Penelope RowlandsRezensionen

A beautifully curated collection of mainly marvelous essays about Paris. I read it on the train coming back home from a wonderful Paris weekend, and it just added to the pleasure.

I really enjoyed this book of essays more than 3 stars might indicate - - but as in most collections, the quality was variable among the essays.

Note: I received this book as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.

Meh. I so much wanted to like this book but found that it read as a random collection of essays, email, and articles reminiscing about The Beatles first arrival in the US. There was no real cohesion to these pieces which made it an uneven read.½

Hard to believe its been 50 years, but what a great way to celebrate this heartbreaking anniversary.
I was just a young boy when the Beatles came to the USA, but I still remember it well. Music is always so closely tied to powerful and emotional memories, and the Beatles music was the perfect soundtrack for a young persons childhood and coming of age transitions.
This book is a beautiful tribute to the band, as its a collection of memories from the people just like you and I...where they were, how the band affected them.
Make no mistake, the Beatles affected EVERYONE in one way or another, and this is the real treasure of the band.
This book focuses on that issue specifically and does so in a wonderful way. Time and money allowing, this book could and should be thousands of pages long, as each of us has something to remember and most of us just love sharing it with others.
Great book. Thank you very much.

The Beatles are yesterday's news. This book, maybe intentionally, made that clear. It's a collection of sound bites and essays that tries to forward the firsthand impression of the Beatles arriving in the U.S and what it meant to the locals. I liked some of the entries but no way does this book deserve 4.12 stars. I don't know why, but all non fiction is insanely overrated here. I thought my Beatles fatigue would be marginalized and my clinically dead interest in the Beatles would be galvanized by reading this book, but that didn't happen. I'm rating this book a 3 stars as a sign of respect for the ladies that suffered in their long life...people who just happened to be there back in 1964.

Since I'm still waiting for the book to arrive, I went to the library and borrowed it. The book is a series of essays (and some inaccuracies are present) about the Beatles arrival in America 50 years ago. I've been a Beatles fan as long as I can remember but I wasn't all that impressed with the book. It's interesting to read the memories of famous and everyday people but a lot of it is old hat from previous books, television specials, and so on. Still the book is readable, what some might call a "popcorn book", and a view of a point in history some of us are too young to remember.½

This book of short essays reflecting on the Beatles' importance in various people's lives is surprisingly readable - the quality of writing is high throughout and each person has something unique to contribute. I was a little too young to participate directly in the earliest Beatle frenzy (although like all my friends I chewed innumerable sticks of Beatles gum, accumulated a heavy shoebox full of gum-scented Beatles cards, and had a Favorite Beatle). Thus the book was a revelation to me. Reading it made me realize for the first time how deeply the Beatles affected America, not just the culture, but untold numbers of individuals.

The Beatles were a bit before my time, but having much older sisters in the house, I was acquainted with them. This book is an easy read, with interesting stories that take you back to that time. A fun time machine.

I was not a Beatles fan when they arrived (mostly because of the hysteria surrounding their appearances--and because I love folk music)and I never became a fan of the Stones, but the music shift was unavoidable. I became a fan of the music and lyrics and today, my grown daughter, is a huge fan of the Beatles. All that said, this collection of personal essays collected by Penelope Rowlands (the girl in the middle of the banner featured on the cover), is a fascinating oral history of not only the Beatles, but the era, its politics, its social movements, and the exceptional long life of a British band that only stayed together for seven years. Highly recommended to fans of the group, students of history, and just for a bit of entertaining commentary on the world of the 1960s.

Assembled by one of the girls in the cover picture, this book is an account of The Beatles and their effect on fans and non-fans,photographers and journalists, just in time for the 50th anniversary of The Beatles first New York visit. A good collection of accounts both Beatles fans and those interested in the impact of the group at the time, and times to come.½

The Beatles Are Here!: 50 Years After the Band Arrived in America, Writers, Musicians, and Other Fans Remember
Edited by Penelope Rowlands
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill/Workman Publishing
Reviewed by Karl Wolff

The Beatles. When the Fab Four hit American shores in 1964, everything changed. You can't say that for too many things, especially in our fragmented, hyper-mediated, pop culture saturated culture. The title of the book says it all: The Beatles Are Here!: 50 Years After the Band Arrived in America, Writers, Musicians, and Other Fans Remember. What makes this anthology stand out is the quality and variety of its contributors and Ms. Rowlands's own personal history with the band. While hipsters (the current iteration, not the Jazz Age and Beat Generation versions) try to out-obscure each other with their esoteric musical tastes, the Beatles were mainstream and corporate. (They signed to a major record label.) Who liked the Beatles? Everyone. It is a challenge to think of a pop cultural milestone that has universal appeal. The original Star Wars blockbuster phenom from 1977 to 1983 comes pretty close, since it appealed to non-science fiction fans.

