This first-of-its-kind book draws upon decades of research, as music historians Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon recount the circumstances that led to the composition of every song, the recording process, and the instruments used.
Here, we learn that one of John Lennon’s favorite guitars was a 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri, which he bought for £100 in 1960 in Hamburg, Germany. We also learn that “Love Me Do,” recorded in Abbey Road Studios in September 1962, took 18 takes to get right, even though it was one of the first songs John and Paul ever wrote together. And the authors reveal that when The Beatles performed “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, John’s microphone wasn’t turned on, so viewers heard only Paul singing.
The hundreds of photographs throughout the book include rare black-and-white publicity stills, images of Beatles’ instruments, and engaging shots of the musicians in-studio. All the Songs is the must-have Beatles book for the any true Beatles fan.
All the Songs is available from Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers for $50 at Lake Forest Book Store, 847-234-4420.
—Maxwell Gregory
