DAVID STARK: IT'S ALL TOO MUCH (book)
I've been a Beatles fan ever since I first heard them at the
age of ten. And to this day, I still am a fan, just like the
writer of this book has been a fan all his life.
One of the differences between the two of us: he's one year older
than I am but more importantly, he lived near London when it all
started to happen in 1963 and he grabbed his chances.
WITHOUT THE BEATLES
by David Johnston
1970-2020 marks half a century since the Beatles were no more.
During that 1960s decade they became the world's newest pop superstars.
They left a legacy that still influences music today.
But what if the Beatles had never existed? This book is a potted history
of pop music from early in the 20th century till today. Its extensive
central section ponders where music might have been without the Beatles.
In unique detail it compares the achievements of a large number of other
successful artists of the time including the Searchers, the Hollies,
the Beach Boys, the Supremes, Dylan and the Rolling Stones – and also
notes their attitudes toward the group that dominated the '60s music scene.
In the Beatles' absence, who of these, or who else, would have been the next star(s) of the '60s and beyond?
* * * * * * * * *
I have enormously enjoyed the last five or so years of research and writing (and, as I'm also a graphic designer, typesetting and design).
Just click on the link below.
MURDER OF A MULTITUDE
by Dexter James
Not a book about the Beatles as such, but a murder mystery about a
serial killer in New York who kills women based on their names:
all women have names that appear in Beatles songs and the murders
take place on the anniversary of the release dates of these
particular songs. So there you have the Fab Four link.
This book will not be to everyone’s liking because it has some graphic
descriptions of the killer’s modus operandi.
Still, if you like your murder mystery and you are not faint hearted,
then Murder of a Multitude will definitely be a book that you’ll enjoy.
Fun detail for Beatles fans is the fact that the book contains clues
which are based on the lyrics of Beatles songs.
Murder of a Multitude is an interesting read because it combines a
murder mystery with Beatles knowledge.
But even if you’re not so much into the Beatles
but do like your murder mystery, the book will present you with a thrilling tale.
ISBN-13: 979-8675957330
THE BEAT MAKERS; book by ANTHONY HOGAN
The Unsung Heroes of the Mersey Sound
Derry Wilkie, Ted ‘Kingsize Taylor, Beryl Marsden, Colin Manley.
Do these names ring any bells? It should if you are a true Mersey Beat
connoisseur. If it doesn’t, then you’d better start reading because these
musicians were as much part of the Mersey beat scene as
Gerry and the Pacemakers, Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, and The Beatles.
They are the unsung heroes of Liverpool’s late 1950s music scene
and an important part of the rise of Mersey Beat.
However, theý never made the big time as many of their contemporaries did.
Still, their role in the local scene must not be overlooked nor should it be
disregarded.
Liverpool author Anthony Hogan has chronicled their often captivating
and obscure stories that not only made a huge contribution to the scene
but also influenced many of their peers. Hogan describes, for example,
the black music scene in Liverpool and the story of first all-girl beat group The Liverbirds.
Valued by their contemporaries but often overlooked by music fans and journalists, the Beat Makers, as Hogan calls them, have had a huge impact on the Liverpool music scene. Often, they were even ahead of groups as The Beatles, The Searchers and Gerry and the Pacemakers by releasing records and playing in Hamburg before they did.
Anthony Hogan has done a fantastic job of conveying the story of The Beat Makers and rightly putting them in the limelight. The Beat Makers – The Unsung Heroes of the Mersey Sound is essential stuff when you are interested in rock ‘n’ roll and especially the Mersey scene of the late 1950s and early 1960s.