One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time
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- Create Date：2021-09-26 08:53:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Craig Brown
- ISBN：000834003X
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Summary
From the award-winning author of Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret comes a fascinating， hilarious， kaleidoscopic biography of the Fab Four。
John Updike compared them to 'the sun coming out on an Easter morning'。 Bob Dylan introduced them to drugs。 The Duchess of Windsor adored them。 Noel Coward despised them。 JRR Tolkien snubbed them。 The Rolling Stones copied them。 Loenard Bernstein admired them。 Muhammad Ali called them 'little sissies'。 Successive Prime Ministers sucked up to them。 No one has remained unaffected by the music of The Beatles。 As Queen Elizabeth II observed on her golden wedding anniversary， 'Think what we would have missed if we had never heard The Beatles。'
One Two Three Four traces the chance fusion of the four key elements that made up The Beatles: fire （John）， water （Paul）， air （George） and earth （Ringo）。 It also tells the bizarre and often unfortunate tales of the disparate and colourful people within their orbit， among them Fred Lennon， Yoko Ono， the Maharishi， Aunt Mimi， Helen Shapiro， the con artist Magic Alex， Phil Spector， their psychedelic dentist John Riley and their failed nemesis， Det Sgt Norman Pilcher。
From the bestselling author of Ma'am Darling comes a kaleidoscopic mixture of history， etymology， diaries， autobiography， fan letters， essays， parallel lives， party lists， charts， interviews， announcements and stories。 One Two Three Four joyfully echoes the frenetic hurly-burly of an era。
John Updike compared them to 'the sun coming out on an Easter morning'。 Bob Dylan introduced them to drugs。 The Duchess of Windsor adored them。 Noel Coward despised them。 JRR Tolkien snubbed them。 The Rolling Stones copied them。 Loenard Bernstein admired them。 Muhammad Ali called them 'little sissies'。 Successive Prime Ministers sucked up to them。 No one has remained unaffected by the music of The Beatles。 As Queen Elizabeth II observed on her golden wedding anniversary， 'Think what we would have missed if we had never heard The Beatles。'
One Two Three Four traces the chance fusion of the four key elements that made up The Beatles: fire （John）， water （Paul）， air （George） and earth （Ringo）。 It also tells the bizarre and often unfortunate tales of the disparate and colourful people within their orbit， among them Fred Lennon， Yoko Ono， the Maharishi， Aunt Mimi， Helen Shapiro， the con artist Magic Alex， Phil Spector， their psychedelic dentist John Riley and their failed nemesis， Det Sgt Norman Pilcher。
From the bestselling author of Ma'am Darling comes a kaleidoscopic mixture of history， etymology， diaries， autobiography， fan letters， essays， parallel lives， party lists， charts， interviews， announcements and stories。 One Two Three Four joyfully echoes the frenetic hurly-burly of an era。
Reviews
Emily
，
DNF I mean， it's fun and all， but I'm not *that* big of a Beatles fan， to read this entire book。 It's a good format， and there is a super deep dive into pretty much every aspect of the Beatles you can imagine -- and probably some you can't。 Definitely recommended for those who are more than just casual fans DNF I mean， it's fun and all， but I'm not *that* big of a Beatles fan， to read this entire book。 It's a good format， and there is a super deep dive into pretty much every aspect of the Beatles you can imagine -- and probably some you can't。 Definitely recommended for those who are more than just casual fans 。。。more
Jackthedad
，
I'm a sucker for Beatles books and this one is easily the worst I've read。 It's disjointed， dots about and affects to be intellectual， eg quoting Chaucer to make a pathetic point。 The footnotes at the end of some chapters were either irrelevant or would have been better as part of the text of the chapter。If you're a Beatles fan， read other books and give this one a miss。 I'm a sucker for Beatles books and this one is easily the worst I've read。 It's disjointed， dots about and affects to be intellectual， eg quoting Chaucer to make a pathetic point。 The footnotes at the end of some chapters were either irrelevant or would have been better as part of the text of the chapter。If you're a Beatles fan， read other books and give this one a miss。 。。。more
Harry
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Just when you think you know everything about The Beatles something new comes along。 This is written in such a strange way for a biography that it grabs your attention， it almost demands your attention。 Odd passages about what ifs and alternate realities （Gerry and the Pacemakers make it and the Beatles don't for instance） lose it one star for me。 Just when you think you know everything about The Beatles something new comes along。 This is written in such a strange way for a biography that it grabs your attention， it almost demands your attention。 Odd passages about what ifs and alternate realities （Gerry and the Pacemakers make it and the Beatles don't for instance） lose it one star for me。 。。。more
