Book

Author:	Charles Tillinghast
Title:	How Capitol Got The Beatles And Then What Happened
Publisher:	Outskirts Press
Country:	USA
Date:	10 Sep 2008
Format:	Paperback
Genre:	Non-Fiction, Music
ISBN-13:	9781432729240
Rating:	Rate
Collection:	I Own It I Want It
Community:
Price Guide:	$11
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$11

Notes

From Amazon:

How was the seemingly ridiculous decision by Capitol made to reject the Beatles? Which of three possible Capitol executives successfully managed to reverse that decision, bringing the fame and fortune of these artists to the Capitol label?

Many were the bumps in the ride taken by Capitol and the Beatles during the years of their greatest productivity, none totally lacking in humorous aspects as related by the author, a Capitol "insider".

Comments and Reviews


JPGR&B SUBS 21st Aug 2023		Review Annotation: The author was an attorney in the legal department of Capitol Records, involved with Beatles-related work during much of his tenure (though he is careful to note that this was not as plum a position as it might sound and does not give in to the temptation of exaggerating, or even stressing his role) and therein lies both the book's usefulness and limitations. Tillinghast is able to shed some light on key decisions made by Capitol during the era, suggesting, for instance, that the A&R department's reluctance (or inability) to recognize the potential popularity of the Beatles in America could be chalked up not only to the poor track-record of imported pop artists, but perhaps a bit of chauvinism, as well. He is also able to provide background on the decision to reconfigure British Beatle LPs for American release and negotiations with Allen Klein and Apple, an important part of the story of the Beatles in America, but the book is, once again, frustratingly shy on detail. It is in his attempts to flesh out his narrative where Tillinghast falls far short of the mark. Firstly, the book doesn't lend itself to discussion of the Beatles' individual personae or interpersonal relationships - that has been done better and in more depth elsewhere. Secondly, Tillinghast gets basic details simply wrong: putting George Harrison's birth date in 1946 (rather than 1943), stating that Cynthia Lennon and at least one, unnamed girlfriend of Paul McCartney's travelled with the group on tour and speculating, unbelievably, as to why Cynthia did not undergo an abortion in 1962 rather than drop out of art college to marry Lennon. These unfortunate (and inappropriate) forays, possibly added to make what should have been a magazine or journal article into a book, add nothing, bring into question the accuracy of the facts he does relate, and put the reader quite off the whole exercise. Melissa Davis Source: The Beatles Bibliography: A New Guide To The Literature - Michael Brocken and Melissa Davis (The Beatle Works Ltd., 2012), with acknowledgement, and used here with permission from the authors for educational and historical purposes only. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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See Also

Book

Stephen E. Donnelly - The Beatles Discography: Volume One - The 60's - Outskirts Press - Hardcover - USA - 9781432769796 (2011)

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