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Post by Panther on Dec 31, 2011 2:29:34 GMT -5
Anyone read this one? I checked it out of the library the other day, and I'm having a flip through it today. In about an hour of casually perusing the early-1970s period, I've come across a few strange errors (for example, Sounes claims that Paul gave Ringo the hit "You're Sixteen", apparently oblivious to its being an oldie) but also some fairly good, balanced, and well-researched writing. Sounes' habit of referring to Ringo as "Ritchie" and Linda as "Lin" is somewhat annoying.
Sounes claims that Linda McCartney and May Pang were childhood friends -- can anyone confirm this??
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Post by Panther on Dec 31, 2011 3:01:01 GMT -5
Another of Sounes' nuggets -- he claims that Paul, George, and Ringo played "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", live on a marquee, at Eric Clapton's wedding in May 1979.
Anyone else ever heard tell of this??
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Post by Panther on Dec 31, 2011 3:22:06 GMT -5
Another bizarre flub -- Sounes details the weekend writing and prompt recording of 'Daytime-Nighttime Suffering' and 'Goodnight Tonight' for single release in mid-1979. Then, 20 pages later, he writes that 'Goodnight Tonight' emerged from Paul's idea of searching through his half-finished demos for new tracks, in "autumn 1980".
Seriously, don't they hire editors for these books...?
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Post by Panther on Dec 31, 2011 5:13:12 GMT -5
(Yes, I'm still up and still perusing the book.)
I hate to harp on George Harrison's treatment by biographers after I went off on Philip Norman (see related thread), but some of the inaccuracies are stunning.
Howard Sounes falls into the popular false belief that George made the successful All Things Must Pass... and nothing else of note. Attempting to explain Harrison's financial motivation for participating in the Anthology project, he writes: "...and while his solo career got off to a promising start with the acclaimed triple album All Things Must Pass, flops records followed...". He also writes, sans evidence, that George's 1974 tour "had been a failure".
THERE WERE NO FLOP RECORDS (except maybe Gone Troppo)!!! Sounes ignores Living In The Material World, for example, an album that spent longer at #1 than Band On The Run.
George Harrison's solo records were enormously successful. If he lacked money, it wasn't because of failed record sales.
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Post by John S. Damm on Dec 31, 2011 15:42:09 GMT -5
Another of Sounes' nuggets -- he claims that Paul, George, and Ringo played "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", live on a marquee, at Eric Clapton's wedding in May 1979. Anyone else ever heard tell of this?? I read that in the newspapers at the time. I would have to bet it was busking at best as the alcohol flowed at that wedding reception. Mick Jagger passed out in Eric and Pattie's bed in the master bedroom on their wedding night. By this point in time Ringo was a raging drunk. Pattie claims they forgot to invite John Lennon! I read SPLHCB was "played" but I suspect that it didn't sound like Paul's current, well-polished live version.
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Post by mikev on Dec 31, 2011 17:11:36 GMT -5
Another of Sounes' nuggets -- he claims that Paul, George, and Ringo played "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", live on a marquee, at Eric Clapton's wedding in May 1979. Anyone else ever heard tell of this?? I read that in the newspapers at the time. I would have to bet it was busking at best as the alcohol flowed at that wedding reception. Mick Jagger passed out in Eric and Pattie's bed in the master bedroom on their wedding night. By this point in time Ringo was a raging drunk. Pattie claims they forgot to invite John Lennon! I read SPLHCB was "played" but I suspect that it didn't sound like Paul's current, well-polished live version. From the accounts I heard it was worse than the Toot n Snore Lennon McCartney 74 jam. Later stories referred to Jack Bruce on bass not Paul, and he never left the stage. Not even sure if there was a full band set up. Ringo was more interested in partying than percussion.
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Post by John S. Damm on Feb 6, 2012 0:36:51 GMT -5
I bought this book this weekend along with Keith Richards' book.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2012 5:13:03 GMT -5
I bought this book this weekend along with Keith Richards' book. Don't forget to give us your learned opinion when your well read....
