To excel in two different professions (both music and photography) is quite extraordinary and difficult, and Julian Lennon has achieved it. In my opinion, Julian has made the grade in both categories. Faced with the extraordinary pressures of the world’s obsession to compare all of his musical compositions to his late father, Julian combated those comparisons and expectations by turning his attention to a profession (photography) where he could make his own mark based more on the inherent merits of his work that he chose to present rather than dealing with the endless onslaught of critics who would not allow Julian to be his own true self.
I am sure the details of these life experiences bringing about Julian’s life choices that he made will be forthcoming in the memoir that he is contemplating writing and that he has mention in several recent Online interviews.
In the meantime, would like to present two hardback volumes showcasing Julian’s talents with a camera. Though he is not a photographer that claims to be a technical expert or specialist in the photography field, his specialty is understanding what seems to be a natural affinity to a “capturing of the moment” talent in the photos he chooses to exhibit.
Two wonderful Julian Lennon photography book collections. The first title, entitled Cycle by Pictures from Another Room Ltd, and published in 2017. Julian self-describes his book by stating that it represents “a glimpse through the picture window, into the Cycle of Life, of those living on the borders of the South China Sea.”
If you would like to explore more of Julian Lennon’s photographic work please seek out his photography website at:
Julian signed this book which I purchased directly from his website.
Signed by Julian Lennon
The back cover of the Cycle book:
Julian Lennon’s Cycle Book
This relatively new hardback book represents a milestone in Julian’s reputation as a professional photographer. Julian was asked to create his first comprehensive retrospective of some of the best of his photographic work by noted German publisher, teNeues and this coffee-table sized book is the end result. It is well worth the wait with many gorgeous images by Julian that are preserved in this title.
Publisher
teNeues Verlag GmbH-Published December 2024
Recently received my copy of this beautiful book:
Julian Lennon – Life’s Fragile Moments
Julian’s signed bookplate in my copy of the book:
Julian Lennon – Life’s Fragile Moments
A few YouTube sites to lend further information about this wonderful photography book:
In Julian’s book he perfectly sums up what his gift of photography means to him. No one can say it any better…
A few celebrity endorsements of Julian’s work and talents on the back cover of the book:
Julian Lennon on Photography
Julian in several interviews to promote his coffee-table photography said one of the motivations that caused him to pursue photography was when he was on long plane flights he became intrigued with the notion that when he looked out the window, the shapes of the clouds he encountered were always different and reflecting constantly changing images. He was fascinated that the configuration of the shapes that one sees through the lens of the camera would never be seen again, or were highly unlikely to ever again be duplicated. Capturing a “moment” became an important task to pursue. Apparently, the analogy of life always being in a state of flux or change did not escape Julian.
In that vein would like to share a couple of photos with you of my personally owned copy of a signed Julian Lennon Print entitled, Painterly, from 2010, as part of Julian’s First Photographic Exhibition called “Timeless.” The print is shown below. Normally, I would not be able to afford such a print, but I found one on eBay that was in a price range that I felt comfortable with.
Julian Lennon – Saltwater
Julian Lennon’s photography and music are often linked with his strong interest in the environment and he has been involved with the production of two wonderful songs about the subject:
An earlier released track called “Saltwater” was a #1 hit in Australia and did exceptionally well in several European countries yet did not live up to expectations in the United States. Someone has to explain to me why that occurred? How could such a beautiful song not be a smash hit in the United States? Perhaps, the record company’s promotional wing was not doing their job properly???
93.98 x 66.04 cm (37 x 26 in) Archival Photographic Print Edition of 25-This is copy #25
Julian Lennon Painting
Julian’s signature on the print that I purchased:
The last one of an edition of 25 prints, #25:
The Feb 2022 issue of Vie. This issue featuring Julian Lennon as the cover story and which I believe is the 100th issue of the magazine. The editors of this magazine were very gracious in securing a copy of the print edition of magazine for the collection back in 2022. I love securing cover stories of magazines with stories about Julian that may not have reached a large print circulation in the digital age in which we now live…
Hey Jude?