When the Beatles played on Ed Sullivan in 1964 and at Shea Stadium, everything changed. Elvis was mere prelude. The opening essay sets the mood. "My sisters and I grew up despising Welk and all those of his ilk, so when the Beatles showed up, we felt the way the French must have felt when the GIs swarmed into Paris in August 1944." The Beatles ushed in the British Invasion. For decades, American music - blues, jazz, rock, etc. - had influenced British musicians. The Beatles reversed the tide. Elvis was a shot across the bow of Frank Sinatra. In the Thirties and Forties, Frankie had been the teen pop icon beloved by screaming teen girls. When the Beatles played Ed Sullivan, Frank was done. Sinatra must have the felt same way the members of Whitesnake felt when Kurt Cobain played the first chords of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Some historicizing is in order. The band didn't just come out of nowhere. Numerous contributors remember the Beatles TV appearance shortly after the Kennedy assassination in late November 1963. With their optimism and energy, they were a means for a nation to heal. And while the anthology is full of warm memories and a not undue amount of nostalgia, the anthology includes some wonderful variations on the Beatles. There are radio Djs from the era recounting the rabid fandom of Beatlemaniacs. But we also get to read travel writer Pico Iyer's take on the Fab Four. The original newspaper feature by Gay Talese is included, along with the original typos and fuddy duddy snark at the young kids with their long hair and skinny ties. "Cut those sideburns, Mattingly!" To be fair, Talese was doing journalism back in the day when type was set manually.

David Thomson, the film critic, interlaces his memories with the Beatles filmography. Biographer David Michaelis recreates his memories of the Beatles but augments it with a deep reading of the lyrics and his academic career in English literature. Michaelis draws the pop culture of the Beatles into the larger tributaries of English literary tradition. There are others. Facebook encounters of long lost friends and the eminent wit of non-fan Fran Lebowitz gives her take.

Where an anthology about the anniversary of the Beatles could have been a love-fest or a tar pit of reactionary nostalgia ("Things were better in the past. Modern life is awful."), Penelope Rowlands gives the reader a varied and enjoyable collection of anecdotes, pop culture analysis, and Sixties history. It is also a wonderful relic of what fandom was. And Beatlemaniacs are sure fanatical about their band. Before Team Edward and Team Jacob in the Sparkly Mormon Vampire Supernatural Romance saga, there was Team Paul and Team John. Sure, there was Team Ringo and Team George too. But Paul was dreamy and John was so totally a poet!

All mockery aside, the Beatles created the zeitgeist of the era and transformed music, pop culture, fashion, cinema, you name it. They also represented a band that was mainstream and part of the monoculture. This monoculture came into being with the transition from radio to television and the dominance of the Big Three (NBC, ABC, CBS) until the retirement of Johnny Carson in the Nineties. (It should be noted, I'm painting the picture in broad strokes and speaking in generalities.)

Before there was Star Wars, before Cheap Trick at Budakon, before all that, there was the Beatles. It was fifty years ago today ...

Out of 10/9.5 and 10 for Beatlemaniacs

http://www.cclapcenter.com/2014/01/book_review_the_beatles_are_he.html

or

http://driftlessareareview.com/2014/01/31/cclap-fridays-the-beatles-are-here-edi...

This book was great and I could really relate to many of the stories. It was fun to compare my memories to those who also lived that time. And to see how other fans were affected by the Beatles. A must have for any devoted Beatle fan.½

