Month: June 2025

Occasionally on this blog we like to spotlight Beatles-related book titles from our friends in Europe. This blog post will highlight two German book titles by author, Andreas Rohde.

Alfred Ebeling, a friend of mine in Germany, has a fantastic Beatles book collection. He works for The Beatles Museum in Germany which stocks an enormous collection of Beatles book titles that exhibit and demonstrate the European viewpoint and perspectives about the Beatles.

Andreas Rohde

Alfred knows that I understand a bit of German and he recommended to me that I look at and peruse a couple of titles by German Beatles scholar, Professor Andreas Rohde.

I thank Alfred for sharing these great tiles with me and helping me to increase my Beatles book library! They are both excellent large format books, the McCartney one is a hardcover and it exceeds 550 pages and published by the Beatles Museum. The Harrison one is a softcover originally published as a hardcover and is over 400 pages long. The Harrison softcover was published in 2013, so the years 2014 and beyond are not covered. (Publisher: Nicole Schmenk).The only drawback I can see in either volume is the lack of photos, probably due to the high cost of obtaining copyrights to the pictures but that is made up by the excellent detail and content provided by the author in covering the topics detailed in the book descriptions in English below.

The McCartney title published in April of 2025, is incredible in its detail. I hope the author will strongly consider an English translation one day, however it can be said that you do not need to have a command of the German language to enjoy the book in my opinion. The McCartney work recognizes and acknowledges the excellent work done by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair in their marvelous McCartney Legacy book series.

If these books interest you, you can write to Alfred Ebeling for further details at:

alfred.ebeling@t-online.de

The McCartney title: Let Me Roll It Paul McCartney/Wings 1966-1981 which explores McCartney’s solo output from 1966 onward including his involvement with Wings in the ’70s, until their dissolution in 1981!

The back cover of the Rohde McCartney title:

A message from the author:

The description of the book provided by the publisher, in the English language:

Saturday 12 April 2025: Book LET ME ROLL IT – PAUL McCARTNEY / WINGS 1966 – 1981.

Authors: Andreas Rohde / Publisher: Beatles Museum Verlag, Germany. ISBN-13: 978-3-00-082216-2

Hardcover with thread binding / Format: 24.5 cm x 17.5 cm / 584 pages / German language.

Content: Foreword / LPs, CDs and Singles 1966 – 1981 / Projects / Live / Sessions (for others).

Press release:

By far the most comprehensive documentation of Paul McCartney’s music in the decade after the Beatles in German!

Let Me Roll It traces Paul McCartney’s musical solo journey through the late sixties and seventies to the end of Wings in 1981. Fascinating stories and anecdotes that accompany the creation of the albums and singles find their place here as well as documentaries about the recordings of all known demos, outtakes and other variations of songs. All official as well as all known unofficial publications are taken into account. The book also discusses music projects that were either never released or were released decades later – including the recent One Hand Clapping – as well as all live concerts between 1972 and 1979. You can also find out on which recordings the live shows can be found. For the research on Let Me Roll It, the author used all relevant English-language sources – including the most recent ones in the McCartney Legacy series – in order to present the most reliable picture possible of Paul McCartney’s work solo and with Wings.

Let Me Roll It pays tribute to the musician as well as to McCartney as a person, while always remaining committed to the facts, and is aimed at all fans who are interested in this exceptional artist beyond his musical work with the Beatles.

Andreas Rohde is Professor of English Linguistics and Language Didactics at the University of Cologne.

Here is the cover of his 2013 book about George Harrison: Publisher: Nicole Schmenk

Back cover of the book:

Another nice gesture from Mr. Rohde:

June 2013: Paperback GEORGE HARRISON SOLO – A MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY. The English deescription of the book
Author: Andreas Rohde. Publisher: Nicole Schmenk, Oberhausen; ISBN: 978-3-943022-16-2.
Portrait 24.5 cm x 17.0 cm; 448 pages

Press release:

Probably the most detailed chronicle of the musical work of the ex-BEATLE.

The author Prof. Dr. Andreas Rohde about his book: “As a child, I primarily collected the music of the BEATLES, but GEORGE HARRISON quickly became my favorite BEATLE. His songs have something warm, longing, unfathomable about them that particularly touches me. Luckily, there was a boy in our village who got a lot of pocket money and owned all his LPs, even the then almost priceless boxes ALL THINGS MUST PASS and THE CONCERT FOR BANGLA DESH. In order not to have to endure my whining any longer, he gave in at some point and lent her to me. That was well over thirty years ago, but my fascination with George Harrison’s music and his person has never faded.”

For GEORGE HARRISON SOLO – A MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY, all relevant English-language sources were studied, information and data were compared and critically examined. The result is a musical biography of the ex-BEATLE, which traces his life from 1967 to his death in 2001 in detail through his songs and their origin stories. GEORGE HARRISON was by no means the “quiet BEATLE”, he had a lot to say, and he did …

About The Author:

Andreas Rohde was born in 1962 in Böel (Schleswig-Holstein). He studied English, Romance languages and general linguistics in Kiel. This was followed by his doctorate and habilitation. Since 2004 he has been Professor of English Linguistics and Language Didactics at the University of Cologne. He has been a BEATLES and HARRISON fan since the age of ten. From the 1970s to the 1990s, he played in various bands. In 1987 he appeared in the ARD quiz show “Alles Oder Nichts” with the theme BEATLES and won 10,000 DM.

BEATLES MUSEUM:
This book (hardcover, now discontinued) was published just in time for GEORGE HARRISON’s birthday; he was born 70 years ago. Due to its success, the paperback edition will be published in June 2013.

Michael Kummer, M.B.M.sp (*1966) from 06118 Halle (Saale):

The stories behind the songs, the recordings, every HARRISON release to date.
The book concludes with a 74-page chronicle of GEORGE’s life and work, deliberately starting with his solo works from 1967 until his death in 2001.
A lot of reading material, where it is not at all noticeable that there are actually no photos. The book has the makings of the German HARRISON “Bible”. Clearly: Reading tip!

THE BOOKS

If you are interested in either title described above you can contact Alfred Ebeling at alfred.ebeling@t-online.de and he can provide you with the information that you need or request!

BUZZ

OUR BOOK OF THE WEEK

SHARING SOME PERSONAL GOOD NEWS WITH YOU FROM A BEATLES COLLECTOR!!!

Special Thanks extended to Ed D. and Denis S.

My stated goal in running this Beatles Print Blog is to inform fellow Beatles fans about the various Beatles-related print material that exists out there in the collecting world, both old and new. I also try to provide the sources where those books and magazines can be purchased as an added bonus for the subscribers of this blog!

I have lived a very fortunate life as a Beatles book collector. Rarely, does a book title that I have interest in purchasing or acquiring ever elude my determined attempts to find a copy.

There almost was one exception to that story here is the background information to encourage BEATLES collectors to be both patient (which I am not)) and persistent (which I certainly am).

This is one of those rarities that I was worried that I would never be able to acquire for my collection. Many of you are probably aware of the book publishers based in the Netherlands entitled Apcor Publishing who published the book title that I was seeking (shown below). They produce excellent limited edition books and I had been fortunate to have purchased all of the Apcor Beatles titles for my collection except this one written by author, Denis Shabes.

The reason I was unable to purchase this title is, Apcor due to the COVID crisis in 2020, had a policy of not selling the book to anyone that lived in the United States. I certainly understand the reasoning behind that decision as that disaster killed so many people across the world. There were so many travel restrictions as a result of the disease and international mail also became a victim to the illness. The end result to of all of this was this limited edition book sold out and I was unable to obtain a copy of the book for my collection.

UNTIL..

That was until I expressed my yearning to find a copy of the book to the owner and operator of Apcor books and Ed was so kind in writing personally to the author of the sold-out book shown below. The author wrote back to me and luckily he had a remaining copy he was willing to sell to me. It does not hurt to be persistent when seeking an item for your collections, as long as you do so with respect.

Just wanted to share my good news with you as I now have a complete collection of the excellent Apcor produced books! I am a happy aging Beatlemaniac, once again! LOL

This is the front cover of the book:

This is the back cover of the book:

The author was very kind as he also signed and inscribed the book for me! Thank you, Denis!

BUZZ

A TWO BOOK SAGA ABOUT A MISUNDERSTOOD PERIOD OF BEATLES HISTORY

Let It Be – The Making Of The Beatles’ Final Album: Book 1: The Twickenham Rehearsals Hardcover – 10 Nov. 2024

by Terry Wilson (Author)

Independently published

Volume 2 Due in 2026

Before we get comments from some that are viewing this post indicating that Let It Be was not the last Beatles album. It was the last one RELEASED even though Abbey Road was recorded after it. Just wanted to make that absolutely clear so we are comparing apples to apples and not apples to oranges! Abbey Road was released in 1969 and Let It Be was released in 1970 despite Let It Be being recorded prior to Abbey Road…! Oh, what a tangled web we weave!

Recently I got the chance to read through a book which in my opinion is not getting the proper attention by Beatles fans and scholars that it truly deserves. Author Terry Wilson, in the trend of many recent Beatles book authors, has made the wise decision to cover the subject matter as thoroughly as possible with a comprehensive amount of supporting detail. To do the project proper justice, it requires more than one volume to accurately document what transpired during the Let It Be/Get Back Beatles sessions and era. Learning a day by day account of the sessions which admittedly has also been attempted by other Beatles book authors.

The distinguishing factor is Terry’s ability to frame the information in a context that is easy to understand where we can see more deeply as to what is going on beyond the surface level conversation of the Beatles. The surrounding characters that are observing the unfolding events, often form distinctly different perspectives and give great insight as to where this is all leading to in the Beatles story and career. Highly recommend this book, and if the 2nd volume is as good as the first, Terry has succeeded in finding a winning formula for the study of the Beatles beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning depending on your point of view! LOL!

Amazon US Link:

Let It Be – The Making Of The Beatles’ Final Album: Book 1: The Twickenham Rehearsals: Wilson, Terry: 9798341324411: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon UK Link:

Let It Be – The Making Of The Beatles’ Final Album: Book 1: The Twickenham Rehearsals eBook : Wilson, Terry: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Back cover of the Wilson book:

I found myself struggling to find perceptions put forth in the book that I personally disagreed with, Terry!

Kudos to you, for a job well done! Looking forward to Volume 2 in 2026!!!

BUZZ

OUR BOOK OF THE WEEK

IT’S NOW HERE!

When We Find Ourselves in Times of Trouble: The Beatles

(All their songs with encouraging words for challenging times)

BY TIM HATFIELD

HOW TO ORDER: direct link to www.amazon.com

then search Tim Hatfield Beatles

ONLY $18.99! HERE’S WHAT YOU GET:

* Hear every Beatles song with a simple point and click on a QR code

* Read the back story for each song

* Hear covers and related songs by other artists 

* Watch videos of special performances

ORDER TODAY!

Independently Published

by Tim Hatfield (Author)

Amazon link–US

When We Find Ourselves in Times of Trouble: The Beatles: All their songs with encouraging words for challenging times: Hatfield, Tim: 9798897664689: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon Link-UK

When We Find Ourselves in Times of Trouble: The Beatles: All their songs with encouraging words for challenging times: Amazon.co.uk: Hatfield, Tim: 9798897664689: Books

Amazon Description of the book:

This book, written by a lifelong Beatles fan, highlights all the songs of the Beatles, from their earliest demos to Abbey Road and 10 “Bonus Tracks.” Readers can point and click a QR code to listen to each song and read the back story for each. The book was inspired by the author’s love of rock and roll and special love of the Beatles’ music, but specifically by his desire to help people cope with the uncertainty and anxiety of the Covid pandemic.

How This Book Can Help!

What became clear during almost a year of notes to a large group of family and friends is that the music of the Beatles could be a potent gift to a person during any challenging time in their life — a brief uplifting respite from stress and worry. Each song was accompanied by its back story, often some historical perspective with other artists, and a brief gentle reminder to persevere through a difficult time. The music of the Beatles can, indeed, be life-giving during a national crisis or any personally difficult time – our times of trouble.

The author‘s background info as provided by Amazon:

Tim Hatfield, Ph. D, is a lifelong Beatles fan. Educated in the Norwood, Ohio, Public Schools, Harvard, and the University of Minnesota, he retired from a career as a school counselor in Illinois and Massachusetts and 30 years as a counselor educator at Winona (MN) State University. He lives in Minnesota with his spouse Susan. They have four children and four grandchildren.

GET YOUR COPIES:

Amazon link–US

When We Find Ourselves in Times of Trouble: The Beatles: All their songs with encouraging words for challenging times: Hatfield, Tim: 9798897664689: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon Link-UK

When We Find Ourselves in Times of Trouble: The Beatles: All their songs with encouraging words for challenging times: Amazon.co.uk: Hatfield, Tim: 9798897664689: Books

BUZZ

This post is dedicated to the memory of Klaatu member Terry Draper who passed away on May 15, 2025

Terry Draper – Wikipedia

I can remember the years prior to John Lennon being murdered. Many of the first generation Beatles fans yearned for the group to reunite to give us that continuing gift of more music. The ex-Beatles were being offered extraordinary sums to reunite for an album or perhaps a tour or a large live performance. This prompted several groups to be declared as being the Beatles playing under a pseudonym. One such group was the Canadian group called Klaatu. Another was the Masked Marauders. I can remember my initial perceptions of what turned out to be the Canadian group (Klaatu). They had a Beatlesque vocal style to several of their tracks on the first album but I certainly could tell that is was not the Beatles singing on the record. The musicians did not credit themselves on the first record and that lent more mystery to the group. In addition they were on Capitol Records, the distributor of Apple Records in the US. Klaatu was also a reference to the movie “The Day The Earth Stood Still” with the name of the interstellar ambassador named Klaatu played by actor, Michael Rennie. Ringo Starr dressed as Klaatu with the robot Gort, were also featured on the Ringo Starr solo album entitled Goodnight Vienna. I am in the minority in saying that I am glad the Beatles did not reunite following their 1970 split. The reason for this belief is that no matter how good a reunion concert would be it could never totally live up to the expectations of both the fans and the critics. The Beatles made the right decision. The feeling of anticipation will always exceed the expectations. Leave the fans yearning for more and they will live forever with the idealized version of “what could have been.” It is a shame that talented musicians like the members of Klaatu weren’t really fully allowed to display their musical, composing, and arranging skills because of the initial Beatles comparisons. Look how Julian Lennon was cursed by being constantly compared with his dad. it gave constant fodder to the critics who never allowed him to be his own man which continues to this very day and why Julian chose photography as a medium where he could not be compared with dad!

The following are some of the Klaatu albums prior to their split. There is a lot of good music on these LP’s. Listen to them if you get the opportunity, you will be pleased!!!

The three Canadian members of Klaatu-the source of this photo is the Wikipedia link provided below their names:

Left to right: John Woloschuk, Dee Long, Terry Draper
Klaatu (band) – Wikipedia

The first album by Klaatu: Issued in 1976

Klaatu – Klaatu – Vinyl (Winchester Pressing, LP, Album), 1976 [r1542824] | Discogs–this link from Discogs features 2 pages of supposed clues reinforcing that the recordings might indeed be the Beatles. Seek out the two written pages on this link

Here are the 2 pages of “clues” provided in the Discogs link above: List was prepared by the organization WAMS

From the first Klaatu LP:

Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft – YouTube

I can see the Beatles comparisons in the arrangement and possibly the tune but the vocals do not personally remind me of the Fab 4. I enjoy the tune very much though!

The track listing of the first album:

Ringo’s 2nd album featuring Gort the robot and RIngo portraaying the Klaatu character from The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The Klaatu album called Hope: Released in 1977 by Capitol

The track listing for the Hope LP:

The Klaatu album entitled Magenta Lane: Released in 1981 Capitol

The track listing of Magenta Lane featured a tribute song that Klaatu drummer, the late Terry Draper sang for one of his friends and for John Lennon:

DECEMBER DREAM

This song was the fifth song on their final album Magentalane. What is notable about the song is that Terry Draper is the main singer on this song.
The song is a reference to the passing of two people, Terry Draper’s friend, and the Beatle, John Lennon.

December Dream

The Peaks compilation Klaatu album with liner notes By Davis Farrell that clearly delineate the double-edged sword of being compared with the Beatles. Rather than being a boon or benefit, it can also be a hindrance obscuring the talents of many bands trying to make their mark and way through the music industry..

The liner notes and the list of the tracks compiled for this release:

Released in 1993 as a compilation cd

The Klaatu album entitled Sir Army Suit: Released in 1978

I was able to acquire a signed copy of the album cover on Ebay!

Track Listing for the Sir Army Suit Album:

		A Routine Day
		Juicy Luicy
		Everybody Took A Holiday
		Older
		Dear Christine
		Mister Manson
		Tokeymor Field
		Perpetual Motion Machine
		Chérie
		Silly Boys

The back cover of the LP:

The Klaatu album entitled Endangered Species, initially released on Capitol October 10, 2007

The back cover of the LP:

Following the bands dissolution the members did several solo recordings-this list is from the band’s website

Solo and Guest Appearances

The Klaatu Beatles rumors also inspired another well-known act, The Carpenters, to cover their song about bringing interstellar peace to the universe!

Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognized Anthem Of World Contact Day) – YouTube

Hope you enjoyed this snapshot from across the universe… and there is some great news coming from one of the book authors that subscribes to this blog, named  Aaron Badgley who is the writer of this book, Dark Horse Records: The Story of George Harrison’s Post-Beatles Record Label: Badgley, Aaron: 9781789522877: Amazon.com: Books , is currently writing a book about the Klaatu story. I can’t wait to see and read that book!