Posted on 20/02/202327/05/2024 by liddypool — 5 Comments

Bruce’s Books on the Loose

Bruce Spizer’s Books on the Loose

For many years, I have dedicated myself to the pursuit of purchasing all of the Beatles-related books compiled and written by Bruce Spizer. These books are put together with a host of other very prominent Beatles experts and authors contributing to his books. Not only does one benefit from learning fabulous new information about the Beatles’ recording career, but Bruce’s research and writing skills are impeccable. Waiting for a new book from Bruce is like waiting for the next significant holiday, with all the pleasure and enjoyment that entails! Bruce’s books come in many formats. Hardcover and softcover editions, signed special collector’s boxed editions with lots of extras provided, and yes kindle editions as well are available to purchase. My favorite item to purchase of Bruce’s books are the limited-edition special collector’s editions. Limited to 500 copies, these are truly special and you will treasure them in your Beatles library forever.

Here is Bruce’s excellent website at www.beatle.net

The Beatles Please Please Me to With The Beatles

Recently Bruce announced this forthcoming work is expected in the fall of 2023. The main focus of this title of Bruce’s excellent album series will be to highlight and discuss the recording of their first two UK Parlophone releases of “Please Please Me” and “With the Beatles”. Other early recording ventures of the Beatles such as the famous Decca audition, will also be discussed in this book. Looking forward to this!

Want to see how comprehensive Bruce’s Beatle Book catalog is? These books are not presented in the order they were released, but it provides a good sampling of the tremendous library and literary contribution Bruce Spizer has made to the Beatles book canon.

The Beatles Rubber Soul to Revolver

Fantastic title that highlights the two albums that provided the incredible transition period that the Beatles made in their musical development. Both of these LP’s emphasized the band’s incessant need and desire to push the throttle forward to new sounds and experimentation with the creative process.

The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine

This wonderful book fills in the magical gaps following the release of the Sgt. Pepper album and discusses the origins and creation of these two works as 1967 cruised into 1968.

The Beatles Finally Let It Be

Though not the last Beatles album officially recorded, it was the last album issued. Though it had a few Beatles gems in the grooves it served as a reminder to fans that the group was about to move on to their solo careers. It is hard to explain but this book’s details make me feel simultaneously happy and sad!

The Beatles Get Back to Abbey Road

Their last LP and what a way to go out. Served to prove that when the Beatles were all on the same page, no one could beat them and their songwriting skills. What better way for the Beatles to end their recording career by going out on top and leaving their massive audience yearning for more. Subsequent generations were also drawn to the musical mystique of the band and left those generations with a feeling of “we missed out on a very exciting period of history.”

The Beatles White Album

Looking at the Beatles in retrospect, it seems strange that an album that signaled the beginning of the disintegration of the group would also be seen as their greatest work by many. Possibly due to the diversity of musical styles exemplified by the Beatles on this LP, this book serves as a great analysis of that subject matter.

The Beatles and Sgt Pepper

Many people look at this LP as the apex and the zenith of the Beatles’ career. Bruce and his many author contributors do a superb job in putting the Sgt. Pepper LP into its proper historical and cultural perspective.

Part 2 coming soon

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Posted on 18/02/202327/05/2024 by liddypool — 4 Comments

The Ingredients of The Stu – Sutcliffe

Stuart Sutcliffe

John’s good friend and artist Stuart Sutcliffe, was a member of the Beatles for a relatively short time, playing bass guitar until he quit the band to pursue his artistic career along with his German girlfriend Astrid. Unfortunately, Stu, who suffered from headaches for a considerable amount of time, died from a brain hemorrhage in Germany in 1962.

Another perspective of the sketch:

Stuart Sutcliffe Sketch "Hands" — Stuart Sutcliffe Sketch “Hands”

I, as time progressed quickly, discovered that I could not afford a Stu Sutcliffe oil painting in collecting circles as they command very high prices and are in high demand, but I was very fortunate to be able to acquire a Stu Sutcliffe sketch of a pair of his hands from the Fest For Beatles Fans. The seller had unfortunately taken one of Sutcliffe’s notebooks and sold the sketches individually to maximize the financial return. I am against that and believe the notebook should have remained intact. However, since the damage had already been done I decided to buy the sketch to give it a permanent and safe home.

Stuart Sutcliffe – the Poet

Most people think of Stu Sutcliffe’s artistic talents but he also dabbled in poetry. This is the cover of Stu’s 1955 poetry notebook.