When I was sixteen somebody told me about a show in which Iggy Pop crawled over broken glass, smeared his chest with peanut butter all while singing “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” With that in mind, it’s hard for me to picture the Beatles with their slightly shaggy hair singing “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” as anything approaching dangerous. This book attempts to take its readers back to ‘64, a relatively innocent time when the Beatles were really far out.
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I’ve always been a Stones fan and I thought most of these essays would be fluff. There was only one essay that I didn’t like. That essay was by a fashion designer and it’s more about her being glamorous than the Beatles. “I had a wonderful loft in Manhattan that my wealthy, successful father paid for. I had just invented the mini-skirt and was hanging out with many fabulous celebrities including Ringo Starr, did I mention how glamorous I am?” Excepting that one, all the essays are pretty good. Billy Joel’s essay is actually great. He wrote a witty little essay about why the Beatles were such a big deal back then.
The cover features a New York Times photo of some screaming girls waiting outside the Beatles hotel. The author of the book is in the foreground with four other girls. The seed of this book was the author’s piece in Vogue about being a 13 year-old Beatlemaniace. After the article’s publication, three of the four girls got in touch with her, all of whom have essays in this book. An essay by one of the women (I forget her name, but she’s on the far left) is one of the highlights of the book, her essay is quite touching.
In the square early 60s the fun, slightly rebellious Beatles gave a grieving nation (Kennedy was killed 2 months prior to the Beatle’s arrival) a needed distraction (although Joe Queenan overstates their importance by saying “they healed an entire planet”). I have a better understanding of what an exciting time it was to be young back then.
On a purely superficial level, the designers of this book did a good job. It’s a handsome product with pseudo-dust jacket flaps, deckled edges, and a good-looking cover.

The Beatles Are Here! by Penelope Rowlands is a diverse collection of essays by people recalling the Beatles arrival in New York 50 years ago. Some are by fans who were at the first concert appearances, ( Ed Sullivan Show, Forest Hills, The Paramount Benefit), some by professionals who met them, (photographers, newspaper reporters, disc jockeys), and then some by anonymous fans who all have their say about where they were, how they felt, and who was their favorite Beatle. What would you say to Paul McCartney if you met him on the street? That really happened to a fan who recalls what she said, and also remembers his response. There are kids who grew up to be musicians who are represented, Billy Joel, Cindy Lauper, Janis Ian, and Tom Rush, and writers such as Penelope Rowlands herself, who was photographed holding a sign outside of the Beatles hotel. This was a fun book to read. It gives a bit of a cross section of the population and their take on the cultural phenomenon that was The Beatles and the very beginning of the British Invasion. I felt that a couple of the essays may have had a political agenda, or a marketing angle, but most were heartfelt and shared in the thrill of Beatlemania. Beatles fans will not be disappointed. This is a sentimental reminder of what it felt like if you are old enough to remember those first few weeks of February, 1964.

This collection of brief remembrances by prominent writers, musicians, and public figures --some a paragraph long, some many pages--give the reader a feel for what Beatlemania was like in the U.S. Those who lived through it will treasure the nostalgia, while those who didn't will begin to understand what it meant.

I was extremely excited to receive this book. I've been a fan of The Beatles as long as I can remember. I was born in the 80's and was hoping this book would give me a glimpse of what life was like in America when The Beatles arrived, and it did just that. I would highly recommend this collection not only to Beatles fans, but also to fans of music in general. The stories don't just deal with the initial Beatlemania but also help explain what made the music so revolutionary, right from the opening chord of the first song they played on the Ed Sullivan Show. The stories help explain not only what it was like in America when they arrived, but also why they were able to make such a instantaneous and unmatched impact on American pop culture.

It had been a hard day's night for us. Not 3 months before, our young president had been stolen from us in a violent and brutal ambush. The television united the country in a new way, as no other medium could have; geography, time zones proved irrelevant to the medium that allowed us to be part of the national mourning, from riderless horse to funeral Mass to the lighting of an eternal flame. Perhaps we were ready for, perhaps we were in need of, a rejuvenation. And suddenly, there they were. 4 young men. On Ed Sullivan for 3 magical Sunday nights. And, as in November, we were all watching, together.
When you are 64, adults had told me, you will still remember where you were on Nov. 22d. They were right. I do. But I also remember vividly where I was on February 9th, 1964. WIth enraptured older brother and sister, perhaps two feet away from the tiny TV screen. Penelope Rowlands' warm and wonderful collection of reminisces of musicians and fans took me down that long and winding road of a 1/2-century ago, rekindling memories and feelings. You had to be there, I've always said to younger people; I can't explain it; it wasn't simply seen, it was felt. Now, I can happily add, "Just get yourself a copy of 'The Beatles Are Here!' and you'll have a very good portal to travel back in time." To the days just before, that presaged, the marmalade skies that would so soon open for us all.½

For anyone who is of an age to have been a Beatle fan during the beginning days of their fame, this book is a memory jogger: the concerts, the screaming fans, the obsessions, the magazines and publicity, the longing, the absurd dreams, the listening to transistor radios underneath the bed covers - This is also a book for any subsequent Beatle fan written as a historical expose of what life was like at the time.
Though it contains no pictures, it still manages to show just what the world was like in the mid to late 60s.

