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Customer Reviews (2)

Tone Deaf Biographer
It is never good, in any genre, for a critic to review a work that is contrary to his natural abilities nor outside the area of his comprehension.That author/subject disconnect is the situation with this work.

The book is annotated professionally, but easily 90% of the material in the book up to the Mills trainwreck/divorce can be found elsewhere, and is sometimes taken from elsewhere.If you are one that sees McCartney no longer as a creative force, but simply a world class performer of (his own) cover tunes, then his personal life isn't of great significance.Paul, post Linda, is a bit of a shadow.Personally, I don't want to know any more about Ms. Mills.I know too much already.So the one strength of this book is not appealing to this reviewer, though in fairness I note it.

As for this book's shortcomings, these are really shortcomings of Mr. Sounces, and are vividly demonstratable.McCartney has unique talents.At one time he used them to dominate and reshape the pop music genre.After that domination, his composing talents still remained vibrant and constructive for a good 20 years.The problem with this book is that Mr. Sounces, at his core, does not like, nor can he appreciate, Mr. McCartney's great talents in general, nor their particular flavor and uniqueness in particular.Sounces denounces (a frequent habit) one of McCartney's post-Beatle songs called "Magneto and Titanium Man" (from the "Venus and Mars" album).He dares the reader to try to listen to that song now, as if it would be painful for anyone to do so.But the facts about Magneto are 1)it is a very pleasant, light pop song that only Paul could write, 2)it is inventive in that it contains "rap" prior to rap even getting its foothold, 3)it contains some endlessly inspired bass playing that is sustainable for multiple listenings (and whose brilliance is obvious over 25 years later) and 4)it contains a uniquely Paul vocal performance where he gives you three - actually four, including the rap -- four different vocal timbres (or styles) IN ONE SONG.These last two bits - bass playing and singing - are things Mr. McCartney does like nobody else in rock.Nobody.If you do not know this you should not be writing a book about McCartney.If you can not see the bass virtuosity and vocal cunning Paul casually throws at you via "Magneto", then you should not be writing about McCartney, because you are tone deaf to his gifts and brilliance.

There are lots of McCartney biographies out there.This one is detailed, but it is certainly in the bottom half in terms of quality.And because it is written by a man who can not appreciate McCartney's truly unique gifts, it is a book that should never ever be first on your list.Anyone giving this book as a gift does Mr. McCartney in particular, and rock music history in general, a disservice.Better would be to gift "Venus and Mars" and point out to the benefactor "sometime checkout 'Magneto and Titanium Man' - it's amazing."Because it is, even after all this time.

A FINE LOOK AT MCCARTNEY, THE BEATLES, AND THE ERA
562 pages of text, 4 pages of Acknowledgements, and an Index.There are 16 pagesof b&w and color photographs (from boyhood through his later solo tours) grouped together in the book.

Yes, this is another book about Paul McCartney/THE BEATLES.But what makes this particular book even more interesting, is that the author, Howard Sounes (who has written fine biographies on Bob Dylan and Charles Bukowski), writes about McCartney in conjunction with the era when THE BEATLES were forming and went on to change music forever.Sounes also delves into McCartney's life after THE BEATLES, which, taken altogether, paint a fuller picture of McCartney's life in and out of music, including new information concerning his marriage and subsequent divorce from Heather Mills.For this biography Sounes has interviewed more than 200 people, which is obvious from the details found in this straight forward reading book.

This book is informative and entertaining, not only through Sounes writing, but various comments and anecdotes sprinkled throughout the book.There are chapters devoted to McCartney's boyhood, the forming of THE BEATLES, their time spent in Hamburg, Germany honing their musical skills, coming to America as popular artists, and McCartney's wedding to Linda Eastman.there's also much information on THE BEATLES differences and their subsequent breakup.From that point McCartney goes on to form his band WINGS, which the book goes into in some detail.After that the chapter concerning the reformation of THE BEATLES as a "threesome" is delved intoalong with the release ofthe three CD volumes and book("The Anthology") which took an in depth look at the groups career.Linda McCartney's death is given much weight in the book and how it affected McCartney.From there the book goes into some depth about Heather Mills meeting with McCartney, and their life together through theirdivorce.For those interested in new details concerning the McCartney's divorce, there's much new information which gives a better picture of just what went on during and after their marriage.The book ends with McCartney, now single, recording and releasing albums under the name Fireman, and his subsequent solo tours back where THE BEATLES came together musically, in Hamburg, Germany.

All through this well researched and written book the effort the author puts into anchoring McCartney to specific times and places really gives this book an interesting slant on everything.The feel for the era is very nicely portrayed and helps give a better picture of McCartney, THE BEATLES, and that long ago era.Taken together this is a very interesting, at times highly informative, and personal look at Paul McCartney's life, both in and out of music.Sounes has written a good book, and his feel for his subject is apparent.If you want to knowabout McCartney's life past the surface, this would be a good place to start.If you've already read other books about McCartney, this book is still worthwhile for the new information, and the author's way with combining both the man and the times. ... Read more

Product Description
More than a rock star, more than a celebrity, Paul McCartney is a cultural touchstone who helped transform popular music as one half of the legendary Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo. In this definitive biography, Peter Ames Carlin examines McCartney’s entire life, casting new light not just on the Beatles era but also on his years with Wings and his thirty-year relationship with his first wife, Linda McCartney. He takes us on a journey through a tumultuous couple of decades in which Paul struck out on his own as a solo artist, reached the top of the charts with a new band, and once again drew hundreds of thousands of screaming fans to his concerts. Carlin presents McCartney as a musical visionary but also as a layered and conflicted figure as haunted by his own legacy—and particularly his relationship with John Lennon—as he was inspired by it. Built on years of research and fresh, revealing interviews with friends, bandmates, and collaborators spanning McCartney’s entire life, Carlin’s lively biography captures the many faces of the living legend.

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Customer Reviews (35)

The Walrus was Paul.... really....
Carlin's biography seeks to debunk the well-worn argument, first aired in Phillip Norman's "Shout" in 1981, that John Lennon was the guiding intellectual force and true talent behind the Beatles.In this retelling, McCartney comes off as the group's impresario.Combining an innate musical genius with an insatisable will, McCartney takes Lennon's rather ragtag little skiffle group and gradually shapes them into the cultural powerhouse that they would become.Although Carlin is careful to insist on Lennon and McCartney's creative partnership, his discussion of it is hackneyed and cliched-ridden.Lennon, in Carlin's view, was quite undisciplined while McCartney was the one who first and consistently kept his ear tuned to the avant-garde and other musical innovations.

The book is most effective when discussing the reasons for McCartney's driven persona: the experience of his mother's loss (at 14, he was four years younger than Lennon was at his mother's death) and the trauma he experienced over the Beatles' break-up, Lennon's murder, and the death of his wife, Linda.McCartney's best music, in Carlin's view, emerges from his deeply-felt need to find solace and comfort in the midst of tragedy: "take a sad song and make it better," "let it be."

Although generally sympathetic, Carlin does underline how McCartney's increasingly martinet approach in the studio helped to sow the bad feelings that led to the group's break-up.More interestingly, he argues that this helps to explain his post-Beatles band Wings's continually shifting line-up and the frequently hard feelings he provokes in former associates.I wish that Carlin had devoted more time to the post-Beatles years - a far less well known history than the by-now liturgical recitation of the Beatles' career - and I think by trying to give McCartney his (over-)due, he diminishes Lennon's contributions to the band overmuch.Nonetheless, this is an entertaining read that tries hard to grapple with an icon who's been much maligned, much loved but not very well understood.

Balanced and entertaining
I "read" this book in the car on CD. I rented it because we were on a family trip and wanted something we could all listen to without offending anyone.

The narrative is very nicely read by John Lee in the fashion of a novel. I was surprised at first but quickly found this style very engaging.

This was the very first McCartney or Beatles biography I have read and I came away after finishing the story both moved by the content, and reeducated on a considerable amount of long held beliefs. Perhaps this is due to this being my first McCartney/Beatles biography. Nonetheless it was totally engrossing for the duration of the trip and now I feel inspired to read bios of the other members.

Insightful reading
We thought we knew the "real" Paul McCartney when we were 13 year old and crazy for the Beatles!This book peeled back a few layers of the "real PM" that were very interesting to read about.It is truly amazing that they survived the 60's and had any money left.A very good read!

Eleanor Rigby Comes Home
A wonderful read.It took me back to a far more innocent, creative time. I always suspected that Paul was the most talented Beatle, and this reinforces that belief.

Not Bad, But I'm Still Not Satisfied
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I think it was a good effort by a sympathetic author. In all fairness, Carlin tried his best to present a thoughtful assessment of a very complicated individual. The best parts of this book, are Carlin's albeit brief, attempts to let us into Paul's thoughts and feelings regarding his mother's death, and the end of his close friendship and partnership with John Lennon. Here the author shines in my opinion, because it is obvious that he sympathises with Paul's emotional state over the loss of not only the band that shaped his identity, but also the loss of one of the most important people in his life. But here is my first complaint.....Why is the information so scanty? Why does it seem disjointed, giving me the impression that there are missing parts, and things left unsaid? This is not necessarily Mr. Carlin's fault, because he has stated in interviews that there was a lot more about "John and Paul", that was edited out of the book. For this, I place the blame squarely on the editor. They never seem to know what to keep in a book and what to leave out. And they always seem to opt for the inclusion of useless, or repetitive info, while cutting out more interesting details that would ultimately give the reader a more rounded view of the subject.

