The first-ever collection of the original handwritten Beatles' lyrics.
Hunter Davies is the author of over 30 books which include such modern classics as the authorised biography of The Beatles, The Glory Game, A Walk Around the Lakes and of John Lennon's Letters. He has written several other walking books and also a travel biography of Christopher Columbus which took him to the West Indies and the Americas. He is also well known as a broadcaster and journalist and writes for the INDEPENDENT, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL and NEW STATESMAN. He is married to the novelist and biographer Margaret Forster and he lives in London.
[Davies] has managed to track down handwritten versions for 100 of
the band's 182 lyrics, and it's undeniably fascinating to observe
these scribbled seeds, particularly when they contain alterations,
crossings-out and abandoned verses... The other main attraction of
the book is Davies' unrivalled access to the group. As the only
authorised Beatles biographer during the band's existence, he spent
time observing Lennon and McCartney as they wrote songs, and his
vivid account of the pair holding court amongst friends in the
latter's music room... is just one of several fascinating
behind-the-scenes moments
*THE INDEPENDENT*
Painstakingly researched and skilfully laid out over 350 engrossing
pages, Davies gives us an incredible insight into the remarkable
creative process of the band, and tells the story of the Beatles'
lives through their work
*HOT PRESS*
Davies has tracked down and reproduced more than 100 of the
Beatles' original handwritten manuscripts for their songs, nearly
all of which are reproduced for the first time in this handsome
coffee-table tome. Each song is given its context: what the band
were doing at the time, how and when they came to write and record
it, how the original version differs from the final one. A pretty
essential addition to the library/bathroom of any serious Beatles
fan
*IRISH NEWS*
This is not just one for the Beatlemaniacs and it is liberally
illustrated with lyrics as they were originally written on table
napkins, notepads, or on the back of a birthday card
*RTE GUIDE*
What's amazing is that these songs were so often scribbled down on
whatever bits of paper were at hand - pages from notebooks, hotel
stationery, backs of envelopes - and it's fascinating to see them
with their hasty revisions, crossings out, lines being rewritten,
ideas rethought even before they are fully complete, almost as if
The Beatles can't keep up with their own creative momentum,
colourful doodles and stoned illustrations accompanying some of
them
*UNCUT*
They were just scraps of paper set for a cleaner's furnace - but
now The Beatles' lyric sheets are precious jewels that reveal the
secret history of the world's greatest band... beneath the scrawls
and corssings-out lies a shadow history of The Beatles
*LIVERPOOL ECHO*
A forensic song-by-song exploration of the band's writing
process... If you're a songwriter, the song manuscripts along are
fascinating, and if you're a Beatles fan, the info here can't help
but give you a fresh insight into their music
*GUITARIST*
No Lennon/McCartney obsessive should be without Hunter Davies' The
Beatles Lyrics
*GQ Magazine*
Fascinating facsimiles of scribbled lyric notes jotted onto scraps
of paper... afford insights into the development from the germ of
an idea to a finished song
*THE INDEPENDENT 'Books of the Year'*
He wrote the first comprehensive biography of The Beatles and now,
in The Beatles Lyrics, Hunter Davies returns to examine each of the
band's songs in forensic details, offering insights into the
creative process and putting the songs in their social and personal
context
*CHOICE*
A fascinating look at how these classics came into being as the
manuscripts show how lines were altered and whole verses dumped
*THE SUN*
This delightful book will appeal to the millions of Beatles fans
around the world who will surely enjoy reliving these iconic songs
and learning something of their history
*SIXTYPLUSSURFERS*
Even fans who think they know it all already will treasure this
forensic exploration of the Beatles' songs...a handsome
coffee-table book by Hunter Davies that manages to shed new light
on the creative process behind such songs as Eleanor Rigby, Across
the Universe and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds...a treasure of a
book, a forensic, song-by-song exploration of the band's creative
process
*THE IRISH TIMES*
You may never read a more comprehensive, unpretentious account of
the creative processes behind a band's body of lyrics. It seems
fitting that band should be The Beatles... The book runs
chronologically from A to Z through every self-penned song the
Beatles recorded in their eight action-packed years together. With
all those original handwritten manuscripts, it's a must buy for
die-hard Beatles fans and, no doubt, many calligraphers too
*IRISH EXAMINER*
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