Rolled my personal clock way, way back until I was re-living vivid memories of 1964 passions

Several new books mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arriving in the US and performing in front of a screaming live audience on the Ed Sullivan show--a show that everyone I knew at the time, young and old, watched. What I love about The Beatles Are Here! is that it isn’t about the Beatles themselves--there are plenty of other books for that and I’d rather listen to Beatles music, watch a video of them performing, or laugh through one of their irreverent interviews than read about them anyway. Instead, this book is a forceful but widely varied collection of personal essays by writers, musicians, fans young and old, and even non-fans about the rather amazing impact the Beatles had on culture, music, and individual lives.

Expecting to like this book, I ended up loving it. Just about every essay was fascinating in its own way, bringing back some aspect of that strange 1964, just post-Kennedy assassination, no longer the 50’s but not yet what we think of as the 60’s time like nothing else ever has. The essays that almost electrified me are the ones written by fans because those reignited my own vivid memories of passionate pre-adolescent obsession.

Being only nine I loved Paul because, well, he was the cutest and I wasn’t old enough to be very deep. The problem was, I was almost too rational for my own good. (I wanted to believe in Santa but long before kindergarten I just couldn’t.) I KNEW it was crazy for a nine year old to be infatuated with a 21 year old man she had never met , so I hotly denied any interest in the Beatles as long as I could with frequent random and vehement diatribes that must have fooled no one--I give my mother credit for never calling me on it--but then I reversed and embraced my Paul obsession with fervor. And, like many of the essayists in the book, that passion ended up influencing a somewhat amazing/ridiculous amount of my life.

I read that Paul claimed to like classical music so I decided I did too, and then listening to it I actually did. John, Paul and George wrote their own songs so I wanted to be original too and wrote reams and reams of immature but deeply felt poetry. Unlike many bands the Beatles continued to evolve by keeping their art and lives growing and changing, and still to this day being a lifelong learner and explorer who investigates ideas and embraces experiences is how I try to live.

So thank you John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and thank you Penelope Rowlands for putting this book together. (Penelope got caught up in the Beatles excitement when she was young too--one of those girls screaming on that cover photo is her.)

Essayists include Gay Talese, Verlyn Klinkenborg, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Fran Lebowitz, Renée Fleming, Janis Ian, Tom Rush, Roy Blount, Jr. Barbara Ehrenreich, Cousin Brucie, and plenty of “ordinary” but highly articulate fans. This is the second collection put together by Penelope Rowlands that I’ve read and the first, Paris Was Ours which has essays by people who spent formative parts of their lives in the City of Light, is also wonderful.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing. The opinions are obviously all mine.

Overall and excellent oral history and snapshot of an event that changed the cultural landscape, The Beatles arrival in America and their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Form 50 years distance it's difficult to grasp just how profound an experience it was for many of the people who witnessed the seminal TV event, and how it changed so many lives; but this collection of essays and interviews is a good attempt at capturing that moment and its impact.

The collection doesn't have a central narrative or theme beyond the "I saw The Beatles and it changed my life" undercurrent of each entry and that can make reading a little repetitive after a while. There aren't too many variations on that theme that you can produce and keep it engaging. This may be a book better served by dipping into occasionally and enjoying a few of the essays at a sitting, rather than as a straight cover-to-cover read through.

Swept up in the musical hysteria of the British invasion, young American girls waited endless hours to get a peek at the Fab Four. Yes, The Beatles arrived in the States, and they were immediately adored by every teenage girl. The author Penelope Rowlands chronicles these early adolescent experiences, providing insights regarding the fan fare of pop music iconoclasm. If anything, the book is replete with testimonials for future sociologists who wish to analyze the cultural craze. However, the phenomenon is not new, as any Hollywood celebrity will attest. Written in simple style, the passages read as though the author transcribed taped recordings, having polished the transitions along the way. With the introduction, Rowlands mentions her own Beatles experiences and reuniting with friends likewise engulfed in the worshipping frenzy. Every young girl "primed to scream" wanted to marry the boys from Liverpool, but the newspapers would not let it be. As a short anthology that includes many yuppie professionals, the book captures the words of "aged youngsters" who were on the front lines of concert arenas. Similar to finding old veterans retelling their war stories, so too, "The Beatles Are Here" is a collection of old fans retelling their experiences to reconnect with Beatlemania. Overall, the book is a worthwhile read for any modern day fan and gives relevant information concerning mid-60s Americana.