Concluding this post with the LP that Julian says will be his last LP. His future musical contributions are likely to be released in the EP format…allowing him to devote more of his time to his multi-disciplined approach to creativity!
The cover has two additional distinctions, Julian asked Paul if he could use the reproduction of JUDE in Paul McCartney’s own handwriting on the cover, and Paul said yes. In addition, May Pang took the photo of Julian that appears on the cover.
Hope you had a good time looking over the post! Be healthy and be happy!!!
As we celebrate the Ed Sullivan show appearance by The Beatles, I dig into my collection for some great pieces from my collection.
I obtained this signed McCartney band member photo on eBay a few years ago for 2 major reasons. This is my favorite configuration of a group of musicians that has backed Paul since the Beatles disbanded. Secondly, it was for the historical significance of this band playing a concert above The Ed Sullivan Theater marquee in New York, the site which propelled the Beatles to a worldwide audience, firmly establishing and entrenching their journey into the history books….
ED SULLIVAN
Band member signatures appearing on this photo taken in 2009:
Paul (Wix) Wickens on keyboard, backing vocals
Rusty Anderson-on lead guitar and backing vocals
Brian Ray – also on lead guitar, sometimes rhythm or bass guitar when Paul is playing lead, and backing vocals
Abe Laboriel – on drums, also on backing vocals
Paul McCartney and his band at the Ed Sullivan Theater
A wonderful signed paperback book about Ed Sullivan’s Sunday Variety show which so many baby boomers grew up watching:
Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan’s signature in the book:
Ed Sullivan Autograph
Four Complete Ed Sullivan Shows on DVD including the commercials which helped to capture the spirit of the times (When this was officially released, I could not wait to receive my copy)
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan
JOHN LENNON – GERMAN MAGAZINE
Love collecting foreign magazines whereby the foreign country, in this case Germany which I have a rudimentary knowledge of the language, put a solo Beatle on the cover that did not appear in the States. The article about John appearing in this German Rolling Stone translates into: John Lennon: Between Man and Myth!
This book may be controversial to some but it was a fascinating read. This is the author, Robert Rosen, who was going to collaborate with John Lennon’s PA, Fred Seaman, on a book dealing with John Lennon’s diaries, which were taken by the PA from the Lennon’s apartment without the Estate’s permission. Numerous lawsuits were brought by the Estate against the PA for the accused larceny. This book by the author who was going to collaborate with the PA was allowed to be published and it presents Mr. Rosen’s story as to how he saw the actual events unfold. In numerous Facebook communication exchanges with Mr. Rosen, I expressed a hope to be able to read the diaries one day but ONLY with the condition that it had the permission and the approval of the Lennon Estate, as these were private sentiments expresed by John when he was alive. He understood my sentiments and that explains his comments when he signed a copy of the book for me. Book published in 2000 by Soft Skull Press, Inc.
Final Days of John Lennon
Final Days of John Lennon
The back cover of the book:
Final Days of John Lennon
DECONSTRUCTING THE BEATLES
When Scott Freiman, the noted lecturer, academician, and creator of the stellar Deconstructing the Beatles series of DVDs released the Abbey Road DVD issue, it held a special significance for me. It was an excellent 2 dvd presentation of the history of the creation of The Beatles Abbey Road LP with all of the hidden treats contained between the record grooves. Scott dealt with such issues as the extent of the Beethoven influence on the creation of the Beatles song entitled “Because” on the LP’s B-side.
He deals with the exploding growth of the musical maturity and creativity of George Harrison and deals extensively with Paul’s great contributions to the fantastic Side 2 medley which was being strongly encouraged by Beatles producer, George Martin. Scott Freiman’s marketing people promoted a special release for the unique superfan 2 disk edition of Abbey Road Deconstructed. I have since forgotten the number of copies that were actually issued, but it was a much higher cost than the standard edition to the purchaser. One could get their name included on the cover of the dvd and it would also appear on a poster celebrating the special edition. In addition, they were also to issue a very large beautiful photo reproduction of the Abbey Road cover which would certainly be an ideal feature in anyone’s music room! In the future I hope to do a blog post on all of Scott Freiman’s Beatles-related DVDs.
