Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now
by Barry Miles
from Holt Paperbacks
If you think John Lennon was the smart, arty Beatle while Paul was an empty head twittering prettily, this book will hip you to the facts. While John sat in the suburbs getting stoned to numb the pain of his imminent divorce, bachelor Paul was feeding his head by immersion in the London avant-garde. He pioneered the Beatles' experimental stuff, though his witty song-by-song account proves that it really was a 50-50 partnership--and some of the best innovations, like the snarling 1964 feedback intro to "I Feel Fine," happened by pure accident. Paul's insight into John's genius, which sprang from howling paranoia and a stark childhood, is still deeper than his insight into himself, but the book's true glory is its inside info on all those songs--the six tunes about John's marriage on A Hard Day's Night; Paul's heist of the "I Saw Her Standing There" bass line from Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" (found on Berry's The Chess Box); the true meanings of "Norwegian Wood" (pine paneling, which the song's narrator burns to avenge the girl's refusal to have sex with him), "Got to Get You into My Life" ("you" is marijuana), and "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" ("life goes on" in Yoruba). This book is even better than A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles' Song and Revolution in the Head. Here is the last word on the Beatles, inevitably slanted toward McCartney but generally more convincing than Lennon's own recollections. --Tim Appelo
Paul McCartney - Bass Master: Playing the Great Beatles Basslines
by Gareth Morgan
from Backbeat Books
Paul McCartney is one of the best pop bass players in the world, and this book presents a musical analysis of his consistently inventive and influential bass playing during his tenure in the Beatles. This indispensable guide offers full transcriptions (including tablature and chord names) of nine of McCartney's most revered bass parts: "Dear Prudence," "Drive My Car," "In My Life," "Lovely Rita," and more. Each track is analyzed and explained in detail to show today's bassists how much they can still learn from McCartney's remarkable skill and imagination.
The Walrus Was Paul: The Great Beatle Death Clues
by R. Gary Patterson
from Fireside
It was the late 1960s, the Beatles hadn't toured since 1966, and some truly bizarre indications began appearing, pointing to the unthinkable: Paul McCartney had been killed in a car accident and replaced by a look-alike. The Walrus Was Paul unearths every single clue from one of rock 'n' roll's most enduring puzzles and takes you on a magical mystery tour of baffling, yet fascinating, hints for solving this mystery.
Test your "Paul is dead" trivia knowledge. Did you find and answer the following clues on the front cover?
- To what song does the title, The Walrus Was Paul, refer?
"I Am the Walrus," which appeared on the clue-filled album Magical Mystery Tour.
- There is an egg in Paul's eye. Why?
In the song "I Am the Walrus," John Lennon sings, "I am the eggman...I am the walrus" -- and later, in the song "Glass Onion," we find out that, in fact, "the walrus was Paul."
- To what album (and richest source of "Paul is dead" clues) do the red, Victorian-style design elements on the front refer?
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
- Why is the image of Paul McCartney on the cover blurry? Are there distinguishing characteristics that might lead you to conclude something is awry?
Many photographs of Paul in these questionable years were blurry, and Paul had a mustache, which allegedly concealed the fact that this was not Paul and the plastic-surgery scars were being hidden from his curious public.
- The anagram on the bottom of the cover refers to a Greek island where John Lennon had what planned?
The island Leso is the "hidden Greek island" on which John Lennon planned to bury Paul, and it is spelled out as "Be at Leso" on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Lennon and McCartney: Together Alone: A Critical Discography of the Solo Work
by John Blaney
from Jawbone Press
TURN ME ON, DEAD MAN: THE BEATLES AND THE "PAUL IS DEAD" HOAX
by ANDRU J REEVE
from AuthorHouse
In the fall of 1969, the story seemed to come out of nowhere. Was Beatle Paul McCartney dead? This was no ordinary death rumor. It was believed that McCartney had died years earlier and been replaced by a lookalike. What's more, the surviving Beatles were thought to have planted "clues" to his death on their record albums. "Paul-Is-Dead" mania swept the United States as people attempted to solve the riddle of Paul's alleged demise. How did all of this happen? Beatles scholar and journalist Andru J Reeve has gotten to the bottom of this intrigue. After years of research, Reeve has assembled TURN ME ON, DEAD MAN to tell the strangest tale ever in the history of rock 'n' roll.
The Beatles Solo on Apple Records
by Bruce Spizer
from Four Ninety-Eight Productions
"The Beatles Solo on Apple Records" is the companion piece to Bruce Spizer's critically acclaimed "The Beatles on Apple Records." This book details the solo records released by John, Paul, George and Ringo on their own Apple label in America, starting with the December, 1968, release of George's "Wonderwall Music" album and ending with the December, 1975, release of George's single "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)." All solo projects are covered, including all of the albums and singles released by John & Yoko and Paul McCartney & Wings, as well as classic albums such as "Imagine," "Band On The Run," "All Things Must Pass" and "Ringo." The book provides complete session and chart information and shows all picture sleeves, album covers and label variations, along with many of the promotional posters, displays and trade magazine ads. The book is hard cover and printed on heavy weight glossy paper. It has over 900 images (all in full color or original black & white) spread throughout the book's 358 pages.
The Paul McCartney Encyclopedia
by Bill Harry
from Virgin Books
With almost 2000 entries covering his family history from birth, his many love affairs, his opinions about drugs, his songs, records, concerts and honours bestowed upon him over the years, together with a full discography and bibliogaphy, this book is packed with new material and unique insights into the life of Paul McCartney.
- Bill Harry is the leading authority on the Beatles and founder of the music paper Mersey Beat, that helped launch the Beatles.
Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium
Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
by Paul McCartney
from Hal Leonard Corporation
This matching folio features all 13 songs from the album recorded and released when Sir Paul was 64 - that illustrious age he immortalized in song on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Songs include: Dance Tonight * The End of the End * Ever Present Past * Feet in the Clouds * Gratitude * House of Wax * Mr. Bellamy * Nod Your Head * Only Mama Knows * See Your Sunshine * That Was Me * Vintage Clothes * You Tell Me.
The Unknown Paul McCartney: McCartney and the Avant-Garde
by Ian Peel
from Reynolds & Hearn
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