Canongate U.S.
Canongate U.S.
Canongate U.S.
“No finer document of the psychedelic music movement of the late-’60s swinging London exists than Heylin’s richly detailed . . . The Act You’ve Known for All These Years . . . [Heylin] is knowledgeable and paints an intriguing portrait of a creatively rich era in rock music.” —The Buffalo News
It was forty years ago today that Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play, and this heralded music critic’s behind-the-scenes look at the Beatles’ creation of the iconic record, and its cultural impact then and now, will prove engrossing to baby boomers, music fans, and ’60s kids of any age.
It’s been forty years since the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, an LP that changed the face of popular culture, from its Peter Blake-designed gatefold cover to the extravagant music contained within its grooves—”Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “With a Little Help From My Friends,” “A Day in the Life,” et al. Arguably the apex of the Beatles’ achievements in the recording studio, the album continues to top public and critical polls as one of the greatest albums ever made.
The Act You’ve Known for All These Years reconstructs the life and times of Sgt. Pepper, the cultural backstory of the bands and rock’s turbulent early adulthood. Weaving the activities of the Beatles in with those of their contemporaries and rivals—notably Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys, and Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd—Clinton Heylin reveals the inspirations and explodes the myths behind this talismanic, iconic album—and the summer of love itself. In addition, the book surveys what happened next, telling the history of the LP’s afterlife from 1967 to the present day. Featuring interviews with both those who were there at the time and those who followed in the Beatles’ wake, The Act You’ve Known for All These Years is the definitive book on the most influential LP of the pop era.
“No finer document of the psychedelic music movement of the late-’60s swinging London exists than Heylin’s richly detailed . . . The Act You’ve Known for All These Years . . . [Heylin] is knowledgeable and paints an intriguing portrait of a creatively rich era in rock music.” —The Buffalo News
“Heylin seems unchained from his role, offering . . . forceful (and engaging) opinions in discussing Pepper‘s place in post-’67 popular and critical culture.” —Bob Ruggiero, Houston Press
“Heylin sheds new light on the Beatles’ masterpiece by placing it in the context of an extraordinary time.” —Jay MacDonald, The News-Press
Praise for Clinton Heylin:
“The only Dylanologist worth reading.” —The New York Times
“The maddest muso currently writing.” —Time Out
“A formidable rock historian.” —The Australian
“Arguably the world’s greatest rock biographer.” —The Irish Independent
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