Bernie Morgan
，
I loved this book - it brought back many memories and contextualised others。 There were one or two odd bits which didn't seem to fit the rest of the book， such as the 'sliding doors' type chapters。 Overall a quick， easy and fun read。 I loved this book - it brought back many memories and contextualised others。 There were one or two odd bits which didn't seem to fit the rest of the book， such as the 'sliding doors' type chapters。 Overall a quick， easy and fun read。 。。。more
Phil Chamberlain
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Brilliantly constructed and fresh even if you know some of the Beatles story。 Packed with little gems of information。 And poignant too。 Am a fan （as most people who like music are） but not obsessive。 This is as much a cultural history as the story of the Fab Four。
Mike Jennings
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Funny， but I have spent very little time thinking about The Beatles。 My Mother loved them and， given they broke into the limelight in 1963 （the year I was born） and stayed there until they split in 1970， they formed much of the soundtrack to my early life。 Still I have never taken the time to find out much about them。 After reading this book I now have a fair interest in what happened to them and how they dealt with it in their lives。The book deals with all the notable landmarks in their brief c Funny， but I have spent very little time thinking about The Beatles。 My Mother loved them and， given they broke into the limelight in 1963 （the year I was born） and stayed there until they split in 1970， they formed much of the soundtrack to my early life。 Still I have never taken the time to find out much about them。 After reading this book I now have a fair interest in what happened to them and how they dealt with it in their lives。The book deals with all the notable landmarks in their brief career but then fills in the background as well so you come away with the events nestled in what was happening at the time， be it in their personal lives or on the World stage。 It has led me to watch a few videos on You Tube and to see The Beatles in a different light， nothing extraordinary， just that I didn't even think about them as real people before - they were just 'The Beatles' 。。。 they've always been there。 Listening to the music has a new appreciation after reading this too。 I'm glad I read it。 。。。more
Dave Appleby
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A voluminous book about the Beatles。 Brown's technique， already displayed in his book 'One on One'， is to assemble a collage of snippets， offering peeks into events in the history of the Beatles。 These include comments from celebrity and non-celebrity fans， Brown's own experiences as a boy growing up to the background of the Beatles， and Brown's notes taken while on tours of National Trust properties linked to the Beatles。 There are even some counterfactual pages。 This can be quite endearing， an A voluminous book about the Beatles。 Brown's technique， already displayed in his book 'One on One'， is to assemble a collage of snippets， offering peeks into events in the history of the Beatles。 These include comments from celebrity and non-celebrity fans， Brown's own experiences as a boy growing up to the background of the Beatles， and Brown's notes taken while on tours of National Trust properties linked to the Beatles。 There are even some counterfactual pages。 This can be quite endearing， and it is easy to read a few of the mostly short chapters and then put the book down， but I found it annoying in the end。The author is clearly a wordsmith。 He spends a great deal of time tracing the provenance of lyrics， sometimes explaining what they mean。 He very rarely says anything about the music， except sometimes quoting often pompous musicologists。 And yet these lads were， first and foremost， musicians。 It seems an enormous blind spot。Easy to read but how can you miss out the music？ 。。。more
Chris
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A mix bag for me。 Some interesting stories on the Beatles， but a lot of rehashed stories for readers who have read extensively about the group and the sixties。
Julie Hudson
