Tony Bramwell has known George, Paul, and John ever since they grew up together in Liverpool. After the Beatles split, he became an independent record promoter, representing artists including Bruce Springsteen and coordinating and promoting the music for films including Harry Saltzmann's James Bonds (including Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die), Chariots of Fire, Dirty Dancing, and Ghost.
Rosemary Kingsland is the author of The Secret Life of a Schoolgirl, her memoir, and Savage Seas, from which a PBS special was drawn. She also wrote the highly praised series Pirates and Treasure Islands for the Discovery Channel.
A childhood friend of George Harrison, Bramwell tagged along with the Beatles through their rise to stardom, taking a position with manager Brian Epstein's NEMS company and staying on to work at Apple Corp after Epstein's death. His memoir is rich with insider insights but also with inaccuracies. More than once, he remembers events taking place a year or two before they could have, and in one instance he gives credit to Andrew Lloyd Webber for writing the musical Les Mis?rables (written by Alan Boubill and Claude-Michel Schonberg). He shines, however, when remembering intimate conversations with Epstein, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon. Bramwell contradicts conventional Beatle lore by claiming John and Paul knew each other "years" before their legendary first meeting in 1957, and that John and Yoko Ono consummated their relationship prior to the generally accepted May 1968. Not suitable as a Beatles biography, this joins other Fab Four insider memoirs by Alastair Taylor, Peter Brown, and Denis O'Dell; optional. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/04.]-Lloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Bramwell, a longtime Beatles business associate and childhood friend, offers a fond, intimate portrait of the Fab Four. His often gossipy recollections illuminate the players from their days as young "scousers" in working-class Liverpool to their formation as a group, and from their exhausting early stints in Hamburg to their astonishing stardom. Readers will be surprised to learn how much money the Beatles left on the table owing to the bad deals that Brian Epstein, the Beatles' respected but conflicted manager, made. Still, the group remained fiercely loyal to Epstein, who made them-and many others-rich beyond their dreams, cutting deals in what was then uncharted business territory. Throughout, Paul comes off as down to earth, Ringo as sophisticated and "Hollywood," and George, charming and gentle, if a bit unusual. Not surprisingly, it is John who piques the most interest. Bramwell blisters Yoko Ono, "the Princess of Darkness," and suggests that either she brainwashed John or that he was suffering from mental illness. Although music historians and Beatles collectors may feel they know the story, Bramwell's memoir is much more than Beatles history. Energetically written, this is a vivid and intensely personal look at not only the Beatles but at a storybook trip from the docks of Liverpool to swinging London and the very epicenter of the British invasion. Photos not seen by PW. Agent, Jeff Kleinman. (Apr.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
