– A SPECIAL PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK PUT TOGETHER BY KISHIN SHINOYAMA & YOKO ONO
This beautiful book, “Double Fantasy”, was put together as a collaborative effort between the photographer Kishin Shinoyama and Yoko Ono. Kishin Shinoyama took the Double Fantasy album cover photograph. It was Yoko Ono who requested the photographer to photograph and create the gorgeous 174-page limited edition book “Double Fantasy” for Taschen Publications.
I know this post will generate some controversy as I will probably receive comments about the high cost of the book and will be questioned about the wisdom of posting books that are not affordable to many of the potential people interested in obtaining a copy. I can understand that frustration as most Beatles-related book collectors who see a book they may wish to acquire, yet they can not afford, can cause anger and great disappointment in some.
That is why with books such as this, I wish the publishers could work out an arrangement with the respective estates to also print a much more economical version of the book so that more people can add the book to their respective collections and enjoy the wonderful photos as a result. The other side of the issue would state that high-quality photography is very expensive to produce in a limited edition book and therefore the high cost is justified. I just wish a happy medium could be reached in order to satisfy all those who would have interest in the title.
Nevertheless, I will always be grateful that I was able to afford the book at its release. Now that I am retired, I am not so sure that I could do that anymore. In any case, I am happy that I was fortunate enough to add this beautiful book of photos to my collection!
This is the slipcase containing the 2014 Double Fantasy book:
My copy of this gorgeous book is number 522 which Yoko may possibly see as a good number as the digits 5 + 2+2=9. It is just a numerology supposition on my part…LOL! I tried to obtain copy #1980 (the last numbered and signed copy) for my collection when I purchased my copy, but they could not assign specific copies to purchasers.
Both Yoko and the photographer signed this book and the signatures appear below…
Double Fantasy John Lennon & Yoko Ono – signed copy
The actual cover of the book contained within the beautiful slipcase:
Double Fantasy Cover with John Lennon & Yoko Ono
The spine of the book:
Some biographical information about Kishin Shinoyama on Wikipedia. Mr. Shinoyama was to pass away in January of 2024.
Have you ever expressed any kind of resentment towards fellow collectors who may have been fortunate enough to be able to acquire a Beatles-related item that you were not able to afford at the time of the item’s release? If so, what is the main reason for the feeling of resentment? Is it mainly held towards the publisher, the artist or the actual fan who shells out the funds?
Let me know in the comments below.
BUZZ
More Books About John Lennon at the Beatles Bookstore
The Applejacks were an English beat group from the 1960s. They had a strange classification as a “Brumbeat” group which translates, according to Wikipedia, as being from the West Midlands -Birmingham area of the UK. They also had the distinction of being the first band from that area to have a top ten UK single in the UK singles charts. Another unusual feature for the band (at that time in history) was having a female bass player.
The Applejacks met the Beatles during rehearsals for a television appearance where Lennon and McCartney provided the group with a song which was to be their second single entitled “Like Dreamers Do.”
“Tell Me When”, their first single, was released in February 1964 (something else very important also happened that month in the US as well) and “Tell Me When” got to the No. 7 position on the UK singles chart.
“Like Dreamers Do” only reached #20 on the UK singles charts, however. Other than the Decca audition Beatles version of the song, the Beatles were never were to officially record a studio version of the song for their own EMI/Capitol label.
The cover of the Applejacks CD compilation disk that I recently purchased on eBay!
Original Applejacks band member signatures that I recently acquired on eBay:
Al Jackson-lead vocals(left the band in 1966)
Martin Baggott-lead guitar
Don Gould-piano
Phil Cash-rhythm guitar
Gerry Freeman-drums–(left 1967)
Megan Davies-bass guitar
It must be noted that this was not the only band configuration of the group.
2 New members were to join the band when two of the original members, Al Jackson and Gerry Freeman, left the group. The band finally went their separate ways in 1967.
Paul Willetts-drums (joined 1967)
John Washington –lead vocal (joined 1966)
These are the signatures of the original 6 members of the band, which I used as a bookplate for my copy of their hardcover biography by Andrew Phillips!
