I Bought It

I'd heard Jonathan Gould's Can't Buy Me Love, which came out last year, was the best book ever written about The Beatles. Considering they've been coming out at a regular rate for forty+ years, that's quite a claim.

So I read the book, and they may be right. At over 600 pages, it's really three books--a Beatles' history, an in-depth discussion of their music, and a review of the social milieu in which their story unfolds. Gould writes well and with understanding, which automatically puts him near the top.

I do have some complaints, generally about his musical taste. That was almost inevitable. For instance, not unlike Ian MacDonald's Revolution In The Head (also in competition for best book on The Beatles), Gould too easily prefers their "softer" music over their rougher, earlier work.

Then there are specific judgments that make me wonder if he's listening to the same music. For instance, of the three Motown covers on With The Beatles, Gould takes "Please Mr. Postman" over burning renditions of "Money (That's What I Want)" and "You Really Got A Hold On Me." Discussing what I consider one of their weaker (if still great) early albums, he writes "On almost every level of singing, playing, songwriting, and arrangements, the eight new Lennon-McCartney songs on Beatles for Sale [...] far surpass any collection of album tracks the Beatles had recorded to date." Then, when the Beatles do surpass themselves on Help!, he writes "Although each of these tracks has its moments of interest, the collection as a whole was uninspired."

Regardless, Gould brings old stories--and songs--to life, often by writing about them from new vantage points. For that alone the book should be front and center on your Beatles' shelf.