Another issue I had with this book and others like it, is the reliance of the author on interviews with 'old boy' types who worked for the Beatles/Paul, and/or knew him on a superficial level. I don't know why they think that simply relying on these sources is going to produce a satisfying depiction. To me this is the lazy way to write a bio. This is not research. What are we to gain by reading disjointed, faded recollections? If Carlin did 12 years of research like he claims, then why didn't he focus on more reliable, contemporary sources?The average reader doesn't have time to look through hundreds of interviews, and read hundreds of books, and watch hours of film footage, or listen to hours of studio chat. That's the biographer's job. Then, his job is to compile everything he has learned, into a quality bio that gives the reader a good impression of who the subject of the book really is, and what makes him tick. Instead, they rely on interviews with a bunch of old guys who never really knew the subject very well, except on a superficial level at best.On top of that, they are being forced to remember incidents that happened almost 50 years ago. Incidents that have not only been colored by time, but are twisted by the personal agenda of the individual who is being interviewed. But the "biographers" use only the info they have gathered from these inferior sources, instead of relying on contemporary or "in the moment" interviews, audio tape, and eye witness accounts. These are much more reliable, then 50 year old faded memories from senile old men.Because the average reader is not a 'researcher'. He/she just wants to read a decent bio on his or her favorite musician. He/she wants to know a bit more about what goes on in the guy's head. And it'sthe biographer's job to equip the reader with this info. Sadly very few Paul biographers do this. In fact with the exception of Barry Miles' Many Years From Now, and a very good, but narrowly focused, and out of print, book by Chris Salewicz, none do. John was a self discloser...Paul is not and never was. So it is useless in my opinion, to rely on interviews with people who hardly knew him. You will not learn a thing about him that way. To know anything useful about Paul, you have to listen to and read eyewitness accounts.That said however, I don't want to imply that there are no useful interview sources for Paul bios. I enjoyed the recollections of people who worked with Paul during the Wings period and after that. And the people Carlin chose to talk to, like a member of the group 10cc, and the person who produced Press to Play, gave many interersting....and revealing... anecdotes. Old girlfriends are alsogreat sources of info because in most cases, they knew him the best. Women like Maggie McGivern and Dot Rohne are valuable because they not only knew the man behind the armor, but they are honest about him. Dot especially, talks about the good in him but doesn't skimp on the bad. But the 'bad' is not told with malice, but with honesty. Unfortunately although Carlin did interview both these women I believe, most of what they said, has been edited out of the book, leaving the reader with barely a trace. And of course it is only the negatives that are left in. The rest is not even taken from the interviews, but instead copied from previous bios like Bob Spitz's book. Sadly this information is completely wrong, which brings me to another problem with Beatle bios in general....the wrong information being printed over and over, to the point where it turns into "fact". But regarding 'girlfriend sources'...even Francie Schwartz is not necessarily an invaluable source. Although she does tend to be vindictive and dishonest, in the brief time she knew Paul, she certainly learned more about his inner self, than someone like Tony Barrow could ever know. But authors choose to interview Barrow while staying as far away from Schwartz as possible. Understandable since Schwartz is known to be unstable. But my question is, how reliable are Barrow'srecollections from 50 years ago? A friend of mine who is a Paul researcher, was perplexed by a Barrow story that was included in Carlin's book. She felt the story didn't fit with what she already knows about Paul, so she did some detective work. She managed to uncover an eyewitness account of Barrow's story, that conflicted with Barrow's faded, 50 year old memory. Or was it Barrow's agenda that caused him to remember the story the way he did?Plus, Barrow wasn't even present when the incident happened.In any case, why didn't Carlin do this detective work himself? Why did a reader have to do it?Carlin's reliance on old boy interviews, told me more about the fact that the world of Beatles research is a Boys Club, than it really told me about Paul. Would I recommend this book? If you already know a lot about Paul and wish to add some interesting details to your knowledge base, than it is a nice thing to add to your collection. However, it is one of many flawed books, on a list that is growing by the minute.





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Product Description
During the past year Paul McCartney has been in the public's eye more than at any time since the peak of Beatlemania over thirty years ago. His fans have been treated to the best-selling Flaming Pie and Standing Stone albums, a full hour of Paul on "Oprah," and this thoughtful and comprehensive biography that brings us closer to the man than ever before. Based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews over a period of five years, and with complete access to Paul's own archives, Barry Miles has succeeded in letting Paul tell the story of his life as a Beatle in his own words. It includes Paul's recollection of the genesis of every song that he wrote with John Lennon and the fascinating details about their remarkable collaboration.
Amazon.com Review
If you think John Lennon was the smart, arty Beatle while Paulwas an empty head twittering prettily, this book will hip you to thefacts. While John sat in the suburbs getting stoned to numb the painof his imminent divorce, bachelor Paul was feeding his head byimmersion in the London avant-garde. He pioneered the Beatles'experimental stuff, though his witty song-by-song account proves thatit really was a 50-50 partnership--and some of the best innovations,like the snarling 1964 feedback intro to "I Feel Fine," happened bypure accident. Paul's insight into John's genius, which sprang fromhowling paranoia and a stark childhood, is still deeper than hisinsight into himself, but the book's true glory is its inside info onall those songs--the six tunes about John's marriage on A Hard Day'sNight; Paul's heist of the "I Saw Her Standing There" bassline from Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" (found on Berry's The Chess Box);the true meanings of "Norwegian Wood" (pine paneling, which the song'snarrator burns to avenge the girl's refusal to have sex with him),"Got to Get You into My Life" ("you" is marijuana), and "Ob-La-DiOb-La-Da" ("life goes on" in Yoruba). This book is even better than A Hard Day's Write: TheStories Behind Every Beatles' Song and Revolution in theHead. Here is the last word on the Beatles, inevitably slantedtoward McCartney but generally more convincing than Lennon's ownrecollections.--Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (128)

Paul McCartney did it all!!! ........rolls eyes
According to Paul McCartney, he is solely responsible for everything that went right with the Beatles from beginning to end. Without getting into petty details as to who really wrote what or who is responsible for whichever contributions to the band, the bottom line is that the Beatles would not have existed without all four members, with a little help from George Martin. Paul comes off as if he inspired all the great ideas for every great song, while the others, especially Lennon, would not be nothing without him. While the Beatles started as a small little rock band, it is easy to distinguish the writing styles, song craftsmanship, and musicianship capabilities of all four members as the years progressed. And while Paul has had his major contributions to the band with songs such as Let It Be, Hey Jude and Yesterday, he owes a lot of his success as a songwriter to Lennon, who influenced him on lyrics, introspective themes and raw rock n' roll. Likewise, Lennon and Harrison should be grateful for all the outstanding melodic bass lines Paul contributed to many of their individual songs such as Something, Dear Prudence, Old Brown Shoe and Come Together among others. But the main thing is that not one Beatle was more important or relevant than the others. For every song that Paul "claims" he helped John write or compose such as Ticket Ride, This Boy, Day Tripper, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, And Your Bird Can Sing, If I Fell, etc., etc. there are just as equal songs which John helped Paul write such as Penny Lane, And I Love Her, Can't Buy Me Love, Drive My Car, Paperback Writer, etc., etc, for which Paul prefers to ignore in this book. What would those compositions be without John?? Or what about George and Ringo, what would Paul's songs be without their contributions. Or what about George Martin, what would Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, Golden Slumbers, Sgt Pepper, Lady Madonna, etc., etc. be without his input??

It is pathetic that Paul, a musician whom I admire for his musical contributions both as a Beatle and as a solo artist, reduces himself to a crumb and instant liar, when he tries to take credit for every little bit of significance in John compositions such as John's newspaper sections in A Day In the Life which McCartney claims to have written or the chord structure to Rain, which John, George Martin, Neil Aspinall, Ringo and a host of other testimonies have confirmed that is purely John.

Oh well, so much for all this, seems like now McCartney says that Lennon actually did write most of In My Life....... "who cares, give that one to John, the mind gets foggy after a while".And for the record, Let It Be is a masterpeace. Peace. Out......

Reads like a Beatles Documentary, told from McCartney's perspective
I really enjoyed reading this book. The author and Paul McCartney have been friends for a long time, so this book was prepared with the full cooperation of McCartney. The book cuts back and forth between the author's narration and recollections from McCartney, just the way a TV documentary would be conducted. It was fascinating to learn about how Paul decided to become a vegetarian, and how he was inspired to write certain songs, and how he came up with the character Father McKenzie for the song Eleanor Rigby.

The book seems to lay much of the blame for the breakup of the Beatles on the shoulders of Yoko Ono, whose strange, suffocating presence in the studio was more than a little annoying to the other Beatles.

Paul also implies that it unnerved John that the biggest selling Beatles tunes (Hey Jude, Yesterday) were songs that Joh didn't write or have much of a hand with.

The closing eulogy to his wife Linda was deeply touching, and a fitting conclusion to the biography.

