Mark Lewisohn
Encyclopedia
Mark Lewisohn is an English author and historian, regarded as the world's leading authority on the English rock
band The Beatles
.
, MPL Communications
and Apple
, and has written many reference books about The Beatles. He has been referred to as the world's leading authority on the subject, renowned for his meticulous research and integrity. He is credited with discovering such facts as the precise date when John Lennon
first met Paul McCartney
.
In 1986, Lewisohn's book The Beatles Live! was published. This featured a complete history of all the Beatles' live performances, in a format which Lewisohn would follow for his subsequent books. After being invited by EMI
to listen to all of The Beatles
' original session tapes, Lewisohn wrote The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years
, which was published in 1987. The book was in the form of a diary, detailing every recording session The Beatles had at Abbey Road Studios
chronologically. It included details such as who played on each track and how many takes were recorded in each session. The book featured an introductory interview by Paul McCartney
.
Lewisohn's next book, The Beatles: 25 Years In The Life, was published in 1988, and included information on what each individual member of the band was doing on any particular day between 1962 and 1987. This book was republished as The Beatles Day by Day in 1990. The Complete Beatles Chronicle was published in 1992 and went one step further, detailing the band's entire career in the studio, on stage, and on radio, television, film and video.
Lewisohn's next book was The Beatles London, which he co-authored with Piet Schreuders and Adam Smith, published in 1994. This was essentially a guide book to all the Beatles-related locations in London, including Abbey Road
and the London Palladium
, featuring maps and photographs of the band at the locations mentioned. A revised version of the book was republished in early 2008.
As well as writing his own books, Lewisohn has written forewords to such books as Recording The Beatles
by Brian Kehew
and Kevin Ryan, Beatles Gear by Andy Babiuk and the German book Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand by Thorsten Knublauch and Axel Korinth. He has also contributed to In My Life: Lennon Remembered, a book to accompany the ten-part BBC
radio series about John Lennon, and edited Paul McCartney's book Wingspan, after working for a long time as editor and writer for McCartney's (now ceased) fanzine Club Sandwich. This led to him being invited by the former Beatle to write the liner notes
for several of his albums, namely Flaming Pie
, Band on the Run: 25th Anniversary Edition and Wingspan: Hits and History
. He also wrote the liner notes for the retrospective 6-CD box set Produced by George Martin - 50 Years in Recording
, and The Beatles' albums 1 and The Capitol Albums, Volume 1
. He was heavily involved in The Beatles Anthology
project.
In 2005, Lewisohn announced that he had started work on a three-volume Beatles biography. The as-yet untitled trilogy is set to be completed in 2018. The first volume was due out in 2011, but a press release from his publisher in September 2011 confirmed that this had been pushed back to sometime 2012. He was quoted as saying of the work:
until 2007. He has also written Funny, Peculiar, a biography of Benny Hill
, published in 2002.
In the past, Lewisohn has written for magazines including the Radio Times
and Match of the Day
magazine. He also helped to edit the book Hendrix: Setting The Record Straight, written by John McDermott and Eddie Kramer
.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
The Beatles and related subjects
Over the course of his career, Mark Lewisohn has worked for EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, MPL Communications
MPL Communications
MPL Communications is the holding company for the business interests of Sir Paul McCartney. In addition to handling McCartney's post-Beatles work, MPL is also one of the world's largest privately owned music publishers through its acquisition of numerous other publishing companies...
and Apple
Apple Corps
Apple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by the members of The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
, and has written many reference books about The Beatles. He has been referred to as the world's leading authority on the subject, renowned for his meticulous research and integrity. He is credited with discovering such facts as the precise date when John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
first met Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
.
In 1986, Lewisohn's book The Beatles Live! was published. This featured a complete history of all the Beatles' live performances, in a format which Lewisohn would follow for his subsequent books. After being invited by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
to listen to all of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' original session tapes, Lewisohn wrote The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions is a book by Mark Lewisohn, first published in 1988 by Hamlyn , and executive produced by Norman Bates for the record company EMI...
, which was published in 1987. The book was in the form of a diary, detailing every recording session The Beatles had at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
chronologically. It included details such as who played on each track and how many takes were recorded in each session. The book featured an introductory interview by Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
.
Lewisohn's next book, The Beatles: 25 Years In The Life, was published in 1988, and included information on what each individual member of the band was doing on any particular day between 1962 and 1987. This book was republished as The Beatles Day by Day in 1990. The Complete Beatles Chronicle was published in 1992 and went one step further, detailing the band's entire career in the studio, on stage, and on radio, television, film and video.
