Here Comes the Sun

October 17, 2005
To commemorate (or cash in on?) the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death, publishers are flooding the market with books on the icon and his bandmates. The best of the bunch is The Beatles
, by Bob Spitz. In a starred review (Oct. 3), PW
said, "With this massive opus... Spitz tells the definitive story of the band that sparked a cultural revolution.... While some will blanch at the unsettling dark sides of the Beatles, most will come to appreciate the band even more for knowing the incredible personal odysseys they endured." PW
also reviewed With the Beatles
by Lewis Lapham (Sept. 19) and Lennon Revealed
by Larry Kane (Aug. 29). Herewith, a few more tomes fueling Beatlemania.
Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison
Joshua Greene
. Wiley
, $25.95 (272p) ISBN 0-471-69021-X

Author and film producer Greene focuses on the metaphysical in his examination of George Harrison, choosing to document the Beatle's relationship with Hindu philosophy and Krishna devotees over his more complex—though admittedly well-covered—relationship with his bandmates. The resulting portrait is at times flat, as Harrison gets along with just about everyone on his spiritual path, and Greene is reluctant to cast his subject in a negative light. That's a shame, as the highlights of the book feature a conflicted and embattled Harrison dealing with disappointment, frustration and loss, of which there is plenty in the Beatles' shared history.