Music Books

Being British myself and also someone who works in HOLLYWOOD'S Movie & TV industry, I have to say that this is one of the best autobiographies of someone in the same business I've ever read. Michael Caine lays out his rags to riches life with complete candor and in a very engaging narrative style.

His total honesty and recall, specially of his rise to fame in the 1960's, makes the reader really feel part of the scene. Caine's book is most revealing in the behind the scenes goings on in the making of his movies. I'll not spoil it for you by going into detail, but our cockney actor friend certainly got around to meeting just about all of the "in" people of the day and many before they were household names to the rest of us. He mentions the good, bad and the ugly and doesn't spare himself when looking back on the mistakes he has made.

For aspiring young actors, there are lessons to be learned here. Caine has a separate book for that, but still he offers up some informed pieces of guidance in this work. As an Englishman, he's probably the most famous and iconic actor to ever come of old blighty and blimey if ee' don't alf make it one ell' of a read!

Michael Caine is one of my favourite actors, and "What's it all about" is one one fascinating read. It has an excellent witty conversational style, which makes it very engaging, especially in the earlier parts. I always took Caine to be a dyed-in-the-wool Brit (he looks like one, and says so in the book himself) and so was surprised and amazed at the amazing life he's led... brought up in a poor family, survived the World War, went to war in Korea and almost got killed himself, struggled like hell, led a debauched lifestyle, and so on.

"What's it all about" is one of the best autobiographies I've read if you just count the first half, let's say before Caine settles with his family in LA; after this it seems to eschew those little tidbits of gossip, life and human nature for the mundane: what parties/restaurants/hotels/people/homes/flats they went to/ate in/stayed in/met/bought/rented, and so on. This part is quite dull, though it does have the occasional witticism. Also some things are missing... incredibly there's no reference to the one Caine quote which - let's just say - not a lot of people know. Also I'd have liked him not to be silent about his "conquests".

One thing that really got me though is the mistakes... I dont know whether these are just typos or Sir Michael fiddling with the truth a bit. For example, on page 5 (hardcover) he says at birth his weight was 8 lb 2. Later (page 348), this becomes 6 lb 2. Another instance: on page 35 he is 6 ft tall at age 15 having added a foot in two years, yet on page 25 he is 5 ft 11 at age 11. On page 330, he says "Since then I've only drunk wine" as a result of finding out about his excessive drinking. Yet we have many references later to the drinking of all kinds of spirits, including vodka. There are more such mistakes, which makes me think the book wasnt proofread at all.

But all in all, this is a very good read, even if you dont know Michael Caine. If nothing, it at least gives the message that dreams can be achieved if you try hard enough and never give up.

If Michael Caine's life resembles that one of the average actor, next time I request an autograph from Nicole Kidman or Kevin Spacey, I may be dwelling on their heroic background, rather than on their assumingly obscure and profligatious foreground. Maurice Micklewhite's biography is just a piece of inspiration for any quitter. It can outdo Anthony Robbins' tapes any day. A fighter in Korea, a victim of malaria, a reluctant B-movie castmember, a happy hedonist, a drunk, an opportunist, and aventually a model husband and father. He's had it all. Michael Caine carries enormous weight in his movies not just because of his acting guile, but mainly because of his charismatic persona. His diversification of characters portrayed, whether in "The Man Who Would Be King", "Funeral in Berlin", "The Eagle Has Landed" or "The Cider House Rules", offers the spectator the unusual challenge of discerning him from prior roles, a task traditionally reserved to a Laurence Olivier, Alec Guinness or Ralph Richardon. Can't help but fall in love with the lad.

Michael Caine, one of film's most durable actors, tells his story through 1992 in the autobiography WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

How many film performers have done as much as well as Michael Caine? For more than forty years, the actor has delivered shining performances in dramas, thrillers and comedies. He's carried flicks as a leading man, shared the spotlight as a costar, contributed to emsemble casts and has even take small roles.

In WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT, Michael Caine vows this book is the only autobiography he will write. I hope he changes his mind. I am sure Mr. Caine had to leave a lot of good stories out of his first volume. And since its '92 publication, he has been knighted and won another Oscar. Why not another book?

The most noteworthy aspect of WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT is that Michael Caine, despite having done almost everything you could want to do, has had the same personal and professional ups and downs as you and me. He tells stories we've all been through, such as being nervous about meeting women and his strained relationships with friends. (Of course, you and I would not be pals with actor Terence Stamp.)

This Michael Caine fan wants more movie-making anecdotes. If Mr. Caine does publish a second autobiographical volume, I request a synopsis of the making of each of his ninety-something films. He barely mentions two of my favorites: WATER and especially the obscure comic gem WITHOUT A CLUE.

Bravo to Michael Caine for not kissing and telling. He alludes to the bedroom activity that made the 1960s what it was for the rich and famous but does not name names.

The night Michael Caine won the Best Supporting Actor for CIDER HOUSE RULES, ceremony host Billy Crystal had been making fun of Caine's role in a JAWS film. Yet Mr. Caine did not return the dig during his acceptance speech, despite notorious Crystal bombs such as MR. SATURDAY NIGHT, FORGET PARIS, and FATHER'S DAY.

Unless, of course, Michael Caine's saving those remarks for his next autobiography!

For now, read WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT.

This book is inspiring. Michael Caine knew at a very young age that he wanted to act, and through perseverance, he has become highly successful and one of the most respected actors of our time, with two Academy Awards to his credit. This should serve to encourage those with dreams but who tell themselves "I'll never make it."

This is the real thing. Caine starts at the beginning and tells it all without indiscreet name dropping. He mentions that he does not plan to write another autobiography and so does not want to leave anything out. That makes for a really great read.

But what's really special about this autobiography is how approachable Caine seems to be. He comes across as just a regular guy whom you could approach on the street and say hi. Considering that most of the other autobiographies I've read, however great they may be, still seem like stories told by a celebrity who has deigned to share his/her life story, that in itself is an amazing accomplishment.

This is an excellent resource. I wish I'd had something like this early in my career. Not only is the book an excellent collection, but it is all on the accompanying CD to help you prepare bulletins, text for Sunday service, etc. Superb! A good investment.

This is the finest resource for worship planning I have read in years. The essays are very helpful. The prayers are written in good English. The inclusion of a CD makes the book especially useful. Although I am a United Methodist Pastor, I highly endorse this Reformed Church resource.

Excellent resource for worship leaders! Great selection of corporate and responsive prayers and readings, also includes lectionary in appendix.

very usefull. a good gift for persons who find themselves in the position of worship coordinator.

This is an excellent resource! Any pastor or worship leader who incorporates litanies, corporate prayers and unison readings in their worship services should have this resource. It is also a very helpful resource in providing written prayers and liturgies for lay readers.

If you are reading this review, you may be a newcomer to this children's Christian curriculum.

A brief history: Sonja M. Stewart and Jerome W. Berryman's YOUNG CHILDREN AND WORSHIP is not just another set of Sunday School or Church School materials. It's a paradigm shift in the religious education of children. Religiously,it shifts away from the view that children are "born sinful" towards the view that children are spiritual beings, born with a longing to connect with the heart of Being, longings that they do not have the language to express. Educationally, it shifts away from the view of teacher as adult know-it-all who pours learning in to an empty vessel towards the Montessorian view of children and adults as explorers together.

The educational roots here are with Maria Montessori. Her disciple, Sofia Cavaletti, created the curriculum known as "Catechesis of the Good Shepherd," used in many churches, but especially in Catholic and Anglican or Episcopal congregations. Sofia Cavaletti's disciple, Jerome W. Berryman, an ordained Episcopal priest, has created the curriculum known as "Godly Play," and Berryman, together with Sonja M. Stewart, an ordained Presbyterian minister, have produced the curriculum in this book, YOUNG CHILDREN AND WORSHIP, sometimes called the "Children Worship and Wonder" curriculum. All are rooted in the religious and educational assumptions mentioned above.

