Eric Stone
I’m a Beatles completionist - records on vinyl, books on preorder, probably forever. It’s a way for me to feel closer to my father. At this point, I’m never sure if there’s anything new left to say about any of them, but this book managed to find some fresh ground.
The format was the big winner here. It’s told through a lot of different speakers, and while Paul himself wasn't a narrator on the audiobook, having Mary and Stella McCartney involved made it feel much more intimate. I also kept the hardcover nearby, which was worth it for the photographs alone. I especially loved the insight into the creative journey with Linda during those early, pre-Wings sessions, specifically Ram.
My only real gripe is the unnecessary girth of the book. A massive chunk of the back (just over 100 pages) is just a list of every show they played and specific recording details - most of which had already been covered in the text itself. It felt like it was added just to bulk out the page count, and it makes for a very clunky experience, especially when you're listening to the audio. It’s a solid 4-star read, but it could have been a lot tighter without the repetitive data dump at the end.
I’m a Beatles completionist - records on vinyl, books on preorder, probably forever. It’s a way for me to feel closer to my father. At this point, I’m never sure if there’s anything new left to say about any of them, but this book managed to find some fresh ground.
The format was the big winner here. It’s told through a lot of different speakers, and while Paul himself wasn't a narrator on the audiobook, having Mary and Stella McCartney involved made it feel much more intimate. I also kept the hardcover nearby, which was worth it for the photographs alone. I especially loved the insight into the creative journey with Linda during those early, pre-Wings sessions, specifically Ram.
My only real gripe is the unnecessary girth of the book. A massive chunk of the back (just over 100 pages) is just a list of every show they played and specific recording details - most of which had already been covered in the text itself. It felt like it was added just to bulk out the page count, and it makes for a very clunky experience, especially when you're listening to the audio. It’s a solid 4-star read, but it could have been a lot tighter without the repetitive data dump at the end.