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Type of bind: Hardcover
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Quantity: 1
Page Count: 440
Printing Date: April 30, 2005
Sale Popularity Level: 101068
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'If you want to know anything about the Beatles, ask Tony Bramwell. He remembers more than I do.'- Sir Paul McCartney to Donovan in a January 2002 interview
Tony Bramwell's remarkable life began in a postwar Liverpool suburb, where he was childhood friends with three of the Beatles long before they were famous. And by the time he caught up with George Harrison on the top of a bus going to check out 'The Beatles, direct from Hamburg'--one of whom George turned out to be--Tony was well on his way to staying by them for every step of their meteoric rise.
If anything needed taking care of, Tony Bramwell was the man the Beatles called, the man they knew they could trust. His story has been sought after for years, and now, here it is, full of untold stories and detailing with an insider's shrewd eye the Apple empire's incomparable rise, Brian Epstein's frolics, Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, Phil Spector's eccentric behavior, and new stories about Yoko Ono, the Stones, and the life--his life.
From developing the very first Beatle music videos to heading Apple Films, and from riding bikes and trading records with George Harrison to working and partying with everyone from the Beatles to Hendrix, Ray Charles, and The Who, Tony's life really did (and does) encompass a who's who of rock.
His story reveals fresh insights into the Beatles' childhoods and families, their early recordings and songwriting, the politics at Apple, and Yoko's pursuit of John and her growing influence over the Beatles' lives. And it uncovers new information about the Shea Stadium concert footage, John Lennon's late-night 'escapes,' and more. From the Cavern Club to the rooftop concert, from the very first number one to the last, and from scraps of song lyrics to the discovery of the famous Mr. Kite circus poster, Tony Bramwell really did see it all.
Conversational, direct, and honest, the ultimate Beatles insider finally shares his own version of the frantic and glorious ascent of four boys from Liverpool lads to rock and roll kings.
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Rated by buyers -
Tony Bramwell has given us a lucid insider's view into the Beatles' tight circle. Some of this is hilarious stuff and it is actually refreshing to read Bramwell's shots at the now-ultra-untouchable-PC John'n'Yoko myth.
He is almost contemptous of Lennon and disdainful of Yoko and her machinations. Lennon comes across as a drug-addled loser with his best years behind him-Yoko is an evil Queen of the Castle,an almost Satanic figure bent on destroying the Beatles and what's left of Lennon's ego.
Actually,"disdainful" is putting it mildly. I am surprised Bramwell has survived the curses Yoko must've hurled at him while she was mixing her potions and gazing into her crystal ball.
If the reader wants a refreshing tome that punctures the Beatle myth and the lenono myth-this book is it.
It's among the best Beatle books.
Rated by buyers 
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This is not so much an analysis of the Beatles' unbelievable career or their music as it is a rather breezy, first-person account of the segment of their lives that Tony Bramwell shared. He knew John, Paul and George growing up in Liverpool (he didn't meet Ringo until they were both adults), and he gives us many insights about the three founding Beatles and of how they grew into rock's greatest band. Bramwell also worked for the Beatles all during the years of their greatest popularity.
True, many of the details have been published earlier, elsewhere. But Bramwell gives them a new, "I was there" interpretation and what might be termed a specifically "Liverpudlian" perspective.
I have noted in an earlier review of another book about the Beatles that the author of that one seemed to have a pro-John, anti-Paul bias. In all fairness, I would have to say that while Bramwell appears to have liked all the Beatles personally, Paul seems to have been the best friend to him, the one he considered "most normal," so to speak. But nevertheless, the picture he gives of the four is honest and candid, while still maintaining the fondness he held for all four of these extraordinary men.
Warning: If you were favorably impressed by John's and Yoko Ono's various "pro-peace" stunts and other somewhat bizarre activities in the late 1960s and early 1970s, don't expect Bramwell to share your enthusiasm in this book. He makes it clear that he held Ono in low regard, and thought John's fascination with and marriage to her a mistake.
The final few chapters of the book do not make as interesting a read as the earlier ones, as Bramwell goes somewhat off topic to relate anecdotes about how he met, got drunk with, etc., seemingly every well-known but flakey celebrity in Hollywood. It detracts a little from the book -- but only a little.
If you're a Beatles fan -- or if you're a young person who has heard of them but would like to learn a lot more -- you'll find this book well worth your time.
Rated by buyers 
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This book is required reading for any Beatles enthusiast; however, although Bramwell seemingly has the credentials--knowing Paul and George since childhood--to write such a book, including blow-by-blow dialogue with the lads no less, I found it curious that Bramwell is only mentioned once in the index of McCartney's 654 page (auto)biographical tome, MANY YEARS FROM NOW. Seems Bramwell didn't loom too large as far as McCartney was concerned. What gives, Tony?
Rated by buyers -
The very first half of this book is very interesting, even to someone who has read nearly everything on the band and knows the story backwards and forward as myself. Bramwell apparently had a very successful carrer as a flak for various record companies post Beatles, largely due to that experience and the contacts made therin. He places himself closer to the center of a lot of well known Beatle events than I suspect he actually was. It seems he was basically a go-fer for the band and Brian Epstein in particular, at least until the film and promotion work he did in the middle to latter period of their group carrer.
Where the book starts going off the rails a bit is in the repetitious accounts of the party scene. This pub and that club and drink, drink, drink. Also, the book could have used another edit to streamline the narrative a bit. The time line is all over the place and some events are foreshadowed or looked back on in a very confusing manner. So much so that even being prior well versed in the story in general I had to stop and think through from where in the time line a story or event was being related. This is definately not the book for a Beatles "newbie".
My main complaint though is the fast and loose way some of the basic facts are related. Maybe it's a case of "forest for the trees" and being too close. But the book was written with a co-author, and a fact check would have revealed several mistakes in atributing cause and effect to certain events. The best example I can think of now is a passage where the author relates that many of the Beatle songs and albums had working titles which were later changed. True enough, 'Yesterday' had 'Scrambled Eggs', 'Abbey Road' started as 'Everest' however he states that the Rubber Soul album began as Abracadabra, but after John's "Jesus" comments it was decided to stay away from anything too magical sounding. OK Beatle people, what's wrong with that. A lot of you knew right away I'm sure. Rubber Soul came out in late '65, the Jesus flap didn't happen until summer '66. At very first I thought that he actually meant that 'Revolver' was to be called Abracadabra, but even that would not make sense because 'Revolver' was completed in time for summer release before the American tour right at the time of the publication in America of John's months old and forgotten interview with Maureen Cleeve. I was dumbfounded that such an error could pass through in a major biography. Oh well, it might seem nitpicking but that sentence stood out like Yoko Ono at a square dance.
There are good points. The author tells interesting stories of the early days and sheds new first-hand light on some of the touchstone events in the development of the band, such as the fabled Litherland town hall show in '60 and the atmosphere and circumstances of touring Britain right through to their massive sucess starting in mid '63. Apparently even as late as early '63 the girls didn't scream much but crowded the front and swooned. In addition, if you've always clamored for a list of Tony Bramwell's bed partners especially those of the semi-famous persuasion look no further. Also, if you believe Yoko is the devil and Linda an angel you will really enjoy the middle third of this book.
Rated by buyers -
Essentially this was a great book until I reached the latter part. The very first 3/4ths were highly entertaining and kept me hooked. Bramwell relates stories that I personally had never heard before; stories that could only be told by someone who knew the members of the Beatles so intimately. Despite this I felt that Ringo and George could have been mentioned a bit more throughout. Additionally I thought that the last quarter of the book dragged a bit more than the beginning. Personally I had no problem with Bramwell's perceptions of Yoko. It was based on his experiences and how he interpreted the events that occurred. Can't quite fault the man for that.
I think that almost every Beatles fan should read Magical Mystery Tours. It's really quite the read.
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