ePub Dangerous Border Crossers by GUILLERMO GOMEZ-PENA in Arts-Photography

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Well satisfied with my purchaseBy Derek GrimmellAs the author points out; the volume of press given to the cultural phenomena of the Beatles has included few biographies of the band itself. Think of this as a real biography of a band -- the story of a remarkable quartet set against the cultural influences that shaped them; tracing their growth; exploring the many factors that made them more popular; and more revered; than any other musical group before or since; and tracing their demise and peculiar afterlife as never-dimming cultural icons. (Ringo Starr remains a regular guest on talk shows; after all; where he would never appear except that he had *been a Beatle.*) Apart from the writing mechanics -- lucid; clear; easy to read -- I find that Gould has brought out aspects of the people; their city; their times; and their work that no one else has done. He deserves to be commended for this.You are most likely to enjoy this book if you appreciate the band when you hear the music (and tap your feet to it); but also want to build a little bit of understanding of their phenomenon -- to develop some new insights into what made them such a remarkable cultural force. The author puts their breakthrough moments into the context of the Profumo affair and uses sociological theory; especially Max Weber; to interpret why their fans went through such frenzies; after all. You will meet Aldous Huxley and Carl Jung as well. An author can very easily fall into pseudo-intellectual BS by drawing in so many cultural influences; but in this writers case the story of the band is the meal; while such background events and theories are the seasoning. He talks of these both to draw the reader into that time and place; and (in some cases) to illuminate why each of the bands members took the courses they did. I think he does really well at this. In particular; when he talks about the obvious sexual appeal of the band to its teenage fans; he barely mentions Freud. He stays away from the more pretentious and dubious speculations that initially greeted the band; instead pointing out that two were different kinds of handsome; one was a charismatic rebel; and one reminded people of an adorable puppy; giving the female fans a virtual smorgasbord of options for their infatuations; as well as re-forming social cliques around those totemic figures.If you are simply interested in learning as much as you can about the members and the details of their lives; you will find plenty of that material here. You may want to skip over the analytical bits; which is easier done in a print than the Kindle edition; as he does not separate the analysis neatly into chapters. You may also want to start with Hunter Davies 1968 authorized biography The Beatles (Updated Edition); and Michael Brauns early and more gritty Love Me Do!: "Beatles" Progress. But for my money; Gould has done the best job of making the Beatles and their times come alive; as if the reader had been; not in the inner circle; but within visual range of it.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating read!By whistlerThis is a great bookhellip;it combines interesting personal stories of the "boys" with interesting analysis of their music; song by song (did you know that Norwegian Wood refers to modern Scandinavian furniture?); but; more importantly; at least to me; its a sociological history of rock and roll; and the political world the Beatles appeared in. Its a bit dense sometimes; and I think might have been more popular if it were written in a "chattier" style; but its worth the slog. Insights into the music; the men themselves; and the times. Highly recommended!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. If you are going to read just one book on the Beatles; make it this one.By MN PhDIf you are going to read just one book on the Beatles; make it this one. This is a fascinating read; but also a serious work of scholarship. So; if you think the Beatles deserve to be taken seriously as artists; this is the book to read. Far more than just a group bio; Gould takes great care to place his subjects in the context of their time (the 1950s and 1960s) on both sides of the pond. He always presents both figure and ground. His discussions of their personalities and development; individual songs; the music industry and popular culture are all brilliant and integrated into the backdrop of historical and sociological trends. The chapter analyzing the psychology and sociology of Beatlemania is worth the price of admission alone.