Spitz' style is lyrical and honest, painting the lives of these music icons in bold, raw colors, sometimes as ne'er-do-wells, sometimes as courageous spiritual seekers and activists, sometimes as young men lost in the myth of their own creation, sometimes as geniuses. The Beatles here aren't glorified, nor are they excoriated. Spitz brings the reader into the daily workings of these musicians at critical moments in their careers. The reader sees everything, their ordinariness and glimpses of their brilliance, all as if the reader were sitting on the sofa where these events unfolded and were witness to every heartbeat and heartache. The reader isn't spared the excesses of drugs, sex, and the intoxication of fame, as well as the power plays and naivete involved in making bad business deals.

In a word, Bob Spitz's The Beatles is brilliant and represents a lifetime of research. Its honesty makes it a fitting legacy to the band that is still making musical history.