This book was interesting but the layout doesn't seem to work well. It feels as if it was an assortment of random thoughts placed out of order. This book also doesnt offer much new information on the iconic Beatles, but as a avid fan who has picked up and read much on the group perhaps this should be expected.

The Beatles A to Zed by Peter Asher is a 2019 Henry Holt & Company publication.

I know what your thinking. Another book about the Beatles? Don’t you think that by now this group has been examined in every which way one can possibly imagine? Yes, but for some reason I never grow weary of reading about the Beatles- However… it has to be a quality book, and not a rushed to market ‘cash grab’ or gossipy tell-all.

With Peter Asher’s name attached, and with the super high ratings for this one, I just couldn’t help myself- so, yes, ANOTHER Beatles book.

So, what did this new book have to offer that countless others books haven’t already rehashed ad nauseum over the years?

Well, there are plenty of interesting people and places that crop up in this book that were just on the periphery of the band, that made some contribution to the music, the sound or were influenced by the Beatles, or helped to inspire the group, spawning new ideas and creativity.

The author, whose sister once dated Paul McCartney before he met and married Linda, knew the band members personally, and continued to work with or around them for years.

Now, Asher also has his own radio show on SiriusXM, which airs on The Beatles channel, called “From Me to You.” This book stemmed from that show, and one might consider it a ‘radio’ tie in.

The format is part of what makes the book stand out from all the other Beatles books. Asher goes through the entire alphabet, listing all things pertaining to the Beatles associated with that letter. Don’t expect the obvious songs or people and places. Asher did work hard to come up with off the beaten path associations, rare tunes, events or little -known pieces of trivia to keep things interesting.
However, some letters were nearly impossible to work with and Asher’s creativity did elicit a groan or two, but he good naturedly acknowledged the occasional ‘cheating’ and some really far out there connections.

Other than that, Asher had to dig deep to avoid repeating information everyone already knows about the Beatles and worked hard to provide readers with links to the Beatles they might not have known about, or considered previously.

Still, though, at the end of the day, a lot of the information wasn't all that new- or unknown- but was merely presented to me in a different, more challenging way, so that it felt fresh.

It’s a fun book, however, and Asher had an enthusiastic approach, sprinkled with humor and inside knowledge that added a personal touch to the book.

Although the book didn't quite live up to all the high praise, for me, at least, it was a nice book to thumb through on a hot, lazy afternoon. It's an easy read, and gave me something light and pleasant to enjoy that didn’t require a great deal of concentration. Once again, I am reminded of why I love the Beatles and the myriad of ways the group influenced music and pop culture.

3.5 stars

Even though I've been listening and enjoying music by The Beatles my whole life, I hadn't ever read a book about them before. It is interesting to read about the background behind their recordings and activities. It makes you want to listen to their songs again.

There has been so much written about The Beatles. So what makes this title different and worth the read? Peter Asher had a rare front-row seat to the evolution of The Beatles, particularly in the mid-sixties when Paul McCartney was living in the Asher household. With this connection to the band, Asher has more insight and anecdotes than many of the other Beatle-related writers out there. What also stands out from this text compared to others is that you may have already heard some of this if you listen to Asher's shows on Sirius XM's Beatles Channel. If you have, this almost reads like a transcript from one of those shows.

This book takes a different approach by skipping chronological order and making it a little more fun by playing an alphabet game with songs and stories. While some of it may seem a stretch (Z is for zoological, an imaginary zoo with imaginary animals from Beatles songs), it is a clever way to talk about these things that have been talked about so many times before. Some stories have been told many times, some are told from a different perspective, and some are custom-made for a music theory class, but all are fascinating to read.

The only issue I seem to have with the book is that sometimes one story seemed to run into another so fast that I didn't realize I was reading about something else. More line breaks or ways to realize that the story was shifting to the next subject would have been helpful. It's a great title to add to any Beatles fan's bookshelf.

Knowing what a personal connection Peter Asher has always had with The Beatles, I was excited to learn that he had written a book about them and I eagerly looked forward to reading it. I expected to like it a lot and learn some new things I didn't know about the band.

Well, I loved the book even more than I expected to. What's great about it is that it's not a typical A-Z reference book. Asher goes through each letter of the alphabet to talk about different songs that start with each letter. He doesn't cover each and every song they did and I was kind of relieved that he didn't. That would be a VERY long book and it would probably get boring after awhile.

He chooses songs for each letter that he's a fan of or has some sort of connection to or personal knowledge of. Because of that, there's a lot of great Beatles trivia included here. I also very much like that in addition to discussing songs by the band, he also talks about solo songs by the band members.

