Exclusive interview with author David Rowley, whose new book examines what makes the Beatles songs work
Rating: Three Stars
Reviewed by Gabrielle Pantera
“The really hard part was forcing myself to listen to everything the Beatles might have listened to themselves, everything that was in the charts in the 50s and 60s…the good, the brilliant and the terrible,” says All Together Now author David Rowley. “People take the Beatles personally. A big chunk of the population feel they have their own stories to tell, their own perspectives on the group.”
All Together Now is Rowley’s 20-year quest on a journey through the heart of each Beatles song. When most people think of The Beatles, they think of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The rivalry between Paul and John was ongoing through the years, each trying to prove who could write the best songs. They sang and recorded songs by other artists, changing the words. Rowley uncovers lost facts about the Beatles and their most well known songs. Some of their most famous songs weren’t written by John and Paul. Each Beatles song is listed in alphabetical order with a description of who wrote the lyrics and the music, what music influenced them and what events shaped each one. This is a must-read for any real Beatles fan.
In 1957, sixteen-year-old John Lennon formed a band in Liverpool with friends from school. Paul McCartney, age fifteen, joined as a rhythm guitarist the following year, and his friend George Harrison, age fourteen, auditioned for Lennon. Over Lennon’s objection that he was too young, Harrison became the group’s lead guitarist. Harrison would later be deported from Hamburg for lying to the German authorities about his age. However, a week later the same disgruntled club owner who turned over Harrison had McCartney deported by accusing him of setting fire to a tapestry.
The band went through many name changes, including the Beatals, before becoming The Beatles, and of course the band’s members changed too, with original bassist Stu Sutcliffe leaving just before the band made it big, and Pete Best being replaced by Ringo Starr in 1962 at the prompting of producer George Martin, who felt the band needed a better drummer for a recording session at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London.
The Beatles built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg. Their first hit, in 1962, was Love Me Do. Their most successful and influential albums are Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Beatles (1968), and Abbey Road (1969). The Beatles became the best-selling band of all time, with over 177 million records sold. The band broke up in 1970. In 1980, Lennon was shot and killed in New York City by a deranged fan. Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. Like many rock artists, the band members were heavy smokers in their early days.
This is Rowley’s third book about the Beatles. “I had the idea in 1988 when the Beatles albums were released on CD for the first time,” says Rowley. “Magazines and newspapers saw it as a chance to review the albums again, but they were very short reviews. I was interested in reviewing each track at length using the greater clarity, if not greater fidelity, that CDs brought to many of the instruments.”
Rowley searched Beatles fairs and newspaper libraries for historical records. “I read everything I could get my hands on,” says Rowley, “Listened to the music over and over. The long process of writing the book, an early version came out in 2002, improved my writing skills to the point I could become a full-time journalist.”
All Together Now uncovers little known facts, like how long it too to record Eight Days a Week. “My discovery that April 1969 was a record month for sunshine and that George wrote Here Comes The Sun in the same month is my proudest moment,” says Rowley.
Rowley other Beatle books include Beatles For Sale (2002) and Help! 50 songwriting, recording and career tips used by the Beatles (2008).
Rowley moved to Sydney, Australia, in March 2013. He was born in London.
All Together Now by David Rowley (Author). Kindle Edition File Size: 431 KB, Print Length: 165 pages, Publisher: Matador (February 4, 2013) Language: English, ASIN: B00BBJBR1A $7.99