This is the deluxe edition poster signed by Scott Freiman:
Deconstructing The Beatles
This is a photo of the dvd:
Deconstructing The Beatles
Scott’s dedication to the fans who supported his great lectures which was included in the Superfan collection:
Deconstructing The Beatles
A special book and the kind that I personally treasure that deal with specific UK Beatles gigs that are not so well-known outside the UK. This book written by Pete Chambers is one of those titles. It is a small book published in 2006 by Tencton Planet. This book deals with the Beales encounters with and at Coventry during their careers!
You can find this title occasionally featured on eBay and at many book search services such as Abe Books.
THE BEATLES – SENT TO COVENTRY
The Beatles in Coventry
Mr. Chambers kindly signed my copy of his book:
The Beatles in Coventry
The back cover of the book:
The Beatles in Coventry
DAVID SPINDEL
Though this is by no means a Beatles book, I am spotlighting it here because it is by a dear friend and one of the last photographers ever to take pictures of John Lennon, David Spindel. David has photographed many celebrities in his lifetime and many of the stories that accompany these interactions are included in this special book. There are a few Lennon photos in this book as well. Here is a link where you can explore David’s work.David M Spindel
David Spindel
David’s note to me in his “A Kid in the Candy Store” book:
David Spindel
David Spindel’s limited edition Lennon book of photos that he took in Nov. of 1980. This is the book that I purchased from David that began our great friendship. If you are interested in acquiring or learning more about this fantastic book for your collections, you can contact him atContact us – David M Spindel
David Spindel
One of David’s signed Lennon photos that he sent me:
David Spindel Photo of John Lennon
A wonderful signed shot of Yoko and John from David:
David Spindel Photo of John Lennon
The Back Cover of “The Kid in the Candy Store” book:
David Spindel
JUNE HARRIS INTERVIEWS THE BEATLES
An excellent early interview with the Beatles from September 12, 1964, Music Business Magazine conducted by June Harris:
June Harris interviews The Beatles
This magazine from January of 2000, was for some unknown reason, very expensive and difficult to obtain. I don’t even recall a Lennon feature within the magazine if memory serves me correctly. I just liked the photo and it represented an early photo of the growing relationship of John and Yoko.
JULIAN LENNON – PHOTOGRAPH
I may have posted this before but I love this signed Julian Lennon Photograph Smile poster not only for the great shot of Julian as a youth but I loved the music on this album. To me it is a disgusting shame that the music industry has treated this guy in such a terrible way. He has produced some masterful LP’s with disappointing sales figures. For example Julian has mentioned in a couple of podcasts about his new Life’s Fragile Moments photogrpahy book that when he released his latest “Jude” LP he rehearsed a band in or around LA to perhaps do some television appearances to promote the LP, and none of those prospective programs offered him the chance to appear on the shows. That is thoroughly disgusting and undeserved in my opinion. He deserves a lot better as I believe his talents in both music and photography are exemplary…
Julian Lennon
TIME GOES BY SO QUICKLY:
PIcked up this Julian cover story in the summer of 2024. It is hard to believe that a Beatle offspring will be celebrating his 62nd birthday in April of 2025.
Julian Lennon
THE BEATLES AND CHRISTMAS
One of my favorite all-time Beatles Christmas items. This book created by well-known Beatles author, Scott Belmer and his co-writing cohort, Garry Marsh, was introduced/released in 2022 and was published by Belmo Publishing and Number 9 Books in the UK. Illustrator- Bill Stout. It is a thorough treatise of the Beatles strong associations with the Christmas season and the special releases they were involved with over the years to celebrate the holiday!
The Beatles and Christmas
The back cover of the hardcover edition of the book which was limited or restricted as to the number of signed and numbered copies:
The Beatles and Christmas
I was able to acquire copy #25 of the limited signed and numbered edition and I was quite pleased with Scott’s message to me!