If you're a fan of The Beatles, you should definitely check this one out. I thought it was very informative and entertaining.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair review.

The author, Peter Asher, knew The Beatles personally, was part of Apple Records and spent a considerable amount of time with them while they were in the group as well as afterward when the paths had split.
The book is packed with interesting stories and details, many of which I had never read or about before, which made the read worthwhile.
That being said, the format of the book is awkward, splitting up the material in an alphabetical sequence, and clearly the author seemed to struggle with it. His transitions are often poorly written, and frequently he is straying away from it in a peculiar fashion, making you scratch your head out of frustration from the lack of consistency.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book and the author gave me good reason to reacquaint myself with all my old Beatles albums which are discussed in detail as well as countless songs written, recorded and/or performed by John, Paul, George and Ringo after their split. The author knows his stuff and he is also a fan of both the individuals and their music, which makes the book a treasure trove of information for the rest of us who have enjoyed them from farther away.

It surprises me a little bit that publishers are still pumping out books about The Beatles ... but it surprises only a little bit. The lifespan of finding an audience is likely on the wane, as are the people who will have had a first-hand encounter worth telling.

This particular book is unique because it's presented in alphabetical order (sort of), and because it's written by Peter Asher. For those who don't know, Peter Asher is A) half of the 1960's pop duo Peter & Gordon (whose first [and biggest] hit was "World Without Love" in 1964 - written by Paul McCartney), and 2) the brother of Jane Asher who was Paul McCartney's girlfriend through much of the mid-1960's.

During this period (early to mid-1960's) Paul McCartney lived with the Asher's and so Peter has a very unique view point for a number of McCartney moments. Hearing about the early versions of songs coming from his room, or how McCartney would walk into his room and come out an hour or so later with a finished masterpiece. This is the kind of Beatles memory that we've never heard before and generally makes this book worth reading for Beatles aficionados.

One of the pleasant quirks to the book is that Asher (who is an extremely bright person) plays fast and loose with the alphabet and the Beatles catalog. For instance, when Asher discusses "All You Need Is Love" it is not found under the letter "A" but under the letter "T." "T"?! I won't explain why, but it makes sense in the context of how Asher presents this book.

Also, the alphabet is not just used to discuss song titles, but other aspects of the Beatles and their lives and history. "G" for instance brings Asher to discuss Germany and the Beatles' time there. "S" talks about the Ed Sullivan show.

What is also nice to note is that the book doesn't focus solely on The Beatles as a group, but songs, concerts, and/or events that are a part of each Beatle's solo career or work with another group (i.e. Wings, Traveling Wilburys, etc) are also often brought up through Asher's discourse.

While I am a Beatles fan, I can't say that I'm a Beatlemaniac or deeply knowledgeable about the Fab Four. I can't quote anything about their history (I can't even quote most of their songs), but I enjoy their music, and as an avid reader, I enjoy reading about them. This book was a very easy read. Given the format, I found that when I had a moment to read something, but couldn't get involved in a story, I could pick this up and get a good, short read.

Looking for a good book? <em>The Beatles From A to Zed</em> by Peter Asher is a clever, fresh look at The Beatles by someone who is able to offer to new insight to The Beatles' history.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Great book about The Beatles! I really like the band but there is a lot of stuff that I don't know. I found this book very entertaining and easy to read. I learned a lot too!

3.5 Stars

When I saw that Peter Asher had written a book about the Beatles I pounced on it. Why? He's right in the thick of the best of Beatles history! You might remember him as half of the famous British music duo Peter and Gordon who had a #1 hit with a song called "A World Without Love". If you can't immediately conjure up this tune in your mind, just think of the rather funny lyrics it begins with..."Please lock me away..."! Well, a young Paul McCartney actually wrote that song and gave it away to Peter and Gordon to record. But the Beatle connection is much deeper than this, because Paul dated Peter's younger sister actress Jane Asher for some years and they were even engaged (Jane ultimately broke off the engagement in 1968). Jane Asher was only sixteen when she met Paul while The Beatles were performing on a British show called "Juke Box Jury" where she was a panelist. The Beatles were just becoming famous and had left Liverpool to take up residence in London. Conveniently, Paul was invited to live at the roomy, multi-level Asher residence at 57 Wimpole Street. Paul had a room at the top of the home right across the hall from Peter's bedroom. A good number of Beatles songs were written at this house, probably the most famous being "Yesterday". When I visited London in 1999 this home was part of The Beatles Walking Tour I went on. Peter Asher's mother was a music teacher and in fact, Beatles Producer George Martin had been one of her students! The basement was a music room where she would give music lessons, but when it wasn't used for that John Lennon and Paul McCartney were composing Beatles hits down there such as "I Want to Hold Your Hand"!