One Of The Best...
books on Paul McCartney, (there isn't many) or on the topic of the Beatles as a whole. Filled with Paul's words and his voice, telling the 'story' of his life and of his time with the Beatles, this is a fair and well balanced account. Chock-full of tid-bits and first hand accounts, this book puts to rest many miss told stories, 'myths' surrounding song origins and takes you backstage and into the homes and lives of these four men like no other book can. As a Lennon fan, I was wooed by McCartny and his heartfelt tales of life with John, through the best of times and worst of times. Not at all censored and truly a book for all Beatles fans... for now, and many years from now.

Thorough, entertaining: 80% Paul
A reader can tell that Miles spent a lot of time working on this book, which gives McCartney a lot of credit for the Beatles' popularity and creativity. McCartney certainly deserves a great deal of it (approximately 50% [Percentages appear throughout]). Miles actually gives McCartney more credit than I would have supposed that McCartney deserved for the songs on which John Lennon sang the lead vocal, especially the songs from the early period (1963-1965). The most obvious examples include the hit singles, "I Feel Fine," "Ticket To Ride," and "Help!" - to say nothing of "Norwegian Wood" and "In My Life". Miles and/or McCartney say that those songs were co-written by Lennon and McCartney, while most of the McCartney-led songs were penned by Paul alone or co-written with minimal input (10%) from John (See "And I Love Her" and "Eleanor Rigby"). The John Lennon interviews of 1972 and 1980 corroborate that Paul wrote the "Paul" songs - but that John wrote the "John" songs. At the end of Miles' book, Paul says that each songwriter contributed his 50% to the Lennon-McCartney catalogue. However, if one adds up the percentages that he assigned to each songs' creators from the preceding pages, Paul comes out on top, clearly. Do you think that John would agree?

Excellent book
A very worthwhile read.A wealth of information about how the miracles happened, and how the mistakes happened.
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It's coming out now; both of the Beatles' engineers, Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick, admit that Paul was the "producer-on-the-floor" as well as arranger of most of the Beatles songs.Certainly he contributed what we consider most Beatlesque as a group, what distinguished them and what vaulted them over the top:those intriguing, keening harmonies;as well as the focus on drive and quality.

With many comments from Paul, many self-deprecating, you'll feel like you know him.Many laudatory comments about John, quite a bit more balanced and nuanced than what John ever wrote or said about Paul.You'll have a better understanding of John's contributions and virtues.
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Read it, combine it with what you know, and judge for yourself.Excellent grist for thought.Don't miss it. ... Read more

Product Description
Since 1982 Paul McCartney has found in his work on canvas both a respite from the world and another outlet for his creativity. Last year he exhibited his work for the first time in Siegen, Germany. Now, in Paul McCartney: Paintings, he shares this work with a larger audience. Full of intense colour, these paintings reveal McCartneys positive spirit as well as a visual sophistication influenced by his friendship with Willem de Kooning. Beautifully designed and produced, the portfolio of paintings is accompanied by candid photos by Linda McCartney, a collection of critical texts, and a lengthy interview with Paul McCartney. The paintings featured in this book have never before been published in the trade. Many of Linda McCartneys accompanying photographs have never before been published either. The extensive text provides insight into McCartneys vision as an artist and musician.Amazon.com Review
Tony Bennett, David Byrne, and occasionally David Bowie all do it--they make art. With the introduction of Paul McCartney: Paintings, we can now add the famous Beatle to the list. The book is a catalog of paintings from McCartney's 1999 exhibition in Germany. Music and art have many things in common; for McCartney it is the freedom to "play" that connects both endeavors. Fittingly, his paintings draw most of their influence from abstract expressionism, in which the material quality of the paint itself inspires the drips, blobs, and splatters. His paintings range from cartoon-like figures and faces to open landscapes. The colors are dynamic with varying thicknesses of paint, some with marks scratched into the surface, all with stories and symbolic value.

From the illustrations and accompanying essays to the very candid interview, we are given remarkable insight into McCartney's practice as a committed creative person. He confides his insecurities as a painter who has never gone to art school, and his defining moments as an artist both musically and visually. There is an unusually generous section in which McCartney discusses many of the paintings in the book; it's a behind-the-scenes look as he elaborates on the personal meanings behind certain symbols, tells stories and anecdotes, and acknowledges his painterly influences, specifically Willem de Kooning. Also included are personal photographs of the artist at work, 117 color illustrations, and 17 duotone photographs. --J.P. Cohen ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

graet book
if you like Paul mccartney this book is for you, it shows his artistic ability as a painter. Beautiful pictures of his work.

Paul McCartney Paintings
This is a beautiful book and a rare find.The book arrived in good condition and I am very pleased to add it to my collection.Thank you.

One of the best art books in recent years
Among hundreds of art books in my collection, Paul McCartney's Paintings is one of the 5-6 I return most often to.
His are very personal paintings - as he admits himself. I find them beautiful and inspiring, every time after viewing the book I feel like grubbing the brush myself...
Are they professional?
If by that we mean 'commercial' - I believe they are not.
But they represent very special type of abstract expression: inspired by but not necessary aspiring to "approach the style of the models (de Kooning in this case)" as some very pompous reviewer wrote in Publishers Weekly (cited by Amazon), expression of a deep intellectual persona.
The interview with the artist and discussion of the more significant paintings presents very unpretentious, down-to-earth and passionate painter.
There are thousands of us - painting our hart out for our own use, craving a feedback, but not necessary willing to step out from our own, intimate world...
Who knows, we may encounter an art 'specialist' like those two who gave 1-star valuations of the book (Jim-the-good-guy or the Anonymous). The two who wrote just to write something negative about a celebrity stepping out-of-the-line, rather than presenting their point of view. That's probably their only chance to 'get' an over-achiever, excelling in yet another field of art and adding more to his celebrity - all what most of us desire, but very few achieve. I bet that these two buy tabloids and devour tasty details of Paul's divorce...
But the biggest put-down comes from the above mentioned Reed Business Information (?) reviewer. 'Inane titles', not even approaching the style or significance of the 'master', one, (truly weak) sentence, taken out of context from otherwise interesting, intimate discussions between Paul McCartney and Wolfgang Suttner, and, finally, the "loose assortment of little-known art journalists with varying degrees of separation from McCartney" - how else to display high-brow disgust... on implied self-promotion of Paul McCartney.
As I mentioned before, I have access to hundreds of art books. Most of them were written by independent, well-known, influential and knowledgeable art critics... Most of the books are un-readable art-gab - I keep them just for the pictures of, otherwise, great art.
I recommend this book to anybody who likes free, un-educated but sophisticated abstract art.
I can only hope that the artist continues to paint and we will be able to see more of his internal life on canvas - it's very interesting.

Sooo Impressed
Paul McCartneys is not only a great recording artist, but he is a GREAT painter as well. He is a true artist. I enjoy his art very much, and I was extremely impressed that he can paint the way he can. I would place right up there among Picasso and Chagall. He's that good.

Dripping with color
It's a joy to flip through this book of wildly inventive faces and colorful dreamscapes.There is a freedom and a vibrance to McCartney's paintings, that, like his music, can't help but draw you in and infect you with a buoyant kind of wonder.

These paintings tear at the boundaries of what you think can and can't be done.They're appealing and yet completely unpredictable.In short, they are paintings from the same imagination that came up with both "I Will" and "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" and then had the not-so-common-sense to put them back-to-back on the same record.

McCartney is obviously setting the artist inside free with these bold, bright canvases.Whether this is great art, that is really a question that each pair of eyes must answer in its own way, in its own unique language.

I for one am glad that McCartney has chosen to make his paintings public.I find these colorful canvases, and the artisitic courage that propelled them into being, quite inspiring. ... Read more

Product Description
17 McCartney classics arranged for the beginning guitarist, including: Band on the Run * Coming Up * Ebony and Ivory * Jet * Junior's Farm * Listen to What the Man Said * Live and Let Die * My Love * No More Lonely Nights * Say Say Say * Silly Love Songs * With a Little Luck * and more. ... Read more

Product Description
Play 60 of Sir Paul's most endearing works, including: Ballroom Dancing * Band on the Run * Ebony and Ivory * Jet * Maybe I'm Amazed * Mull of Kintyre * My Brave Face * No More Lonely Nights * Pipes of Peace * Press * Say Say Say * Silly Love Songs * Spies like Us * Tug of War * Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey * We All Stand Together * With a Little Luck * Wonderful Christmastime * and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book for the songs included, but some great ones left out
This book has plenty of great Paul McCartney songs, but also (in my opinion) plenty of duds.Naturally, with a catalog as large as Paul McCartney's, this is bound to happen.Some of the songs sound just delightful on solo guitar, while others don't sound very good with guitar alone (Tug of War and Pipes of Peace come to mind).

The songs that are included are well presented, with small chord diagrams at the beginning of each song, and chord names written above the lyrics.Some will complain that it's not spiral bound, this is a legitimate complaint but not something that bothers me a tremendous amount.Most songs are contained to two facing pages, so you can use two paperweights to hold it open while you play.

Here is the complete list of songs:
* Another Day
* Arrow Through Me
* Ballroom Dancing
* Band On The Run
* Beautiful Night
* Beware My Love
* Bluebird
* C Moon
* Call Me Back Again
* Coming Up
* Daytime Nightime Suffering
* Ebony And Ivory
* Figure Of Eight
* Freedom
* From A Lover To A Friend
* Getting Closer
* Girls' School
* Give Ireland Back To The Irish
* Goodnight Tonight
* Heart Of The Country
* Helen Wheels
* Hi, Hi, Hi
* Hope Of Deliverance
* I've Had Enough
* Jet
* Junior's Farm
* Let 'Em In
* Let Me Roll It
* Letting Go
* Listen To What The Man Said
* Live And Let Die
* London Town
* Lonely Road
* Mary Had A Little Lamb
* Maybe I'm Amazed
* Mull Of Kintyre
* My Brave Face
* My Love
* No More Lonely Nights
* Once Upon A Long Ago
* Pipes Of Peace
* Press
* Put It There
* Say Say Say
* Silly Love Songs
* So Bad
* Spies Like Us
* Stranglehold
* Take It Away
* The Song We Were Singing
* This One
* Tug Of War
* Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
* Venus And Mars
* Wanderlust
* Warm And Beautiful
* We All Stand Together
* With A Little Luck
* Wonderful Christmastime
* Young Boy ... Read more

Product Description
The author traces the history of Wings and delves into the inner dynamics of the group, its commercial and artistic success, and its demise. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Fascinating look at the Wings years
This book is simply and engagingly written. You learn of McCartney's desire to be in a post Beatles band, and his determination to have his wife Linda learn piano so that she can be in the band. This causes some problems because fans and band members alike are not overly impressed with her musical skills.

Paul is also so much more talented than the other members of Wings that many skeptics regard Wings as a phony band. Thus the book title is very appropriate!

Band on the Run is regarded as the best album, even though it was mostly a solo McCartney effort with the help of his wife and Denny Laine.

Paul is also quite proud of the fact that Wings sold more records than the Beatles.

One thing that unfortunately comes out is that Paul ran a tight ship and some felt that he didn't compensate them as well as he could have.

This is a nice addition to the McCartney story and a well deserved spotlight on the band on the run.

Band Needs to Run
I was very disappointed with this book.I love the Beatles and I always enjoy reading about how musicians band together to make music.I had looked forward to reading about this part of McCartney's career that is seldom written about.Although there are many interesting anecdotes, the book is not so much a biography as a list of facts strung together in simple sentences.The author seldom takes the time to go into any detail.I do not recommend.

wings
I am definetly a die hard fan of the beatles since time immemorial and this conviction never cease to exist to this day. However, it is also imperative to know the musical activities of every member of the beatles after they disbanded, indeed there is light at the end of the tunnel after the post beatle era. One visible and yet subliminal effort during the post beatle era, was the birth of Paul Mccartney and Wings. This book takes you to the inner mind of Paul and his inevitable predicament to continue his musical career by forming a new band and having a new life with Linda. In this book you will also witness the other side of Paul Mccartney not as an ex-beatle, but as the band leader of the Wings. Moreover, discover the fraustrations of Linda Mccartney as a musician in her own right. I highly recommend this book to all genuine beatlemaniacs and die hard fans of Sir Paul Mccartney,like me!

The Life Of Wings
Garry McGee's Band On The Run: A History of Paul McCartney & Wings is a fine account of the 1970's musical output of a rock legend.McCartney's music with Wings is often overlooked and dismissed, but looking back, he crafted some of the most enduring pop songs of his career.Mr. McGee does a great job of chronicling the recording sessions that produced the music.If you a fan of Paul McCartney and Wings, then this book is worth your time.

Potted history of Wings.
This book really provides an overview of Wings' career. But it feels to me a little disjointed, like it is really just a lot of anecdotes and stories cobbled together from other sources, rather than a complete uniform work in it's own right. I also find some of the writing a little clumsy in it's phrasing and wording. That said it is an entertaining enough read for a night but I can't say that I learned anything new here.
The album and singles sections in the back are good to have though. There are some photos of rare Wings material throughout the book which are interesting, but it would have been nice to have them printed in colur in a glossy photo section of the book.
... Read more

Product Description
This wonderful souvenir folio matches McCartney's 2001 double-disc solo career retrospective, which features one CD of "Hits" and another of "History." Includes 40 top tunes, and more than a dozen pages of great full-color photos. Songs: Another Day * Band on the Run * Coming Up * Heart of the Country * Jet * Junk * Let 'Em In * Listen to What the Man Said * Live and Let Die * Maybe I'm Amazed * Mull of Kintyre * My Love * No More Lonely Nights * Silly Love Songs * Tomorrow * Tug of War * Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey * With a Little Luck * and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

good music
arrived as expected, book is good.
Why do they place the chords on the bottom of the music lines though???

An average book
The book opens with 12 pages with nice color pictures of Paul, Linda and the group, followed by a fine collection of songs (sheet music) from the Wings and solo albums. This is the full list from the index:

HITS
-----
Listen To What The Man Said
Band On The Run
Another Day
Live And Let Die
Jet
My Love
Silly Love Songs
Pipes Of Peace
C Moon
Hi Hi Hi
Let 'Em In
Goodnight Tonight
Junior's Farm
Mull Of Kintyre
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
With A Little Luck
Coming Up
No More Lonely Nights

HISTORY
---------
Let Me Roll It
The Lovely Linda
Daytime Nightime Suffering
Maybe I'm Amazed
Helen Wheels
Bluebird
Heart Of The Country
Every Night
Take It Away
Junk
Man We Was Lonely
Venus And Mars/Rockshow
The Back Seat Of My Car
Rockestra Theme
Girlfriend
Waterfalls
Tomorrow
Too Many People
Call Me Back Again
Tug Of War
Bip Bop/Hey Diddle
No More Lonely Nights (Playout Version)

The sheets of music contain melody notes (with the lyrics underneath), piano notes (for both hands), chords and guitar tabs, all in the original keys (that's pretty much the standard for these kind of books).

The melody, the lyrics and the chords seem to be OK, as far as I noticed (I can't comment on the tabs, since I don't use them). However, I must admit I'm disappointed from the piano arrangements. They aren't as good as I hoped they would be, and I found myself playing from the chords instead (and I didn't have to buy the book to get the chords). I have recently bought (from Amazon UK) a British book called "Play Piano With... Paul McCartney" and the arrangements there were very good and pretty close to the originals.

All in all, it's a nice book to play the great songs of Paul McCartney from, but if you're looking for a piano book, I wouldn't recommend this one. ... Read more

Product Description
In the fall of 1969, the story seemed to come out of nowhere. Was Beatle Paul McCartney dead? This was no ordinary death rumor. It was believed that McCartney had died years earlier and been replaced by a look alike. What's more, the surviving Beatles were thought to have planted "clues" to his death on their record albums. "Paul-Is-Dead" mania swept the United States as people attempted to solve the riddle of Paul's alleged demise. How did all of this happen? Beatles scholar and journalist Andru J Reeve has gotten to the bottom of this intrigue. After years of research, Reeve has assembled TURN ME ON, DEAD MAN to tell the strangest tale ever in the history of rock 'n' roll. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

The Number 9, The Number 9 . . .
One of the most enduring legends of rock and roll is the old rumor that Paul McCartney of the Beatles was decapitated in a car crash at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 9, 1966.

Beginning around September or October of 1969 and lasting for a period of almost six weeks, fans of Beatle music were fully convinced that Paul was actually dead and had been secretly replaced by a mysterious double. (Indeed, to some extent, that belief still exists to this day in certain quarters). Fans looking for clues to Paul's death found them in surplus on the group's album covers, in the fan booklets that came with albums, and even embedded in the band's music.

This book explores the facts surrounding the rumor and is perhaps the most comprehensive retelling published to date. (Great photo section, too).

While it is true that some of the "Paul is Dead" clues are simply too preposterous to accept, a few actually remain unexplained, both as genuine mysteries and as examples of unusually strong coincidences and synchronicity that cannot be quite so easily dismissed.

The number 9, number 9, number 9!

Curt Rowlett,
Author of Labyrinth13

Some good facts and recollections in this
This was an entertaining recount of the "Paul is Dead" rumor that spread like wildfire in the late 60's and still persists to a certain degree to this very day.

The biggest fault this book has is, while it does contain lots of great info and recollections on the subject, the author does not even for one second entertain the idea that The Beatles intentionally perpetrated the rumor. He more or less just looks at it as an urban legend started by over imaginative acid taking pot smoking hippies that snowballed once a few self serving radio disc jockeys and journalism students got a hold of it. He totally discounts and laughs off, not only the idea that "Paul is Dead", but also that the Beatles were in on the whole thing. Reeve even lists most of the hints and clues that appeared on Beatles records and goes out of his way to discount them, more often than not in a very illogical and unconvincing way. The funny thing is one of the biggest hints that people fed off of is easy to discount and the writer (or anybody else) does not even attempt to debunk it. The one I am referring to is that people were saying the Walrus was considered a death omen in Viking times in Scandinavia. I have to tell you all I have studied Viking history and read Norse and Icelandic sagas obsessively studying Norse Pagan beliefs for years. I am an Odinist. I have even lived in Scandinavia for the past few years and I am married to a Danish woman. The belief that the Walrus was or is a death omen has never once surfaced in any of my studies of the past or in my day to day life here.

As conspiratorial minded as I am I think that its very, very unlikely McCartney died and was replaced by a doppleganger but I do believe that the band was in on the whole thing. There were just too many hints and clues that they put into their lyrics, music and the art of their albums for it to be an accident.

Decent sociohistorical study of odd phenomenon
This is actually a revamped version of a great book by Reeve originally released in the early 90s by Popular Culture, Ink. Thus some of the interviews, text and photos are from the late 80s, when Reeve was doing the meat of his research. It should be stated straight off that the intent of this book is not as a clue-finder. Clues are listed through out the text, and there is an appendix with a long list of them (though surprisingly missing some of my faves- including the sunlight skull on the back cover of Abbey Road, the lyrics of "Only A Northern Song", and any clues from the Let It Be album, just to name a few). But the aim of this book is first and foremost to 1) Determine the origins of the hoax 2) Theorize about why it was so fascinating from a sociohistorical context, and 3) Mention how the hoax has become an enduring part of popular culture. In fact, the book gets a smidge long in the tooth once it starts listing various publications and websites having to do with Paul-Is-Dead, pop culture references over the years, as well as a "where are they now" section regarding the main figures in the original hoax. But Reeve's dedication to the subject is flawless. Almost a third of the book is dedicated to appendices, endnotes and an index.

Throughout the narrative, the author attempts to build tension like a murder-mystery/thriller, with tongue firmly in cheek (or maybe not), with varying results. But all in all, a fun study of an odd phenomenon. Great pics too. Recommended.

Turn me on Dead Man
This book is great.

It has lots and lots of Beatles Clues.. It goes thur step by step the series revolving Paul's > so called death> back then.

I never believed that Paul had died in an automobile crash.I knew it was all a Publicity stunt.The Beatles made it up themselves.. It helped their "Record Sales" at the time.

They had stopped tourning "Live" , cos they were "Burned out" with the live audiaunces.They could not tolerate all the "screaming and yelling" from their fans anymore.

John stated, "They can't even hear us on stage , so what's the point of being there."So they stopped in 1966.

that was the year I saw them twice on stage.> Wow.. nothing like it since...>

But this book covers all the clues and all the little things about Paul that you may not know, when they were "planning his dimise".

I would pick it up, it is very Intresting to read.

I learned some things I did not know...

Read it.It is "Enlightning"

"Beatles Bird"

2006

Best Look at The 'Paul Is Dead' Hoax
Looking for a great all-in-all treatsie of the hoax? Look no further! This book has every clue imaginable - including clues that have sprung from the internet age. This is an exhaustive look at the hoax from many different angles. One of the most pleasurable aspects of the book (beyond the guilty pleasure of the subject matter) is the short and easily digested chapters, making this a perfect nightstand read.

The author, to his credit, doesn't have an axe to grind here. He doesn't try to convince you to accept any theory (Is Paul dead? Was it all coincidence? Was it a hoax by the Beatles to sell more records?), but just presents the historical facts and on-the-record comments as best they are known. A first-rate read that you'll love! ... Read more

Product Description
Paul McCartney: I Saw Him Standing There presents aninsider's glimpse into the private persona of one of the world'sgreatest musician-singer-songwriters or our time. It has sure-fire,multigenerational appeal for the legions of fans who have followed thestar's career for decades.All of the pictures in the book are the work of one professionalphotographer who has had unique access to McCartney from 1976 to thepresent. Her exclusive photos, taken during tours, record signings,private parties, press conferences, award ceremonies, backstagemoments, and numerous personal encounters, show the many faces ofMcCartney-the musician, devoted husband, proud father,environmentalist, and animal rights activist. Revealing statements bythe artist himself, lively accounts by many of his fans, andcommentary by the author complete this remarkable chronicle of aninternationally beloved entertainer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

macca rules
This book has great pics of the cute one,and the price just cant be beat

Special Moments
I bought this book because I grew up with "New World Tour" era Paul and I wanted pictures that captured him during that time.The pictures areindeed wonderful in this book but the real reason you should buy it is for all of the fan stories that are told.Fans from all over the world wrote about the special moments they had with Paul; whether it was a a meeting backstage or just a moment of eye contact while Paul was performing.All of the stories are fun to read and are quite touching.

He FELT Her Standing There
This book is a wonderful collection of Memories of many Magical Moments in the presence of Paul McCartney.The pictures span two and a half decades of devoted work. The author and Mr. McCartney connect in several of these pics,and he hams it up for her. Who but someone so tuned in to him, could capture these moments??.Linda McCartney appreciated Jorie Gracen and her work...what else needs to be said.? I highly recommend this book and hope that Ms. Gracen will put out another collection following his recent world tours.Anyone who appreciates Paul will thouroughly enjoy this book!!!!!!!!!

Linda from Boulder, CO
This is an excellent, fun book for any fan who has ever attended a Macca concert and I have attended many.It is also fun for people who have yet to experience the thrill of having Paul wink at them or point at their sign.I don't consider myself a "wacko" or a "stalker".I just enjoy seeing Paul in concert and reading this book brings back many memories, including the story I wrote for the book about Liverpool on June 28, 1990.

Wow! To have been standing there
Great Pictures, great format.
Ms. Gracen gives us a fly on the wall view of McCartney's touring days.Closeups and rare photos.Well put together and an endless parade of snapshots.Perfect coffee table book.If you put this on your coffee table with ten other books it's almost guaranteed that this is the one your guests will pick up. ... Read more

Product Description
WINGSPAN is an intimate scrapbook charting how Paul McCartney's band, Wings, became one of the biggest selling acts of the 1970's with memorable hits like "Band on the Run," "My Love," "With a Little Luck," "Live and Let Die," "Junior's Farm," "Jet," and many others.At the same time, Paul and his wife, Linda, a fellow band member, were raising a family at home and on the road.This book is a personal record of Wings' beginnings after the break up of the world's most celebrated rock group, the Beatles, through to the 1980's.Apart from a unique insight into the dynamics of a hugely popular band and an extraordinary marriage, WINGSPAN brings back memories of some of the wonderful songs and how they were written, recorded and performed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A Poor Imitation of The Beatles Anthology Book
I adore Paul McCartney as anyone who knows me will tell you.However, I find myself dissatisfied as a consumer of some of his products.The reason seems to be the mentality of whomever it is who conceives these ideas...i.e., that Paul's hardcore fans will buy any bone we decide to throw at them.I get the same feel from the Lennon camp.

This book is only O.K. with only a few nice surprises.Some pages seem empty and void of material.It's kind of weird.

I do not recommend it, unless you find a cheap used copy like I did.

Back To Junior's Farm
One of the biggest rock groups of the 1970s, which is another way of saying one of the biggest rock groups of all time, Wings suffered ridiculously for the sin of having emerged from the ruins of the Beatles. "Wingspan" is an attempt at perspective by the group's former leader, Paul McCartney, which only partially succeeds on its own terms - less so, in fact, than Wings itself.

Taken from the narrative of the video documentary of the same name that came out a little earlier, 2002's "Wingspan" benefits from a generous assortment of photographs, some 150 of them, many by Paul's late wife and Wings keyboardist Linda McCartney. "Wingspan" the book doesn't quite boil Wings down to exclusively Paul and Linda the way the documentary did, where the person asking the questions was their daughter. There's some attention paid here to the other Wings, just not enough.

Of Henry McCullough, the first lead guitarist, we learn his brother in Northern Ireland got beat up over the Wings' song "Give Ireland Back To The Irish." How Henry reacted is something Paul doesn't report on.

Henry's Scottish replacement, Jimmy McCulloch, was a "whizzkid", one of McCartney's favorite sidemen, on stage anyway, but "had an attitude", which McCartney doesn't do much to explain. McCulloch didn't live long after leaving Wings, and Paul alludes to drug issues without going into any detail.

Geoff Britton only hung around long enough to lay down some incredible drum fills on the single "Junior's Farm", then skedaddled: "I don't really remember why now," Paul says, "except that perhaps he didn't quite fit."

You can argue the other Wings were essentially sidemen to a recording duo who produced songs celebrating their union, but I spent too much time staring at those other guys on Wings album covers not to want to know more.

"Wingspan" does a lot better by Paul and Linda, the photos showing them on stage or at ease, relaxing with kids and dogs. Work and family were closely connected; they had a home recording space, "Rude Studio", and took their kids on the road.

Linda was not a musician when she married Paul, cause for what he cryptically says were "tense moments" with other band members, but Paul wanted to tour and didn't want her left behind. Thus begun one of the unlikeliest yet most heart-warming romances in the public eye. When Paul wasn't singing "Maybe I'm Amazed" to Linda, Linda was responding in kind, in the "I love you" choruses to "Silly Love Songs". Linda wasn't Jimmy McCulloch in the musicianship department, but she brought a lot of stability to the Wings situation, not to mention the life of Wings' leader, and a lot of resonance to those silly love songs that lasts a decade after her death. When "Wingspan" focuses on this aspect of Wings, which it often does, it is always interesting if a trifle incomplete.