Lewisohn's next book was The Beatles London, which he co-authored with Piet Schreuders and Adam Smith, published in 1994. This was essentially a guide book to all the Beatles-related locations in London, including Abbey Road
Abbey Road (street)
Abbey Road is a thoroughfare located in the borough of Camden and the City of Westminster in London, running roughly northwest to southeast through St. John's Wood, near Lord's Cricket Ground...
and the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
, featuring maps and photographs of the band at the locations mentioned. A revised version of the book was republished in early 2008.
As well as writing his own books, Lewisohn has written forewords to such books as Recording The Beatles
Recording The Beatles
Recording The Beatles is a book by Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew, published by Curvebender Publishing in September 2006....
by Brian Kehew
Brian Kehew
Brian Kehew is a Los Angeles-based musician and music producer. He is a member the The Moog Cookbook and co-author of the Recording The Beatles book, an in-depth look at the Beatles' studio approach...
and Kevin Ryan, Beatles Gear by Andy Babiuk and the German book Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand by Thorsten Knublauch and Axel Korinth. He has also contributed to In My Life: Lennon Remembered, a book to accompany the ten-part BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio series about John Lennon, and edited Paul McCartney's book Wingspan, after working for a long time as editor and writer for McCartney's (now ceased) fanzine Club Sandwich. This led to him being invited by the former Beatle to write the liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
for several of his albums, namely Flaming Pie
Flaming Pie
Flaming Pie is an album by Paul McCartney, first released in 1997. His first studio album in over four years, it was mostly recorded following McCartney's involvement in the highly successful The Beatles Anthology project. In Flaming Pies liner notes McCartney said: " reminded me of The Beatles'...
, Band on the Run: 25th Anniversary Edition and Wingspan: Hits and History
Wingspan: Hits and History
-Disc 2: History:-Chart positions:-Year-end charts:-Certifications:- References :...
. He also wrote the liner notes for the retrospective 6-CD box set Produced by George Martin - 50 Years in Recording
Produced by George Martin
Produced by George Martin is a 2001 various artists compilation box set of tracks produced by Sir George Martin.It was issued to commemorate Martin's 50 year career as a record producer...
, and The Beatles' albums 1 and The Capitol Albums, Volume 1
The Capitol Albums, Volume 1
The Capitol Albums, Volume 1 is a box set compilation comprising The Beatles' 1964 American Capitol Records releases. The set, which features the official stereo versions of a number of tracks on compact disc, was released in late 2004...
. He was heavily involved in The Beatles Anthology
The Beatles Anthology
The Beatles Anthology is the name of a documentary series, a set of three double albums and a book focusing on the history of The Beatles. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all participated in the making and approval of the works, which are sometimes referred to collectively as the...
project.
In 2005, Lewisohn announced that he had started work on a three-volume Beatles biography. The as-yet untitled trilogy is set to be completed in 2018. The first volume was due out in 2011, but a press release from his publisher in September 2011 confirmed that this had been pushed back to sometime 2012. He was quoted as saying of the work:
- "The Beatles story has been told very often but, in my view, rarely very well. I’m writing a wide-ranging history and my aim is true: to explore and comprehend what happened in and around the Beatles, and to write it even-handedly, without fear or favour, bias or agenda. A rock and roll group came out of Liverpool and shaped the last half of the 20th century the world over, and their music transcends changing times. The whole extraordinary story needs to be fully recorded and it needs to be done now, while first-hand witnesses are still with us."
Other work
Although The Beatles is Lewisohn's area of expertise, he has also written a variety of other books. One of his best-known works is an encyclopaedia of comedy on British television screens titled Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy, published in 1998 and updated in 2003, also available online as the BBC Guide to ComedyBBC Guide to Comedy
The BBC Guide to Comedy was a former subsite of bbc.co.uk which offered "Info on every TV comedy shown in the UK, from 1936 to today..."Written and researched by Mark Lewisohn, the content of the site was first available as a book The Radio Times Guide to Comedy in 1998...
until 2007. He has also written Funny, Peculiar, a biography of Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
, published in 2002.
In the past, Lewisohn has written for magazines including the Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
and Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
magazine. He also helped to edit the book Hendrix: Setting The Record Straight, written by John McDermott and Eddie Kramer
Eddie Kramer
Edwin H. Kramer is an audio engineer and producer who has worked with, among others, Led Zeppelin, Triumph, Kiss , Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Spooky Tooth, Peter Frampton, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, Anthrax, Carly Simon, Loudness, and Robin Trower.-1960s:Eddie...
.