Applejacks Signatures
The great Cherry Red label put together this special compilation CD of much of the Applejacks recorded material for the Decca label. It’s interesting to see that not only Lennon/McCartney provided a song to them but also Ray Davies of the Kinks. Copies of this CD are available both on Ebay and on Discogs, the record seeking search service for collectors.
The Applejacks including Like Dreamers Do
Saw this wonderful link by Malcolm Drew on YouTube which presents the Applejacks at the BBC:
In the past, I have stated clearly that some of my favorite books about the Beatles era are books that fill in lesser-known information about Beatles-related activities and about the other artists who may have interacted with them. I especially love stories about singers or groups that the Beatles gave away some of their early songwriting efforts too. This is particularly true about songs that the Beatles themselves never got the chance or had the desire to record in the studio during the Capitol/EMI time frame.
Here is a book that fits the bill of my description above:
Andrew Phillip’s book about the Applejacks: “Like Dreamers Do”Self-published on the 3rd ofMarch,2023. The book was published with the complete cooperation and help of the original Applejack members.
I was recently able to secure the last hardcopy version of his book. Andrew still has softcover edition copies available athis website:
The front cover of the sold-out hardcover edition of the book:
Like Dreamers Do – The Story of the Applejacks
The back cover of the book which features some fascinating questions:
Like Dreamers Do – The Story of the Applejacks
The author’s signature in my copy of the book:
The is a great book to acquire if you want to learn more about early 1960’s UK beat groups and the trials and tribulations of being a musical group during those times. It was an exciting time but it also involved a lot of hard work and travelling. Andrew did a fantastic job with this title and he has greatly enhanced and expanded our knowledge of this band and their relationship to Beatles history!
Nigel Pearce’s interview with the band:
The November 24th program of Groove Britain features Nigel Pearce’s excellent interview with the Applejacks. Click on the link provided below and scroll down until you see the November 24th, 2024 program. I do not know how long this program will be available at the link below but you can contact Nigel Pearce at redleadernigel@hotmail.co.uk if you have trouble locating the Applejacks interview which also features the author of the Applejacks book, Andrew Phillips!
The Decca 45 of the Applejacks version of the Lennon/McCartney “Like Dreamers Do” number appears below. Only recently did I acquire this item for the collection. You may notice a couple of familiar names on the label (shown below).
One was Mike Smith who with Dick Rowe were part of the decision-making team allegedly that was to decline the Beatles a recording contract based on their Decca audition in Jan of 1962. The other name Mike Leander was the man who was to eventually do the string arrangement for “She’s Leaving Home” on the Sgt. Pepper LP when George Martin was not available for the session when Paul wanted to have the arrangement done. He asked Mike Leander to do it and as a result George Martin later felt hurt that Paul had asked Leander to do the string arrangement for the song.
To me it is also very ironic that one of the men who was involved in the production side of the failed Decca audition of the Beatles was producing a song that the actual writers of the song had performed at that famous Beatles audition. Like Dreamers Do was one of the 15 numbers that the Beatles had performed for Decca in Jan of 1962. Do you think that Mike Smith was ever caught reflecting on that moment and asking himself “what if” we had signed the Beatles?
This is a picture of my copy of the “Like Dreamers Do” 45. I bought it primarily as an example of irony, seeing Mike Smith’s name on the song the Beatles performed at the 1962 audition and Decca being the label that turned the group down. Also bought it for the connection Mike Leander had with the “She’s Leaving Home” Sgt. Pepper track.
I also love to collect obscure cover versions of Beatles-authored songs!
It is great to see that the Applejacks did a great version of the song!
Fate can certainly be fickle and strange!!!
Like Dreamers Do – by The Applejacks
A performance picture of the the band that appears under the discography listing for the Applejacks at Discogs:
Andrew Phillips, who wrote the book shown above about the Applejacks, has recently collaborated with blog administrator David Bedford, on a new Beatles book to be issued in the spring of 2025. “What If” we wait to tell you what the premise of that book is going to be? You will be both startled and pleased!!!
