With The Beatles: From The Town Where They Were Born to Now and Then

The first full biography of the group in nearly 20 years.
Written by bestselling author and music journalist Patrick Humphries.Contains previously unpublished interviews with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr conducted by the author during his 40-year career as a music journalist.

Patrick Humphries was there for the 1963 tsunami of Beatlemania - he still has his Fan Club membership card. Today, he feels the Beatles' UK origins have been overlooked for too long. Inside With the Beatles: Previously unknown details of the Beatles' third film are revealed... Paul talks about the controversial Lennon/McCartney songwriting credit... George reflects on Beatlemania and Ringo on his skiffle roots... Plans for Lonnie Donegan to act as go-between to coax John Lennon out of his New York exile... First-hand accounts of Liverpool and Hamburg paint a picture of the Beatles' roots, plus an exhaustive analysis of how their American breakthrough was achieved... There are fly-on-the-wall accounts of Paul rehearsing for a world tour... and the Beatles' Love musical in Las Vegas... There are interviews with George Martin, "fifth Beatle" Chas Newby, Cavern DJ Bob Wooler, E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg and his memories of Beatlemania, and Tom Jones discussing plans for him and Elvis Presley to recruit the Beatles as their backing band... And the last words John said to Paul. As well as telling the story from the birth of Ringo Starr in 1940 to the group's break-up in 1970, With the Beatles also tells the story of how the Beatles' brand continues to live on long after their demise. With unique access to archives, interviews and all media, Patrick Humphries traces the Beatles' progress in cyberspace, on film and in print. The author reveals how the group dominates auction house sales, including an interview with Hilary Kay from BBCs Antiques Roadshow on the group's enduring appeal. The long battle with Steve Jobs' Apple is chronicled and how the Beatles' own Apple meticulously guards their legacy with box sets, re-releases and documentaries. With the Beatles is that rarest of things, a new look at the enduring impact and legacy of the world's most influential band.


"With the Beatles is a terrific book. More than the story of how the group emerged out of the Fifties to become the most famous musical ensemble ever, it is also a social history of a time of rapid change... Patrick Humphries is a well-known writer on popular music and his scholarship in music is evident from the number of interviews with the famous (including three Beatles) and the not so famous who populate his book. Not only does the author know and love the Beatles' music, he understands the roots from which they and their original fans sprouted. Many books have been written about the Beatles, and this is one of the very best, in that it was written not just by a fan, but by a writer who knows well the milieu that created them and the world that was changing around them as they sang and played. If you want to understand the Beatles, look no further than this book."
Ray Connolly, author of Being John Lennon

"Like the venerated and cherished map from Robert Louis Stevenson's fabled Treasure Island, Patrick Humphries paints a detailed and unique portrait to understanding the meaning and treasured legacy of the Beatles."
John Bezzini, Buzz's Beatles Book/Print Blog
and owner of possibly the largest English language Beatles book collection in the world

"If you thought you knew everything about the Beatles, this book makes you think again. Through many new insights compiled from the people who were there, Patrick Humphries gives us the context and delivers a fresh view of a group that played such a decisive role in modern music and culture over the last 60 years."
Phil Manzanera

"Patrick Humphries is one of the all-time great biographers of rock music. Few others come close. His interviews with the Beatles are ripe for revival as they allow him to present a fresh perspective on this most scrutinised and loved of bands."
Colin Hall, author of The Songs The Beatles Gave Away and custodian of 'Mendips' 2004-2023

Earlier praise for the author

Nick Drake: The Biography
"This book works as a sad fable of an unusual casualty of the 1960s counter culture" The Sunday Times
"Patrick Humphries has written a rich, moving account of a troubled spirit... The writing is zestful and intelligent and the text illuminating..." Uncut
"An exquisite portrait... A short, sweet and sad story..." Mojo

Rolling Stones '69
"Patrick Humphries' excellent book... brings an engagingly fresh perspective, delivering his narrative in an amused clear-eyed and balanced prose..." The Spectator
"Well-regarded rock critic Patrick Humphries... tells the story briskly and with genuine insight" Planet Rock

Patrick Humphries' professional career began when he was recruited as a 'hip young gunslinger' on the weekly New Musical Express in 1976. He went on staff at Melody Maker and from there to become Film & Books Editor of the monthly Vox magazine. He later edited the magazine's Record Hunter supplement. On going freelance, Patrick conducted features and contributed reviews to The Times, The Guardian, Sunday Express, Evening Standard, The Observer and The Daily Telegraph. He has written for numerous magazines, including GQ, Empire, Mojo, Uncut and Record Collector. Patrick has written and presented documentaries on BBC World Service, Radio 1, 2, 4 and 6 Music. Subjects include Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Beach Boys, the Bee Gees and Elton John. His first book, on Fairport Convention, was published in 1982. Since then, he has published a bestselling biography of Nick Drake, as well as well-received titles on Richard Thompson, Tom Waits and Lonnie Donegan. His Guide to the Music of the Beatles was published in 1998. Patrick has written sleeve notes for many releases, including Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, Ian Dury, Procol Harum and Marianne Faithfull.