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bickleyhouse's review
4.0
I don't know how long I have had this book, and can't rightly remember where I got it. My wife believes she gave it to me, once upon a time. But while looking for books to read on our Glen Rose weekend, last week, I ran across it on one of our bookshelves and decided to read it.
Ken Mansfield was a record executive with Capitol Records back in the sixties, and was hand-picked to be the first U.S. manager of The Beatles' Apple Records label. So he had very close ties with the Fab Four and people surrounding them.
At some point in his life, he became a Christian. This book, while that particular moment is never pointed out, chronicles his experiences with John, Paul, George, and Ringo, as well as some other record executives. Those chapters are alternated with chapters written as he strolled the beaches of Bodega Bay, where he retired to. Those Bodega Bay chapters are interesting, indeed, and many of them are almost awkwardly intimate, as he expresses his love and devotion to God. He is usually alone on the beach during those chapters.
One of my favorite moments in the book happens when he finally gets up the nerve to ask John Lennon about a certain song lyric. In "Come Together," there is a line that says "Hold you in his armchair; you can feel his disease." Ken asked Joh, "What does that mean, anyway?" John said, "Nothin'. I just made it up." Then he said, "We've learned over the years that if we wanted we could write anything that just felt good or sounded good and it didn't necessarily have to have any particular meaning to us." And then they would just sit back and let people guess.
A lot of us suspected as much, I'll tell you that.
The meditations on the beach, as previously stated, are very intimate. I don't always agree, theologically, with what Ken says, but that really doesn't matter. I could see myself in a lot of his meditations, especially if I were granted the amazing opportunity to live in a place like Bodega Bay!
"I look down, and the waves are touching my soles; I look up, and his Word is touching my soul."
In the margins of many pages are quotes as well as little event blurbs that occurred in the lives of him and The Beatles. There are timelines of events that happened during the years that the particular chapter was written about. One thing that surprised me, or maybe it didn't. The Beatles never understood their massive fame. They never got why they were so popular.
There are some wonderful pictures in this book, as well, most of which I had never seen before. And it's not all about The Beatles, either, because it deals with Apple Records. Mary Hopkin is mentioned a few times, as well as Jackie Lomax, who was a British guitar player who recorded under the Apple label, being produced by George Harrison.
The book was written in 2000, so George was still alive when it was published. John, however, had already died, by that point. Understandably, that had a drastic effect on Mr. Mansfield.
Ken Mansfield passed away in 2022. But he lives on, at least for a few, in this book and in his experiences. Based on what I read in this book, he probably lives on in Ringo's memories, as well, as they seemed to be pretty good friends.
Even if you're not a fan of the Bible, I would recommend this book, if you are a fan of the Beatles. it gives some glimpses into their lives that may not be normally seen. And you could always skip the chapters on the beaches of Bodega Bay.
Ken Mansfield was a record executive with Capitol Records back in the sixties, and was hand-picked to be the first U.S. manager of The Beatles' Apple Records label. So he had very close ties with the Fab Four and people surrounding them.
At some point in his life, he became a Christian. This book, while that particular moment is never pointed out, chronicles his experiences with John, Paul, George, and Ringo, as well as some other record executives. Those chapters are alternated with chapters written as he strolled the beaches of Bodega Bay, where he retired to. Those Bodega Bay chapters are interesting, indeed, and many of them are almost awkwardly intimate, as he expresses his love and devotion to God. He is usually alone on the beach during those chapters.
One of my favorite moments in the book happens when he finally gets up the nerve to ask John Lennon about a certain song lyric. In "Come Together," there is a line that says "Hold you in his armchair; you can feel his disease." Ken asked Joh, "What does that mean, anyway?" John said, "Nothin'. I just made it up." Then he said, "We've learned over the years that if we wanted we could write anything that just felt good or sounded good and it didn't necessarily have to have any particular meaning to us." And then they would just sit back and let people guess.
A lot of us suspected as much, I'll tell you that.
The meditations on the beach, as previously stated, are very intimate. I don't always agree, theologically, with what Ken says, but that really doesn't matter. I could see myself in a lot of his meditations, especially if I were granted the amazing opportunity to live in a place like Bodega Bay!
"I look down, and the waves are touching my soles; I look up, and his Word is touching my soul."
In the margins of many pages are quotes as well as little event blurbs that occurred in the lives of him and The Beatles. There are timelines of events that happened during the years that the particular chapter was written about. One thing that surprised me, or maybe it didn't. The Beatles never understood their massive fame. They never got why they were so popular.
There are some wonderful pictures in this book, as well, most of which I had never seen before. And it's not all about The Beatles, either, because it deals with Apple Records. Mary Hopkin is mentioned a few times, as well as Jackie Lomax, who was a British guitar player who recorded under the Apple label, being produced by George Harrison.
The book was written in 2000, so George was still alive when it was published. John, however, had already died, by that point. Understandably, that had a drastic effect on Mr. Mansfield.
Ken Mansfield passed away in 2022. But he lives on, at least for a few, in this book and in his experiences. Based on what I read in this book, he probably lives on in Ringo's memories, as well, as they seemed to be pretty good friends.
Even if you're not a fan of the Bible, I would recommend this book, if you are a fan of the Beatles. it gives some glimpses into their lives that may not be normally seen. And you could always skip the chapters on the beaches of Bodega Bay.
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