John and Paul
A Love Story in Songs
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John and Paul
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Narrated by:
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Chris Addison
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Geoff Lloyd
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By:
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Ian Leslie
About this listen
EXCLUSIVE BONUS MATERIAL: Stay to the end to listen to a conversation between the author and Geoff Lloyd, recorded exclusively for this audiobook.
The first new Beatles story in decades – and the one that will make your heart burst. - Caitlin Moran
The most moving and revelatory book on Lennon and McCartney I have ever read – so joyous, so sad . . . I just wish I could enjoy the experience of reading it for the first time again. - Tom Holland
This thoughtful, fresh look at the creative collaboration of Lennon and McCartney turns the clichés on their heads. - Sunday Times
John & Paul begins in 1957, when two teenagers in suburban Liverpool meet and decide to play rock n'roll together. It ends twenty-three years later, when one of them is murdered. In between, we see them become global stars, create countless indelible songs, and play a central role in shaping the modern world.
Lennon and McCartney were more than friends, rivals or collaborators. They were intimates who both had the fabric of their world ruptured at a young age, and who longed to make emotional connections; with each other, and with audiences. The pop song was a vessel into which they poured feelings of grief and euphoria and everything in between. When they couldn't speak what they felt, they sang it. After the break-up of their group, they maintained a musical dialogue at a distance, in songs full of recrimination, regret, and affection.
Ian Leslie traces the twists and turns of their relationship through the music it produced and offers rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration and human connection. Drawing on recently released footage and recordings, this is a startlingly fresh take on two of the greatest icons in music history.
Leslie's majestic and wildly enjoyable biography makes us see and hear Lennon and McCartney anew.
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What listeners say about John and Paul
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- David Didau
- 01-04-25
Just lovely
A beautiful story beautifully told. Insightful, heart warming, tragic. Whether you an obsessive or just beatlecurious, you’ll love this
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Leonard Turton
- 28-03-25
A dysfunctional love story
Two thirds is fascinating, interesting and informative but it's ultimately tragic and reveals a dysfunctional/ crippled John Paul love and a John Lennon who is truly and deeply a disaster of a human being hooked on a messed up wife. Depressing. Keep to the music.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael Hall
- 04-04-25
Speechless, Just Brilliant
I love the Beatles, I enjoy consuming everything about them. This is heartfelt, beautiful, philosophical and psychological and just left me feeling so emotional. A absolute must for any Beatles fan and a pretty good choice if you’re not.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- John P. Allum
- 29-03-25
Another person's opinion
This was an interesting listen but seemed to keep pushing the view that their relationship was deeper than music. If you want a first hand view as opposed to opinions it is worth listening to " All you need is love" by Steven Gaines and Peter Brown which is on Audible. Some of which is repeated or requoted in this story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Claire
- 29-03-25
Very interesting analysis of the music and these two great and different talents
An exploration which weaves the music in amongst the emotional backdrop of the group. I have found myself revisiting lots of the songs given the way the author unpicks tone and style relating it more deeply to this central relationship.
I got a lot out of it and would highly recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- alicia turnock
- 09-04-25
Analysis of the songs musically is really interesting
The knowledge of the author is striking. He breaks down some of the Beatles biggest successes and explains what Paul and John were trying to do with them, and where they lie on their path to immortality
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J. Chow
- 10-04-25
A thoughtful approach on the relationship between John and Paul as songwriters and personalities
This book gives a more detailed analysis of the relationship between John and Paul as songwriters and as men in a particular context and time than seems to have been presented by any writer so far. The contents provide a lot to think about and this book is a welcome addition to the Beatles literature. Highly recommended.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- N. Walsh
- 02-04-25
Not really a new point of view
The old, familiar story is told quite well, but the claim that it is full of fresh insights is far from correct.
The One Sweet Dream podcast looked at the relationship between John and Paul more rigorously in 2022.
One of those episodes featured Aimee Mann. She spoke of Paul being like a dog who can't wait to play; can't wait for the ball to be thrown. It's quite uncanny, but the author has the same thought and expresses it in chapter twenty eight.
If you have read other Beatles books I wouldn't bother adding this one to the list.
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