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The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles Paperback – November 5, 2002

by Peter Brown (Author), Steven Gaines (Author), Anthony DeCurtis (Foreword)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 538 ratings
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The national bestseller that Newsday called “the most authoritative and candid look yet at the personal lives…of the oft-scrutinized group,” from the author of All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words.

In The Love You Make, Peter Brown, a close friend of and business manager for the band—and the best man at John and Yoko’s wedding—presents a complete look at the dramatic offstage odyssey of the four lads from Liverpool who established the greatest music phenomenon of the twentieth century. Written with the full cooperation of each of the group’s members and their intimates, this book tells the inside story of the music and the madness, the feuds and the drugs, the marriages and the affairs—from the greatest heights to the self-destructive depths of the Fab Four.

In-depth and definitive, The Love You Make is an astonishing account of four men who transformed the way a whole generation of young people thought and lived. It reigns as the most comprehensive, revealing biography available of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.


Includes 32 pages of rare and revealing photos

A Literary Guild® Alternate Selection
Previous page
  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Berkley
  4. Publication date
    November 5, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    5.28 x 1.01 x 7.95 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0451207351
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0451207357
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nearly two decades after its initial publication, this behind-the-scenes tale reappears in paperback (after all, didn't Rolling Stone say it would "sell forever"?). One of the suit men--as the Beatles dismissively, often with good reason, called the folk who saw to their business affairs--recreates the well-known saga of Beatlemania but does it dispassionately enough to make it interesting. Brown, who directed the Beatles management firm NEMS and later their disastrous financial organization Apple, seems to have survived the experience unscathed, the purges, rancor, glamour, notoriety, the dishonesty, jealousy and infighting among all those who wanted a piece of the action, or a bigger cut, which eventually came to include the musicians themselves as the group began to split apart. While seeming to be objective, he leaves little doubt about his preferences as he discusses the Beatles individually, their parents and in-laws, wives and lovers, probing the personalities to show us the underside of the pop culture with its sleazy pursuit of the big buck. There are revelations about John and Yoko and about their drug addiction, but the material is otherwise pretty familiar. Still, it's a dramatically good story and Brown catches us with the headiness of it all--and Gaines's now well-known name and a new foreword by rock critic Anthony DeCurtis may spark a little extra interest.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Finally the real story.”—Rolling Stone

 

“Literate, complex…more than sensationalism…a hard-hitting yet sympathetic book that unflinchingly captures the highs and lows.”—The Boston Globe

 

“The best backstage memoir yet of the most amazing musical phenomenon of our times.”—The Washington Post Book World

 

“The definitive book on the Beatles.”—New York Post

 

“Beatles aficionados will be amazed by the wealth of detail, the questions answered, and the tale of what happened to the Beatles, their women, their children, and their friends.”—Liz Smith, New York Daily News

 

“Leaves the reader tearing through it as though one didn’t know how the story ended.”—San Francisco Examiner

 

“A gothic tale of drugs, sex, music, greed, booze, and genius…an entire generation’s loss of innocence.”—People

 

“Fascinating.”—The Indianapolis Star

 

“The most sensational Beatles biography…emotionally involving.”—Esquire

 

“The definitive book on the world’s greatest  rock group…tells the truth with surprisingly little varnish.”—Chicago Tribune

 

“A dramatically good story....Peter Brown catches us with the headiness of it all.”—Publishers Weekly

 

 

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (November 5, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0451207351
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0451207357
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.28 x 1.01 x 7.95 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 538 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Peter Brown

    Peter Brown

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  2. Steven Gaines

    Steven Gaines

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    Steven Gaines is the best-selling author of twelve books, including Philistines at the Hedgerow: Passion and Property in the Hamptons.

    His journalism has appeared in Vanity Fair, the New York Observer, and New York magazine, where he was a contributing editor for 12 years.

    Mr. Gaines is a co-founder and past vice-chairman of the Hamptons International Film Festival.

    He lives in a small hamlet on the East End of Long Island.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
538 global ratings
A good book
3 Stars
A good book
Book very used, if I had know there was yellowing on the pages and not just "some wear" as listed, I would not have purchased from this seller. Book is good albeit in poor condition.
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Top reviews from the United States

Look Star
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Tell All Book (but there are pages missing) ~ Great Vendor
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
When I read the intro online, I was very much intrigued. The book is well-written and contains information that you may not have read elsewhere. Some reviewers thought his was a cash-in by a former Apple Corp executive, but that does not rattle me. My gut says that many of the stories are true, as YouTube interviews substantiate. The Beatles, as all celebrities, were human beings.

After describing the book as Like New condition, the vendor contacted me when they realized that their only available copy had a slight tear on the front cover. If I wanted it anyway, they offered to send it Priority Mail for free. In MY book, they displayed incredible honesty and integrity by doing so!