The Beatles and Christmas
Scott accepted a submission I had sent in for the book about a fan Beatles/Christmas recollections (me) and I was quite frustrated with the piece after it went to publication as I discovered a glaring error that I made as it relates to when Ringo’s Christmas album was released. I said 2017, which was the cd, but the vinyl release was actually in 1999.. Oh the shame….Anyhow here was my submission!
The Beatles and Christmas
RINGO STARR – I WANNA BE SANTA CLAUS
In the holiday frame of mind thought I would share with you this framed poster of the Ringo Christmas album, “I Wanna Be Santa Claus.” I loved this album and was greatly disappointed hearing that it did not sell as well as expectedwhen it was released.Having this promo poster is special to me because the album deserved a far better sales figure than it secured.
RINGO STARR – I WANNA BE SANTA CLAUS
JOHN LENNON AND THE SUPERNATURAL?
A magazine combining science fiction and the supernatural. Bought it primarily because it was so unusual and also because I personally believe that John Lennon did indeed feel internally that his life was going to end prematurely and soon according to people like Jack Douglas who sensed a spirit of uneasiness with John at the end.
This from the April 1981 issue of Beyond Reality Magazineappearing about 5 months following his murder.
JOHN LENNON AND THE SUPERNATURAL?
INTERVIEW WITH PAUL MCCARTNEY
An issue of the UK Observer that I always see commanding high prices on eBay. I purchased a copy of this November 26, 1967 issue of the magazine and I discovered why it was in such a high demand. The interview with Paul contained in the magazine was conducted by Alan Aldridge, the author and artist who did the series of books entitled “The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics.” He designed the cover of the magazine and a few other illustrations within. Glad I got one!
INTERVIEW WITH PAUL MCCARTNEY
ASTRID KIRCHHERR
You Magazine a UK newspaper supplement from March 1994 which features Hunter Davies discussing the importance of Astrid Kirchherr’s early Beatles photographs in the formulation of the Beatles image.
ASTRID KIRCHHERR
PAUL MCCARTNEY AND ALLEN KLEIN
Issue #240 of Private Eye from Friday Feb, 26, 1971. Features an article about Paul’s disdain of Allen Klein and the business troubles the band was going through at this time…
PAUL MCCARTNEY AND ALLEN KLEIN
JOHN AND PAUL AND APPLE
An issue of the August 1968 Teen Screen Magazine which features several Beatles-related articles including one about the journey that John and Paul made to NY in 68 to promote Apple. I keep lobbying and challenging some ambitious author as it being an interesting book idea to explore the activities of John and Paul during their sojourn to NY to discuss their new company. There are tons of available photographs from that trip and numerous activities to report on. I sincerely hope someone picks up that challenge one day. I would attempt it except I am quite frankly too old to adequately pursue the idea…
JOHN AND PAUL AND APPLE
JOHN LENNON AND ME
The program and dialog to a 1996 play by author Cherie Bennett that deals with a Beatles fan afflicted with a life threatening disease (cystic fibrosis) and her ability to cope with the curveballs that life sometines throws at us. I know I am in the minority but I love books like this that explore the effects the Beatles had or have on our respective lives. To me this type of book solidifies their cultural impact on the world.
JOHN LENNON AND ME
Back Cover of the book:
JOHN LENNON AND ME
JULIAN LENNON AND PAUL MCCARTNEY
A French magazine featuring John’s son Julian on the cover and Paul McCartney around the time of Broad Street hence the terms/references below their surnames on the bottom of the cover- (les fils-the son) and (le film, the film).
