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 Book:
The White Book: The
Beatles, the Bands, the Biz: An Insider"s Look at an Era
Author: Ken Mansfield
Among the names of people who have helped shape The Beatles
and the legacy they created, Ken Mansfield, the former U.S.
manager of Apple Records, is scarcely the one people think of first.
This
quiet, humble and revered American Grammy winning music producer, and strategist
behind The Beatles" Apple label, began as a 27 year-old promotions
manager whose attendance at a press conference in the summer of 1965 culminated
into a long lasting business and personal relationship with members of the
infamous band.
Now he is finally telling his fly-on-the-wall tale in The White Book: The Beatles, the Bands, the
Biz: An Insider"s Look at an Era.
Like many careers that spawn biographies and a worthy
setting in history, Mansfield’s was
more than just a chance opportunity, the meaning of which he could never have
understood at the time. Mansfield
gives the reader an all encompassing viewpoint of one of the most vital periods
in music history. Like a gleeful fan, he relates sitting through the evolution
of a single Beatles song through songwriting, session to final mix. Much like
Steve Turner’s A Hard Day’s Write, Mansfield
provides detail on the evolution of a Beatles song, but with the added dimension
of actually being in the room at the time.
 The title is definitive as Mansfield
frames the book using The White Album
which he fondly states as “more than a record”, but “something all-encompassing.”
Dividing the book into “tracks” (40 to be exact) rather than “chapters”, thusly
avoiding any artifice, becomes both a clever and vital device.
In The White Album, he’s the humble
reporter with an eye for detail and the insider’s seat on the historical
proceedings that he fondly recalls with a sense of awe, enthusiasm and a
philosophical posture that never waivers from selfless insight of all the
events around him. The plus of Mansfield’s
approach is that he’s smart enough to know the story is so much bigger than
himself.
Mansfield’s self
effacing manor is a welcome treat. He recognizes the mistakes he has made and
refuses to take all the credit for his success. What we get is a point of view
stripped of the clutter in self importance. Mansfield
goes into sumptuous detail about meeting “the lads” for the first time, ruthlessly
defends Lennon’s personal life, despite knowing him the least of all the
members. This is most apparent in times when he reveals, that according to
Lennon, his lyrics didn’t actually mean very much. They don’t have to mean anything all the
time, they just have to sound like they do.
Mansfield’s
bucolic upbringing in the “potato-bred simplicity” of Idaho
gave him an outlook that is sharply contrasted with the often cynical nature of
the music business, which is no doubt why so many people liked him. Mansfield
is to good effect an insider from the outside. This also provides plenty of
room for humor, especially during passages where he explains his outwardly
perplexed reaction while enduring long socio-political speeches from John and
Yoko, and hearing Linda McCartney refer to a hot dog as “decomposed cadaver tube
on a roll” before Paul became a vegetarian.
There’s also an important element of what the release of a
Beatles album meant for the industry itself. Due to both the popularity and
wealth of manpower and energy required for a release, Mansfield
confides that other Capitol artists suffered in sales while other artists,
ill-fated by coinciding release schedules, had to settle for No. 2 at the pop
charts. He doesn’t admonish the band for their success but recognizes the
Beatles were a force of nature to be reckoned with.
Also of interest is a detailed chapter on their famous,
attention-grabbing final roof top performance (in which he relates just how
good a live act the band really was), recognizing the talent of a then unknown
teenage Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash, and an utterly heartbreaking chapter on
the death of John Lennon.
His later career, working in Nashville
with Dolly Parton, Waylan Jennings and David Cassidy, is also of interest for
music fans, but he always manages to come back to The Beatles as he follows
their solo careers and legacy, both up close and from a distance.
The book is presented in a lavish, multi-color spectrum, and
is well laid out. Chockablock full of photos, signed album covers, memos,
notes, letters, contracts and personal affects, the book demonstrates the most
important times in music history with visual flair. There’s a full page scan of
a hand written memo John Lennon wrote him, which comes complete with
background information on the facing page.
A good source of information provides answers to the
questions we ask. A great one gives us
the answers to questions we never thought to ask, and enriches our experience in the
process. The White Book: The Beatles, the
Bands, the Biz: An Insider’s Look at an Era has more experience and far
more enthusiasm than one would expect from a biography, historical treatise or
vital music biz how-to. The White Book is
indeed something all encompassing, with sincere style and refreshing modesty
from someone who was there.
For book excerpts, video and more general information on the
book, please visit www.fabwhitebook.com
Ken's book is fun, information packed and inspiring. The chapters on the Beatles are essential to any fan. AND I especially loved the story about Brian Wilson and the single Babara Ann! Wow! Ken's first book,"The Beatles, The Bible and Bodega Bay is also a treasure. Get it. I read about this book on the next best thing to the BEATLES! LoveX23 Paul I love reading a review written by someone who is a better writer than myself and clearly captures the heart and intent of my ramblings with equal understanding. I say thank you to Geoff Issac for "getting it". |
