Review of "Visualizing the Beatles: A Complete Graphic History of the World’s Favorite Band," by John Pring and Rob Thomas

Review of

Visualizing the Beatles: A Complete Graphic History of the World’s Favorite Band, by John Pring and Rob Thomas ISBN 9780062790989

Five out of five stars

 In so many ways, the Beatles are the most fascinating rock group in history. Their productivity in the years where their fame was highest was incredible, with all the live concerts, interviews and the number of original songs that they produced, it is easy to see whey they simply burned out on each other. Between 1962 and 1970, they released 12 studio albums as well as different versions of their albums and other songs that did not appear on an album. Everywhere they went they were mobbed and screamed at, finding it difficult to do even the simplest tasks of life.

 This book is a graphic chronology of the group, their songs, who wrote them as well as which Beatle contributed which sound. While many facts are fascinating, I found the changes in authorship of the songs over time to be the most interesting. For each album, there is a bar chart for each song on the record parceling out authorship credit. In the early years, it is Lennon/McCartney in roughly equal credits. In the later years, there is more McCartney with increasing contributions from Harrison and Starr.

 If you want to know the history of the Beatles and prefer that it be presented in visual format, this is the book for you. Their affect on music, entertainment in general and how the world viewed celebrities cannot be overstated. As I read this book I went online to see videos of their most memorable moments, from their first appearance on the “Ed Sullivan Show” as well as their final rooftop concert. They were the best ever.