For those of us living in the USA, we don't have to be rocket scientists realize that a lot of books, CDs, and DVDs will be coming our way as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fabs coming here.

Today I received a review copy of Penelope Rowlands' "The Beatles Are Here." More than just a personal memoir of how The Beatles affected her in 1964, Rowlands interviews other fans that were in the right place at the right time. What makes this publication stand out are the chapters from other musicians and celebrities regarding The Beatles impact on their lives. Some of these interviews are with the likes of Greil Marcus, Henry Grossman, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, "Cousin Brucie" Morrow, and Janis Ian.

Seemingly more a book of essays, you can pick any point in the tome and read a particular essay without worrying about going from point A to point B. Like Einstein once said: "Logic will get you from point A to point B, but imagination will get you anywhere." If you pick up this book, use your imagination and follow your own path. Or, if you must, be logical and start with page one and read straight through to page 255.

I'm a sucker for books about Paris & this collection of essys by people who have lived in Paris did not disappoint. This is a book that can be read straight through, or dipped into as the mood strikes. It brings all the charm (and sometimes not so much charm) to the reader and, in the end, makes me want to book a flight and go back to that wonderful city.

After reading 32 writers describe their time spent in Paris, it is much easier to see how challenging it can be for Americans to live in the French culture. I have never been to Paris, but I've become enamored of it from afar and I picked up this compilation of essays to get my fix. I feel that I have come away with a deeper understanding of the culture, which in some ways runs contrary to US values. Americans tend to be apprehensive to visit France, as they find the French rude, haughty and condescending. Not surprisingly, the French find Americans to be the same way, but even more so, they see us as entitled, as if we can go into their country and expect them to speak English to us (Sound familiar?) The French find Americans to be sloppy, demanding, rude, loud, and poor abiders of rules. Each of the writers talked about how challenging it was to fit in, as Parisians seem to follow their own set of rules, that seem to change arbitrarily and without notice. And, they can be quick to attack when a newbie fails to follow a rule. One writer talked with shock about how as a teenager she stepped on the grass in the park and a complete stranger (man) came up and slapped her across the face. The book takes many angles as the contributers came from many walks of life. Several writers chronicled their university days, remembering fondly the poor conditions of their apartments and lack of food. A few of the contributers are famous, with one famous chef and a noted writer discussing how they have made Paris their home. One essay was written by a homeless lady who blogged about her daily struggles to protect her children while living on the streets. For most, Paris was described fondly but with frustration. The years spent living in Paris were very challenging... some hated to try to speak to storekeepers, but finally learned the rules of what to expect and how to stand firm. Others found it challenging to find enough cheap food to eat, as they would sometimes walk all over Paris to find it. The irony being that the food that was found was sometimes of such exceptional quality that it far exceeded student faire. The stories offered great bredth and depth regarding both the beauty and the dark sides of the culture. For example, while women are given exceptional benefits in the workplace with long maternity leaves and protected jobs, they are also light years behind in being treated as equals and not as sexual objects. This topic was explored by an author who gave birth to her children in Paris and was astounded by the benefits, while having to accept the other aspects, such as having men make advances on her in lewd fashion, which was apparently common at the time. Parenting also, is apparently much different, as the French culture does not encircle around the child, rather the child must come along to follow rules and get in line with the parent's agenda.

In all, this was a fascinating glimpse of a much different culture than ours, one that has been around for much longer yet not changed as much over time. I'm not sure if it made me want to visit Paris more or less than I did when I started. At least I will feel that I understand a little more about it when I do make a trip!

Since Paris has been a center of culture for so long I was drawn to this book, and after reading these thirty two mostly fascinating and insightful essays about the joys and irritations of living in The City of Light I was not disappointed. The authors are contemporary, but their lives in Paris span decades. Most are British or American so give a sort of English-language cultural perspective, which can’t help but be interesting to someone like me who is a member of that tribe, but other essayists come from around the globe. I especially enjoyed the essays by an Iranian woman, who lived in Paris as a young woman shortly after her country’s 1979 revolution, and a Cuban woman, who had been led to believe that living in Paris would be a punishment.