If you are a newcomer to all this, I suggest you start by reading YOUNG CHILDREN AND WORSHIP. Read the Bible "presentations," which make up 2/3rds of the book. Read the presentations as you would read a personal, devotional book, one or two or three daily. Notice how, in the course of a year, the lessons present the history of Christian faith and the story of the church. Notice how traditional Biblical language is used, but sparely and with child-appropriate simplicity. Notice how the curriculum spirals back on itself; notice the repeated introduction of Jesus: once there was a man "who said such amazing things and did such wonderful things that people began to follow him." Notice the repeated language introducing the parables: "sometimes parables seem to have lids on them. But when you lift the lid of a parable there is something very precious inside..."

If you think as I do that this curriculum is light years better than anything else out there, then study the teacher's helps also in the text. You may want to seek training or read some of the other works referenced above or go to their websites.

I have worn out my first copy- having used the patterns and lessons for teaching Sunday School. Godly Play is portable and the pieces may often be made from cheap or found materials.Godly Play is useful, not just for children- I have given lessons in nursing homes,to seminary students, and others. Every one takes something different from seeing the presentations. The energy is indeed holy in each instance, where I have done my job correctly- so different from the stuffy old paper curriculum !

This book includes explaination, 41 stories (lessons), and plans for materials needed of a great worship service children really get into. I have been doing this program for 2 years and my children are incredible. I wish the adults would have this much respect. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a successful worship program for their children.

Young Children and Worship is an inspiring way to draw young children into the stories of scripture, the stories of God, enabling them to worship, interact with God, and ponder who He is. The form is a simplified version of the traditional order of worship emphasizing quiet, beauty and awe. After the introductory chapters most of the book tells you how to present specific stories. The focus in this book is on basic stories that tie into the church year and traditional worship. I found it very inspiring, whatever your worship tradition.

This is the seminal volume of what became the Godly Play movement.If you haven't yet explored Godly Play, I heartily recommend the method as such, and as set forth in Young Children in Worship. Godly Play allows children to experience Bible stories and other stories that carry faith messages, told with an archetypal spareness that allows each listener to absorb and reflect on the material in his or her own way. A teacher tells the story with the help of tactile materials, then helps children "wonder" about the stories. Children then may move to independent or shared "work" (art or reenactment of the story). The atmosphere is quiet, focused, and meditative. Tactile materials used in storytelling respect children's way of processing information. The method creates a space in which children may link faith-based language with their own perceptions of God, or fulfill deep emotional/spiritual needs. Godly Play is adaptable to different traditions and faiths by choosing among, or amending, the stories. We've found it to be deep and satisfying to all participants, young and old.

Young Children and Worship will tell you everything you need to know to get a Godly Play program going. It includes patterns and specifications for creating storytelling materials as well as information on all aspects of the work and philosophical thought on the Godly play method. Most of the book consists of stories from the Old and New Testament, plus other lessons, such as The Light, or The Church Year, that present concepts of Christian faith. Teacher notes show the use of tactile materials and provide "wondering" questions.

The obvious comparison is to co-author Jerome Berryman's outpouring of independent volumes on Godly Play. Berryman's many independent titles provide a few additional stories and expand on classroom management and facilities provision. He examines the effect of the work on children as well. However, Berryman's independent work may have exceeded its usefulness to practioners. Young Children and Worship is a do-it-yourself work that Berryman now seems to wish we didn't know about, preferring to sell us an endless series of new books and, from the Godly Play website, expensive materials. To be fair, Berryman's refinements and insight have grown as he practices. But decide your priorities before buying additional Godly Play materials. Young Children and Worship may be all you need.

