Shake It Up, Baby! : The Rise of Beatlemania and the Mayhem of 1963

Author: McNab, Ken

The arts

Published on 7 September 2023 by Birlinn General (Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited) in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 416 pages, b/w illustrations throughout
163 x 242 x 41 | 640g

When BEATLEMANIA seized the nation: Relive the Mayhem of 1963The Beatles broke up more than half a century ago, yet millions around the globe are still drawn to the legacy of four lads from Liverpool. It really shouldn't be like this. But, from the carefree innocence of 'A Hard Day's Night' to the experimental psychedelia of 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds', their message of love, peace and hope still resonates.

In Shake It Up, Baby! we go back to the start - to 1963, when they went from playing to a handful of people in the remote Scottish Highlands to four number one singles, two number one albums, three UK tours and being besieged by thousands of fans at gigs all over Britain.

Ken McNab tells the story through gripping, exclusive eye-witness accounts from those who were there: the Beatlemaniacs, the journalists, broadcasters and TV producers who were scrambling to make sense of it all, and the other bands who could only watch in awe as The Beatles went from bottom of the bill to headline act to biggest band on the planet.