
A new biography, "Paul McCartney: A Life," (also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca) hits the shelves Nov. 3 in the U.S. (It'll be out a few days earlier in the UK.)
The book, written by Peter Ames Carlin and published by Touchstone Books/Simon & Schuster ($26), is described in a press release as "a fresh perspective on his many triumphs -- and failures" and says it offers evidence "that the widely accepted Beatles 'myth' -- with McCartney as villain and John Lennon as avant garde genius -- requires some revision."
Probably the thing that will get the most attention is the book's contention that McCartney, not John Lennon, was the Beatles' musical director, even "teaching Lennon how to play guitar chords and properly tune his instrument."
The book also reports the initial "Paul quits the Beatles" headlines were a result of a journalist taking the "McCartney" album Q/A out of context.
Carlin, also the author of "Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson," compiled the book through interviews with friends, bandmates and collaborators.
More up-to-the-minute McCartney news from Beatles Examiner: