Meet the Beatles: A Cultural History of the Band That Shook Youth, Gender, and the World

By Steven D. Stark

Book Overview

Rob Sheffield, the Rolling Stone columnist and bestselling author of Love Is a Mix Tape, offers an entertaining, unconventional look at the most popular band in history, the Beatles, exploring what they mean today and why they still matter so intensely to a generation that has never known a world without them.

Meet the Beatles is not another biography of the Beatles, or a song-by-song analysis of the best of John and Paul. It isn't another expos about how they broke up. It isn't a history of their gigs or their gear. It is a collection of essays telling the story of what this ubiquitous band means to a generation who grew up with the Beatles music on their parents' stereos and their faces on T-shirts. What do the Beatles mean today? Why are they more famous and beloved now than ever? And why do they still matter so much to us, nearly fifty years after they broke up?

As he did in his previous books, Love is a Mix Tape, Talking to Girls About Duran Duran, and Turn Around Bright Eyes, Sheffield focuses on the emotional connections we make to music. This time, he focuses on the biggest pop culture phenomenon of all time--The Beatles. In his singular voice, he explores what the Beatles mean today, to fans who have learned to love them on their own terms and not just for the sake of nostalgia.

Meet the Beatles tells the story of how four lads from Liverpool became the world's biggest pop group, then broke up--but then somehow just kept getting bigger. At this point, their music doesn't belong to the past--it belongs to right now. This book is a celebration of that music, showing why the Beatles remain the world's favorite thing--and how they invented the future we're all living in today.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060008938
• ISBN13: 9780060008932
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Dey Street Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book, but know what you are getting first

The Author assumes some working knowledge of the Beatles - which I hardly had. But from the preface the author, and subtitle, explicitly state that this is not a comprehensive, or even an abridged, history of the Beatles. Instead this book aims to explain the cultural status at the time of the Beatles and their impact on that culture. This is my first book on the Beatles that I have read. Since I was born in the late 70's, I was looking for a book that would help explain the cultural context of the Beatles. The book delivers on this point. The writing style was engaging, and the book was pleasant to read. I reccomend it.

Overall, good, but not enough about Ringo & George

I literally couldn't put this book down once I started it. That hardly ever happens to me. Having only been 4 when the Beatles exploded on the U.S. scene in '64, I have only vague memories of the early Beatles--I do remember skipping across the playground at Our Lady of Providence School, circa '66, and singing "She Loves You, yeah, yeah, yeah" with playmates. And I remember circulating the riddle du jour: "What did the boy octopus sing to the girl octopus? I wanna hold your hand, hand, hand, hand..." If you're already a fan who knows every bit of minutiae about the Fab Four, this book probably isn't for you. But this is THE book to read if you're a new fan or if you were too young for the Beatles Experience when it was happening or especially if you question WHY the Beatles became a virtual religious experience when no other bands did. My only complaint is that author Stark far too often overlooks my two fave Beatles -- George & Ringo. They receive precious little ink with regard to their own biographies. In that respect, the book should really be titled _Meet Paul & John_. Not having read any other Beatles books, I've been recently informed that this is typical of books about the Beatles. That's really too bad. Perhaps it's because (as I learned in this book) George had the most normal and loving childhood of the four and was the only Beatle with a fully intact family in which a parent neither fled nor died. Maybe that's why Stark gave us so little info. about George. Perhaps George was too boring because of this--too few sensational stories. (Do read the new, '06 biography of Harrison, _Here Comes the Sun_ if you long to know more about him.) As for Ringo, God love him, the little that is in the book helps one understand his incredible "everyman" appeal and also why he's always seemed the most empathic of the four. It's because he was an only child who spent most of his childhood sick, in bed, at the doctor, and/or in hospital. But his mum was quite steadfast and loving (dad wasn't around), and little "Richie" seems to have coped by developing quite the sense of humor as well as a sensitivity to the downtrodden "little guy" which he both figuratively and literally was in the Beatles. (Though he got the most fan mail, much of it from children.) Overall a great read. I just hope Stark writes another book that focuses on the two "economy class" Beatles (George Harrison's term, not mine.)

