Yes it’s back, but unless you were very quick you might have missed out because The Beatles In Mono 14 LP box set (out of print since 2014) is already showing as SOLD OUT on both the UK and US official stores. However, there is some confusion as to whether this is just the exclusive pre-order allocation made to subscribers to the The Beatles mailing list. There may be more copies available from Friday, 30 May.
Regarded as something a grail item for collectors now, the original box set is super expensive on the second-hand market. This new release will replicate that original exactly with 180-gram LPs in a boxed edition, along with a very nice hardbound book.
To quote the website: “In an audiophile-minded undertaking, The Beatles’ acclaimed mono albums were mastered in 2014 for vinyl from quarter-inch master tapes at Abbey Road Studios by engineer Sean Magee and mastering supervisor Steve Berkowitz.
While The Beatles In Mono CD boxed set released in 2009 was created from digital remasters, for this vinyl project, Magee and Berkowitz cut the records without using any digital technology. Instead, they employed the same procedures used in the 1960s, guided by the original albums and by detailed transfer notes made by the original cutting engineers.
Working in the same room at Abbey Road where most of The Beatles’ albums were initially cut, the pair [used] a rigorously tested Studer A80 machine to play back the precious tapes, the new vinyl was cut on a 1980s-era VMS80 lathe. Manufactured for the world at Optimal Media in Germany, The Beatles’ albums are presented in their original glory, both sonically and in their packaging. The boxed collection’s exclusive 12-inch by 12-inch hardbound book features new essays and a detailed history of the mastering process by award-winning radio producer and author Kevin Howlett. The book is illustrated with many rare studio photos of The Beatles, fascinating archive documents, and articles and advertisements sourced from 1960s publications.”
Check out this (very long) YouTube for more details about the release, and info on if there’ll be more copies for sale soon:
The entertainment bible Variety is reporting that at last there is definite movement on Paul McCartney’s on-again, off-again animated children’s feature film, High In The Clouds.
The magazine says that “Celine Dion, Himesh Patel and Hannah Waddingham will lead the voice cast of High in the Clouds….which [production company] Gaumont (“Ballerina”) is producing and repping internationally.”
“Inspired by the children’s adventure book by Paul McCartney, Geoff Dunbar and Philip Ardagh, High in the Clouds will also bring together Idris Elba, Lionel Richie, Ringo Starr, Jimmy Fallon, Clémence Poésy, Pom Klementieff and Alain Chabat.”
There’ll also be six original songs by McCartney in the film, which – back in 2023 – was budgeted at €28 million (US$31.7 million). It’ll be directed by Toby Genkel (The Amazing Maurice), and will have a screenplay by Jon Croker (Paddington 2), with Patrick Hanenberger (The Croods, Lego Movie 2) as production designer. Paul McCartney will also voice one of the main characters.
And here’s the exciting bit. Oscar winner Michael Giacchino (Ratatouille, Up, Inside Out, Coco) will score the feature with the original soundtrack set to be released by Universal Music Group. So, we’ll be getting at least six new Paul McCartney songs.
The cast and the characters they voice are:
Himesh Patel (Yesterday) as the main character, Wirral Céline Dion (Academy Award winner for Best Song) as Sugartail Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) as Gretsch Paul McCartney as McKenzie Idris Elba (Luther) as Barrel Lionel Richie as Gladstone Ringo Starr as Roy Jimmy Fallon (The Tonight Show) as Froggo Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter) as Doris Pom Klementieff (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning) as Mina Alain Chabat (Night at the Museum) as Bigsby
Two things to note:
You’ll notice on the official poster (above) it says “Coming 2027“, so we’ve still got a while to wait.
Secondly, if you’re wondering about someone who is missing in all this latest reporting on the film, you’re not wrong. When we said this has been an on-again, off-again project across a number of years we weren’t kidding.
Way back in 2015 there were prolific reports on social media showing Paul working with none other than Lady Gaga on one of the key songs for the film. This photo from Instagram dates back to February that year. So, High In The Clouds the movie has been on the boil at least 10 years now. In fact first reports of an animated film based on the book date back to 2013.
This doesn’t mean that Gaga’s contribution has been ditched. She’s just not in a speaking role. Maybe her song will be in the opening and closing credits? Here’s a happy-snap from the same 2015 recording session with Gaga, with Paul and all the musicians in the studio. You can also see Paul’s regular drummer Abe Laborial Jr. at his left shoulder.:
As is the way with these things ideas, concepts and themes morph. The synopsis of the book now looks distinctly different to that of the film.