Ruth and Angie McCartney are quite the family duo. Actually, I mean trio, as Ruth’s husband, Martin Nethercutt is also an integral part of the Three Musketeers coterie and their Online McCartney media ventures. Ruth of course is Paul McCartney’s step-sister and the daughter of Angie McCartney who married Paul’s father, Jim McCartney in 1964. Ruth was with her dear step-dad Jim, when he passed away in 1976.
I have never met either Angie or Ruth but I have corresponded with them via email multiple times in the last couple of years. You certainly can tell they have roots in Liverpool with their sharp wits and sometimes cutting to the bone Scouse sense of humor (humour).
Though not stated directly by either of them, they both exhibit a toughness to handle adversity and it seems clear from what I observe from various reports of their story, that life wasn’t always a bowl of cherries to them. Yet, they are resilient and even though they appear Online quite frequently, in some respects they also have a very private side and are reticent to share information that they believe should not be shared with the information-obsessed world in which we live.
First – a little background about Ruth from several video sources. Hope you enjoy these videos:
This is the program on every Tuesday co-hosted by Angie and Ruth McCartney which I encourage you to visit or subscribe to on YouTube. You can learn of the ladies book activities, Angie’s tea products, and their multitude of other business and cultural ventures that are discussed. In addition, you will be thoroughly entertained by their numerous well-known guests. They interview the guests in a pleasant family-living room sit-down type atmosphere. Laughs and smiles are plentiful. This particular interview gives some basic general information about the dynamic and very active duo of Angie and Ruth (Here are a few samples of their Teaflix programs)
Before I detail a couple of musical recordings that I purchased of Ruth McCartney, I need to preface the discussion with the observation that it takes much courage to even make an attempt to create music for any public consumption when your step-brother happens to be the most successful musician in recorded history. No matter what you attempt in the field of music, it is always going to be compared with or held up to for people to pass judgement on. The same type of judgement occurred when Julian Lennon began his recording career in 1984. Later on in life, he found a photography niche as his ticket to freedom and independent artistry, reducing the pointed fingers of the critics and the comparisons as he excelled in another field no longer being constantly compared with his dad.
Ruth, along with her mom Angie and husband Martin Nethercutt have created McCartney Multimedia, Inc., a full service digital company which deals with such matters as web design and social media strategy. Their website can detail these matters in far greater detail and clarity than I can:
In true McCartney style, all three aforementioned people- Ruth, Angie and Martin are true workaholics. Martin Nethercutt is a talented composer and musician and he significantly strives to assist to help in the successful completion and implementation of Ruth’s and Angie’s video projects.
It is often overwhelming to see all of the business activities they are intertwined with. We wish them well with all of their business ventures.
A couple of years ago I became aware of and then purchased this 1990’s cd-EP and cd-LP by Ruth McCartney and I am so happy that I did!!! Found them both at the wonderful vinyl/ cd search service known as Discogs!
Ruth’s tribute to her step-dad, Jim McCartney entitled “I Will Remember You”, is truly a beautiful heartfelt track.
I thoroughly enjoyed both the EP and LP. Check it out. The recordings are available at Discogs and occasionally on eBay.
The cd I have seen listed primarily at Discogs which is a primary source for finding this wonderful European recording.
Ruth McCartney had quite the musical following in Russia and I would like to present two videos of her performing numbers in Moscow:
A wonderful video of Ruth singing a beautiful song in Moscow
This was my first purchase of a Ruth McCartney musical project-it was her EP taken from the “I Will Always Remember You LP. Both the EP and LP that I purchased were manufactured in Germany.
Ruth McCartney
Ruth McCartney
This is the LP. I was fascinated by the range of styles evident on this release. Ruth is obviously a multi-talented person.
Her talents include being a good businesswoman, a multimedia pioneer, a fine singer, a great marketer and a dedicated and loyal daughter to her wonderful mom, Angie! She is amusing, clever and possesses a keen mocking sense of humor which resonates with so many of us when we view her and Angie’s Teaflix programs on YouTube!
If you have not been exposed to Ruth’s musical part of her career, I strongly encourage you to check it out!!!