Overall, good, but not enough about Ringo & George

I literally couldn't put this book down once I started it. That hardly ever happens to me. Having only been 4 when the Beatles exploded on the U.S. scene in '64, I have only vague memories of the early Beatles--I do remember skipping across the playground at Our Lady of Providence School, circa '66, and singing "She Loves You, yeah, yeah, yeah" with playmates. And I remember circulating the riddle du jour: "What did the boy octopus sing to the girl octopus? I wanna hold your hand, hand, hand, hand..." If you're already a fan who knows every bit of minutiae about the Fab Four, this book probably isn't for you. But this is THE book to read if you're a new fan or if you were too young for the Beatles Experience when it was happening or especially if you question WHY the Beatles became a virtual religious experience when no other bands did. My only complaint is that author Stark far too often overlooks my two fave Beatles -- George & Ringo. They receive precious little ink with regard to their own biographies. In that respect, the book should really be titled _Meet Paul & John_. Not having read any other Beatles books, I've been recently informed that this is typical of books about the Beatles. That's really too bad. Perhaps it's because (as I learned in this book) George had the most normal and loving childhood of the four and was the only Beatle with a fully intact family in which a parent neither fled nor died. Maybe that's why Stark gave us so little info. about George. Perhaps George was too boring because of this--too few sensational stories. (Do read the new, '06 biography of Harrison, _Here Comes the Sun_ if you long to know more about him.) As for Ringo, God love him, the little that is in the book helps one understand his incredible "everyman" appeal and also why he's always seemed the most empathic of the four. It's because he was an only child who spent most of his childhood sick, in bed, at the doctor, and/or in hospital. But his mum was quite steadfast and loving (dad wasn't around), and little "Richie" seems to have coped by developing quite the sense of humor as well as a sensitivity to the downtrodden "little guy" which he both figuratively and literally was in the Beatles. Overall a great read. I just wish Stark had more info on the two "economy class Beatles" (George Harrison's term, not mine.)

A Most Intelligent Beatles Book!

If you are looking for a pleasurable trip down memory lane, you won't be disappointed -- and you may be suprised to find that this book is much more than that. The author is an astute observer of modern culture, and he discerns the influence of the Beatles in places I had never thought to look, particularly gender roles. And likewise his treatment of how the 60's continue to reverberate in today's world -- not just the conventional "sex, drugs and rock-and-roll" but some thought-provoking views on how the culture wars began. Hardly a hagiography, the book is unflinching in its descriptions of the Beatles' backgrounds and behavior(but never sensationalized.) Stark weaves insight and humor throughout, making it a book I found hard to put down.

No Coffee Table Tome! This is a Serious Read!

This book is an in-depth look at how the Beatles' arrival in America on February 7, 1964 (also known as Beatles Day) was generally met with great joy and rave reviews. Arriving in the U.S. less than 3 months after President Kennedy was assassinated, the Beatles breathed new life and fresh fun into a grieving world. Stark examines Liverpool England, the Beatles' home town from a rather sociological standpoint. While Ringo was the only Beatle who was raised by a single mother due to divorce, the premise of absentee fathers does not necessarily apply to the Beatles as a group. On the other hand, the nod to "strong mothers" certainly applies to the Beatles, including John's mother Julia who had her sister and brother-in-law raise him and who also taught him to play stringed instruments. John's maternal aunt Mimi was quite an indomitable lady indeed and John would say at different points throughout his life that the women in his family were very strong. This would be revisited in each Beatle wife as each one was a strong woman in her own right. The Beatles did, through no design of their own encourage some gender-neutral, androgynous fun and fashion. Their trademark Moptops are a rather unisex cut and added to their visual appeal. The Beatles have indeed raised the musical and cultural bar and remain a timeless and permanent cultural fixture. Their music and personal milestones had a strong influence on the 60s protest movements; e.g. lyrics and transcendental meditation in India in 1967. Other groups of disenfranchised persons and the issues of the day are often tied directly to Beatle songs, e.g. 1968's "Revolution" and "Piggies" and 1966's Harrison gem, "Taxman." Including trivia as well as long reported facts help round this book out and make it distinct. Stark is a very astute man and his analyses of the Beatles' relationships with their spouses and each other provides much rich thought. As for needing another book on the Beatles, as Stark asks in this book, the Beatles are a fascinating topic of conversation and having different input from more people proves once again that the group and the individuals who were part of that group can be discussed and intellectually explored from many different angles. His inclusion of thoughts expressed by other Beatle experts supports this finding.