Author: Buzz

A SORTABIOGRAPHY BY GEORGE HARRISON’S GOOD FRIEND ERIC IDLE

THEY SAY “AN IDLE BRAIN IS THE DEVIL’S WORKSHOP” PART OF THE FULL MONTY (PYTHON) – ERIC IDLE’S GENESIS BOOK

As most of the members of this blog are aware, I not only collect Beatles books but I also collect titles that have a connection or an association to the band. In this case, Eric Idle, a former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe was a good friend of ex-Beatle George Harrison and he also was one of the primary creative minds that put together the Beatles spoof known as the Rutles, which spawned two excellent album releases of Rutles Beatles-satirizing music written by former Bonzo Dog member, the late Neil Innes!

The musical releases were a result of Eric Idle’s wonderful video script he wrote, created and directed the Rutles film known as All You Need is Cash.

Here is the slipcase of the Genesis title the “sort of biography” of comedian Eric Idle. The man who can break you up without a word. His facial expressions alone can leave you in need a surgeon to deal with the stitches…

Here is the special 500 copy signed edition offered by Genesis Publication Ltd., the same company that published the limited edition of I Me Mine by George Harrison. Within this book you will see what a close friendship that Eric Idle had with former Beatle, George Harrison. You will notice that most great comedians are also very sensitive people harboring a lot of sadness within their psyche which they express through their comedy. Eric Idle has always given me that impression and it is only pure conjecture on my part. The photos you see on this post are from my copy of the book:

The Slipcase that holds the book:

The cover of the book:

Copyright info:

My copy is #499 of 500 signed by Mr. Idle:

Notification of some of the contents within this special book:

My copy of The Order of the Rutland Goat Certificate:

Signed lyrics to Eric Idle’s The Meaning of Life:

Part of the Galaxy Song by Eric Idle-this page of the lyrics is signed by Eric Idle:

Part of Eric’s sterling resume in the Genesis version of his biography:

The Mass Market Edition:

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography Hardcover – 2 Oct. 2018
by Eric Idle (Author) Crown Archetype

Publication date-Oct.2, 2018

AMAZON US

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography: Idle, Eric: 9781984822581: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon’s Description of the book:

From the ingenious comic performer, founding member of Monty Python, and creator of Spamalot, comes an absurdly funny memoir of unparalleled wit and heartfelt candor.

We know him best for his unforgettable roles on Monty Python & from the Flying Circus to The Meaning of Life. Now, Eric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this entertaining memoir that takes us on a remarkable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school through his successful career in comedy, television, theater, and film. Coming of age as a writer and comedian during the Sixties and Seventies, Eric stumbled into the crossroads of the cultural revolution and found himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of George Harrison, David Bowie, and Robin Williams, all of whom became dear lifelong friends.

With anecdotes sprinkled throughout involving other close friends and luminaries such as Mike Nichols, Mick Jagger, Steve Martin, Paul Simon, Lorne Michaels, and many more, as well as John Cleese and the Pythons themselves, Eric captures a time of tremendous creative output with equal parts hilarity and heart. In Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, named for the song he wrote for Life of Brian and which has since become the number one song played at funerals in the UK, he shares the highlights of his life and career with the kind of offbeat humor that has delighted audiences for five decades. The year 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of The Pythons, and Eric is marking the occasion with this hilarious memoir chock full of behind-the-scenes stories from a high-flying life featuring everyone from Princess Leia to Queen Elizabeth.

AMAZON UK EDITION OF THE MASS MARKET EDITION OF THE BOOK:

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography: Amazon.co.uk: Idle, Eric: 9781474610292: Books

Publisher W&N Publication date May 2, 2019

The first Rutles cd:

AMAZON US:

The Rutles – The Rutles – Amazon.com Music

AMAZON UK:

The Rutles (Us Import): Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl

THE FIRST CD

Back Cover of the CD:

THE FOLLOW-UP CD ARCHAEOLOGY

AMAZON UK:

Archaeology: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl

Track Listings

1	Major Happy’s Up And Coming Once Upon A Good Time Band
2	Rendezvous
3	Questionnaire
4	We’ve Arrived! (And To Prove It We’re Here)
5	Lonely – Phobia
6	Unfinished Words
7	Hey Mister!
8	Easy Listening
9	Now She’s Left You
10	The Knicker Elastic King
11	I Love You
12	Eine Kleine Middle Klasse Musik
13	Joe Public
14	Shangri – La
15	Don’t Know Why
16	Back In ’64

HANDMADE FILMS BOOKS

An amazing book about George Harrison’s Handmade Films and how he helped to finance Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Also learn how Handmade Films mismanagement by one of their executives helped to make the Beatles Anthology a possibility!

