I'm a big reader and a big fan of The Beatles so over the years I have read more than my share of Beatles books. I've lost count of how many I've read many years ago but there are some books on the band and it's music that have really stuck with me and the following books are the seven best of those.
The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul - I must warn you that the "Beatles as Musicians" books are very heavy into music theory and if you're completely clueless in that area you may find these books to be over your head. These books are really meant for those who want to study The Beatles music at a very deep level.
The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology - These "Beatles as Musicians" books go so deep into The Beatles music that they had to broken up into two volumes. This book covers the most interesting part of The Beatles career from 1966 through the end.
Tell Me Why - This is an enjoyable resource which covers every song The Beatles released during the 1960s. A lot of it is basically just the opinions of the author, but I personally enjoy reading such opinions if they are well informed (and they clearly are in this case.) Plus there's a lot of real factual information included as well.
The Beatles Complete Scores - Includes every single song The Beatles released during the 1960s. Guitarists, bassists, and drummers will be happy to see that this includes more than just the "proper musical notation," it also includes guitar tabs, bass guitar tabs, and drum tabs.
Lennon Revealed - There are a lot of so-so Lennon biographies out there. I've read more than my share! I advise you to check this one out first as I really think it stands out above the rest. It's the one that most made me feel like I was getting a real peak into who John Lennon really was (rather than the mythological creation that I have read about in other books.)
Here, There, & Everywhere: My Life Recording The Beatles - I think this book may be, in some ways, the most revealing book about The Beatles I've read. For everything I had read about the band and about their music before I read this book this year, I found out a lot more about them that I had never really known before. This book made me feel like I was there in the studio with the band, experiencing the recording of their timeless music first hand!
The Beatles Anthology - This is the most obvious "must have" Beatles book. It's a companion piece to the DVD set (and the CD sets) by the same name. It's The Beatles story as told by the band themselves and it's really an outstanding "coffee table" book. Highly recommended!
The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul - I must warn you that the "Beatles as Musicians" books are very heavy into music theory and if you're completely clueless in that area you may find these books to be over your head. These books are really meant for those who want to study The Beatles music at a very deep level.
The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology - These "Beatles as Musicians" books go so deep into The Beatles music that they had to broken up into two volumes. This book covers the most interesting part of The Beatles career from 1966 through the end.
Tell Me Why - This is an enjoyable resource which covers every song The Beatles released during the 1960s. A lot of it is basically just the opinions of the author, but I personally enjoy reading such opinions if they are well informed (and they clearly are in this case.) Plus there's a lot of real factual information included as well.
The Beatles Complete Scores - Includes every single song The Beatles released during the 1960s. Guitarists, bassists, and drummers will be happy to see that this includes more than just the "proper musical notation," it also includes guitar tabs, bass guitar tabs, and drum tabs.
Lennon Revealed - There are a lot of so-so Lennon biographies out there. I've read more than my share! I advise you to check this one out first as I really think it stands out above the rest. It's the one that most made me feel like I was getting a real peak into who John Lennon really was (rather than the mythological creation that I have read about in other books.)
Here, There, & Everywhere: My Life Recording The Beatles - I think this book may be, in some ways, the most revealing book about The Beatles I've read. For everything I had read about the band and about their music before I read this book this year, I found out a lot more about them that I had never really known before. This book made me feel like I was there in the studio with the band, experiencing the recording of their timeless music first hand!
The Beatles Anthology - This is the most obvious "must have" Beatles book. It's a companion piece to the DVD set (and the CD sets) by the same name. It's The Beatles story as told by the band themselves and it's really an outstanding "coffee table" book. Highly recommended!
About the Author:
These Books on Songwriting are recommended for aspiring songwriters along with The Beatles as Musicians books because they can help one to come to a deeper understanding of how The Beatles music was written and how to apply those ideas to writing songs.
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