Plot of the book (as per the 2005 book cover): “Forced to leave his woodland home, destroyed by the expansion plans of the evil Gretsch, Wirral the squirrel vows to find the fabled land of Animalia, where all the animals are said to live in freedom and without fear. Wirral’s personal quest turns into a full-blown plan to save enslaved animals everywhere.”
Plot of the film (as per the 202 Variety article): “Follows the journey of a headstrong teenage squirrel, Wirral, who lives in Gretschville, a city where music has been banned by a diva-owl, Gretsch, who wants to be the only singer in town. Determined to overthrow Gretsch and bring music back to his town, Wirral joins forces with an underground band of legendary musicians who hide high in the clouds, in a secret place called Harmonia.”
Quite different, don’t you think?
Still, this promises to be a fun watch with a special soundtrack album as an added bonus.
We know that George Harrison was a very keen gardener. There was a beautiful article at the end of 2023 in Country Life magazine on some of the work he did to bring the gardens of his country estate, Friar Park, back to life and the fantastic legacy he left there as those gardens continue to thrive today. With the help of his wife Olivia Harrison, George revitalized the neglected property, which consisted of the mansion, lodges, and 32 acres of grounds.
Now comes a stunning tribute to George the gardener in the form of a major exhibition – and it is in Florida of all places.
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida have on display now a unique and impressive exhibition exploring the connection between George Harrison and his much-loved hobby.
George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life is on view through to June 29, 2025, and it’s already broken all attendance records for any previous special exhibition at the Gardens.
Selby Gardens has re-imagined some of the Friar Park gardens through horticultural vignettes across its 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus, including original garden designs by the man who originally built Friar Park, SIr Frank Crisp, and more recent gardens planted by George and Olivia. Highlights include a topiary and sundial garden; an alpine rock garden complete with a scale model of the Matterhorn; a knot garden in the shape of a kolam (a geometrical Indian line drawing); a knot garden design that plays on the treble clef; and a hedge maze.
The Tropical Conservatory features stunning displays of plants. One incorporates Barry Feinstein’s iconic photo of Harrison from the album cover for All Things Must Pass; a sculptural garden combines water, weeping plants, and electric guitars – a nod to his Beatle hit While My Guitar Gently Weeps;and a palm garden references the cover design of his solo album Living in the Material World. A selection of George’s music plays throughout the Conservatory.
The Museum of Botany and the Arts at the Gardens features a dynamic collection of photographs and videos of George and his crews working on the estate grounds, plus maps and photographic references to Crisp’s original designs, and personal memorabilia.
The exhibition has also attracted the attention and support of The Beatles official Facebook page, and the George Harrisonwebsite.
To see a spectacular short “walk through” video of the exhibition, just click on the image below:
As a first generation Beatle fan who fell hook, line and sinker for the band when they took Australia by storm back in 1964, it constantly amazes how subsequent generations come to hear about and love their music – over and over again.
Just take a look at faces in the crowd at any of Paul McCartney’s 2024 Got Back tour dates. Yes, you’ll see a fair smattering of grey hair in there, but his audiences around the world are a true cross-section of the ages – from the Builders and Baby Boomers, to Gen Z and now Gen Alpha.
And here’s a new Beatle book (released today, 6 May) aimed directly at the youngest of those Gen Alpha’s.
We Are the Beatles is the latest in Meltzer’s Ordinary People Change the World series of kids books where historic heroes come to life to inspire young readers to greatness themselves.
Born out of a desire to give his own kids real people to look up to, Meltzer’s books highlight notable figures from around the world. These have included people like Walt Disney, Dolly Parton, Frida Kahlo, Gandhi, Anne Frank, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, and many others. By showing what each of these inspiring people were like as children, and exploring who they grew up to be gives kids to opportunity to emulate the traits that made them great – and to realize their own huge potential.
Now it’s the turn of John, Paul, George and Ringo to again inspire a new generation. It’s the first time in this long-running book series (there are 36 titles in all, so far) that a group has been highlighted rather than a single person.
Meltzer and Eliopoulos pack a lot of accurate detail into this little book, and their story of four ordinary kids from Liverpool who loved music, who became the best of friends, and who grew up to become the most famous band in the world, is told with whimsy and a beautiful eye for detail.
We Are The Beatles begins by taking us through the four individual Beatle childhoods, how they found their instruments and each other, shared a love of music, practiced, practiced, practiced, get their break into the business, and the familiar tale of success heaped upon success worldwide. The message is “Whatever your dream is, keep chasing it!” and “The best music is the music you make together. And the essential message will never change: Love. It really is all you need.”
Meltzer has really done his research as the list of his impeccable sources at that back of the book reveals: The Beatles Anthology by The Beatles; Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years, by Mark Lewisohn; Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now by Barry Miles; Love Me Do! The Beatles’ Progress by Michael Braun; John Lennon: The Life by Philip Norman; The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story by Vivek J. Tiwary; and The Beatles: Get Back documentary, directed and produced by Peter Jackson.
He’s even included a handy further reading and viewing for kids list: Who Were The Beatles? by Geoff Edgers; What Is Rock and Roll? by Jim O’Connor; Imagine by John Lennon and illustrated by Jean Jullien; and the Yellow Submarine movie, directed by George Dunning.
I can imagine reading this book to my own grandchildren (aged 7 and 4). And then we’d listen to some Beatles tracks together. Such is the power of the music these four young men made. It can still capture new young audiences as the years roll by.
We Are The Beatles is published by Rocky Pond Books, a division of Penguin Books. Get your copy here. Here’s to the next generation of fans!
BOOK GIVEAWAY COMPETITION (open to our U.S. readers only)
With thanks to Penguin Books we have four copies of Brad Meltzer’s We Are The Beatles to give away to four of our U.S. readers.
All you need to do is provide us your name and email address below, and then have a go at answering three easy Beatle-related questions. Good luck!
Please note that due to the high cost of shipping this competition is open only to residents of the United States.
For some reason publishers in the US seem to want to be different to the rest of the world.
Take the recently announced book from the McCartney camp, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run.
Initially there was no cover art ready for the official announcement, but now not one but two different covers have (ahem) broken cover.
This one is for the UK and the rest of the world:
And this one – the United States:
Who knows why the US needs a different look? There are two different publishers, so that could have something to do with it. In the US it will be Liveright/W W Norton, and for the UK & ROW it’ll be Allen Lane/Penguin.
The UK cover is a black and white version of this 1972 Linda McCartney colour image, taken during the Wings Over Europe tour:
The blue US cover is by artist Alex Trochut. He says “I’m a digital crafter. Wherever and with whomever I’m working, I let the needs of a project dictate its style. I try not to think my way into a design, quality is always my priority but I believe you have to let play drive you. My motto? Easy is boring. If you aren’t having fun pushing yourself, you aren’t doing it right.”
Trochut was born in Barcelona, Spain and after completing his art studies he established his own design studio in there before relocating to New York City. Through his design, illustration and typographic practice he has developed an intuitive way of working that has resulted in an expressive visual style. Alex has created design, illustration and typography for a diverse range of clients including Nike, Adidas, The Rolling Stones, Katy Perry, BBC, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, The Guardian, The New York Times, Time Magazine, and now he can add Paul McCartney and Wings to his resume!
I’m sure most of us have at least a couple of copies of The BeatlesSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in our collections – either on CD, LP, cassette, or all three!
But an email today from the folks at eil.com (the UK purveyor of premium quality rare used and new vinyl) got us wondering about which pressing of this LP is the most valuable?
eil.com is currently offering for sale an unusual Nimbus Records “Supercut” edition of the Pepper LP. They say it was “….pressed exclusively for readers of Practical Hi-Fi and Hi-Fi Today magazine by Nimbus, with ‘Nimbus England’ machine stamped in the run-outs. Limited to 1000 copies only, the Nimbus Supercut of Sgt. Pepper has since gained legendary status within audiophile circles and is arguably the most sought after Nimbus title on the market today”.
The asking price? £3,995.00 (AUD$8,309).
And that sounds about right, because there’s another for sale on the Discogs site for the same money.
But what about the very famous (and equally rare) Australian “Audiophile” pressing?
This came into existence when EMI Australia decided to try their hand at half-speed mastering for a reissue series. The LP never went on sale in regular record stores, but was made exclusively available to the public at the Sydney Hi-Fi and Audio Show in July 1983. Just 497 numbered copies were released with unique label artwork, mirroring the black and silver one EMI box Parlophone labels of 1969, and housed inside a single pocket picture cover with AUDIOPHILE designated on the back. Each LP had an individually numbered sticker fixed to the top right corner of the back cover.
There are currently none for sale on Discogs, but the highest price paid in the past was £2,640 (AUD$5,500). For more on this release see the very good Australian Beatle record collector page I Am The Platypus, and if you want to see a nice story about the tapes used for this pressing, check out this YouTube video:
Of course authentically autographed copies of this LP will always sell for big $$$. Take this one with all four Beatle signatures on it’s gatefold inner. We reported way back in 2013 it had sold for an incredible US$290,500.
But probably the doozy with the biggest difference on the cover of the LP is the very rare “Capital Records executives” copy. In a nutshell, a bunch of top guys at Capitol officially had their faces inserted onto the iconic front image for a very limited edition of Sgt. Pepper’s. It’s estimated that only 40-50 copies of this record exist. The covers were printed up and distributed at a Capitol Sales Executive meeting held in Florida in late 1967:
Lots of Beatle book news around at the moment. We’re a little slow getting to this one, but Paul McCartney has flagged a big Wings book retrospective due later this year – November 4 to be precise. It’s called Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run.
Clearly this is still a work very much in production but the book promises over 100 black and white and colour photographs, many previously unseen, and will draw on over 500,000 words and dozens of hours of interviews with McCartney and numerous key players in and around the band. Most probably it is designed to tie in with Morgan Neville’s forthcoming documentary film Man on the Run, which will also tell the story of McCartney’s life following the breakup of The Beatles and the formation of Wings. That film (due later this year or early next) is also based on access to never-before-seen archives of Paul and Linda’s home videos and photos, as well as new interviews. (See The Paul McCartney Project for more on this).
25th anniversary? Didn’t The Beatles Anthology documentary series, CD’s and vinyl begin to come out back in 1995? Shouldn’t it be the 30th anniversary? Well no, not for the book which was first published as a hardback in the year 2000. This time it’s paperback only. Fans are already asking if the release might be associated with some sort of The Beatles Anthology CD/vinyl re-issue too? Or maybe the documentary series has been refreshed as is slated for streaming? Or re-issue on DVD or Blu-Ray. We don’t know as yet…..
Rather than being a biography, with each release this series is growing as the go-to reference place for detailed information on each and every Wings or solo Paul McCartney album or individual song. This second volume covers off a further 250 entries, including 26 previously unreleased songs. It is packed with technical info on the recordings, personnel and who-played-what, anecdotes and the background to how each song and album came about.
The book kicks off in 1990 with the triple LP live album Tripping the Live Fantastic, the record that launched McCartney into the Nineties, and ends with Complete Kisses, another foray into performing live – but this time a live streamed concert he gave in support of his jazz-influenced album Kisses on the Bottom from 2012. In between there is a wealth of information on Paul’s solo studio albums over this period, but also some much-needed analysis and detail on his many classical, operatic and experimental outings from the time – like his Liverpool Oratorio with Carl Davis, Standing Stone, Ecce Cor Meum, his Ocean’s Kingdom ballet music, plus Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest where he appears for the first time with collaborator Youth under the nom de plume, TheFireman. There’s also a chapter on the very experimental Liverpool Sound Collage with the Super Furry Animals, and another musical style departure called Twin Freaks, under yet another pseudonym, Twin Freaks. To date very little has been written about these eclectic but fascinating additions to his canon, so this book is immediately a very welcome research window into some of McCartney’s more obscure yet interesting musical moments. Bravo!
For how Perasi constructs each entry in the book see our review of Volume 1because the same format is used here. As for information on what is coming next, Perasi says there will be a Volume 3 starting at 2013 with the album New and moving forward, then a Volume 4 looking at Paul McCartney’s many collaborations and appearances on other people’s records (fascinating!), and then a Volume 0 is promised as a mystery surprise finale. As to just what this contains we’ll have to wait and see.
Well, Luca Perasi is nothing if not prolific because today he’s announced yet another new book called Ringo Starr: I Play the Piano If It’s in C. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1997.
As the title suggests, this covers the first twenty-eight years of Ringo Starr’s solo career. Luca says, “The book is the first ever to explore in such depth Ringo’s post-Beatles production, from Sentimental Journey until his All-Starr Band tour in 1997.”
“The title recalls a verse from his song ‘Early 1970’ and is a half-joking reference to the fact that Ringo is not really a composer but is still capable of producing great music. He’s been defined as a drummer who plays melodically, as a guitarist, and it’s time to explore his production historically and critically.”
Like the McCartney volumes, this book tells the stories behind 157 of Ringo’s songs released between 1970 and 1997 – including songs written by other composers plus 23 unreleased tracks – each with detailed information on musicians and recording dates, anecdotes and contemporary interviews.
“During the period under consideration, Ringo goes through different phases of his career; he starts as an outsider, but he manages to achieve great success until 1974, first with the two singles ‘It Don’t Come Easy’ and ‘Back off Boogaloo’, and then with the albums Ringo and Goodnight Vienna,” explains Perasi. “During the second half of the seventies, he became increasingly marginalised in the music business, and the eighties opened amidst a thousand difficulties, with Ringo failing to revive his career through the project of an album in Memphis and his alcohol addiction.”
Out now, Ringo Starr: I Play the Piano If It’s in C. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1997is available worldwide from Amazon in both hardcover and paperback. For the USA click here, and the UK click here.
A Volume 2 will follow in 2026. See what I mean about prolific?
We knew that Record Store Day this year will have three Dark Horse titles available for collectors of this Beatle-related sub-brand, but did you know that Dark Horse Records is planning a further big push in late April and early May?
RSD will have:
George Harrison and Beck with ‘Be Here Now’:
This is Record Store Day’s “Song of the Year” and it will be on a 12″ single with George’s original version on one side, and Beck’s cover version on the other.
There’ll also be the next installment of George Harrison back-catalogue titles appearing as Zoetrope picture discs. This time its the turn of All Things Must Pass, so it is a 3 LP set in an individually numbered sleeve. It’s catalogue number is DH0037Z:
And for RSD in the UK comes another Cat Stevens back-catalogue item, Back To Earth (DH0027). Like the Cat Stevens releases the label put out for RSD last year, this one will also come in a special lenticular album sleeve:
Then, once we get RSD 2025 out of the way, on April 25 comes a brand new Billy Idol title, Dream Into It. This is his first new, full-length album of original material in over a decade. It will be available on black vinyl, as a limited edition purple vinyl, and on CD:
There’s also limited edition signed copies to be had:
The Idol release will be followed on May 9 with no less than 9 re-issues from Dark Horse that officially bring even more of the George Harrison back-catalogue under the Dark Horse/BMG umbrella. These include All Things Must Pass – 50th Anniversary mix as a 2CD set with Dark Horse and BMG on the label for the first time (instead of Capitol and Universal Music). It will be given the Dark Horse catalogue number DH0037:
All Things Must Pass will be joined by George’s 1974 title, Dark Horse on black vinyl and on CD, with the catalogue number DH0038:
There’s also Extra Texture (with the catalogue number DH0039) on black vinyl and on CD:
And Thirty Three & 1/3 (catalogue number DH0040) – but only on black vinyl at the moment for some reason:
Also on May 9 to bring Harrison more firmly under the BMG banner will be a CD re-issue of his Wonderwall Music (with the catalogue number DH0033). This joins the Zoetrope vinyl with the same catalogue number from Record Store Day last year:
Likewise, Electronic Sound gets the same CD treatment – joining its Zoetrope vinyl partner in carrying the catalogue number DH0034:
And lastly, one further May 9 release. It is Harrison’sEarly Takes Volume 1 on CD (catalogue number DH0047). It joins the black vinyl that was issued last year also under the Dark Horse/BMG label:
As if that isn’t enough, on May 16 comes two long-rumoured but also long delayed Jon Lord Dark Horse titles, re-issues of his albums Gemini Suite and Windows. Gemini Suite will be on a spectacular splatter vinyl (with the catalogue number DH0023):
While Windows comes on a cool orange vinyl:
So, collectors who like to keep up with everything Dark Horse is doing alongside their Beatle collecting are going to need deep pockets over the next two months.
Dark Horse Records celebrated George Harrison’s birth date this week with the release of a new tribute album by gypsy jazz guitarist Robin Nolan.
For The Love Of George can be streamed on all good streaming services and features some amazing gypsy jazz versions of classic George songs. Also included is a brand new composition crafted by Nolan from chords jotted down by George on an envelope and only discovered after his passing. Cementing to strong connections here, Nolan played three of George’s own guitars, and the recording was made in the studio George created at his home in Friar Park.
The album featuresten Gypsy Jazz interpretations of Harrison songs from across his Beatle and solo career, as well as the brand-new composition. Surprisingly they really lend themselves to the Django Reinhardt-style.
Nolan’s relationship with Harrison dates back to the 1990s, when George personally recognized and encouraged his playing. Since then, Nolan has remained a valued presence within the Harrison musical circle, making this tribute especially meaningful. And it’s not the first album Nolan has recorded at Friar Park. He released Gypsy Blue in 2013 on Dhani Harrison’s H.O.T. Records – and like this this one it was only available digitally but also a very limited CD. (H.O.T. of course stands for Henley-On-Thames, the town where Friar Park is located).
