Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World

First, a warning. This is not a book for people who are just getting into the Beatles. This is a Masters Level course for people who have spent time deciding whether Rubber Soul or Revolver is the better album. And I'd suggest at least auditing "Stones 101" before reading this book.But if you're ready for it, this is THE book. It comes at the Fab Four from multiple angles, each angle fascinating and wonderful. And the fact I had to keep Google and YouTube on call the whole way (I haven't audited Stones 101 and don't have every Beatles melody on instant recall) just added to the fun. (Wow, that Prince solo on While My Guitar is SICK!)Oh, by the way, if you're not ready for this book yet but the Kindle is still only $1.99, buy it anyway. The bibliography is incredible and could help you get your BA in Beatles so you're ready for the rest of the book. I may read another of his Toppermost suggestions and invest more time in B-sides (and maybe some Stones) and then reread this book to see how much more I notice and enjoy.Wonderful book.

As a child of the 60's, I was primed for the years of the Beatles. I bought every record as they released them and, at age 17, attended their August 21, 1966 concert at Crosley Field in Cincinnati (see the attached picture I took with a Polaroid). Though Sheffield's book rehashes plenty of well-known material about the Beatles (I've surely read most of it) there are a few new anecdotes that I found especially revealing. Those were what made the book worth reading. This book is also mostly Sheffield's opinions, usually about the various songs, and many of those I don't agree with at all. But that's how it goes with the Beatles playbook. I still relish the opinions and even when I don't agree they offer added insight.

I'm a big Beatles fan so I loved this book!The stories about the songs and the recording sessions were great and I felt like I was there. I loved the "back stage view" of everything. I enjoyed reading this book and remembering where I was when the albums were released.A great read for a Beatles fan.

Despite the sizzling jacket blurbs to this effect, this is definitely not THE book about the Beatles to read. There are redeeming features: most notably, the book is well-written and pleasurable (for Beatles fans) to read (hence 3-stars). It contains good comments about Ringo, and dubious, unoriginal ones about Paul. The satisfaction was more of the kind you get reading People Magazine than serious reflection on who the Beatles were and why their influence remains so great. For a book whose purported aim was to address just this question--on behalf of the whole world, no less--there was little musical, historical or cultural insight. The leitmotif of Sheffield's story is that the Beatles were all about girls--copying girl band music, wooing, talking to/about and appealing to girls, and so on. He develops this in a way that makes it seem less-self-evident than you'd think, but in any case it's hardly a basis to explain why, half a century after their breakup, the public remains fascinated by the Beatles and their music. Sheffield is a fanboy magazine reporter, no more.Along these lines, as his editor, I would have insisted on several alterations:1. Get a co-writer who understands music so you can address the musical aspect of the music, duh.Sheffield doesn't seem to know much about music beyond his own tastes, about which he is surprisingly inarticulate. One of his girlfriends liked this one, he was going through puberty when he discovered that one, and so on.(For the reader who wants to learn something about Beatles music, see Ian MacDonald's song-by-song analysis in Revolution in the Head. MacDonald also has much deeper insights about the cultural place and impact of the Beatles, as do other writers.)2. Cut the fanboy crap by 50%.I love the Beatles and I rarely get bored hearing about them, listening to outtakes, seeing them in pictures and following each of their post-Beatles careers. Still I found this book cloying. Use your own words instead of Beatles song quotes. It's cute only once or twice.3. Get over yourself, in fact, pretty much forget yourself except maybe in the foreword.This book is about 10%-15% about Sheffield himself. Personal anecdotes can be a useful device, but Sheffield's serve no purpose other than to explain how he came to prefer this song or that. I personally found some of his choices perverse, but I wouldn't burden my review explaining the autobiographical provenance of my preferences--as Sheffield has done.4. Know that when you rank The Rolling Stones’ and Taylor Swift’s music alongside that of the Beatles, you compromise your credibility. Absolutely no insult intended to those other artists. But the correct comparison with the Beatles is to songwriting geniuses such as Rodgers/Hart/Hammerstein, George & Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Ellington/Strayhorn and similar artists whose compositions (though not the story of their fame) also have proven to have lasting virtue (they became jazz standards). As as Leonard Bernstein put it, The Beatles were Schuberts of our time and the best songwriters since Gershwin.The story of The Beatles astounding personal fame is yet a different story, one not really told well in Sheffield's book either.Unlike some of the other more substantive musical and cultural biographies of the Beatles, Sheffield's book will not long accompany the Fab Four in their continued reputation as the most influential band of the second half of the 20th century. But as a fun read for Beatles gossip-obsessed fans, I can recommend...borrowing it from the library.

For fans, there are fewer things more fun than being able to share what our fandom has meant to us. Thus, the endless material that can be found on websites, in magazines, and in books. And, if all of this is being written, some of it, at least, must be read. Much of it is dreck, interesting to few beyond the author; however, for a good writer, their feelings and insight can be a pleasure to read. Mr. Sheffield is such a writer.In this book, he covers the history of the Beatles, including their post-fab years. It is a readable history, without tons of detail but with depth. Mr. Sheffield seems mostly to be interested in their personalities and their creativity: why and how the songs were created and the impact they had and, indeed, continue to have. He also isn’t afraid to play favorites and tell what it all means to him as a fan. This book reads more as a memoir than a history.Obviously, fan writing is essentially only worthwhile to those who are also fans. Myself, I am a big fan of the Beatles. I enjoyed this book immensely. Other fans will too.

This is the most enjoyable, insightful, meaningful ... let's just say that it's the toppermost of the poppermost of books about the Beatles. And for my cred, let it be (clever) known that I saw the boys in concert in 1966. "Dreaming the Beatles" is like falling in love all over again and sharing the experience with your best friend. I don't understand why Rob Sheffield hates "It's Only Love" so much, but debating the quality of Beatles songs is an endless pleasure. Reading this book is the next best thing.

I like the author's clear expression of his own opinions (which I felt free to disagree with on occasion). I notice that slings and arrows were cast in the direction of each Beatle, as well as bouquets and leis. The book felt as if it were written by a fan for other fans who had knowledge of the group, so it did not reiterate too much introductory material. I have read so much on the Beatles that it is rare when I encounter a work that gives me the pleasure of a fresh viewpoint - like this one did.I was a Beatles fan almost from Day 1, and this work reminded me of times - before they became apotheosized - when I was occasionally annoyed and impatient with the four of them, while still loving the music.My reaction to the White Album is very similar to the author's, except when it comes down to particular songs. Loved Prudence, but was a bit annoyed with Martha. Hated Revolution #9. Swooned over I Will. Today I sing along with them all (except Revolution #9).

Livro apaixonante e muito bem escrito! Vale a pena a leitura.

Dit is een boek dat als hardcover vrijwel niet meer te krijgen is. Nu nieuw gekocht voor een zeer lage prijs. Uitstekende aankoop dus.

Se lo recomiendo a todos los fans de The Beatles y a los que no siéndolos quieran saber acerca de ese grupo que revolucionó no solo la música en los años 60 sino también toda la cultura y la sociedad de la época. Se dice, con algo de razón, que antes de The Beatles el mundo era en blanco y negro y que ellos nos trajeron el color. Si eso es así en el mundo civilizado, en España que vivíamos en la dictadura, mucho más.

I never usually bother writing reviews but felt I had to say something about this excellent bookHaving read a lot of Beatles books I came across this one recommended by the British Beatles Fan Club and I think its the most different I've readRob is a fan like all of us but he comes at it from a different angle .I would urge any fan of this always interesting and most excellent band and institution to give this one a try !