The Ruth McCartney CD/LP “I Will Always Remember You.”
Ruth McCartney
Track List For Ruth’s LP-I Will Always Remember You
Overnight Success
Dr. Ruth
I Will Always Remember You
Livin It Up
Kidnap Your Heart
Forever In Love
Island Fever
Young Boy
Don’ Ax Me, Jus’ Fax Me
Real Man
Swimming Pool Music
Closing Beatles-related comments: Most of you are probably aware that is was through Ruth’s early years of playing the piano that she assisted in providing the inspiration to the creation of one of the most well-known Beatles songs at the end of their Abbey Road LP. When Paul was visiting , at the piano there was the sheet music of a 500-year-old lullaby by Thomas Dekker entitled “Golden Slumbers”. Paul came over to the piano saw the sheet music and it served to be the lyrical inspiration to a melody that he had been working on ended up as one of the most famous Beatles tunes/songs that Paul closes many of his shows with even today! Thank you Ruth for providing that inspiration!
Paperback version of the book with additions from the first volume:
Beatles landmarks with QR codes to enhance the book portrayal of these locations:
This is one of their titles that I still need to get. I’ll bet I could write a few Liverpool Limericks myself, though they would never reach the publication stage because of some very obvious risky linguistic reasons….LOL!
A fabulous limited edition book of 1,001 copies (Special thanks are attributable to the Arabian Nights for their inspiration).
I was fortunate enough to secure copy #1,001 for my personal collection! This book is excellent not only for the digital artwork and the beautiful cover, but also for the many stories that are now preserved for future generations!
A lovely cover designed by SHANNON. The book features stories about Ruth and Angie’s encounters with many well-known people revolving around the Beatles phenomenon!
An excellent site where you can purchase several of the Ruth and Angie McCartney book titles:
A brand new Angie McCartney book detailing the very long history of Tea.This book is available to purchase at the link above:
A brand new Ruth McCartney cookbook which is available to purchase at the Mrs. McCartney’s Teas site noted just above:This book cover reminds me of Alice in Wonderland
Let us not leave Martin Nethercutt, Ruth’s husband out of this discussion of The Three Musketeers known as Angie Ruth and Martin. Please explore this link to this amazing 10-year musical project of Martin….You will be amazed by this ambitious musical and video project currently in process:
Final thoughts on the subject:(in my humble opinion, this needs to be said)
Any highly recognizable surnames which have such worldwide recognition status like the name McCartney carry certain heavy weights and chains to shoulder. No matter what you attempt to do if you are not the person of immense worldwide fame, you are always compared or judged that you may be using the name to further your own interests. My point is….so what! You judge the quality of any piece of work in life based on it’s inherent quality. If the name helps in the recognition of the brand you are promoting, you would be a fool not to use it.
The name of the brand may help to sell the product initially, but unless the product being sold or promoted has merit and is worthwhile based on the buyer’s individual set of pros and cons, the brand name then becomes secondary in the overall decision-making process. There are too many closet critics who never created anything of their own accord in their own lives and therefore they elevate their own sense of self-esteem by degrading the motivations and accomplishments of others.
This has always been a pet-peeve of mine when a product is released by a relative of a celebrity. I congratulate Ruth, Angie and Martin for their courageous approach to all of their undertakings. I currently do not yet have all of the books shown above, but I do have most of them, and I do have plans to acquire the balance of them in the near-future!
Be healthy and be happy!
Buzz
GET ANGIE AND RUTH’S BOOK HERE
Your Mother Should Know
Your Mother Should Know is the second book from Dr. McCartney, who published her first, My Long and Winding Road, in 2013. Now 90 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down. Her latest work is a collection of often hilarious and always heartfelt quips, memories, lifehacks, salty one-liners and witty observations. Along for the ride is McCartney’s ever-loyal and equally saucy daughter Ruth, who, as a young child greeted her future stepbrother Paul at their first meeting with “I know who you are! You’re on my cousin’s wallpaper.”
Welcome to another JPGR Hodgepodge post of various items in the Beatles collection:
I bought this beautiful framed John and Julian photo on eBay a few years ago. I loved that Julian also signed it.
