Books - Reviews by JPGR&B

Books - Reviews by JPGR&B

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Member	Item		Review/Comment
JPGR&B SUBS 6th Jul 2021		Book Paul Salley - Little Wing: The Jimmy McCulloch Story (2021)	Review By Angie Moon, the founder of the blog The Diversity of Classic Rock. See Little Wing: The Jimmy McCulloch Story by Paul Salley ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 6th Apr 2021		Book Knud Ørsted - Beatles I København 4.6.64 (2014)	Review Contemporaneous review of the book from Beatlesinfo.dk. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 27th Feb 2021		Book Robert Haynes - Moptops' Fables (2020)	Review From the British Beatles Fan Club Magazine: This delightful children’s book was a lovely surprise to review. Author Robert Haynes has crafted clever life lessons in fable format starring John, Paul, George, and Ringo interacting with many of the animals that have featured in their songs. The tales meld imaginary events with real life facts about the Beatles. Each fable is not only interesting and unique, but the illustrations (also by Robert Haynes) are delightful and appealing. Some of the animals featured include monkeys, pigs, birds, dogs an octopus and a tiger. There are twelve fables in all and each one revolves around a particular song. For example, “Paul and the Blackbird” merges the true facts about the civil rights movement inspiration for the song with an imaginary tale of a blackbird flying onto Paul’s shoulder in his back garden and Paul noting that this bird has the freedom to fly where he likes and leads Paul to write a song about the need for fewer cages and more freedom. The ultimate lesson is that our similarities on the inside are more important that the differences we see on the outside. This book would make the perfect gift for the young children in your life. While reading the book and sharing its lessons with those children in your life, you will also be able to share your love of The Beatles music and the real-life lessons of love and inclusion that is present in so many Beatles compositions. Even though I have no young children in my life, I still want a copy of this book for the illustrations alone. It is a joyful happy book that will entertain us all. Michele Copp See here for this review online. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 10th Feb 2021		Book Kevin Salem - All Together Now (2006)	Review AllMusic Review by Michael Berick. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 19th Jan 2021		Book Kate Boyes - The Importance Of Paul McCartney (2003)	Review From Booklist - Reviewed with Rose Blue and Corinne Naden's Lenin - see here . ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 26th Oct 2020		Book Peter Doggett - You Never Give Me Your Money (2009)	Review Review by Jude Rogers in the New Statesman, 8 October 2009. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 20th Oct 2020		Book Lew Baxter - My Beatles Hell (2004)	Review Review from Amazon: Reviewed by Charlie in the United Kingdom on 4 April 2018. Hated this book. I stuck with it, fascinated by it's awfulness, hoping it would improve but it went from bad to worse. Don't let the word Beatles in the title fool you, this is not in any way a book about The Beatles. A real hatchet job on Bob Wooler who, in spite of all the nonsense spouted by the author, really was the driving force behind the Liverpool group scene in the early Sixties. How do I know? because I was one of the hundreds of young guys playing in groups in Liverpool at the time. Too much is made of Wooler's homosexuality, the inference being that his interest in the group scene was mainly one of a predator of young boys. Absolute nonsense!!! My own experience of Bob Wooler, and those of my contemporaries, was of a man who was full of enthusiasm for the whole scene and gave even the least talented wannabes loads of encouragement. He almost single handedly promoted The Beatles in Liverpool in the early sixties, along with loads of publicity by Bill Harry and his Mersey Beat Magazine. If not for these two people, Brian Epstein would never have heard of the Beatles and the rest would have been a very different history. The bulk of this tedious tome consists of accounts of the ramblings of Beryl Adams, one time secretary to Brian Epstein with a history of alcohol abuse and suicide attempts, who not long after the interviews with the author, succumbed to a terrifying brain disease that surely at this point must have been affecting her thoughts and memories and Bob Wooler, by this time a very sick and sad old man whose once