Publisher Description

Since their first performances in 1960, The Beatles' cultural influence grew in unparalleled ways. From Liverpool to Beatlemania, and from dance halls to Abbey Road Studios and the digital age, the band's impact exploded during their heyday, and has endured in the decades following their disbandment. Beatles fashion and celebrity culture, politics, psychedelia and the Summer of Love, all highlight different aspects of the band's complex relationship with the world around them. With a wide range of short, snapshot chapters, The Beatles in Context brings together key themes in which to better explore The Beatles' lives and work and understand their cultural legacy, focusing on the people and places central to The Beatles' careers, the visual media that contributed to their enduring success, and the culture and politics of their time.

Author Biography

Kenneth Womack is Dean of the Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monmouth University, New Jersey, where he also serves as Professor of English. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Long and Winding Roads (2007), The Cambridge Companion to The Beatles (Cambridge, 2009), and The Beatles Encyclopedia (2014). More recently, he is the author of a two-volume biography of Beatles producer George Martin, titled Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Early Years, 1926-1966 (2017) and Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Later Years, 1966–2016 (2018).

Table of Contents

Part I. Beatle People and Beatle Places: 1. Britain at mid-century and the rise of The Beatles Jude Southerland Kessler; 2. The Beatles in Liverpool David Bedford; 3. The Beatles on the Reeperbahn Spencer Leigh; 4. Brian Epstein, Beatlemania's architect Kenneth Womack; 5. Love, love, love: tracing the contours of Tthe Beatles' inner circle Kenneth L. Campbell; Part II. The Beatles in Performance: 6. The love there that's sleeping: guitars of the early Beatles Walter Everett; 7. From dance hall days to stadium tours Chuck Gunderson; 8. Beatlemania! Melissa Davis; 9. The end of the road David Venturo; Part III. The Beatles on TV, Film, and the Internet: 10. From Juke-Box Jury to The Ed Sullivan Show Al Sussman; 11. Projecting the visuality of The Beatles: 'A Hard Day's Night' and 'Help!' David Melbye; 12. Beatletoons: moxie, music, and the media Mitchell Axelrod; 13. Documentary, rockumentary: 'Let It Be' and the rooftop concert Steve Matteo; 14. The Beatles redux: the Anthology series and the video age Walter J. Podrazik; 15. Pop goes the internet Allison J. Boron; Part IV. The Beatles' Sound: 16. Abbey Road Studios Brian Southall; 17. Producing sound pictures with Sir George Martin Kenneth Womack; 18. Rock and Roll music!: The Beatles and the rise of the Merseybeat Anthony Robustelli; 19. Positively Bob Dylan: The Beatles and the folk movement Kit O'Toole; 20. Listen to the colour of your dreams: The Beatles Writ Psychedelic Jason Kruppa; 21. Getting back Robert Rodriguez; 22. On the record!: (Dis)covering The Beatles Jerry Zolten; Part V. The Beatles as Sociocultural and Political Touchstones: 23. The Beatles, fashion, and cultural iconography Katie Kapurch; 24. The rise of celebrity culture and fanship with The Beatles in the 1960s Jeffrey Roessner; 25. Psychedelia, 'swinging London,' and the Summer of Love Kathryn Cox; 26. Leaving the West behind: The Beatles and India Steve Hamelman; Part VI. The Beatles' Critical Reception and Cultural Legacy: 27. Phantom band: The Beatles after the Beatles Jacqueline Edmondson; 28. The Beatles, Apple, and the business of music publishing Stuart Rosenberg; 29. Rebooting Beatlemania in the digital age Joe Rapolla; 30. The Beatles in the new millennium Michael Frontani.

Review

'… this is a solid introduction to the life and times of the most successful musical group in history.' J. F. Lyons, Choice

Promotional

Documents the contexts for The Beatles' cultural achievements, exploring the significance of their lives and works.

Review Quote

'... this is a solid introduction to the life and times of the most successful musical group in history.' J. F. Lyons, Choice

Promotional "Headline"

Documents the contexts for The Beatles' cultural achievements, exploring the significance of their lives and works.

Description for Bookstore

Provides a guide to the contexts of The Beatles' unparalleled cultural achievements, from their early performances to cultural legacy. Wide-ranging chapters are devoted to the many and varied influences on their lives and works and demonstrate the profound and enduring nature of the band's relationship with people, place, media and politics.

Description for Library

Provides a guide to the contexts of The Beatles' unparalleled cultural achievements, from their early performances to cultural legacy. Wide-ranging chapters are devoted to the many and varied influences on their lives and works and demonstrate the profound and enduring nature of the band's relationship with people, place, media and politics.

Details