Full Description
Given the phenomenal fame and commercial success that the Beatles knew for the entire course of their familiar career, their music per se has received surprisingly little detailed attention. Not all of their cultural influence can be traced to long hair and flashy clothing; the Beatles had numerous fresh ideas about melody, harmony, counterpoint, rhythm, form, colours, and textures. Or consider how much new ground was broken by their lyrics alone--both the themes and imagery of the Beatles' poetry are key parts of what made (and still makes) this group so important, so popular, and so imitated. This book is a comprehensive chronological study of every aspect of the Fab Four's musical life--including full examinations of composition, performance practice, recording, and historical context--during their transcendent late period (1966-1970). Rich, authoritative interpretations are interwoven through a documentary study of many thousands of audio, print, and other sources.
Contents
Map: The Beatles in London
PRELUDE: One-Way Ticket, Yeah
ONE: Another Kind of Mind There: The Meaning of Within (1966)
INTERLUDE: I Know When It's a Dream
TWO: Yellow Matter Custard, Green Slop Pie (1967)
THREE: So Let It Out and Let It In (1968)
FOUR: Let It Be (1969-1970)
POSTLUDE: Whatever Happened To...?
APPENDIX A: Instruments Played by the Late-Period Beatles
APPENDIX B: Musical Friends of the Late-Period Beatles
Table of Chord Functions
Glossary of Terms
Notes
References
Index of Names and Song Titles
Index