When The Beatles launched their entertainment company Apple Corps they appointed Peter Asher as head of A&R for Apple Records. He was responsible for discovering James Taylor and signing him to Apple Records. Later in life he became the manager of Linda Ronstadt and a Grammy winning producer. He has had a very rich career in the music industry, but his intimate association with The Beatles made me keen to read this tome. When I read his introductory chapter to this book I got really excited, as he recounted his personal connection to The Beatles. He of course mentioned that his sister Jane dated Paul for a few years, but he never mentioned the fact that they were engaged. In fact, after the introductory chapter he dropped that topic altogether as if it was off limits. And then I realized that this book wasn't going to be a dishy tell-all about The Beatles. I'm sure he has some really juicy insider stories to tell, but his lips are sealed. What was I thinking? He is still part of the last two living Beatles' (Paul and Ringo) lives, and he would never betray them in such a way.

So, Asher now has a Beatles radio show on SiriusXM where he plays Beatles songs and shares a plethora of Beatle lore and factoids. He used a framework to do the same for this book, specifically, via the alphabet. Yes, he devotes a chapter to each letter of the alphabet, citing Beatles and solo Beatles songs associated with each letter. Sometimes a letter doesn't figure in a lot of Beatles songs, but he's creative and goes off on a tangent with a musical instrument starting with that letter, etc. Not only will he expound upon a Beatles song, but might make mention of other artists that have covered that particular song. Asher has a deep knowledge of the recording studio and specific information on which Beatle played what instrument on each song, along with a wide spectrum of other tidbits. I was impressed with his encyclopedic knowledge of what went down on each Beatles recording.

When I had reached the letter E chapter I briefly lost trust in Asher for a moment when he got a story wrong about how the song "Eight Days a Week" came about. I've heard Paul McCartney tell the story himself many times in his own voice. I listen to a station called "Beatles 181.fm" via the TuneIn Radio app which can be played through the Amazon Echo. I love this station because it plays all manner of Beatles songs, whether it be the standard recordings, alternative versions, or solo Beatles. A wonderful feature of this station is that they often play snippets of either The Beatles or producer George Martin talking about the song before it's played. Paul said that he had temporarily lost his drivers' license due to a driving infraction, and had employed a chauffeur to drive him from London to John's house Kenwood in the country. They used to meet up like a job to write songs, as they were constantly pressured for new material by their record company. Paul engaged the driver in conversation, asking him how he was. The driver replied that he was a bit tired, as he was working 8 days a week! That's when it clicked in Paul's head and he thought, "Right...that's the title of the song we're writing today!" And he told John as such when he arrived at his house. Maybe Asher can correct this particular passage in the book.

Otherwise, this is a quality book chock full of information about Beatles recordings. Asher writes in a pleasant, dare I say British/classy/upbeat "tone". I found this to be the kind of book that you could just pick up and put down at will to delve back into it. I knew a lot of the information already because of being a hard core Beatles fan of many years. Quite frankly, I enjoyed the introductory chapter where he explained who he was and the time that Paul lived in the Asher house and would have loved if things would have continued on that way. Honestly, I found the chapters structured by letters of the alphabet kind of a silly way to write a book. I might well have even put it aside if I wasn't reviewing it. But if you're interested in The Beatles, please give this book a go. I tend to be snarky and a bit cynical when reading Beatles books because I've read so many.

What a trip down memory lane! I think any Beatle fan will enjoy reading this book. A-Zed is very loose, as any given letter begins a song title, but covers so mush more. Really A-z didn't seem necessary at all. But the book is filled with lots of trivia, some I recalled, more that was new to me. It's a great book to browse, better than read from cover to cover (my opinion.). AND it's written by Peter Asher! Who could ask for more than that! An insider dishes! Bout time! Kudos to the author!

OMG ....... what a great book written by Peter Asher that’s known the Beatles since 1963 and has the insight into their lives and music.....if you love the Beatles you’ll want to read this book ...... and for those that don’t know much about the band you’ll learn to appreciate them and their music .....a must read

I love listening to Peter Asher on the Beatles Station on Sirius XM, and I have listened to his A to Zed and was thoroughly entertained by his insight. It was just as good reading it. There's just so much in this book to satisfy my innner Beatles super-fan, and as I went through listening to their songs after reading this book it made me see their music in a whole new way, which I LOVE! Highly recommended, Peter Asher knows his stuff and I loved seeing his perspective as he was along for the ride with the Beatles.

