Review - without the beatles by David Johnson

without the beatles (A possible history of pop)

by David Johnson

Available as Free PDF download from by emailing the author at withoutthebeatles@gmail.com.

Now this is a book that will not take up any room on your already groaning shelves, as it is an e-book! Yay!

Aussie David Johnson took 5 years to complete this 239 pager and instead of taking the time and effort to fight with publishers to have his work published, he decided to make his work available to all in the form of an online free PDF.

'Without The Beatles' is a musical journey divided into 3 sections 1. Before The Beatles, 2. Without The Beatles and 3. After The Beatles. All of those take us through a plotted musical history of the 1960s with a twist. What if there had never been The Beatles? What would have been the fate of the other Liverpool bands without the Beatles at the forefront? Over in America the musical landscape would have been very different without their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. Just think of how many bands may not have formed if they had not made that TV appearance? It’s mind boggling. This PDF therefore is a written version of the movie "Yesterday", sort of.

The only thing that constantly caught my proof reading eye was the annoying way that the song titles were typed out, for instance, ‘Day tripper’, with a small ‘t’ instead of a capital ‘T’. Then later on ‘Paperback writer’, instead of ‘Paperback Writer’. Seemed an odd oversight to me, otherwise very well written and researched, however I did not find anything I had not read before. So, with no photos or illustrations, this turns into a reference/history book (if ever actually printed) and something that would be suitable for a library or school, which is not a bad thing.

I enjoyed it and as it was a free download you cannot go wrong, can you?

Craig Smith

Out Now! The book all Beatles Fans need to read

 Order link

 https://thisdayinmusicbooks.com/product/its-all-too-much-by-david-stark/ 

A Chance to See the Dung Beatles December 13 2020

The Dung Beatles have been asked by The Court Theatre in Tring to stage a Dung Beatles evening. The theatre is struggling to keep up with rent and rates payments at the moment. The group replied with a resounding yes to both help them out whilst also giving the band some welcome performance time.

The date was set to Saturday the 12th Dec and the tickets sold out within 48 hours! 

As a result, the theatre set up a second night on December 13th.  There are less than 40 tickets left for that one, so if you are looking for a great evening, snap up those remaining tickets!

The ticket link is here: https://www.bluesbartring.co.uk/events/the-dung-beatles-dec-13th/

Book Review - Murder of a Multitude, a Beatles themed mystery

 

Murder of a Multitude

By Dexter James
Published Independently, August 2020
Price: UK £8.02 US $10.50 (also available as an ebook)
ISBN-13: 979-8675957330

This book will slip under the radar of most Beatles fans because the title doesn’t reference the Fab Four, but for those Beatles fans who also enjoy murder mysteries, this is a must read.

The second book in the Mario Simpson book series concerns a serial killer at loose in New York City. The victims are not random but targeted because of their first names. Young women whose names appear in Beatles songs are being murdered on the anniversary dates that the songs matching their names were released.

Although the clever detective figures out this pattern quickly, the wily killer is frustratingly frequently one step ahead and the politically minded police commissioner exasperatingly obstructive.

The book was a fast and fun read. While it is a murder mystery, the killer is identified quite early in the story and the majority of the book is the fast-paced, race to apprehend the culprit before more victims are murdered. Beatles fans reading will enjoy the lyric-based clues which add an interesting extra layer to the story, but readers who don’t know anything about the Beatles will still have a gripping story to read and enjoy that has clever twists to keep the reader hooked.

Beat Archiv in Germany honoring John in many ways

 Our friends from Beat Archiv in Germany have been been busy in recent weeks and have shared the following to share with our readers.

On October 3rd, 2020 there was a recital in honor of John Lennon with his songs and songs that he also played. Many musicians performed, including the Quarrymen Chas Newby and Rod Davis.

Corona-Home-Concert-DVD-R

Exhibition "20 Years - One Minute Silence - In Memory Of John Lennon"

"A tribute to John Lennon" 21.09. - 08.12.2020

You can stay up-to-date with all their tributes and activities by visiting their site: www.beatarchivgc.de

Thinking of John today

 

Beatles Day Live in Dublin in November 2020

 UPDATE - Sadly Beatles Day in Dublin has been CANCELLED DUE TO COVID

BEATLES DAY 2020 is set to take place at the Workman’s Club on Saturday, November 7th.  There are afternoon events and evening events – and you can find out more at these links – AFTERNOON TICKET and EVENING TICKET.  Also check out the Dublin Beatles Festival Facebook for more info.
 
Tickets for the above shows are very limited, owing to Covid-19 safety guidelines, so please buy early, in order to avoid disappointment and future family arguments.  These events will sell out quickly.