Oh, Yeah, Yeah,Yeah

Summertime, summertime! Life is good, you're out of school, theme parks are open, you're out of school, burgers are on the grills, and you're out of school--I think you get the idea. Life is also busy at the library during the summer. In fact, it's our busiest time of year and that's why the Iron Guy hasn't written much lately. We've been fortunate to have guys like Winnux send in cool reviews but now I'll talk, over the next week or two, about a few things I've read and liked.

The first is Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! The Beatles, Beatlemania and the Music That Changed the World by Bob Spitz. It's a terrific book, a really good story and chock full of information for old Beatles fans like me or new fans--maybe like you!

The Beatles----there's never been a group like them and there probably never will be again. Their music is still fresh and exciting after 50 years and it still rocks! They started out as raw teenagers and became the most accomplished group of musicians rock and roll ever produced. They were the first rock band to receive awards from British royalty. The Shea Stadium concert in 1965 was the first big outdoor rock concert. They lived a legendary life in a legendary time and this book makes you see and feel how amazing it all was. The story is certainly enthralling--four unknown boys from Liverpool, England become the most famous band in the world. Along the way they encounter great success and fame but also meet tragedy, drugs and the enormous costs of all that fame. Eventually the band broke up, of course, but their music lives on and on. This book tells the story very well, making you cheer for the boys when, after many setbacks, they hit the big time and then feel for them when things don't go as well. Bob Spitz is a good writer and makes keep reading and reading, dying to find out what happens in each chapter. I couldn't put the book down--even me, who knew the story because I lived through that whole era! And there are lots of sidebars with great info on the songs, the fans and the Beatles themselves. This is a good one, guys, so head over to your library and check it out. Then download some of their great tunes or ask to borrow your parents' Beatles cd's (the best one to start out with is the collection of Number 1 hits) or, better yet, check to see anyone your parents know has any vinyl Beatles albums. (Hey, vinyl has become cool again!)

And to prove how great those guys were, here is a video of the Beatles in their early days doing "Twist and Shout." It's a compilation of their different styles in their earlier days but just listen to this--hear that snarl in John Lennon's voice, then listen in wonder as he strains it upward for the upper reaches of what a voice can do, and watch Paul and George rock out on bass and rhythm guitar and see Ringo beat those drums as the whole group rocks the song to its max.

Rock on, guys, and check out that book!