Beatles-Freak's Reviews

Well boys and girls, it’s time once again for a couple disclaimers before I break into my review of this book:

1. This was the first full length book that I read entirely on a Kindle.  I like real books with paper pages and page numbers, so this alone was a challenge when all the Kindle would tell me was a percentage of what I had already read.  Is this going to be a factor in my review?  I dunno!

2. I’ve said it before…I don’t like fan fiction.  BUT…I had to catch myself because I realized that I do read fan fiction about Edgar Alan Poe.  In fact, I’m kinda obsessed with it!  So let me correct myself, I don’t like Beatles fan fiction.  I like my Fab Four the way I like my soap and men…99 44/100% pure!

On to the review:

Rubber Soul is the latest in a series of novels by Greg Kihn.  Yeah…THAT Greg Kihn…the man behind ‘The Breakup Song’ and ‘Jeopardy’.  Apparently, he’s been keeping himself busy these past several years with a radio show and authoring books.  Who’d a thunk it?  This latest installment is a murder mystery featuring …you guessed it…The Beatles!

I must say that I love Greg’s writing style!  What an easy and peaceful read this book was even as I struggled to get used to reading it on my Kindle (or KIHNdle).  No flashbacks and not overloaded with too many characters.  But I will admit, I almost didn’t make it past the 2nd or 3rd chapter when the main character becomes, what I consider, a little too involved with The Beatles.  I understand that Mr. Kihn stayed true to the Beatles story during their early years, but there was a moment where I felt he crossed the line a bit with mixing his fiction with his fact.

*Note: I have it from a good source that Greg Kihn had never heard of ‘fan fiction’ up until 2 months ago even though he’s been writing it for years.  Go figure…

I finally picked the book back up after a couple days of questioning why I had decided to read another Beatles fan fiction book (because he’s Greg ‘fu-kihn’ KIHN…that’s why!), I marched on through the digital pages and can say that it became a much better read with the Beatles taking a back seat to the main character up until the end when the plot thickens and draws our boys back into the story.  At this point, I could no longer put the book down until finding out ‘Who done it?’

I must say, Greg did his homework on the Beatles for this book.  I do believe there is one obvious error when he writes that Stu and Astrid were married…they never got that far before Stu passed away.

I rate this book: 3 out of 4 Beetles

‘The John Lennon Hour‘ premiers tonight, Sunday, October 7th at 5 pm (est), 8 pm (pst) on Beatles-A-Rama!!! radio.  It’s a weekly show tracing the life of John Lennon from birth until his untimely death.  The show is being hosted by Beatles author Jude Southerland Kessler.  Ms. Kessler is the author of the John Lennon Series.

Here’s is a link to the press release about this radio show.  If you get a chance to listen, feel free to offer your own reviews in the comments section of this post:

Beatles Expert and Author to Host Weekly Radio Show about John Lennon | PRLog.

I look forward to your opinions.

I’m not going to offer any reviews for these two books that recently were released on Kindle.  Instead, I’ll just give you a quick note on what they are.

Please Please Me by Alan Hendler is a 39 page novella on the making of The Beatles ‘Please Please Me’ album.   Great detail is written about the recording of the album but,  the best way to describe this work of fiction is, “The names are the same, but the story has been changed to protect the innocent.”

It costs 99 cents on Amazon.com

She Loves You (excerpt) is a 44 page excerpt from Jude Kessler’s upcoming book by the same name.  The 3 chapters contained in this section of the expanded biography contained a detailed, blow by blow account of the writing and recording of the Beatles’ song, “She Loves You” in 1963.

This book is 99 cents at Amazon.com.

If anyone would like to post their reviews of these two books, feel free to do so in the comment section of this post.

After a four year battle with prostate cancer, internet radio station owner needs a little help from his friends through an online fundraising campaign.

    Patrick Helmstetter (aka Pat Matthews) has two great passions: the Beatles and radio. His professional foray into radio began in the summer of 1970, as a part-time DJ in Harvey, Louisiana and since then, he’s never looked back.  In early 1964, Pat attended a party where they played The Beatles’ I Want To Hold Your Hand over and over…no one had even heard of The Beatles at the time, but he knew he was hooked on the Fab Four!  With the take-off of Internet radio in the late 90’s, Pat eventually found his niche in Beatles-A-Rama!!!, the internet radio station he created in 2001, which over the past decade has grown to over 30,000 listeners. In July 2006, Beatles-A-Rama!!! was included in a write-up about internet radio in Rolling Stone magazine and it’s been called “brilliant” and an easy way to get a PhD in music by listening.

In 2008, as Pat Matthews was growing Beatles-A-Rama!!! – a completely self-funded venture – he was faced with a personal health crisis when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Over the next four years and throughout the subsequent surgeries, medical bills, insurance premiums plus deductibles, and the physical and emotional stress of the illness, Pat continued to find solace in his work at Beatles-A-Rama!!!  He continued to produce the daily programming, and the weekly 2 hour Sunday morning program that streams to listeners all over the globe 24-hours/day. For the past 3 years, he has continued to be the sole financial backer of the radio station, covering streaming and domain fees. As medical bills have begun to take precedence, the funding is becoming harder for Pat to cover on his own.

In late 2011 Beatles-A-Rama!!! was lined up to receive a private investment of $250,000 however at last minute the investors vanished without a trace, leaving Patrick devastated. Now, he’s been forced to turn to the Beatles fans themselves for support to keep over a decades worth of his life’s work at Beatles-A-Rama!!! alive and playing the greatest music for many years to come. He is aiming to raise at least $150,000 through the fundraising website – Indiegogo.com. The funds will go towards paying off the credit card that has been maxed out because of streaming charges over the past 10 years, and also to a pay for future streaming, licensing fees, etc. during Pat’s time of need.

Supporters can view Pat Matthews’ personal video and find out more about Pat, his story, and Beatles-A-Rama!!! at http://www.indiegogo.com/beatlesarama and www.BeatlesARama.com . Help spread the word by sharing his fundraising site to every Beatles fan you know!