Beatleness

How the Beatles and Their Fans Remade the World

By: Candy Leonard

Narrated by: Tamara Marston

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

The Beatles arrived in the United States on February 7, 1964, and immediately became a constant, compelling presence in fans’ lives. For the next six years, the band presented a nonstop deluge of sounds, words, images, and ideas, transforming the childhood and adolescence of millions of baby boomers. Beatleness explains how the band became a source of emotional, intellectual, aesthetic, and spiritual nurturance in fans’ lives, creating a relationship that was historically unique. Looking at that relationship against the backdrop of the sexual revolution, the Vietnam War, political assassinations, and other events of those tumultuous years, the audiobook critically examines the often-heard assertion that the Beatles changed everything, and shows how through the interplay between the group, the fans, and the culture that change came about. A generational memoir and cultural history based on hundreds of hours of in-depth interviews with first-generation fans, Beatleness allows listeners to experience or re-experience what it was like to be a young person during those eventful and transformative years. Its fresh approach offers many new insights into the entire Beatle phenomenon and explains why the group still means so much to so many.

©2014 Candy Leonard (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"I love this book! …beautifully written. It's an incredibly hip and astute account of all the Beatles' major happenings that affected so many people around the world who were riveted to their every move…” (Will Lee, Grammy Award-winning bass player and studio musician, Late Show with David Letterman and Fab Faux)

"Candy Leonard was 'possessed' when she first heard the Beatles, and Beatleness is her story and ours. It's breezy, smart, and open-hearted, and everyone who grew up with the band - or wants to know what that was like - will appreciate its insights and feel its emotional impact." (Anthony DeCurtis, contributing editor, Rolling Stone )

"A fascinating study of the Beatles' resounding impact upon late-twentieth-century American culture... While hundreds of Beatles books stake claims about being the definitive work, Leonard's Beatleness finally gets to the heart of the matter, offering readers new insights into the unusual and lasting nature of Beatles fandom." (Kenneth Womack, author of Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles and The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four )

"Portraying both historian and interviewees can be a challenge for any narrator. Tamara Marston does an admirable job of seamlessly delivering both the narrative and quotes throughout this production." ( AudioFile)

Love the Beatles!!!

If you could sum up Beatleness in three words, what would they be?

Beatlemania
FANtastic
Beatles

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ringo has always been my favorite. I root for the underdog! LOL I will admit to a crush on Paul and loving John's humor and the quiet wit of George. But Ringo just captured my heart with his awkwardness.

What does Tamara Marston bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She has a great voice for audiobooks. I love that little rasp and would love to hear her on a Paranormal/Urban Fantasy read. She has a terrific pace that keeps you listening, even when the material gets slower.

Any additional comments?

I love the Beatles and it was fascinating reading about their rise to fame through the eyes of their fans. I wasn't around at the time, so it was great to hear all the little things people thought and felt in the moment. Being a child of the technology age, it was eye-opening to see how they took the world by storm in a time when there was no internet or viral content to launch artists to stardom. It was a history lesson while finding out new information about one of my favorite bands. Definitely a must for any Beatles fan!

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for am honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

Important But A Bit Tedious

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

OK, this book fills an interesting niche - interviews with original teenage Beatles fans. But Leonard manages to make the whole thing sound like a very long term paper. Each point is interesting and well-documented. But there's a difference between documenting the Beatles experience versus conveying the thrill of being there. Chalk this up as good research and let's hope other writers can build on it.

Would you be willing to try another book from Candy Leonard? Why or why not?

Depends on the topic - I'd expect it to read like a term paper.

What aspect of Tamara Marston’s performance would you have changed?

Less chirpy - just relax and read - no need to pump your voice up.

Did Beatleness inspire you to do anything?

One guess!

The Beatles from a new perspective

As a self-confessed Beatle nerd I think I've heard every Beatles story there is. I was not old enough to really experience The Beatles journey first hand for the most part. My dad was a top 40 DJ who interviewed The Beatles in 1965 and so I was more aware of them than the average 5 year old. I do remember Yea Yea Yea, I Want to Hold Your Hand, and 8 Days a Week on the radio, and really everywhere at that time. Everyone was talking about them. But in the 60s I was interested in GI Joe and Football, not music. In my early teenage years I listened to Dad's interview a thousand times and came to appreciate how rare a thing it was. But I was a second wave fan in the 70s and listened to them as much or more than current music. I was fascinated with the testimonials throughout the book about how the kids 5 to 10 years older than me experienced them. The quote that kept running though my mind as I listened to the book was when John, in a post Beatle interview said something like, It's just rock group, it's nothing important. From the perspective of the fans quoted in this book he was so wrong. How could he understand it. I have a better understanding now of how much they were a part of kids lives, more than just the soundtrack of their youth. They meant so much more. I can't explain it, no one really can but it was a phenomenon like no other. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who loves The Beatles. Thanks Candy.

Nostalgic, but silly

Would you try another book from Candy Leonard and/or Tamara Marston?

Tamara Marston, but probably not Candy Leonard

What could Candy Leonard have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Change the title and not include so many references to "Beatleness"

Any additional comments?

Some of this book was just silly, beginning with the title, but some of it was pure nostalgia for me since I was in the sixth grade when the Beatles first came to the U.S. The author discusses not only the Beatles, but what was going on in the world. Nice nostalgia, but getting around the silliness was hard at times.