This is one of those photos that has both a happy and sad connotation.
When I look at this photo, however, I would prefer to smile…
Bought this reproduction on Ebay of a Beatles in Paris souvenir program: Interesting to note that the Beatles early concert appearance in France had a primarily male audience. That may have been due to some of the other acts featured on the bill for those performances…
A sample page from the souvenir book as the Beatles shop for postcards in Paris:
The back cover of the reproduction souvenir program that was acquired from eBay:
A wonderful photo of three of the Beatles taken in India by Pattie Boyd. Pattie kindly inscribed the photo to me:
I featured the Layla photo below in another blog post and I call this framed piece in my collection “The Muse.” It features a signed Abbey Road LP, signed by Pattie Harrison (a rarer signature than Pattie Boyd) with the song title that George Harrison reportedly wrote for her entitled “Something.” This is followed by her signature, Patti Boyd and the song title “Layla” written in her hand featuring the pre-printed song lyrics to the song that Eric Clapton wrote for Pattie. These two pieces together show the unususal complicated relatisonship of the three parties in question. This item holds a special place in my collection!
Certificate of authenticity of the 2 signed items on the back of the frame:
This is one of those unusual items that I purchased on eBay several years ago. It is a box set of a magazine and two Beatles prints. The item remains sealed to this day! That is one of the embarrassing factors about amassing a large collection over the years. If the collection becomes too large, you often miss the opportunity to enjoy it all!
Despite the potentially morbid title, I love the independently produced books like this. Clive Nelson’s research details the Beatles appearance at Northwich Victory Memorial Hall in the UK. Love these type of books as I enjoy them as selective snapshots of a part of the Beatles story: To purchase a copy of this book e-mail the author at clivethebeatle@aol.com. Not a Beatles book per se. but they are on the cover and they did perform at the venue in question!
Back cover of the book:
The Introduction of the book:
Fascinated with a lot of the cover stories of the Beatles in UK magazines over the years: This magazines is from 2001…
Love this cover of BAM magazine from the West Coast of the USA which discusses the use of music industry advertising: Bought this isuue on Ebay!
Love this rare Australian magazine from November of 1967 and the unusual photo of Mr. Lennon. As the years have gone by, I enjoyed acquiring English language magazines from around the world featuring the Beatles or at least one of them on the cover…
When I purchased this magazine on eBay, I was intrigued by the comment on the bottom of the front cover of the magazine:
TV Guide, around the time of the appearance of the Peter Jackson Get Back documentary, did an issue with a dual cover from Nov 22, 2021. Being a Beatles fan it is the Beatles cover that attracted me to purchase the magazine:
This was the true front cover of the magazine but being a Beatles fan, you know which cover I preferred of this issue…LOL!
A specialty issue of TV Guide dealing with the greatest Television appearances of the band-Published in 2022:
A combination of a Bulletin Magazine issue with a Newsweek cover published in 2005:
Though Dan Matovina has written the best Badfinger book, this one by Robert Day-Webb, I added to my book collection in my periodic search for books of interest on Amazon UK. Personally enjoyed this title very much!
Enjoyed this hardcover book about the world’s most famous recording studio!
Back Cover of the book:
A few words of info on the fly-leaf:
The author’s signature on his work:
Because there are so many Beatles-related books on the market, many are not as well known as others because they are not afforded the exposure of authors with greater reputations and a number of other issues. Obviously some books are better in quality than others, that issue cannot be disputed, but part of my role on this blog is to make people aware of the other books that are out there in the marketplace. The sheer number of Beatles-related books out there is simply amazing. Some of them are critically worthwhile, as most people would say.
Others may not be, but only the reader can truly decide for themselves. Part of my motivation for collecting multiple books on the same subject is to make my own personal qualitative assessment as to what is of merit to any specific title and if there are items of saving grace to those titles that do not quite make the grade! Sometimes I may dislike a book for it’s text and yet it may contain a few rare photos not available elsewhere which serve as its saving grace. The final test of merit for me is if I can learn something that I previously did not know about their story through reading the book and if that new information is indeed, factual!
Recently picked up this title for the collection but I have yet to read it. Not enough hours in the day with all of the books I still need to read to catch up, but I will get to it…hopefully!
The back cover of the book which mentions other Beatles-related titles:
A Julian Lennon setlist from the 90s that I acquired. I saw Julian on this tour at Toad’s Place in New Haven, nearby to Yale University. I would like to point out to you Track #7 “No One But You” which is a beautiful unreleased track by Julian that I sincerely hope he decides to issue officially one day! It deserves to be heard by many more people…
A test pressing of a Harry Nilsson LP that I purchased from the UK company called TRACKS. It features a note that Harry Nilsson wrote to his friend Mal Evans (yes that one, of Beatles fame).
The Nilsson Sandman LP cover photo of the cover was taken by none other than Mal ‘The Pal’ Evans:
Credits for the Sandman LP:
Several years ago I was fortunate to be able to purchase this 1964 Beatles UK Tour program:
This 1964 UK tour program was signed by Malcolm (Mal) Evans (see below), the Beatles Road Manager. Evans is the subject of 2 excellent books by Beatles book author extraordinaire, Ken Womack. One of the books issued in 2023 is entitled “Living the Beatles Legend: The Mal Evans Story” and is available to order at the Fest for Beatles Fans, Amazon, Ebay, and virtually all of the book search services available on the internet.
The second volume of the Womack Mal Evans book is due sometime in late 2025 and is eagerly anticipated by all Beatles fans!
Mal Evans signature in my copy of my 64 UK tour program:
Hope that you enjoyed the latest Hodgepodge post. See you next time…
Buzz
SOME OTHER GREAT BEATLES BOOKS HERE AT THE BEATLES BOOKSTORE
Say the words JOHN LENNON, NEW YORK and PHOTOGRAPHER and the name of Bob Gruen immediately comes to center stage.
One of the most well-known and prominent New York-based photographers with a specialty and knack for taking superb rock photos. Meeting John and Yoko in the early 70’s, he became one of their favorite photographers to help document their decision to move to the Big Apple and create a new chapter in their often complex lives! Bob took some of the most memorable photos of the couple and also of them as individuals. I can cite the photo of John in front of the Statue of Liberty and the New York City Tee shirt photo on the roof as clear examples. Bob’s honored place in the pantheon of rock photographers is certainly assured…
Bob’s autobiography:
Bob Gruen Autobiography
Publisher-Harry N. Abrams
Publication date October 20, 2020
Bob’s books can be purchased at Amazon, Ebay, Abe Books, and most book search services. I purchased this signed edition from the Fest for Beatles Fans!
Publisher-Abrams Books
Publication date-October 13, 2015
Published to coincide with the 35th anniversary of John Lennon’s death and the 75th anniversary of his birth! Many fascinating photos of John Lennon in New York!
John Lennon The New York Years
Publisher-Harper
Publication date-February 17, 2015
This book of photos was put together to help Yoko celebrate an important birthday as she entered her 80s!
Listen to These Pictures- January 1, 1985 Published by Morrow.Another beautiful collection of Bob’s Lennon photos:
Publisher-Genesis Publications
Publication date-January 1, 1995
This book signed by both Bob Gruen and Yoko Ono collects some of the best photos taken of the couple during their New York City years. Genesis titles always use the best quality paper and their books are bound in Northern Italy with exquisite care and craftmanship!
Other titles by Bob Gruen:
“Rock Seen” – Bob Gruen (Harry Abrams, Inc, Fall 2011)
“New York Dolls – Photographs by Bob Gruen” (Harry Abrams Inc, 2008)
“ROCKERS” (Cosac Naify, 2007)
“The Clash, Photographs by Bob Gruen” (Music Sales, 2004)
Do you have a favorite photo of the Lennon’s taken by Bob Gruen? If so, which photograph is it? Why is it your favorite?
French Beatles Collector Jacques Volcouve had amassed one of the largest collections of Les Beatles memorabilia in the world, until he decided a few years ago it was time to downsize and auction off many of the items he had acquired over the years. I have included a few YouTube links at the bottom of the page that feature stories about his collection and the auction. The purpose of this post will be to highlight some of the Beatles books and print material that Jacques has been involved with producing either as a writer, editor, or translator.
