The profiles of the group’s families are the best we have yet read, and Lewisohn’s scrupulous research – he has already devoted a large part of his life to writing definitive books on The Beatles’ recordings – adds real depth to his portrait of postwar Liverpool. The first 250 pages of Lewisohn’s book escort us out of the 1950s with a historian’s eye for detail and a measured prose style that serves its frequently overcooked subject well. “ couldn’t have known it,” writes Lewisohn, “but by slipping into Long Tall Sally he was sliding into John’s main artery.” The addiction was mutual, and would be cured, in time to come, with a great deal of pain. Paul switched to piano, and into his Little Richard routine. The normally scathing Lennon was rocked by McCartney’s precocious abilities. The younger boy, just turned 15, grabbed Lennon’s guitar, helpfully adjusted its unfamiliar banjo tuning, and burst into song. It was always evident in Lennon’s acerbic bullying of less keen intellects, and hilariously present in Paul McCartney’s jousting when he first met his mucker-to-be in July 1957. IMO Tune In extended version the only Beatles biography you really need.The Beatles never lacked for confidence. In fact I plan on selling my other Beatles biographies because I feel they are useless compared to Lewisohn’s. It seems the mass market version was edited down to nothing compared to the extended version, especially in regards to Paul and George. The extended version goes into so much about Paul and George, that for the first time I actually feel I have a strong knowledge of who they really were as people at that time. Well the extended version has even more! Many people were disappointed that Mark didn’t seem to include the same detail about George and Paul.

Most people loved the fact that the mass market version had a lot of information on Ringo.

It’s there somewhere but it’s buried under the hundred of pages of extra detail about everything. As I was reading I realized that I couldn’t even find the mass market version amid all of the detail. That’s when I realized that this was going to be a very different book. The mass market version breezes over this period. Hi Drew, ok first of all the historical period from 1864, to the period when their parents were born is minutely detailed for each family and goes on for probably hundreds of pages.

Mark lewisohn beatles volume 2