Product Description

When the Beatles touched down in New York on February 7, 1964 for their first visit to America, they brought with them a sound that hadn′t been heard before. By the time they returned to England two weeks later, major changes in music, fashion, the record industry, and the image of an entire generation had been set into motion. Coming less than three months after the assassination of President Kennedy, the Beatles′ visit helped rouse the country out of mourning. A breathless and condescending media concentrated on the band′s hairstyles and their adoring fans, but their enduring importance lay in their music, their wit, and style, a disconnect that signaled the beginning of the generation gap. In this intriguing cultural history, Martin Goldsmith examines how and why the Beatles struck such a lasting chord.
Martin Goldsmith (Kensington, MD), the author of The Inextinguishable Symphony (0–471–35097–4), is a program director for XM Satellite Radio in Washington, D.C. From 1989 to 1999, he hosted Performance Today, NPR′s daily classical music program.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #946610 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Review
“…written in an easy and pleasant style…a useful addition to the collection of the avid Beatles fan.” (Beatles– Unlimited magazine, May/June 2004)

“… fascinating … quotations from those fusty Americans...” (New Statesman, 12^th April 2004)

"...a breezily intelligent biography...perhaps the first serious Beatles history to have a truly happy ending." (Entertainment Weekly, February 6, 2004)

"...magic blows through the book, past delightfully obscure anecdotes and insightful reflection..." (Bookpage, February 2004)

"...the book does offer many fascinating details." (Publishers Weekly, January 19, 2004)

Beatles- Unlimited magazine, May/June 2004
"...written in an easy and pleasant style...a useful addition to the collection of the avid Beatles fan."

From the Inside Flap
"An extraordinary new series intended to capture extraordinary moments in history."
–Chicago Tribune

On February 7, 1964–"B–Day" as one disk jockey called it–the Beatles landed in New York. As John, Paul, George, and Ringo walked down the gangway of their plane, thousands of fans, their shrieks competing with the wails of jet engines for sonic supremacy, welcomed them to America. It was pandemonium–an airport official declared, "We’ve never seen anything like this here before. Never. Not even for kings and queens"–and just the start of the adulation the Beatles were about to experience. Over the next two weeks, the Beatles would appear twice on The Ed Sullivan Show, play two concerts at Carnegie Hall and one in Washington, and charm reporters with witty interviews wherever they went. By the time they departed, the Fab Four were the idols of a new American generation–and would go on to have a defining impact on the music, fashions, passions, and generational conflicts of the 1960s.

In this captivating cultural history, Martin Goldsmith recreates the excitement of that first Beatles visit, which came less than three months after the tragedy of President Kennedy’s assassination, and explains how four lads from Liverpool came together to create a sound and a style that would win America’s heart. From the roots of John and Paul’s songwriting partnership and the band’s first Liverpool appearances to their grueling Hamburg apprenticeship and their climb to the top of the British charts, Goldsmith brings to life the hardships, hard work, and joy that made the Beatles’ music without parallel in the twentieth century. He describes the initial difficulty they had getting their records released in America–until "I Want to Hold Your Hand" took off when a British copy was smuggled to a DJ in Washington, D.C. And he tells the story of the Beatles’ most resounding American triumph–their unforgettable first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, an event that drew 73.9 million viewers, at the time the largest audience in television history.

Engagingly written, thoroughly researched, and embellished with personal recollections and trenchant reflections, The Beatles Come to America recounts a magical and important time in our nation’s history. Whether you’ve loved the Beatles for forty years or are meeting them anew, a splendid time is guaranteed for all.