Beatle - The Pete Best Story

Pete Best - the forgotten Beatle - was replaced by Ringo Starr on the eve of the band’s worldwide success and must go down in history as one of the world’s unluckiest men.

This book contains many excellent early photographs from Pete’s private collection along with group shots taken by Astrid Kirchherr during the hectic Hamburg period. There is a interesting account of the band’s early struggle to get it together in Liverpool, followed by a very enjoyable insight to the sweat and toil of the Hamburg days (evidently not all the sweat and toil was attributed to the production of rock ‘n’ roll and Pete candidly recalls Hamburg encounters with rowdy sailors, groupies and prostitutes).

The book certainly throws up some surprising details of the different personalities within the group and of the characters that played a part during the formative years. There is a frank account of Pete’s own dismissal from the band and reference also to his desperate suicide attempt. There is no doubt that the whole affair has left the fifth Beatle scarred but as he writes in the book - he lived to fight another day. He also succeeded in reaping a revenge of sorts on Ringo and The Beatles years later…..!

By Michael Hughes

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