Talking about how the new album came about, Robin Nolan explains, “I was at Friar Park playing for Olivia’s birthday. We were all talking and then George’s Ramirez acoustic guitar appeared and I played ‘And I Love Her’ on it. It was a massive thrill to play the song on the same guitar he’d originally recorded it on with Olivia and everyone watching.”
“I had already been thinking about how cool it would be to do an album of George’s songs, but then to actually be playing one of his songs on that guitar. ‘That’s another level, you know, that’s another layer of awesomeness.’ So that was where the inspiration for the album was born.
“A few days later, I was working on the arrangements of how these songs could sound in the Gypsy Jazz style and Olivia texted me this picture of an envelope with some chords that George had written on it and said, ‘Check it out. I wonder if George ever did anything with that? Maybe you can look at the chords and tell?'”
“I stared at the envelope and studied the chords intently that George had written all those years ago and started to feel the magic. It was like unraveling a mystery, trying to imagine what George might have meant.
“At a certain moment I felt that the chords started to make sense and came alive as I strummed them on my guitar, ‘Ahh maybe that’s what he meant’, I remember thinking to myself.”
“After I’d figured out the chords a melody came to me. In my mind I could hear George humming a tune that sounded really beautiful. That’s when it all came together. The title track of this album For The Love Of George.
“I was really excited so I recorded a simple version on my phone and sent it to Olivia wondering what she might think. She responded, ‘Wow it sounds so much like George!’
“And, of course, it does sound like George, because there’s a few chord changes in there which are really unique to him, and then the melody I wrote is so inspired by him.”
“For this new track I used all three of George’s guitars that feature on the album. The intro is the 12-string Rickenbacker used on the bulk of the Hard Day’s Night album, and it’s just got that sound, you know? So I made the intro with that guitar, and some fills. The main melody is played on the Gibson J160, which is the guitar with a lot of history. It’s the only guitar that was used on every Beatles album. It’s tough to play, but it has so much character. I did the melodies on that one, and then there’s some backing lines on the Ramirez.”
Last week, as part of his warm-up for the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Show, Paul McCartney played three small gigs (across three nights) at the relatively humble Bowery Ballroom in New York. It has a capacity of just 575 people, and tickets (at US$50.00 each) sold out immediately they went on sale – only if you showed up in person at the Bowery Ballroom’s box office.
The online announcements for each show were simple. Here’s the first:
🗽 PAUL McCARTNEY ROCKS THE BOWERY 🗽 Tuesday, February 11th. Bowery Ballroom, New York.
5:00pm Doors 6:30pm Showtime
Tickets on sale now only at Bowery Ballroom box office. No tickets sold online. First come, first served. One ticket per person.
These intimate shows quickly became an event in themselves, taking even a place like New York City by storm:
After the concerts, reviewers swooned too. Variety was effusive:
Paul McCartney Electrifies New York’s 575-Capacity Bowery Ballroom With Career-Spanning Surprise Set
Even the tragically hip and usually cynical, hard-to-please Pitchfork Magazine was besotted:
Paul McCartney’s Magical Mystery Bowery Ballroom Show
Understandable really because who wouldn’t want to be at an intimate venue to see and hear Paul McCartney and his band play, up close and personal?
Anyways, apart from all the above, one thing that really resonated with fans on social media and in the forums was the amazing poster that was produced to help promote the event.
Lots of comments began to appear, praising the artwork and asking if it was for sale. Also, who was the artist who’d created it?
This poster was resonating with people because it encapsulates so well a journey in three distinct phases – starting with a young Paul McCartney in the middle and blossoming out to a recognisable profile image of the legend and man we see before us today.
But then again, it also radiates inwards as well: from the clouds and the universe on the outside profile, into the New York skyline and the Big Apple at the centre. How brilliant.
Well, it turns out the artist is an Argentinian named Santi Pozzi.
Pozzi is a graphic designer, art director, illustrator and screen printer from Buenos Aires. He graduated in Graphic Design at the University of Buenos Aires, and learned screen printing technique at The Firehouse Kustom Rockart Co. in Oakland, California. He later introduced gig poster art to Argentina and South America by putting together his own screen printing studio, Imprenta Chimango. He’s designed and printed official posters for Pearl Jam, Tame Impala, Jack White, Queens of the Stoneage, Primus and many others.
From this fan photo of the merch stand at the Bowery Ballroom last week, it looks like the poster and a tote bag bearing Pozzi’s design were briefly available for sale:
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