Product Description

Given the phenomenal fame and commercial success that the Beatles knew for the entire course of their familiar career, their music per se has received surprisingly little detailed attention. Not all of their cultural influence can be traced to long hair and flashy clothing; the Beatles had numerous fresh ideas about melody, harmony, counterpoint, rhythm, form, colors, and textures. Or consider how much new ground was broken by their lyrics alone--both the themes and imagery of the Beatles' poetry are key parts of what made (and still makes) this group so important, so popular, and so imitated. This book is a comprehensive chronological study of every aspect of the Fab Four's musical life--including full examinations of composition, performance practice, recording, and historical context--during their transcendent late period (1966-1970). Rich, authoritative interpretations are interwoven through a documentary study of many thousands of audio, print, and other sources.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #341181 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review

"The Beatles As Musicians is a well-researched, serious-minded scholarly work that stands easily as the best volume of its genre. Students enrolled in music education programs at the university level will benefit tremendously from many of professor Everett's astute observations and advanced theories concerning the music of The Beatles. As a college-level textbook, this book rates an A+."--Goldmine
"Stunning in its thoroughness....An ambitious and serious analytical undertaking, and the only contribution of its kind to date, this book deserves careful attention from all who would include all musics in the 20th-century canon."--Choice
"This is an excellent book that will appeal to musicologists, theorists, and general readers with any interest in the Beatles....Everett has written the most important book on the Beatles to appear so far; it will become an indispensable part of any future work on the group and their music. He nicely and securely balances detailed music-analytical, historical, and biographical information while providing a compelling interpretation of the ways in which the group's music changed and developed."--John Covach, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"Impressive....I've never seen anything like it before....This unique book offers a seamless narrative of the latter half of the Beatles' career as music makers. What is new in these pages is new not only to the literature on the Beatles but to writing about popular music more generally....Everett does many things more effectively than any previous writer on the Beatles....A great book."--Charles Hamm, Dartmouth College

About the Author

Walter Everett is Associate Professor of Music in Music Theory at the University of Michigan.

Customer Reviews

One of a kind
The Beatles As Musicians (BAM) is one of a kind. No other book discusses the Beatles' music comprehensively from the point of view of a working musician. This is the only book about the Beatles which is aimed squarely at the literate musician.

The current volume handles the 1966-1969 period. Everett goes through each album and song examining basic techniques and materials. One real strength is his description of the recording process and the classification of exactly which guitars were used.

This book is a basic source reference. It's the kind of book you turn to when you need to know *more* about a particular song. It is exceedingly well annotated with references for almost all information provided. These alone makes the book worthwhile.

It does not attempt to sumarise the work of the Beatles or generalise about style. That kind of work can't be contemplated until books such as BAM are first made available.

For me, it's the first useful book about the Beatles music, from a musical viewpoint, since Wilfred Mellers wrote "The Twilight Of The Gods" in the sixties. Our understanding of the Beatles music has come along way since then. BAM is the book that makes that progress visible.

Ian Hammond

Informative, if a little stuffy
The author recommends the reader have several years of college-level music training. He uses harmonic/melodic analysis as one would use in dissecting W.A. Mozart, et al, in theory class. This is an interesting and insightful approach that sometimes gets a bit too clever, given the subject matter. The author demonstrates genuine admiration for the Beatles as composers/poets/performers, but occasionally becomes condescending, perhaps a product of his academic background. On the other hand, he seems to be very precise regarding who played what on which track--that's interesting for a musician at any level. All in all, an engrossing work. The more knowledge of music theory the reader possesses, the more he/she will enjoy this book.

Best study of the Beatles' music
A goldmine for anyone interested in the Beatles! By far the best study of the Beatles' music, indeed of any repertory of popular music. Everett includes technical analyses that will assist and inform musicians and scholars. BUT the general reader must not be scared off by the technical sections! If you're not familiar with music theory, skip the technical parts and you still have the best coverage of the Beatles as composers, with historical and personal details accurately recounted for each song and album. Impressed by Everett's work, the Beatles gave Everett unprecedented access to sketches and other unpublished material.

Both author and publisher deserve 10 stars for this magnificent effort.