Key players in the band's development offer accounts in a riveting Ken Burns-like documentary style. The formation of the band and its rapid evolution-from the ebullient teen pop of 'She Loves You' to the transformative psychedelia of 'Tomorrow Never Knows' in just three years-is bountiful grist for editor David Pritchard and interviewer Alan Lysaght.

The Beatles: An Oral History (Hyperion, 1998) One of the best overviews of the post-Beatles Beatles-including a detailed account of Lennon's last day-though author Keith Badman missed the recent assault on Harrison by a knife-wielding fan. The Beatles: After the Break-Up, 1970-2000, a Day-by-Day Diary (Omnibus, 1999) And, in September 1969, Lennon had informed the inner circle that he wanted 'a divorce,' but was keeping silent because of delicate business negotiations.īut the real truth about the Beatles probably won't be revealed in the official biography (though the upcoming book undoubtedly will prove somewhat insightful), leaving fans to glean info from the plethora of works already on the market. Harrison and Starr already had quit the group during brief spats. Lennon, McCartney, and Starr all were working on solo albums. At the time, the Beatles Let It Be sessions were in a shambles, and the group hadn't gathered in the studio since Aug.

Among other things, Baker has said, the book will counter the contention that McCartney was the first to walk away, even though it was McCartney who filed the first legal affidavit seeking dissolution of the partnership. 'It is about the Beatles as a band, the music, but it deals with everything else-the tours, the drugs, the disputes.īut with the outspoken Lennon out of the picture, Beatles fans may sense revisionist history in the making.

'It goes across the board everything is in there,' said Geoff Baker, McCartney's publicist. If the resulting 360-page Beatles Anthology, to be published in the fall, is as tepid as the highly touted Anthologies TV documentary series, then Beatles fans will find yet another reason to rue the day John Lennon fell under gunfire from a demented fan.Ī spokesman for the Beatles-Paul McCartney, 57, George Harrison, 57, and Ringo Starr, 59-has promised that the book will be the frankest account of how the band ruled the pop world in the '60s. Smile! The Beatles-George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney-at their final photo shoot.ĪLMOST 30 YEARS to the day (April 10) after they split up, the three surviving Beatles announced last weekend that they have spent the past several years putting all their yesterdays on the printed page for an upcoming official biography.

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