Book Review: 'Get Back: Imagine...Saving John Lennon' by Donovan Day.

I recently had the opportunity to read the book 'Get Back: Imagine....Saving John Lennon' by Donovan Day. It is very much geared to the young adult readers and us fans who wish they could time travel and meet the Beatles using nothing but an Ipod.

The book starts off setting the scene for the teenage Lenny Funk, a New Yorker who is playing guitar in the Subway, getting picked on by a gang of idiots while playing a Bob Dylan song when he is joined by a fellow teenager, a beautiful young girl of Asian heritage on vocals. Lenny falls hard for this girl, who happens to be named Yoko....

After getting beaten up and having his guitar stolen by the gang after Yoko leaves, Lenny is given an Ipod by his grandfather and after falling asleep listening to James Taylor, Lenny awakes in 1979, surrounded by people that are all listening to James Taylor and Carly Simon. Lenny naturally assumes it's a dream but the smells and sounds are so vivid.

After discovering he actually IS going back in time and it's connected to the songs on the Ipod, Lenny plays an early Beatles number and he transports through space and time to London, 1963 where he meets with Brian Epstein and the Beatles. While there, he strikes up a friendship with John, who catches him with his smartphone. After finally getting Lenny to admit to the truth, John asks the ultimate question: "What will become of me?"

After this, Lenny is determined to do what he can to save John, which he does. It's at this point that the "What If?" comes into play. The way Donovan describes John is not as outlandish as some other authors have imagined John, if he lived past 1980. I found myself agreeing with a lot of how his vision of 2015 John Lennon turned out.

So if you are looking for something fun to read and are into Science Fiction/Time Travel stories and of course are a big fan of the Beatles, you will enjoy Get Back: Imagine...Saving John Lennon!

You can find Donovan Day on Twitter.

And also don't forget to pick up your copy of the book by clicking the images above or below!

Book Review: 'All You Need Is Hull' by Lynda Hill

Lynda Hill with the Beatles in 1963.

I recently had the pleasure of receiving the book 'All You Need Is Hull' from it's author and compiler, Lynda Hill. For those of you that may not be familiar with Lynda, she was one of the lucky few who met the Beatles, her story is so wonderful it's like a fairytale, a dream, the inspiration for many fan fictions and the envy of all of us who were not yet born and missed out on that fabulous time. In November 1963, Lynda was a young girl, crazy about the Beatles like all the young girls in Britain at the time and when news broke of the band coming to Hull for their appearance at the ABC, Lynda was going to go and see them.

Her boss at the time mentioned that she would like Lynda to queue for tickets for her and her daughter too. After queuing all night, Lynda realised that she would be late for work and just as she was about the get those golden tickets, she decided to go to work. A difficult choice but the right one.

After sadly telling her boss that she didn't get the tickets, Lynda's boss decided that Lynda's loyalty to her company should not go unrewarded. She rang the Hull Daily Mail and arranged for Lynda not only to attend the concert but to MEET THE BEATLES.

Lynda had no idea about this. She was told by her boss that she had to have her hair done for an interview with the employment exchange who wanted to know how she was getting on with her job. On the day of the concert, Lynda's boss picked her up and they drove to the Hull Daily Mail offices, which was just across the street from the ABC cinema. Lynda's boss instructed Lynda to follow her into the building, mystified, Lynda followed and was greeted by a man who asked her if she knew why she was there, when Lynda shook her head he told her she should probably sit down. Lynda chose to stand and the man continued...

"Well, in about ten minutes I'm going to take you across the road where you will meet the Beatles."

Lynda was in shock. She had to sit down. A plan was hatched, Lynda would be dressed as a cleaner and smuggled into the ABC theatre so as to avoid the attention of the national press. When she was safely in the building, she was allowed to change back into her own clothes. After waiting in the hall, the Beatles appeared and were herded into a room, she caught a brief hello from them all before they were gone. After an agonizing ten minute wait they reappeared and sat down with her and the above photograph was taken.

Lynda's book has all the stories from fans from around the Hull area who either saw the Beatles play in Hull or met them.

It's a wonderful book with many treasured memories from the fans who were there in 1962, 63 and 64 and saw the Beatles play.

What's interesting to note is their first appearance in Hull in 1962 was seen by less than 40 people as it was Hull Fair Week. Their second appearance in early 1963 was more frenzied as Beatlemania in the UK was on the climb. By November that year, their popularity was at an all time high and fans queued overnight for tickets. By the time of their last appearance in the city in 1964, the mania had subsided somewhat. One fan recalled being able to just walk into the box office and buy the tickets and not having to queue in 1964.

