by Paul McCartney (Music 781.66 McC)
This two-volume set is a must-read
for any fan of the Beatles or of Paul McCartney’s music. Filled to the brim
with stunning photographs, music history and nostalgia, Paul goes through a
selection of his songs in alphabetical order and describes what was going on in
his life and the world at the time when he wrote the lyrics to these songs.
What I enjoyed the most about this work is the personal look into the private
life of a family man who was happiest when working on his farm in Scotland,
raising his family. Paul describes in detail his emotions at the time when the
Beatles first became a group as well as when they broke up as a band. While
reading this set, I felt like I was sitting there with the author as he talked about
very personal things going on in his life, such as how the death of his mother
affected him at the tender age of fourteen and how that event spilled over into
his songwriting career. Having grown up in the 60s and 70s, it was interesting
to see events from Paul’s point of view compared with what was being published
by the media. I was especially touched by descriptions of Paul’s relationship
with John Lennon, which had always been described as non-existent following the
breakup of the Beatles, but which was actually very caring, especially in the
period of time just before John’s untimely death. I think the one thing I came
away with from this book was Paul’s incredible love for his wife, Linda, and
how much she impacted his life. As a fan of Wings, I was pleased to see photos
of the group and the inclusion of his lyrics for songs recorded by that group
as well. All in all, this is an excellent publication and worthy of reading.
(If you enjoy this, you may also
wish to try the DVD Hard Day’s Night by The Beatles, Blackbird Singing: Poems and Lyrics from 1965-1999 by Paul
McCartney or Conversations With McCartney by Paul Du Noyer.)
( U.S. Publisher’s official The Lyrics
web page ) | ( official Book Trailer for “The Lyrics” ) | (
official Paul
McCartney web site )
Recommended
by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
Have you read or listened to
this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!
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