Beatleness
How the Beatles and Their Fans Remade the World
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Narrated by:
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Tamara Marston
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By:
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Candy Leonard
About this listen
The Beatles arrived in the United States on February 7, 1964, and immediately became a constant, compelling presence in fans’ lives. For the next six years, the band presented a nonstop deluge of sounds, words, images, and ideas, transforming the childhood and adolescence of millions of baby boomers. Beatleness explains how the band became a source of emotional, intellectual, aesthetic, and spiritual nurturance in fans’ lives, creating a relationship that was historically unique. Looking at that relationship against the backdrop of the sexual revolution, the Vietnam War, political assassinations, and other events of those tumultuous years, the audiobook critically examines the often-heard assertion that the Beatles changed everything, and shows how through the interplay between the group, the fans, and the culture that change came about. A generational memoir and cultural history based on hundreds of hours of in-depth interviews with first-generation fans, Beatleness allows listeners to experience or re-experience what it was like to be a young person during those eventful and transformative years. Its fresh approach offers many new insights into the entire Beatle phenomenon and explains why the group still means so much to so many.
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Reads like a indepth career review & analysis
- By herb on 05-18-17
By: Ben Greenman
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Your Song Changed My Life
- From Jimmy Page to St. Vincent, Smokey Robinson to Hozier, Thirty-Five Beloved Artists on Their Journey and the Music That Inspired It
- By: Bob Boilen
- Narrated by: Bob Boilen
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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From the beloved host and creator of NPR's All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts comes an essential oral history of modern music, told in the voices of iconic and up-and-coming musicians, including Dave Grohl, Jimmy Page, Michael Stipe, Carrie Brownstein, Smokey Robinson, and Jeff Tweedy, among others - published in association with NPR Music.
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Cool if you know all interviewed artists
- By Farfield on 12-05-16
By: Bob Boilen
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Let’s Go Crazy
- Prince and the Making of Purple Rain
- By: Alan Light
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Purple Rain is a song, an album, and a film - each one a commercial success and cultural milestone. How did this semiautobiographical musical masterpiece that blurred R&B, pop, dance, and rock sounds come to alter the recording landscape and become an enduring touchstone for successive generations of fans?
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A Must-Read For Any PRINCE Fan
- By Bryan K. Chavez on 05-06-16
By: Alan Light
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The Ballad of Bob Dylan
- A Portrait
- By: Daniel Mark Epstein
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a vivid, full-bodied portrait of one of the most influential artists of the 20th-century - a man widely regarded as the most important lyricist America has ever produced. Acclaimed poet and biographer Daniel Mark Epstein frames Dylan against the backdrop of four seminal concerts - all of which he attended. Beautifully written, The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a unique, eye-opening portrait of an artist who has transformed generations and continues to inspire and surprise today.
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Excellent book, excellent narration
- By L chandler on 12-22-11
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Shine Bright
- A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop
- By: Danyel Smith
- Narrated by: Danyel Smith
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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A weave of biography, criticism, and memoir, Shine Bright is Danyel Smith’s intimate history of Black women’s music as the foundational story of American pop. Smith has been writing this history for more than five years. But as a music fan, and then as an essayist, editor (Vibe, Billboard), and podcast host (Black Girl Songbook), she has been living this history since she was a latchkey kid listening to “Midnight Train to Georgia” on the family stereo.
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Ok might have been better reading the hard copy
- By cde on 06-18-22
By: Danyel Smith
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The Walrus and the Elephants
- John Lennon’s Years of Revolution
- By: James A. Mitchell
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In late 1971 John Lennon left London behind and moved to New York, eager to join a youth movement rallying for social justice and an end to the Vietnam War. Lennon was quickly embraced by radicals and revolutionaries, the hippies and Yippies at odds with the establishment. Settling in Greenwich Village, the heart of Manhattan's counterculture, the former Beatle was soon on the frontlines of the antiwar movement and championing a range of causes and issues.
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I wish you were still here
- By Kazuhiko on 12-09-13
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Catch a Wave
- The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson
- By: Peter Ames Carlin
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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In Catch a Wave, Peter Ames Carlin pulls back the curtain on Brian Wilson, one of popular music's most revered luminaries, as well as its biggest mystery. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before heard studio recordings, Carlin follows the Beach Boys from their earliest days through Brian's deepening emotional problems to his triumphant re-emergence with the release of Smile, the legendarily unreleased album he had originally shelved.
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Not great
- By J. Barker on 08-08-16
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John Lennon
- The Life
- By: Philip Norman
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Abridged
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Philip Norman turns his formidable talent to the Beatle for whom belonging to the world's most beloved pop group was never enough. Drawing on previously untapped sources, and with unprecedented access to all the major characters, here is the definitive portrait of John Lennon. This biography takes a fresh and penetrating look at Lennon's much-chronicled life, including the songs that have turned him, posthumously, into almost a secular saint.
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Really Bad Abridgement Job (slash job)
- By Let's Be Reasonable on 12-04-08
By: Philip Norman
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Jenni Rivera
- The Incredible Story of a Warrior Butterfly
- By: Leila Cobo
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
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In Jenni Rivera: The Incredible Story of a Warrior Butterfly, Leila Cobo - pianist, TV host, and executive director for Latino content and programming at Billboard - brings us Jenni Rivera’s intimate and moving biography, reflecting on the party girl, the elegant woman, the great diva, the friend, the mother, and the grandmother. Discover the humble beginnings of Jenni’s life and career, as well as the emotional and sometimes turbulent moments that defined her persona and spirit.
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I love Jenny 😘
- By Margaret Martinez on 01-23-17
By: Leila Cobo
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You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried
- The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation
- By: Susannah Gora
- Narrated by: Kelli Tager
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The landscape that the Brat Pack memorialized is rich with cultural themes and significance, and has influenced an entire generation who still believe that life always turns out like an '80s movie. You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried takes us back to that era, through Susannah Gora's interviews with key players such as Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, and John Cusack, and mines all the material from the movies to the music to the way the films were made to show how they helped shape our visions for romance, friendship, society, and success.
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Brings me back to my teenage years! Fantastic Narration! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- By Amazmama on 06-24-22
By: Susannah Gora
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Thelonious Monk
- The Life and Times of an American Original
- By: Robin DG Kelley
- Narrated by: Sean Crisden
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Thelonious Monk is the critically acclaimed, gripping saga of an artist's struggle to "make it" without compromising his musical vision. It is a story that, like its subject, reflects the tidal ebbs and flows of American history in the 20th century. To his fans, he was the ultimate hipster; to his detractors, he was temperamental, eccentric, taciturn, or childlike. His angular melodies and dissonant harmonies shook the jazz world to its foundations, ushering in the birth of "bebop" and establishing Monk as one of America's greatest composers.
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The definitive bio of Monk
- By ricardo on 12-27-17
By: Robin DG Kelley
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1965
- The Most Revolutionary Year in Music
- By: Andrew Grant Jackson
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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During 12 unforgettable months in the middle of the turbulent '60s, America saw the rise of innovative new sounds that would change popular music as we knew it. In 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music, music historian Andrew Grant Jackson (Still the Greatest: The Essential Songs of The Beatles' Solo Careers) chronicles a groundbreaking year of creativity fueled by rivalries between musicians and continents, sweeping social changes, and technological breakthroughs.
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Seems like a good overview
- By wylie smith on 01-12-23
What listeners say about Beatleness
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- K. April Holgate
- 12-22-14
Love the Beatles!!!
If you could sum up Beatleness in three words, what would they be?
Beatlemania
FANtastic
Beatles
Who was your favorite character and why?
Ringo has always been my favorite. I root for the underdog! LOL I will admit to a crush on Paul and loving John's humor and the quiet wit of George. But Ringo just captured my heart with his awkwardness.
What does Tamara Marston bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She has a great voice for audiobooks. I love that little rasp and would love to hear her on a Paranormal/Urban Fantasy read. She has a terrific pace that keeps you listening, even when the material gets slower.
Any additional comments?
I love the Beatles and it was fascinating reading about their rise to fame through the eyes of their fans. I wasn't around at the time, so it was great to hear all the little things people thought and felt in the moment. Being a child of the technology age, it was eye-opening to see how they took the world by storm in a time when there was no internet or viral content to launch artists to stardom. It was a history lesson while finding out new information about one of my favorite bands. Definitely a must for any Beatles fan!
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for am honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
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- Earth Lover
- 08-26-17
Important But A Bit Tedious
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
OK, this book fills an interesting niche - interviews with original teenage Beatles fans. But Leonard manages to make the whole thing sound like a very long term paper. Each point is interesting and well-documented. But there's a difference between documenting the Beatles experience versus conveying the thrill of being there. Chalk this up as good research and let's hope other writers can build on it.
Would you be willing to try another book from Candy Leonard? Why or why not?
Depends on the topic - I'd expect it to read like a term paper.
What aspect of Tamara Marston’s performance would you have changed?
Less chirpy - just relax and read - no need to pump your voice up.
Did Beatleness inspire you to do anything?
One guess!
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- Scott S
- 05-12-21
The Beatles from a new perspective
As a self-confessed Beatle nerd I think I've heard every Beatles story there is. I was not old enough to really experience The Beatles journey first hand for the most part. My dad was a top 40 DJ who interviewed The Beatles in 1965 and so I was more aware of them than the average 5 year old. I do remember Yea Yea Yea, I Want to Hold Your Hand, and 8 Days a Week on the radio, and really everywhere at that time. Everyone was talking about them. But in the 60s I was interested in GI Joe and Football, not music. In my early teenage years I listened to Dad's interview a thousand times and came to appreciate how rare a thing it was. But I was a second wave fan in the 70s and listened to them as much or more than current music. I was fascinated with the testimonials throughout the book about how the kids 5 to 10 years older than me experienced them. The quote that kept running though my mind as I listened to the book was when John, in a post Beatle interview said something like, It's just rock group, it's nothing important. From the perspective of the fans quoted in this book he was so wrong. How could he understand it. I have a better understanding now of how much they were a part of kids lives, more than just the soundtrack of their youth. They meant so much more. I can't explain it, no one really can but it was a phenomenon like no other. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who loves The Beatles. Thanks Candy.
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- KathyDB
- 09-08-16
Nostalgic, but silly
Would you try another book from Candy Leonard and/or Tamara Marston?
Tamara Marston, but probably not Candy Leonard
What could Candy Leonard have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Change the title and not include so many references to "Beatleness"
Any additional comments?
Some of this book was just silly, beginning with the title, but some of it was pure nostalgia for me since I was in the sixth grade when the Beatles first came to the U.S. The author discusses not only the Beatles, but what was going on in the world. Nice nostalgia, but getting around the silliness was hard at times.
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