[.ca] The Beatles : Anthology (ISBN 2020418800)

Chronique amazon.fr:
Puisque l'on n'est jamais mieux servi que par soi-même, les Beatles (ou du moins ce qu'il en reste...) ont donc décidé de s'auto-archiver. De s'auto-raconter. Le résultat est impressionnant. Une sorte de bible. Un monument de l'édition à l'iconographie somptueuse et dense. Un bel objet que le fan des Fab Four digne de ce nom se doit de posséder. Et si les plus calés n'apprendront sûrement rien de nouveau, cette Anthology propose de raconter chronologiquement et dans ses moindres détails l'incroyable aventure de ces quatre garçons dans le vent. Un conte de fées d'autant plus fascinant qu'il durera moins d'une décennie. Quel autre groupe pourrait en effet se targuer d'une oeuvre aussi importante et essentielle en si peu de temps ? Collage subtil d'interviews fleuves, archives photographiques de premier ordre (les premières années de la saga sont à cet égard copieusement servies en images inédites), The Beatles Anthology se feuillette au gré des humeurs, avec une écoute parallèle des albums, ou tout simplement en suivant le déroulement des événements. Unique bémol dans cette entreprise passionnante, l'absence de regard vraiment critique. Contrôlant totalement l'ouvrage, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr et Yoko Ono (dans le rôle du défunt) n'incluent qu'homéopathiquement la remise en question ou l'analyse critique. Mais malgré cet aspect "version officielle", The Beatles Anthology demeure un superbe livre pour tous les fans de musique. --Marc Zisman

The Ultimate Beatles!:
This book transcends its overt purpose of being an anthology of the Beatles. Anyone who loves the music the Beatles gave us will find much rewarding material here. Those who want to know about how success can be accomplished in popular music will be riveted. Those who like to look back on popular culture in times past will have a happy trip. If you just love exciting photography, there is much to attract you to this volume. I found myself singing the Beatles' songs to myself as I read the text and looked at the illustrations. That was the best part! To me, the most thought-provoking part of this book was its rags-to-genius quality. The Beatles were unlikely candidates to become leading musical innovators. Most of them were so poor that their families lacked indoor bathrooms when they were growing up. None of them could read music. The combined number of music lessons they had was less than ten in total. They could not afford musical instruments. Their families could not afford to subsidize their careers. Yet they were observant about the new, in contact with what moved their hearts, listened intently for better music, and worked with a never-ending frenzy to fulfill their passion for the music. It's vastly more heartwarming and fascinating than any rags-to-riches story ever can be. I had never understood John Lennon's complaints about the "packaged, predictable" Beatles until I read in this book about the type of band they were while evolving their style. Particularly in the Hamburg gigs, they were more like a jazz combo that played rock and roll. The music was free form, and they stretched some songs into being as long as an hour and a half. In fact, their commercial success was a tremendous tragedy for their artistic success because they were probably at the edge of developing a whole new musical genre that would have become the dominant one today. I'm sorry it never happened. I feel even more sorry for them, in realizing that they knew what they lost and must feel it very deeply. I was also moved by the story of their tempestuous friendship. These guys went through tremendous stresses, strains, and deprivations together. They fought, they disagreed, they slugged each other, and they appreciated each other. Yet, there was a strong enough pull towards each other that allowed the group to continue through its amazing journey, despite the difficulties. To have had such friendships, even if they are eventually lost, must be an amazing experience. Few will know this closeness in their lives. I came away from this book with a new appreciation for the Beatles. Before this book, the Beatles were all about (for me) how they sounded and looked, and how I reacted to that. Now, I see them as being role models for important aspects of human experience that we should all appreciate. Before closing, I do have two words of caution. This book is very open about the major and minor vices of life. As such, this book could make the wrong impression on adolescents. They don't need too many new ideas about how to rebel, and this book could be read that way. That's not what the Beatles were doing, but a 13 year old could see it that way. Second, as revealing as the book is, more is ultimately still hidden below the surface than is revealed. These young men knew a lot of pain, and that pain was an important source of their brilliance. Don't be offended that they did not share more. It was probably very painful to share as much as they did. I would like to give the editors major credit for developing a successful dialogue style in the book that included quotes from John Lennon. It must have been the dickens to read through all of his many quotes, and to weave them into material comparable to what can be developed in a simple interview where the others could be aware of what each other said. "Take a sad song, and make it better."

