Revolution In The Head

[jtal909]

this book is inside info about the Beatles songs,who did what, what they were thinking, and just about every detail you could want to know about each song. Fascinating reading that was recommended by LenMac a while back. It is truly a must for all lovers of the Beatles' music.

[jtal909]

Well then, did anyone read Shout by P Norman. I'm reading it now and what details about their formative years as an up and coming band. Fantastic read.

[georgefan]

Anyone know where you can find cool books like that in the greater Alabama area?

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I'd be quite prepared for that eventuality

[jtal909]

I get most of my books from www.ebay.com. (http://www.ebay.com.) Just type in "The Beatles" and view what's available. Don't give up because if you keep looking, they eventually come to bid.

[Original Fan]

jtal: I'd forgotten about SHOUT until you brought it up. I've since unearthed it from my collection and plan on re-reading it as soon as I have a free moment or two. Thanks!

[jtal909]

You're welcome. This book has the most early years details that I've read so far. I'm just up to Beatlemania in the states and barely past the halfway point.

Another good and interesting read is 'A Hard Day's Write' - which explains the stories behind every Beatles song.

[bearkat77]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Arial, Sans-Serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Nowhere Man:
Another good and interesting read is 'A Hard Day's Write' - which explains the stories behind every Beatles song.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, it is a fantastic book. For anyone who wants to know the story behind any Beatle song, this is the book to have.

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Bearkat77's Beatlemaniac Page (http://bearkat77.www9.50megs.com)

[jtal909]

How does that compare to Revolution In The Head which is the same thing?

I haven't read that one as yet personally, so I couldn't say... hopefully Bearkat can answer that for you. Another good one for John fans is 'We All Shine On' (by Paul Du Noyer) which has the stories behind every John Lennon song from 1970-1980. And, if you want to know everything and I mean EVERYTHING to do with John Lennon, I strongly recommend 'The John Lennon Encyclopedia' by Bill Harry. A most useful and interesting read.

[bearkat77]

Revolution In The Head is one book I'm not familiar with. If it's basically the same thing as A Hard Day's Write, then it is a very good book.

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Bearkat77's Beatlemaniac Page (http://bearkat77.www9.50megs.com)

[jtal909]

Revolution in the head really is a must read for behind the scenes of each recording. Not easy to find, I got in on ebay from England. Strawberry Fields was like 5 pages look.

[jtal909]

I finally got a hold of A Hard Day's Write, which has some great pictures and commentary about the songs. A good book, but it is lightweight compared to Revolution In The Head (not that there's anything wrong with that). Revolution In The Head reads like a novel but is a commentary of each recorded song. More in depth, if you will, not just of the dates and instruments, but of what they were thinking at the time.

Did you get a hold of Revolution In The Head from your local bookstore maybe, or from somewhere like amazon.com? I'm interested in finding a copy.

[jtal909]

NowhereMan, I got it on ebay. It is truly a must read if you are into the musical perspective of the Beatles. Amazon.com can find out of print books for you. I did that once for A Man For All Seasons (Roger Maris) and had to pay a little extra but it was fair.

Excellent, thank you. I'll look out for it and any others that might be worth getting. http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif

[SleepyHead]

REVOLUTION IN THE HEAD is now on it's way (or will be in 2-3 weeks, according to BN.com http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif

Will comment as soon as I devour it...

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In Memory Of Robby (http://inmemoryofrobby.50megs.com)
Bearkat77's Beatlemaniac Page (http://bearkat77.www9.50megs.com)
Bearkat77's Tribute to John Lennon (http://bearkatjl.50megs.com)

[Rocky Raccoon]

I've got A Hard days write and also Revolution in the head and I agree with someone who said that A Hard days write is lightweight compared to Revolution... AHDW is more about what the lyrics are all about but Revolution is about lyrics and the songs. I also like The complete Bealtes' Chronicles which is like a Beatles and Abbey Road Studio's diary written by Mark Lewinsohn.. Revolution in the head and the Chronicles are by far the best Beatle books... I find the new book far too big and heavy to enjoy reading it... the pictures are good though...


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Doc it's only a scratch..

[joelcrowservo]

Thats an interesting point Rocky, about how HUGE the Anthology book is. I agree, it almost makes it a bit foreboding to tackle, huh?

