The Beatles as Musicians

The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul is a comprehensive, chronologically-ordered study of every aspect of the group's musical life--composition, performance, recording and reception histories--from its beginnings in 1956 through 1965. Richly authoritative interpretations from every available reliable musical document are interwoven through a documentary study of many thousands of audio, video, print, and multimedia sources. The text will enable general readers and musicians as well as educated music theorists to learn new levels of beauty in the music of the Beatles.


"Walter Everett's recent contribution to the extensive literature on the Beatles is a welcome addition to the serious musicological study of the most influential rock musicians in history. ... Everett's work is not only important in elucidating the music of the Beatles, it also serves as a model for further scholarship in rock music."--Journal of Musicological Research

"The Quarry Men to Rubber Soul and its predacessor, Revolver Through the Anthology, are important additions to the literature of rock music study and are necessary volumes for the serious scholar of all popular music stylesa model for further scholarship in rock music."-Journal of Musicological Research

"[A] staple in the Beatles scholarly literature.... The book's method does not descend to a merely theoretical approach to the Beatles as musicians, but maintains a balance between compositional and performative aspects of their style."--Notes

"Walter Everett's recent contribution to the extensive literature on the Beatles is a welcome addition to the serious musicological study of the most influential rock musicians in history. ... Everett's work is not only important in elucidating the music of the Beatles, it also serves as a model for further scholarship in rock music."--Journal of Musicological Research