Book Review #795 - Wonderful Tonight by Pattie Boyd

Boyd breaks a 40-year silence as she tells the story of how she found herself bound to two of the most addictive, promiscuous musical geniuses of the 20th century and became the most famous muse in the history of rock and roll.

My Rating: 2/5

I borrowed this book from my local library because searching through their catalogue it was the only 'Beatles' related book I had yet to read.

If you don't know who Pattie Boyd is, she was a model/actress but is more widely known for being the first wife of George Harrison whom she left for his best friend Eric Clapton.

I was only really interested in reading the Harrison chapters but decided to read the entire book as I am not the type of person who can read 2 chapters and say they have read the book.

For the most part, I found this book quite boring. It was mainly just her telling us all the famous people she used to hang out with. Had I grown up (or even been alive) during that era it may have interested me but I honestly had never heard of anyone mentioned other than the four Beatles.

Before reading this book I knew absolutely nothing about Eric Clapton and this book does not portray him well at all. It chronicles his massive drug addiction problems (so much that he took to wearing a spoon around on a necklace) and how he would have affairs in the house with Pattie knowingly in the house. The worst thing he did however was joyfully tell her his mistress was pregnant knowing that Pattie struggled with infertility and expect Pattie to be happy for him about it.

Overall, I feel like had I been older this book would have been a fun, nostalgic read but because I'm not I found it boring with so many references flying right over my head.

Book Review #791 - I, Me, Mine by George Harrison

Cherished by fans and collectors since its first publication in 1980, I, Me, Mine is now available in paperback. The closest we will come to George Harrison's autobiography, it features George in conversation with The Beatles' spokesperson Derek Taylor, discussing everything from early Beatlemania to his love of gardening. The lyrics to over 80 of his songs, many in his own hand, are accompanied by his uniquely intimate and humorous commentary. Fifty archival photographs of George with The Beatles and solo capture a journey of creative and spiritual transformation. Brimming with the wit, warmth, and grace that characterized his life, and with an introduction by his wife, Olivia, I, Me, Mine is a treasured portrait of George Harrison and his music.

My Rating: 4.5/5

This is the closest book out there to a Beatles autobiography and so on my quest to read as many books about my favourite band I had to read this one.

The reason I say this is the closest to an autobiography is because even though this book was written by George Harrison, the whole book is not autobiographical.

The book is split into three parts. The autobiography, although definitely my favourite part was by far the shortest section of the book which considering how much George hated talking about himself I guess we are lucky we even got a section at all. The writing style was straight to the point and very dead pan in humour.

The second section was photographs. This was equally as short as the autobiographical section but there were quite a lot of pictures I had not seen before especially from his childhood and early Beatles era.

I especially liked the photo of the chocolate box that inspired George to write Savoy Truffle as all the lyrics were right there on the box.

The third section was George's handwritten lyrics for all his songs along with narration of how he came to write the songs.

This was by far the most extensive part of the book and took up more than half the book on its own. 

I have read so many books breaking down Beatles lyrics but they mainly deal with the Lennon/McCartney songs so it was good to see George's songs given the proper attention and also to hear about their meanings straight from the source. 

Book Review #744 - Living in a Material World: George Harrison by Olivia Harrison, Mark Holborn, Paul Theroux and Martin Scorsese

Drawing on George Harrison’s personal archive of photographs, letters, diaries, and memorabilia, Olivia Harrison reveals the arc of his life, from his guitar-obsessed boyhood in Liverpool, to the astonishment of the Beatles years, to his days as an independent musician and bohemian squire. Here too is the record of Harrison’s lifelong commitment to Indian music, and his adventures as a movie producer, Traveling Wilbury, and Formula One racing fan. The book is filled with stories and reminiscences from Harrison’s friends, including Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and many, many others. Among its previously unpublished riches are photographs taken by Harrison himself beginning in the mid-1960s. It is a rich tribute to a man who died far too young, but who touched the lives of millions.

My Rating: 4.5/5

I had just finished watching the documentary on Netflix that this book is a companion to when I discovered this book at my local library so of course I had to borrow it.

Firstly, George Harrison is my favourite Beatle and as I was quite young when he died and he is in no way as prevalent in pop culture as John Lennon I really enjoyed learning more about him the person rather than the quiet Beatle.

I loved that the book seemed to cover all aspects of his life without delving into the personal stuff and through that we got to see the many layers to his personality.

Book Review #723 - The John Lennon Letters by John Lennon and Edited by Hunter Davies

A lifetime of letters, collected for the first time, from the legendary musician and songwriter.

John Lennon was one of the greatest songwriters the world has ever known, creator of "Help!", "Come Together", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Imagine", and dozens more. But it was in his correspondences that he let his personality and poetry flow unguarded. Now, gathered for the first time in book form, are his letters to family, friends, strangers, and lovers from every point in his life. Funny, informative, wise, poetic, and sometimes heartbreaking, his letters illuminate a never-before-seen intimate side of the private genius.

This groundbreaking collection of almost 300 letters and postcards has been edited and annotated by Hunter Davies, whose authorized biography The Beatles (1968) was published to great acclaim. With unparalleled knowledge of Lennon and his contemporaries, Davies reads between the lines of the artist's words, contextualizing them in Lennon's life and using them to reveal the man himself.

 

 

My Rating: 8.5/10

 

 

John Lennon died more than a decade before I was even born however my dad being the massive Beatles fan that he is ensured that I knew all about him and the amazing music that he created.

 

This book however adds so much depth to the person John Lennon was. Each postcard, most of which were supplied by fans who had bought them at auctions, shows massive insight on John's life over the years before Beatlemania up until his tragic death.

 

I loved that each of these postcards were included with context added with the editor's narration of John's life. The postcards weren't just randomly put together.

 

I also loved that this book seemed to contradict some rumours I have heard about John such as him not having any contact with his eldest son Julian as this book has numerous letters showing otherwise. Plus he sends Julian a letter with lyrics from 'Beautiful Boy' long before the song was even released as people assume the song is about Sean as his name appears in the song.

 

I also loved the quirky illustrations that John always added to his letters. Sometimes they were quite elaborate while others were simply lazy doodles.

 

Overall, I loved that this book was told somewhat directly through John as I thought that this was likely the best way for me to begin my Beatles book reading journey.

 

If anyone knows any other Beatles related books worth reading please leave a comment below.