Tune In

The Beatles: All These Years

By: Mark Lewisohn

Narrated by: Clive Mantle

Length: 43 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Tune In is the first volume of All These Years - a highly-anticipated, groundbreaking biographical trilogy by the world's leading Beatles historian. Mark Lewisohn uses his unprecedented archival access and hundreds of new interviews to construct the full story of the lives and work of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

Ten years in the making, Tune In takes the Beatles from before their childhoods through the final hour of 1962 - when, with breakthrough success just days away, they stand on the cusp of a whole new kind of fame and celebrity. They've one hit record ("Love Me Do") behind them and the next ("Please Please Me") primed for release, their first album session is booked, and America is clear on the horizon. This is the lesser-known Beatles story - the pre-Fab years of Liverpool and Hamburg - and in many respects the most absorbing and incredible period of them all. Here is the complete and true account of their family lives, childhoods, teenage years, and their infatuation with American music; here is the riveting narrative of their unforgettable days and nights in the Cavern Club, their laughs, larks, and adventures when they could move about freely, before fame closed in.

For those who've never read a Beatles book before, this is the place to discover the young men behind the icons. For those who think they know John, Paul, George, and Ringo, it's time to press the reset button and tune into the real story, the lasting word.

©2013 Mark Lewisohn (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Beyond essential . . . a wildly evocative portrait . . . The saga is clearer and richer here than it’s ever been. Lewisohn writes in novelistic detail and with the obvious conviction that none of the previous Beatles biographies have ever been good enough.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“A radical event and a joy to read . . . Lewisohn’s work stands as a monumental triumph, a challenge not merely to other Beatles biographers but to the discipline of biography itself. If only all important subjects had their Lewisohn.” (Washington Post)

“The biggest, deepest Beatles book ever.”—Rolling Stone “The widest possible angle on an extensive and engrossing group biography built on a well-raked mountain of exacting new research . . . expertly controlled and propelling.” (New York Times)

A Better Beatles Biography

This is an incredibly researched, extremely well-written account of the life of Paul, George, Ringo, and John, as well as those tangential to their lives and careers, up to the dawning of their success. Mark Lewisohn is, aside from probably being the best-qualified to assemble such an epic undertaking, a superb researcher, and has managed to unearth and connect many details that have thus far not been given their due. I absolutely cannot wait for Volume 2. If anyone who finishes this book finds themselves wanting more (and how could they not?), might I recommend the purchase of the Extended Edition of this work - sadly unavailable as an audiobook at this time. Although nothing feels left out in this version, the extended edition includes a great deal more in the way of amusing anecdotes and background information. I highly recommend it, much as I would (and have) highly recommend this audiobook to anyone with an interest in The Beatles, and especially in perusing their history in as entertaining and comprehensive a fashion as possible.

Great story and performance!

When I started this book I thought 42 hours would be overwhelming. Turns out it is well worth the time. Great story. Informative and very enjoyable! I highly recommend.

Just loved it!

Everything about it... just perfect!
Looking forward to the next part read again by Clive!

Great Research - Wonderful Listen

I have loved the Beatles since 1963, so this background was right up my alley.

Good but

I had previously read this book when it came out in 2014. I wanted to read it again but in an audible format. The only problem I have with it is the reader. He sounds like the stereotypical BBC announcer. Voice is too low and his trying to mimic John, Paul, George and Ringo’s voices are lame at best. I would’ve preferred that the author, Mark Lewishon had read the entire book instead of just the forward.
I can’t wait for the next book and I hope that Lewishon reads it in its entirety.

Fascinating and Highly Entertaining

One of the best biographies I've ever "read". Mr. Lewisohn, while obviously enamored of the Beatles, reveals warts and weaknesses of the group's many members to a surprising - and sometimes disillusioning -degree. Anyone who disparages the importance of luck in someone's rise to fame and success needs to read this work. I can hardly wait for the next installment.

Beatles Under a Microscpe

Where does Tune In rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It s in the top 3

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked the robot.

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

Muffins

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

at 43 hours that is one long one sitting.

Any additional comments?

4 + 3

Fantastic, comprehensive Beatles origin story

I really enjoyed Tune In, I’ve gotten the chance to get to know the early Beatles in a much deeper way than ever before. Can’t wait till part 2

See you soon, Beatles…

I didn’t want this book to end. I felt so connected to the Beatles and everyone in their orbit. I’ve never understood the roots of their success and the origins of their stories more than I do now. So many small tidbits that I learned along the way, and when you put them all together it paints a much better picture of why they became what they became.

absoutely absorbing

In an age where superlatives are handed out indiscriminately, Mark Lewisohn has delivered a book that actually deserves to be called superlative. Lewisohn even gives a short history the ancestors of each Beatle. Hidden, or not really hidden, here is a brief sociological history of Liverpool's lower classes in the last one hundred years. This reader can now see how the environment of Liverpoll helped shape the Beatles to be. Lewisohn does not pull punches about some of the loutish, petty criminal behavior of 'the boys' before their break into stardom I can't say that such behavior endeared me to the Beatles, but Lewisohn presents it as a part, and only a part, of their personalities.Overnight success requires a long slog and moments of doubt which are documented here. Unlike we readers, 'the boys' did not see the light at the end of the tunnel, and Lewisohn let's us see what the group coped with to reach the beginnings of stardom. And it's fascinating. And Lweisohn's prose made it hard to put this book down. I had heard great things about this book, and, for once, the hype was surpassed by the delivery.