Beatles Radio Book Review - by Lovely Rita
Larry Kane was the only American reporter to travel with the Beatles for every stop on both the 1964 and 1965 North American tours. Being a huge Beatles fan I looked forward to to reading this account with the hope that I would learn something new and thrilling. Unfortunately for the most part, Mr Kane does not deliver.Although this book would be a good read for a beginner or casual fan, it doesn't really contain much new information for this seasoned reader on the subject. Perhaps if Mr. Kane had released his memoirs in a more timely fashion his stories would pack more punch, but since most of these events have already been widely reported in numerous volumes of Beatles books, the best of which in this reviewer's opinion is Peter Brown's 1983 epic The Love You Make, Mr. Kane's revelations are stale.
The author was apparently a young, impressionable, wide eyed innocent when he began traveling with the boys and their entourage in 1964. He seems to this day still tantalized by the idea of John messing around with Jayne Mansfield and Joan Baez. Not to burst your bubble Larry but The Beatles were already an "experienced" group by 1964 and despite their squeaky clean image at the time, they were working on perfecting the sex, drugs, rock and roll lifestyle. In addition to his apparent shock, his sophomoric writing style reads like a news report. The repetition of the same stories woven into the disjointed format of the book as well as his overuse of innuendo and suggestion in place of actual facts becomes anticlimactic and frankly annoying.
What I did like about this book was Mr. Kane's genuine transition into a lifelong fan of The Beatles. Through his memories and descriptions of the live shows we have a front row view to his transformation in to someone who truly loves loves and appreciates the purity of their music and its power to heal what hurts, in the author's case, the recent loss of his mother.
The purpose of music is to feed our souls, to make us feel good. The signature beat of Ringo's drum, the heavenly slide of George's guitar, the melodic undercurrent of Paul's bass, and of course, those beautiful undeniable harmonies......nobody does it better than The Beatles.
Lovely Rita for Beatles Radio