I have several of these titles in my own personal collection and Jacques was kind to send me photos of some of the work he has been involved with in Beatles book print media. All of the photographs of the books in question were sent to me by him.
Many of his book titles are available on Amazon in France or on eBay or on many book search services such as Abe Books!
Les Beatles. Co-written with Pierre Merle
1st of October 1987 Editions Solar
First study book on the complete works of the Beatles by Editions Solar to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the start of the Beatles’ career. Includes many unpublished pictures
The Abbey Road cover is the Solar publishing company:
Les Beatles
Alternate cover of the book–the Sgt. Pepper’s cover is from the French Loisirs publishing company!
This book surveys the musical career of the Beatles’ bassist. Includes many photographs, discography and the ATV file.The ATV file is of course about Northern Songs and the saga of their copyright songs company, Sir Lew Grade, Michael Jackson etc…
McCartney Co-written with Michel Dubreuil 1st May 1989 Editions Ergo Press
A French title where Jacques served as a co-translator:
John Lennon, The Beatles and Me
Pete Best and Patrick Doncaster 1st July 1990
Co-translated with Patricia Bamford the French adaptation of « Beatle! » Pete Best’s memoirs (the Beatles’ first drummer).
Editions du Rocher.
Paul McCartney Words and Music
Co-written with Michel Dubreuil
1st October 1993
Editions Jean-Pierre Taillandier and Régie Productions
An illustrated biography of one of the greatest artists of the second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first.
Revolution-Les Beatles, is my personal favorite of Jacques Volcouve’s books. I was able to purchase the book at a 1988 Liverpool Beatles convention!
Revolution… The Beatles
Co-written with Pierre Merle
22 April 1988 Editions Fayard Co-authored with Pierre Merle, Revolution … The Beatles, published by Fayard, is the most comprehensive study book on the French market. Indispensable for appreciating and listening to the Beatles’ entire body of work. Many unpublished photos . Gorgeous book.
George Harrison
Anthology 1943-2001
February 28, 2002 Published by Hors Collection
This well-documented book presents all the tracks recorded by George Harrison with the Beatles, as a solo artist and with other groups, notably the Traveling Wilburys, where he played alongside Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynn, Tom Petty and RoyOrbison. It also looks at his label, Dark Horse, his production company, HandMade Films and more. The best way topay tribute to this immense figure of pop music. It is still the only book written in French about George’ work
A book about Jacques’s fabulous Beatles collection:
Beatles Collector
Co-authored with Ersin Leibowich and Dominique Loriou
12th October 2012 Editions Jacob Duvernet
Beatles Collector the fabulous collection by Jacques Volcouve, written by Ersin Leibowich, Dominique Loriou and Jacques Volcouve.He tells the two France Info journalists his Beatles story and guides us through the gems that make up his legendary collection. Many unpublished rare photographs.
According to Jacques he supervised the French translation of this McCartney title:
Paul McCartney, des mots qui vont très bien ensemble
by Paul McCartney and Paul du Noyer I supervised the French translation of « Conversations With McCartney)
21st October 2015 Published by Baker Street Editions
Jacques Volcouve sent me an email detailing his creation of 2 French Beatles magazines:
It was after helping to make the French version of the BBC’s Beatles’ story a triumph, broadcast three times on Europe1 in France in 1972 and 1973, that my brother Gilles and a few friends decided to set up the Club des 4 de Liverpool. We had two magazines:
– The Fab Four Publication. More than a fanzine, our aim was to turn it into the French version of the legendary Beatles Book Monthly. Each issue was devoted to a particular theme: tours, an album, Apple corps, the real reasons for their split, Paul’s fake death and three off-format issues devoted to Ringo, George and John. The magazine cost a fortune to publish. Without financial support, subscriptions didn’t cover the costs, so we were forced to stop publishing in 1984.
