When They Were Boys

June 24, 2013
Kane (Ticket to Ride), a longtime Philadelphia journalist and author who covered the Beatles’ first tour in the U.S. in 1964 and subsequent tours, works by mosaic in piecing together the shards of “the boys’ ” early stories in Liverpool, now fairly familiar: John, the smoking, dreaming milkman, raised mostly by his indomitable Aunt Mimi, sneaked out to the neighboring orphanage Strawberry Field for a dose of gritty reality; Paul, shattered by his mother’s early death from breast cancer, traded the trumpet his father gave him for an acoustic guitar; George, the so-called quiet Beatle, was in fact the stronger songwriter early on but was “shoved into the background” by team Lennon-McCarthy; and Richie Starkey, aka Ringo, hailing from the toughest neighborhood in Liverpool, son of a divorced mother, cut his drummer’s teeth with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Self-promoting Lane tracks the musical inspirations that led to the definitive formation of the Lennon-organized Quarrymen, such as Lonnie Donegan, the band’s first gigs in Liverpool, the mysterious death of Stuart Sutcliffe, the firing of Pete Best, the playing of “Love Me Do” in Hamburg, and the honing of their look from black leather jackets to futuristic suits and ties. Many roiling, conflicting voices are brought together in a creative mishmash here. Agent: Faith Childs, Faith Childs Liererary Agency.

August 1, 2013

Veteran journalist Kane's (Ticket To Ride: Inside the Beatles' 1964 and 1965 Tours That Changed the World) latest book on the Beatles takes a fresh look at the Fab Four's early years, shining a well-deserved spotlight on the friends, family members, former band mates, employees, journalists, and many others who paved the band's way to global superstardom and helped usher in Beatlemania. Kane's research mixes new interviews with older conversations to create a seamless, nonchronological narrative structured around themes and individuals. Highlights include original drummer Pete Best's perspective on why he was sacked in favor of Ringo Starr, bouncer Horst Fascher's tales of debauchery in Hamburg, and the fascinating story of how a chance encounter with a record executive led to a big break in the band's career. Kane, who traveled with the Beatles on their first American tour and got to know them intimately, adds his own insights and anecdotes. The volume includes an extensive and wide-ranging bibliography. VERDICT This reexamination of the Beatles' teenage years, which focuses not on the band members themselves but rather on those who nurtured and influenced them through their pivotal first few years together, will inform popular-music scholars and delight fans.--Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia

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