Experiencing the Beatles

October 1, 2017
Part of the Listener's Companion series, this book takes us through the Beatles' recording career, from their early days covering American hits, to their early-1960s breakthrough with a string of songs about the uplifting nature of love ( Love Me Do, I Want to Hold Your Hand ), to their mid-'60s maturation with songs that were more complex musically and thematically, and on to their celebrated final recordings, which were made as the band was breaking up. Along the way, author Halpin provides insightful commentary on such matters as the way the Beatles' Liverpool accents made American hits sound new; the way they would change a song's tempo or orchestration to make it suit their voices and instrumental abilities; the way they combined their individual talents to create a sound unlike anything heard before. Halpin is clearly a fan, but he's also an accomplished musician, and his ability to break the Beatles' music into its component parts makes us appreciate these now-classic songs in a new way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)