Ian MacDonald

The Profile

Ian MacDonald (born Ian MacCormick) was a British music critic and author. He is best known for Revolution in the Head, his analytical study of the Beatles’ recordings, as well as The New Shostakovich and The People’s Music. He worked in UK music journalism and died on August 20, 2003.

British music critic and author (born Ian MacCormick), noted for Revolution in the Head, The New Shostakovich, and The People’s Music; wrote extensively on the Beatles and 20th-century music; died by suicide on 2003-08-20.

A highly appreciative review celebrates Ian MacDonald’s rigorous, balanced analysis of the Beatles, highlighting song-by-song detail and broader 1960s context. It notes his clear stance, incisive comparisons between Lennon and McCartney, and unsentimental look at the group’s late-era dynamics. Publicly known facts: British critic and author (born Ian MacCormick), noted for Revolution in the Head, The New Shostakovich, and The People’s Music; died in 2003.