Volume One of Mark Lewisohn’s new biography of the Beatles is out in the UK today.

The book is called The Beatles: All These Years – Volume One: Tune In. The marketing people have come up with a catch-phrase: Throw away what you think you know and start afresh.

It may well be true.

We’ll know more when we see the book for ourselves – but early reports and reviews are good. They’re saying that there is “….a surprise on every page, a revelation in every second chapter.”

At the moment on the book’s official homepage they are running seven read extracts from the audio edition. Here they are collected on SoundCloud for you:

1. All These Years – Introduction (Read by Mark Lewisohn)
2. All These Years – Extract Two (Jim McCartney warns his son Paul that John Lennon will get him into trouble. Read by Mark Lewisohn)
3. All These Years – Extract Three (The decisive moment in John’s separation from both his father and mother. Read by Clive Mantle)
4. All These Years – Extract Four (John and Paul meet for the first time. Read by Clive Mantle)
5. All These Years – Extract Five  (John and Paul welcome young George Harrison’s talents into the mix. Read by Clive Mantle)
6. All These Years – Extract Six (Paul is growing up fast, and 1958 draws to a colourful close. Read by Clive Mantle)
7. All These Years  – Extract Seven (Pete Best is unwell so the Beatles grab Ringo Starr as temporary deputy – and enjoy the difference. Read by Clive Mantle)

See also Mark Lewisohn on YouTube (three short videos) talking about the background to the book, and the different versions which will be available.