All These Years – Tune In – Deluxe (Frustration….)

Posted on December 5, 2013 by beatlesblogger

We want to get a copy of the Mark Lewisohn extended special deluxe edition of The Beatles: All These Years Vol.1: Tune In.

Only thing is there seem to be none available anywhere in Australia at the moment. The local importers site says they are available, but no bookshops have them in stock. It looks like they only brought in limited numbers and they have sold out straight away.

In frustration we went searching the web to find out what we were missing out on. Here’s a special edition visual hit:

Gotta say, it looks nice.

P.S. Check out Lewisohn’s Twitter feed as well. And this.

Beatles With Records – Part Twenty One

Posted on December 1, 2013 by beatlesblogger

When we started way back with Part One of the Beatles With Records series it was based on the premise that (quote): “Despite selling multi, multi-millions of the things, it’s kind of strange that you hardly ever see photographs of the Beatles themselves with, or listening to, records”.

Well, through lots of help from Beatles Blog readers we’ve actually amassed quite a lot of photographs to disprove that theory.

And here are some more….

Back in that first post we showed this great photo of John Lennon surrounded by guitars, amplifiers, speakers and 45 singles, listening intently to music:

Here is another angle from that same day:

John is a bit of a running theme throughout this post. In this next photograph he seems to be holding either a big reel-to-reel tape box, or some sort of record box from the classic Epic Records company:

You can clearly see the company’s old logo on the front. In the 1960s EMI, the Beatles’ record company, had a distribution deal with Epic to release their titles in the UK – so maybe it was a box of sample records from them for him to listen to?Epic is still going strong of course. Here’s another of John seeking out a track to play on a great-looking jukebox. It’d be interesting to know which song he chose to listen to….

There are no recognisable discs in this next one of John and Yoko rehearsing, but there’s a shelf full of records behind them none-the-less:

This next photograph shows the couple on the promotion trail for Imagine:

Not sure which LP John is listening to here:

Back in Part 5 we showed this photo of Beatle manager Brian Epstein holding a UK copy of Help!:

Another photo has come in which gives the close-up shot above a great deal more context. Brian was actually studying the cover of Help! amidst the hubbub of the Beatles getting ready to make some sort of an appearance, or about to go on stage: This next one is associated with the same Beatle film-related project. It’s pretty easy to guess that the band is at a press conference in the United States, only this time associated with the US version of the LP from the film Help! It came with a different cover:

Here’s another photograph of Brian Epstein, this time with a much earlier album, Please Please Me:

Meanwhile, back to John Lennon, and two photograph taken around the time of the release of Double Fantasy. Check what looks to be a sample image of the cover stuck on the noticeboard:And, in the same office, signing the back covers of promotional copies of Double Fantasy to go out to reviewers at radio stations, magazines and newspapers:

We’ve previously featured Paul McCartney besieged by fans when trying to move between a building and his car. The fans are thrusting out albums to be signed. You can see a couple of good examples in the Beatles With Records Part Twenty, and also in Part Fourteen. Sometimes, from the look on his face, you get the feeling that Paul must be thinking “Will this ever stop?”Most times though he seems very willing to smile and help fans out where he can:And to finish, a couple of earlier Paul photos with records from his Beatle days:

And from the Wings days:You can see the entire Beatles With Records series here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,17,18,19 and 20.

A Great New Beatle Podcast Hits the Internet

Posted on November 24, 2013 by beatlesblogger

A great new Beatle podcast has recently hit the internet airwaves.

It’s called Something About the Beatles and is co-hosted by two highly respected Beatle authors, Robert Rodriguez and Richard Buskin.

If the first two episodes are anything to go by, this will be one worth downloading on a regular basis. The two bring unique and well-informed eyes to a topic they both clearly love. American Rodriquez (Solo in Seventies; Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock ‘N’ Roll; Fab Four FAQ and Fab Four FAQ 2.0), and Britain’s Buskin (The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Beatles; Days in the Life: The Lost Beatles Archives; John Lennon: His Life and Legend amongst many others) complement each other with different experiences of growing up fascinated by the Beatles. They are both knowledgable of course, but also have a lot of fun with their topic too. There are no sacred cows here.