razor sharp brain was now addled by the effects of alcohol abuse and ill health. The impression given by the author of the Mersey Beat scene is of a sordid world, inhabited by sexual predators, ruthless fantasists and alcoholics. Nothing could be further from the truth. A truly exciting time for all involved and for the most part, good innocent fun! In short, a pointless and depressing book by an author who obviously has no knowledge whatsoever of the Mersey Beat era and the real events surrounding it. A truly awful book which doesn't deserve the one star but I am not allowed to give it less!!!! 8 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 5th Oct 2020		Book Hervé Bourhis - The Beatles Graphic (2012)	Review Review by Cate Kustancy, Digital Journal, 31 October 2012. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 26th Mar 2020		Book Kenneth Womack - The Beatles Encyclopedia (2014)	Review From the author's website: “This encyclopedia is crucial for any music library.” — V.J. Novara, Choice “With The Beatles Encyclopedia, ‘Everything Fab Four’ has been placed at our fingertips. . . . It will enlarge considerably our conception of what the Beatles accomplished, just as it will strike us as practical, fun, and, most important of all, indispensable. Certain it is that fans and scholars of the Beatles will find themselves describing the feat that Kenneth Womack has achieved in compiling The Beatles Encyclopedia in adjectives such as these.” — Steve Hamelman, Popular Music and Society “Intended for a wide audience, The Beatles Encyclopedia is accessible for new and younger listeners yet serves as a convenient reference tool for serious fans.” — Kit O’Toole, Something Else! Reviews “The entries are well-written and should be clearly understood by a general reading audience. The sheer amount of information contained between the covers is impressive and certainly helpful to anyone interested in, or researching, Beatles-related information.” — American Reference Books Annual “Numerous Beatles books tell the group’s story or focus on specific periods in their history. Now, all of the major topics are included in one convenient place. The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four, the latest work by Beatles scholar Kenneth Womack, is an educational and entertaining addition to any Beatle fan’s library.” — Radio Teresa 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 12th Mar 2020		Book Brooke Halpin - Experiencing The Beatles: A Listener's Companion (2017)	Review Reviews from the publisher's website: Part of the Listener’s Companion series, this book takes us through the Beatles’ recording career, from their early days covering American hits, to their early-1960s breakthrough with a string of songs about the uplifting nature of Love (‘Love Me Do,’ ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’), to their mid-‘60s maturation with songs that were more complex musically and thematically, and on to their celebrated final recordings, which were made as the band was breaking up. Along the way, author Halpin provides insightful commentary on such matters as the way the Beatles’ Liverpool accents made American hits sound new; the way they would change a song’s tempo or orchestration to make it suit their voices and instrumental abilities; the way they combined their individual talents to create a sound unlike anything heard before. Halpin is clearly a fan, but he’s also an accomplished musician, and his ability to break the Beatles’ music into its component parts makes us appreciate these now-classic songs in a new way. — Booklist Brooke Halpin has given a ‘fab’ new title to the Beatle faithful for their perusal. Experiencing the Beatles: A Listener’s Companion, isn’t a run of the mill edition. Brooke offers insights to the tricks behind the recording process that only an expert musician can explain in a way that everyone can understand. If you thought you had seen and heard it all, this work will add to your experience. — Beatles Magazine When it comes to Beatles history and folklore there is no finer expert on the globe than Brooke Halpin. Take a read of Experiencing the Beatles and you will be fascinated by his words, wit and wisdom. I learn something new each time I read his intriguing new book. — Ivor Davis, author of The Beatles and Me on Tour ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 27th Feb 2020		Book Various Authors - Visualising The Beatles (2016)	Review Reviews on the publisher's website: Amazing… the detail in this book is staggering – beautifully illustrated and covering every album The Beatles ever made in a truly original way. This is a book that every true Beatles fan will want to own’ Bev Bevan (Drummer, Black Sabbath and ELO) ‘Arresting…“see” John, Paul, George, and Ringo in vastly new and revealing ways’ Kenneth Womack, Huffington Post “Entertaining, informative, and beautifully presented…contains detailed research that will surprise even long time fans” Jon Stewart, Sleeper guitarist and Total Guitar columnist The evolution of the Fab 4 has never before been documented in such a concise, exciting and beautiful way Damian Keyes, Bass Player & Founder of Brighton Institute of Modern Music ‘Gorgeous infographics … a fun, well laid out look at the data behind some of the catchiest and most influential songs ever written’ Gizmodo ‘What happens when data nerds consume a music album’ Kickstarter (Staff Pick and featured on Projects We Love) ‘For Beatles superfans and data geeks, this book is a dream’ Column Five ‘A gorgeous product … I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these copies!’ Tiny Light Bulbs ‘The Beatles catalogue is so vast and influential, only a data-led approach like this can help us truly make sense of it. Love is all you need, but visualisation can help too’ Simon Rogers, Data Editor at Google and author of Facts Are Sacred Source: Orphans Publishing 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 27th Feb 2020		Book Various Authors - Visualising The Beatles (2016)	Review The Guardian [UK newspaper] review 10 November 2016 ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 26th Feb 2020		Book Kevin Harrington - Who's The Redhead On The Roof… ? (2015)	Review Review in Ear Candy Mag February 2016 ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 25th Feb 2020		Book Various Authors - A Is For Apple: An Illustrated History Of The Beatles' Multimedia Corporation Vol. 1: 1966 (2015)	Review Ear Candy Mag book review, Summer 2015 ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 24th Feb 2020		Book P.J. Crook - Greetings From Friar Park (Henley-On-Thames) (2018)	Review Reviewed on Amazon in Germany by Gerhard Bohrer on 30 June 2018 When I learned about that new publication some days back, I wondered, as this book is precisely the idea, title and content a friend of mine having worked originally on. He obviously shared this book with the person publishing it now, but I don't know the author P.J.Crook nor is he a member of the Friar Fark Fanclub Group on Facebook. For that reason I ordered the paperback to have a look at it. Well, when having this booklet in hand I again wondered, as this is just some kind of only a brochure with its 27 pages. None of the photos is pictured as postcard except for that one on the last page, being half the size of an original postcard. Also, the printing [title and order number] on front of the cards is missing, the format is larger than normal postcard size, and it's mostly cropped pictures. Indeed, what is printed on bottom of the front to identify was cut off and the content is told in a very minimal and mere matter of just one line instead. Quite a bulk of existing postcards are missing - there would have been much more. And the presumption of one shown man perhaps being Mr Frank Crisp is pure imagination as Crisp's girth was similar to that of Mr Alfred Hitchcock. They even had the same sense of humour: Crisp with his numerous innuendoes all over the place, Hitchcock with his cameo appearances in nearly any of his films. The oldest postcard showing the very early days of the mansion and estate is originally printed errously mirrorwise and easily to recognize, but without notification. The layout of the photos and text is bad - this looks just like a children's book. If you buy here a visitor's guide of a castle or any other old building, but containing much more information than this booklet it would've been 3 USD [2,5 UKP/€] to spend - but a price of 12.99 USD [9.99UKP/ 12.83€] for this publication is far too much. If you consider that Friar Park should once have been demolished, then this location deserves much more. George Harrison had the love and spirit and of course the money to prevent this cruelty to the building and instead keep this nice and lovely place for the future and restore buildings and gardens to the beauty they once had in the past. If you want to do something good, you should instead give way to yet another publication by Scott Cardinal. His books on history, archaeology, botany of a location and much and solid information about the building, its builder and inhabitants, culture and more are top and well researched. Shown in a