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A very detailed biography of The Beatles and presented in a quirky way and from all sorts of angles。 Lots of info about people and events around The Beatles too。 The account isn't at all dry， it's amusing with some diary extracts from fans thrown in and interesting facts。 Highly recommended for Beatles and non-Beatles fans alike， if you're not a fan you'll wonder at the awe in which they were held at the time。I wasn't keen on the comparison to Gerry and the Pacemakers chapter and the chapter nea A very detailed biography of The Beatles and presented in a quirky way and from all sorts of angles。 Lots of info about people and events around The Beatles too。 The account isn't at all dry， it's amusing with some diary extracts from fans thrown in and interesting facts。 Highly recommended for Beatles and non-Beatles fans alike， if you're not a fan you'll wonder at the awe in which they were held at the time。I wasn't keen on the comparison to Gerry and the Pacemakers chapter and the chapter near the end where it tells the story backwards of Brian Epstein - I felt the author was trying too hard to present the facts in a novel way that didn't work but apart from that it was thoroughly enjoyable。 。。。more
David
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CONTAINS SPOILERSThis is a hugely researched and well documented book about The Beatles。 There was so much I didn't know， especially the early years when I was not yet twenty。 The large number of chapters include lots of short anecdotes on all sorts of subjects。 Their antics in Hamburg are hilarious。 Their three and a half months there is ultimately a disaster。 George， then Paul and Pete are deported。 Paul returns to his job。 A description of John and Cynthia's wedding is excellent， as is a gig CONTAINS SPOILERSThis is a hugely researched and well documented book about The Beatles。 There was so much I didn't know， especially the early years when I was not yet twenty。 The large number of chapters include lots of short anecdotes on all sorts of subjects。 Their antics in Hamburg are hilarious。 Their three and a half months there is ultimately a disaster。 George， then Paul and Pete are deported。 Paul returns to his job。 A description of John and Cynthia's wedding is excellent， as is a gig in 1962 with Peter Stringfellow。 And I never knew that in 1963 John went on holiday to Spain with Brian Epstein。 I had no idea that when Paul met Jane Asher after a show in 1963， he moved into her parents house and had his own bedroom for the next three years。 That was his new home。 That piece about the Ashers is superb。 Craig Brown says "If I could be any Beatle， at any time， I would be Paul in is Wimpole Street years， living with Jane， cosseted by her family， blessed by luck， happy with life， alive to culture （Jane's parents） adored by the world etc etc"。 I would agree。Chapter 55 is all about Ringo。 Did I know he was left handed？ No wonder the drummers in tribute bands have a problem。 Just as good， if not better， is the next chapter about Jimmie Nichol， a Beatle for a day （or two） on a tour of Australia and the Far East when Ringo is ill。 The first two paragraphs about James Boswell's "Life of Johnson" sets it up。 This episode should be a movie。I never knew that John's Aunt Mimi did a filmed interview in 1981 with Southern TV's James Montgomery at her house in Dorset， the one John bought her。 It's all on YouTube， but the piece in the book is better。 Somehow the author has the impression that George is a bit thick？ That's nothing like the intelligent music producer in later years， and the founder of Handmade Films。 There are obviously large parts about the creation of Sargent Pepper and the TV extravaganza "All We Need Is Love"。 That programme （and "Magical Mystery Tour"） were， to me， big disappointments。 As a huge fan of the group （dancing to the first LP at the school leaving do when I was 18 in 1963）， loving the two movies， these I found self indulgent and almost embarrassing。 How could they。The last part of the book was of little interest for me。 The effects of the death of Brian Epstein， the embarrassment （again） of the creation of Apple， and huge chunks about Yoko that I skipped。 But then， right in the middle of all the boring stuff comes the golden nugget that is an afternoon and evening in Harrold， a tiny village in Bedfordshire an event I knew nothing about。 It's the 30th June 1968， and Paul and his gang are on their way home when they take a detour。 To find a pub。 Their reception is a piece of history， ending with Paul giving an impromptu performance。 Just magic。The recording on the roof of 3 Savile Row on the 30th January 1969 gets a mention。 Lots of police arrived from various directions and were mostly young enough to enjoy the event。 Why there is so much interest in the album cover of "Abbey Road" I will never know。 Then more rubbish chapters about John and Yoko。 Who cares？ Even worse is that satire near the end which， horrifically， includes the death of George。 I wish I had given up well before。 Otherwise this was a five star book。 。。。more
Madam Ypsilon
，
this particular beatles book stands out for me because it gives us the big picture cut into tiny little details and I never lost interest along the way。 This makes the wait for Mark Lewisohn's second book a bit more comfortable because it seemed to be written with the same purpose in mind and with the same kind of good narrative prose。 this particular beatles book stands out for me because it gives us the big picture cut into tiny little details and I never lost interest along the way。 This makes the wait for Mark Lewisohn's second book a bit more comfortable because it seemed to be written with the same purpose in mind and with the same kind of good narrative prose。 。。。more