JULIAN LENNON AND PAUL MCCARTNEY
RICHARD LESTER
A hard to find Richard Lester interview from the UK magazine Movie, Winter 68-69 issue #16:
RICHARD LESTER
Here is a nice item recently acquired a sketch that Klaus Voormann sent to a fan:
Klaus Voormann Drawing
Another recent acquisition is a charity album from 1987 to benefit the Boy Scouts of America whereby George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann and Lon and Derrek Van Eaton make appearances.(see the back cover for the details)
The back cover of the charity LP:
BERNIE TAUPIN
Some of you may be asking why a Bernie Taupin book about his lyrics appears in a Beatles-related print blog. Well, it has to do with John Lennon’s friendship with both Elton John and Bernie Taupin. We all know about the famous 1974 Thanksgiving concert of Elton’s where John performed three songs and played tambourine in the encore, but not as much is known about John’s contribution to Bernie’s book of his illustrated lyrics. many artists like Alan Aldridge were asked to contribute something to illustrate the fine lyrics of Taupin. John Lennon volunteered to contribute one of his many collages that he had done over the years to illustrate the song “Bennie and the Jets.” The collage appears in this book but I won’t surprise you by including it here, you will need to discover the collage on your own. The book is available on Amazon, Ebay and many other book sources. This book was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1976
BERNIE TAUPIN
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!
Looking for more feedback folks. I hear from a lot of people via email saying that they enjoy the blog a lot but I see very few comments or perceptions directly on the site.
Please demonstrate your viewpoints and opinions via the Comments section. Constructive feedback is always welcome. Trolls please stay away. With gratitude!
JOHN “BUZZ” BEZZINI
EXPLORE THE BEATLES BOOKSTORE FOR GREAT BOOKS ABOUT THE BEATLES
The best way for me to introduce what I personally feel is the best regularly printed magazine about Paul McCartney – MACCAZINE – in the world is to present a small section of their own magazine description from their website, as I believe it to be a very accurate summary of the contents of the magazine. In the digital world in which we live in, it is a refreshing thought to know that this organization based in the Netherlands, publishes two special McCartney magazines peryear.
However, the word magazine is not the correct term to use to describe the issues as the two magazines that arrive each year are actually equivalent in both appearance and content to receiving two new oversized McCartney paperback “books” inundated with great information and fantastic photos. It can be truly said that Maccazine can’t be beat!!! There is not a better magazine in existence about the world’s most successful composer!
All I have is praise and accolades for this wonderful well-written and researched McCartney magazine that arrives at my mailbox twice a year. Before I show you photos of the covers of the 49 English language issues that have been printed up until January of 2025, I would like to present a list of of some of the stellar staff members of this excellent MACCAZINE:
The Maccazine Team
The chief editor of the Maccazine, Edward Eikelenboom, has graciously consented to give me and this post a little personal background to the magazine’s history which is provided here:
From Edward:
1) We started as the Dutch Paul McCartney Fanclub in 1973 after contacting the UK Fun Club address on the back of the “Red Rose Speedway” album sleeve. We also received official approval from EMI Bovema, the Dutch record company.
2) At first we distributed the British Fan Club newsletters to the Dutch subscribers and in April 1975 we started to publish our own magazine Wings Words. From the start all our magazines were published in the Dutch language.
3) Up until 1983 we published 6 magazines a year. Because Wings officially disbanded in 1981 we retitled our fanclub magazine to McCartney Magazine in 1984, followed by the name Maccazine in 1992. As our magazine improved over the years in quality and in quantity (more pages in each issue) we decided to publish 4 magazines a year starting in 1983. All Maccazines were still published in Dutch with a print in black and white.
4) In 2005, twenty years ago, we decided to change our policy. This was partly due to the Internet, but also we wanted to reach more readers in other countries. So we began publishing Maccazine in English with a full colour cover. We also decided not to focus on the recent news, but to issue specials about a certain topic, like a McCartney album, a concert tour or another them. Our first issue was “Venus And Mars”.
5) It’s now 20 years later and so far we have published 49 Maccazines (in English). The amount of pages, quality of print and even the inside pages of Maccazine are now printed in colour. So we keep improving our Maccazines. We are a non-profit organisation (organization) so all money that comes in we spent on our issues.
6) The people who read Maccazine are from all over the world. Most readers are situated outside The Netherlands. The best way is to save money is to subscribe, but you can also order (back) issues from our website.
