As dazzling as the decade they dominated The Beatles almost single-handedly created pop music
as we know it. Today their songs are cited as seminal influences by stars like Oasis and Blur.
Eloquently giving voice to their time The Beatles quite simply changed the world. Fully
updated to include material from The Beatles Live at the BBC and the Anthology series this
acclaimed book goes back to the heart of The Beatles - their records. Drawing on a unique
resource of knowledge and experience to 'read' their 241 tracks - chronologically from their
first amateur efforts in 1957 to 'Real Love' their final 'reunion' recording in 1995 - Ian
MacDonald has created an engrossing classic of popular criticism in which the extraordinary
songs of The Beatles remain a central and continually surprising presence.
