Joy and Fear: The Beatles, Chicago and the 1960s

I'm most of the way through this book, and I found it very interesting. I lived in the western Chicago suburbs in the time frame of 1963-67, and I'm familiar with the names of the suburbs mentioned. And, the author talks about the main garage bands that came out of the Chicago area during that time, music that I liked as junior high drummer. Also, information on the Beatles' visits in '64, '65 and '66 that I hadn't read before. People who lived in the Chicago area during that time will enjoy this look back. However.....a huge mistake toward the end of the book; Lyons mistakenly says that the Manson murders and Altamont both occurred in December 1969. The Manson killing spree was in August. I can't believe an editor didn't catch that mistake!

There’s been plenty written on The Beatles, their careers, and their lasting impact but I’ve never seen a book as specific as this one, studying the effect they had on a particular city - in this case, Chicago. It was interesting to see how they were received in this city vs the large cities on the East or West coast. A lot of it - like the Beatlemania craze - could be generalized but the lukewarm reception they received from city officials was unique to Chicago.Looking through the lens of living in 2020 and knowing how outrageous and edgy a lot of musicians are today, it’s funny to think that people frowned upon The Beatles because they had shaggy hair and wore tight-fitting suits. Times sure have changed and yet, at the same time, a lot of the social issues that were covered in the book are still prevalent in today’s society.It was interesting to revisit the path of The Beatles’ career. When you really look at it, they weren’t together for very long at all, they only toured for a few years and broke up a few years after that. Yet, the impact they had, and continue to have, on music ever since is like nothing this world’s ever seen before (or will likely ever see again). By the time I came to be a Beatles fan as a kid they were already firmly cemented as music legends but while reading this, I wonder what I would have thought had I been a teenager in the 60s when they first came to America. I bet I would have been swept up in Beatlemania but would I have stuck with them through their later years? It’s hard to say but all in all, this was an interesting read and gave me a lot to think about!

Dr. John Lyons has written a very important history of the 1960's, Chicago, and the deep influence the Beatles had on both. What I really liked was how Professor Lyons explored Chicago during the 60's as a place that was still a traditional American city-blue collar-industrial-a city of racial and ethnic neighborhoods and slow to change and yet America changed dramatically during the 1960's and Dr. Lyons really brings those historical issues to the reader extremely well. Dr. Lyons also illustrated how the Beatles were an important symbol to Baby Boomers coming of age in Chicago during the turbulent 60's, a time of the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement and political conflicts. A great read, well written and researched and being from Chicago myself, I felt like I lived through the 60's as Dr. Lyons takes you on this great journey in time to the Beatles, Chicago and the 1960's. Highly Recommended.

I've just finished reading this book and found it very interesting and informative. Although I was too young to be swept up in Beatlemania in the 60s, I very much enjoyed reading the accounts of those who attended the Beatles shows in Chicago and also about how area businesses and radio stations promoted themselves by finding as many tie-ins to the Beatles as possible.I also enjoyed learning about many of the Chicago-area bands that were popular around the same time; many of them took great influence from the Beatles.This book is very well-researched and it is evident that Dr. Lyons is passionate about the subject matter. Highly recommended!

I grew up in the Chicago area and have been a super fan of The Beatles since I was young. I thought I knew A LOT about The Beatles but after reading this book I realize there was so much I did not.The author's research and insights are phenomenal and not only gives a clear look at the Fab Four's time in Chicago but also a look behind the curtain of the city itself and its reaction to the cultural shift brought about by the British Invasion. Highly recommended.

A very important piece of Chicago history for anyone who loves Chicago, music, the Beatles and 60’s culture! Professor Lyons does an excellent job bringing to readers’ attention details of the Beatles’ time in the Windy City that they would otherwise never know and appreciate. Extremely well researched covering a wide range of topics such as music and musical production history, politics and even fashion. Made me feel I lived in the era!!!

This is a very engaging account of the Beatles within a specific context: Chicago in the 1960s. John Lyons provides a wonderfully detailed description of the Beatles and their influence as it played out during a turbulent time, both politically and socially, in a major American city. I highly recommend this book, especially if you're from the mid-west and Chicago specifically.

I experienced the subjects John Lyons writes about both as a Chicagoan and as a rock fan. He describes with telling insight both the development of rock and the positive or negative reactions of the Beatles’ fans and detractors. Lyons convincingly shows how hostility to the group was often grounded in opposition to their social and political views. Highly recommended.

Fascinating story of The Beatles and Chicago. They changed the world.Excellent overview.