MACCAZINE’S PARTIAL WEBSITE DESCRIPTION ABOUT THEIR SPECIAL MAGAZINE THAT APPEARS AT THEIR WEBSITE:
MACCAZINE is a hard copy magazine about Paul McCartney published by the Paul McCartney Fan Club. MACCAZINE is one of a kind, bringing you exclusive information in a world ruled by the internet. Take a look inside and discover MACCAZINE! Once you have read one, you want to read them all!
MACCAZINE is published by the Paul McCartney Fan Club. All MACCAZINES are offered at prime cost. The Paul McCartney Fan Club is a non-profit organization, run by volunteers. Let it be clear that no money is made from the publication of these MACCAZINES. All for the love of Paul.
Maccazine is a hard copy magazine (a bound paperback) about Paul McCartney. It is published (*) twice a year. Due to the fact that the Internet has taken over the world and the fact that the latest Paul McCartney news is to be found on hundreds of websites, we have decided to focus on creating an informative paper magazine about Paul McCartney.
Most of our Maccazines are 58+ pages magazines (a bound paperback) with a full colour cover about an event in Paul McCartney ’s career after the Beatles break-up; for instance an album by Wings, a solo album or a concert tour.
All Maccazines are written in English and contain lots of photos and illustrations.
You can buy Maccazines as back issues, but when you choose to become a member, you will automatically receive the latest issue at your home address.
Our aim is not to provide you with the latest news about Paul McCartney, but to deliver an interesting magazine with facts that have been obtained through extensive research by our editors.
SUBSCRIBE?
Should you be interested in becoming a subscriber of the magazine or you possibly would like to purchase a specific issue, you can use the contact information provided at the link below to learn how. Any specific questions you may have about the magazines content can be addressed by someone at their website:
At this juncture I would like to present the front covers of all of the issues of this superb McCartney magazine that I have obtained over the last several years – Issues 1-49. Enjoy the ride! The reason that the numbering system on the covers of the magazine does not match the numeric 1-49 issue numbers I have placed on the post is that Maccazine started in 1973 and since 2005 they began to publish them in English. For example, 2023 is therefore the 51st year.
I was so impressed with the magazine that I just had to acquire the entire English language collection for my personal archive! Here are the covers of the 49 English language issues published thus far:
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#20
#21
#22
#23
#24
#25
#26
#27
#28
#29
#30
#31
#32
#33
#34
#35
#36
#37
#38
#39
#40
#41
#42
#43
#44
#45
#46
#47
#48
#49
Sincerely hope you enjoyed viewing the 49 issues of Maccazine that were presented here. I would like to close this post by posting a generalized question about Beatles-related fanzines that you may be a subscriber to or at one time subscribed to.
QUESTION FOR YOU
Before the internet, what was your main source of Beatles information or news? Was there a Beatles fanzine or a solo Beatles fanzine that you depended on to give you the information that you sought on a regular basis? If so, please let us know in the comments what that was and why it appealed to you. Thank you!
BUZZ
Discover More About Paul McCartney at The Beatles Bookstore
GEORGE HARRISON’S GUITAR – THE FRETLESS “MAD” GUITAR
Very rarely have I taken the time to read a book about a specific guitar, so this is a first. Written by author Paul Brett, it tells a fascinating story which you will find quite interesting. Here are a few quotes from the Amazon description of the book.
From the Amazon description of the book: Copies of the book can be found at Amazon, Ebay, and most book search services such as Abe Books.
“The prototype fretless model was gifted to the Beatles legend by Hollywood session player and music shop owner Al Casey, whose wife Maxine took it to Blue Jay Way in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles while Harrison was staying there in 1967.
Returning to the UK with his new acquisition, it was used by Harrison and John Lennon on sessions for ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’ and ‘Helter Skelter’ as the legendary Liverpool outfit recorded classic 1968 double-album The Beatles, aka The White Album.
Guitar experts and aficionados were previously unaware of the prototype’s important part in Beatles mythology, its history a mystery until 2019, after UK session guitarist Ray Russell asked, ‘Who knows anything about this guitar George Harrison gave me in 1985?’