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Visit the wonderland that is The Walrus Was Crow at www.geocities.com/joelcrowservo (http://www.geocities.com/joelcrowservo)

I got Revolution In The Head through ebay today, can't wait to read it. http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/grin.gif

[jtal909]

It's hard to put down. You'll love it.

[Tim]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Arial, Sans-Serif">Quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jtal909:
Well then, did anyone read Shout by P Norman. I'm reading it now and what details about their formative years as an up and coming band. Fantastic read.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Shout! is one of my favcourite books about the Beatles.

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Tim
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[This Message Has Been Edited By SleepyHead On May 28, 2001 11:51 AM]

[jtal909]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Arial, Sans-Serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Nowhere Man:
I got Revolution In The Head through ebay today, can't wait to read it. http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/grin.gif<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, Nowhere Man, what do you think about that book?

I think it sounds... really good. It's still on the way actually, somewhere between the UK and here. http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/wink.gif I suspect it will arrive first thing Monday morning. http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif

[strawberryfields]

I have to get this book too. http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/rainbow4.gif

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Come to my website! It is http://www.expage.com/beatles2001 Hope you like it! "Love is Real, Real is Love"- ///o-o\\\ John Lennon

[raul]

Revolution In The Head is one book I'm not familiar with. If it's basically the same thing as A Hard Day's Write, then it is a very good book.

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Bearkat77's Beatlemaniac Page (http://bearkat77.www9.50megs.com)

Revolution is VERY different from Turner. Not that it's much better, it's much WORSE. Ian sides on paul, sanctifying him, and trashing john to the most disgusting level. He is perfectly opinional. He thinks he knows it all...His attitude is 'this song is trash, because I say so.' And guess for which, out of all songs he said that? All you need is love! And Acrossthe universe! He killed himself in 2003. Only a fool can kill himself.

Turner, on the other hand, writes objectively, stating facts, not revealing ANY of his own opinions.

[Legs]

I don't find him that biased towards Paul at all.
Sure I am not interested in what an author thinks of a song, I just want facts about the recording sesions, but I don't think he went overboard with stating his personal opinions.
Overall it's a very good book, and whatever his reasons for his suicide, it has nothing to do with the quality of the book.

A hard days night is also a good book.

[raul]

ok, i agree. i went overboard...but, still, i dont like the book at all

[hibgal]

Well, that's fair, Raul. We can't all like everything!

[Legs]

ok, i agree. i went overboard...but, still, i dont like the book at all

You have your reasons for not likeing the book, which is alright ofcourse.
If someone ask me tho if he or she should buy it, I would say yes. It has enough good information about the songs to make it a good book, despite the author's personal opinion at times.

[raul]

You have your reasons for not likeing the book, which is alright ofcourse.
If someone ask me tho if he or she should buy it, I would say yes. It has enough good information about the songs to make it a good book, despite the author's personal opinion at times.

believe it or not you ....well, just wait for my next topic. I'm not trying to draw att...no, I AM trying to draw attention here, unfortunately, but it's something that will take the burden off my chest.

anyway, i changed my mind, and i agree.

[J van E]

I got the book two months ago and although I like the information, I really don't like the author's opinion about the songs. In fact, I dislike it so much that I don't want to read it anymore. But this might have to do with the very first book I read about The Beatles, back in 1975: in that book all singles and albums were reviewed and I read it all before I actually heard all the music myself. Due to this I had big, big problems listening to the music objectively: it took me years to 'discover' some songs were NOT bad at all...! Ever since that experience I have problems with books that tell me which songs are good or not... So I guess I am a bit biased here. ;) Pity because the information can be quite good...

EDIT:
I just did some searching for A Hard Day's Write, which I didn't really know, and I've ordered it immediately! ;) Seems like a great book and more what I expected of Revolution in the head...The online shop I ordered it, has it in store, so if all goes well, I'll have it tomorrow! ;) If I really like it, Revolution in the head goes on sale... ;)

[raul]

I got the book two months ago and although I like the information, I really don't like the author's opinion about the songs. In fact, I dislike it so much that I don't want to read it anymore. But this might have to do with the very first book I read about The Beatles, back in 1975: in that book all singles and albums were reviewed and I read it all before I actually heard all the music myself. Due to this I had big, big problems listening to the music objectively: it took me years to 'discover' some songs were NOT bad at all...! Ever since that experience I have problems with books that tell me which songs are good or not... So I guess I am a bit biased here. ;) Pity because the information can be quite good...

i agree

[raul]

my last two posts are contradictory (in this thread, not counting this post).

