Marcus Berkmann

All Together Now, by David Rowley – review

issue 25 May 2013

Too many Beatles books? In my house there’s always room for one more, and this week’s addition is All Together Now (Matador, £9.99), an ABC of Beatles’ songs by registered Fabs geek David Rowley.

This is his third book on the subject, for like many repeat offenders, Rowley has spent more years writing about the Beatles than the Beatles spent being the Beatles. His competition is Ian McDonald’s legendary Revolution in the Head, a chronological, rigorous and shamelessly tendentious analysis of the songs that irritates some readers by being just a bit too much like the old NME.

This is a much simpler book, less stylishly written for sure, but factually sound and, with its alphabetical structure, more of a lucky dip: the Beatles loo book, if you like.

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