hysteria that came to be called Beatlemania, Sgt. Pepper’s, and the eventual breakup. All bases are covered, but setting Gould’s book apart are his careful dissection of cultural history and his astute critical eye (his masterful critiques of “Eleanor Rigby,” “Penny Lane,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “A Day in the Life,” in particular, are miracles of economy). Long on history, short on gossip, he gives nuanced assessments of the world’s most admired rock band and of its era.”
Published by Three Rivers Press, more info can be found on Amazon. Seems to be a must have for fans.
Tags: beatles
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