Finding Fretless also brings in the guitar’s associations with Charles Manson’s infamous murderous cult, a million-dollar lawsuit, fire, frying pans, drunken fistfights, corporate shenanigans, Elvis, The Wrecking Crew, and much more.”
I received my signed copy of the book from the author of this fascinating book back in 2021. Paul was a member of my old FB group before I left the social medium. Paul was one of more than 100 Beatle-related book authors that were members of the group. “
Finding Fretless George’s Guitar
This Day in Music Books-PublisherPublication date – November 4, 2021
QUESTION: Do you enjoy books about The Beatles instruments? Let me know below.
Without question, this is the best Beatles discography in the world that I have encountered and only 500 copies of this 2009 book are in existence. This book sold out so fast that it was one of the rare Beatles-related book titles that I missed out on its initial sales pitch. I was only to discover the book much later and spent over a year trying to find a copy reasonably priced which I eventually did.
That really is a shame as more people should be privy to the wonderful worldwide research that the author Joachim Noske undertook to create this volume of nearly 800 pages. Housed in a slipcase that has the same cover as the book, with full-color photographs provided throughout this masterwork. It must have been incredibly expensive for Mr. Noske to produce this title and why he may be reticent to produce an updated version of the book.
As a Beatles book collector who also terms himself as a completist, discographies pose one major problem to me personally. First of all, I only collect print media and not digital copies of a book, so electronic updates of new material do not interest me. Secondly, the problem with discographies, even the BEST ONES, is that they become immediately out-of-date when a new release by the artist is issued. So you may be holding a valuable reference work in your hand with the excellent discography that you have, but in a few years, if the record company keeps mining their archives with additional releases, your book becomes more and more incomplete.
However, the slight criticism I expressed above does not discount or diminish the special beauty of this wonderful book and the incredible amount of time it must have taken Mr. Noske to produce it. Two kind associates who I met on Facebook that live in Israel, brought the knowledge of this book to my attention and I will always be grateful to them for doing so!
The Beatles Covered Discography
The back cover of both the slipcase and the actual book:
The Beatles Covered Discography
The German publisher of this stunning 2009 Beatles discography:
The signature of Mr. Noske on the book’s foreword of my copy #326 of the 500 copies
The credits and copyright information for the book:
The Table of Contents of this wonderful book is provided to show you the wide scope of the work undertaken by Mr. Noske:
Table of Contents (Part 2):
A wonderful sampling of the beautiful colors you are exposed to when you open the book:
A photo of the spine and binding of this enormous and heavy volume of nearly 800 pages:
Mr. Noske’s book Introduction where he explains the scope of his discography:
One sample page from his book:
Hope you enjoyed this piece about the world’s best Beatles Discography. One of the questions as a result of this book is: In the future when the surviving Beatles are no longer here and maybe 20 or so years after they have passed, will someone attempt to produce a complete and thorough worldwide Beatles discography?
I know the answer to my second question to that is: If they do, I am certain it will only be a digital-only copy…..LOL!!!
Here are photos of the covers of my complete collection of Paul and Linda’s Club Sandwich, their Fan Club magazine which started printing in 1977 and ended with Linda’s passing with issue #86 in the 90’s. Two of the issues are double issues. The issues are not presented in this post in chronological or numeric order. Most of this post will be comprised of the covers of the issues in my collection. Occasionally a comment or observation will be added to fill in a possible interesting detail for your consumption. Hope you will enjoy it!
Being a subscribing member of this club was a lot of fun and it had many advantages to be a member as choice tickets for McCartney concerts were often made available to fans through the club. I got to see a McCartney rehearsal in a small theater in NY as a result of being a member. I was also able, through the club, to get tickets to see Paul present a playing of his “Run Devil Run” album in a personal appearance, once again in a small NY venue. I stood there while Paul gave his promotional speech about the album and he was about 10 feet away as he talked about how important early rock ‘n’ roll was to him. I was standing on crutches as I had broken my leg several days earlier but that certainly was not going to stop me from getting to see Paul McCartney!!! As a member, we also were able to receive special treats like being able to obtain copies of Paul’s Russian LP.
