The Beatles by Bob Spitz
I was given this book by a friend who knows I like the Beatles and who knows I am a reader. These are both good points to make given how obsessive I have become about the Beatles as a result - and the fact that it is nearly 1000 pages long. I stayed out of trouble (i.e. didn't buy any more records, books or guitars) and spent time with my wife and kids - albeit in a state of near total ignorance at times...another parallel it turns out. What this book showed me was that the Beatles were a unique sensation for two reasons: their collective and astonishing gifts with songwriting and a work ethic that was second to none. By the time the Beatles signed their first record deal in 1963, they had already played over 1000 shows in the UK and Hamburg. Not all those shows were a result of this work ethic, but the drive to keep playing, night after night (pills notwithstanding) was clearly driven by something intangible and incredible. The book is an exhaustively researched work that focuse...