But, then again, I'm a contradictory person.

[pythonesque]

I personally found this book fascinating.Along with MYFN,Colemans book on John and the Hunter Davies bio,its right up there.

[Get Back]

my last two posts are contradictory (in this thread, not counting this post).

But, then again, I'm a contradictory person.

Is that because of all the formulae you've worked with? :teeth1:

[raul]

Is that because of all the formulae you've worked with? :teeth1:

yes, proof by contradiction is quite often in math.

[J van E]

I just did some searching for A Hard Day's Write, which I didn't really know, and I've ordered it immediately! ;) Seems like a great book and more what I expected of Revolution in the head...The online shop I ordered it, has it in store, so if all goes well, I'll have it tomorrow! ;) If I really like it, Revolution in the head goes on sale... ;)

Very OT, I know, but I just received In a hard day's write and it looks great! It's a lot bigger than I expected ;) and it looks awesome, with lots of photographs. Revolution looks shitty in that respect... terrible lay out and no pictures... :teeth1: . The information is not at deep as Revolution, I think, but it tells the story well. This is sort of what I expected from Revolution in the head. And it has no opinions in it whatsoever, which is great. ;)

[pythonesque]

Very OT, I know, but I just received In a hard day's write and it looks great! It's a lot bigger than I expected ;) and it looks awesome, with lots of photographs. Revolution looks shitty in that respect... terrible lay out and no pictures... :teeth1: . The information is not at deep as Revolution, I think, but it tells the story well. This is sort of what I expected from Revolution in the head. And it has no opinions in it whatsoever, which is great. ;)


Havent even read Hard Days Write but sounds very interesting.It going on my wants list.

[oldbeatlechick]

I think I missed this thread, I enjoyed reading "Revolution In The Head" and also have "A Hard Days Write", they are both good books and worth a read!

[TNK]

I'm reading "Revolution in the Head" right now, and loving it. I don't find it opinionated. I like the techy music stuff (about how it shifts to the subdominant minor and ends on a perfect 5th, that kind of thing) because that's how I'm wired... but most of all I love the footnotes about what's happening in the studio while the recordings are going on.

Surprised by the conclusions (both good and bad) drawn by the author about some of the songs; agree with many others.

[J van E]

I'm reading "Revolution in the Head" right now, and loving it. I don't find it opinionated. I like the techy music stuff (about how it shifts to the subdominant minor and ends on a perfect 5th, that kind of thing) because that's how I'm wired... but most of all I love the footnotes about what's happening in the studio while the recordings are going on.

Surprised by the conclusions (both good and bad) drawn by the author about some of the songs; agree with many others.
Although I know how to read and write music and know more than enough about theory, I am never really interested in things like 'how it shifts to the subdominant minor and ends on a perfect 5th'. I've read more books ('A day in the life' recently) that talk about things like that, but I always wonder what's the use of saying that and knowing that, because The Beatles themselves never knew what they were doing in that regard... They just did what sounded nice or interesting or new or whatever. They didn't do it because it was cool to shift to the subdominant minor and to end on a perfect 5th... in the end it's all about what you hear, and not know what you know. Throwing around musical terms make it sound as if that was the reason they did it and it's a bit like turning the world upside down, emphasizing exactly that what The Beatles themselves wouldn't. If you know what I mean. ;) It's not the unusual (theoriatically speaking) change of chords what makes that change interesting: it's the actual sound that makes it interesting. Not every unusual change of chords sounds great: only those that do. And The Beatles had a talent of knowing what sounded great and what not.

Hm, I get the idea I am not saying what I want to say... Sometimes it's hard to explain what you feel... ;)

[FPSHOT]

I agree with J van E here. I can also read music when I would want to concentrate on it but never do and play guitar rather well since over 30 years based on what I learned from the 'finger positions' which you have in music books. The average music chord book will not have the funny Beatles chords anyways.

So since I learned to play guitar and some keyboard / piano that way I also am not interested in any fugures like A minor 7 even though I know what it means. Manuals are boring.

I am more interested how they made their own chords which some times were mixes of jazz and blues and 'normal' chords just simply made by playing with the fingers.

