The Beatles from A to Zed: An Alphabetical Mystery Tour

In conversational prose, record producer Asher, who met the Beatles in 1963 and became the first head of A&R for Apple records, romps through the Beatles’ song catalogue with glee and an insider’s knowledge about the music and its times. Each section includes popular Beatles songs as well as other topics associated with a particular letter that come to Asher’s mind. The T section opens, for example, with reflections on “Ticket to Ride” and “Taxman,” written by George Harrison, who was lamenting the outrageous tax rates in Britain at the time; Asher then meditates on time signatures, using “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” to demonstrate ways in which the Beatles changed signatures within the same song. Under D, Asher considers drums and Ringo Starr’s drumming—in which the fills were quite specific, with each beat placed in the right spot—as he reflects on “A Day in the Life.” He recalls hearing Paul and John playing piano in his basement one day and being asked his thoughts on a song they had just written—“I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Asher’s inviting prose and knack for storytelling provide an entertaining tour of the Beatles’ music. [em](Nov.) [/em]