The book details many of the films produced by George’s film company. The story of George’s willingness to put up the money to film The Life of Brian which turned out to be a great success despite/because of the surrounding religious controversy! George’s willingness to help the Pythons finance the film by putting up his palatial home Friar Park as collateral, surely permanently endeared GH as a friend of Eric Idle for life!

AMAZON US:

Very Naughty Boys: The Amazing True Story of HandMade Films: Sellers, Robert: 9781781167083: Amazon.com: Books

AMAZON UK:

Very Naughty Boys: The Amazing True Story of Handmade Films eBook : Sellers, Robert: Amazon.co.uk: Books

HARDCOVER LIMITED EDITION BOOK–HANDMADE FILMS-BEHIND THE FILM MAKING

A special limited edition hardcover book about Handmade‘s collection of films. One thousand copies were issued of this limited-edition book: I have been told that the publication is still being offered at the following website:

https://www.handmadefilms.com/product/handmade-films-behind-the-film-making-limited-edition-book

Special thanks to Seamus Hayes in the UK for obtaining a copy for me!!!

The introduction to the hardcover book:

THE ALL YOU NEED IS CASH RUTLES DVD

The dvd of the Rutles movie

Amazon.com: The Rutles – All You Need is Cash : Aykroyd, Dan, Bayler, Terence, Belushi, John, Charles, Jeannette, Fataar, Ricky, Franken, Al, Halsey, John, Harrison, George, Idle, Eric, Innes, Neil, Jagger, Bianca, Michaels, Lorne, Murray, Bill, Palin, Michael, Radner, Gilda, Taylor, Gwen, Weis, Gary, West, Carinthia, Wood, Ron, Woolf, Henry, Idle, Eric, Weis, Gary: Movies & TV

The back cover of the Rutles dvd All You Need is Cash:

A BOOK WRITTEN BY THE WIFE OF RON NASTY

A Neil Innes biography written by his wife, Yvonne:

AMAZON US:
Dip My Brain in Joy: A Life with Neil Innes: The Official Biography: Innes, Yvonne: 9781785121692: Amazon.com: Books

AMAZON UK:

Dip My Brain in Joy: A Life With Neil Innes: The Official Biography: Amazon.co.uk: Innes, Yvonne: 9781785121661: Books

The back cover of the book:

Neil Innes’s wife Yvonne signed this copy of the biography she wrote about her husband:

A SPECIAL RUTLES PUBLICATION

They also issued a special Rutles book which I have lurking somewhere in the archives:

The More Than Compleat Rutles Forever Paperback – 30 Jun. 2019
by David Louis Rosenbaum (Author), Eric Idle (Author), Neil Innes (Author)

Available on AMAZON UK:

The More Than Compleat Rutles Forever : Rosenbaum, David Louis, Idle, Eric, Innes, Neil: Amazon.co.uk: Books

AMAZON US:
Amazon.com: The More Than Compleat Rutles Forever: 9798482435311: Rosenbaum, David Louis, Idle, Eric, Innes, Neil: Books

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:

Rutles Forever, The Official Rutles Fanzine featured exclusive interviews with Eric Idle, musician and songwriter Neil Innes, and of course Neil’s close friend Ron Nasty. Reprinted here, for the first time ever in a glorious facsimile edition. Extremely rare, with an original run of one hundred copies each. Presented as originally seen, four issues, 1978 to 1980. Making this collection more than complete is Archeology, selections from what would have been Rutles Forever Issue 5 and choice tidbits from the official RutleManiacs International fan archive. Digitally remastered for your enjoyment.

Back Cover:

Found some assorted videos on YouTube that give some proper context to this post: Thank you for all of the smiles over the years, Eric Idle . You, and your great circle of friends!!!

Eric Idle performs ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ – The Graham Norton Show – BBC

George Harrison – “The Pirate Song” on Rutland Weekend Television

The Beatles talk about the Rutles

Rutles All You Need is Cash Q&A Eric Idle 2001 Neil Innes Gary Weis Rikki Fataar

Neil Innes Talks About Eric Idle Singing The Rutles

Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam on George Harrison and Life Of Brian

THE RUTLES – Cheese And Onions (1969)

An excellent couple of interviews on YouTube from a great podcast series entitled Without The Beatles

What did Michael Palin think of The Beatles?

