Year: 2025

It certainly appears that Sean Lennon has done another fantastic job in helping to preseerve his parents legacy. The Lennon estate’s box sets are second to none in their production values and their wonderful content. I am so looking forward to receiving this wonderful treat in October of 2025!!!

All of the configurations of the new box are from the Lennon website:

Produced by Sean Ono Lennon and his 5 x GRAMMY® Award–winning Ultimate Mixes team. Mixed and engineered by Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon and mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios with a hardback book designed and edited by Simon Hilton.

Links are provided to access the Lennon website

Power To The People – John Lennon Official Store

The Super deluxe box:

Power to the People 9CD + 3 Blu-ray Boxset – John Lennon Official Store

Contents of the super deluxe box set:

Ships on: October 10, 2025

SUPER DELUXE EDITION 9CD/3BR/BOOK BOXED SET
9 CDs ⋆ 3 HD AUDIO BLU-RAY DISCS ⋆ LENTICULAR COVER
103 TRACKS ⋆ HD STEREO ⋆ HD 5.1 SURROUND ⋆ DOLBY ATMOS
204-PAGE BOOK ⋆ NEWSPRINT POSTER ⋆ 2 POSTCARDS ⋆ 2 STICKER SHEETS
2 REPLICA TICKETS, VIP BACKSTAGE PASS AND VIP AFTERSHOW INVITATION

LIMIT OF 4 PER PERSON. 

TRACKLIST: 

CD1 / BR1
HYBRID ‘BEST OF’ SHOW
1. Power To The People (intro) †
2. New York City*
3. It’s So Hard*
4. Move On Fast* †
5. Well Well Well †
6. Born In A Prison* †
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)*
8. Mother*
9. We’re All Water †
10. Come Together †
11. Imagine*
12. Open Your Box* †
13. Cold Turkey* †
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko* †
15. Hound Dog
16. Law And Order
17. Give Peace A Chance
* denotes afternoon show, otherwise the performance is from the evening show

CD2 / BR1
AFTERNOON SHOW
1. Power To The People (intro) †
2. New York City
3. It’s So Hard
4. Move On Fast †
5. Well Well Well
6. Born In A Prison †
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
8. Mother
9. We’re All Water †
10. Come Together
11. Imagine
12. Open Your Box †
13. Cold Turkey †
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko †
15. Hound Dog †

CD3 / BR1
EVENING SHOW
1. Power To The People (intro) †
2. New York City †
3. It’s So Hard †
4. Move On Fast †
5. Well Well Well †
6. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) †
7. Mother †
8. We’re All Water †
9. Born In A Prison †
10. Come Together
12. Open Your Box †
13. Cold Turkey
14. Hound Dog
15. Law And Order
16. Give Peace A Chance

CD4 / BR2
NEW YORK CITY (THE ULTIMATE MIXES)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory plus Invisible Strings
1. New York City (Ultimate Mix)
2. Sisters, O Sisters (Ultimate Mix)
3. Attica State (Ultimate Mix)
4. Born In A Prison (Ultimate Mix)
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Ultimate Mix, extended)
6. The Luck Of The Irish (Ultimate Mix)
7. John Sinclair (Ultimate Mix, extended)
8. Angela (Ultimate Mix)
9. We’re All Water (Ultimate Mix)

CD5 / BR2
NEW YORK CITY (THE EVOLUTION DOCUMENTARY)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory plus Invisible Strings
1. New York City (Evolution Documentary) †
2. Sisters, O Sisters (Evolution Documentary) †
3. Attica State (Evolution Documentary) †
4. Born In A Prison (Evolution Documentary) †
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Evolution Documentary) †
6. The Luck Of The Irish (Evolution Documentary) †
7. John Sinclair (Evolution Documentary) †
8. Angela (Evolution Documentary) †
9. We’re All Water (Evolution Documentary) †

CD6 / BR2
NEW YORK CITY (STUDIO JAM)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory
1. Jazz Freakout †
2. You Can’t Sit Down †
3. Roll Over Beethoven †
4. Honey, Don’t †
5. Ain’t That A Shame †
6. My Babe †
7. Send Me Some Lovin’ †
8. Fools Like Me †
9. Down In The Caribbean †
10. Happy Birthday Yoko Ono †
11. That’s Right †
12. Don’t Be Cruel / Hound Dog †
13. Yoko’s Rhythm †
14. Whole Lotta Shakin’ / It’ll Be Me †
15. Yakety Yak †
16. Road Runner †

