by John “Buzz” Bezzini

In the first installment of this series of posts about the superb collection of 2nd generation Beatles fan, Matt, I had mentioned that I have seen a lot of super collections in my time, but only a few would be able surpass or remotely approach the artifacts this gentleman has been able to acquire for his personal collection. There is one sentence I can use to sum up of what I have seen of Matt’s collection so far. Paul McCartney has a beautiful song entitled Maybe I’m Amazed. When I saw Matt’s collection of signatures and artifacts, the more apt song title would read as: Definitely I’m Amazed!

Part 2:

There are places we remember …. some have gone and some remain …. 

Matt’s story: Relax and float downstream

Many years have passed since The Beatles first made history in the sixties. Just like many people in The Beatles’ orbit have passed on, the same is true with many of the places that feature prominently in their story. Artifacts associated with these places provide a tangible connection to The Beatles and allows for fans to connect with the band’s legacy long after the places and people associated with them are gone. Whether it’s a brick from one of their homes or a piece of a stage they performed on, Beatles artifacts have become an important and exciting part of the collecting world. Each artifact tells a story and captures a moment in time. According to Matt, it is an honor to share some of the artifacts he has collected over the last two decades with fellow fans. 

Matt’s collection of Beatles artifacts began in 2006 when Graham Paisley, the Verger at St. Peter’s Church gave Matt a section of the floor from the Church Hall where on July 6, 1957, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were first introduced to each other. Since then, Matt has tried to collect anything associated with that day that he can find. Matt acquired a piece of the stage that John and his band the Quarrymen performed on that historic day in a private sale from an individual who in 1997 attended the 40^th anniversary of the meeting of John and Paul. The stage has been removed from the hall and part of it is in a museum. In another private sale, Matt purchased a piece of the wall from the church hall. The green stain glass piece from the church hall in Matt’s collection was sold by St. Peter’s Church after it had to remove the stain glass panels for safety reasons.

One of the most incredible items that Matt has obtained is a teacup saucer custom made for St Peter’s Church (commonly referred to as Woolton Parish Church as it is located in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool). The saucer was made in the late 1800s and is the only known piece to survive from the original set. It was used for in the church hall for fellowship and special events, including the Woolton Village Fete on July 6, 1957, when John met Paul. Matt obtained the piece from a gentleman in England whose father obtained it directly from the parish’s priest at the time.

A floor block from St Peter’s Church Hall:

Framed display of teacup saucer used in St Peter’s Church Hall:

Front of the saucer with custom engraving:

Back of the saucer with maker’s mark:

Framed display of green stain glass panel, wall piece, and wood stage piece from St Peter’s Church Hall:

Before The Beatles became world famous, they performed for years in small venues in and around Liverpool.

The Cavern Club

The most well known of these venues is by far the Cavern Club. The Beatles performed 292 times there between 1961 and 1963. The Cavern Club was torn down but subsequently rebuilt using many of the original bricks. The 5,000 unused bricks were sold for charity. The Cavern Club brick in Matt’s collection was the first of many Beatles bricks he collected. When Matt was in Liverpool in 2008 he got to hold a piece of the Cavern Club stage that The Beatles performed on before it was removed in 1964 for a bigger stage. This piece was being sold by Tracks, UK. When Matt returned home, he contacted Tracks (the seller of the stage) and bought it. It’s a prized piece in his collection.

A brick from the Cavern Club:

A piece of the stage from the Cavern Club :

The Casbah Coffee Club

Another early venue that The Quarrymen and then The Beatles performed at many times was the Casbah Coffee Club, which was a teen social club in the basement of the home of one time Beatles drummer Pete Best. The Casbah still exists, though it is no longer a social club. Matt visited the Casbah where he met Pete and his brothers Rory and Roag. Subsequently, Matt acquired a brick and stage pieces from the Casbah from the Best family when they sold very limited quantities of them. The most significant Casbah artifact that Matt has acquired is a star painted by one of The Beatles on the ceiling of the Casbah. 200 of these stars were removed and sold. Matt’s star is number 7 and it was obtained at an auction.

