The Beatles

The Biography

By: Bob Spitz

Narrated by: Alfred Molina

Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Even before the Beatles hit the big time, a myth was created. This version of the Beatles legend smoothed the rough edges and filled in the fault lines, and for more than forty years this manicured version of the Beatles story has sustained as truth, until now.

The product of almost a decade of research, hundreds of unprecedented interviews, and the discovery of scores of never-before-revealed documents, Bob Spitz's The Beatles is the biography fans have been waiting for.

Never before has a biography of musicians been so immersive and textured. We are there in the McCartney living room when Paul and John learn to write songs together; backstage the night Ringo takes over on drums; in seedy German strip clubs where George lies about his age so the band can perform; and at the Ed Sullivan Show as America discovers the joy and the madness. From Shea to San Francisco, through the London night, on to India, through marmalade skies, across the universe, all the way to a rooftop concert and one last moment of laughter and music.

It is all here, the highs and the lows, the love and the rivalry, the drugs, the tears, the thrill, the magic never again to be repeated. Bob Spitz's masterpiece is, at long last, the biography the Beatles deserve.

©2005 Bob Spitz (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

• Winner of Audio Publishers Association 2007 Audie Award, Non-Fiction, Abridged

"As with all great history writing, Spitz both captures a moment in time and humanizes his subjects. While some will blanch at the unsettling dark sides of the Beatles, most will come to appreciate the band even more for knowing the incredible personal odysseys they endured." (Publishers Weekly)

An inside story of one of the best bands ever

This book pointedly avoids editorializing in favor of facts and true stories. Some of these stories come from people in the room with the Beatles when an even occurred, others come from the words and recollections of George, John, Paul and Ringo and still other stories come from the Beatles' closest confidants and lovers. The book takes an orderly approach by guiding the reader from the earlier days and ancestry to the end. I enjoyed this book and would rate it among my favorite Beatles bios.

Beatlemania rules

A great book, a great listen, but why has it been abridged, and why is the stress laid on beatlemania instead of on the later years, when the music became much more something to read about?

Nevertheless, a great, and insightful story.

The Story Behind the Beatles

For anyone who is/was a Beatles fan, this is a "MUST READ." It tells each of their stories, from their starts, to the end of the group. It was interesting to hear what influenced John and Paul, the main songwriters, from the musicians here in the states. John and Paul met when they were 17 years old (in 1957) George joined 1 year later (he was 3 years younger than John & Paul), and Ringo joined in 62.

The book was full of many wonderful anecdotal facts, like how many songs got their names from life experiences - that spurred a song that told a story. It has been said that it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to become great. The Beatles got their hours in Hamburg, playing night after night for 6-8 hours at a time. When you listen to their last album recorded, Abbey Road, and hear the pure genius expression of harmonies, both vocally and instrumentally (like "Because"), and know it was the end for the group, it makes you sad at what amazing music we missed out on. There was no lack of talent, or ideas, or creativity in these men. Personalities grew apart, as one outsider seemed designed to orchestrate.

What is further amazing is that this group was together ONLY TEN YEARS 1960-1970!! John and Paul were only 30 when they quit the Beatles, and George 27!! Such a short time in the big picture of performing groups!

What a delight to know this stuff! I loved it!

Great for Beatles Fan

This book was fantastic for me -- a huge Bealtes music fan but did not know very much about the history of the band. I thought the author did a really good job covering the early life, career steps and personalities of the guys and also brought their climb to fame and love/hate relationship with "Beatle Mania" alive. I especially liked hearing details behind how some of the different songs were written. The narrator transported me to Liverpool!

Sad, but probably true

Born in 1967, I am a product of the Beatles' influence on pop culture. I grew up on their music, raised by a true Beatlemaniac. But as much as I love their music, their story, overall, is tragic. I wish everyone who dreams of fame would listen to their cautionary tale. Assuming this book is true (and it is does shine light on things that were only rumors before the Internet made information so accessible, so it does ring true, at least), I feel like I understand the story much better than I did before - especially regarding the people who surrounded the Beatles. If you really want to get the most out of this book, pause to listen to the songs it references along the way. It'll give you a good sense of their relationships and how the band evolved over the years.

Wonderful memories

What a great walk down memory lane... Mr. Molina puts just the right amount of tone and emphasis in his voice as he tells this fascinating story. And a wonderful story it is, made all the better by the fact that I lived this period with their music in my ears. If you want to go back and re-live the 60's, this is a good way to do it.

The Fab Four

The trouble with writing about the Beatles is that you're taking on a subject with more social ramifications than any other artist or group in history. To write about this icon of 20th Century culture, to tell the story of the most pervasive influence on music since Pythagoras, to try to capture and describe the chimera, the phenomenon, the mystery that was the Beatles is to try to hold quicksilver in your hand.

That said, Bob Spitz has dug in with heart and mind to bring us this compilation of the Beatles story. It's more than journalism; less than all-out social commentary, and altogether satisfying. Highly recommended to those who lived through the era that they epitomized, and for those who want to understand how they turned on a generation while turning society on its ear.

Great listen

I was only a little kid during Beatlemania but I so enjoyed all the detail of the beginning of the legend. Alfred Molina is the perfect narrator for this piece.

You get transported back

This was a great book read absolutely magnificently by Alfred Molina. History, back story’s, transparency, excitement.
Loved this time I spent with The Beatles!

Excellent!

Sure we know the story. But Bob Spitz detailed and immaculately researched account brings it all back to life in vivid detail. And what an incredible story! if it didn't actually happen, it'd be too unbelievable to fathom. Longtime Beatle fans and those new to the legend will both enjoy this account, i completed it in two and a half days, couldn't stop listening. Also, the narration is terrific, worthy of the content. Highly recommended!