The homepage for the podcast features cool original artwork by Executive Producer Rick Wey:The podcast is also unique in that the pair play real Beatle music to illustrate what they are discussing – something we’ve not heard before. Highly recommended.

Beatles Across the World – Book and Prints

Posted on November 23, 2013 by beatlesblogger

Stumbled across a cheap but only just-released book this week. Penned by a writer named John Stanley, it’s called The Beatles Across the World. Here are the front and rear covers:

The Beatles Across the World just 64 pages (it’s no Lewisohn Tune In, which runs to 946 pages!), and has clearly been released to capitalise on the 50th anniversary of the group’s appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show in the US – and the Beatle-mania which subsequently erupted across that country.

This publication is interesting though. It comes in a carboard folder which opens to reveal two pouches inside, one to hold the book on one side:

Plus on the other side another pouch which hold six 8×10 black and white Beatle prints:

Here’s the front cover of the folder:Go to the publishers website (Park Lane Books) to find out more, or click here for the Australian distributor, Herron Books.

Mark Lewisohn “Tune In” Book Competition – We Have a Winner

Posted on November 9, 2013 by beatlesblogger

Thanks to everyone who entered our Mark Lewisohn The Beatles: All These Years Volume One: Tune In competition.

We asked the question: “How old was Paul McCartney when John Lennon invited him to join his group The Quarry Men?” The correct answer was that Paul was fifteen years old.

Our winner is John from Roebling, New Jersey in the United States.

Congratulations John. The US publishers Crown Archetype will be sending a copy of the book your way very soon. Enjoy!

The next date to watch out for is November 14 and the release of the extended special edition of the book.

More soon…..

The Beatles: Tune In – US and UK Edition Comparison…and a Competition!

Posted on November 2, 2013 by beatlesblogger

Part One of Mark Lewisohn’s new biography of the Beatles is now out in two separate hard cover editions – one for the United States market, and one for the UK.

So, how are they similar – and how do they differ?

Here are some photos to show you in a direct side-by-side comparison. The UK edition is 946 pages. It appears on the left. The US edition is 932 pages and it appears on the right:

The book spines with their dust jackets on:

And without:

There’s an interesting and as-yet unexplained design element about the spines. On both dust-jackets you can see the word “All”. My guess is that Volume 2 will have the the word “These”, and Volume 3 will have the word “Years”. When they are eventually lined up on our bookshelves they will collectively read “All These Years”.

The UK edition gets fancy end papers, front and rear. The front ones show pictures of a youthful John and Paul:

The rear has George and Ringo. It is a nice additional design touch:

The US edition has plain end papers. Here are the title pages. First, the UK edition:

And the US:

You’ll be pleased to know that despite the design and layout differences the contents are exactly the same. Both have the same text and chapters, and both have three sections with pages of historic photographs – some of which have never been previously published.

In the UK The Beatles: All These Years Volume One: Tune In is published by Little Brown. In the Unites States the book is published by Crown Archetype.

Now, the people at Crown Archetype have kindly given Beatles Blog a US edition of the book to give away to a lucky reader. All you need to do is answer this simple question:

How old was Paul McCartney when John Lennon invited him to join his group The Quarry Men?

The first correct answer to reach beatlesblogger @ gmail . com will win a US copy of Mark Lewisohn’s book – kindly provided by publishers Crown Archetype.

The Beatles: BBC Archives – 1962-1970 – A Review

Posted on October 28, 2013 by beatlesblogger

There are three distinct aspects to the Beatles’ main output and the direct connection they had with their audience. These are the band’s official studio recordings; their live performances; and (as this book examines in intricate and fascinating detail) their appearances during the height of their popularity on radio and television.

Kevin Howlett, a former BBC radio producer, has for many years been chronicling the band’s long and close association with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). If you want proof that their output on radio and TV was prolific here are some stats: the Beatles performed a huge catalogue of songs across 275 performances at the BBC between March 1962 and June 1965. They appeared on 39 radio shows just in 1963 and, on one single day, recorded 18 songs for three editions of the BBC’s “Pop Go The Beatles” series in a session lasting just under seven hours. In total they played 88 different songs, most done in one take with little time to correct mistakes.