You can find Lynda Hill on Twitter @boppyblue_hill

Book Review: 'The Beatles and Me On Tour' by Ivor Davis

I recently had the enormous pleasure of receiving a copy of Ivor Davis' book 'The Beatles and Me On Tour' and it is simply a wonderful behind the scenes look into the Beatles 1964 Summer tour of the United States of America and Canada.

In 1964, Ivor was a foreign correspondent for London's Daily Express newspaper living in Beverly Hills and reporting on celebrities from Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor to Peter Sellers and Britt Ekland. Davis wasn't much for celebrities and their folly but that all changed when his editor called him from London. It was 6am in California and Davis reached for the phone...

"There's a rock and roll group coming from England for their first American tour. They're called the Beatles and I want you to fly to San Francisco in two hours and join the tour. Eat with them, drink with them, do whatever it takes to get close to them.Also, George Harrison has agreed to do a column for us but you'll be writing it."

For any Beatles fan, that assignment would be the golden ticket but for Ivor Davis, not much of a fan of rock and roll, it was just another gig. Little did he know how this assignment would be something he would recall more than 50 years later for a book.

In the book, Ivor recalls getting to their hotel which was in the grip of Beatlemania and a few harrowing moments at reception when he was being refused access to the eleventh floor, the Beatles' floor. When they finally let him get on the lift and the doors opened at the Beatles floor, he was met by Derek Taylor, The Beatles' press officer.

From then on, Ivor was close at the Beatles side. His introduction to the Beatles themselves was lukewarm, the lads were severely jet-lagged having just flown from England the day before. When Ivor met George, he was staring at a TV with the sound turned down and asked if there was "any toast left", Ringo was wandering about,  John greeted Ivor by calling him "Ivan the Not-So-Terrible" and Paul seemed fascinated by the fact that Ivor was English and living in America, Ivor describes Brian Epstein's reaction to him as much the same as Paul's.

The tour had opening acts such as the Righteous Brothers, who left the tour mid-way due to nobody listening to them. Other opening acts were Jackie DeShannon, the Bill Black Combo (Minus Black himself who was too ill to tour) and the Exciters.

Ghostwriter: George and Ivor on the tour in 1964. Photo: Ron Joy

The Beatle who Ivor described as having the most fun on the 1964 tour was Ringo, who disappeared for a night without telling anyone and went on an adventure! Ivor also talks about the night the Beatles met Elvis Presley in 1965 and how he was witness to one of the great meetings of Rock 'n Roll culture.

One of the best things about this book is Ivor's honesty about what went on. Reading this book, you get a personal insight into John Lennon on that 1964 tour in particular. He references other writers and media in the book and also clarifies some of the many legends that have built up over time. One such story in the book is what really happened when Bob and the Beatles got together on the tour.

The book also features over forty pictures of the Beatles from leading photographers such as Curt Gunther and Harry Benson. This is a fantastic look at a moment in time in the Beatles career, their mad, crazy tour across the United States which was in the vice like grip of Beatlemania. Of course, the Beatles had touched down in the US once before in February for their explosive debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, that was only a short trip though and a US tour was hastily arranged for the summer and, luckily for us, Ivor was there to witness and document it.


You can follow Ivor Davis on Twitter and check out his website to buy the book here.

Book to Read: Conversations With McCartney.

Click the picture to buy the fabulous new book 'Conversations With McCartney' by Paul Du Noyer now.

From Amazon:

In June 1989, Paul Du Noyer was contacted by Paul McCartney's office in London and asked to interview the star as they had met once before and enjoyed a good rapport. In the years that followed, Paul Du Noyer continued to meet, interview and work for Paul McCartney on a regular basis, producing magazine articles, tour programmes, album liner notes, press materials and website editorial. It's likely that Du Noyer has spent more hours in formal, recorded conversation with McCartney than any other writer. Conversations with McCartney is the culmination of Du Noyer's long association with McCartney and his music. It draws from their interview sessions across 35 years, coupling McCartney's own, candid thoughts with his observations and analysis.

Beatle Books In Review: Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America by Jonathan Gould

I first read this book when I received it as a Christmas present a few years ago. I was curious as to how it would be different to the other Beatle books I had read, but by the end it had become one of my favourites. Even if you think you know the story already, there is still something about this book that keeps the reader gripped. One of the things I liked most about it was how much detail it went into regarding the songs themselves. Gould also does a wonderful job at setting the scene - by this I mean telling the band's story in a wider social context.

