[.ca] The Walrus Was Paul: The Great Beatle Death Clues (ISBN 0684850621)

the walrus was paul:
the first thing anyone can say when reading a book like this is ....what in the world is up with this world. the book provides a real tuff look at the hoax and conspiracy around the "death" of paul in 1966 (he was supposedly decapitated in a car crash on november 9)and that an imposter posed as paul all this time. one thing i noticed while reading the book, was that it didnt just talk about the hoax, it taught you alot of facts of the beatles in general. this book is geared to beatle fans. but even a non-beatle fan will dig this book. i would have given five stars but i felt that the book could have used alittle more. it reads fast and nice and is easy to take in. overall a must read for anybody.

Some good information hidden by horrible writing.:
There is some interesting information contained in this book. I had heard most of the "death clues" given in this book when I was in high school (over 20 years ago) but it was interesting to have them brought to my attention again, especially now that my daughter is interested in the Beatles and was curious about the album cover photography. The most interesting material in the book was about how the rumors got their start in Detroit and spread like wildfire through the radio and then the print media. The history of this rumor would certainly suggest that the news industry hasn't changed all that much in 40 years. My biggest difficulty with this book is the writing. I would say that the problem is with the editing but it would appear that a competent editor never saw the manuscript before publication. Most sentences are incoherent and awkward. Thoughts are suggested in one sentence and dropped in the next. In fact, the author seems incapable of completing one line of thought before continuing on to the next. Finally, the organization of the book would seem to be chronological but in fact is anything but logical. I would recommend this book for the content but certainly not for the delivery of that content.

Minutia unlimited:
If you were around in the mid-60's and/or are a student of the Beatles, then you'll find this book "interesting". The author may or not be diagnosable with a mental disorder, but he sure does get into the minutia of the event of Paul's supposed death. I can't tell if the guy is doing this tongue-in-cheek or if he's serious, but you'll uncover more than you'll ever want to know. Though I enjoyed it, I had to give up about 3/4 of the way through. Enough, already!

Great Nostaligic Read:
I loved reading this book, matter of fact I don't think I put it down til I was finished. For people unfamiliar with Beatle hysteria, it might seem a little odd, but I remember my friend and I going through those "clues" and some things were truly bizarre. We wore out records playing them backwards. We searched through photos with magnifying glasses. I only gave it 4 stars, perhaps unfairly, because I remember some "clues" that aren't in the book. Maybe every area of the country had it's own "clues?" If you know what people mean by "Turn Me On Dead Man" you'll love this!

A Fun, "Magical" Mystery:
If you like mysteries like the Da Vinci Code, and you like the Beatles, this book is a twentieth century version of just that - cultural clues to a conspiracy embedded in great art. I don't buy in to the whole "Paul was replaced by an imposter" angle, but the Beatles definitely seemed to try to perpetuate a myth that Paul had somehow "died". There is an unusual amount of songs about death and car crashes in their work, and the album covers are ripe with clues. Of course, given trials in the 90s of rock musicians being sued because of hidden messages in their lyrics, this may never be admitted by the Beatles (they have A LOT more money than Judas Priest or even Ozzy). Anyway, this is a fun and entertaining journey into very talented artists and their need to amuse themselves by putting inside jokes into their music. Go ahead, take this Magical Mystery Tour, it's "dying" to take you away, you know. :)