It has been quite sometime since the last Beatles Hodgepodge post so I decided to interrupt the schedule to present another one. My apologies if any of these items have been posted before but it is impossible for me to keep track of such matters so try to bear with me. Hodgepodge posts are less thematic and usually represent a potpourri of Beatles-related print items from my personal collection! Hope you enjoy the latest one!
This is one of those rare items in the collection that I never ventured to open and it remains sealed to this day!
The cd apparently contains Beatles live appearances from both Paris and in Blackpool. The magazine was issued in 2019 and I wonder how they got the authorization to present live Beatle recordings on a cd offered with the magazine?
MUSIC LEGENDS MAGAZINE 2019 THE BEATLES +22 TRACK LIVE CD–ISSUE 3 (2019)
Albert Goldman
I was in the UK when this supplement was issued. The Albert Goldman book had just appeared and John’s life was being raked over the coals. It was nice to be able to read a piece that humanized the man rather than demonize him like Goldman did!
A very rare signed Hardcover edition of the book At The Apple’s Core-The Beatles From The Inside by Denis O’Dell with Bob Neaverson. According to my sources the hardcover of this book is very difficult to find!
Denis O’Dell’s signature. Denis received an acknowledgement from John Lennon in the song You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (Remastered 2009)
A small hardcover book issued to engender support for Paul’s favorite cause, more of a vegetarian world.
TV Guide April 19, 1969 featured an article about the Beatles performance on the Apple rooftop at 3 Savile Row in London! I try to locate any Beatles-related articles in some of these older magazines. Hard to imagine Lawrence Welk and the Beatles in the same magazine though!!! LOL. Got this copy on eBay!
The mention of the Beatles in this issue of TV Guide:
As a collector it is not always clear what constitutes an official product vs. an unauthorized bootleg, especially if the item appears on such noteworthy sites like eBay. That is where I purchased this 4 cd set which has outstanding sound quality and it features old mono Beatles recordings that had separation of instruments and vocals to create stereo recordings. When I saw the ad on eBay I was entranced and decided I would take a chance to purchase it and I loved it.
This is why I encourage the Beatles company to create projects like this for the hardcore collector of Beatles product. The demand is there. Cater to the demand and then both the artist and the company come out as the winners not the bootleggers. Just my personal opinion!
Showing this item does not represent an endorsement of unauthorized product. It is just to demonstrate that these products do exist and often they are coming from respected sources. Do your research!
The flip-side if the 4-cd set:
An unusual book by author, Alan Clayson. Published by Bobcat Books in 2007. This book explores the life of John Lennon in a unique way by exploring many incidents in the subjects life with little vignettes that are ideally suited for my reading style. I like to read short stories and then return at my leisure for more reading of another story. This book is a perfect vehicle for that style of reading.
Amazon US
The Gospel According to Lennon (Sanctuary’s Gospel): Clayson, Alan: 9781860746567: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon UK
The Gospel According to Lennon (Sanctuary’s Gospel S.) : Clayson, Alan: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Back cover of the book:
Lost Beatles Archives
The late Bob Bonis, a former Beatles tour manage had a tremendous library of rare Beatles photographs that a few books were issued about. The archives who are being curated by Larry Marion and are featured in the following 2 books
Amazon US:
Amazon UK:
The Lost Beatles Photographs: The Bob Bonis Archive, 1964-1966 : Marion, Larry: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Back cover of the book:
The Beatles in Minnesota book is a bit more difficult to find though I have recently seen copies on eBay where I purchased my copy quite some time ago and is shown below:
Publisher: Bob Bonis
Composer/Author: Marion, Larry
Catalog Number: 9780996691901
SIGNED by the Author Larry Marion
Back cover of the book:
My copy is signed by the Bob Bonis photograph curator, Larry Marion!
UK supplement cover story from 2014. I love to obtain these harder to find UK cover stories to preserve them in my personal archives.
A brief excerpt from the magazine:
- June 2006 issue of Playboy Japan featuring The Beatles in Japan to commemorate the 40th anniversary of their visit to Japan
- There was a special appendix of unpublished photos of the Beatles which I saw advertised for sale on eBay.
- I purchased a copy and you can see my copy below:
- Special appendix: unpublished Beatles photos from Japan.
Back cover of the rare photo booklet from Japan:
One sameple page from the booklet:
Another UK magazine which I love to collect the Beatles-related cover stories. This is a great interview with Paul from June 2010.
A great UK supplement about the McCartney former home at 20 Forthlin Road which is administered by the National Trust!
Brief excerpt:
One of the more obscure titles about Paul written by Christopher Sandford:
Amazon US:
McCartney: Sandford, Christopher: 9780786716142: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon UK:
McCartney: Amazon.co.uk: Sandford, Christopher: 9781844136025: Books
The author’s signature:
Since I am also interested in the people who the Beatles chose to interact with over the years, I bought the book about Robert Fraser who was associated with Paul McCartney and London’s art scene in the late 60’s. John Lennon chose to use Robert Fraser’s art gallery to present his You Are Here art show in 1968 with Yoko.
Robert Fraser (art dealer) – Wikipedia
The Art Exhibition You Are Here Monday 1 July 1968.
FROM WIKIPEDIA:
Robert Fraser (13 August 1937 – 27 January 1986), sometimes known as “Groovy Bob”, was a London art dealer. He was a figure in the London cultural scene of the mid-to-late 1960s, and was close to members of the Beatles (particularly Paul McCartney) and the Rolling Stones. In February 2015, the exhibition A Strong Sweet Smell of Incense: A Portrait of Robert Fraser, curated by Brian Clarke, was presented by Pace Gallery at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
After a period spent working in galleries in the United States he returned to England, and with the help of his father (a wealthy financier who had also been a trustee of the Tate Gallery) established the Robert Fraser Gallery at 69 Duke Street (near Grosvenor Square), London, in 1962.[3] The gallery interior was designed by Cedric Price.
The Robert Fraser Gallery became a focal point for modern art in Britain, and through his exhibitions he helped to launch and promote the work of many important new British and American artists including Peter Blake, Clive Barker, Bridget Riley, Jann Haworth, Richard Hamilton, Gilbert and George, Eduardo Paolozzi, Andy Warhol, Harold Cohen, Jim Dine and Ed Ruscha. Fraser also sold work by René Magritte, Jean Dubuffet, Balthus and Hans Bellmer.
Fraser became a trendsetter during the Sixties; Paul McCartney has described him as “one of the most influential people of the London Sixties scene”. His London flat and his gallery were the foci of a “jet-set” salon of top pop stars, artists, writers and other celebrities, including members of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, photographer Michael Cooper, designer Christopher Gibbs, Marianne Faithfull, Dennis Hopper (who introduced Fraser to satirist Terry Southern), William Burroughs and Kenneth Anger. Because of this, he was given the nickname “Groovy Bob” by Terry Southern.[4] His flat at 23 Mount Street, on the third floor above Scott’s restaurant, was described by Barry Miles as one of the “coolest sixties pads in London”.[5]
Fraser art-directed the cover for the Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – he dissuaded the group from using the original design, a psychedelic artwork created by the design collective The Fool, instead suggesting the pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth, who created the famous collage cover design for which they each won a Grammy Award.
It was through Fraser that Richard Hamilton was selected to design the poster for the White Album. His gallery also hosted You Are Here, Lennon’s own foray into avant garde art during 1968.
YOU ARE HERE. John Lennon’s first major art show at Robert Fraser Gallery, 1 July 1968.
YOU ARE HERE. John Lennon’s first major art show at Robert Fraser Gallery, 1 July 1968.
Some of the individuals that returned their balloon that John and Yoko rleased into the air at their You are Here gallery show received a note from John along with a badge!
Vintage 1974 The Story Of Pop Magazine–also features an article about the Beatles:
Radio station KRLA produced many Beatle cover stories in their magazine. This one is from April of 1966, just before the Beatles stopped their touring years!
A wonderful book by Mike and Bernadette Byrne. They were around in the beginning seeing the Beatles perform in the Cavern and later founded the most successful Beatles exhibition in the world known as: The Beatles Story!
Mike and Bernadette have many fascinating stories about their interactions with the Beatles. You need to get this book for your collections!
Published in 2022
New Haven Publishing, The Limited
AMAZON US EDITION OF THR BOOK
The Birth of The Beatles Story: Byrne, Bernadette, Byrne, Mike: 9781912587667: Amazon.com: Books
AMAZON UK EDITION OF THE BOOK:
Front cover of the book:
Back Cover of the book:
The wonderful inscription of the book that I acquired from Mike and Bernadette Byrne:
Roaring Brook Press 2021 Hardcover By Kiara Brinkman-illustrated by Sean Chiki: A coming of age children’s book about a young girl discovering a cache of her dad’s collection of Beatles records and the impact that discovery has on the course of her life. I got a copy of the first edition hardcopy of this graphic novel depiction of the story from eBay!
I know there are many hardcore Beatles book collectors that reject this sort of book out of hand. I could not disagree more as these books truly illustrate the impact that they had on the youth all those years ago and perhaps even a little bit today….. You give me the answer to that question as there are many critics that say interest in the Beatles is on the downward slope.
Hope it is not merely wishful thinking on my part, but I do not accept that premise!
Back cover of the book:
Recently purchased this rare Beatles book from Europe/German language on eBay.
I love these independently printed obscure titles! This one is authored by Thomas Rehwagen!
Special thanks are extended by the author to several members of the Dutch magazine-Beatles Unlimited for their assistance in helping to compile this title!
Back cover of the book:
As stated so many times on this blog, I love the independently produced Beatles booklets, books and pamphlets that had a limited circulation but highlighted the intense work done by many collectors to categorize the Beatles recorded legacy. I recently picked up this title on eBay called: The Zoo Gang Tapes- a catalog of rare and unreleased Beatle recordings from 61 to 85. Put together by collector, Drew Dillard, I love these type of Beatles-related publications!!!
A sample page from the Dillard booklet:
To mark the 60th anniversary of Help, they recently issued an updated magazine of the Ultimate Music Guide for Ringo. Initially I resisted getting this after my friend Jeff Smulyan had sent me the link to it, but I eventually gave in to the temptation and got a copy.
Be healthy and be happy!
Buzz
OUR BOOK OF THE WEEK AT THE BEATLES BOOKSTORE
Just Like Starting Over: John Lennon and The Quarrymen
When John Lennon and his group The Quarrymen stepped onto the back of a wagon in Rosebery Street on 22nd June 1957, Charlie Roberts borrowed a camera and took a few photos of the event. It was just a group of friends having fun at a street party.
What Charlie didn’t know at the time was that he was capturing a piece of Beatles history. This was the first time that John Lennon had been photographed performing with his group. Skiffle was the new music and soon, John would meet Paul McCartney who would then introduce George Harrison to John.
