Paul McCartney, Peter Ames Carlin
Paul McCartney, Peter Ames Carlin
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Paul McCartney
A Life

Author: Peter Ames Carlin

Narrator: John Lee

Unabridged: 13 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/03/2009


Synopsis

The bestselling author of Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson now presents an in-depth biography of the legendary musician and icon Paul McCartney, exploring his impact on music and culture, his personal triumphs and defeats, and his post-Beatles relationships with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The book explores McCartney through the perspective of his lyrics, spanning his career from his years with the Beatles to his solo albums today.

The composer of "Yesterday," "Hey Jude," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Let It Be," Paul McCartney is one of the most famous men in the world, yet one of the most elusive. An international superstar for more than forty years, he has not only sold hundreds of millions of records but has also altered the course of popular culture. He has been worshiped and ridiculed, his work revered and reviled. Governments have celebrated him, persecuted him, thrown him in prison, and knighted him.

More than a rock star, more than a celebrity, McCartney is a cultural touchstone. Yet no book has revealed the headwaters of his genius or, for that matter, explained why the Beatles' talented and adventurous musician seemed to abandon his position as an innovator, trading the daring of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" for an endless procession of what even he has called silly love songs. But McCartney never lost the spark of genius. His songs are rarely less than hummable and often unforgettable. And at any given moment, McCartney can reach into himself and pull out something phenomenal.

Drawing on years of research, Paul McCartney: A Life spans McCartney's roots in England's working class to his life in the present day, performing around the world and working for causes he believes in. Informed by new, exclusive interviews with friends, bandmates, and collaborators, the book describes McCartney's many triumphs as well as his failures, from the Beatles era through his decade with Wings and his subsequent solo career.

About Peter Ames Carlin

Peter Ames Carlin has been a columnist for the Oregonian newspaper since 2000, and he is the author of Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, which was acclaimed by Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks as "the essential Beach Boys saga." He has also worked as a freelance writer and as a senior writer at People magazine. Carlin lives with his wife and three children in Portland, Oregon.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Vicente on October 01, 2019

Cuando los jóvenes Beatles regresaron de su estancia en Hamburgo, la primera y menos productiva de las dos, en Liverpool nuevamente, el dieciochoañero Paul McCartney, hastiado, decidió que estaba bueno ya de chillar y rocanrolear las madrugadas en nightclubs de mala muerte, que había que tomarse la......more

Goodreads review by Carol on January 30, 2014

I really hated Paul McCartney as a kid. I thought he was the lame Beatle, the wimpy Beatle, the one hiding behind a smile and a smirk while John Lennon changed the world with his bold ideas and George Harrison defied the wealthy in favor of spiritual quests and Ringo Starr just took in and healed al......more

Goodreads review by Nathan on February 03, 2021

Paul McCartney is an interesting figure and this book does a good job at looking at his life in such a way that the reader who has an interest in the history of the Beatles as individuals can find a lot here to enjoy and reflect on. As a reader, this particular author's approach strikes me as a bala......more