Tag Archives: Beatles Related

Composing Outside the Beatles – DVD

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Despite the somewhat literal and unimaginative title, this recent release is a really a very interesting documentary study of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s careers immediately following the break-up of the Beatles.

I’d read about this DVD by chance and had been looking around on Ebay for a copy. I dropped in to my favourite shop – Red Eye Records – and there it was on the shelf for a reasonable price. Well, reasonable compared to the prices I’d seen for British or US copies on Ebay, plus postage, plus the uncertainty of “will it ever arrive?”….a bird in the bush as they say.

So, I got it at Red Eye, and watched it last weekend – which was a wet weekend and perfect for being a couch potato and settling in in front of the TV for a couple of hours.

Nicely put together, it traces the first few years of Lennon and McCartney trying to make their ways as solo entities outside the protective shell that used to be the Beatles. It compares them as composers and performers, examining their early singles and album releases. There is much more time and effort during the documentary placed on John Lennon’s output than that of Paul – but this is probably because the overall theory of the documentary is that Lennon was by far doing more serious and worthy work, and being more commercially successful than his former band-mate and co-writer.

There are nice shots of original album covers and single releases as the discussion panel (which includes Klaus Voorman, Paul Gambaccini, drummers Alan White and Denny Seiwell, and writers Johnny Rogan, John Blaney and Steve Turner amongst others) commenting on and appraising the relative strengths and weaknesses of each solo release between 1967 and 1972.

The front cover of "Composing Outside the Beatles"

The packaging of the DVD is impressive. It’s in the digi-pack style with opening “pages” revealing the DVD disc inside. It is glossy and has good production values with great photos and printed information.

The DVD cover open to the first of the tri-folds

Its a tri-fold digi-pack that finally opens out like this:

The tri-fold inner fully open

As you can see they have really taken some care with the presentation, including printing the DVD disc itself so that it matches the printing of the inner cover exactly. Here’s the rear cover:

The rear cover of "Composing Outside the Beatles"

So, “Composing Outside the Beatles” really has a strong slant towards John – both in the comments by the interviewees and the ratio of time spent on each. But maybe this is just a reflection on the times where Paul was struggling to be a musician outside the Beatles while John appeared to leap into it with a bit more style (as well as critical and commercial success). If you are interested there’s a further review here.

Goodbye, Abbey Road

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I just got home and opened my emails to find this post by Brandonblog, a guy who writes with great wit and authority on music matters. Couldn’t really say it better myself, so here are Brandon’s words as-is:

Just heard news of the ultimate bit of Beatles memorabilia, although, you can bet it isn’t about to be offered on ebay.

If Michael Jackson were still around, he’d probably be vying for it but, most likely, it will go to some cashed-up entrepreneur who will want to open it up for tours. Let’s hope it isn’t turned into a restaurant: “Would sir like the Savoy Truffle? Or, the Yellow Matter Custard, perhaps?”

Anyhoo, for better or worse – and I fear it may be the latter – EMI is about to sell the historic Abbey Road Studios where the Fabs recorded the greater bulk of their astonishing legacy.

But it wasn’t just The Beatles who recorded there. Abbey Road also played host to the likes of Pink Floyd who delivered their landmark opus, ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ in those hallowed studios.

How cool would it be if the British Government chipped-in for it and registered Abbey Road with The National Trust? Former Kinks frontman, Ray Davies recently lamented the gradual disappearance of his city’s iconic landmarks in the song he recorded with Chrissie Hynde, “Postcard From London”.  Imagine what he must think of this.

In it’s current financial predicament, I can’t blame EMI one bit but if Abbey Road is allowed to disappear, or to be so transformed as to become virtually unrecognizable, then England will lose something of significant cultural value.

Let’s hope not. 

Brandon accompanied his post with this groovy photograph – an angle of the boys in concert that I’d certainly never seen before…

Paul McCartney Now & Then – Part Two

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OK. This is where I have to admit that my Beatles collection might be getting a little out of hand….

One of the most visited pages in this Beatles Blog so far has been one I wrote in October last year when I picked up a paperback version of a book called “Paul McCartney – Now and Then”.  You can view this entry here if you missed it. For some reason a lot of people have visited that particular blog page.

I was sitting at the computer the other day and just glanced up at a bookshelf nearby. The shelf I was looking at contains a lot of the Beatles or Beatles-related books I’ve acquired over the years. I suddenly found myself staring at the cover of a book called, wait for it, “Paul McCartney – Now and Then”…….not the paperback one I’d posted about earlier, but the original hardback edition. I’d forgotten I had it!

