Tuesday January 25, 2022; 9:48 AM EST
What's the best history of the Beatles? I've been trying the Spitz book, but it's not very well written. Lots of hyperbole, the characters and their stories are pretty thin. I'd like one that stops and talks about the songs, and how they were written (if it's known) and what they're really about. #- It's looking like 2022 is shaping up to be the year of the Beatles for me. Get Back was really a transformative event. I had very little idea of who the Beatles are/were as people. #
- Reading the 1970 John Lennon interview in Rolling Stone really brought it home. I know it's obvious, he's just a person, but the Beatle John Lennon was a huge figure in our culture, and in my own life. No one actually is that large. The cultural icon is another story. That's why the individual Beatles talked about The Beatles so often, as this thing separate from themselves. It was. And I suppose if you want to know why they broke up in 1970, that's probably the cause -- to become something approaching human-size again. I think it's fair to say they never achieved it. #
- My friend Dave Jacobs, who was a Dead-head, he traveled with the band, has all of a sudden become a Beatles-head too, as I have (again). He's listened to all their songs recently, and told me he was blown away by the sheer number of great songs. He said some bands have one or two hits, but the Beatles had hundreds of great songs. I don't think there's much doubt the Beatles are historic. #
- Wikipedia: Beatles timeline.#