Kawai Piano Prices: Beatlemania 1967-1970 (Vol2) (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook) [Paperback] Review

"Beatlemania" collects piano/voice arrangements of 45 late-period Lennon-McCartney songs. Guitar chords are also included, and like many other Hal Leonard collections, this is a pretty good value for the money. "Abbey Road" and "Magical Mystery Tour" are well-represented. However, you should be aware of some quirks related to this collection.

First, Hal Leonard includes McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" as well as the Badfinger hit "Come and Get It." Nice bonus, but technically these aren't Beatles songs. Second, Hal Leonard doesn't include any Harrison material so if you're dying to play "Something" or "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" you'll have to look elsewhere. Third, some of the songs aren't in the original keys. This means that you can't necessarily play along with your Beatles CDs. (I've noticed similar problems with other Hal Leonard piano/voice arrangements such as "The Who Anthology" and "Beatlemania Volume 1"). Fourth, there are some truly odd choices. Why include "Sgt Pepper" without "A Little Help From My Friends?" Why omit much of the White Album in favor of McCartney's "That Would Be Something?" I don't know if this will discourage you, but you ought to be aware of these things before buying.

I would recommend this piano/voice collection to anyone looking to add some Beatles material to their repetoire, or to a music student who'd like to build on these basic arrangements to transcribe some of these songs to solo guitar. If you heed all the caveats I've listed above, I think you'll find that this collection is a decent value. I've had a copy of the book since the mid-1980s and I still use it if I want to play Beatles songs. But if you're a guitar player looking for TABs or a budding Beatles scholar looking for complete scores, you'd better go elsewhere.

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Product Description:
45 of the Beatles biggest hits from 1967-1970including: All You Need Is Love Û Come Together Û Hey Jude Û Let It Be Û The Long and Winding Road Û Penny Lane Û Revolution Û many more