A brick from the Casbah Coffee Club:

A piece of the stage from the Casbah Coffee Club display

A ceiling star from the Casbah Coffee Club painted by one of The Beatles (Speculated to be John Lennon):

Grosvenor Ballroom

Another venue that The Beatles frequently performed at was the Grosvenor Ballroom. Matt obtained a piece of the stage’s overhang from a seller on eBay whose friend in England had obtained a number of pieces of the stage’s overhang at the time of its removal. 

A piece of the stage from the Grosvenor Ballroom:

The Jacaranda

The Jacaranda Club is a famous venue in the history of The Beatles. Owned by their first manager Allan Williams, it was a place where the early lineup of the group hung out and eventually performed. Matt performed three Beatles songs there in 2006 with his dad Alex and his brother Ken. Matt recently acquired a piece of one of the murals in the Jacaranda in a private sale from the son of a deceased collector who was a major player in the Beatles collecting world. The mural was painted by original Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon. Matt also has a piece of the Jacaranda itself which his friend, Liverpool Beatles tour guide Jackie Spencer, gifted to him. 

A piece of a mural from the Jacaranda Club painted by Stuart Sutcliffe :

A displayed piece of the Jacaranda Club:

The Aintree Institute

Jackie also gifted Matt a brick from the Aintree Institute, where The Beatles performed many times in their formative years. Jackie obtained the brick in the rubble of where the Aintree Institute once stood. She was giving a tour when she noticed that the venue had been torn down without warning.  

A brick from the Aintree Institute:

Litherland Town Hall

One of the most iconic concerts in the history of The Beatles took place at the Litherland Town Hall on December 27, 1960. Build as direct from Hamburg, Germany, The Beatles opened their homecoming set with “Long Tall Sally”. The crowd’s reaction of rushing towards the stage was beyond anything the group had experienced before. That concert has been widely recognized as the birth of Beatlemania. When the Litherland Town Hall was turned into a medical clinic the construction company removed the stage, which ended up with a certain Mersey Beat musician.  Very limited quantities of the stage were sold. Matt bought his from the man who originally obtained the stage pieces. 

A piece of the stage from the Litherland Town Hall:

Abbey Road-EMI Studios:

The Beatles recorded most of their music in Studio 2 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London, England. Studio 2 is a special place in the history of The Beatles. It is still an operational recording studio and has remained largely the same as it did when The Beatles recorded there. Artifacts from Studio 2 are nearly impossible to find. However, a few years back, Abbey Road Studios did some renovations in Studio 2. As part of the renovation, 210 bricks had to be removed. The bricks were cleaned up and sold by the Studios. However, all bricks had to be purchased in person at the Studios gift shop. They would not be shipped. Luckily, Matt’s family friends from England, Steve and Val, graciously made the trek to London and purchased a brick on Matt’s behalf. As soon as they delivered brick number 40 to Matt it became one of his favorite items in his collection. Matt has also acquired a floorboard and a piece of one of the swinging sound baffle walls from Studio Two. Both were originally obtained by an artist who had recorded multiple albums in Studio 2.

A brick from Abbey Road Studios, studio 2:

A floorboard from Abbey Road Studios, studio 2:

A display of a piece of one of the swinging sound baffle walls from Abbey Road Studios, studio 2:

A close up of the piece of one of the swinging sound baffle walls from Abbey Road Studios, studio 2:

Growing Up in Liverpool:

Over the years, Matt has collected a number of artifacts associated with John, Paul, George and Ringo’s early days in Liverpool. One of those items is a brick from John Lennon’s Liverpool home “Mendips” where he lived with his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George Smith. The brick was one of only 150 removed when a wall in the house was knocked down to make room for a film crew that was making a movie about John. Matt obtained it years ago on eBay. Another artifact from Mendips that Matt recently obtained from eBay is a piece of the original carpet. It was sourced from a person involved with restoration work at the house when the National Trust took it over.