They gave people like George Martin the melody or the solo or the cello part and the Martins of this world wrote it down, just like you dictated a letter to a secretary centuries ago or you tell your hairdresser how you want to be cut in stead of drawing it all out on a piece of paper :smile1:

Good enough for me and it saves the world a lot or trees.

So yes I have the book and like it but am more interested in the stories about the songs origins, studio talk, used instruments, who-did-what, rehearsals, demo's, all that stuff.

[TNK]

Ah well, pardon me for having a classical musical education alongside growing up with a diet of rock'n'roll... I gloss over a lot of the techy stuff in the book but it does kinda interest me all the same - subdominant minors were a great early Beatles hallmark (two examples where you can find it immediately spring to mind are "If I Fell" and "She Loves You" but there are loads more) - still as I said the best part is the notes about what was happening in the studio, how they were feeling, what was happening in their lives, and how it all fit into the wider context of the 60s. Practically tells you what Ringo had for breakfast.

Don't know what chord book you have, FPSHOT but the "Beatles Complete Chord Songbook" (published by Wise Music) has the lot, "funny" chords and all.:music2: It's a great book, much used by the other members of my family!

I learned piano and music theory but guitar I taught myself from scratch from age 12... and by ear. Never used a chord book, don't even know how.

I know what you're saying J Van E about the technical music part not being the most important part of their composing, it seems to be largely done on instinct in a lot of cases. All good.

[FPSHOT]

Ah well, pardon me for having a classical musical education alongside growing up with a diet of rock'n'roll... I gloss over a lot of the techy stuff in the book but it does kinda interest me all the same -


well I wish I had all that kind of education, so good for you :smile1: and I can very well understand your interest in it.


still as I said the best part is the notes about what was happening in the studio, how they were feeling, what was happening in their lives, and how it all fit into the wider context of the 60s. Practically tells you what Ringo had for breakfast.


those have always been the parts I like best.


Don't know what chord book you have, FPSHOT but the "Beatles Complete Chord Songbook" (published by Wise Music) has the lot, "funny" chords and all.:music2: It's a great book, much used by the other members of my family!


Most of them I took from libraries many years ago before internet existed. I have one or two here somewhere and will look up if that one is amongst it. Yeah I have seen several which included the 'funny' chords as well.

It's not that they did not know them, a good example is the Maxwell Hammer first sessions where Paul plays the early parts and mentions the chords to the guys while playing it on piano.


I learned piano and music theory but guitar I taught myself from scratch from age 12... and by ear. Never used a chord book, don't even know how.


same here about the guitar

[J van E]

It's not that they did not know them, a good example is the Maxwell Hammer first sessions where Paul plays the early parts and mentions the chords to the guys while playing it on piano.

Ha, I had the exact same example in mind. ;) And we all know the story about Paul going on the bus with John (or George) to travel a long way just to see a guy who knew the B7 chord...

Of course they knew the names of chords, they weren't completely illiterate when it came to music! They just couldn't notate music, that's all. And they didn't know much about the music theory. (Which made it easier for them to cross borders btw.) So these things weren't in their mind at all when they wrote music.
I can imagine that when you like music theory, it's very interesting to know things about their music from a theoratical point of view, but it just doesn't interest me that much, because it didn't interest The Beatles themselves. When I read about their music, I'd like to get into their minds and see what happened there. And you won't find things like 'Aeolian cadences' in there... :P That's all I wanted to say, really. And this time I think I did find the right words. :P

[FPSHOT]

Ha, I had the exact same example in mind. ;)


very cool :dance:


And you won't find things like 'Aeolian cadences' in there...

I just got back from 2 weeks on a Greek Island and recognise this phrase immediately as being Greek originated.

There is a good story about all this here

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fts1uK4ceJ8C&pg=PA122&lpg=PA122&dq=Aeolian+cadences+%2B+beatles&source=bl&ots=LRlJirRT0V&sig=w4jynzwuExUu6WDjdQemm5E0cQg&hl=nl&ei=-ryDSv2YN87b-Qb39KC-Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=Aeolian%20cadences%20%2B%20beatles&f=false

[TNK]

I've just come to the end of the part of the book which describes the recordings themselves (before the chronology part.) It is a sad story towards the end.

Good book on two levels, you can read it as a "dipping" book, looking up stuff about a particular song, or read it through as a storyline which I did.