Monty Python without The Beatles!

The Beatles Are My Therapy

And a special treat from that wonderful YouTube site – an interview with our wonderful blog administrator, David Bedford: God Bless You, David! You are the best!!!

The Beatles are my therapy (w Dave Bedford)

Be Healthy and Be Happy!

Buzz

GET DAVID’S LATEST BOOK – THE BEATLES: WHAT IF?

Just received this wonderful book that was recently released. Though advertised as a children’s book title on Amazon, I would firmly disagree with that categorization. It is a direct message to all of us highlighting the insanity of war. The storyline was conceived and implemented by the team of Brad Booker, Dave Mullins, and Sean Lennon, along with the fabulous illustrator of the book, Max Narciso!

This team was inspired by the John Lennon and Yoko Ono holiday classic of Happy Xmas (War is Over). They put together a short film inspired by the song which has now turned a beautiful film and a timely message to the world. This short film was recognized for its excellence by winning a well-deserved Academy Award!!!

I ordered a signed edition of the War is Over book and I certainly did not expect my copy to be inscribed by Sean. I met Sean once at a musical performance he gave at a club in Massachusetts called The Iron Horse. There, I gave him a copy of his grandfather Freddie Lennon’s very rare recording entitled That’s My Life; That’s My Love and My Home sung in the Dutch language. It is virtually impossible to find a vinyl copy of that version of the song with a sleeve, but the internet solved that problem for me. Sean seemed to be very pleased and thanked me for the recording. He should be very proud of himself for both the Academy Award winning film and this wonderful book with a universal message of peace for all of us...

SIGNED SEALED AND DELIVERED

Thanks for inscribing the book, Sean. That was very kind of you!

The site where I purchased the signed book now says it is out of stock. I do not know if that means it is completely sold out or whether there will be more signed copies available at a later date:

Buy War Is Over! Hardcover by Ono Lennon, Sean|Mullins, Dave|Booker, Brad Online

The back cover of the book:

An unsigned edition is available at both Amazon US and Amazon UK:

AMAZON US:

War Is Over!: Ono Lennon, Sean, Mullins, Dave, Booker, Brad, Narciso, Max: 9798217040094: Amazon.com: Books

AMAZON UK:

War Is Over!: Amazon.co.uk: Sean Ono Lennon: 9798217040094: Books

Happy Holidays to all of the subscribers and visitors to this blog!

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy life. Hope you find the peace of mind that we all seek in our respective journeys!

Buzz

Just received this wonderful press release of what I am sure will be another wonderful musical release from the pre-Badfinger group known as the Iveys. I have all of the special releases put together by Y&T Music!

I strongly encourage you to check out these excellent recordings and to consider adding them to your respective collections. I have already placed my order!

New album of unreleased demos by THE IVEYS,

‘Miniskirts And Rainbows’ to be released Nov. 28, 2025 on Y&T Music

Y&T Music is proud to announce the release of a previously unreleased album by THE IVEYS, Miniskirts And Rainbows. The album, which features 19 rare demos, recorded between 1966 and 1969, will be released on CD and all streaming services on November 28, 2025. There will also be a strictly limited edition 17-track vinyl pressing of 300 copies.

There were a few major developments since the last Iveys release, titled, How Much Is The Sky. The release of Pete Ham’s Acoustic album was the follow-up release to Y&T Music’s Gwent Gardens, which has sold out, and Badfinger’s long lost final album recorded with Pete Ham, Head First, was remixed from the original multi-tracks and issued on both CD and vinyl as a special 50th Anniversary edition.

Badfinger archivist & historian Tom Brennan has been compiling and editing this new collection of rare & interesting demos since 2024, and mastering engineer & Badfinger historian Kevin McElligott has been cleaning up the recordings during the past year for public consumption.

The CD edition of Miniskirts And Rainbows includes 19 tracks by The Iveys recorded between 1966 and 1969, of which, only 1 has ever been heard by serious collectors in the versions that appear here. The album contains 6 titles that are alternate versions of tracks by The Iveys or Badfinger that have been previously released, and 10 titles that either collectors or the public have heard of before. Three of these are solo demos by Mike Gibbins, and two by bassist, Ron Griffiths.

The theme of this Iveys Volume 5 Anthology collection is based on the song “Black & White Rainbows” which makes reference to a purple miniskirt in addition to its title. Of course, we also have the opening and closing tracks which have the word “miniskirt” in their titles.