The BAD news is: 1) the printing and photos are poor quality, and 2) MY COPY has pages 101-104 missing at the end of Chapter 5. In addition, part of a duplicate Chapter 12 follows Chapter 5. The missing pages might be inserted randomly in other chapters, but I have not found them. I will contact the vendor about this, as I foolishly wrote my review, before I completed reading it!
One person found this helpful
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J. V. Hennburg
4.0 out of 5 stars GET IT, IT'S GOOD
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2007
Verified Purchase
There are some very bitter reviews of this book out there. But consider this if you will: All of the people described in this book are - or were - very wealthy. If any of them were libeled, there would have been a lawsuit. Particularly with Paul McCartney! In fact, this book does NOT paint Paul in a negative light at all. No way. If anything, the author gives Paul the benefit of the doubt. This book also does NOT paint Yoko Ono as being evil. He describes the primary reason for the Beatles' breakup as having been John's heroin addiction. And the way he goes about it makes complete sense. I have heard George Harrison's report that this book is "utter rubbish." Well, I can understand why he said that. It was always part of the Beatles' agreement to keep things quiet, and George was "the quiet Beatle." More importantly, this book reveals some incriminating things about George's divorce from his first wife, about Eric Clapton's involvement, etc. Rather than confirm that he screamed at his wife, pushed her in a car and roared off, rather than confirm that only his first solo album was a creative success, why not call the whole book "rubbish?" If George had been libeled he would have sued. The book sold quite well, and George could have claimed quite a few pounds for himself. He did not. THE DOWN SIDE to this book is quite small, actually. The author DOES NOT DESCRIBE THE MAKING OF THE MUSIC. He does not describe George Martin in great detail, does not describe how Martin brought the best out of the group, how he liked THIS song the best, encouraged them to use horns on THAT song, etc. George Martin was considered the "fifth beatle." But here Peter Brown calls somebody named Neil Aspinall the fifth Beatle, says Aspinall "was just as much a Beatle as any of them." Well, why? The author mentions Aspinall many times, but never in great detail. That disappointed me, and together with the exclusion of George Martin's role in the music making cost this rating one star. Otherwise the book is fantastic.
16 people found this helpful
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Nietsche in a faux society
5.0 out of 5 stars The first insider book on the Fab Four
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
Read this book back in 1982 and what an eye opener. Deconstructing the myth of the Beatles. Clearly, Brown remained close friends with John/Yoko and Linda/Macca up until book publication. The hate on this book is Brown didn't hesitate to point out the warts and thus betrayed the inner circle. He was one of the first to give a first hand account of the Klein/Eastman struggle for control of the Beatles Empire. And to all you Macca acolytes why the heck would the other 3, ever agree to Eastman controlling their finances.

On the negative, it is hard tell to real quotes from real sources versus hearsay from other insiders. Brown quotes the famous Macca shows up at Dakota and Lennon tells him to go away. It appears to be a direct quote from John. The hearsay of Brian and John's trip to Spain spoils a bit of the rest.

I like that he tries to explain in simple terms that Epstein's horrible business decisions and the fact that NEMPEROR was taking 25 percent while doing nothing led to the horrible financial condition and squabbles of 1969.

And last but not least, while Macca continued to adore John; John, George, and even Ringo had moved on. That contrary to the continued myth, by 1975, John George, and Macca barely saw each other or talked to each other. Macca basically says he talked Cats, Bread, and Kids on the phone.

The Beatles the longest documented never ending break up in history.
4 people found this helpful
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Music lover
5.0 out of 5 stars Greetings from a true Beatle Fan in Indian Wells Valley...
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2014
Verified Purchase
When my family and I would drive from our home at N.O.T.S. China Lake to Reno, Nevada in the 60's I could not wait to get to my cousins house. My cousins, Mary Ann and Valerie Souza , had Beatles albums.. I would go in Mary Ann's room on Citron Street and she would put " Hard Days Night " or " Meet the Beatles " on her record player.. And I would listen to every song over and over. Now at 55 years of age I have made sure my Beatles Albums, 45's have remained in mint condition. When I read this book I wanted to start over right away. Very Interesting and well written. Listening to the albums, watching the Movies and their T.V. Appearances never gets old. This book will give all fans info they will find factual and interesting. So, put " Rubber Soul " on. Get a good drink and stat reading.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Bluesbreaker
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
Written in 1983 by Epstein's personal assistant - and reprinted in 2022 - this is an excellent book stuffed with info that is new to me.

It covers the Beatles, their day-to-day relationships and their business deals throughout the band's years.

Like Geoff Emerick's excellent book, it has an insider's autheticity and detail . Unlike Emerick's book there is almost no reference to the songwriting and recording. Both books are very similar in style and are complementary with almost no overlap.

This book covers in great detail the mayhem that surrounded the fab four , from 'Love me do' onwards , and the management problems that this caused. Epstein's mistakes and the Beatle's financial naivete are covered in great detail. Their contracts and spending are detailed throughout. The Apple catastrophe is fully described as are the Beatles' publishing, film and merchandising deals.The relating of Epstein's difficulty in getting US airplay , even after the first 3 singles is jaw-dropping but their subsequent selling out at US football stadiums is soon described.

The overarching strength of the book is its factual basis - Brown must have had close relationships but this is no hagiography. There are many instances where the gods are shown to have feet of clay but the book is careful to emphasize that all decisions were made by inexperienced actors under the immense pressure that their talents attracted.

As always I'm left with the feeling that no band will ever be this big again.
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Tom Cain
5.0 out of 5 stars Best 'behind the doors' definitive book about the Beatles.
Reviewed in Canada on June 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
Love this book. Peter Brown tells of stories surrounding the Beatles never before published. He goes into their personal lives, marriages, etc. I read this book in 4 days. In fact, I have loaned this book to a few others and they poured over it, like I did.
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FranG
5.0 out of 5 stars The best book about the Beatles
Reviewed in Spain on October 31, 2018
Verified Purchase
If you're a fan of the Bealtes you need this book. There are a lot of books about the band. This is the one.
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romaincesar
5.0 out of 5 stars Epatant.
Reviewed in France on September 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
L'aventure vue par un témoin important. Le livre est intéressant, bien documenté et il y a de très nombreuses révélations et anecdotes. On a un aperçu de la vie quotidienne des Beatles (même le nom du décorateur de John Lennon!).
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Curious Tom
4.0 out of 5 stars The best of all the biographies.
Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
Would have been better if not written by one of the Beatles entourage.
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