Peter Asher might be the sixth or seventh or eighth Beatle.
He could qualify with his longtime connections to Paul McCartney and Apple Records, and this book is new evidence that he could be an honorary member of the band.
The book is an entertaining trip through the alphabet and a fab way to associate letters with what you know or don't know about the Beatles.
I plan to have a longer review for my new book blog, which I hope to launch in the fall of 2019.

I enjoyed this book as much, if not more than I enjoy hearing Peter Asher on the radio. He always has fun, kindly, interesting things to say about the Beatles both individually and collectively.

After reading this book, I advise you to Wiki Peter Asher. His post-Beatles career is very impressive!

Maybe he should write another book?!

No doubt about it. Peter Asher’s The Beatles from A to Zed: An Alphabetical Mystery Tour is a wonderfully comprehensive reminder of what made the Beatles such a unique and influential band, a book to be appreciated by younger and older fans alike. But this is a very special book for those fans who were there to buy the singles and albums as they were being delivered in what we then believed would be a string of never-ending hits. As it turned out, “never-ending” would only last from 1964 to 1970, but that doesn’t mean that the Beatles have ever been in any danger of being forgotten or surpassed by any of the bands that followed them.

Thanks in large part to the Beatles Channel on SiriusXM radio, Beatlemania is still alive and well. Some Beatle fans (and perhaps especially non-fans) may have wondered how long a 24-7 radio station devoted to nothing but the music of one group could possibly remain fresh – even if it was the music of the Beatles. If so, they underestimated both the Beatles and those, like Peter Asher, who contribute their own knowledge and memories of that era to the channel’s programming. It is Asher’s Beatle’s Channel program “From Me to You” that in fact serves as the basis for The Beatles from A to Zed (this is more obvious in some of the book’s 26 chapters than in others).

Asher’s approach is to devote a separate chapter to each letter of the alphabet in which he discusses whatever aspect of the Beatles work the letter suggests to him (he did struggle a bit with the “X” and “Z” chapters but managed somewhat creatively to tie in both letters). Asher goes wherever each letter leads him, be it a discussion of Beatles-related songs beginning with that particular letter or instruments, friends, locations, cowriters, producers, studios, etc. beginning with that letter. It is almost like sitting across the table from Asher and hearing him reminisce about his old friends and the decades of friendship that he shared with them. The man has stories to tell and he tells them well.

Peter Asher was there from the relatively early days of the Beatles. He was particularly close to Paul McCartney who lived for a time in the Asher family home and composed some of his most famous songs there, meaning that Asher and his family were often the first to hear the songs that would later become classic Beatles recordings (Lennon and McCartney sometimes worked on songs together in the Asher home). Asher, of course, would find his own fame both as a member of the popular recording duo Peter and Gordon and as producer for some of the most famous recording artists of his day.

The best way to read The Beatles from A to Zed is to read it while listening to the songs being discussed. Asher has a way of dissecting a song that only a world-class musician is capable of, and better yet, he explains it all in a way that it makes sense even to less musically inclined readers. Listening to a song while having an expert like Asher explain in some detail how (and why) it was all put together the way it was is a unique experience. I didn’t think there was anything that could make me love and appreciate the songs of the Beatles any more than I already did. I was wrong; The Beatles from A to Zed did exactly that.

What a fabulous exploration into the Beatles! This book was written by someone who knew them personally, and was fairly close to Paul McCartney. I learned so much about collaborations and origins of songs, and I thought I knew it all as I’m pretty fanatic on all things Beatles.

#TheBeatlesFromAtoZed #NetGalley. I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book as an uplifting, upbeat review of the Beatles music. Not being musical myself, I learned a lot as the perspective was on what made their music timeless and classic. I had not looked at their individual talents in this way. In fact, I had formed some of my opinions about each Beatle’s contribution based on collective gossip. The author’s perspective provides a breath of fresh air and distilled the music to its parts- completely changing how I view the songs. Bravo for this! The book is unbelievably upbeat- not a negative tone throughout, so if you are a pessimist, this might get annoying. Otherwise, it is an easy book to pick up and put down at your leisure and learn something about the Beatles’ music that you probably didn’t know.

So I know that as a human on planet Earth I have an obligation to know a lot more about The Beatles than I do. I can admit that I only started trying to have some general knowledge about them to improve my at-home Jeopardy! skills, however I found this book not only informative, but fascinating and entertaining as well.