Simon Harrison
，
It is wonderful。
Philip
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A bit lightweight， found it quite weirdly snooty of Yoko Ono too。 Not worthy of its acclaim。
Stephen Rötzsch Thomas
，
What a fantastic book。 Unfurling in short chapters， it felt like a wholly modern approach to history - funny， constantly fresh， and frequently enlightening。 The best book about music I've read since Bob Stanley's 'Yeah Yeah Yeah'。 What a fantastic book。 Unfurling in short chapters， it felt like a wholly modern approach to history - funny， constantly fresh， and frequently enlightening。 The best book about music I've read since Bob Stanley's 'Yeah Yeah Yeah'。 。。。more
Josh Wright
，
Fun， “kaleidoscopic” account of a band I’ve loved dearly since my childhood。 The form kept it light and breezy but maybe left me less gripped。 Tonally， Brown reads like a bit of an snooty asshole， particularly when recounting his research trips to Liverpool。 A brief Google reveals he’s an Etonian… tracks
James
，
Large parts of this are just shameless rip-offs of the Simpsons episode where Homer has a barbershop quartet， but it's still good。 Large parts of this are just shameless rip-offs of the Simpsons episode where Homer has a barbershop quartet， but it's still good。 。。。more
Karen Keane
，
A history of the Beatles from their beginnings until they split up in 1969。 I found the book really interesting， it not only focussed on the individual Beatles， it also focussed on their management and the fans。 None of the Beatles came across as perfect， they all had their faults， in fact， Ringo came across as the most likeable。 The book was a wonderful insight into the pop culture of the 1960’s， a bit of a social history and a very interesting read about 4 very talented boys。
Steve
，
Would happily give this 25 stars。 A fantastic read for anyone who lived through the Beatles era。
Stephen King
，
This was fun in parts and then quite boring。 There were lots of stories I’d heard before and then long lists of quite irrelevant stuff - do we really need a comparison between the Queen’s Christmas speeches from 1963-69 and the Beatle’s Christmas messages to their fans？ Having said that， there’s some interesting vignettes， especially from the very early 60’s in Hamburg and some quite critical passages。 John and Yoko’s interview with the war reporter Gloria Emerson in December 1969 shines a welco This was fun in parts and then quite boring。 There were lots of stories I’d heard before and then long lists of quite irrelevant stuff - do we really need a comparison between the Queen’s Christmas speeches from 1963-69 and the Beatle’s Christmas messages to their fans？ Having said that， there’s some interesting vignettes， especially from the very early 60’s in Hamburg and some quite critical passages。 John and Yoko’s interview with the war reporter Gloria Emerson in December 1969 shines a welcome light on the self indulgence of the ‘bagism’ phase 。。。more
Lucia
，
This book deserves a standing ovation， it's THAT good。 This book deserves a standing ovation， it's THAT good。 。。。more
Symon Vegro
，
I read this book because I love the Beatles and because it was a birthday present from a good friend of mine。 I enjoyed the numerous short chapter format， but as I got through the book I enjoyed the content less and less。 It finally occured to me， that I don’t think he actually liked the Beatles that much， as people。 The book contains a vast amount of information， most if not all of it unsubstantiated - the reader has no way of knowing if it’s true。 As to the negative nature of many of them， tha I read this book because I love the Beatles and because it was a birthday present from a good friend of mine。 I enjoyed the numerous short chapter format， but as I got through the book I enjoyed the content less and less。 It finally occured to me， that I don’t think he actually liked the Beatles that much， as people。 The book contains a vast amount of information， most if not all of it unsubstantiated - the reader has no way of knowing if it’s true。 As to the negative nature of many of them， that’s easily explained - the author writes for the ‘Daily Wail’ and the ‘Wail on Sunday’ （for which reason alone I docked it another star）。 Perhaps the most notable omission - all the more unforgiveable given the number of people mentioned - is the time the Beatles met Pink Floyd at Abbey Road studios。 The best advice I can give you to learn about the Beatles is to listen to their music。 。。。more
Andy Matheson
，
Without doubt the best book I have read in a while。 So well written and really compelling。 I felt the energy and excitement of the times through these pages。 I loved the stories and anecdotes。Recommended unreservedly to all fans and people who love a good read。
