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The Resource Beatles vs. Stones, John McMillian

Beatles vs. Stones, John McMillian

Creator
Summary
With the sophistication of a historian, the storytelling skills of a journalist, and the passion of a fan, John McMillian explores the multifaceted relationship between the two greatest bands of our time. In the 1960s the two biggest bands in the world--the lovable Beatles and the bad-boy Rolling Stones--waged an epic battle. "The Beatles want to hold your hand, " wrote Tom Wolfe, "but the Stones want to burn down your town." Both groups liked to maintain that they weren't really "rivals"--that was just a media myth, they politely said--but on both sides of the Atlantic, they plainly competed for commercial success and aesthetic credibility. In Beatles vs. Stones, John McMillian gets to the truth behind the ultimate rock 'n' roll debate. McMillian reveals how music managers helped to construct the Beatles-Stones rivalry as they set out to engineer moneymaking empires. He explores how the Beatles were marketed as cute and amiable, when in fact they came from hardscrabble backgrounds in Liverpool. By contrast, the Stones were cast as an edgy, dangerous group, even though they mostly hailed from the London suburbs. Although the Beatles always sold more records than the Stones, the Stones seemed to win greater credibility with the "right" types of fans: discerning bohemians, as opposed to hysterical teenyboppers. Later, the Beatles embraced Flower Power, while the Stones briefly aligned themselves with New Left militance. Ever since, writers and historians have associated the Beatles with the gauzy idealism of the "good" sixties and portrayed the Stones as representatives of the dangerous and nihilistic "bad" sixties. Beatles vs. Stones explodes that split. In a lively narrative that whisks readers from Liverpool to London to New York City--and to various recording studios, nightclubs, concerts, courtrooms, and protest rallies in between--McMillian also delves into the personal relationships between the two groups. In one chapter we see Lennon and McCartney huddle up in a rehearsal space and show the Stones how to write their own material; in another we eavesdrop on Jagger and Richards as they watch the Beatles play Shea Stadium from the visitors' dugout. McMillian also shows us how the two groups feuded about which act would headline a legendary Poll Winners' concert and the pernicious effect that the American businessman Allen Klein had on both bands. Based on exhaustive research in primary sources, including overlooked teen magazines and underground newspapers, Beatles vs. Stones tells a vital story of the 1960s through the lens of music's greatest rivalry. Spirited, insightful, and gracefully written, this is the definitive account of the friendship and rivalry between the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. -- Publisher description, jacket flap
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.
Extent
304 pages, [16] pages of plates
Contents
  • Gentlemen or thugs?
  • "Shit, that's the Beatles!"
  • A particular form of snobbery
  • Yankophilia
  • Politics and imagecraft
  • Wheel-dealing in the pop jungle
Isbn
9781439159699
Instance
Label
Beatles vs. Stones
Title
Beatles vs. Stones
Statement of responsibility
John McMillian
Title variation
  • Beatles versus Stones
  • John McMillian presents Beatles vs. Stones
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
With the sophistication of a historian, the storytelling skills of a journalist, and the passion of a fan, John McMillian explores the multifaceted relationship between the two greatest bands of our time. In the 1960s the two biggest bands in the world--the lovable Beatles and the bad-boy Rolling Stones--waged an epic battle. "The Beatles want to hold your hand, " wrote Tom Wolfe, "but the Stones want to burn down your town." Both groups liked to maintain that they weren't really "rivals"--that was just a media myth, they politely said--but on both sides of the Atlantic, they plainly competed for commercial success and aesthetic credibility. In Beatles vs. Stones, John McMillian gets to the truth behind the ultimate rock 'n' roll debate. McMillian reveals how music managers helped to construct the Beatles-Stones rivalry as they set out to engineer moneymaking empires. He explores how the Beatles were marketed as cute and amiable, when in fact they came from hardscrabble backgrounds in Liverpool. By contrast, the Stones were cast as an edgy, dangerous group, even though they mostly hailed from the London suburbs. Although the Beatles always sold more records than the Stones, the Stones seemed to win greater credibility with the "right" types of fans: discerning bohemians, as opposed to hysterical teenyboppers. Later, the Beatles embraced Flower Power, while the Stones briefly aligned themselves with New Left militance. Ever since, writers and historians have associated the Beatles with the gauzy idealism of the "good" sixties and portrayed the Stones as representatives of the dangerous and nihilistic "bad" sixties. Beatles vs. Stones explodes that split. In a lively narrative that whisks readers from Liverpool to London to New York City--and to various recording studios, nightclubs, concerts, courtrooms, and protest rallies in between--McMillian also delves into the personal relationships between the two groups. In one chapter we see Lennon and McCartney huddle up in a rehearsal space and show the Stones how to write their own material; in another we eavesdrop on Jagger and Richards as they watch the Beatles play Shea Stadium from the visitors' dugout. McMillian also shows us how the two groups feuded about which act would headline a legendary Poll Winners' concert and the pernicious effect that the American businessman Allen Klein had on both bands. Based on exhaustive research in primary sources, including overlooked teen magazines and underground newspapers, Beatles vs. Stones tells a vital story of the 1960s through the lens of music's greatest rivalry. Spirited, insightful, and gracefully written, this is the definitive account of the friendship and rivalry between the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. -- Publisher description, jacket flap
Biography type
contains biographical information
Cataloging source
YDXCP
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
McMillian, John Campbell
Illustrations
  • illustrations
  • portraits
  • plates
Index
index present
LC call number
ML3534
LC item number
.M4725 2013
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Beatles
  • Rolling Stones
  • Rock groups
  • Rock music
  • Rock musicians
Label
Beatles vs. Stones, John McMillian
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-288) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Gentlemen or thugs? -- "Shit, that's the Beatles!" -- A particular form of snobbery -- Yankophilia -- Politics and imagecraft -- Wheel-dealing in the pop jungle
Control code
ocn830352059
Dimensions
24 cm
Edition
1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.
Extent
304 pages, [16] pages of plates
Isbn
9781439159699
Isbn Type
(hc)
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations, portraits
System control number
  • 1138214
  • (Sirsi) o830352059
  • (OCoLC)830352059
Label
Beatles vs. Stones, John McMillian
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-288) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Gentlemen or thugs? -- "Shit, that's the Beatles!" -- A particular form of snobbery -- Yankophilia -- Politics and imagecraft -- Wheel-dealing in the pop jungle
Control code
ocn830352059
Dimensions
24 cm
Edition
1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.
Extent
304 pages, [16] pages of plates
Isbn
9781439159699
Isbn Type
(hc)
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations, portraits
System control number
  • 1138214
  • (Sirsi) o830352059
  • (OCoLC)830352059

Subject

Genre

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