I’ve had this book on my shelf for a few years, knowing that tackling this would be a major undertaking.  It’s taken me about two months, but I finally finished it.  I’m a Beatles fan, and I’ve read a lot of books about them.  Many books claim to be the “definitive” biography, but you’d be hard pressed to find a book that surpasses this 800-page tome.  By virtue of the astounding detail in this book, the author transports you right to Liverpool, Hamburg, and London.  How they met each other, their families, their girlfriends, their managers, their gigs, their early recording sessions, Brian Epstein, George Martin, Stuart Sutcliffe, Pete Best, Neil Aspinall… it’s all there in fascinating detail. You really come away with a great understanding of not just the band and their associates, but the entire post-war British era. And this is merely Volume 1.  It covers the Beatles up to only 1962!  It’s an amazing accomplishment by the author.  He predicted that volume 2 would be out in 2020, but that didn’t happen, and he says it won’t happen in 2021 or 2022, and he makes no promises for 2023.  In fact, he predicts sometime after 2023.  I do think I’ll live long enough to see Volume 2, but I may not be alive when (or if) volume 3 ever arrives.  In any event, as a Beatles fan, the book is a treasure. The Beatles’ story has always been fascinating, and their music has remained relevant almost 60 years after they began. I never tire of reading about them (this is the second book about them that I’ve read this year).  Yes, this is the “definitive” biography, a true pleasure to read. 

“Tune In: The Beatles All These Years Volume 1” by Mark Lewisohn

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