What also has to be remembered is the extent to which the BBC was at the core of daily life in the UK. Unlike the multiple channels and sources of information we take for granted today, no other broadcasting organisation was licensed to operate in the UK until 1973. It seems extraordinary and almost incomprehensible now. There was some competition from overseas and “pirate” radio stations, but during the life of the Beatles as a band the BBC pretty much had the market to itself.

This book The Beatles: the BBC Archives: 1962-1970 isn’t the first go Kevin Howlett has had at writing about the close relationship between these two icons of British life in the sixties. It is however the most comprehensive and beautifully produced effort so far. Beatles Blog has in its collection a small 1982 softback book called The Beatles at the Beeb – The Story of their Radio Career 1962-65:

Howlett tried again in 1996 with The Beatles at the BBC, the Radio Years. However both these previous attempts are nothing on his latest effort.

What Kevin Howlett has done with this book is to significantly expand the scope and the content of his subject to produce the definitive examination of the Beatles interaction with their fans using BBC radio and television.

The new work comes packaged in an impressive look-alike (and slightly used) 1960’s BBC reel-to-reel tape box:

Inside is the book, which contains many pictures, examples of contracts, internal memos and letters, memorabilia and complete details of all their appearances, along with a discography of the songs that the Beatles performed. If the songs were covers then there are details of the original artists too.

We learn that some 36 of the 88 songs they performed were never issued on record and, with the exception of the Beatle original “I’ll Be On My Way”, these unreleased tracks were all cover versions. Inside the book there are lift out prints and and removable facsimile documents – making this a great collectable item in itself.

The photo (above) shows the band performing at the BBC Playhouse Theatre for Easy Beat on 16 October, 1963 – the day after news of the group’s participation in the Royal Variety Performance was announced (Photo © Press Association)

I love these sort of reproduction books, with removable documents, ticket stubs, mini-flyers and posters. I have two others which are similar: The Treasures of the Beatles, and Lennon Legend: An Illustrated Life of John Lennon.

This photo (also from the book) shows George, Paul and John with the BBC’s Bernie Andrews, producer of the show Saturday Club. It is dated 17 December, 1963 (Photo © BBC Worldwide):

Kevin Howlett is now very much an insider in the Beatles camp, having completed a number of prestigious Apple Records re-issue projects for them. He co-wrote the liner notes for the digitally remastered CD catalogue in 2009. Howlett wrote the notes and produced the ‘Fly On The Wall’ bonus disc for the 2003 Beatles remixed album Let It Be …Naked. He also wrote the liner notes for the original 1994 double CD and LP package Live at the BBC, and has done the same for the forthcoming set On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 (to be released on November 11). Both feature previously unreleased recordings and studio chatter by the Beatles made available for the first time. The new release will include early hits and cover songs recorded at the BBC in 1963 and 1964, audio of the group talking to radio presenters such as Radio 2’s Brian Matthew, different versions of some of the songs from the first Live at the BBC album, and interviews recorded in November 1965 and May 1966 for the BBC “Pop Profile” series.

A remastered version of the original Live At The BBC will also come out on 11 November to coincide with the release of Volume 2.

So, Howlett knows his subject. His book The Beatles: The BBC Archives: 1962-1970 is destined to become the ultimate publication detailing in every respect the the band’s interaction with it’s adoring public via the BBC – then one of the most important and dominant media outlets in Britain. It is published in the US by Harper Design (Harper Collins), and in the UK by Ebury Publishing (BBC Books).

“Wonderful Christmastime” with Straight No Chaser

Posted on October 27, 2013 by beatlesblogger

Paul McCartney’s company MPL Music Publishing has announced that he’s teamed up with a cappella group Straight No Chaser for a new version of his 1979 Christmas single, “Wonderful Christmastime”. Listen to it here.

The song is featured on Straight No Chaser’s new EP, Under The Influence: Holiday Edition.

The 8-song EP will be available digitally and on CD this week (from October 29), and includes appearances by Paul McCartney, Colbie Caillat, CeeLo Green, and Otis Redding. For more details about Straight No Chaser go to the group’s website.

