This is a fabulous evocation of the fab four's rise to greatness, written with just the right amount of reverence and objectivity. Davies manages to ellicit some great anecdotes from people who were closest to The Beatles. Mimi, Paul's dad, the Harrisons, close friends, Fred Lennon (John's dad), Pete Best; they all get to have their say. The book is especially strong during the Hamburg years (loosely 59-62). Davies captures the growth in their popularity, attracting interesting characters along the way, yet having no fan base outside Liverpool and Hamburg. He demonstrates so vividly the growing desperation of the boys to make it big. Once the rollercoaster took off then the book is on trickier ground. Davies clearly wants to divulge stuff which The Beatles were not keen on him revealing (Davies was writing the book during 1967/early 68). For instance, Lennon was heavily into drugs at this time and Hunter Davies refers to John as being in a daze. Yes, you have to read between the lines! One of the strengths of this book is its matter-of-fact delivery. Although Davies is clearly a fan he still keeps his feet on the ground. The death of Brian Epstein is well-handled. Remember, this was written before all the Klein, Apple, Ono nonsense hit the fan. Yet Davies manages to convey a growing sense of isolation amongst the group. His pen-portraits of each member is uncannily (eerily) accurate, bearing in mind the general public thought The Beatles were a rock-solid national institution. The book is a cracker and loses a star of its rating only because of a rather mysterious lack of detail around Rubber Soul and Revolver. The rest is gear!