Hopefully, this post will serve as a good reference point for those who may collect this magazine and are missing or are looking for specific issues. At least you will know what is on the cover….
(These are all copies from my personal collection and are shown for informational and educational purposes only under fair use) Special thanks to my daughteer Erin who took the photos of the covers for her dad which was a time consuming process indeed!
Issue #9
Club Sandwich – Number 9
Issue #10
Issue #11
Issue #7
Issue #3
Issue #8
Issue #6
Issue #5
Issue #4
Issue #1 (Features the standup bass played on the Elvis recording of Heartbreak Hotel which Linda McCartney obtained as a gift to Paul)
Issue #12
Issue #2
Issue #14
Issue #15
Issue #13
Issue #21An issue that deals with Paul’s fascination with Buddy Holly which he hosted many tribute shows for over the years. He also owns the publishing rights to most of Buddy’s songs! Smart businessman-that Paul!
Issue #20Linda is featured for the wonderful animated feature of her song, “Seaside Woman.”
Issue #19
Issue #17
Issue #18
Issue #16
Issue #22
Issue #23 Linda and Paul’s tribute issue to John
Issue #26
Issue #24Two Musical Giants-Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder!
Issue #25
Issue #27
Issue #63
Issue #65
Issues #47 and #48 (double issue)
Issue #67
Issue #66
Issue #62
Issue #50
Issue #49
Issue #53
Issue #52
Issues #37 and #38 (double issue)
Issue #51
Issue #43
Issue #39
Issue #40
Issue #42
Issue #41
Issue #44
Issue #31
Issue #30
Issue #29
Issue #46
Issue #28
Issue #45
Issue #33
Issue #35
Issue #36
Issue #32
Issue #81
Issue #34
Issue #82
Issue #86 (The final issue of the magazine following Linda’s passing from cancer)
Issue #68
Issue #83
Issue #84
Issue #85
Issue #73
Issue #71
Issue #70
Issue #72
Issue #74
Issue #69
Issue #78
Issue #80
Issue #77
Issue #76
Issue #79
Issue #75
Issue #60
Issue #61
Issue #59
Issue #58
When Beatles book author Mark Lewisohn worked for the Club Sandwich magazine, he ran a contest inviting subscribers to submit questions to Paul. I submitted a question that I had been alerted to by reading Mark’s “The Beatles Recording Sessions” book. The book quickly mentioned an unreleased McCartney track that he had recorded in the studio back in 1968 and then took the recording home, provided to him by the engineer. The track was called “Etcetera.” Supposedly the track was written for Marianne Faithfull.
I submitted the question to the magazine about the track and I was surprised to see the question was chosen for publication in one of the Club Sandwich issues.
Here is a photo of the question I asked and Paul’s response.
Many learned Beatle authorities speculate that the melody for Thingumybob was actually Etcetera without the lyrics.
Prior to the 86 issues of the Club Sandwich, Paul had an early version of the magazine. I only have a few issues of this magazine and here are a few examples. I acquired Issue #1 shown below a while back:This is an original of the first issue. There is a vendor on Ebay that I have seen is offering reproductions of the some of the original issues at a reduced price. I would consider getting all of the older pre-Club Sandwich issues if I could find them at a reasonable price…
This is Issue #2
A special 1975 UK Tour issue which I acquired a while back:
Storing Club Sandwiches
Storage problems were the biggest problem of having all of these issues because the Club Sandwiches were so large, they needed to be kept in a box and they needed to be protected by plastic to prevent yellowing of the early newspaper-like issues. The various sizes of the issues was another hinderance. The content though was always first class and interesting and I genuinely miss not receiving a new issue in the mail!!!
HOPE YOU HAD A LOT OF FUN VIEWING THIS POST!!!
Did you subscribe to Club Sandwich? Did you have a favourite issue? Let me know.
