Tag Archives: Museum

Apple Announce New Beatles Museum – At 3 Savile Row

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 If you were wondering what direction Tom Greene, the new CEO of Apple Corps Ltd., was going to take the Beatle franchise, then wait no more. The brief official notification says it all:

The first-ever official Beatles fan experience, opening in London in 2027
3 Savile Row is one of the most famous locations in The Beatles’ history as the original headquarters of Apple Corps, the recording studio for Let It Be, and the location of the legendary rooftop concert in 1969. Now, 3 Savile Row will open its doors to all for the first time. The Beatles at 3 Savile Row will feature seven floors of never-seen-before archive material, rotating exhibitions, a fan store, and the recreation of the original studio where Let it Be was recorded. It will also give fans the opportunity to tread in the band’s footsteps as they relive the iconic rooftop concert – as immortalised in Peter Jackson’s Get Back – on exactly the spot it happened.

Word is that Apple Corps has re-acquired the famous building in Mayfair in central London and plans to open it to the public as a new tourist attraction called The Beatles At 3 Savile Row. Setting up a physical space for fans to come and explore Beatle history and honour the band’s legacy seems at odds with Greene’s previous expertise in the world of e-commerce. Before being hired to run the Apple he worked with the biggest video game developers and publishers in the world on the production, commercialization and audience growth of e-sports programs. And prior to that he was helping to manage the ginormous Harry Potter franchise in the digital realm with “over 50 million members, supported by immersive digital experiences, daily content publishing and an innovative e-commerce offering.” Greene’s digital background seems at odds with creating and operating a physical space, a Beatle theme park in London for fans.

According to The Guardian, the building – across all its seven floors – “…will showcase items from the Apple archives and host temporary exhibitions and a shop. The biggest attractions, however, will be a recreation of the basement studio where the band recorded their last album, Let It Be, and access to the rooftop where that poignant final concert was performed.”

Paul McCartney, who recently revisited the Georgian mansion house, said: “There are so many special memories within the walls, not to mention the rooftop. The team have put together some really impressive plans and I’m excited for people to see it when it’s ready.”

McCartney told the BBC that the idea to move back was proposed by Tom Greene. “He’s a live wire and he’s bringing a lot of energy into looking at what the Beatles mean, and what people want these days from us. There are so many special memories within the walls, not to mention the rooftop. The team have put together some really impressive plans and I’m excited for people to see it when it’s ready.”

The timing couldn’t be better. Four movie-length biopics – directed by Sam Mendes – are currently filming. There’s one film for each band member and they are due for simultaneous release in April, 2028. The “four-film cinematic event” will star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.

You can sign up to find out more about The Beatles at 3 Savile Row here.

‘Double Fantasy – John & Yoko’ Exhibition – Tokyo

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There’s a terrific exhibition on at the moment in Tokyo called Double Fantasy – John & Yoko:There are a couple of interesting collectors items that you can purchase from this exhibition. The first is the official exhibition catalogue – a thick book that serves as a comprehensive overview of everything on display:

It’s in Japanese and English, and packed with a wealth of great photos detailing all the displays. It’s available through the gift shop at the exhibition venue (Tokyo’s Sony Music Roppongi Museum), from Amazon Japan, or The Blue Sheep Shop.

We also liked the look of these two Limited Edition, 10-inch clear vinyl records which are only available through the Double Fantasy – John & Yoko museum store:

These contain interviews with John and Yoko. The first is ‘John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Special Interview, January 25, 1971 at the Imperial (Teikoko) Hotel’.

The second is ‘John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Special Interview, September 2, 1971 New York’. They are both on the same label as Ono’s album re-issues for the Secretly Canadian/Chimera label in the US, and the Sony Records International label in Japan – featuring a cut grapefruit instead of an apple.

There’s also this Limited Edition Yoko Ono single on white vinyl, released on November 25. Again this appears to be exclusive to the exhibition store:

Double Fantasy – John & Yoko is a large-scale exhibit which was first mounted in John Lennon’s hometown of Liverpool (at the Liverpool Museum in England) between May, 2018 and November, 2019.

In 2020 that very same exhibition has come to Yoko Ono’s hometown, Tokyo.

There are many connections for the couple with Japan. John, Yoko, and Sean Ono Lennon visited the country every year between 1977 and 1979 and enjoyed numerous family trips to various places as John’s green card (granted to him in 1976) made it possible for them to once again travel outside the United States.

Japan’s NHK TV last week ran a story about the exhibition. It included this insightful interview with Sean who shared his memories of visiting Japan, about growing up as the son of two of the most famous people in the world, and the role his parents played in promoting peace – it’s well worth a look.

Yoko was deeply involved in the curation of Double Fantasy – John & Yoko and it contains a wealth of rare original historic documents, photographs, films, objects, artworks and personal items from key moments in the lives of the two. It apparently takes more than two hours to view everything and get a thorough overview of what is on offer:   One of the treasures is John’s hand-made, teenage satiric magazine (from c.1957) containing his cartoons and drawings called The Daily Howl:

There’s also an original copy of Yoko’s book Grapefruit which she gave to John as a gift. First published in 1964, Grapefruit represents a seminal piece of conceptual art that had a direct influence on the lyrics and concepts behind the song ‘Imagine’:

Also on display are numerous handwritten lyrics by Lennon including ‘Imagine’, ‘In My Life’, ‘Give Peace a Chance’, ‘Happy Xmas (War is Over)’, and ‘Woman’.

There’s also one of the famous works that Yoko showed at her Unfinished Paintings and Objects exhibition at the Indica Gallery in London in 1966. It’s where John first encountered her art up close:Of course there’s also the previously mentioned Museum Shop offering a wide variety of other merchandise…..

Double Fantasy – John & Yoko opened at Tokyo’s Sony Music Roppongi Museum on October 9, the 80th anniversary of John Lennon’s birth.

It runs until January 11, 2021, and has marked the 40th anniversary of his death by setting up a place for visitors to remember John by leaving messages and floral tributes.