The Beatles: Across the Universe

The Beatles: Across the Universe (John, Paul, George and Ringo on Tour and on Stage

by Andrew Neill
Published by Haynes Publishing, 2010
256 pages: hardcover: matte paper: dus jacket: 23.5 x 30.5 cm (1.5 kg)

Culturally the Beatles were a global phenomenon–changing all facets of popular music for good, but not just because they were a band that made great recordings. How big a part did performing in concert play? Would they have achieved what they did without an early grounding in the dance halls and clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg? After their first year as a headline-grabbing attraction, why did The Beatles soon tire of the relentless pace of Beatlemania? Through print and images from the visually-astounding “Daily Mirror” archive, “Across The Universe” answers these questions, examining in detail the Beatles as a live act between the key Beatlemania years of 1963-1966 and to mark the event's 40th anniversary, The Beatles’ last ever performance–an impromptu session on a central London rooftop.

“Across The Universe” takes the reader on a magical mystery tour though ballrooms, theaters, airports, limos, and stadiums across the globe and along the way, illustrates why The Beatles were seen but not heard throughout the 1960s.