Jean-Marie Potiez is, of course, from France. I knew him through ABBA fan clubs some years ago. He gives a good account of the ABBA phenomenon. Agnetha was born in Jonkoping, Sweden on April 5, 1950. Her father staged amateur reviews in the town, and Agnetha began singing in them at an early age. When she was 15, she left school to take a job as a telephone operator with a car firm. She was singing with a group called Bernt Enghardts. She left them when her composition, "Jag Var Sa Kar (I Was So In Love)" became a hit on the Swedish charts. Agnetha moved to Stockholm and recorded her first album.

Agnetha composed music. She did nine solo albums between 1968 and 1988. She recorded in Swedish, German, English, French and Spanish. Her label in the early days was Cupol. She went on to form Agnetha Faltskog Productions with Staffan Linde as her manager.

Benny Andersson is the only one of the four born in Stockholm, Benny came from a family of accordion players. It was natural for him to teach himself piano. From 1964 to 1969, his Hep Stars were Sweden's biggest group. They had a rougher image than Bjorn's Hootenanny Singers. When their career ended in bankruptcy, Benny came away with the idea that there would have to be greater economy in the future. It gave him incentive to become co-owner of Polar Music with Bjorn and Stig Anderson.

Bjorn Ulvaeus came from Gothenburg, Sweden's western port and second largest city, where he was born in 1945.

Bjorn was still in school when he formed the West Bay Singers, a folk group. Stig Anderson suggested the name, Hootenanny Singers. Stig was great at naming groups.

Bjorn is known for his business sense and studied corporate law for a term at the University of Stockholm. He meant to be a civil engineer. He was drafted into the Swedish military for the mandatory 10 months, a handy experience if you are going to write songs like Fernando.

Frida Lyngstad was raised by her grandmother in Eskilstuna. Her mother had died at age 21, and it was felt that little Frida would fare better in Sweden since her father had been part of the occupying army.

Frida started singing professionally when she was 13. She sang with a big band, and that is how she met her first husband, Ragnar Fredriksson. He played trombone. Frida had two children by him: a son, Hans, and a daughter, Lotta.

If you are an ABBA fan, then you will love this book. The book takes you into the lives for 4 very special musicans.

Abba remain hugely popular in Britain and many other countries more than twenty years after they disbanded. This book is not an in-depth study of the different personalities and their difficulties, but it gives plenty of information about the members of Abba and their manager, including their lives before and after Abba. And (at least in my hardcover edition) there are pictures - plenty of them.

Regarding the four members of Abba, three of them (Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha) were born and raised in Sweden, all apparently having fairly normal childhoods, only their musical talent setting them apart from others. All three became hugely successful in the Swedish pop charts, Agnetha as a solo singer, Benny and Bjorn as members of separate groups.

The odd one out was Anni-Frid, better known as Frida. She was born in Norway as the illegitimate child of a German father and Norwegian mother. Frida was mainly raised by her grandmother, who took her to Sweden, where her mother joined them but died of illness a few months later, aged just 21. Frida also found it much harder than the others to achieve success in music, but she did eventually have some big Swedish hits of her own.

The author presents the main years (1969 to 1982) on a year-by-year basis, explaining the different events that occurred in each year - records, tours, TV, their personal lives - in a semi-diary format.

As far as the music is concerned, the story is quite complicated and not always easy to follow, but that is no fault of the author. Before they became Abba, they were four separate acts, each with their own careers and signed to different record companies. Once they came together as Abba, different things were happening in Japan, Australia, Germany, Sweden and elsewhere with different records - even before 1974. That was the year that Abba won Eurovision and charted for the first time in Britain and America.

There have been many books on Abba and will surely be many more. Despite being a huge Abba fan, this is the first I've read. If you're only going to have one book on Abba, it might as well be this one.

Did you ever come across a favourite song and say, "I wonder whatever happened to....? Abba took the world by storm back in the 60's when a quarter bought you an afternoon matinee at the movies, and minimum wage in my home town was $1.00 per hour. If you earned $1.25 or more, you had it made!