For Christmas last year the song appeared, in a version by The Shins, on the Holidays Rule/Christmas Rules compilations.

Queenie Eye Video, and the “Making Of ” Video

Posted on October 27, 2013 by beatlesblogger

Here’s the official video clip for the second single from Paul MacCartney’s New:

And here’s the “behind the scenes” making of, complete with an explanation of what the term Queenie Eye really means:

The Story Behind the Cover Art for McCartney’s “New”

Posted on October 22, 2013 by beatlesblogger

Speaking of inspirations for album cover artwork, the small print in the credits for Paul McCartney’s latest recording turns up some interesting background information on where he looked for the stylised image of the word NEW depicted on the cover.

Here’s the cover for the standard edition CD [and vinyl]:

…and the different coloured “deluxe” CD variation, which contains two bonus tracks:

Inside, along with who played and produced what, there’s this:

Artwork information:
NEW album cover inspired by Dan Flavin with special thanks to Stephen Flavin
Logo and cover concept: Rebecca and Mike
Consultancy and design: YES
Cover Image: Ben Ib

Dan Flavin was an American minimalist sculptor who specialised in using coloured neon and fluorescent tubes. As an example, here’s Flavin’s 1987 work Untitled (to Don Judd, colorist) at the Tate Liverpool gallery in 2009 (photograph: Colin McPherson):

Or this (Site specific installation 1996 – Menil Collection, Houston Texas):

You can easily see where the New cover is coming from. The reference to Stephen Flavin is to Dan Flavin’s son, who has overseen the activities of his father’s estate since 1997. (For an in-depth and scholarly review of a retrospective exhibition of Dan Flavin works held in London in 2006 try this). The website Artsy.net has also created a page which really captures well what Flavin’s art is all about – and it has some great images too.

So much for the inspiration for the New cover.

Turns out though that the image used wasn’t actually made of fluorescent lights. See that reference to Ben Ib? Well, he’s a music video director who has worked extensively with Paul McCartney in the past. On his website Ib says he made the piece using a computer rendering program (with a logo and concept by Rebecca and Mike, and consultancy and design by YES). He also says the cover is “…my first foray into print work…It was a great team to work with under Paul’s guidance. I’ve also created the deluxe edition (gatefold) image.”

Ben Ib has done heaps of video work for McCartney. He created visual content for the “On the Run” and “Out There” tours, and the visuals for the song “Sing the Changes” which featured Barack Obama and which Sir Paul used for his headlining set at the Coachella festival. You can see a short extract of that here.

Ib’s talents were also utilised in June 2008 when Paul McCartney came home to Liverpool to give a performance (the first in his home town in five years) for the Liverpool Sound 2008 event. Ib built a huge, beautiful 20-minute long visual collage to serve as a backdrop to the show. It charts Paul’s story – from the early Cavern club days to the present, with footage and memorabilia from Paul and Linda’s personal archives.

And Ben Ib did this short biographical documentary film featured on the deluxe CD re-issue edition of Ram. If you haven’t seen it here’s an extract:

Meanwhile….back to the cover of New and Paul McCartney has provided the following piece of advice:

“If you buy ‘NEW’ on CD, please be careful when removing the booklet and take it out through the front cover gap, rather than the inside gap; If you do it could rip the cover. I only know this because I did it three times before I realised the booklet had to come out of the front gap! I hope you enjoy the music!! And please pass this message on.”

To help illustrate his point the news page on his official site shows these two photographs. First the correct way to remove the booklet:

…and this is the incorrect way:

Beatles Blog

Adventures in collecting Beatles music

Category Archives: Beatles Music

All These Years – Tune In – Deluxe (Frustration….)

A Great New Beatle Podcast Hits the Internet

Beatles Across the World – Book and Prints

Mark Lewisohn “Tune In” Book Competition – We Have a Winner

The Beatles: Tune In – US and UK Edition Comparison…and a Competition!

The Beatles: BBC Archives – 1962-1970 – A Review

Queenie Eye Video, and the “Making Of ” Video

The Story Behind the Cover Art for McCartney’s “New”

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: