Thursday, July 31, 2008

Way Beyond Compare: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy

by John C. Winn

The wait is finally over.

At last, there is one reference work describing every circulating recording from The Beatles' career.

Over 1,000 entries covering hundreds of hours of tape and film, from the Quarry Men's performance on the day John and Paul met in 1957 to Ringo's last stand with Phil Spector on April 1st, 1970.

No previous book has dared to brave the realm of Beatles interviews or explore the neglected areas of Beatles video and film work.

Newsreel footage, promo clips, TV performances, press conferences, home movies, radio interviews, and documentaries are all given complete in-depth coverage for the first time anywhere.

That's in addition to a wealth of studio outtakes, home demos, concerts, alternate mixes, BBC performances, and rehearsals. If it's out there, it's in here!

"['Way Beyond Compare'] has joined the ranks of prestige Beatles books (regrettably few in number) that I know I can rely upon when searching for an answer. It really is an impressive tome and I congratulate you on a marvellous job." - Mark Lewisohn, author of The Beatles Recording Sessions

"A massive - and tremendously useful - undertaking... earn[s] an instant place on the list of most essential Beatles references" - Beatlefan

"...Winn writes that he wanted to create 'the kind of [Beatles] book I've always wanted to see'. But it's a safe bet that it's a book other Beatles fans have always wanted to see as well." - Record Collector

"John Winn's 'Way Beyond Compare' contains volumes of Beatle information and insights not offered in any other publication. This, the definitive, most accurate, thorough, helpful, and authoritative document study of Beatle outtakes, live performances, broadcasts and compositional drafts, is also the ONLY credible source on spoken-word recordings such as press conferences, interviews, skits and unscripted banter. Winn's welcome ability to accurately date every aural fragment catalogued here--often correcting conventions that have been uncritically accepted for ages, along with his acute analytical savvy and his ears-wide-open expertise, result in a beautifully written study of every Beatle sound to ever reach the public. Winn's two-volume set is indispensible for any collector of Beatle recordings, and is highly recommended for anyone wishing to learn more about what the Beatles played, sang and said." - Walter Everett, author of The Beatles As Musicians

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