Abba possessed a unique blend of charisma, talent, and originality. Who can forget the sentimental lyrics of ,"I Had A Dream", the gentle flow of "The Rivers of Babylon", the melancholy strains of "Fernando" or the upbeat dance-hit, "Dancing Queen"? The list of hits went on and on.

What I particularly liked about this book was the numerous photographs all depicting Abba at their finest. Many photographs are ones not often, if ever, published before, at least not on this continent. In addition, the book reveals a lot of factual, personal information about the individuals themselves. The road to fame and fortune is not an easy one as readers will discover through the pages of this book. Some facts have been printed before, but other aspects of their career are presented here in a more complete, in-depth light. Fans of Abba, will no longer need to wonder, "what ever happened to..." because the epilogue tells you just that. Of all the books on the group, this is one of the best in print.

Probably the best book you can get, if you want an ABBA photo book. In this case even better than "From ABBA To Mammma Mia", since there is pictures from a broader period . It is written in cronologic date-by-date, where each year, as well as "The Movie" and the concert tours got its own chapter. You don't have to be an ABBA fan to enjoy this book, everyone can enjoy this trip in text and pictures through the fantastic story of ABBA.

This is wonderful! I wasn't sure when I ordered it. Even when it arrived I wasn't sure until I saw that each letter had a sing along to a familiar tune. The tunes are really cute and catchy.

I received this as a baby shower gift and I love it. My son is due in a month and I can't stop singing to my belly. I haven't tried the cd yet, but I am buying this as a gift for my other pregnant friends.

We bought this book for our two yr old daughter, who is really into following along with songs and has us read quite a few song-books. The book comes with a CD which is a great help to me, as I am not the greatest singer, yet it also helps my daughter learn the tunes and the words to the songs in the book. The book and CD have the familiar tunes from when I was a child, but have changed the words to match the music and the letter you are singing about. A lot of fun to do with our daughter.

My daughter started listening to this cd when she was 18 months and has loved it ever since. It's a favorite in the day care she goes to and that I work at. The management had to buy a book and cd for every class in the building! Kids love it!

I really like singing these songs to my daughter. The books is loads of fun. My only negative (besides the fact that I can never get these songs out of my head) is that the CD singing is a bit cheesy. But it is a kids CD, so should I really complain?

Excellent, informative history of the rave scene in England... everything is in here: how influential Ibiza was to the scene, MDMA and its history, smiley faces, baggy pants, all the main players and djs... it brought back a lot of happy memories of my raver days in NYC in the early 90s. A must read for those interested in this scene especially the beginning which shows that it all started in America: Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage, Frankie Knuckles's Warehouse parties, Dr. Shulgin and his MDMA studies... Britian took it to the next level in the 80s beginning with the Summer of Love and raves and was then past back to the US in the early 90s: Frankie Bones and the Storm raves, NASA, and the rest. This book tells you all about it!

This book is truely entertaining, it covers music, culture, politics, drugs, ect... It was hard to put this book down, I was sucked into it and learned a great deal about the scene in Eroupe. I recommend this book to people who are looking for answers to questions they didn't know they were asking...

As someone who "came of age" in the club culture of Austin, Texas in the mid-1980s (Halls, Stephanie's, 606), I have been quite surprised that the Dallas (Starck) and Austin dance subculture has not been fully explored in many books as "ground zero" for the ecstasy-fueled rave movement that developed in Europe during the late-80s and early 90s. Although MDMA had been around for a while, if it wasn't for a chance meeting between a certain Austin DJ and one of Britain's top new wave bands after an Austin concert, England's 1988 "summer of love" might not have happened (or at least it would have been delayed for a few years). That "three days of love" on Lake Travis had a tremendous influence on the social history of youth over the next twenty years! The book mainly focuses on Britain's experience with the rave and dance subculture. However, it is the first few chapters that I find so fascinating . . . the development of MDMA and its infusion into the mainstream population through unassuming college students who had no idea they were guinea pigs for the multitudes to follow. Well worth the read, especially for those of us who experienced the phenomenon first hand.

