Review by Booklist Review
The year 1966 was pivotal for the Beatles in so many ways. Music journalist Turner (The Gospel According to the Beatles, 2006) reveals just how groundbreaking and life-changing it was by breaking it in down into months, beginning with December 1965. Weary of traveling and performing for screaming, fainting crowds, the Beatles retreated and ended up marrying, trying LSD, clarifying John's comment about the Beatles versus Jesus, meeting Yoko Ono, and changing their focus and sound. (Perhaps they were also busy covering up, as persistent rumors claim, Paul McCartney's death in a car wreck and replacement by an impostor.) Critics of the time, used to pop-bands being one- or two-hit wonders, predicted the Beatles' demise, but, of course, quite the opposite happened. Citing Beatles' influences as various as Sun Ra, John Cage, and Ravi Shankar, Turner's book expounds on the why and how of that year's indelible songs, including Eleanor Rigby and the masterpiece of modern pop, Strawberry Fields Forever as well as the album, Revolver. Turner's well-researched, in-depth, quote- and photo-filled précis will thrill all Beatles fans.--Kinney, Eloise Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Fifty years ago, in 1966, the Beatles did something that would forever change the way recording artists approach their work: they decided to quit touring and devote their creative energies to pushing musical and technical boundaries in the studio. In this detailed look at that pivotal year, music journalist Turner (The Beatles: The Stories Behind the Songs, 1962-1966) chronicles the personal and artistic struggles of the Beatles as they transitioned from a pop group playing to throngs of screaming teenage girls to four young men wrestling with their individual artistic impulses and personal growth. The summer tour of 1966 finally pushed the band to quit the road and hit the studio. The band was arguably hitting its creative peak, breaking new-if risky-musical ground. When John Lennon played "Tomorrow Never Knows" for Bob Dylan, Dylan famously replied: "Oh, I get it. You don't want to be cute any more." "Paperback Writer," "Taxman," and "Strawberry Fields" were a far cry from "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." And after years of being locked up in hotel rooms, the Beatles happily pursued cultural interests and experimenting with drugs. Going month by month, Turner aims to "slow things down"-and at times, the book moves a bit too slowly. Pacing aside, Turner succeeds in creating an illuminating portrait of the Beatles, both as a band and as individual artists. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In 1966, a crucial turning point for the Beatles, the group gave their last concert, recorded the acclaimed album Revolver, and began to distance themselves from their squeaky-clean image and seek a more sophisticated sound. While journalist Turner (The Complete Beatles Songs; Amazing Grace) isn't the first to stress the significance of this year, his in-depth, month-by-month examination of the quartet's activities is enlightening and comprehensive. He covers the fellows' individual new interests (for instance, George Harrison's burgeoning passion for Indian music), noteworthy events, and the impact of the evolving countercultural and musical scene upon the Beatles' work. The author's intense attention to detail is laudable and often leads to new conclusions. For example, though Paul McCartney claimed to have first tried LSD in late 1966, Turner cites his own interview with a musician present at the time, proving that McCartney's first "trip" was in 1965-and that Revolver was in fact greatly influenced by McCartney's psychedelic dabblings. Peppering an engaging narrative with interview excerpts and quotes, Turner depicts four thoughtful young men exploring and contributing to a changing cultural landscape. Verdict An absorbing, reflective work that will appeal to more serious music fans as well as to Beatles newcomers.-Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A pleasing romp through the Beatles annus mirabilis.The year 1966 was the year of Revolver, with the band looking back into Rubber Soul and forward into Sgt. Pepper. Paul McCartney hung out with Brian Wilson, and sparksgood sparksflew. Most of all, as London-based music journalist Turner (Popcultured: Thinking Christianly About Style, Media and Entertainment, 2013, etc.) notes in passing, it was a time when John Lennon was happy enough with his mates that he could foresee doing solo projects but keeping the Beatles going: You need other people for ideas and we all get along fine. December 1965, when Turners account begins, sees the beginning of a new phase that would find the Beatles within the studio and out of the public eye; as he reckons, the Beatles had played 188 gigs in Britain in 1962, but only 50 in 1965, in part because of the demands of worldwide touring but also because they were about to put an end to touring at all, thanks in some measure to some very unpleasant experiences in places like the Philippines. Turner provides some interesting side notes throughout, as with the Beatles interactions with Motown and its stars. The account closes a year later, with some interesting divergences; as Turner writes, Lennon and the lads were deep inside Strawberry Fields Forever, trying to find the missing element that would turn the song into magic, but broke away from it to record the very different McCartney vehicle When Im Sixty-Four, a song with what Paul called a rooty tooty sound. Lennons comment about the Beatles popularity compared to that of a certain messiah notwithstanding, a splendid time was had by all, and Turners account is generally light and lighthearted, if occasionally disjointed. Sir Paul once remarked to the author, We were just four kids trying to earn a living. They were much, much more, of course, and while he breaks little new ground, Turner does a nice job of capturing them at their best. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