Review by Sarah Stacey

Beatle Books In Review: John Lennon: The Life by Philip Norman

Quite simply one of the best biographies of any rock musician I have ever read. There has been a lot of crap written about John (one mention of Albert Goldman's book The Lives of John Lennon is enough to send most fans into a rage) but Philip Norman's book is fantastic. It is respectful without glossing over any of the less savoury aspects of John's character. Norman interviewed all the key people in John's life, including Yoko Ono of course, and emerged with the best and most detailed account of his life to date. The only gripe I have is that the ending was a little too abrupt, but Sean Lennon's memories of his father are a nice way to finish off the book.

Review by Sarah Stacey

Beatle Books In Review: I, Me, Mine by George Harrison

This book is the closest George ever got to an autobiography. The first part is filled with his recollections of his childhood and being a Beatle, as well as his thoughts on life, religion, gardening and even motor racing, as told to Derek Taylor. The next section of the book contains photographs. My personal favourite is the section featuring the original handwritten lyrics to many of George's songs, accompanied by explanations from the man himself. It's great to see where he got his inspiration from, and nothing offers a better glimpse into the mind of a great songwriter. Olivia Harrison's foreword is very moving.

Review by Sarah Stacey

Beatle Books In Review: The Mammoth Book of the Beatles by Sean Egan

This one's for the nerds among us! It contains the author's own assessment of every album and single The Beatles ever released, plus their films. There are also numerous articles, including Maureen Cleave's now famous interview with John Lennon in which he made his "bigger than Jesus" remark, and interviews with key people such as Pete Best, George Martin, Pattie Boyd, Cynthia Lennon and Astrid Kirchherr - the latter three as part of the 'Beatle Women' section of the book. There is even a section dedicated to articles by people who don't like The Beatles, so read with care! I really enjoyed this book, despite the fact that I disagreed with quite a lot of Egan's opinions on the songs (he seems to dismiss quite a high number of renowned classics as "not great").

Review by Sarah Stacey

Beatle Books In Review: 'The Beatles Irish Concerts' by Colm Keane (2008)

I have to talk about a book that's close to my heart for no other reason than the fact I am an Irish fan of The Beatles. This is the story of the time Beatlemania hit Ireland in November 1963, when the group played two shows on our shores, at the Adelphi in Dublin and the ABC Ritz in Belfast, followed in 1964 by King's Hall in Belfast. There are interviews with the teenage Beatles fans who were there - all now well into their sixties, with children and grandchildren. There are also interviews with George Harrison's Irish cousins, who met their famous relative when he stopped by on that first visit in 1963. Whether you're Irish or not, it's still a highly enjoyable book to read if you simply love The Beatles.

Review by Sarah Stacey.

Beatle Books In Review: Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now by Barry Miles

I always remember this book being around the house when I was little, and when my fascination with The Beatles developed, I read it and found it really enjoyable. If you're looking for Paul's side of the story, this is exactly what you get - you won't be disappointed. Paul speaks candidly about all aspects of his life and The Beatles, from his childhood in Liverpool to his relationship with John and beyond. I've written before on my own blog about how overlooked his contribution still is by many people, and I would recommend this book to anyone who feels that way.

Review by Sarah Stacey

Beatle Books In Review: All Things Must Pass: The Life of George Harrison by Marc Shapiro

As George is my favourite Beatle, I was really looking forward to reading a biography of him, particularly one that was - as the front cover of this book proclaimed - "well-written and informative". Unfortunately, it was neither. The author seemed to speed through George's childhood. In fact, he seemed to speed through mostly everything, which makes it seem as though he was in one big rush all the way through the writing process. It's also very short and seems like little more than a cut and paste job, as it features no original interviews (at least not that I recall). Basically, it does a terrible disservice to a genuinely fascinating subject. Avoid at all costs.

Review by Sarah Stacey 

Beatle Books In Review: 'The Beatles' by Hunter Davies (1968)

We're excited to announce our first guest reviewer at The Beatles Through The Years: Sarah Stacey.

Sarah is a first year Multimedia student at Dublin City University in Dublin, Ireland and she, like us all here at Beatles Through The Years, is a massive fan of all things Beatle! For the next few weeks we'll have Sarah reviewing a selection of books about the Beatles and anything else Beatle-related. We also know Sarah is a fantastic guitar player! So welcome aboard Sarah! Very happy to have you here!

The mother of all Beatle books, this is the one that started it all. Written in 1968, with the full co-operation of the band members themselves, Davies gives an up close and personal account that no other author has ever really been able to do. Of course, the passage of time has highlighted a few inaccuracies here and there, but that's down to the fact that while certain people were alive, they didn't want particular things to be known. For instance, certain aspects of John's childhood were glossed over for fear of upsetting his aunt Mimi. That aside, it is still the biography to rival all others.

 Review by Sarah Stacey.

Check out Sarah's blog here