– The Fab Four Flash seemed to us to be a kind of secondary publication that served to bring together news, replies to letters, song lyrics and so on…
George and Ringo each encouraged us with a nice letter. (See photos below)
George went one step further and wore a t-shirt bearing the title the Fab Four Fun Club at a Warner convention in January 1977 in Acapulco. The design was done for us by French artist Jean Solé.
This tumblr site has a photo of George wearing the t-shirt with the Jacques Fan Club design by French artist Jean Solé.
The following two letters from 1976 are printed with the kind permission of Jacques Volcouve.
George was a tough critic so it is very nice to see how complimentary George was about Jacques and the Fan magazines that he shared with him.
A wonderful letter by Ringo to Jacques complimenting him on his magazine:
(Jean Solé sticker design) du Club des 4 de Liverpool– The Fan Club sticker
A special 1973 edition of The Fab Four magazine:
TheFab Four issue #1 from May of 1974
A special issue about Apple of The Fab Four Publication Magazine from June of 1978
The March 1975 issue of The Fab Four features a discussion of Dark Horse Records
Jacques referred to Fab Four Flash as his secondary magazine containing the following contents:
– The Fab Four Flash seemed to us to be a kind of secondary publication that served to bring together news, replies to letters, and song lyrics. Here are the covers of two sample issues of Fab Four Flash:
MEETING A FEW OF THE BEATLES
The copyright on the photo of George and Jacques Volcouve shown below is owned by Jacques’ brother, Gilles Volcouve who took the photo of his brother with George Harrison.
This photo was taken by M. Denize (copyright) and features Jacques with Paul McCartney while Jacques points to a copy of one of his Beatles book in front of Paul.Jacques gave me his Ok to post this photo!
Jacques also informed me about this DVD of the Rutles. He told me that The DVD of the Rutles shown below is the French version which includes a booklet Jacques wrote and provided the illustrations for. There was no booklet in the UK version which had a different cover. Jacques also wrote the French DVD subtitles.
The Rutles, All You Need Is Cash !!!
A few YouTube programs about Jacques and his massive Beatles collection and his decision of a few years ago to downsize
All things Must Pass! As we all get older, and our priorities change for multiple reasons such as health concerns and living expense issueswhen we retire,we often need to make difficult decisions as result.
In 2017, Jacques made the decision to greatly downsize his immense Beatles collection and share much of what made him very happy over the years with others. Here is the catalog of the thousands of items that Jacques put on the block:
Copies of the auction catalog -are available directly through Jacques at the email address noted below. It costs 20€ plus postage. It is better to ask him for the postage costs which are dependent on the country in which you live.
Jacques has also indicated that he has copies remaining in mint condition of the 25th anniversary magazine shown below for those who may be interested in purchasing them from him. The white one was printed by EMI France as a promotional item, and therefore quite rare. While the black cover was the regular published edition available at newspaper sellers and newsstands. You will need to send an inquiry to Jacques by email to see which version of the issue is available through him…
Jacques has also begun/started a series of podcasts with French journalist, Philippe Gault, called Beatles’Secrets, and it is available on these platforms:
Spotify. …
Deezer. …
Apple Music. …
YouTube Music. …
The first episode was devoted to “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and the second one is about “Yesterday it will be
Voici les liens directs pour écouter le podcast Beatles’ Secrets avec Philippe Gault et Jacques Volcouve, où ils décryptent chaque mois une chanson mythique des Fab Four : le huitième épisode est consacré à Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Si vous aimez, parlez-en autour de vous et partagez.
Merci et bonne écoute.
Here are a few links to listen to the Beatles’ Secrets podcast with Philippe Gault and Jacques Volcouve, where they analyze a legendary song by the Fab Four every month: the eighth episode is dedicated to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. If you like it, spread the word and share it. Thank you and enjoy listening.
Mark and Paul from the podcast “Fixing A Hole” had the honor of inviting me as their guest this week. Here’s the link to listen to our conversation, which is in English. Enjoy!
Mark et Paul du Podcast « Fixing A Hole » m’ont fait l’honneur d’être leur invité cette semaine Voici le lien pour écouter cette conversation qui se déroule en Anglais ! Bonne écoute
