‘Allen Klein’ gives insight how manager landed both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones: Book review
He entranced The Stones and beguiled three-fourths of The Beatles.
Allen Klein managed the careers of them all for a good spell, making him one of the most important money men in the history of the music business. Until Fred Goodman's witty, gossipy and wonderfully well-researched new book, however, no one had the full skinny on the guy.
"Allen Klein: The Man Who Bailed Out The Beatles, Made The Stones and Transformed Rock n Roll" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt $27) tells the amazing tale of how its subject managed to woo the top stars of the day, with a formula that enriched them while enriching himself far more.
Tellingly, Klein didn't develop artists from scratch. His m.o. involved stalking established stars who were being underpaid by their record companies. Since nearly every musician was in that unfortunate position during Klein's peak years (the '60s and '70s), his predatory methods had plenty of takers.
During his reign, Klein managed Sam Cooke, Bobby Vinton, Donovan and The Kinks, along with Jagger and company and all the Beatles save Sir Paul. (McCartney opted to go with his father in law, John Eastman.)
Goodman, who previously penned "The Mansion on the Hill," which examined the rise of the rock industry in the '60s and '70s, had the full cooperation of Klein's surviving family.
In his acknowledgments, Goodman allows that what he discovered "might not make (Klein's relatives) happy." But it seems that he didn't let that get in the way of the story.
By: Jim Farber
Source: New York Daily News