Garage, House, Acid House, Techno, Balearic, Drum & Bass, Jungle, whatever you call it: this is the book about the real history. Sometime in the past fifteen or twenty years rock died finally, amd weren't you glad? I was happy but I was on E and my vote doesn't count. I was taking alot of smart drugs too and I wrote a few novels on those so-called "pep pills." But I wasn't hanging out in Ibiza with Danny Rampling of Claire Manumission, or even Larry Levin at the Paradise Garage. I was still listening to Wire and Gary Numan. Like most people, at first I didn't care for most techno or house, but you know what? It's all I listen to now (I am still living in 1999). How did that happen? Before I used to listen to a lot of punk, ska and reggae, and then dropped out of the music scene for a while. I liked punk music especially since there were no rock stars, and anyone with long hair (or even looked remotely like Evan Dando) was immediately uncool and we used to beat them up. Boy, we were thugs back then, eh? But sometime in the late 1980s, someone slipped me a hit of E, and this disco record came on and it sounded like the best record I ever heard, and I was in love with everyone and I dove in the middle of the groping room. A few years later, I got serious and became the literary insider, and read Joyce, Proust, Beckett, Pynchon, Irvine Welsh, back to back, you know the story.... Well, what I'm saying is this book is a wonderful read, and adds a little narrative to the no-narrative techno policy. It also documents the most profound youth movement of the last ten or fifteen years. That's what I like about Techno: no rock stars!

Recommended to me by a friend. I have read all the books on our culture, and found this to be the most informative, historical, and unbiased description of the Rave culture. I was also quite suprised that the book dealt more with the actual culture of ravers, and didn't spend so much time on drug talk. Interesting discussion of the role the Alcohol industry played in the criminalization of ecstasy. Gives a lot of food for thought. A definite MUST HAVE.

The Audio Dictionary has a reserved spot on my desk. I have had it only a few weeks and already it looks as if I have had it for five years. I find myself constantly refering to it for specification writing, white papers and design/bid documents. Gary and Glen have really outdone themselves in creating this masterful work.

This book is an excellent source for words used in the sound arts and audio recording industry that you need to know to go into the business. Trying to find accurate and consistent definitions is very hard but this book puts the definitions all in one place in a clear and understandable way.

Great item to have if your going to be working in the field of music.

When I first got into audio engineering there was no way of understanding some of the more technical concepts I was expected to know. This book makes it really easy to understand a lot of the terms, I still always keep this book handy when I'm reading an AES journal article, just to help me out if there is something I don't understand.

The Audio Dictionary is a great book for anyone who's looking for a concise, clear explanation of any audio-related term. It's not (and does not pretend to be) a complete treaty like the Handbook for Sound Engineers, but offers a quick and reliable solution for those questions for which you don't have an answer from the top of your head and don't want to spend 2 hours reading the complete scientific explanation.

I consider it a must-have for any Audio Engineer who takes his profession seriously and have at least one copy in the library of each school we operate in Spain.

I purchased this CD-ROM many years ago, when it first came out, from the Metropolitan Opera House store. At that time it cost $100. I can't tell you how much I have loved and used this CD-ROM over the years. It's an amazing piece of programming - and everything works like a finely tuned clock. I teach the Ring to beginners and advanced opera lovers from time to time and use this to pull down the lietmotifs and learn more about The Ring. Every time I use it I learn something new. It is indeed a course on The Ring in its finest form. I recommend it to anyone who wants to delve deeper in Wagner's Ring to find out what all the fuss is about. A real treasure!

I am very grateful for those who helped create this CD-ROM.

It is an indispensible asset for any musicologist, music student, music teacher, music lover...heck, Wagner Lover!

This forms an extremely vital part of my Wagner discography, it's an important reference I always have on hand when wanting to study the epic Ring Cycle.

