... the anthology is a feast for the eyes. Dyed-in-the-wool Beatles fans will be bowled over by the sheer profundity of unpublished photographs, previously unseen lyrics sheets, journal entries, paintings, and the like. Indeed, The Lyrics easily represents the finest collection of illustrations associated with McCartney's life and work. And it's beautifully rendered, to boot. Drop-dead gorgeous as books go, The Lyrics rivals the finest art imprints, including the handsome limited editions from the likes of Taschen and Genesis.

... richly illustrated.

... lavishly prepared.

The lyrics you actually read are for the records you don’t know. The majority have lived inside us since we first heard them, in my case for almost 60 years.

... a gravity, reverence and sense of occasion that hasn’t been seen since the Levites rolled out the Ark of the Covenant.

Though Muldoon has edited himself out of the text, you can sense him in the background, prompting and prodding.

it’s an impressive two-volume set chockfull of original lyric sheets, photos, and enough Macca, Beatles, and Wings ephemera to impress even the most diehard fan.

The odd curiosity aside...what emerges here is a portrait of a songwriter constantly searching for the elusive tune. A delightful, surprising treasure trove that no Beatles completist should miss..