The book details the early days of Mal, before following his career with the GPO and as bouncer for the Cavern Club. He became a huge fan of the Beatles and was to be indispensable to them after he quit his day job. He even contributed to the music and he had a famous bag which contained anything a Beatle could possibly need. In the days of crazy Beatlemania when they still performed live, it was Mal who had to clean the sticky messes of jelly babies – thrown by the fans after George once remarked he liked them – off the equipment. He went on holidays with the Beatles, partied with them and helped their solo careers. Out of all the candidates for ‘fifth Beatle’, he would have a strong claim, based on the details in this book.

The contrast in Mal’s character, which this book presents, is that everyone said how friendly and helpful he was, yet when it came to his wife and children, he often kept his distance and escaped to the US – and to other women – whenever he had the chance. The Beatles were his number one priority and whenever any of them wanted something, he would run to them. I didn’t really want to reach the end of the book, because I knew of the tragedy which approached. However, I appreciate that Mal’s story has now been told, with much consideration for his family, so that all Beatles fans can discover his vital contributions to the band’s legacy.

Published by Mudlark, 2023.

Stuart Maconie brings his journalism / radio / TV experience, a humorous northern outlook and some strong opinions to bring us yet another new perspective on the best music group of all time. It’s very current, referring to John & Paul by Ian Leslie (published the same year) and a variety of podcasts, YouTube videos and social media posts, as well as documentaries, interviews and photos. It’s not fully referenced, unlike some other books about the Beatles. Occasionally the writing didn’t quite make sense to me and it also needed more thorough proofreading. I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best books on the subject but it was an enjoyable read, full of trivia, what-ifs, and thoughtful observations. If you’ve never read a book about the Beatles before, or if you don’t know a lot about their history, don’t start with this one, because it assumes you know it already.

Published by HarperNorth, 2025.

Related book reviews: One Two Three Four by Craig Brown, Beatles ’66 by Steve Turner, The Lost Album of The Beatles by Daniel Rachel.

In summary this is a super book, although quite wordy. It includes some photos of John and Paul, including the first one of them performing together, and one of John in his music room at the keyboard, where a photo of him and Paul is prominently displayed.

Published by Faber, 2025.

This is a very detailed read and although it’s packed with information on what happened month by month, it never becomes dull. The author not only explains the events, he discusses how they were turning points in the band’s career. He also brings his own insights from interviews. I think that even Beatles experts will enjoy this book because it’s comprehensive and uses a lot of contemporary quotes, plus a selection of interesting photos. I’d happily read another book like it about 1967!

Published by HarperCollins, 2016.

These are fantastic arrangements which are fun to play. Some of the guitar-heavy songs, even ‘Helter Skelter’, work surprisingly well. I think the absolute best arrangements are ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, ‘Here Comes the Sun’, ‘Taxman’, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and ‘Sgt Pepper’s’.

The only downside of this book is that it doesn’t have every single Beatles song. However, the book is so weighty that any extra pages might cause it to topple off the stand!

In summary, this great collection will encourage you to play the piano ‘Eight Days A Week’.

Published by Hal Leonard, 2017.

This is a book of two halves. First, the main narrative. Second, the hypothetical tracklist. The lost album is titled The Four Sides of The Beatles and is inspired by John Lennon’s idea that they each have an equal number of songs, separately. The author gives convincing arguments for the inclusion of each track. I don’t have strong feelings about this, but others might. It made me feel quite sad that the album doesn’t exist, because the book makes it seem real.

If you’re a Beatles nerd, this is a must-read. If you’re not, there’s probably way too much detail for you.

Originally published as Like Some Forgotten Dream in 2021. This paperback edition published in 2023. Thank you to the publisher Cassell for the digital copy via Netgalley.

The book is mainly chronological but it does go back and forth a little. David was lucky enough to be in the right time and right place quite often to meet his musical idols. Just as often, he is adept at making connections and smoothly talking his way in. He is quite rightly proud of sneaking into the Yellow Submarine premiere at the age of 15 and sitting right behind the band. He ended up meeting them all often enough to be recognised and his subsequent career in music promotion and publishing meant that he began to be invited to events instead of sneaking in! Most of the content is of course about The Beatles, their families, friends and associates, but there are also anecdotes about The Who, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and others. I also enjoyed his reactions to the first time hearing each album and seeing each film as they were released.