Its in a larger format and has a different cover to the paperback:

Now and Then (Hardback Edition, 2004)

Here are the two books side-by-side:

Now and Then (2004 Hardback, with 2006 Softback edition on right)

If you’d like a peek inside the hardback version, Amazon UK has one of those “click to look inside” features for the book.

The fact that I only just realised I had two different copies of this book is making me worried….

SEE ALSO: Paul McCartney – Now and Then – Part One

Good Evening New York City (Deluxe Ed) – Unboxing Pics

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OK. I know this Paul McCartney release has been out a while now….but there’s a story behind why I am so late in showing you some un-boxing pics of my copy of the Deluxe Edition.

I ordered this online via Paul McCartney’s very own website pretty much the day it came out. It was released in the US on November 17 and in the UK on November 23. However, my copy didn’t make it into my mailbox until mid-January. I had a lot of correspondence with the McCartney organisation, plus the company they hired to carry out online distribution of the disc, trying to find out what the delay was and where my order had got to. It really was a lot of hassle over what I thought should have been a quick and easy transaction – especially since I’d ordered it directly from the official site….

I have to say though that it was worth the wait. For US$23.99 it is a fair bit of product for your money. Now that I actually have Good Evening New York City I’m very impressed with the packaging, plus you get 2 CDs and 2 DVDs of content. It comes in a thick hardback book-style that is taller than a standard CD:

Carefully cutting open the plastic cover

I always like to cut around and keep any stickers on the outside packaging:

GENYC Sticker

As you can see in the photo below the Deluxe version is in a hardback format and the spine is quite thick:

The "spine" of the CD/DVD package

Inside the plastic on the rear is a cardboard insert listing all the songs featured in the two concert CDs and DVD. A lot of people would just throw this insert away but I’ll be hanging onto it (for more reasons than that I just like to keep this sort of stuff – see below). I’ll just slip it in amongst the pages inside:

The loose rear card

If you look really closely you’ll see a little surprise I got when opening this one up. Despite this package taking ages to get to me, and after many complaint letters, they’ve actually sent me  (I guess accidentally) a PROMO copy of the disc! Go figure. Check out the close-up of the sticker on the rear card:

The sticker saying "Promo Only - Not For Sale"

Inside the hardback Deluxe version is a 40-page book with lots of great photos and an essay by Michael Azerrad:

Book open to pages 12 and 13

There is a re-worked shorter version of this essay in the Standard edition. The Deluxe version also has some amazing fold-out double pages with photo montages and historic shots of the Beatles at the old Shea Stadium, and McCartney playing the brand new Citi Field stadium – which is practically on the same site:

The Deluxe version gets some double fold-out pages in the book

Each CD gets a baseball image and signature in different colours:

Sticking with the Citi Field theme - baseball CD's

The DVD’s also get the baseball look (these all slip into the cardboard pockets you can see inside the front and rear covers):

The two DVDs

One DVD is the entire concert filmed live over two nights. The other is a bonus DVD featuring Paul McCartney and band’s appearance live on the Late Show with David Letterman where they played out in the open before a huge crowd, perched on an awning above the street outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre TV studios. The performance is an echo of the famous Beatles final roof-top concert of 1969…. If you’d like a peak at some of the Letterman material have look here.

Finally, a comparison photo of the Deluxe Edition (2 CDs and 2 DVDs) alongside the Standard Edition (2 CDs and 1 DVD):

Deluxe alongside Standard

Beatles “All Together Now” DVD Wins Grammy

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Just a quick (and belated) follow-up to my earlier post.

The Beatles/Cirque du Soleil “making of” DVD “All Together Now” actually took out the Grammy for Best Long Form Music Video. (You’ll need to scroll to the very bottom of the Grammy page to see it listed!)

EMI sent me this flier via email.

And just for good measure here’s a set of four cool publicity images for the Beatles “Love”:

More on Beatles Box Sets

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The other day I posted an item about two variations of a little box that was produced last year (2009) by Apple/EMI to hold up to four copies of the new Beatles Remastered series of CD’s, and it got me thinking about another “box” I have.

I don’t collect Beatles memorabilia (clothing, dolls, badges or Beatles wigs!), and I don’t have many paper-based items (posters, photographs, store-displays, etc.).  I tend to stick pretty solidly to just collecting officially released records, CDs and books – in all their many variations….

However, occasionally you come across some interesting Beatles-related paraphernalia that’s directly related to the Beatles and the record business that is of interest.

Back in the sixties and seventies Apple Records in the USA used to ship its 7-inch (45rpm) records out to record shops and stores in specially produced brown boxes that could hold up to 24 singles.

The one I have is a little worse for wear now, but it looks like this:

Official Apple 45rpm record Shipping Box

The catalogue number of the 7-inch record was written in large numbers on the top flap of the box to help identify the contents. This one would have been used to ship copies of John and Yoko’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” when it first came out in 1971. It carried the US Apple catalogue number 1842:

Apple Shipping Box - top flap with disc catalogue number

To give you an idea of the size of the box, here’s a shot with the 7-inch 45 rpm single alongside:

Apple Shipping Box with "Happy Christmas (War is Over)"

That’s not the US version of the single – it’s the Australian – but you can get the idea.

“All Together Now” nominated for a Grammy

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From the Beatles official news site:

“All Together Now”, the documentary about the making of  the Beatles and Cirque du Soleil’s “The Beatles: LOVE”, has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the Long Form Music Video category (Adrian Wills, video director; Martin Bolduc & Jonathan Clyde, video producers).

“All Together Now” details the story behind the unique partnership between The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil that resulted in the creation and 2006 launch of “LOVE”, the stage production still playing to packed houses at The Mirage in Las Vegas. The film also documents the creation of the show’s music, the experimental Beatles soundscape album of the same name which garnered two Grammy Awards for producers Sir George Martin and Giles Martin in the categories of Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Medium and Surround Sound Album.

You can see two short trailers from “All Together Now” here.

The 52nd Annual Grammies will be presented Sunday, January 31, 2010 in Los Angeles.

The Film
“All Together Now” is a feature-Length documentary chronicles the making of “The Beatles’ LOVE” by Cirque du Soleil. The film details the story behind the unique partnership between The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil that resulted in the creation and launch of “LOVE” and the double Grammy-winning album of the same name. The film is dedicated to the memory of Neil Aspinall, an Executive Producer.

“All Together Now” faithfully recounts how the “LOVE” project came into being, borne from the personal friendship between George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte. George saw how the twin talents of Cirque’s artistry and The Beatles’ music could be fused into something new and totally original.

The director, Adrian Wills, records early meetings between the Cirque & Apple Corps Ltd. creative teams, as well as contributions from Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison discussing how The Beatles’ music can be used in a different way. We hear about the decision to utilize the combined talents of Sir George Martin and his son Giles Martin to produce what became a 90-minute soundscape created from The Beatles’ multi-track recordings and how this new audio adventure was being quietly worked on in the famous Abbey Road Studios in London, England whilst the first creative ideas for the show were being formulated in Montreal, Canada.

These early stages of the project were all filmed, as were the first rehearsals at the Mirage Hotel theatre in Las Vegas, which was completely rebuilt with a one-of-a-kind sound system and complex round staging to house the “LOVE” show. George and Giles Martin, the show’s Musical Directors, were involved every step of the way with the remarkable Cirque du Soleil creative team, performers and backroom staff.

It wasn’t all “plain-sailing” and there has been no attempt to disguise some of the disagreements that took place along the way regarding how some of the songs would be portrayed visually. These creative differences, a necessary part of the overall process of bringing “LOVE” to its most vibrant life, illustrate the participants’ love and respect for the music and vision of The Beatles.

The “All Together Now” documentary provides fascinating insight into the creative skills and passion that went into making this project a groundbreaking critical and commercial success.

UPDATE: It won!

More on the Beatles 2009 “Christmas Pack” – Another Variation Exists

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Before Christmas I wrote about Apple/EMI putting together a small box set containing four of the most popular of the new stereo remasters.

I decided as it was a variation in an officially produced box that it’d be worth having in the collection. I found a place in the UK on Ebay that was selling them for a reasonable price (quite a bit cheaper than my local record shops) and so I got one. Who knows, maybe one day it might become a collectable because these were only produced in limited numbers as I understand it.

It arrived the other day – here’s the front view of the box:

Beatles "Christmas Pack" Box Front

And here is the rear:

Beatles "Christmas Pack" Box Rear

I can’t show you the CD’s inside because I’m going to keep this one sealed.

