A forthcoming book delving into The Beatles’ history sheds light on what motivated George Harrison to take up the guitar.
Scheduled for release this Thursday (April 11), “All You Need Is Love” offers an insightful oral history of The Beatles and their eventual disbandment. The book draws from interviews featured in the controversial 1983 publication “The Love You Make,” authored by Steven Gaines and Peter Brown, who served as the personal assistant to Beatles manager Brian Epstein.
In a particular segment, Harrison reflects on his initial fascination with pursuing a musical career. “I remember being a twelve-year-old dreaming of grand motorboats and exotic islands, far removed from the darkness and cold of Liverpool,” he recounted to Brown and Gaines in 1980 (via The Times). “I recall attending a Cliff Richard concert and thinking to myself, ‘I could surpass that.'”
This sense of competition spurred Harrison to refine his guitar skills, while Richard later expressed admiration for The Beatles’ fame and accomplishments. Following The Beatles’ iconic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Richard lamented, “It’s absurd! Has everyone forgotten about me? What’s happening?”
Despite this rivalry, John Lennon acknowledged Richard’s influence on British music, stating, “Before Cliff Richard and ‘Move It,’ there was little of substance in English music.”
Aside from Harrison’s revelations, “All You Need Is Love” also delves into claims surrounding Yoko Ono’s alleged guidance to John Lennon regarding heroin use and recounts an encounter involving Lennon that left Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones feeling uneasy.
Described as a landmark publication, the book features never-before-published interviews with Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and their associates, offering unprecedented insights into the world’s most renowned band.