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Post by John S. Damm on Feb 6, 2012 9:12:17 GMT -5
I bought this book this weekend along with Keith Richards' book. Don't forget to give us your learned opinion when your well read.... I was using my X-mas gift cards up because I think several retailers are going to be gone before next X-mas. Fabfour, I ordered from amazon.com the newer George hardcover coffee table book from the film(for only $24.00) and the latest edition of Leng's George book because mine was first edition and was published before Brainwashed was released. I've read that he updated his book and I am really excited to see what he wrote about George's brilliant final album. Oh yeah, I also bought Ringo's new album and the deluxe version of Some Girls by the Stones and the dvd from that same era of them in concert. I had gift cards from two or three Christmases hoarded up and I already got burned when Borders(a former bookstore chain) went belly-up and my gift card there became worthless. I treated myself Saturday night to a belated X-mas!
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Post by Zander on Feb 6, 2012 22:15:23 GMT -5
I haven't read it 18 months so I will revisit it but I remember thinking it was one of the top 5 Beatle books, I met the author in 2010 at the Adelphi in Liverpool and got it signed. He also wrote one my other favourite books "Fred & Rose" which was disturbing but gripping...
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Post by John S. Damm on Feb 6, 2012 22:21:20 GMT -5
I haven't read it 18 months so I will revisit it but I remember thinking it was one of the top 5 Beatle books, I met the author in 2010 at the Adelphi in Liverpool and got it signed. He also wrote one my other favourite books "Fred & Rose" which was disturbing but gripping... That's wild, from serial killers to Paul McCartney. Now that is wide ranging.
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Post by Zander on Feb 7, 2012 1:51:08 GMT -5
I haven't read it 18 months so I will revisit it but I remember thinking it was one of the top 5 Beatle books, I met the author in 2010 at the Adelphi in Liverpool and got it signed. He also wrote one my other favourite books "Fred & Rose" which was disturbing but gripping... That's wild, from serial killers to Paul McCartney. Now that is wide ranging. Well he did have documenting Heather Mills to deal with as well - a little more disturbing than "Fred & Rose" ;D
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Post by vectisfabber on Mar 8, 2012 19:37:56 GMT -5
Bought this for a fiver today.
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Post by anyoneanyhow on Mar 8, 2012 19:50:11 GMT -5
Bought this for a fiver today. Online?
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Post by vectisfabber on Mar 9, 2012 5:57:53 GMT -5
At HMV.
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Post by vectisfabber on Mar 18, 2012 4:53:04 GMT -5
Nearly halfway through - it's a solid, entertaining read so far, with some minor odds and ends I didn't know, mostly from family concerning early days. I do find myself thinking that one of the questions I would ask him is "Did you ever feel guilty about the endless unfaithfulness to Jane?"
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gloi
Very Clean
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Post by gloi on Mar 18, 2012 14:54:31 GMT -5
I haven't read it 18 months so I will revisit it but I remember thinking it was one of the top 5 Beatle books, I met the author in 2010 at the Adelphi in Liverpool and got it signed. He also wrote one my other favourite books "Fred & Rose" which was disturbing but gripping... What did you think of him? I was going to buy the book until I met him at that convention and found him so unbearably arrogant and patronising I passed on the book.
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Post by Zander on Mar 20, 2012 20:57:52 GMT -5
I found he was the opposite of your experience - he mustn't have had great sales up til then and changed his pitching style! I got my photo with him and I spent my time asking him about Fred & Rose, as obviously I hadn't had time to question him on his Macca book. Pleasant and obliging...
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Post by vectisfabber on Mar 21, 2012 18:29:37 GMT -5
Finished it. Enjoyed it. Seemed balanced.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2012 5:59:00 GMT -5
Just ordered the Howard Sounes book on Paul from Amazon....
it'll take a few weeks to get here...
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