As a freakishly huge Beatles fan (not in weight, I’m only 160 pounds) I’ve read far more than my share of Beatles books, in fact I can’t remember a good number of the books I’ve read (I’m assuming they are the not so good ones, but maybe it’s just that I have a bad memory.) Anyway, these are the Beatles books that I do remember and that I remember being quite good.

The Beatles Anthology

This is an obvious choice, so I’ll get it out of the way first. It’s good for biography and it also includes a lot of information on their music. It’s also huge with lots of great pictures. Great coffee table book.

The Beatles Complete Scores

For those who want to play The Beatles music on their piano, guitar, drums, and/or bass guitar. This includes accurate scores for every song The Beatles recorded. It includes tab for all guitar parts (including bass guitar.) It includes drum tab too.

Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording The Beatles

I just recently read this one and it’s great. It’s by Geoff Emerick who was instrumental in the recording of most of their post ‘66 work. He really gives a different perspective than what I’ve read in other books. Very insightful. This is particularly good for those interested more in The Beatles music (and specifically the recording process) than the biography of the band.

Many Years From Now

This is a great one for Paul fans. (And in my mind anyone who truly understands The Beatles music is at least something of a Paul fan, even if they prefer John’s songs & solo career.)

Lennon Revealed

This is more of a John Lennon bio book, it’s not so much about the music as it is about John’s life. I’ve read a few biographies on Lennon and this is the one that sticks out for me in my memory.

The Beatles As Musicians

These books (there are two volumes)are for those seriously interested in The Beatles music. They include an in-depth musical analysis of each Beatles song. If you don’t care about music theory, don’t get these books. They’re meant for musicians/songwriters/composers who really want to get inside of the construction of their songs.

Revolution In The Head

I often disagree with the author (I think he’s way off with a lot of his opinions) but it is pretty informative and a great resource. It includes every song The Beatles recorded (that was released in some official way) in the order that they were recorded. All 186 original songs that The Beatles recorded from 1962 through 1970 are here.

It’s sort of like a less technical version of The Beatles As Musicians. It’s focused on the Beatles songs in the same way, but you won’t have to have much of an understanding of music to “get it.”

Amazon’s Kindle

Some of these Beatles books are available to read on the Amazon Kindle which is a handy dandy wireless digital reading gadget which can hold 1500 books (3500 books with the Kindle DX.)

The Beatles, Books

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