Daniel Murphy
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Not so much a biography but more like a social history of the 60s orbiting around the Beatles。 It works like a mosaic， using slice of life stories to build up a colourful picture of The Beatles and the world around them。 Brown takes an inventive approach to chapter structures， using everything from reverse chronology diary notes， to comparisons between the Queen's and Beatles' Christmas messages to a list of everyone featured on the cover of Sgt Pepper's。 A fun and easy read that nonetheless tou Not so much a biography but more like a social history of the 60s orbiting around the Beatles。 It works like a mosaic， using slice of life stories to build up a colourful picture of The Beatles and the world around them。 Brown takes an inventive approach to chapter structures， using everything from reverse chronology diary notes， to comparisons between the Queen's and Beatles' Christmas messages to a list of everyone featured on the cover of Sgt Pepper's。 A fun and easy read that nonetheless touches on some of the darker stories surrounding the Beatles。 Brown doesn't give the impression of being a Beatles devotee， though at the same time the book can't help but make me like them even more。 。。。more
Janet
，
This is a 3。5 rating。 I really enjoyed the first half of this book despite its style， which took some getting used to。 It was written in short chapters ， which were not in chronological order and told facts， opinions， news articles and anecdotes about the fab 4， a lot of which were interesting。However， the second half became a bit tedious and I found myself flicking through chapters and jumping onto the next one until I found something which interested me。 （I did enjoy the Yoko Ono chapters thou This is a 3。5 rating。 I really enjoyed the first half of this book despite its style， which took some getting used to。 It was written in short chapters ， which were not in chronological order and told facts， opinions， news articles and anecdotes about the fab 4， a lot of which were interesting。However， the second half became a bit tedious and I found myself flicking through chapters and jumping onto the next one until I found something which interested me。 （I did enjoy the Yoko Ono chapters though。 ）That said， I listened to the audiobook which was quite entertaining as the narrators did impressions of John， Paul， George and Ringo along with Cilla and others。For fans of the Beatles， it is a good read。 。。。more
Glenn Schryver
，
I've read many books on The Beatles; this ranks with the finest。Consisting of 150 chapters， the book is a series of vignettes and anecdotes。 Each one serves to contextualise various events in Beatle history。 It really gives a sense of what it was like to be there， in a highly informative and entertaining way！ I've read many books on The Beatles; this ranks with the finest。Consisting of 150 chapters， the book is a series of vignettes and anecdotes。 Each one serves to contextualise various events in Beatle history。 It really gives a sense of what it was like to be there， in a highly informative and entertaining way！ 。。。more
Vincent Eaton
，
This 600+ page book entered my life in the middle of the second COVID lockdown， and thereafter I partook of it every three days or so， ten to twenty pages at a time。 To savor， to be amused and not taxed， to relive， and find all sorts of crumbs and larger morsels of interesting， stimulating facts and occurrences during their brief but striking time together。 I am not much of a pop music culture reader， except for a few books spanning a epoch， none certainly not on a single band。 But then， The Bea This 600+ page book entered my life in the middle of the second COVID lockdown， and thereafter I partook of it every three days or so， ten to twenty pages at a time。 To savor， to be amused and not taxed， to relive， and find all sorts of crumbs and larger morsels of interesting， stimulating facts and occurrences during their brief but striking time together。 I am not much of a pop music culture reader， except for a few books spanning a epoch， none certainly not on a single band。 But then， The Beatles are who there were， and this book was so pleasantly written and devilishly clever in relating humongous amounts stray facts and brief histories that made dipping into it like the different tastes of lollipops， ice cream， artisanal cakes， finger food and perhaps even quality wines。 Perfect for those/these times。 。。。more
Andrew Scott
，
Very entertaining， very informative， and - finally - very sad。。。 Well worth reading， both for its wit and originality， and for the wealth of detail it offers on the Beatles， and the many people， famous， infamous and unknown， who came into contact with them。
Natasha Mimms
，
Took me ages， but finally finished。
Chris
，
Interesting approach to a well worn path。 Would recommend。 If you have an interest in the Fab Four， this is for you。
Joe
，