proper layout fitting with the presentation of the photos, these editions of the Cardinals on the Dakota [home of the Lennons], Tittenhurst Park [home of the Lennons, Ringo Starr and Startling Studio] and several publications on Friar Park [home of the Harrisons and George's Friar Park Studio] with this latest published book by the Cardinals of 78 pages and more than 100 photos are a joy for the eye and your mind. All these books are done with love, enthusiasm and knowledge on the subject and with much time invested. Having read them you're in the pure illusion of just having been there in person only a few minutes ago. You can save costs for a journey, as indeed you ARE there, by making yourself and anybody else a pleasure – and buy a book worth the money. You'll get back infos you never had, but always wanted to know about. So just enjoy! ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 24th Feb 2020		Book Lizzie Bravo - Do Rio A Abbey Road (2015)	Review Sara Schmidt's review from 27 January 2016 ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 31st Dec 2019		Book Mauri Kunnas - Beatles With An A (2014)	Review Propermag post by Neil Summers. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 2nd Dec 2019		Book Angie McCartney - My Long And Winding Road (2013)	Review Beatles-Freak's Review. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 4th May 2019		Book Cary Edwards - He Disagreed With Something That Ate Him (2018)	Review This was posted on Amazon on 13 March 2019 by Terry Adam - I fully support his comments: I have always said that Timothy Dalton’s portrayal as James Bond was the closest to the literary Bond and that both The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill are underrated inclusions in the 007 franchise. Therefore, I was very pleased to find, and read in one sitting, this short but fascinating book written by film lecturer Cary Edwards PhD who dissects, analyses and gives his very erudite, educated and entertaining views and positive thoughts on both films and Dalton’s performance within. It is less a ‘behind the scene/making of’ publication and more of an academic paper/thesis on all aspects of the two films, Dalton and the Bond legacy. The chapter on ‘Context’ covering both cinematic and political, I found very interesting. The Dalton era was unfortunately short lived but it was a watershed moment in the development and eventual re-packaging of the Bond we know and love today. I would highly recommend this book to both film scholars and Bond fans and also congratulate Cary Edwards for championing Dalton’s all too brief, but in my personal view impactful and unforgettable, tenure as James Bond 007. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 16th Jan 2019		Book Pearce Marchbank - With The Beatles: The Historic Photographs Of Dezo Hoffmann (1984)	Review ....this is by far the best and most complete collection of Dezo's pictures of The Beatles....the pictures speak for themselves. Bill Harry, The Beatles Volume 3 - Paperback Writers (1984, Virgin Books) 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 8th Jan 2019		Book Leslie Thomas - Ian Fleming: The Fantastic 007 Man (1966)	Review A review by Bruce Allen [Fleming's Bond], 19 March 2015. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 8th Jan 2019		Book Henry A. Zeiger - Ian Fleming: The Spy Who Came In With The Gold (1965)	Review A review from Amazon.com by "Acute Observer": 5 out of 5 stars 31 October 2014 - Published on Amazon.com Ian Fleming: The Spy Who Came in With the Gold Henry A. Zeiger is a writer and playwright who analyzed the career of Ian Fleming, and wrote this 1965 biography. Zeiger tells how many of Fleming's experiences in Naval Intelligence during the War were used in his fictional exploits about "James Bond". This book lacks an index. Chapter 1 tells about Fleming's early life. His father came from a wealthy banking/stock broker background, and died in World War I. This explains Bond as a conspicuous consumer of the finer things of life, and as a Conservative. Chapter 2 says Fleming was educated at Eton, and became "an athlete of exceptional power" (p.27). Fleming then went to Sandhurst, but refused a commission in the cavalry. He chose the Foreign Service and studied languages at Geneva and Munich, but failed to get an opening. He then got a job at Reuters, and succeeded by "his attention to detail and his willingness to take on little assignments" (p.34). Fleming's first story was to cover the trial of British engineers arrested in Moscow in 1933 as spies. "Sabotage" could be the usual problems found at the low end of the learning curve (p.45). The OGPU method for extracting confessions is on page 52. After his success, Fleming left for a job as a merchant banker and more money. Chapter 3 tells of Fleming's talents for intelligence: good languages and business knowledge. Fleming oversaw various activities and reported to the Director of Naval Intelligence (p.65). The early days of the war saw mistakes, but these were replaced by successes (pp.70-72). Pages 76-78 tell of Fleming's intelligence unit "30AU". His wartime background was used to write his adventure novels. After the war Fleming returned to journalism. Chapter 4 discusses Fleming's life after the war, and his career as a novelist. Fleming admired the American writers of the modern thriller, and the importance of pace (keeping the reader's interest). Concrete details were used to add verisimilitude to the fantasy plot, set in interesting and exciting place. Fleming's favorite car was the two-seat 1955 Thunderbird (p.103). Sales of Fleming's novels soared after JFK's recommendation (p.114). Chapter 5 presents Zeiger's analysis of Fleming's stories. Like some Eric Ambler stories, they show an individual struggling against superior forces, and winning via personal fortitude. (As if life were that simple!) Does this popularity tell something about our society? Popular literature has always dealt with violence (the Iliad, Beowulf, the Song of Roland). Other novels deal with sex more than Fleming does. Was James Bond a hero in an age of anti-heroes (p.125)? Zeiger critiques "Casino Royale" for its death of Le Chiffre before the end of the story (pp.126-137). Was Fleming toying with conventional plots? Wasn't his style different from Raymond Chandler's (p.128)? Why does Bond travel by train rather than plane (p.129)? But that's what Fleming did in the 1940s, and Bond would do in 1950s Europe. Drax's cheating at cards is a sign that he is not an English Gentleman (p.131). Zeiger comments on other Fleming stories. Zeiger describes the villain as basically a none upper-class Englishman, who lacks good manners and correct tastes (pp.142-143); none are from inherited wealth (p.145). Does this reflect the fears of a declining upper-class world (p.146)? This is the background of Ian Fleming (p.148). Does James Bond represent a fantasy life that Ian Fleming wanted (p.149)? Zeiger's analysis will shine a new light on these old stories. Read Dusko Popov’s autobiography for the facts behind the fiction. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 7th Jan 2019		Book Leslie Thomas - Ian Fleming: The Man With The Golden Pen (1966)	Review A review by Bruce Allen [Fleming's Bond], 19 March 2015. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 18th Dec 2018		Book Charles Roberts - Just Like Starting Over (2018)	Review Given their worldwide fame, tales of the Beatles are 10 a penny, so it's rare for fresh and original insights to be uncovered. But a new book, Just Like Starting Over, does just that, providing readers with a window into the bands beginnings, from a young man who was there to witness it all. Charles Roberts, of Woolton, provides a first hand account of life growing up in Liverpool and his days at the birth of the Quarrymen, right through to the beginnings of the Fab Four. His memories are truly special and his recollections of the sights and sounds of 1950s Liverpool will no doubt bring back memories for many readers who lived through what was arguably the city's most exciting musical era. Liverpool Echo, 5 May 2018 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
JPGR&B SUBS 19th Aug 2018		Book Anthony Horowitz - Forever And A Day (2018)	Review 'Horowitz is a worthy successor to Ian Fleming, putting 007 back in his true domain... This New Bond is up there with the better Old Bonds... The denouement is a very fine piece of action writing... Horowitz has done splendidly.' - The Scotsman 'Straight away Horowitz is able to capture Fleming's flowing style and intricate details from how Bond likes his eggs in the morning to the cars he drives... He's just as faithfully suave as in the original novels.' - Daily Express 'A novel that feels very like a film... fast-paced, skilfully written... leaves you wanting more, and for serious Bond junkies [it] is the next fix in a long tale of addiction.' - The Times 'An enjoyably compact thriller, with an absolutely killer last line.' - The Guardian 'A timeless Bond... has all the elements of a rollicking read.' - Irish Examiner 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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