Beatles '64
Marking the 25th anniversary of the Beatles' "invasion" of America, this book is particularly noteworthy for the abundance of photographs. Gunther was along for the ride in 1964 and has contributed 150 unpublished pictures from the legendary tour. Running the gamut from the uninspiring or ludicrous to the occasionally awe-inspiring, they lead one to conclude that the best of Gunther's pictures of the Liverpool lads saw the light of day in years past. Nevertheless, every so often a picture jumps out by capturing the essence of both the premiere British pop invaders and the tenor of the time. Rayl's accompanying text adeptly relates the details of the tour, but although the book is arranged by tour venue, the photos are scatter-shot all over the place with no regard for the geography of Rayl's text. Continuity and hence enjoyability suffer. For comprehensive collections and anywhere where "Beatlemania" is strong.- David M. Turkalo, Social Law Lib., BostonCopyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.