CD7 / BR3
LIVE JAM 1
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band and A Star Studded Cast of Thousands
Peace and Love for Christmas, in aid of UNICEF
Live at the Lyceum Ballroom, The Strand, London
15 December 1969
1. Cold Turkey (live)
2. Don’t Worry Kyoko (live)
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band with Frank Zappa and The Mothers
Fillmore East, New York
6 June 1971
3. Well (Baby Please Don’t Go) (live)
4. Jamrag [Say Please / King Kong / Aawk] (live)
5. Scumbag (live)
6. Aü (live)

CD8 / BR3
LIVE JAM 2
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band with David Peel and The Lower East Side
Live at the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan
10 December 1971
1. Attica State (live) †
2. The Luck Of The Irish (live)
3. Sisters, O Sisters (live) †
4. John Sinclair (live)
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band
Live at the Benefit for the families of the victims of the riot at Attica State Correctional Facility
Apollo Theater, Harlem, NYC
17 December 1971
5. Attica State (live)
6. Sisters, O Sisters (live) †
7. Imagine (live)
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band
Live on the David Frost TV Show, The Little Theatre, 240 West 44th Street, NYC
16 December 1971
8. Attica State (live) †
9. Sisters, O Sisters (live) †
10. John Sinclair (live) †
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Elephant’s Memory Band
Live at the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, Americana Hotel, NYC
4 September 1972
11. Imagine (live) †
12. Now Or Never (live) †
13. Give Peace A Chance (live) †

CD9 / BR3
HOME JAM
John Lennon
Home Recordings at the St. Regis Hotel, New York
10 September 1971
1. Shazam †
2. Honey, Don’t †
3. Glad All Over †
4. Lend Me Your Comb †
5. Wake Up Little Susie †
6. New York City †
7. Wake Up Little Susie †
8. ‘Hey, que pasa?’ †
9. You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care) †
10. Vacation Time †
11. Heartbeat †
12. Peggy Sue Got Married †
13. Peggy Sue †
14. ‘Phone call from Henry Gotsello’ †
15. Peggy Sue †
16. ‘Now we’d like to change the mood a little…’ †
17. Maybe Baby †
18. Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues †
19. Rave On! †
20. Twelve Bar Blues †
John Lennon
Home Recordings at the St. Regis Hotel, New York
27 October 1971
21. I Got You †
22. Hi-Heel Sneakers †
23. Slippin’ And Slidin’ †
24. Gone From This Place †
John Lennon
Home Recordings at Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan
10 December 1971
25. Send Me Some Lovin’ †
26. He Got The Blues †
27. When The Teacher †
28. Pill †
29. It’s Real
John Lennon and Phil Ochs
Home Recordings at Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan
10 December 1971
30. I Ain’t Marching Anymore †
31. Joe Hill †
32. Chords Of Fame †
33. Ringing Of Revolution

† denotes never-before-heard, previously unreleased tracks

A good friend of mine Jeff Smulyan sent me the link about this forthcoming cd and vinyl release and I was pleasantly surprised. Even though Julian’s dad always had low opinions of It’s Only Love, it was always one of my personal favorite John Lennon songs. It will be interesting to hear the treatment of the song given by Chrissie Hynde and Julian Lennon. Chrissie Hynde, according to Julian had approached him to record a duet with her a while back. It will be interesting to listen to the final product and result!!!

This title will be released on October 17, 2025.

The cd: Duets Special is out 10/17 on Rhino.

This title will be released on October 17, 2025.

The vinyl Duets Special is out 10/17 on Rhino.

Duets Special

ON AMAZON UK

Duets Special
Chrissie Hynde & Pals (Artist) Format: Audio CD

Duets Special (Recycled Black Vinyl)
The Amazon UK link of the cd or vinyl is scheduled for October 17, 2025

Duets Special by Chrissie Hynde & Pals: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl

Track listing provided by Amazon:

1	Me & Mrs Jones (Feat. K.d. Lang)
2	Can’t Help Falling in Love (Feat. Mark Lanegan)
3	Sway (Feat. Lucinda Williams)
4	Dolphins (Feat. Dave Gahan)
5	First of the Hang to Die (Feat. Cat Power)
6	Always On My Mind (Feat. Rufus Wainwright)
7	Every Little Bit Hurts (Feat. Carleen Anderson)
8	I’m Not in Love (Feat. Brandon Flowers)
9	It’s Only Love (Feat. Julian Lennon)
10	Try to Sleep (Feat. Debbie Harry)
11	County Line (Feat. Alan Sparhawk)
12	Love Letters (Feat. Shirley Manson)
13	(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration (Feat. Dan Auerbach)

Hope you enjoyed hearing the news of this October 2025 release!

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

Denny Seiwell was the first drummer in Wings, Paul McCartney’s band, post-Beatles, that was his vehicle to prove to the world that he was not finished musically despite the disbanding of the world’s most successful and influential entertainment phenomenon!!! Denny Seiwell, in September of 2025 will be issuing a memoir detailing his background in jazz music and his time as the drummer with Paul McCartney’s band. The Amazon details of the book are noted below:

A signed Wings drumhead by Denny Seiwell that I acquired many years ago on eBay!

Denny Seiwell The Best and Worst of Times- Paperback

by Denny Seiwell (Author), Robyn Flans (Author) Released on September 23, 2025 Published by Hudson Music

From Amazon:

About the Authors

Denny Seiwell is a drummer and founding member of Wings with Paul McCartney. He appears on all the band’s recordings from their inception until 1973, including the single “Live and Let Die.” A prolific session drummer, he has also recorded or performed with Billy Joel, Rick Danko, Art Garfunkel, Joe Cocker, Kai Winding, John Denver, Janis Joplin and many others. He is the author of What Not to Play!: A Drummer’s Guide to Crafting a Drum Part (Alfred Music).

Robyn Flans is a journalist and author whose books include It’s About Time: Jeff Porcaro – The Man and His Music and Jeff Porcaro: A Moment in Time (Hudson Music). She is a longtime columnist and journalist who has been published in many major magazines including Modern Drummer and Mix.

AMAZON BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Denny Seiwell: The Best and Worst of Times is the autobiography of the original drummer for Paul McCartney & Wings. Co-written with bestselling author Robyn Flans (Jeff Porcaro: It’s About Time), the book chronicles the life of Denny’s successful career as a studio drummer, his time in Wings, and much more.

In 1971, busy New York session drummer Denny Seiwell received a life-changing phone call to audition for the most coveted gig in the world at the time: the drum chair with Paul McCartney. As the first non-Beatle to be chosen to play with McCartney, Seiwell embarked on a three-year rollercoaster ride through making three albums and touring with the former Beatle and securing his own place in classic rock history.

In The Best and Worst of Times, Seiwell tells the story of how his life and career unfolded through his time in the Navy, performing and recording in New York City and Los Angeles, becoming a first-call studio drummer, and joining Wings. The making of the albums RAM, Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway, and the classic single “Live and Let Die” are recounted in detail, along with all of Denny’s tours and travels with Wings, including the University, Wings Over Europe, and U.K. Tours of 1972-73. Seiwell reveals the inner workings of the band—from both a musical and personal perspective—and his ultimate decision to walk away from working with one of the biggest names in music history.

Following his departure from Wings, Seiwell immediately resumed his freelance career, working with various artists including Rick Danko (The Band), Joe Cocker, and Leon Russell, doing film score work with James Newton Howard, and taking on other projects. Through it all, Denny recounts his work, music, relationships, and his struggle with alcohol. He weaves a compelling story of riding a rocket to the stars, then coming to grips with the realities of the music business and his own frailties and addiction—and his ultimate recovery and happiness.

The Best and Worst of Times will put you behind the drum chair with Paul McCartney and give you an inside look at the many ups and downs of Seiwell’s six decades of surviving and thriving in music.

“’Live and Let Die’ alone tells you almost everything you need to know about Denny’s playing.” – Jim Keltner

“Out of all the guys I saw who I asked to do pretty much the same things I asked Denny to do, I thought he was the one who handled it best… he could do anything I asked him to do.” – Paul McCartney on Denny’s audition.

The book is 180 pages, printed in full color, with rare photographs throughout, including images from the Paul McCartney collection.

Amazon US link for the book:

Denny Seiwell The Best and Worst of Times: Denny Seiwell, Robyn Flans: 9798350163353: Amazon.com: Books

An interview with Denny Seiwell on the Things We Said Today program featuring Ken Michaels and several other ntable Beatle experts:

Things We Said Today #219 – Denny Seiwell

Volume 10 Issue 1 of Classic Drummer featuring Denny on the cover of the magazine:

The 50th anniversary edition tribute to the McCartney Ram album on which Seiwell played drums. This features interpretations of the material 50 years later

Ram On: 50th Anniversary Tribute To Paul & Linda Mccartney’s Ram
by PERDOMO,FENANDO & DENNY SEIWELL | May 28, 2021

Amazon.com : Denny Seiwell Ram

Another Denny Seiwell book and dvd:

What Not to Play!: A Drummer’s Guide to Crafting a Drum Part, Book & DVD: Seiwell, Denny: 9780739087589: Amazon.com: Books

What Not to Play!: A Drummer’s Guide to Crafting a Drum Part, Book & DVD Paperback – July 1, 2015
by Denny Seiwell (Author)

1. Alfred Music
2. Publication date July 1, 2015

A few Wings tracks that featured the drumming talents of Mr. Seiwell from YouTube:

Live And Let Die (2018 Remaster)

Give Ireland Back To The Irish

I am looking forward to purchasing a copy of Denny Seiwell’s The Best and Worst of Times soon!

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

Though Julian Lennon had intense reservations about ever covering his dad’s classic song of Imagine, when the crisis in Ukraine occurred with the invasion from the north, he felt compelled to do so because of the urgency of the moment. He produced a vinyl benefit 45 of the song. With the assistance of his friend Nuno Bettencourt, he recorded a unique acoustic guitar version of the song as Julian wanted something done differently in the production of the song because of it’s very strong association of being a piano based number. He was very successful in pulling it off.

Things change so quickly with song accreditation these days as a song that was always listed as being a John Lennon composition was changed to give credit to Yoko Ono as the co-writer and inspiration of the song via her book Grapefruit where she uses the Imagine term several times which clearly influenced John in the creation of the title and its contents, the song is now credited to Lennon/Ono. John himself stated during his lifetime that he should have given Yoko a songwriting credit for the song. That has now been rectified.

Julian’s was very resistant to ever doing a cover of the song for a multitude of reasons. One major reason is the curse of always being judged by media critics in comparisons with his father. Julian felt that the cause to help Ukraine outweighed and overruled that resistance and used the new recording to help with the Ukrainian cause as he donated the proceeds to Ukraine. Audience members who have heard the new version admire it and it seems to have received universally positive praise.

When the new Julian version of Imagine was issued, I saw this sheet music on eBay which featured Imagine signed by his son Julian. I could not resist in adding this to my collection. In the future I will have the sheet music framed with the 45 picture sleeve of the song. it is interesting to note that when John was recording the Imagine song and LP at Tittenhurst Park back in 1971, Julian was only a young boy of 8 years old, visiting his dad at the time and he was filmed playing with his friends on the immense estate, seemingly having a great time!

JULIAN LENNON SIGNED IMAGINE SHEET MUSIC

BMG-2022

Issued by BMG in 2022, this is the cover of the 45 issued by Julian of Imagine. The B-side was an etching of the word IMAGINE

The white vinyl 45:

Julian’s notes about his cover version appearing on both YouTube and his website- Official Store https://store.julianlennon.com/

Imagine 7” Vinyl – Julian Lennon Store

IMAGINE-JULIAN LENNON FEATURING NUNO BETTENCOURT

“The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy… As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could.

So today, for the first time ever, I publicly performed my Dad’s song, IMAGINE.

Why now, after all these years? – I had always said, that the only time I would ever consider singing ‘IMAGINE’ would be if it was the ‘End of the World’…

But also because his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide. Because within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time…

The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for…

As a result of the ongoing murderous violence, millions of innocent families, have been forced to leave the comfort of their homes, to seek asylum elsewhere.

I’m calling on world leaders and everyone who believes in the sentiment of IMAGINE, to stand up for refugees everywhere! Please advocate and donate from the heart. #StandUpForUkraine”

—Julian Lennon

---

Executive Producers – Julian Lennon, Rebecca Warfield

Director – Nuno Bettencourt & Rene Rigal – A Simplexity Creation / Atlantis Entertainment

Management: Rebecca Warfield, Chicane Group

Director of Photography – Thor Wixom

First A.C. – Lance Rand

Editor – Nuno Bettencourt

Special Thanks -Global Citizen, BMG, Downtown and Mike Savas

Official Store https://store.julianlennon.com/

Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood

Julian’s performance of the song on YouTube:

Julian Lennon Performs ‘IMAGINE’ for Global Citizen’s Stand Up For Ukraine w/Nuno Bettencourt

Interview on YouTube where Julian discusses his version of Imagine and other issues:

Julian Lennon talks new album, ‘Imagine’ cover and ‘Get Back’ documentary

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

The late Mal Evans who passed away in January of 1976 when he was shot by the LA police department while brandishing what the cops viewed as a rifle being aimed at them. Mal was suffering from severe depression at the time. He had led both a fascinating yet complicated life. He had the undying trust of the Beatles and he was with them for virtually their entire career joining them in 1963 and becoming their Road Manager joining forces with another trusted Beatle associate named Neil Aspinall. Mal was with the band as they rose to the pinnacle of fame and fortune. He loved the band so much that his devout loyalty has been later diagnosed as one of his biggest flaws. The reason for this analysis is based on the observation that he was often taken for granted by the band especially in regards to his financial compensation. He was grossly underpaid especially when compared with what the Beatles earned during those 7 years he was with them. He was promised royalties and a songwriting credit for several lyrical contributions he made to some Beatles songs. Speculation also exists that he may have been given compensation but his diaries certainly do not verify any specific amounts if that is indeed the case. It is a sad irony that the Beatles loved and trusted Mal but perhaps one could judiciously argue that on the other side of the coin, much of Mal’s loyalty may have been misplaced or misdirected. Reading the superb book by Kenneth Womack called Living the Beatles Legend, he lays out much of the evidence which allows the viewer to assess the information and come to their own conclusion about this matter. Mal was very happy and eager to dedicate a large portion of his life to the Beatles, yet the end result of that was that his wife and children suffered from not having their husband and dad around as often as they would have wanted or have liked. I get the distinct impression that the family often came out as the 2nd banana in the importance hierarchy of Mal. That assessment is not so simple though as Ken Womack describes Mal’s intense love for his wife and children. You get the impression that Mal felt guilty about how his family was feeling about his extreme sense of devotion but his actions and behavior seemed to belie that feeling of guilt. This may explain Mal’s intense sense of depression towards the end of his life. He was now facing a life without the Beatles and he lacked the sense of confidence to seemingly forge a new path. Mal admired the Beatles musical talents very much but he seemed to feel that his own attempts and musical production skills and attemots at songwriting were not be taken as seriously as he would have liked. It must have been a difficult scenario where his primary accomplishment was being assessed by the public from his association with the world’s most successful entertainers of the time. That had to be a tough row to hoe and we could certainly understand the mental conflicts this must have caused with Mal. To learn more about this fascinating story I suggest you read volume 1 of Kenneth Womack’s Mal Evans biography. You will smile at times and you will shed a few tears as well. Volume 2 of the Evans biography will follow, according to Ken Womack sometime in late 2026. The 2nd book will feature the actual Evans diaries as well as many other long hidden treasures!

For signed copies of the Ken Womack book: THE FEST FOR BEATLES FANS LINK

SIGNED: LIVING THE BEATLES LEGEND by KEN WOMACK & MAL’S 2 KIDS [6481] – $50.00 : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans

The US cover of the book and the US AMAZON link:

Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans―The Untold Story of the Beatles’ Roadie: Womack, Kenneth: 9780063248526: Amazon.com: Books

The UK cover of the book and the UK AMAZON link:-My personal preference is the UK cover with the touch of color!

Living the Beatles Legend: The new biography revealing the untold story of Mal Evans, the perfect gift for fans of the Beatles and music history : Womack, Kenneth: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Some people scoff at the contributions that Mal Evans made to Beatles songs like contributing some lyrics to Paul’s Fixing a Hole Sgt. Pepper track, yet just like many other Mal Evans occasions where the Beatles took Mal for granted, he went publicly uncredited for many of those contributions. It is a Shakespearean tragedy in my opinion that this man’s undying loyalty and love for the Beatles allowed him to be often used by the band. This even extended to what the band paid him during the Beatles years. The full story is brilliantly portrayed in the Kenneth Womack book that you see on this page (both the US edition and UK edition are pictured above)

A Personal Collecting highlight for me:

This unreleased song entitled Tears, was written in Mal Evans handwriting which I obtained for my personal collection from the UK organization named TRACKS! The song was co-written with Norman Kurban, a songwriter, musician, and arranger. Kurban has worked with Carole King and Buddy Miles among many other prominent names over the years!

Mal must have written multiple drafts of the song as recently I saw another handwritten copy of the song on eBay!

That copy however does not give the songwriting credits shown here on the upper right hand corner of the document!

Some Songwriting and Production Credits:

You and Me (Babe) is the song that ends the Ringo LP. It was co-written by none other than George Harrison and Mal Evans. Little is known that there was an additional song written by Mal that Ringo decided not to use on the Ringo LP. (See the Womack book for more details)

You And Me (Babe)

Mal Evans was also a great talent scout for the Beatles finding and promoting the Iveys who were later to become Badfinger. Mal Evans produced the hit single No Matter What for Badfinger.

No Matter What (Remastered 2010)

Mal also discovered and found the wonderful duo who become Splinter once Bill Elliot had recorded the vocal for the John Lennon song God Save Us God Save Us (2010 Remaster) which was issued to benefit OZ magazine in the UK. The song had a production credit for Mal Evans on the record.

Later, Elliot joined Bob Purvis to form Splinter a wonderful harmonizing duo that recorded some Apple demos but after the Apple label had deteriorated, due to business problems, George Harrison signed them to Dark Horse Records.

A lovely and beautiful Bob Purvis song that Mal Evans wrote some of the lyrics to was entitled Lonely Man. A rare unreleased version of this song exists with Pete Ham of Badfinger on acoustic guitar. Hopefully we will one day hear that gem. In the meantime, here is the excellent released version:

Lonely Man (2022 Remaster)

Here is the very rare version sung in both English and Japanese by Splinter:

‘Lonely Man’ by Splinter’, Japanese and part English version. Live in Tokyo!

The Beatles song that Mal acquired the anvil for:

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (Remastered 2009)

A song that Mal wrote a line for but was not officially credited for. Mal also claims credit for a line in Here There and Everywhere, also uncredited.

Fixing A Hole (Remastered 2009)

THE MAL EVANS BOBBLEHEAD

This is an item which I acquired from Kenneth Womack, the prominent Beatles scholar and author.

The bobblehead features a representation of Mal holding a hammer that he used on the anvil he secured for the song he played on during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions entitled Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. The song was officially released on the Abbey Road LP. I apologize for not knowing for sure whether it was Mal or Ringo playing the anvil on the final studio version of the song. I am only making an assumption saying that it was Mal. I usually only collect Beatles-related print material but I was overjoyed to obtain this wonderful memento from the Mal Evans book author. I love it and it is displayed prominently on one of my many bookshelves. One of my biggest regrets was not attending the Beatlefest (now known as The Fest For Beatles Fans) in the 70s where Mal made a guest appearance.

I have been told that a picture of the unique Apple Christmas card that Mal Evans sent to the former manager of Apple Records, the late Ken Mansfield, which I now own, will be included in the highly anticipated 2nd volume about Mal written by Kenneth Womack, due sometime in 2026! Here is a photo of the letter that accompanied my purchase of the Mal Evans Christmas card. Mr. Mansfield was a classy guy!

The 1964 UK Tour program in my collection which features a Mal Evans signature:

Mal Evans signature from my copy of a 1964 UK Tour program-unusual because he usually signed Mal rather than his full first name of Malcolm! Also proud to have his job description included with his signature as Beatle Road Manager.

MAL WAS LOVED BY VIRTUALLY EVERYONE:

Mal was also loved and respected by many of the Beatles close friends and associates. For example, people like musician Harry Nilsson who wrote this wonderful inscription about Mal on a test reference disk of his Sandman LP :

It reads: “TO MAL THE PAL-I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART-YOU BET HARRY NILSSON” Mal took the photo of the the cover of the Nilsson Sandman LP.

The Harry Nilsson Sandman LP cover with the photo that was taken by Mal Evans:

Mal receives the cover photo credit on the back of the album cover in the last column:

SANDMAN ALBUM CREDITS:

A&R – Marge Meoli

Arranged By – Perry Botkin Jr. (tracks: A2, A4, B4)

Backing Vocals – The Perry Botkin Jr. Singers*

Banjo – Doug Dillard

Bass, Artwork [Inside] – Klaus Voormann

Design, Graphics – Gribbitt*

Drums – Jim Keltner

Engineer [Recording], Producer [Associate] – Richie Schmitt*

Engineer [Second] – Artie Torgersen, Mike Moran (7), Pete Abbott

Guitar – Danny Kootch*, Fred Tackett, Jesse Ed Davis

Keyboards – Jane Getz, Leon Russell, Van Dyke Parks

Percussion – Emil Richards, Emmett Kennedy, Gary Coleman, Joe DeAguero, Pat Murphy, Robert Greenidge

Photography By [Cover] – Mal “The Pal” Evans*

Producer – Harry Nilsson

Reeds – Bobby Keys, Gene Cipriano, Jay Migliori, Jim Horn, Johnny Rotella*, Trevor Lawrence

Strings [Solos] – Bobby Bruce, Ilene Novog, The Perry Botkin Jr. Orchestra*

HOPE YOU LOOK FORWARD TO LATE 2026 WHEN WE LEARN A LOT MORE ABOUT THE INTRIGUING SHAKESPEAREAN TALE OF MALCOLM EVANS WITH VOLUME 2 OF KENNETH WOMACK’S EXCELLENT EXPLORATION OF THE LIFE OF THE GENTLE GIANT. HOPE THE MONTHS FLY BY!

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

Just got my copy in the mail of the wonderful new volume of the John Lennon narrative being passionately created and worked on by Jude Southerland Kessler. Jude has taken on the arduous, yet rewarding task of creating a day by day chronology of John’s life in order for viewers to be able to understand the creation of the complex personality of one of the 20th century’s most dynamic and misunderstood figures! Since Jude began this project many years ago, awaiting each volume of her John Lennon narrative has become an eagerly anticipated ritual. We know where the story is heading but still living with the hope of a different ending. That is the literary gift of Jude Southerland Kessler. John becomes alive again on every page and through her intense research and heavily documented through heavily footnoted text, we know that this work is not a personal fantasy of Jude’s. Her series of books bring you there as if you are a standby viewer watching the events unfold. The narrative is extremely credible and realistic and that is such a difficult task for conversations that may never had been recorded. The latest volume deals with the 2nd half of 1965 which some have argued was actually the peak year of Beatlemania. The Beatles were on another American tour and this was the year they got to meet their hero, Elvis Presley! They were also to play their historic Shea Stadium concert!

Originally thought to become a 9 book series, each volume is so heavily detailed and documented, I personally expect the series to extend over the ten volume mark. Once it is completed, Jude’s contribution to both John’s and the Beatles story will be forever assured. I fully intend to make sure that I will get every volume of this incredible book series as glowing examples of the jewels that the hard work of Jude Southerland Kessler have accomplished!

All of the books in the Lennon series are voluminous in the 600-800 page range. Jude must be hard pressed to ever leave or depart from her computer. Readers can never fully realize the work that goes behind the creating of this narrative especially with the level of detail that Jude demands with her task!

You can order your copy of the book at this link:

John Lennon Biography | John Lennon Expert and Biographer

The front cover of the new book designed by Rande Kessler:

Back cover of the book with some book details and the high praise of many of Jude’s contemporaries:

The signature of the author and of the cover designer:

Jude Kessler and her husband Rande are a true team, always working together to accomplish common goals with the intense desire and pursuit of excellence. They have been very kind to me in our many email exchanges over the years and have gone the extra mile in helping to promote this Beatles Blog for which I always will be grateful!

Here is a special page of the new book devoted to Rande and some of his distinguished accomplishments:

Hope you have enjoyed this post about the new book!

Once again, here is the link if you are interested in acquiring the new volume:

John Lennon Biography | John Lennon Expert and Biographer

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz