You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup

ou Never Give Me Your Money is one of those books that if you pick it up at 9PM you'll find yourself at 2AM fighting to keep your eyes open but refusing to release them from the page. It is definitely essential, required reading for any Beatlemaniac, but be forewarned: Pepperland was one sordid, messed up disaster socially, spiritually, financially and personally.

Dogget's well-researched book covers all the ins and outs of the 1968-70 Beatle breakup does a great job explaining the financial and contractual details and how interpersonal conflict played a part in the McCartney/Eastman vs. Fab 3/Klein split. It then provides a synopsis of the post Beatle careers to the present and of course covering Lennon's assassination.

Dogget's show more description of the Apple offices awash in marijuana, malt whiskey and maudlin, hippy sensibility are funny in a "Oh I can't believe I'm watching this train wreck sort of way." Clearly, good vibes do not a business make. He is very fair to Yoko, I am pleased to write, although he does not gloss over her own foibles.

I think the greatest eye opener for me was what I'll call the standard amazon.com reviewer "they were only human" escape clause. Yes John, Paul, George and Richard (DON'T call him by his stage name; he hates that) were human. But they were pretty miserable, horrible humans - not just to themselves but to all those around them. I guess one could charitably put it as their fame and celebrity was incredibly damaging to their personalities, and their Beatles phase of their lives was so colossal that it was difficult for them to move forward. Even Harrison, the most "spiritual" Beatle, frequently comes across as a guy who used mantras little more than as a means to avoid responsibility (especially in his personal relations) and eagerly tracked every sterling pound of royalties that came in from sales of "My Sweet Lord."

All of them descended into substance abuse problems, but its Richards transformation into a pathetic drunk and Lennon's (a.k.a. "Johnandyoko") 1969-1973 ***hole antics made me root for the INS to deport him!

Ultimately, I don't believe in this "they were human" escape clause. Dogget makes clear that the various Beatles made very cogent, willing decisions that illustrate little more then their petty selfishness. It reminded me of Jerry Garcia's daughter's simple and devastating eulogy: he was a great musician and a shitty father."

And somehow, despite all, the music DOES transcend, as the book points out. It's a testimony to their phenomenal talent that 4 guys who pretty much loathed each other could still record Abbey Road. show less

Admittedly, I'm a sucker for books about the Beatles, but considering that about 50% of the book details the seemingly endless lawsuits the Beatles were involved in it's a surprisingly gripping read. I also like that it takes a somewhat skeptical view of the JohnAndYoko myth.

Ever wish you could have been a Beatle, in the eye of the storm, living it up, leaving a monumental musical legacy? Well, think again after reading this book. While there was was joy, there was also eternal business-related soul-sucking hell, and horrible interpersonal conflict. How would your personality unfold, given unlimited fame, fortune, and the whole world feeding on their ever-changing perceptions of your persona? I suspect few saints would emerge from the life the Beatles have had. Meticulously researched, illuminates every crack and cranny of the long and winding road and beyond.

Doggett's thorough and absorbing book is the ideal companion piece to Revolution In The Head, Ian MacDonald's track by track analysis of The Beatles music. Doggett picks up the story in the late sixties, as The Beatles set up the idealistic, yet doomed Apple Corps and then follows the tangled web of companies within companies, lawsuits and back biting as the group disintegrates under the weight of their own follies.

There has obviously been a mammoth amount of research involved here, and sometimes the weight of detail can be overwhelming, but Doggett sticks to his task and traces the story through the Seventies, as the individual Beatles' fortunes, both commercial and financial, wax and wane, on into the 80's, 90's and beyond.

The show more picture that emerges is of four men who didn't want to be "Beatles" any more, but didn't really know how to be anything else. They each forged their own path, often involving isolation, drugs, alcohol or all three. Outside influences played a part, notably Yoko of course, and the tragedy is that these men, once firm friends, ended up resenting each other and their status as "Beatles" and all that implied.

The post-Beatles years were difficult for all of them, to one degree or another, and Doggett documents their ups and downs very well. Harrison's retreat into spiritualism, Ringo's retreat into alcoholism, McCartney's relentless work ethic as he tried over and over to regain the friendship and approval of Lennon. And of course Lennon's own travails with drugs, political activism and the lack of faith in his own ability as a songwriter. None of them ever really matched the work they created as a foursome and the financial mess they found themselves ensnared in ensured that they would always be, to a greater or lesser extent, thought of as a Beatle.

This is a very good book, even if at times you end up thinking "No, don't do that to each other!". A manual for all aspiring rock stars in how NOT to handle your finances.

Recommended. show less

An absorbing, forensically detailed account about the break up of the Beatles and the legal and financial problems which followed.

Quite an interesting read that focuses on the sordid details of The Beatles from 1969 onwards. I found myself glued to the page (or in my case, the Kindle and iPad) awake at an ungodly hour hoping to learn more about "The Threetles" and just how many lawsuits our fab four were involved in (SPOILER: THERE WERE A LOT).

The author hints many times in the book that in the 70's the band were always just a step away from reuniting. However, at the last minute one of them backed out or said something that blew it. It makes you think what would've happened if they did get back together. Would it have lived up to the hype? We'll never know.

As a Beatles fanatic, this book was a great read for me. I was born in 1980 so I missed out on a lot of this show more stuff. The book really filled in the details for me. show less

A compelling and insightful book but also sad in so many ways. Doggett vividly chronicles the disintegration of one of the greatest creative partnerships of all time, the fraying of longtime friendships,and the petty bickering over business and personal matters. So many missed opportunities for reunion and making amends. A good book for people like me who are interested in reading this sort of thing.