For the first time, two songs written or co-written by Bill Collins, who was considered as the unofficial 5th member of the group, are included on an Iveys release.  The first is a co-write with guitarist Tom Evans, called “Good Boy”, from the time in late Summer of 1967 when he had just joined the group. The second song which was entirely written by Collins for Apple artist Mary Hopkin in November 1969, was a song called “All The Fun Of The Fair.” On the demo produced by Tom Evans, Pete Ham sang the lead vocal.

In 1969, tape dubs of 6 Iveys demos were sent to both Paul McCartney and Rolling Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham to get their opinions for which songs they should record for a follow-up single to “Maybe Tomorrow.” The last of these to be issued, The Iveys’ own version of “Blodwyn” appears here.

 Here is the link for the first single: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vQcBZG_1w0

THE SONGS (CD edition)

  1. Cleopatra In A Miniskirt
  2. I Love You
  3. Blodwyn [demo]
  4. All Of My Life
  5. That’s Okay
  6. Spider Woman
  7. Angelique [demo]
  8. Bound To Get Lucky Someday
  9. Girl Without Love
10. Black & White Rainbows [version 2]
11. Tomorrow Today [version 2]
12. Yesterday Ain’t Coming Back [demo]
13. Love Means Happiness
14. Good Boy
15. All The Fun Of The Fair
16. Please Understand Love
17. I Miss You [demo]
18. I Love The Way You Hate Me
19. Girl Next Door In The Miniskirt [whistling version]

THE SONGS (vinyl edition)

 SIDE 1:

  1. Cleopatra In A Miniskirt
  2. I Love You
  3. Blodwyn [demo]
  4. All Of My Life
  5. That’s Okay
  6. Spider Woman
  7. Angelique [demo]
  8. Bound To Get Lucky Someday
  9. Black & White Rainbows [version 2]

 SIDE 2:

  1. Tomorrow Today [version 2]
  2. Yesterday Ain’t Coming Back [demo]
  3. Love Means Happiness
  4. All The Fun Of The Fair
  5. Please Understand Love
  6. I Miss You [demo]
  7. I Love The Way You Hate Me
  8. Girl Next Door In The Miniskirt [whistling version

To Purchase the CD release:

AMAZON US:

The Iveys – Miniskirts & Rainbows – The Iveys Anthology Volume 5 – Amazon.com Music

AMAZON UK:

Miniskirts & Rainbows – The Iveys Anthology Volume 5 by The Iveys: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl

For more information:

https://www.badfingerlibrary.com

www.ytmusiconline.com

https://www.youtube.com/user/BadfingerIveys#p/u

CONTACT Y&T – For Questions you may have:

YTMusic1@aol.com             

Wishing you all the best!

Be Happy and Be Healthy!!!

Buzz

I remember reading this advertisement for a non-English Beatles book title, The Beatles in Copenhagen, a while back:

“About 50 b/w photos from The Fab Four’s two concerts on June 4th. 1964 have emerged. The photos were taken by the Danish photojournalist Knud Ørsted at KB-hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark. The historic photos will be featured in a new book entitled “Beatles i København – 4.6.64” (Beatles in Copenhagen – 6.4.64), which will be published by Strandberg Publishing on November 7th. The book is in Danish only, but the pictures are absolutely amazing!“

Found a link to the book on the Danish Amazon site:

The Beatles in Copenhagen 4.6.64 : Knud Orsted, Strandberg Publishing: Amazon.de: Books

FabFour

As you can see, I now have a copy of this wonderful book in my collection signed by the author/photographer. When the book was sent to me, it included an 8 page insert in English that helped to explain to me the background of the creation of the book that discussed the concerts that began the Beatles 1964 World Tour. It also dealt with a topic that I have always been fascinated with, the 13 days that Jimmie Nicol substituted for Ringo Starr due to Ringo’s short-term illness. Even if you can not read or understand Danish, you will enjoy the photographs in this wonderful book!

A picture is certainly worth more than a thousand words! That is not a cliche…

The Beatles’ 1964 world tour – Wikipedia How it Began

The author’s inscription:

The Publisher credits: STRANDBERG PUBLISHING

The 8 page English language insert that I received:

One sample photo from the book featuring Jimmie Nicol on the drums: Photo by Knud Ørsted

BE HEALTHY AND BE HAPPY!