The photos are great, like one by Paul circa 1968 snapped in Manhattan, of Linda and oldest daughter Heather, where a teenaged boy in the foreground looks at the camera in apparent shock. Maybe he was amazed at having a Beatle take a picture of him. There's also Paul at the Wings launch party wearing an unfinished checkered suit, not to mention other bad outfits as the 1970s rolled on.

"It's a look," Paul says, and he's right. "Wingspan" is a nice look at the group, albeit little deeper than liner notes. Hopefully Paul someday will want to revisit this period in his life for deeper treatment.

Pictures In The Life Of Wings
Wingspan is an oversized pictorial history of Paul McCartney & Wings.The book starts off with some photos of the Paul & Linda's early days together in the late 60's all the way through 1980 and the end of Wings.Mr. McCartney provides the commentary that is sprinkled in between the photos.It is not the most enlightening stuff, but it comes across like Mr. McCartney himself, light, breezy and affable.The pictures are another matter.They provide a deep look into the McCartney's personal life, the band's rehearsals, tours and recording sessions.The book is presented beautifully and the end includes a discography and photos of all the group's album covers.

Wingspan
As a second generation Beatles fan, I truly loved Wings. It's a shame so little has been written about Paul and his band....until now. While I do wish more details would emerge about Paul's relationship with Denny Laine and Jimmy McCullough, I am grateful for Wingspan (DVD and book). If Linda had lived to help with this project, I believe she would have felt free to recollect both good and not so good times on the road. Because the Beatles legacy is so huge, I feel not enough respect and appreciation is given to Wings' legacy, not even by Paul himself!Perhaps in time, we'll learn more.For now, Wingspan is the best tribute yet.

Glimpses
"Wingspan" is a glossy book of photos for fans, combined with some scraps of comment by McCartney (interviewed, it should be noted, by his own daughter Mary.) It's good to finally get some information about Paul's Wings years. This is obviously Paul making his own case, though he is certainly honest about matters such as his frustration with the band's ever-changing lineup, as well as his 1980 arrest for pot in Japan. Overall, one cannot help but admire the bravely carefree attitude with which Paul formed this new band and made some spotty but often good music. Above all this book is meant to be a tribute to Linda McCartney, a defense of her role in the band, and an inspirational look at how a family man can combine work and play. Personally I would have liked to see more in-depth interviewing by someone more impartial, as well as interviews with other band members, most especially Denny Laine who stayed with Wings through the entire decade but is given rather short text shrift here. But then, I'm grateful for what we get. As Paul comments, Wings wasn't rocket science, it was just making music, and this is a fun, breezy book about a fun band. ... Read more

Product Description

The Words and Music of Paul McCartney: The Solo Years examines the large and varied oeuvre of this deeply personal artist, showing how McCartney's stint as a Beatle continues to inform his solo music, as well as how he has transcended his days as a member of the Fab Four.

After a biographical introduction, chronologically arranged chapters explore McCartney's music in the immediate aftermath of the breakup of the Beatles, his work with Wings during the 1970s, his collaborations with other artists during the 1980s, and his compositions of the 1990s, including his first forays into classical music. The examination also covers McCartney's critically acclaimed work in the first decade of the 21st century, including Memory Almost Full and Ecce Cor Meum, a composition written in the style of sacred English choral music. Throughout, the book supplies analytical insights and historical background to a repertoire that, surprisingly, has not previously been covered in detail.

Product Description
Paul's 1980 release following the breakup of Wings, with songs in chords and notation: Bogey Music * Coming Up * Darkroom * Front Parlour * Frozen Jap * Nobody Knows * On the Way * One of These Days * Summer's Day * Temporary Secretary * Waterfalls. ... Read more

Product Description
The hardcover publication of Blackbird Singing, the first collection of Paul McCartney's poems and lyrics, was an international cultural event—celebrated in concert halls, at literary festivals, and in newspapers and magazines throughout the world. "While McCartney is of a completely different cast than Bob Dylan, his appeal may be even greater than that of the latter great poet-songwriter," wrote Publishers Weekly; The Guardian hailed McCartney's words as "a remarkable feat of historical imagination." The best-selling Blackbird Singing now includes several new poems and lyrics, including "Freedom," which McCartney performed in New York City at a benefit concert last fall. To actually read McCartney's poems, whether exuberant ballads of love or poignant messages of deepest grief, is to appreciate the electrifying power of the confluence of dream and song. Inspired by his late wife, Linda McCartney, Blackbird Singing gives us extraordinary access to the inner life of one of the most influential figures of our time.Amazon.com Review
It is nearly impossible to scan any of Paul McCartney's lyrics withouthearing the Beatles' music in the background, dictating rhythm, pace, andmood. But as Blackbird Singing demonstrates, the effort is worthmaking. This first collection brings together early and late poems, alongwith some of Sir Paul's greatest hits (including the words to "Yesterday,""Lady Madonna," "Penny Lane," and "Hey Jude.") In his introduction, editorand fellow Liverpudlian Adrian Mitchell urges readers to "wash out the nameand the fame" and examine what's on the page. If you can do this, you're infor a pleasant surprise.

True, some of the lyrics appear trite on paper--"Heart of the Country"and "Mull of Kintyre" are notable offenders. Even "SergeantPepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" seems naked and frail without the rousingbrass section. But McCartney's deeper vulnerability comes to the surface in"Dinner Tickets," a poem about his childhood. And "Standing Stone" recountsa gutsy fable about a man using the power of imagination to fend off theenemy: he erects a standing stone, "a weathered finger to the sky" andlearns to be "at peace with peace." "Irish Language" boasts a rare streakof irony as the narrator admires the way "those Irish chappies" swill thelanguage around in their mouths and dribble it through their fingers. The song ends with a beautifully timed punch line: "The Beatles were a bunch ofMicks." Blackbird Singing closes with poems dedicated to the author's late wife that are tender, sparse, and startlingly honest. --Cherry Smyth ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Blackbird Singing
The book arrived in perfect condition on a timely basis. I will definitely order from Amazon again!

A Different Perspective On McCartney's Work
Nice collection of McCartney's writings. Some of the works gathered in this anthology are actual poems Paul McCartney wrote with the intention they be read or recited, but this book also presents the lyrics to many of his most famous and beloved songs, and showcases these oft-heard sentences as poetry. What impressed me was how well so many songs stand up as poems. A nice side effect of reading this book is we can see which among the many "Lennon/McCartney" songs done during the Beatles' era were actually the product of McCartney's authorship. Some of the compositions were obvious choices, others less easy to spot and these contained a few surprises. Arguably the most famous Beatles song "All The Lonely People" (aka "Eleanor Rigby" etc.) is perhaps even more moving devoid of its musical accompaniment, simply in the stark naked form of the written word. This is a nice collection from the mind and pen of one of the foremost figures of our time, and aside from pleasing the "must have" urge in hardcore McCartney fans, this book should find favor with anyone who gives it a chance.

Collection on a blackbird-Sir Paul, the poet.
Sir Paul McCartney as musician, songwriter, actor, producer, knight, yes.How about poet as opposed to songwriter?Most definitely, as his school teacher turned him on to Shakespeare and Chaucer.And as "Blackbird" is one of my favourite Beatles songs, I thought it appropriate a title for this collection of poetry and even songs by the Beatles, Wings, and his solo material.However, I also learned in the intro that he was inspired by a message he was giving to a black women during the civil rights movement.The song was transformed from literal to symbol, so the words changed from "Black women living in Little Rock" to "Blackbird singing in the dead of night."

The book is divided into nine thematic sections:

1.Playing at Home
2.Yesterday
3.Friends And Enemies
4.The Business
5.The World Tonight
6.All The Lonely People
7.Standing Stone
8.Home To Love
9.Nova

Sections 3 and especially 6, taken from a lyric in "Eleanor Rigby," hit home to me.Some of Nova has odes to Linda and shows how devoted a couple they were and the devastation he felt at her passing, such as "Lost" and "She Is..."

However, some poems show McCartney as social critic on the issues of nuclear war, pollution, the legal system, and public safety.In "Jerk of All Jerks", written from the point of view of the title people, he writes "I'm the man that disposes/of nuclear waste/There's no need to worry/it's perfectly safe."And he imparts great wisdom in describing the follies of going for the top is written in the refrain of "Chasing The Cherry":"And say, are you chasing the cherry?/The merry-go-round of the roses/If so, you must know/that the down side/is to sink like a ferry."And reading "Looking For Changes", on the horrors of animal experimentation really got my dander up because Sir Paul told it like it was.

And some of his poems are whimsical and amusing.In "Trouble Is", he writes "Rabbit running in circles/chasing his tail/because it looks like candy floss/Trouble is--rabbits don't eat candy floss."The punchline to this poem is funny.
Where the songs are placed in a poetry format, some of them reveal themselves when read rather than being listened to."Yesterday" for example, is one, as is "Here Today" from the Tug Of War album (1982), dedicated to John Lennon.And "The Song We Were Singing" from Flaming Pie shows Sir Paul commenting on how we all fall back to our usual selves after undergoing something deep:"Take a sip, see the world through a glass/and speculate about the cosmic solution/to the sound, blue guitars/caught up in a philosophical discussion."But alas, "we always come back to the song we were singing."

