The Beatles

By: Hunter Davies

Narrated by: Edward Lewis

In this behind-the-scenes look at the most famous musical group in history, Hunter Davies gives the complete story of the Beatles. First published in 1968, this second revised edition from 1996 has added information including a new introduction and three updated appendices: Beatles Places, Beatles Memorabilia, and Beatles Books. As the only authorized biographer, Davies had full access to the Fab Four, as well as their help and ecouragement. He spent 18 months with them when they were at the peak of their musical genius and at the pinnacle of their popularity, making a mark on history and popular culture that would never fade. Davies stayed on with the Beatles through their breakup and remained friends with the individual members afterward, enabling him to write the continuing story of their solo careers. His is the inside story that "does not shy away from any mean and gritty little facts" ( The New Yorker). This is a book no Beatles junkie - or any fan of rock music - should be without.©1996 by Hunter Davies (P)1998 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"...His hard work and the obvious trust the Beatles have in him allow us to see the young musicians for the first time as interesting, fallible, corporeal creatures, each quite different from the others, each with his own history and hang-ups and hopes." (Newsweek)

well done, Mr. Davies

...very well done. I really appreciated The integrity Mr. Davies. Thank you , Sir. The best i've have read.

Interesting

Narrators voice is very annoying. Text is written in many short sentences, sounds disjointed. A very hard listen. Jeff Emericks book much better.

Interesting content; irritating narration

Davies' book does a very effective job of conveying the unique aspects of each Beatle's character and the circumstances that influenced the evolution of each personality. It's a shame that legal b.s. prevented him from being totally honest. An unwhitewashed version would have been even more interesting.

The unrivalled talent and creatvity of these 4 individuals is made even more evident in Davies' retrospective view. Ultimately, the Beatles story is one of friendship. It still saddens me that those bonds were broken--whatever the real reasons were.

I would, however, recommend reading this instead of listening to it. The audio quality is poor, and the narrator is flat, bland, and irritating.

When They Was Fab

Okay, the narration. It's emotionless. And the narrator is American. Anyway, just crank up the speed--I listened to it at 1.5-1.7x--and pretty soon you'll be swept away by one of the most amazing stories in music history. That of the Beatles.

Hunter Davies' book The Beatles was the first authorized biography, begun in 1967 and published in 1968. Yeah, so this is an old Beatles bio, scooped up by fans when the Beatles were still a living, breathing entity. The reason it's still in print, even if it's incomplete, has to do with Davies' incredible access to the Beatles, their significant others and their parents. Not to mention the book is a well-told tale that since its publication has become the model other Beatles biographers have sourced or refuted or at least had to deal with in telling their own versions.

What I liked about Davies' The Beatles was its immediacy. The author is more reporter than historian. He's writing down the story as it happens, especially in the later chapters.

He's in the room when Paul and John are composing. He's in the studio when the group's laying down tracks for Sgt Pepper's. He chats with John's Aunt Mimi, who's every bit as salty as we've heard. The wives (Pattie Boyd, Cynthia Lennon, Maureen Cox) and girlfriend (Jane Asher) talk about life with a Beatle. And the author--a man of his era--makes sure to comment on their domestic skills.

John's friends talk about how "happy" he is. John talks about his very close bond to the other Beatles and how he needs to be around them and how he desires their physical presence.

This is where the reader, who knows the rest of the story, goes whoa, just you wait. The very year this book came out the Beatles were recording the White Album and, depending on the day, could barely stand to be in the same room. John had chucked Cynthia for Yoko and would eventually chuck the band for Yoko.

Later John would deride Hunter Davies' book as a whitewash. Because, of course, it was. The Beatles, their parents and their dead manager's mother all had to sign off on the book before Davies could send it to the publisher. (He talks about this in the preface.) So what you get is a rosy picture of the Beatles at their height. You get the myth of the Four Lads from Liverpool who made the world forget their troubles with witty banter and infectious songs and a message of love.

The reason people still read Hunter Davies' book is because it preserves the myth before John, Paul, George and Ringo grew sick of it and before the myth was dismantled by a more complicated reality and decades of self-reflection and revision.

Thanks to George Harrison for inspiring the title of this review. In 1987, he released his eleventh studio album, Cloud Nine, after a five-year hiatus from recording. Of all the Beatles, he seemed the most eager to distance himself from his past. Yet he still wrote the masterfully nostalgic (and ironic) "When We Was Fab" for Cloud Nine. He channels the Beatles sound. The lyrics and video are both chockfull of Beatles references--and Ringo has a cameo in the video. It's great. Give it a listen/view.

Rediscovered Fan

I was in Vietnam when this book was published and was well into the book when I realized that I was listening to a bit of history that had been written when it was all happening. Interesting to relive the excitement that the Beatles brought from over the pond and learned a few things I did not know about the group. Well worth the read for the pure enjoyment of the memories of the time.