Riding So High: The Beatles and Drugs --> my book review

The Rock and Roll Chemist: BOOK REVIEW: Riding So High: The Beatles and Drugs

Well, this is one of the best and most interesting new Beatles books I've read in a LONG time. Fascinating stuff...it doesn't glorify it, it just examines their career and music through the lens of their drug use and it does a great job doing it.

Has anyone here read it? If not, I highly recommend it.

 

Ordered.

 

Nice! I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on it after you read it.

 

Thanks for that - I encourage folks to click on the first posts’ link - lots of great info there

 

For those who don't know, the author of this book (Joe Goodden) is the fellow who runs the excellent site The Beatles Bible. He put years of research and work into this book, and it shows.

 

Looks like it could be an interesting read...

 

Great review Doc - I'll definitely be picking this one up

 

It definitely is!

Thanks! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book once you've finished it.

 

*bump*

Surprised this book didn't get more interest on the forum. I know I was discussing it with some people in the "What are you reading?" thread in Off Topic a couple of months ago.

Have any of you above started reading it? What do you think so far?

 

Very interesting to read when John stopped taking LSD. But is late '68 correct or should it be late '67? The review reads John was a regular user for almost two years and he would have begun regular use around late '65? Also his normal assertive personality seemed to resume in early '68 and he certainly wasn't tripping in India.

 

I just bought the eBook version for $2.99 last week and look forward to reading it. Thanks for the review.

 

He still used it sporadically in '68, including his famous LSD binge in late summer/early fall '68 when he was so whacked out he called a board meeting at Apple to announce to the other 3 that he was Jesus Christ.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts (and anyone else on here who reads it).

 

I may be mistaken, but I believe John did start taking acid again after returning from India. For example, he called a meeting at Apple to announce he was Jesus Christ while he was tripping.

It seems as though he switched to heroin after things got more serious with Yoko.

Edit: DrBeatle just beat me to it.

 

Yep...see above (glad I wasn't the only one who remembered this ).

 

Interesting topic. I wonder where the Beatles would have gone musically if they had never done acid. That's one to ponder!

 

Check out Ministry's later career...

 

Drugs seemed to be woven in the fabric of the music and the times of the mid late 60s for better or for worse.It's like a lot of people are not comfortable with that.The perception I get is if you talk about it in any way other than negative you condone it.It was what it was.Talking mainly psychedelics here I never heard music sound so good under the influence as a teen in the 70s the few times I did it.I would never condone them and as the years have gone by one saw the destructive power of the different drugs that took over the psychedelics in the later 70s til now.

 

I'm of the mindset that the music the drugs helped create a lot of fantastic music (and really, they didn't "help"...the inherent creativity in the Beatles and all of those great 1960s/70s bands was there...the drugs just enhanced and colored it). However, the human cost in terms of lives ruined or ended makes it a bit of a tragic/uneasy trade-off.

 

Were it not for pot and LSD a lot of great music would never have been created.

 

Is the title a line from a Beatles song? I can’t think of which one.

 

It's from "Ticket to Ride."

"I don't know why she's riding so high..."

 

“Ticket To Ride”

Edit: ha! The doctor beats another one

 

I ought to think twice about this.

 

Ah, we were at the same time...it's all good

I will admit that when I hear the title of the book, I think first of "Born to Be Wild" ("riding so high...and never wanna dieeeeeee!") before I think of "Ticket to Ride."

 

mind altering substances are clearly not for everyone. Certainly there is a line of demarcation between their use and abuse. Persons suffering from mental illness should never take LSD. LSD was once legal, and marijuana was once illegal. As with any medicine, responsible use may be weighed in terms of benefits versus risks. Be that as it may, I know , as an observer, that excessive LSD consumption (abuse) can very easily lead to heroin use; the former a potential cause of serious post-trauma emotional pain, the latter being an oft sought remedy for relief from that pain. I've witnessed it, and read of, in literally hundreds of cases.