A plethora of recent books on The Beatles have been published lately. Here’s a look at some of the best.
Love and Let Die: James Bond, The Beatles and the British Psyche (Pegasus/Simon & Schuster) by John Higgs This may be one of the most imaginative ideas for a book on The Beatles. Higgs, who has written extensively on William Blake among other topics, neatly draws parallels between the history of The Beatles as a group and as solo artists and the literary and cinematic history of James Bond and how the two relate to British history and culture.
The book is heavy on analysis, but unlike some books on The Beatles, Higgs deftly and with a light touch draws parallels and distinctions of The Beatles and Bond. One could argue that in addition to William Shakespeare, the two entities featured in this book, rank among the most dominant figures of the history of Britain. Higgs comes up with fascinating ways that James Bond and The Beatles are inextricably linked and fans of either 007 or the Fab Four will find much here to make truly engrossing reading.
The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1, 1969-73 (Dey St./William Morrow) by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair This is the first volume of a trilogy on the life and career of Paul McCartney. The depth of knowledge and engaging writing of the two authors of this book makes clear that their trilogy will most likely become the most comprehensive and authoritative biography of McCartney. While this book is not an authorized biography, the myriad of those interviewed for the book essentially had McCartney’s blessing.
The beginning of the book carefully balances the end of The Beatles with McCartney emerging as a solo artist and how the two at times overlapped. One of the welcome aspects of this book is a more even-handed portrait of Linda McCartney, particularly her place in Wings. The formation of Wings and the group’s slow and sometimes fraught evolution to the breakout success of Band on the Run is vivid and detailed. The group’s time in Africa making Band On the Run and its hard-won success and feel of what many regard as McCartney’s best post-Beatles album, is a highlight. This book takes 720 pages to cover only four years. It will be interesting to see how the authors cover the next 50 years.
St. Petersburg, FL | Vinyl records are back, but some things have changed: “…To succeed here, you have to keep changing with the times,” said Erin Stoy, general manager of Sound Exchange, which has locations in Tampa and Pinellas Park. “Any business, you have to keep adapting.” Sound Exchange was founded in 1987, when the CD was all the rage. “It used to be that everybody bought physical music,” Stoy said, “and so Christmas seasons were crazy at the stores, because everybody had CDs, records and tapes on their list. “But that went away. Music stores are a niche thing. Instead of where there’s at least one in every mall in America.” Used vinyl sales – including, of course, those “digger” boxes of $1 records ubiquitous at every media outlet, thrift store and flea market – are not counted by the RIAA. The report 
Champaign, IL | Vinyl records spin back into popularity: Despite the current age of streaming, many still choose to listen to physical albums on record players, even though vinyl albums cost more and are more difficult to find. Joseph McLain, junior in LAS, said he began to collect records because of the art on their covers. Eventually, he began listening to the records as well. “I ended up investing in a decent record player, and I kind of realized that the sound quality is nicer than you can get on a CD or streaming services,” McLain said. McLain said he used the same speakers for digital and physical music, which made the differences apparent. “There are just small details that you can notice on the vinyls that I don’t think you can always pick up in a digital recording,” McLain said. McLain said that in streamed music, recordings have lost softer sounds because of how the songs get 
Muncie, IN | Electric Crayon Records opens as a safe space for students and those suffering with addiction in Muncie: Music has been said to bring people of all ages together, and at Electric Crayon Records, it’s no different. The store opened March 11, and within their first week, co-owner Grant Butler said a 14-year-old and a 60-year-old had already come in looking for similar records. Butler, an addictions specialist at IU Health, has been into music since sharing a room with his punk-loving brother as a kid. His brother was a photographer and would take Butler with him to shows. “When you’re a kid, the first medium you’re given is a crayon, pencil and all that stuff, so it’s kind of like that idea to create, there is electricity to it,” Butler said. “It’s kind of like the idea that you’re drawn to create art, whether it’s music or actual, tangible art or literature, any of that kind of stuff. You’re drawn to it.” “…One thing about a record store though…it’s a lot like a DIY pub club where it just 
London, UK | Independent record store chain announces partnership with award-winning brewery: Independent record store chain Rough Trade is joining forces with London based brewery Signature Brew. The two-time Brewery of the Year Award winner is now serving beverages exclusively on draught to Rough Trade customers at the record store’s East London, Bristol, and Nottingham locations. A core range of beers will be available in stores, including Signature’s award-winning flagship collection: Studio Lager, Roadie All-Night IPA and Backstage IPA. Rough Trade stores will also stock a selection of canned specials spanning a range of sours and porters and gluten and alcohol-free craft beers. Founded in 2011, Signature Brew often hosts music events at its brewery/ music venue in Blackhorse Road, London. It has also collaborated with music artists and record labels such as IDLES, Big Joanie and Hot Chip. Sam McGregor, founder of Signature Brew, commented: “Rough Trade has always been an inspiration for Signature Brew, from their DIY roots and 
Peter Gabriel’s departure threw Genesis’ future into question. A Melody Maker writer went so far as to declare Genesis officially dead. But the band committed itself to proving it could make good music without Gabriel, and after a fruitless search for a new lead vocalist Collins, who wanted to turn Genesis into an instrumental act, reluctantly agreed to take on the vocal duties himself. Which in hindsight seems like a no-brainer, as Collins is a virtual vocal doppelganger for Gabriel and the obvious candidate as a replacement.
CT | At CT music stores, vinyl records are back in a big way: What is this, 1978? Vinyl is the hottest thing in music, and the young and old alike scouring record store bins across Connecticut can’t get enough of it. There aren’t many places people go to lazily stroll the aisles anymore, to take in the ambiance, strike up conversations with the like-minded, chat with the owner, happily kill the better part of an afternoon shopping for what they’ll realize they wanted when they happen to find it. Most of us want things quickly and we want them dropped at our door. But at Connecticut’s record stores, it’s the experience that brings vinyl enthusiasts as much as the music. Young people are discovering 
Glasgow, UK | Assai Records has opened a store in Glasgow: Glasgow is the store’s third Scottish branch. Assai Records has opened a store in Glasgow this week. The Scottish record store, owned by Keith Ingram, opened its first store in Dundee back in 2015 with an Edinburgh location quickly following in 2017. Assai has developed a reputation for 