Compilation of this book was done by 60's activist/anti-war/counter culture poet Adrian Mitchell under Linda McCartney's guidance.There is also an index, and for the songs, there is a listing telling which album it's from.Helpful, that.And this book, not only reminds people that McCartney is a great songwriter but reveals his inner personality as well.

I LOVE YOU SIR JAMES PAUL MCCARARTNEY....LIKE A SON!
GOOD BOOK...........READ IT

McCartney is a musician, but his words are pure poetry...
This book looks like very little on the surface, especially if you know by heart (or own) the lyrics to many Beatles/McCartney songs. But this anthology is more than just lyrics, because the short selection of lyrics that were edited into this are ones that look and sound like poems. Actually there are many new (and many ones I had never read) poems in here, and most are not even songs ("Mother Nature's Son", "Here, There, and Everywhere", "For No One", and "Helter Skelter" aren't to be found in this). Therefore, it is a moving collection of poignant, amusing, and insightful poetry by a master lyricist with feeling. Although Lennon may have written the most notorious Beatles compositions, McCartney proves that he was the Beatle with the gift of both words and emotion. ... Read more

Product Description
John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the songwriting team thatfueled the Beatles, the most popular musical group in history. Theircollaboration changed the music industry, redefined popular culture,and influenced countless superstars of today.

The highly successful "Partners" concept (double biographies ofsuccessful pairs) is now available for older readers. Perfect forreport writers, these biographies offer students an exciting andinnovative way to explore the creative process and the value ofteamwork. The dynamics of these famous partnerships illustrate thevalue of cooperation, compromise, and perseverance.

Grades 5 and up; 6 1/4 x 9 1/4; 112 pages; 10-15 photos; Sturdy library binding; Bibliography; Glossary; Chronology; Further Reading; Index ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Jason's Review
I liked this book a lot seeing how the Beatles is one of my favorite bands. But this book seemed to repeat itself and didn't hold to much information. I did learn some new things from this book. I was amazed to find out that John Lennon personally went to Paul McCartney's house and started throwing bricks threw his windows.
This book is about John Lennon and Paul McCartney, their partnership, and how much they inspired each other. Also how the band felt about Yoko Ono in their studio when they had rules about how no wives or girlfriends are allowed in the studio. It tells about when John Lennon and Paul McCartney got along in the beginning years but also how they had constant fights in their later years working together.
I would recommend this book to someone who likes the Beatles.

AND HERE THEY ARE, THE BEATLES!
This is a book I would have LOVED to have owned as a child.This is a book I love NOW!Glassman does an excellent job of presenting the Beatles to a younger audience and his clear writing style compliments the intelligence of his readers.

The photographs are superb, as is the (I think) world's number one song writing duo, Lennon & McCartney, half of the world's number one band, THE BEATLES!This is such a treat to read.It's just what the doctor ordered and is just so much fun.Don't be surprised if you shake your bangs and start singing Beatle tunes.

I give this a round of thunderous applause and a hearty YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!I love it!

John Lennon & Paul McCartney their magic and thier music
"John Lennon & Paul McCartney their magic and thier music" by Bruce Glassman is a great book. I found it very hard to put it down ,because it was a great reference to learn how The Beatles were formed ,by two great song writers.There is also a lot of information on were they grew up and what happend to them in their childhood. You can also find out what pushed Paul McCartney and John lennon to write the music that change the music world. So if you ever want to read a book to find out how PoP music started. I recommend that you read "John Lennon & Paul McCartney their magic and thier music."

This book is great, has good pictures and interviews.
I couldn't put the book down.I read it from cover to cover without a single stop.Glassman did a good job at putting this one together.Of course almost anything you write about The Beatles will be great though. ... Read more

Product Description
Wings' second LP from 1973: Big Barn Red * Country Dreamer * Get On the Right Thing * Hands of Love * Hold Me Tight * Lazy Dynamite * Little Lamb Dragonfly * Loup (1st Indian on the Moon) * The Mess * My Love * Only One More Kiss * Power Cut * Single Pigeon * When the Night. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Paul McCartney
The order was fast and easy to complete; the book came right away. They didn't mention it was a first edition, which was nice, but the condition was on the average side, rather than the "good" side. ... Read more

Product Description
Each One Believing is a revealing, access-all-areas account of life on the road with Paul McCartney. Filled with photographs never before published and insider details, Each One Believing takes you behind the scenes for an exclusive look into a private world. Based on Paul McCartney's most celebrated tour since The Beatles, it weaves Paul's own personal reflections -- along with those of his wife, Heather, his band, and his crew -- together with hundreds of dynamic images by the tour's official photographer, Bill Bernstein, showing both Paul's public appearances and the quiet, one-on-one moments. What drives him to perform? What does it feel like to sing the songs that have touched so many of our lives? This remarkable journey takes us from New York in the days following 9/11, when Paul wrote Freedom; across North America, Europe, and Japan; to his historic show in Moscow's Red Square, "because, having written 'Back in the USSR', I wanted to go there and play that." Poignant and candid, funny and illuminating, Each One Believing is a road trip unlike any other.Amazon.com Review
Each One Believing isn’t your standard tour memento, but then the tour it chronicles was pretty extraordinary, too. Paul McCartney’s 2002-2003 world tour demonstrated just how much mania an ex-Beatle could trigger more than three decades after the demise of the Fab Four. McCartney, who was approaching his 60th birthday when the tour began, headlined a rapturously received extravaganza that took him from Milwaukee to Moscow, from Tokyo to Tacoma. Each One Believing attempts to capture the tour from all angles via numerous on stage andbackstage photos, interviews,and press quotes (no need to toot ones own horn when you have a Mexico City newspaper tagging a performance "the most legendary in history forever"). Don’t expect anything in the way of grit in this road tale; the clean-living superstar and his entourage dine on the best vegetarian food money can buy and the youngish sidemen are simply delighted to be performing "She’s Leaving Home" with the legendary Sir Paul. Each One Believing isn’t revelatory in the least, unless one is desires how many crewmembers it takes to construct a stadium-sized rock stage these days (some 140, it seems). But the many who saw McCartney on the triumphant excursion (or Back in the U.S. DVD) and diehard Beatles fans will find it to be a breezy, eye-catching coffeetable book.--Steven Stolder ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Review Each One Believing
I enjoyed the book - Very in-depth text description.Pictures were interesting.I would recommend this book to any Paul McCartney fan.

A Good Book For Your Coffee Table
A great collection of photos -- perfect for the coffee table where you and your guests can pick it up and flip thru it to enjoy the interesting pictures. However, the best Beatles book of the year is undoubtedly TURN ME ON, DEAD MAN by Andru J. Reeve. It's available here at Amazon.com. While "Each One Believing" is nice eye-candy, "Turn Me On, Dead Man" is great journalism, and a much better target for your reading dollar.That's just my opinion.

Rock Show!
This book is a cornucopia of photographs and text.Paul McCartney, a veteran in the entertainment business and a class act to boot is clearly happy with himself and quite comfortable on stage, doing his job.No doubt fans as well as those with a more "moderate" interest in Paul McCartney as well as the Beatles will be delighted with this book.I love it!

Paul McCartney is not only an extraordinary showman, but serious and dedicated to his musical Muse.He is a musical purist in the truest sense of the term in that he respects the art of being able to create and perform musically.He paints musical murals with his words; he has a full range ability in performing many different musical styles which makes him musically versatile.

I like the feeling of cooperation that appears to underscore the people directly involved with this show...it sounds like the entire crew had a wonderful time and enjoyed the fruits of their success in technically enabling Paul McCartney to do a spectacular show!Paul McCartney acknowledges this which speaks highly of him.He also accepts the outpouring of love from his audience with grace and aplomb, never losing his humorous approach.

To this book's credit, Paul is not put up on a staged pedastal and fawned and spoonfed obsequious flattery.The people who were directly involved in the production and execution of the concert were serious about doing their jobs well and that was reflected in the actual performance.They were doing their jobs and not currying favor from anybody.It is only natural to be enthusiastic at such a performance and no doubt making any contribution toward the show could only prompt enthusiastic delight.

The photographs are delightful - readers see Paul having fun on and off stage; his lovely wife Heather and the crew who made it all possible.The book speaks to professionalism on the part of the crew; the performers and those photographing and writing about the concert.

This book is truly beautiful and there are many funny, touching, endearing and serious parts.It is Gestaltism - the whole IS greater than the sum of its parts because it is the whole, that is the performer, the crew, loved ones, audience and all who had a part in the production who made the whole show/experience/book as wonderful as they are.It is a glimpse behind the performer's curtain.

Covers both public appearances and private moments
Fans of the Beatles and Paul McCartney won't want to miss this lovely title, filled with photos never seen before and insider details from McCartney himself, and packed in an eye-catching hardcover suitable for gift giving and coffee tables. Each One Believing: Paul McCartney - On Stage, Off Stage and Backstage blends McCartney's personal reflections and those of his wife Heather, his band, and his crew and covers both public appearances and private moments. An intimate atmosphere is created which follows some of his finest on-stage moments in recent years.