Last year, Matt obtained a piece of an original wood door from George Harrison’s Liverpool home at 25 Upton Green where he and his family lived from 1950-1962. Matt obtained this piece in a private sale. 

Penny Lane and Strawberry Field were local Liverpool inspirations for a double A side Beatles single released in 1967. Matt acquired a brick from the demolished orphanage from the Strawberry Field grounds where a young John Lennon frequently played. Matt purchased the brick directly from Strawberry Field. Also in Matt’s collection is a piece of the original wood doors from the Allerton fire station at the Penny Lane roundabout featured in the song of the same name. Matt purchased the door piece directly from the Penny Lane Development Trust.

A brick from John Lennon’s Liverpool home Mendips:

A piece of carpet from John Lennon’s Liverpool home Mendips:

A piece of a wood door from George Harrison’s Liverpool home at 25 Upton Green:

A brick from Strawberry Field and a piece of one of the doors from the Allerton fire station in the Penny Lane district mentioned in the song: 

Concert Artifacts:

Some of the most sought-after Beatles’ artifacts are those associated with historic concerts.  Matt has acquired a number of these artifacts over the years. 

Ed Sullivan Show

One of The Beatles’ most famous performances took place on February 9, 1964, when they made their live American television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. Years ago, Matt obtained a pair of isle seats from Row B in the balcony of CBS Studio 50 in New York that were there when The Beatles made history on the Ed Sullivan Show. He purchased them from an antique dealer selling them on behalf of a former stagehand at the studio who removed the seats as part of the theater’s massive renovation for the David Letterman Show. Matt also owns a piece of the theater’s ornate ceiling that was given to an individual involved with its restoration for the David Letterman Show. Matt obtained this from eBay. 

A pair of seats from CBS Studio 50 (Ed Sullivan Theater):

A piece of the ceiling from CBD Studio 50 (Ed Sullivan Theater):

Candlestick Park

The Beatles last ever ticketed concert took place on August 29, 1966, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. When the ballpark was demolished, nothing was saved. Matt’s collection includes a piece of concrete that was part of Candlestick Park when The Beatles said goodbye to touring. He purchased it from a San Francisco Giants fan who snuck into the fenced in demolition site. The piece was obtained in the aftermath of the demolition of the original part of the Candlestick Park. 

A piece of concrete from Candlestick Park:

Washington Coliseum

Another historic concert by The Beatles took place two days after their first Ed Sullivan Show performance when they appeared in their first American concert at the Washington Coliseum. Matt’s collection includes an original concession sign that was part of the Washington Coliseum when The Beatles played there on February 11, 1964. Matt purchased this on eBay. 

A concession sign from the Washington Coliseum:

Star Club, Hamburg

In 1962, The Beatles had a number of residencies at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany. You can hear them at this venue on the Live at the Star Club recording. Matt owns a piece of the original Star Club stage that was removed after it was damaged in a fire. He purchased this on eBay. 

A display of a piece of the Star Club stage:

Apple – 3 Savile Row

The Beatles’ final live performance took place on January 30, 1969, on the rooftop of their Apple headquarters at 3 Savile Row in London. Matt’s collection includes an original vintage Savile Row sign that hung on a building on Savile Row through sixties, including for The Beatles’ swan song. 

A Savile Row street sign that was actually posted during the famous rooftop concert in January of 1969:

Shea Stadium

Perhaps the most famous of all The Beatles’ live events was their historic Shea Stadium concert on August 15, 1965. Matt has a number of artifacts from Shea Stadium that were present when The Beatles reached the mountain top, including brick fragments from the outfield wall, a piece of one of the two original foul poles, an iron seat bracket and a railing segment. They were purchased from a reputable dealer of artifacts from Shea Stadium. 

Bricks, iron seat support, and green painted railing piece from Shea Stadium:

A piece of one of the Shea Stadium foul poles:

Hollywood Bowl

In both 1964 and 1965, The Beatles performed at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in California. Matt acquired a piece of one of the original wood benches from the venue the absorbed every note of those historic concerts, selections from which were released as The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl album. The wood bench piece for seat 21 was purchased in a private sale from an artist who owned much of the wood sourced from the Hollywood Bowl as part of a renovation. 

A piece of a wooden seat bench from the Hollywood Bowl:

I know you were amazed by these artifacts collected by 2nd generation Beatles super fan, Matt. Stay tuned for more posts of his magnificent collection in the near future!

A special thanks and appreciation are extended to Matt, for sharing his photos and memories with us all!

Be happy and healthy!

Buzz

OUR FEATURED BOOK – CAVERN CLUB THE INSIDE STORY

By John “Buzz” Bezzini

The new Rubber Soul Deluxe is out! This is one blog participant that with all due respect to streaming enthusiasts will never feel that streaming is superior to physical media. The tactile joy of reading a good book or holding a cd or record in your hand prior to listening to it is unequaled or unsurpassed. Businesses do not appreciate large overhead in any product they manufacture and streaming cuts down on their expenses making their profits go higher and higher resulting in their heavy promotion of streaming services.

I will never relinquish the thrill and the excitement of looking at a personal book and record archive, not dependent on the product being delivered to me by a phone or a computer or another third-party. Streaming technology has in my opinion decreased the writing skills and academic abilities of the participants. For example, who needs to know how to spell correctly if spell check and AI can correct your written text for you? No, sir, that world is not for me. Human thought being replaced by a machine. No, thank you!!!

This is one purchaser of physical media that will not relent in that pursuit. Here is the Beatles latest rerelease, with the CD boxed set of Rubber Soul which many consider to be their best album ever. That discussion is fruitless as there are many others that could also fall under that category. There is also a more expensive vinyl box set available for interested parties. The deluxe Cd box contains 4 cd’s, the new stereo remix of the LP, Rubber Soul Sessions, Demos and the single, the original rubber Soul Mono Master and Rubber Soul the original Capitol stereo mix. There is also a beautiful book of photos and recording details in this package

My favorite disk in these box sets are the outtakes or alternate versions that help to highlight the creative process. I was especially delighted to hear John’s demo of Little Girl. However, it is also disappointing that this was only a song in process and never was properly finished as a complete recording. Another “what if” to ponder about! Two more suggestions would have made this a more complete historical box set and that would have been the inclusion of a full 12 Bar Original instrumental track and the full demo for What Goes On featuring a different middle section. To not include these on the box was a MISTAKE that is not a comment on the quality of the 2 missing songs only a reaction to ensure a more complete content as historical artifacts.

The Beatles – Little Girl (Stereo Mix)

I found this box set to be a welcome addition to my Beatles collecting library and I sincerely hope that the record company has plans for more such sets. Perhaps the next one can be a Magical Mystery Tour/Yellow Submarine box? what a TRIP that one could be! LOL

Tracks left off the box set: John’s demo of What Goes On with a different bridge and the full almost 7-minute instrumental entitled 12 Bar Original inspired by Booker T. & the M.G.’s!  Saw both of these tracks on YouTube…

Wonder what the decision-making variables were not to include these recordings on the sessions disk?

The Beatles : What Goes On (John’s Demo)

The Beatles – 12 Bar Original (long version, remixed and remastered)

THE CD SLIPCASE COVER:

THE BACK COVER OF THE BOX-FEATURES THE 4-CD CONTENTS:

THE COVER OF THE BOOK INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE:

Wonderful recording session details from Kevin Howlett and many beautiful photographs included in this book!

THE TABLE OF CONTENTS:

THE 4 CDS IN THEIR REPOSITORY OF AN LP-LIKE GATEFOLD:

DISKS 1&2:

DISKS 3&4:

There have been rumors that this set might be the last Beatles box. I, for one, hope that is not the case! History deserves more… and more…and more!!!

Be happy and be healthy!

Buzz

P.S. You can usually find the release at your favorite media purchasing outlet or you can also go directly to the Beatles official website:

The Beatles

OUR FEATURED BOOK TODAY: SONGS WE WERE SINGING

A ROADIE”S DIARY

BY BUZZ

The back cover of the book:

The Long Way Round

By Martin Wilson (Author)  Format: Paperback

A collecting friend of mine in the UK named Seamus Hayes was very kind in informing me of this new book written by a Wings roadie in the UK on the 1973 wings UK Tour. It is not a big softcover of approximately 70 pages, but it certainly intrigued my interest, and I await my copy in the mail

Here are the links for the book if you are interested in also checking it out:

Amazon UK:

The Long Way Round : Wilson, Martin: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Amazon US:

The Long Way Round: Wilson, Martin: 9798235297289: Amazon.com: Books

The Amazon description of the book:

• The Long Way Roundby Martin Wilson (Author)  Format: Paperback Before the stadium anthems and the corporate tours, rock and roll was built on steel ramps, heavy flight cases, and the sweat of invisible men. In the spring of 1973, Martin Wilson is a twenty-year-old lad from Byker with four pounds to his name, a bad hangover, and hands scarred from carrying gear for bands that never made it. Then a letter slipped under a rehearsal room door changes everything. Suddenly, he is trading the cold working men’s clubs of Tyneside for a warehouse in West London, joining the elite American audio crew Showco, and embarking on a journey that will shape the rest of his life: the historic, chaotic, and deeply human 1973 UK tour of Paul McCartney & Wings. Told from the vantage point of a side-stage flight case, this beautifully crafted memoir is not a book about the “dragons” of celebrity gossip or rock-star excess. It is a profound love letter to the craft, the road, and the families we forge at four in the morning. From a terrifying moment when a roaring Glasgow crowd threatens to bring down a century-old balcony, to a quiet, unforgettable late-night encounter in a Cardiff theatre, Martin captures the rhythm of an era defined by a sonic revolution. Most of all, it is a story about home, fatherhood, and the silent dignity of a true craftsman-learning to love people through the hard, invisible work of your own two hands.
• Readers’ Praise: “A masterfully written look at the golden age of rock from the perspective of the people who actually built the cathedrals of sound. “Deeply moving, authentic, and evocative. A stunning memoir about music, memory, and the choices that make us who we are.”

From the 73 UK Tour from YouTube:

Paul McCartney & Wings Live at NewCastel 1973 + bonus tracks

Thanks again Seamus for informing us of the availability of this book!

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

If you thought you knew it all about Beatles animation, you probably do not. This book goes a long way to help correct that complication!

Received my copy of Matthew Hahn’s recently released book about Beatles animation and I am very pleased. It is thorough and will serve as an excellent research resource book about Beatles animation in your Beatles book libraries

I have provided the description of the great new book below for you as guidance and a few links as to where it can be ordered!

The Amazon Description of the book

The Animated Beatles
by Matthew Hahn (Author) Format: Hardcover
By 1964, the Beatles had conquered the media of music, radio, television, film, and literature. Little did they expect they were about to dominate animation.

Al Brodax produced The Beatles Cartoon (1965), which was the first time that likenesses of contemporary personalities were cast as stars in an animated television series. (They beat the Three Stooges by a few weeks.) The premiere scored a 51.9 share, which was hitherto unheard of in daytime TV. Brodax followed up in 1968 with Yellow Submarine, another first: “. . . extremely real and enormously famous people were going to be animated into a feature film.” It received rapturous critical notices and audiences flocked to the theaters. Today it is recognized as a classic and an alternative to the Disneyfication that had taken over and stagnated animation.

The Beatles are the most caricatured celebrities of all time, with new fan films coming out daily on YouTube and TikTok. Matthew Hahn, author of The Animated Marx Brothers, The Animated Peter Lorre, and The Animated Universal Classic Monsters, has found hundreds of toons with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, and also “Fifth Beatles” Brian Epstein, George Martin, Stuart Sutcliffe, Pete Best, and Billy Preston. They have appeared in computer games, music videos, rides, museum exhibits, virtual reality, and AI. All three surviving Beatles did guest shots on The Simpsons (1989), and John made many posthumous cameos. Other projects include Family Guy (1999), The Powerpuff Girls (1998), Robot Chicken (2005), Celebrity Deathmatch (1998), BoJack Horseman (2014), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Minions (2015), Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards to Broad Street (1985), The Beatles Rock Band (2009), unfinished works like the long-gestating remake of Yellow Submarine, and apocryphal ones like the “Lost Beatles Cartoon Episode.” Creators and voice actors affiliated with Beatle-toons include Paul Frees, Bob Godfrey, Matt Groening, Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria, Seth MacFarlane, Simon Pegg, Seth Green, Jake Kasdan, Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Jason Schwartzman, Robert Zemeckis, and Cary Elwes.

ORDERING LINKS:

AMAZON US:
Amazon.com: The Animated Beatles: 9798887719474: Hahn, Matthew: Books

AMAZON UK:

The Animated Beatles : Hahn, Matthew: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Author of “The Animated Peter Lorre” from BearManorMedia.

http://www.bearmanormedia.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=the%20animated%20peter%20lorre

The author kindly sent me a bookplate for the book! Thank you, Matt!

The back cover of the book:

Concluding Remarks:

Let me know if you decided to add this title to your Beatles book collections and your opinions and comments about the book!

I found the book to have significant amounts of new and very interesting information, and the protagonists of the book (the Beatles) were very animated and often cartoonish about their convictions!

“Take some nasty medicine your blueness!”

The Beatles – All Together Now (Official Video)

Enjoy this wonderful book, folks!

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

PRELUDE:

Recently a good friend of mine on the internet named Anthony had a discussion with me about all of the fantastic, unreleased John Lennon songs that we both heard on the Lost Lennon radio series and on YouTube but these songs never had a studio professional treatment until three of them were finished by the remaining Beatles, of course I refer to Free as a Bird, Real Love, and the #1 UK release of Now and Then. Anthony and I had a discussion of hoping that Sean would eventually consider a family project of finishing up the best of his dad’s still unreleased compositions to gift the world with studio productions of the many wonderful songs that John left behind.

I Invited Anthony to write the letter and I invite you to read the exquisite letter that Anthony wrote, welcoming the latest Lennon addition to the family, Aurelius, to the world, and explaining to Sean a project that he hopes he will consider one day when he has the time. Enough of my dissertation. Here is the exquisite letter of my internet friend, Anthony:

THE LETTER:

Dear Sean,

Congratulations Dad (and Mom). What a joyful time in your lives and one that is certain to inspire the proud parents.

As lifelong fans, it is our hope you might someday consider a project that would mean a great deal to millions of people around the world: an album built around some of your father’s unfinished demos.

For so many of us, John’s music has never really belonged to the past. We grew up with it. We fell in love to it, raised families with it playing in our homes, turned to it during difficult times, and celebrated better days with those songs somewhere in the background. In a very real sense, generations of fans have grown up alongside the Lennon family. After all these years, the love still burns remarkably strongly.

The extraordinary work that was done with “Now and Then” reminded us that an unfinished recording does not necessarily have to remain unfinished forever. In the right hands, and approached with sensitivity and respect, an old voice can reach across the years without losing the humanity that made it matter in the first place.

Perhaps somewhere in the Lennon archives are a few more fragments—unfinished songs, home recordings, melodies, lyrics, or ideas—that John never had the opportunity to complete. We can think of no one better than you to decide whether any of them deserve another life. Not as an attempt to recreate John Lennon, which no one could ever do, but as a loving conversation between generations.

And now you and Charlotte have welcomed little Aurelius into your family. Parenthood has a wonderful way of changing our sense of time: suddenly the past, present, and future seem to sit together in the same room. Aurelius will grow up surrounded by an extraordinary artistic legacy, but more importantly, by the family behind that legacy. Who knows? Perhaps one day he, too, will find his own way of making music and adding another chapter to a remarkable family story.

Of course, this may not be the moment for such a project. These are the days of diaper changes, nighttime feedings, very little sleep, and discovering the incomparable joy of simply being Mom and Dad. The tapes can wait.

But someday, should the idea speak to you, imagine what might be possible. With some of the world’s most gifted musicians and producers only a phone call away—and with your own remarkable musicianship and understanding of your father’s work—you would certainly have some interesting choices to make.

There is no need to manufacture nostalgia. John already left us more than enough. But if there are still a handful of songs waiting quietly in a box somewhere, perhaps they deserve to be heard.

And perhaps we are not quite finished listening.

With affection, gratitude, and enduring love for the music,

Lennon Fans Forever

LENNON DEMOS

Now that the beautiful letter by Anthony has expressed the viewpoint of many fans, we wanted to take this opportunity to demonstrate some of the Lennon demos that have appeared on YouTube, being attempted by various musicians:

Anthony, YouTube has proven that there are more than just a few scraps remaining. The following links from YouTube reflect several people attempting to finish up some of John’s demos with their own vision of what a studio sounding track might sound like. Some of them are noticeably better than others, but they all deserve a listen to envision or determine what the final finished product might have sounded like if it was ever brought to the studio! Some of these YouTubers deserve a medal for their efforts in my opinion.

This blog post does not represent an encouragement or sanction of these YT recordings only that they do exist on YouTube, giving the Lennon family a possible prime incentive to put together the project being suggested at the beginning of this post directly under the Lennon family tutelage and direction!

Many of these attempts are excellent and makes fans wonder, “I wonder what a finished studio production sanctioned by the family would actually end up being?” Peter Jackson – this is one helluva project for you, dear sir!

Do most fans think that a project like this should be attempted by the family or should things be simply left alone?

Two excellent attempts:

A song John apparently wrote about playwright Tennessee Williams sometime in 1974/75!

John Lennon – Tennessee (Memories) (Unreleased 1970s Dakota Demo) – Fan made (Not AI)

A potential song begun as a Lennon jam during the Get back sessions:

The Beatles – Watching Rainbows (Finished)

A cover from 1969: Could some of the unfinished music from the Get Back Sessions be made into finished songs?

The Beatles – Maybe Baby (1969 Demo With Completed Vocals) – YouTube

Was impressed with these:

The Beatles – India, India (Finished)

Two more Lennon jams during the Get Back sessions!

The Beatles – Mad Man (Finished)

The Beatles – Suzie Parker (Finished) [Mashup]

Another cover:

The Beatles – Keep Your Hands Off My Baby (1963 BBC Saturday Club Recreation)

More:

John Lennon’s Unreleased ‘Real Life’ Demo – My Full Instrumentation Version

India India John Lennon cover with John Lennon singing!

You saved my soul John Lennon Cover Happy Birthday 2023

John Lennon – Illusions (Not for Love Nor Money) [Fan Arrangement / 2026]

The Happy Rishikesh song cover with John Lennon Not AI

John Lennon – She Is a Friend of Dorothy (Unreleased 1970s Dakota Demo) – Full Band Recreation

John Lennon – Mucho Mungo (1976 Home Demo Enhanced) | Real Instruments Over John’s Original Vocal

My Take on John Lennon’s Hidden Gem: Here We Go Again (Demo Cover)

The Beatles – Brian Epstein Blues (Finished)

By the way this list is not fully comprehensive as there are many more hone demos that were heard in the Lost Lennon tapes!

