With a Little Help from Their Friends cover art

With a Little Help from Their Friends

The Beatles changed the world. But who changed theirs?

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With a Little Help from Their Friends

By: Stuart Maconie
Narrated by: Stuart Maconie
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About this listen

The most engaging, surprising and revealing look at the Beatles story you’ll listen to.

Everyone knows a Beatles tune. But their story goes beyond the omnipresent songs and iconic albums. Theirs is a tale that has become one of the core stories we tell about ourselves as a nation. The Beatles narrative has both shaped and reflected the country we live in today. Four lads from Liverpool have taken a seat alongside Shakespeare as one of our key cultural exports to the world, a world they changed and re-made in their own image in a blaze of creativity. But these four distinct personalities changed the world not in isolation but with more than a little help from their friends.

Like all the best stories there’s an incredible supporting cast, and all the most compelling elements of the great dramas: ambition, power, triumph, disaster, heartbreak, tragedy, drama, intrigue, lust…and of course, love.

Split into 3 sections, Before The Beatles, With the Beatles and Beyond the Beatles, bestselling writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie tells the epic tale of the people who made the band who made Britain, and along the way adds his own experiences, encounters and conversations that show the Beatles like you’ve never seen them before.

©2025 Stuart Maconie (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers 20th Century Entertainment & Celebrities Modern Heartfelt Inspiring

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Critic reviews

'Exceptionally good' – Mark Ellen
All stars
Most relevant  
All of it - brilliant. Such a great story and fantastic to meet some new characters

Brilliant

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I have several books by Stuart. All good. But I did not realise his love of the Beatles almost matches my own. Refreshingly it is not about the band but the people whose life they touched or were touched by. 100 of them. From the very beginning to the very end. He has said it could be much longer but 100 is a neat number. I know of most but not all. for instance the Mean Mr Mustard story. And no mention of that Apple Scruffs, but I'll let him off that. Well worth a credit

Great Beatles Characters

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Some great little nuggets of info about the lesser-known Beatle cohorts. For the bigger names, these are essentially thumbnail sketches. The real treasure lies within the more obscure stories.

A great insight into the key people involved in the Beatles story.

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Marconi is one of a handful of music writers that never disappoint and this one is one of the best.

Brilliant as always

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As with all Stuart's work, it is thorough and fun. I will be playing the audio book more than once, to take in the interesting facts that Stuart has researched.
Stuart taught me 'A' Level Sociology at Skelmersdale College of F.E. way back before he became a Music Journalist at the N.M.E. He was a thin, cool looking dude in all Levi denim and doc martin shoes.
I was born on Hatton Hill Road which had Litherland Town Hall at the bottom of the Road. Many people regale tales from the 1960 gig on 27th December which some attribute to giving the Beatles a boost in being noticed.
I worked with Jan Vaughn, (a language teacher), wife of Ivan who introduced John Lennon to Paul McCartney at the Woolton festival. Jan helped Paul McCartney with the French lyrics to Michelle. Jans Husband Ivan had died and she went to Warsaw, Polish Open University to teach English to Polish Business Students. Me and Jan went on great day trips, around Poland/Krakow for a month she was a lovely work companion.
I played the Cavern and shared the Green Room where Macca would have been before his recent gigs.
I worked at Cavern City Tours who manage the Cavern, in their Liverpool office, they have massive pictures of the 'fab four' which Astrid took in Hamburg, they are stunning!
This is a 'must-read/listen-to' for all Beatles fans everywhere!
Well Done Stuart!!

Wonderful, informative and entertaining audio book

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