The only Beatles story to listen to

I've been a Beatles nut since Dec 9 1980 when I woke up to that news, and asked my mum as a 13 yr old, 'who's John Lennon'?
Since then I've learnt their songs as a musician, read more books on them than I can remember, and thought that I was an authority on them, but not until now and listening to this story. It has been 10 or more years in the making and this is the definitive story. This is 43 hours long and is only part 1, so take it in your stride and enjoy. It might only appeal to Beatles geeks like me but this is one book to have in your library, I have also ordered the book. I have always wondered why they still appeal after 50 years, and within this book you begin understand why and how they broke off the shackles of the London music industry and literally did change everything and did it there way.
Brilliantly narrated, complete with impersonating each Beatle, you get a feeling at the end that you know each and every personality in their rise. You feel like you've lived in Liverpool and especially Hamburg.
Quite a remarkable book in every sense, I can't praise it highly enough. If I had a small gripe, it would only be that part 2 might be years off.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

Comprehensive, entertaining and brilliantly read.

I've just finished the audiobook. 43 hours and 40 minutes of the best audiobook I've ever heard.


OK, I must declare a bias. I am a huge Beatles fan. Take that as a given.


Even so, Mark Lewisohn's book is a masterpiece of scholarship and accessible writing. It covers the minutiae of their everyday personal a professional lives up to the end of 1962. I thought I knew a lot about The Beatles, and I did, but I know a lot more now. Lewisohn provides more background to well-documented events in the band's career. There were a few surprises for me, such as the initial contractual arrangements between Epstein and John, Paul, George and Pete and how they affected Best's sacking. And while I knew about Best's inadequacies as a drummer, I wasn't fully aware of the extent of his personal distance from the other band members and their unhappiness with him.


The insights into the UK recording industry of the time are fascinating. You can feel the band's frustration as they tried to become 'recording artistes'. The segments on how Epstein forged a relationship with George Martin and Dick James and sidelined other players reveal the politics and personalities of the industry at the time. The antipathy that George Martin felt towards Norrie Paramor is another good example. George Martin's own initial (and considerable) scepticism about The Beatles is also covered.


And then there are the private lives. the upbringings, the traumas, the trails, the triumphs and the relationships, not just of The Beatles, but of the other people in their lives. There's no attempt to sugar coat anything: Neil Apsinall's affair with Mona Best, George Martin's affair with his future wife, Paul's multiple concurrent girlfriends, Cynthia's unenviable position as the hidden wife. All are covered. Warts and all.


I was eight when The Beatles broke through and, although I was aware of them and liked them, it wasn't until 1968 that I became a real fan. Consequently, I have always been more interested in the second half of their career. But this book has given me a newfound enthusiasm for their earlier music, and some of its influences. It really brought home to me what pioneers the Beatles even before they became famous. I was aware of it, but this has brought it into sharper focus.


Then there's the reading. It is uniformly brilliant. Clive Mantle creates accents for each Beatle and the people around them. They bring the characters to life without ever becoming caricatures. He brings out the humour, the sadness, the frustration and the triumph without ever becoming mawkish or over the top. The section about Stuart Sutcliffe's death and the events before and after it is particularly poignant.


I cannot recommend this book enough. It's the only audiobook that I have started again as soon as I finished it. I know that makes me a bit sad, but what the hell...

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Hours and hours of pure enjoyment!

Clearly a labour of love for Lewisohn, but equally for the narrator Clive Mantle, who excels himself throughout. He brings the whole thing - remember, there's more than 40 hours of it - to vibrant life. It's a total-immersion experience and I can't recommend it highly enough, not just for Beatles fans, but for anyone who's ever wondered what the late 50s / early 60s were like as much as for anyone who experienced it themselves.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Fab Four(ty three hours)

Amazing insight in to the early history of the greatest band ever.
The only frustrating thing about this book is that it looks like we will have to wait 3 more years for volume 2.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Unsurpassable, apart perhaps from Volume Two??

What can one say, apart from.please hurry with volumes two and three please Mr. Lewisohn?

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

The men, the myth - and the magic

Lewisohn is The Beatles’ foremost chronicler. His work is forensic but highly readable - or, in this case, listenable. For big fans, Tune In is catnip. It’s addictive. The level of detail is fantastic - and far greater than you’ll find in any other book about the world’s best band. Your appetite or tolerance for this will depend on the extent of your Beatle devotion. Those who aren’t fanatics probably won’t consider listening to Tune In - and they may be wise. At normal narration speed, the book lasts nearly 30 hours. It’s not for the faint of heart. But for those who love esoterica and long for a rounded, myth-busting examination of the band’s evolution and awesome legacy, this is the Holy Grail. Lewisohn is a true fan - and his passion permeates the text. I listened at 1.6 times the default speed and it worked really well. The opening sections on Beatle family genealogy take a bit of endurance initially - but bear with it. It’s never less than entertaining - and frequently it’s completely engrossing. Lewisohn writes with a wry, light touch and skilfully weaves in social context for a fuller picture. It’s a masterpiece. Can’t wait for the next instalment…

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Comprehensive

Everything you ever wanted to know about the band leading up to the first album. Absolutely superb!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

What Went On

Interesting narrative, spoiled by occasional errors, omissions and mispronunciations. e.g. Welsh place names and references to "U.S." Bonds rather than Gary "U.S." Bonds.

Another irritation in the early chapters is the telling of only four school age biographies (JPG&R), conveniently ignoring Pete, Stuart and all alumni of the Quarrymen.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Fantastic

As a first audiobook for this listener Tune In will take some following. Based on the evidence of volume one Mark Lewisohn is writing the greatest of Beatles biographies. Huge in scope, rich in detail and, crucially, respectfully candid, all supported by breathtaking research and a sense of wonder at the confluence of coincidences and fortunate accidents that gave the world the Beatles. This is a creation story we can believe in.
Clive Mantle does an excellent job with the text and mostly with the quoted voices of the characters.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

What a story!

I've been a Beatles fan for 36 years and this is the best book on the fabs I've ever read. Mark has researched this to the enth degree and gone through the history of the main players with a fine tooth comb. Most facts are backed up with a first hand source (such as a cavern goer's diary entry) and where the author is unsure of something he points it out. The author also adds his opinion on the character traits of each person, but again this is backed up by evidence. The narrator is a bit monotone but I didn't mind that as the story was gripping enough and so you forget about the voice. Can't wait for the next two volumes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!