Beatles Biography by Mark Lewisohn (6th edition)- plus Lewisohn news. *

I'd say "YES" too. It has a good amount of info on song and set lists, as well as numerous black-and-white photos of venues and ticket stubs, which are not in any of his other volumes. Note that the book is not as "fancy" as his later books (it is NOT glossy paper, for example), so hopefully you can pick up a book at a low price.

 

It's not super easy to track down cheaply but I think I will inter-library loan it! Thanks, Arnold.

 

The only factor preventing me from being really annoyed at not having read the extended version is that it's not available at a reasonable price. I won't make the mistake with Vol. 2.

 

If you are in the iSystem it is available on iBooks.

 

Not for us Americans I believe. All my digging has suggested the answer is no, but does anyone know of a way for folks in the US to get the extended version in ebook form? I find it really inconvenient to read large physical books and have both physical and ebook copies of the abridged version for that reason.

 

I look forward to the next volume. His work is the best
Does he have a deadline for the next volume to be issued
Thanks

 

2020 at the earliest for Part II.

Then another 7-8 years for Part III, if he meets his projected schedule.

 

Any other good books in the near future
I've seen McCartney or Lennon books buy no Beatles

 

Lots of Sgt Pepper-related books are out now or coming out very soon. I have no idea which ones are good or bad.

 

Tell Amazon you're in the UK. They'll figure it out later, but by that time you'll have it. That's what I did and it's still on my Kindle.

 

I'd be surprised if this ends up only three volumes. Robert Caro's LBJ bio was originally supposed to be three volumes as well; now it's five.

Lewisohn could easily fill 1,000 pages on 1963-64 alone. I predict that he'll still be writing about '64 in 2020 when the publisher demands the next volume.

 

Nostradamus made that same prediction.

 

I'm OK with 5 or 6.

 

You mean: IF the publisher demands the next volume.

 

When we hit the touring years Lewisohn is going to have get selective in what he includes - at least in the abridged commercial edition. Do we need first hand accounts of every concert in every venue, along with where they stayed, what they ate, hotel receipts, box office receipts, etc? The book would become a tedious travelogue of meaningless detail.

 

He could just include a copy of his The Complete Beatles Chronicle with each purchase.

 

While recognizing the author knows (probably, maybe) a bit more than the Beatles than, say, me, I question how he's dividing this material. I think I'd greatly prefer the next volume to cover from 63 to 65, or through 'Help" and come out this year. There are all sort of natural divisions, in the Beatles work, and one clear demarcation imo is between their early work and Rubber Soul. That album is when I think many (and the Beatles themselves) began to come to terms with the scope and depth of their talent, and realize they were going to have a significant influence. Really, after 1965, every year of the Beatles deserves a comprehensive consideration. Ref this appetizer: In Beatles '66, Steve Turner Explores a Revolutionary Year in the Band's Life

Also, each year could be 'definitive' without 12 versions of each volume as seems to be the case with "Tune In"

 

If he's going to cover every song to the extent he did in vol. 1 ... that alone would take up many pages in a 1963-66 book. So many other things going on as well. He's not going to be able to go into as much detail as vol. 1.

 

I was thinking about re-reading the extended edition. By the time I finish Volume II might be out.

 

I think he divided it perfectly, ending as he did with them about ready to conquer America. Remember this is about The Beatles. After Sgt Pepper, they kind of go their separate ways, and I don't think we have to know all the detail about McCartney that's in Many Years From Now - we need to hear about their interactions together, which were fewer and fewer. The bulk of the final volume will probably be Get Back Sessions - because the four were rarely in the studio together after that and had fewer interactions.

 

There's already a massive book that does just that, at least for their US tours of 1964-66. I reviewed it a couple of years ago --> The Rock and Roll Chemist: BOOK REVIEW: Some Fun Tonight! The Backstage Story of How the Beatles Rocked America: The Historic Tours of 1964-1966

 

My copy ends before they even recorded their first album. Conquering America won't happen for at least 500 more pages.

 

Right. It ended at the end of '62, so there's still all of British Beatlemania in '63 to happen before they even get to America.

 

How the heck is Mark Lewisohn going to fit 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966 (and maybe part of 1967) in one volume limited to 1000 pages?

 

That's the million dollar question. Each year in and of itself could warrant that many.