14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘A poor man's guitar? No ma'am, it's a rich man's ukulele': The lesser-known Beatles stories that will make you smile
Stuart Maconie's tribute to the band who were a 'hand-grenade of rainbows' deserves its place on the increasingly crowded bookshelves dedicated to the Fab Four
Today at 21:30
Are the Beatles possibly more popular now than ever? Consider The Beatles In Mono vinyl boxset. Originally issued in 2014, it quickly sold out because hopeless cases like me couldn't get their hands into their pockets quickly enough. Last month it was announced that this set, whose hitherto appreciating value was supposed to supplement my pension, is being reissued. Despite a price tag north of €500, it's already sold out again, on pre-orders alone
The ever-growing Beatles library offers further proof. There's a volume available on every aspect of their existence and even, as likeable BBC 6 Music presenter and writer Stuart Maconie points out, a book about Beatle books themselves. This year alone has already seen the high-profile publication of Ian Leslie's affectionate John & Paul: A Love Story In Songs and David Sheff's hagiographical but persuasive Yoko: A Biography. Do we really need another one?