Well, the other day I was in the city and called in to one of the best independent record shops going around – Red Eye Records. They’re great and stock a wide variety of hard-to-get music from around the world. If they haven’t got it they’ll search for you and order it in too. Anyway, while there I saw that they had quite a few copies of what at first appeared to be this same box set up on the shelves behind the counter.

Just out of curiosity (I guess to confirm that I’d got a good deal!) I asked what the price was. The assistant said “Those? Oh, they’re just empty boxes. The record company gave them to us to give to people who bought a few Beatles stereo remasters as something to put them in as gifts. We’ve got a lot of them left over. You can have one if you want.” I thought, well one might be handy to have in case any other remasters come my way, or it could store any Beatles CDs really.

Also, something about the box looked a bit different, though I couldn’t figure out what straight away in the shop, and so I took up the offer. It wasn’t until I got home and compared it to the box above that I realised it was quite different. Here’s the front of the free box:

Beatles "Gift Box" Front

Notice just an Apple logo instead of the four small stereo remasters cover images on the other box. And the rear is different, too:

Beatles "Gift Box" Rear

All the cover images for the entire remasters series are shown.

So, a genuine little gift box that can be used for multiples of any of the new re-issue series. And another collectors item?

Big Price set for Rare “Butcher” Cover

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Earlier this week I posted an item about a rare, first-state copy of the Beatles “Yesterday and Today” famous butcher cover which was up for auction on Ebay.

Well, it sold for a pretty impressive price.

Have a look here for the results.

McCartney Mail on Sunday Free Live CD

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Here’s a heads-up if you live in the UK.

This coming weekend (Sunday January 17, 2010) the British newspaper the Mail on Sunday will contain a free giveaway CD of Paul McCartney live tracks.

All the songs on the CD have been chosen by Paul McCartney, and he apparently designed the CD cover art himself  (which, by the way, is based largely on a previous limited edition live 12 inch record he released in 2007 called “Amoeba’s Secret” – more on this below). However, as the Mail on Sunday says, this new giveaway will be “….a CD that is unavailable anywhere else”.  The cover will look like this:

Mail on Sunday - free giveaway - front cover

Mail on Sunday - free giveway - rear cover

The free CD will feature seven Beatle songs – including “I Saw Her Standing There”, “Lady Madonna”, “Get Back”, “Blackbird” and “Hey Jude”,  as well as five of McCartney’s solo compositions. So, twelve tracks in all. That makes it quite different to any previous releases and therefore a collectable item for Beatles fans. From what I can tell from the info so far, the songs all come from a live gig recorded at the huge Amoeba record store in Los Angeles. Of the twelve tracks to be given away free this Sunday, only five have been previously released: “Only Mama Knows”, “That Was Me”, “I Saw Her Standing There” and “C Moon” on the limited edition 12 inch “Amoeba’s Secret” (2007) and CD (2009), and “Dance Tonight”, which was a bonus live song on the CD single for “Ever Present Past” (2007). Therefore all the additional tracks are bonuses.

As well, this Sunday’s “Live” magazine will feature an interview with McCartney with some previously unseen backstage pictures.

As you can see the artwork is very similar to the original used for both the vinyl and CD covers of “Amoeba’s Secret”:

"Amoeba's Secret" - limited edition - front cover

Its not the first time McCartney has teamed with the Mail on Sunday though.

On Sunday 18 May, 2008 his 13 track album “Memory Almost full” was given away free to millions of readers. It was essentially identical to the officially released version of the album of the same name, just with much simpler packaging.

Mail on Sunday - "Memory Almost Full" free giveaway - front cover

Mail on Sunday "Memory Almost Full" free giveaway - disc image

As you can see in the pics above, the cover contains the Mail On Sunday logo, which is also on the disc itself. Both contain the words “For Promotional Use Only – Not For Sale”. The “Live” magazine supplement that came with the previous week’s Mail on Sunday newspaper included a track-by-track analysis by Paul and exclusive photos of him too.

Following on from McCartney’s “Memory Almost Full” giveaway CD, the Mail On Sunday also gave away a free John Lennon CD on January 18, 2009.

Unlike McCartney’s freebie though, which was his most recent studio album, Lennon’s is a selection (12 tracks) of greatest hits and album tracks – largely taken from the official best-of CD release “Working Class Hero – The Definitive John Lennon”. Like the “Memory Almost Full” CD, the Lennon release came in a similar small cardboard sleeve:

Mail on Sunday - "John Lennon" free giveaway - front cover

Mail on Sunday - "John Lennon" free giveaway - rear cover