Based on the Beatles performance of a jam during Let it Be

Watching Rainbows

Another demo by a source who seems to produce quality stuff on YouTube

Solitude John Lennon Demo. Not AI. Fan Made

TWO EXCELLENT ARTISTS WHO HAVE COVERED JOHN’S UNRLEASED MATERIAL IN THEIR OWN CDS:

LOS ESCARABAJOS: A Spanish group who produced a cd called Lennonphile

Los Escarabajos – Lennonphile (The Album That John Could Never Record) – YouTube

PAMELA DAVIS: A very talented musician who teaches music put together a wonderful CD called Dear John an exciting collection of her interpretations of some of John’s as of then unreleased material

Dear John (A John Lennon Tribute) – YouTube

More samples:

John Lennon – My Life Demo (Re Imagined)

John Lennon’s Lost 1970 Demo “I Promise” Cover Not AI

Sally and Billy-Help me to help myself Music only John Lennon demos. New 2024

John Lennon & Bob Dylan Mashup – Serve Yourself + Gotta Serve Somebody (Not AI)

The Beatles – Help Me To Help Myself (Finished)

The Beatles – All I Want Is You (Finished)

John Lennon – You Saved My Soul (restored demo)

® John Lennon – “Memories” (AI Completed Version of Unreleased Demo)

Post Beatles John Lennon: Just Because (1973) (unreleased Lennon song) new 1st time heard in Stereo

John Lennon – One Of The boys (unreleased song) [Remastered 2023]

John Lennon – Dear John (RARE Demo Remixed 2024)

John Lennon – Memories (unreleased song) [Remastered 2023]

John Lennon – Not for love or money (unreleased Song)

John Lennon – Whatever Happened To (unreleased song) demo circa 1978 [Remastered 2023]

John Lennon – Mirror On The Wall (GENERAL CRACKERS) demo ca. 1977 [Remasted 2023]

John Lennon – Cookin’ (in the kitchen of love) [AI Remaster]

John Lennon – Mucho Mungo (Demo) [Restored 2025]

I’m In Love (early recording) – The Beatles

1963 John Lennon Demo (Bad to Me)

Different version of this one:

The Beatles: What Goes On (Demo)

More covers:

John Lennon – You send me (unreleased 1979 Cover)

Cathy’s Clown- John Lennon

Dream Lover / John Lennon from album ROCK “N” ROLL SESSIONS

John Lennon – Dream Lover / Stay

Bits and Pieces:

The Beatles/John Lennon: Hold On, I’m Coming [Unreleased Demo]

9 – JOHN LENNON – Say it Again – (rare demo)

Child Of Nature (Esher Demo)

John Lennon – Child of Nature

JOHN LENNON – ‘A CASE OF THE BLUES’: The Extremely Rare Unreleased Dakota Song In Its Entirety!

John Lennon – Gone from this place (unreleased Song) **Restored 2024**

The final word is from Paul:

Paul McCartney’s Unreleased Song About John Lennon called “John’s Boots”

Questions: Based on what you have heard on the YouTube samples provided on the post, what are your favorite numbers and why? Would you like to see a couple of final studio albums put together by the Lennon family finishing the incomplete numbers and taking the finished numbers and giving them a full studio production with backing vocals, where applicable, and guest musicians to play and sing along with John, perhaps some of his musical friends that survive could lend a contributing hand to the recordings. Peter Jackson could help like he did with Now and Then to bring John’s special voice to the forefront of the possible releases!

A special thank you to Anthony, a very special person indeed, for his wonderful letter to Sean! I hope he hears you and agrees that this is a good idea!

Be happy and healthy!

Buzz

John Lennon – Making The Case For Genius

Postscript to Ponder:

Don’t let the recent historical and cultural revisionists tell you who John Lennon was, as only he truly knew! Personally, I will always see him as a troubled but beautiful genius who invited us all to reflect about our own lives!

My friend Anthony sums it up perfectly when he states:

“THE WORLD JUDGED JOHN LENNON FOR THE MASK THAT HE WORE – THE SHELL THAT PROTECTED THE PAIN OF HIS CHILDHOOD! THE PEOPLE WHO LOVED HIM SAW THROUGH ALL OF THAT!!!“