There are fewer anecdotes in the second half of the book and it does begin to feel like a portfolio of everything he’s been involved with in the last couple of decades. Every so often he tells us about a concert that was due to take place in 2020 but was postponed for the obvious reason and that we don’t know if it will go ahead in 2021. This information could have been left out as for anyone reading the book in the near future it will already be out of date. There are no photos included in the Kindle version. These issues aside, it’s worthwhile reading for Beatles fans and has some trivia that perhaps you won’t find anywhere else.

Published in 2020.

Insomnia: ‘Revolution Number 9’. Whenever I listen to this through headphones at night, I fall asleep. It’s the last track on the ‘White Album’, which might have something to do with it, but I also think that the repetition and weird noises help to relax one’s mind. If this song is too strange for you, try ‘I’m So Tired’ instead.

Lethargy: ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. The peppy guitar riff at the beginning, the exuberant brass instruments and Paul’s shouty singing are guaranteed to wake you up. This song unfreezes the people of Pepperland in the Yellow Submarine film and starts the revolution, overthrowing the music-hating Blue Meanies.

Frayed tempers: ‘We Can Work It Out’. Try to reach a compromise and cool the heat of arguments at home by thinking of this song, which advises that ‘Life is very short, and there’s no time / For fussing and fighting, my friend.’ I always used to picture a couple of friends alternately holding hands and pushing each other away.

Bad weather: ‘Good Day Sunshine’. This song is great to match the mood of a sunny day in spring or summer but is also ideal for lifting your spirits on gloomy autumn and winter days too. ‘I need to laugh, and when the sun is out / I’ve got something I can laugh about / I feel good, in a special way / I’m in love and it’s a sunny day.’

Feeling unwell: ‘Doctor Robert’. John Lennon was talking about a drug supplier, or maybe a real doctor who had a sideline in recreational drugs for the wealthy. I prefer to picture Robert as a wizard whose ‘special cup’ is a magic potion. However you interpret the song, it makes your ears happy. ‘Well, well, well, you’re feeling fine.’

Hopeless: ‘Blackbird’. This is definitely a song of hope, whether you consider it as a love song, a meditation on nature, a metaphor for race relations, an awakening of the soul or any other meaning you choose. ‘All your life / You were only waiting for this moment to arise.’ The recording of birdsong at the end is a lovely touch.

Stuck indoors: ‘Magical Mystery Tour’. Who needs to go anywhere when this song is ‘waiting to take you away’ to unspecified excitements? In the film of the same name, which is mostly about Ringo and his aunt Jessie, various surreal things happen, not always pleasant but it was better than staying at home.

Empty pockets: ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’. Diamond rings? Yes please. But I would rather have true love and be happy than the finest jewellery and be sad. An early classic which will always be relevant. If you’re feeling poor at the moment, try to be grateful for what you do have. ‘And with a love like that / You know you should be glad.’

Uncertainty: ‘Across the Universe’. John Lennon’s meditation on being one with everything, or just the state of being and feeling without analysing things much. Be a stoic and think about life in a grander context, how amazing it is that anything exists at all and calmly repeat that ‘Nothing’s gonna change my world.’

General anxiety: ‘Let It Be’. Accept that events will happen which are out of our control and so there is no benefit from worrying about them. This song is like a hymn, although any religious interpretation is up to the listener. ‘And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me / Shinin’ until tomorrow, let it be.’

I enjoyed reading this book. It was funny and unusual. The ending was particularly striking, going backwards through time from Brian Epstein’s death until the moment he first saw the Beatles. Not everything about the band is included in the book but all of the significant events and divisive characters are there. What’s quite interesting is that Craig Brown examines the other bands and artists of the era too, the ones who got left behind once Beatlemania took off, in addition to those whom the Fab Four partied with.

There are some flaws in the book. Certain quotes are repeated two or three times and I’m not sure if this was an oversight or intentional. There is a bias towards material on John Lennon, which I suppose is understandable as he’s the most controversial and idolised of the four. I felt that George Harrison had the least coverage, as the childhoods of the other three were written about but his wasn’t (unless I somehow missed it). I thought it was a pity that Linda McCartney was barely mentioned, while Yoko Ono occupied the limelight. Occasionally the author goes off on a tangent, including passages from books which don’t have anything to do with the Beatles but which he felt were apt quotes. The sources section at the end of the book should have been organised into a proper bibliography rather than into paragraphs. Also, if I’d wanted an index, I’d be disappointed.

In summary, you’ll like this book if you’re a Beatles fan (obviously), you have a sense of humour and you want an unusual read.

First published in 2020.

‘Paperback Writer’ – The Beatles (1966). ‘Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book? / It took me years to write, will you take a look?’ There’s a slightly seedy tone to the writer’s plea to be published, which suggests the trashy reputation that cheap paperbacks had. I think there’s a bit of snobbery even now about paperbacks…

‘Books and Water’ – Ian Dury and the Blockheads (2002). Books and water / Bricks and mortar / Books and water / You can do what you like on a Saturday night / But you ain’t coming home if you feel alright.’ Ian Dury gets an extra mention here for ‘Profoundly in Love with Pandora,’ the TV theme for The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, based on the book by Sue Townsend.

‘Marvin’ – Stephen Moore (1981). ‘I’m so depressed I could expectorate / My moving parts are in a solid state / I want to rust in peace, switch off and lie / In that great junk yard in the sky.’ One of a few novelty songs featuring Marvin the Paranoid Android, one of which, ‘Reasons to be Miserable’, is a parody of Ian Dury’s ‘Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3’.

‘Wuthering Heights’ – Kate Bush (1978). ‘Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy / I’ve come home, I’m so cold / Let me in through your window.’ A reference to the creepy moment when the ghostly Cathy appears at the window in Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel. Emily and Kate share a birthday – July 30th. An extra mention here for her song ‘The Sensual World’, inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses.

‘Singing in My Sleep’ – Semisonic (1998). ‘I’ve been living in your cassette / It’s the modern equivalent / Singing up to a Capulet / On a balcony in your mind.’ Falling in love while listening to a mix tape made by an admirer. A nice reference to Romeo and Juliet there but without any of the tragedy. I wonder what songs Romeo would have chosen?

‘Belle’ – from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, sung by Paige O’Hara and Richard White (1991). ‘Oh, isn’t this amazing? / It’s my favourite part because you’ll see / Here’s where she meets Prince Charming / But she won’t discover that it’s him ’til chapter three.’ Introducing bibliophile Belle, different to the other townspeople.

‘The NeverEnding Story’ – Limahl, composed by Giorgio Moroder (1984). ‘Rhymes that keep their secrets / Will unfold behind the clouds / And there upon a rainbow / Is the answer to a neverending story.’ The title track of the children’s film based on the (much superior) book by Michael Ende and more recently the subject of a comedy moment in the TV show Stranger Things.

‘I Am a Rock’ – Simon and Garfunkel (1966). ‘I have my books / And my poetry to protect me / I am shielded in my armour.’ A song about hiding away from the world to avoid being hurt. Paul and Art get another bookish mention here for the song ‘The Dangling Conversation’, which mentions Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. And of course, one of their albums is entitled Bookends.

‘White Rabbit’ – Jefferson Airplane (1967). ‘One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small / And the ones that mother gives you, don’t do anything at all / Go ask Alice, when she’s ten feet tall.’ Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking-Glass (the song references both books) inspired this psychedelic song.

‘2 + 2 = 5’ – Radiohead (2003). ‘Are you such a dreamer / To put the world to rights? / I’ll stay home forever / Where two and two always makes a five’. One of many songs out there inspired by George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. Radiohead also get another bookish nod for their song ‘Lozenge of Love’ (1994), the title of which is a phrase in a Philip Larkin poem, ‘Sad Steps’.

‘The Invisible Man’ – Queen (1989). ‘I’m the invisible man / I’m the invisible man / Incredible how you can / See right through me’. H G Wells’ 1897 novel is about a man (not a nice man at all, it must be said) called Griffin who finds a way to turn himself invisible but the condition is permanent. This song was written by Roger Taylor.

I’m sure there are a lot more, but these are the ones I can think of. Have you got any favourite bookish songs?