Magical mystery tour through the Beatles' career:
This book purports to tell the Beatles's story in their own words (though augmented by memories from people close to them like Brian Epstein, producer George Martin, roadies Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans, and publicist Derek Taylor), and does the job quite well. I would estimate that at least 80% of the information contained in this book is already old hat for die-hard Beatlemaniacs who have memorized Mark Lewisohn's "Complete Beatles Chronicle" and read every Beatle book out there. But it's not so much the substance of the information as the way in which it is told--it's great to be able read about these events from the Beatles' point of view, even as seen through the prism of the thirty to forty years that have passed. And I am grateful that George was able to participate in the whole Anthology project before his untimely death in 2001. The modern-day comments from Paul, George, and Ringo were apparently taken from the interviews from the Beatles Anthology circa 94-95 (if you watch the entire video/DVD and compare it to the text in the book it's pretty obvious). Hard-core fans will be able to recognize where many of the other quotes came from, although they aren't sourced, unfortunately--after each such quote there's merely a superscript such as "64" or "70" showing the year it was said, with no reference to the publication or interview it was taken from. That said, the editors had an incredible job piecing this thing together; they could almost be listed as co-writers! There's a great deal of eye-candy (photographs, memos, handwritten notes, drawings, etc.), which are fascinating to look at. Sometimes, though, the arrangement of text, typeface, and photographs on the page seems rather random and thrown together, and even can make it difficult to read (for example, page 177, which tells about George and John's first LSD trip is printed on a background of garish red with magenta and orange text that all but obliterates the actual text). But it's never dull. Despite the fact that it may be a bit of a chore to read, since it's large and heavy (even in paperback), it is a joy to read and I heartily recommend it to all Beatle fans.

The Most Comprehensive Beatles Book Ever:
Ever since they broke up 33 years ago, The Beatles' career has been dragged through the mud thanks to the deaths of Harrison and Lennon, wannabe/rip - offs like Oasis, and through film with the fictional VH1 schlock "Two Of Us". But "The Beatles Anthology" is undoubtedly the most comprehensive Beatles book ever written. This is the first book especially comprised of updated commentary with the two surviving Beatles, the late but never forgotton Harrison and Lennon, and such Beatles associates like Sir George Martin and Derek Taylor. Accompanying these insightful, often funny, often poignant interviews are copies of important letters written by The Beatles and record company dittoes and tons of beautiful pictures that perfectly capsulize the different stages of the Beach Boys' career. This book is probably the definitive Beatles book. However, if you have back problems, are pregnant or have arthritis but you want to own this heavy book, I reccommend the paperback edition.

Fantastic, but a BIT incomplete:
I can't say enough about how great this book is. I ran out the day it went on sale and bought it. The photos are fabulous, and I can't say anything that hasn't been said already. However, they are typically vague on the Pete Best controversy. I did have a great laugh at Ringo's recollection of seeing John and Yoko nude on the "Two Virgins" LP cover! A Beatle fan must.

Excellent production.:
I thought the book was excellently produced, but would have liked more input from non-Beatles and from sacked drummers (nudge nudge wink wink). For instance, Lennon and McCartney recount the time they finished up "I Wanna Be Your Man" for the Rolling Stones; I'd like to have had a word from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards about that experience as well. To the reviewer who complained that they were still slamming Pete Best's drumming ability and mental acuity, or lack thereof, forty years on--that's not strictly true. Pretty much all the statements in the book on that subject are at least 35 years old. But I'd still like to have seen some more input from Pete, as well as a page or two regarding his post Beatles musical career. He did actually have one, and did fairly well for a couple of years. But, as this book presents him, he was basically a non-entity, just the last in a long line of drummers who occupied the Beatles' drum stool before Ringo came along. There have been some conflicting reports on the musical skills of the various members of the band, ca. 1962. McCartney's own brother said of the group at that time, none of them was a rocket scientist, musically speaking, and it could have been any one of them fate could have chosen to go. Granted that statement was a bit disingenuous in retrospect, but wrt Pete Best it seems as if there was always an official policy in the Beatles' organization to purge his memory. For instance, when the BBC tapes were put on CD, the first two shows, with Pete Best, were omitted due to problems with the 'sound quality'. I've heard some of those performances, and the sound was fine. The drumming wasn't fantastic, but seemed more than adequate in the context.