Thanks for choosing the Solti version and I guess those of us that were impressed by this are looking forward to further Wagner/Solti CD-ROM's hopefully dedicated to keeping Solti's Wagner legacy alive!

This is an incredible product! For those that like to follow the manuscript, the music and the translation of the libretto, this is excellent. I would love to see more of these. I will buy.

I agree with all the other glowing reviews of the Ring Disc! In 2003, I had the opportunity to perform excerpts from the Ring (I'm an orchestral violinist) but did not know a thing about the opera cycle except for maybe Ride of the Valkyries. Fortunately, my violin teacher owned the Ring Disc which she lent me, and with it I basically gave myself a crash course on the Ring in the space of a week. I really felt that its features helped me begin to understand, in a relatively short period of time, one of classical music's most daunting masterpieces. I now love the Ring and can't wait to attend my first Ring cycle!

As everyone else has already stated, this disc is absolutely amazing. Just getting the entire Solti Ring at this price makes it a bargain. But add in all the essays, the pointing out of the leitmotiffs, the libretto, the running commentary, and all the other features, and this is the kind of deal that you would be crazy to pass up. This disc is, probably, the best and most efficient way to learn everything you need to know about the Ring. Also, if you're worried about compatability, don't be. I have Windows XP, and the disc runs perfectly with no installation or technical hassles. Just put it in and start the experience. If you are at all interested in Wagner's Ring cycle, this disc is perfect!

Call me crazy, but this is one of the most important rock biographies - perhaps THE most important - ever written. All I can say is, 'totally cool!' I couldn't put it down.

Pete Best occupies a place in history worthy of a great Shakespearian character. He was the Beatles' original drummer who was sacked in favor of Ringo Starr at the precise moment the band was offered a recording contract by George Martin of E.M.I. Records. Best and co-author Patrick Doncaster tell the whole early Beatles saga, sparing us few details of the carousing, pranks and debauchery, but also imparting the fun, cameraderie, and musical growth of the Fab Four in those heady Mersyside days. I was expecting a fun read when I bought this book, but never expected the haunting, spooky feeling that remained after I finished the last chapter entitled "Down Among the Ghosts." In this short final chapter, Pete describes his emotions today when he wanders down into his mother's basement, the site of the former Casbah Club, one of the original Beatles venues. Here he lets himself travel back in his mind's eye to the rollicking days when Liverpool's musical explosion was going full tilt; and the bands, the screaming girls, the laughter, and dreams of glory were his everyday reality. In these visits, he conjures up the many departed people and former friends who poured downstairs each night. He sometimes takes a few whacks at his little brother's drum kit which sits by the old coffee bar. Then, he lets the cloud of memory evaporate, and climbs back up the stairs as today's Pete Best, a civil-servant living not far from his old home. Really a unique and amazing read!

In a sense Pete Best was a winner of another kind.
He made a succesful marriage for one thing and after 1995 a lot of money.
His recording career in the States came to nothing and yet the songs were typical Merseybeat,mostly written by Waddington and Bickerton who would achieve success in the 70s with a string of hits by the Rubettes.
Also overlooked is the fact that he was the only one of the 1962 Beatles who got a Decca recording contract

Wow. I read this book and enjoyed it immensely. It is the most honest account I have read in years.
Pete Best was with the Beatles during the early sixties, when they had yet to hit the big time. They spent several months in Hamburg, just learning their trade. He was with them through the Cavern Club years and the Decca audition. But just when things started to go right for the band, he was sacked.
Why?
We don't know. Pete says that he still doesn't know after all these years.
You may expect the book to be bitter about the Beatles success - but it isn't. You may expect him to bad mouth the band throughout - but he doesn't. He paints them in a remarkably nice light, that comes across as both honest and believable.
He recounts tales about drugs, drink and girls - and describes the personalities of the big bands they met - Tony Sheridan and Gerry and the Pacemakers for example.
And he also gallently talks about the day he was sacked, and the reasons why he thinks they did it.
The prologue at the end that describes his subsequent career shows that we shouldn't be sorry for him at all... What we wouldn't give to be at the heart of that!