Superb Collection of Photographs
Each One Believing:Paul McCartney; On Stage, Off Stage, and Backstage by Caroline Grimshaw and photography by Bill Bernstein is an excellent visual collection and recollection of Paul McCartney and his band, and the people that were involved with his 2002-2003 World Tour.The book has a great layout and captures McCartney and company in candid moments that go with documentary photography.The chapters in the book are particularly named from lines of songs included in the tour,and at the back of the book, is a quirky section, the Tourasaurus, that McCartney shares with his readers that gives a run down of terms that were used during the tour.

Besides the tremendous photographs in the book, there are radio interviews embedded in the contents of the book that reveal McCartney as one unstoppable rockin' machine, or not to be cliched, a fine wine that keeps "gettin' better" as time goes by.Indeed, he is an icon in rock and roll history and in history in general.There is a line in the book where he speaks about singing and writing "Yesterday," which reveals how far this man has come:"I was writing with wisdom of an old man, but I was quite a young man.So now, once you have actually lost friends and lovers, then it really is kind of ... it means more" (27).

Overall, this a nice addition to anyone's coffetable book collection as well for anyone interested in photography.In addition, this is a wonderful accompaniment to McCartney' Back In the USA DVD, and for those fortunate to be a part of this rock and roll spectacular, this is a book that relives the moments of the tour.McCartney sums up the excitement:"And it's electrifying.It's like a warm blanket, a big wave of heat coming over you, and you just get the intensity, and you see these faces and you think, "Wow!They've come to party" (128).

... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (19)

Revisionism: By and For McCartney
Paul McCartney needs to stop hiring people to write books painting him that try to tear down John Lennon while building himself up to the level of rock god.

I first noticed it in Many Years From Now. It continued in Geoff Emerick's book Here, There and Everywhere. Now this. They all follow the same pattern: Paul good, John bad. Add to his attempt to switch around the songwriting credits (McCartney-Lennon) and you have the work of a desperate man more worried about his legacy than his art.

Listen, if McCartney was such a genius in the 1960's - making experimental films and cutting edge Stockhausen-esq avant garde music - then where is it? Lennon actually made the films and the music and had the events, and he boldly put it out there.

I'm sorry, Paul; you'll have to do better than to employ a bunch of hired guns to write your praises. Deliberately treading on the back of a dead man like John Lennon, over and over again, is simply inexcusable.

It's getting so pathetic, I'm actually beginning to believe those freaks were right when they said you were dead.

Great Book. Prompt Shipping
I think for someone who has been in the public eye for 45 years 'Macca,' has been the epitome of grace under pressure. The book could have used less sarcasm and pointed out more of what has been an incredible career by any measurement. Why not more elaboration on the very unique qualities of why Sir Paul is STILL a force to reckoned with in the Industry? He has always shown incredible class and dignity-qualities in increasing short supply unfortunately, replaced by a genre of "tell all, grab-a-buck-today-while-you-can" individuals. Even in the most difficult, private circumstances when one party chose to make them very public, he is a rarity. By remaining silent and dignified-knowing the best interest of his child trumps all,this says more than anything else.

The Enduring Beatle
Paul McCartney is the enduring remnant of The Beatles.Surely the other three have assured legacies, but McCartney represents the continued flourishing of the Beatles' success story.Christopher Sandford's biography 'McCartney' is excellent for bringing The Beatles' (and McCartney's) legend thoroughly to the reader.After having read the groundbreaking 'Shout' by Philip Norman, an insider's account with Peter Brown's 'The Love You Make,' and John Swenson's primer 'The Beatles Yesterday and Today,' Sandford's story is still a find.The content is formidable, chock-full of quotes, accounts of bickering and reconciliation, his love life, and any backstage summations of touring and recording.

Taking some familiar paths, the author manages to break new ground mostly by being comprehensive and exhaustive with his research.The greatest merit of his book is his ability to vividly show McCartney's childhood and the historic meetings of the other three of the fab four.Sandford visually and almost audibly transports us to that primitive time and place before they were famous.His details of McCartney's musical father and his heartwarming mother are fascinating.To his credit even the familiar stories don't feel like retread.Later the format changes for most of the solo career.He gathers press conferences, anecdotes, and reviews to stock up his presentation.Overall, I believe he is fair to a point.He injects both enthusiasm and criticism for the superstar Beatle, but he always gives him his due. Even when the text gets highly critical, he cleverly lets others do most of the talking. (This is no small factor given the fact that most writers are hyper-critical of the most commercially successful Beatle.)Admirably, Sandford does a yeoman job of separating rumor from fact and dispenses evidence on every claim and counter-claim he makes.

Although mainly a lucid and fascinating read, Sandford at times becomes unnecessarily convoluted.At times he will make statements that require one to reread a passage, making it unnecessarily opaque.(For the grammarian, tracing pronouns to their antecedents is sometimes a chore.In other words it's occasionally difficult to keep track of those for whom he speaks.)However, this is the exception rather than the rule.Capturing the enthusiasm, the thrills, and the chasms, Sandford creates a comprehensive and engaging read for Beatles and/or McCartney fans.

Sandford Did a Good Job
The editorial from Publishers Weekly that appears on this site was obviously written by someone who either did not read this book, skimmed it,or half listened to it on tape while driving. Nowhere in his book does Sandford insinuate that McCartney isn't 'profound of character', in fact he goes into detail about the musician's good,and yes, profound character, using many examples. He also is not afraid to show Paul as a flawed human being,capable of pettiness,and fits of temper,if the situation warrants it. I will admit, it took me a year to buy this book. I kept passing it up because I've been burned by Beatle bios in the past, especially a horrible, book by someone named Chet Flippo. Also, I read Sandford's book on Kurt Cobain and I found it biased and unfair. By chance I happened to read an interview in Daytripper Magazine with Mr. Sandford where he reveals that before he started the McCartney project he wasn't a huge fan. He thought McCartney was too cutesy(I'm paraphrasing). However, once he began his research he started to understand thecomplex dichotomy that is Paul McCartney. In reading this book,it is easy to see that Chris 'gets' Paul McCartney. He understands that everything this man is, is the result of his upbringing. The product of a very close knit,clannish,Liverpool Irish family; a childhood on a council estate where money was very tight,and Mom had to work as well as take care of the family. This shaped his attitude toward women at an early age,and it also explains Paul's legendary feelings about money. Another result of his childhood, is Paul's formidal work ethic, and his insatiable need to improve himself culturally. In the past, in some lesser bios,people have attributed these traits to male chauvinism,stingyness,pushiness, and shallow social climbing. But Sandford knows better. He's definitely done his homework. Sandford also recognizes as most people finally do, that Paul along with Lennon was the driving creative and musical force behind the Beatles,not George I'm afraid,or only John, as some revisionists would have you think. Without BOTH Lennon and McCartney, there would have been no Beatles. The only complaints I have about this book are:1)the writting style: he starts off with a beautiful,vivid,telling of a shiningnight in the budding musical career of Paul's father,leading the reader right into WWII. Great way to start the book, but he doesn't stay with this style. By the second chapter his writing gets sloppy, and choppy. It also would have been nice if he would explain what such Liverpool expressions like "baccy", and "wotcher" mean. How about a chart or something? He also has a habit of only giving you a little bit of info as soon as he gets to a juicy, personal part. ie: who exactly IS Judy Flanders? She seems to be the (underage?) girl who was caught in Paul's motel room in Milwaukee during the 1964 tour. It seems that Sandford must have interviewed her, although you have to try and guess this, because he then implies that she and Paul seem to have continued their relationship...in England. Did she follow the tour and then move to England to carry on the affair? You get this impression although it is not explained. I'm not into guessing games. If you're going to mention something at all, then go into more detail, or don't even bother. He does the same thing later on when describing a fling with a certain Winona Williams at the Beverly Wilshire in 1968. After their tryst, Williams catches Paul in the lobby with none other than Linda Eastman. Words are exchanged and Paul smooths things over by saying he's "about to become a father"(?)Doesn't make sense.This remarkis not explained and it's very confusing. Who's father is he about to become? Linda's unborn child? Since they had only recently consumatted their relationship, how is that possible? Again,this is not explained either. Was this the editor's fault? Very annoying. Also Sandford reveals little about Paul's personal relationships,especially with John. He reverts to the style of those lazy Beatle authors,describing John in ways that make him seem like a nasty,vindictive,jerk who only has jealousy for McCartney. Every biographer worth his salt has gone into detail about the complex,symbiotic relationship between these two. A pairing based on mutual respect,admiration, and love. Chris should have known better. And they did write together after 1964. Why do people keep insisting otherwise when Paul has described their writing sessions many times, song by song, well into 1967? These are the reasons I gave this book only 4 stars. But aside from The Anthology,there are really almost no true Beatle bios that would warrant 5 stars. There is always something wrong with them. I'm not talking about the marvelous books about their music. I'm talking about the bios on their lives. These always seem to come up short. Anyway this book is still worth getting because it is one of the better ones.

Two thumbs down
Poorly written, poorly researched -- it's as if the writer had tried put together a great work of art from torn bits of cocktail napkins... and had a hard time filling in the gaping spaces between. ... Read more