I know what you’re thinking. ANOTHER Beatles book? Do we really need that? What on earth hasn’t been written about the Fab Four. I thought the same thing when I picked up Rob Sheffield’s Dreaming The Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and The Whole World. But just a few pages in I was hooked and realized this WAS a totally new book, and it WAS a totally new angle.
Rolling Stone editor Rob Sheffield is a VERY personal writer, and some of his work I’ve liked, and some not so much, sometimes within the same book (see my review: On Bowie). But it works here. He riffs on stories — some well-known, others less so — and then spins off into his own thoughts, interactions, recollections, likes and dislikes on all things Beatles. While I don’t always agree with him, that’s probably sort of the point. It’s personal, not historical. And definitely part of the fun of reading this book.
The joy of this book is literally written into the cover design, which I love, and perfectly captures the essence of the book. Kudos to the graphic designer behind this visual. It features a very familiar framework that any music fan will recognize, but what’s left out is the detail, asking the reader to fill in the blanks from their memories. It’s very personal, and very effective. And that’s what’s inside this unconventional, yet wonderfully entertaining read too.
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