Highly recomending this book for any Beatles Fans.
Anyone who is interested in the early Beatles History
this is a must read....
I finished reading this book in just under two days.
And like another reviewer I also found myself unable to put it down! It just drawns you in.
I came away with a different prospective on Pete,
really not knowing much about him or his life except that he was the original drummer for the Beatles.
I actually bought this book to be autogrpahed as I was going to see him the following week and lucky the book arrived in time..
A must have!!!!!

This latest installment of Bruce Spizer's books on the Beatles American Records is another "must-have" for fans and collectors of Beatles records. Informative, entertaining and full of wonderful color pictures is how I can best describe his latest work. This edition contains a wealth of information on so many different label releases. You need this book to document the many official and "unofficial" labels. I went through the book in less than a month. Highly recommended!

I have all of Bruce Spizer's Beatle related books and this final instalment matches all of the others for sheer detail and quality. It's a mind boggling journey through all of the Beatles "other label" US releases and certainly an education for collectors and fans alike. I especially like the "Capitol in The 70's & 80's" chapter covering the various compilation Lp's issued such as "Hollywood Bowl", "Rock & Roll Music" "Reel Music" & "Love Songs"..this completes a "Capitol" loose end.
It's a typically thorough book and sits proudly alongside the other Spizer instalments and the 50+ other Beatles tomes on my bookshelf. Well done Bruce. Very recommended to Beatles fans and Collectors alike.

What more can be said about Mr. Bruce Spizer, the New Orleans resident and Beatles historian? This sixth, and final, book in his critically acclaimed series of books about the American-released records from The Beatles is unlike anything else in literary history. What this man has accomplished is a sheer work of genius. This book, "The Beatles Swan Song: 'She Loves You' & Other Records" brings a very fitting close on a great work. In this volume, Mr. Spizer goes into great detail about The Beatles' records that were released on the Swan, United Artists, Decca, MGM, Metro, Atco, Clarion, and Polydor labels in the U.S.A. during the mid-to-late 60s, when all of these labels tried to jump onto the Beatles bandwagon only after the group became successful in America. Swan had the rights to release the "She Loves You" single, while United Artists equally did the same with their version of the "A Hard Day's Night" album. With every known existing variation of picture sleeves, album covers, record labels and other promotional materials, Spizer has once again conquered this subject matter on a grand scale. Just as informative is his chapters devoted to the Capitol releases during the 70s and 80s. Featured are "Rock 'N' Roll Music", "Love Songs", "The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl", "Rarities", "Reel Music" "20 Greatest Hits", "Past Masters" and the British-configuration albums from 1988. There is also noteworthy installments about the unreleased "Sessions" LP from the mid-80s; the reissue singles and albums showing all label variations; picture discs and colored vinyl; Mobile Fidelty Sound Lab; and even updated information regarding the original Vee-Jay, Capitol and Apple releases. Altogether, this book brings a fitting conclusion to an excellent body of work.

This and all the other Beatles Books by Bruce Spizer are the absolute best Beatles Books on the planet. They are full of facinating facts, pictures and stories. These books are great history lessons for all fans. Even The Beatles themslves should be thanking Bruce for these books because there is information in these books I am sure they never knew about themsleves or their records in the USA. I suggest all Beatles fans buy Bruce's books.

I was lucky enough to see Bruce Spizer at the 2007 Chicago Beatlefest.
I purchased the book "The Beatles Swan Song" and was very happy that Bruce personally signed the book for me.
This "blooming book" / (i.e a reference to A Hard Day's night)is a must read!!!!!
The book is hard back and the print is very legible (even for my eyes) and the graphics are just lovely.
The content?....let me say this again, "Thank you Bruce, I appreciate your work and research you did."
"THE BEATLES SWAN SONG" book is simply an amazing piece of work!!! VERY HISTORICAL!!!