BUZZ

OUR FEATURED PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Of all the so-called supergroups over the years, the Traveling Wilburys hold the esteemed distinction for me of creating the sames sense of fun that the Beatles did in their early years of singing wonderful melodies that are not couched in today’s musical tendencies for over-production and digital perfection. What a lineup-George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. Kick in one of the world’s best drummers, Jim Keltner and what a stellar group of musicians.

Though they only made two albums together and their best singer died soon after the release of their first album ( I am of course referring to Roy Orbison), they were two excellent albums, indeed, clever lyrics, poking fun at everyone. Despite the possible or potential ego overload of the band, the distribution of contributions of the individual members seemed well-balanced and fair. The most important ingredients were the catchy melodies and the direct message being sent out by all of the members of the band that they were having a helluva good time checking those individual egos at the door.

The band started with a song that George Harrison thought would make a great B-side as he had just recently completed his Cloud Nine album. Through several twists of fate George made a few calls and before you know it, they had a new band. Handle With Care became their first single.

So as not to offend certain affections that others have for their favorite musicians, George once gave an interview where he speculated who who would make a good Wilbury and who would not. I would love to hear his specific reasons for his choices. I have got to find that interview one day! I will not attempt to incite people’s anger to hear George’s choices as to who would make a good Wilbury! That audio interview is available Online somewhere!

This is a band I would have loved to see tour. What a grand show that would have been. There are some who disagree with my choice of the best singer in the band. To me there was no doubt, it was Roy Orbison. I saw him perform live on several occasions over the years and he would receive standing ovations in the middle of several of his numbers. His seemingly effortless several octave voice was truly memorable. He was one of the best singers I have ever heard. You could see in their promo films how much admiration and respect the other Wilburys had for Roy and his heavenly vocal chords.

When you have George Harrison and Bob Dylan contributing lyrics as well as memorable tunes, Jeff Lynne with his keen sense of harmony and melody, Tom Petty with his sharp wit and strong songwriting skills, this was the chemistry needed for greatness! Add in one of the best percussionists and drummers in the business, Jim Keltner, and the recipe for success was there and waiting to be tapped!

Though I prefer the tunes on the first Wilbury release and believe it was the best of the 2 Wilbury releases, the 2nd volume,which was ironically called Volume 3, had a significant amount of great tunes. Like the Beatles, the Wilburys left me always yearning for MORE!!! WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE???

ANOTHER GORGEOUS GENESIS PUBLICATIONS BOOK:

The Traveling Wilburys – Limited Edition Book

The slipcase of my copy of the book:

The Genesis Publications Traveling Wilburys Limited Edition book:

A little biographical background about the Wilburys on Wikipedia.

Traveling Wilburys – Wikipedia

The sleeve encasement containin the facsimile reproduction of the lyrics to George Harrison’s song which would launch the Wilburys:

A reproduction of George’s lyrics in the sleeve:

The credits page of the special Genesis title:

To me this statement in the book sums up the message of the Wilburys perfectly:

The Table of Contents in the book:

Jeff Lynne’s Foreword to the book:

Jeff Lynne’s signature in my copy of the book-copy #3000 of 3,000 copies issued!

The Traveling Wilburys – Handle With Care And one of the many gorgeous photos from the book

A SPECIAL ROMANIAN LP ORGANIZED BY OLIVIA HARRISON: NOBODY’S CHILD

THE LP CAN BE FOUND ON AMAZON, EBAY AND DISCOGS:

Olivia Harrison in cooperation with Yoko Ono, Barbara Bach, and Linda McCartney cooperated to raise funds for the horrific conditions of many Romanian orphanages at the time. The LP was designed to help alleviate some of those conditions and received help from the contributing artists to the LP.

The track listing of this excellent LP:

The special thank you to the purchasers of the record:

Olivia Harrison’s message to the purchasers of the Romanian Appeal Album:

VOLUME 1 OF THE WILBURYS:

Track Listing for Volume 1:

VOLUME 3:

The Traveling Wilburys – The Devil’s Been Busy (Official Visualizer)

Congratulations

Amazon.com: Traveling Wilburys Collection [2 CD/DVD Combo]: CDs & Vinyl

A few sources where the 2 volumes of the Wilbury releases can be found:

AMAZON US:

Amazon.com: The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1[LP]: CDs & Vinyl

Amazon.com: The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 3[LP]: CDs & Vinyl

AMAZON UK:

The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl

The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 3: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl

The Traveling Wilburys Collection by The Traveling Wilburys: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl

George Harrison on The Beatle who suited The Traveling Wilburys

Be Healthy and Be Happy!!!

Buzz

OUR OFFER OF THE WEEK