John M. Borack

I lost my longer effing review because of the crappy gr "feature" that closes and clears the review window if you click outside of it by accident. Ugh! I'll review again in more detail when I'm more motivated, probably on booklikes first so I don't lose it when I spazz-out with the mouse!

For the short story, lost one star for no index. Comes with a most excellent 24 song Power Pop rarities CD. I'm a huge power pop fan since I was around 10 and heard the song The Kids are Alright by The Who.

This is fairly hard to find in good condition. This press run was only 100.

Shake Some Action is a song by the Beatles influenced Flamin' Groovies from the album of the same name produced by Power Pop legend Dave Edmunds himself in the 1970s.

Listening to Sorry About That by The Michael Guthrie Band. Playin' those guitars like ringin' a bell.… (lisätietoja)

One of the first 100 things you’ll ask about John Borack’s book “The Beatles 100: One Hundred Pivotal Moments in Beatles History” (Rarebird Books, 2021): are they actually pivotal? Do they carry that weight, to coin a lyric.

On one hand, any narrative that hinges on The Beatles’ most important moments can be considered subjective. I’m more than sure that while perusing each chapter, you as the reader/Beatles factoid gatherer/historian could compile your own list and match it to author Borack’s condensed history.

What I considered relevant were that the moments were not in chronological order, nor was the book confined to The Beatles’ inner orbit. Several passages at length called out the solo years and in that context, how each contributed to the canon of post-Beatles history.

Borack addresses the better known episodes in Beatledom: Hamburg, Love Me Do, Pete Best, Ed Sullivan, Shea Stadium, MBE’s, the Paul Is Dead hoax and even the Mono LP Box Set release. However, he also ruminates over numerous chapters concerning their solo careers and lives: Paul losing Linda tying into Run Devil Run; John and Yoko’s Double Fantasy leading into John’s death; George’s marital issues with first wife Pattie running into his 1974 Dark Horse album and subsequent tour and Ringo forming his All-Starr Band. Each chapter is headed by a quotation from a random Beatle or associate applicable to the subject matter.

While the events showcased are familiar, the narrative is casual and readable. I would not consider this a “list” so to speak, nor is it a perfunctory bulleted style treatise, pointing the reader in any certain direction. Choosing what moments to delve into is probably the most important note for anyone engaged in learning something more than superficial facts.

I will state that Borack does spend considerable time and effort in stating where most of the stories come from: mostly interviews with the press and such. A good load of quotes are coming directly from The Beatles Anthology and from Paul, his book by Barry Miles. There are also a number of rock press quotes as well, especially in context to the time of album releases from the group or in the solo years.

Overall, I found the book a good reference read and for a nice epilogue, Borack gives us his opinion on solo tracks, cover versions, and soundalikes. With all that said and sung, I’m giving this book 4 out of 4 beetles! https://beatles-freak.com… (lisätietoja)