The Cover to Stuart's Poetry Book — The Cover of Stuart’s Poetry Book

Stu Sutcliffe’s 1955 poem entitled “Lament of Spring,” which I acquired from a dear friend in Texas. Sutcliffe signed his last name near the title of the poem

"Lament of Spring" by Stuart Sutcliffe — “Lament of Spring” by Stuart Sutcliffe

Stuart Sutcliffe Portfolio

A Stu Sutcliffe portfolio put together by his sister, Pauline. This was a large format limited edition portfolio containing reproductions of items associated with Stu’s short tenure with the Beatles. I was able to acquire one of these portfolios from Ebay.

Stuart Sutcliffe - The Beatles Era — Stuart Sutcliffe – The Beatles Era

Below the ad for the portfolio is the certificate signed by Stu’s sister as being copy #162 of a total of the 1,000 that were made. Stu’s sister passed away several years ago.

The Promo for The Stuart Sutcliffe Portfolio

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Posted on 15/02/202331/05/2024 by liddypool — Leave a comment

Happy Birthday Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono’s 90th Birthday

To celebrate Yoko’s 90th, I bought a couple of Yoko-related items for my collection:

1) a rare LP collaboration between the Flaming Lips and Yoko Ono

Here is the description from eBay:

The Flaming Lips/Yoko Ono/ Plastic Ono Band multi-colored vinyl 1/1400 NEW. This is a weird one. 600 pressed in glow-in-the-dark vinyl. 1400 colored vinyl pieces sold at exclusive indie record shops. The Fear Litany, Do It! and Brain Of Heaven on side A at 33rpm. Atlas Eets Christmas on side B at 45rpm.

All songs were written by Flaming Lips, Yoko Ono, and Sean Lennon. With The Fear Of Litany featuring lyrics from Frank Herberts Dune. Released in 2011 with the glow in the dark 600 pieces were sold at New Year’s Eve shows exclusively.

2). Avant Garde Magazine 9 November 1969 John Lennon Yoko Ono-this is not the controversial lithograph issue of the magazine

Since good things come in threes:

3) A book that now resides in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame archives and has received universal acclaim-Author Madeline Bocaro.

Find out more here from Madeline’s websites:

inyourmindbook.com

conceptualbooks.com

4) Picked up this LP from 2012 which features a Yoko appearance on a John Cage experimental piece from 1961. Yoko’s first husband Toshi Ichiyanagi is on piano.

John Cage– 26’55.988″ For 2 Pianists & A String Player Piano [Pf] – David Tudor, Toshi Ichiyanagi Violin [Vn] – Kenji Kobayashi Vocals [Vo] – Yoko Ono

John Cage – Shock

Label:	EM Records – EM1107DLP, Edition Omega Point– OP-0011
Format:	2 x Vinyl LP
Country:	Japan
Released:	Sep 2012

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Books About John Lennon

In Your Mind – The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono (Signed Hardback)

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In Your Mind – The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono (Softback)

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Inside Number Three – The Illustrated History of Apple Records

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Bill Zygmant – Where Did You Get That Shirt? (Signed Limited Edition)

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Just Like Starting Over: John Lennon and The Quarrymen

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The One After 9:09

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Shoulda Been There (Vol. 1) 1940 – Dec 1961

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Shivering Inside (Vol 2) Dec 1961 – Jan 1963

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She Loves You (Vol. 3) 1963 – 1st March 1964

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Posted on 11/02/202327/05/2024 by liddypool — Leave a comment

Novelty Beatles Records

A Novelty- A Cricket Wants to be a Beatle

Sonny Curtis of the Crickets’ novelty record about the Beatles (above) is one of many novelty Beatles records.

Part of the fun in collecting Beatles items is that there are many areas where collectors can decide to concentrate on. For example, many people love to collect Beatle novelty records or 45s. Here are a few items from my collection of novelty 45s and a brief sentence about why they hold a particular fascination for me.

Paul Is Dead Record

Jose Feliciano’s novelty record (below) about the Paul is Dead hoax. Jose uses the pseudonym

Werbley Finster

Jose Feliciano's Record about Paul — Jose Feliciano’s Record about Paul

Cher

A Beatles novelty record produced and partially written by Phil Spector and sung by none other than Cher using the name Bonnie Jo Mason.

Two Virgins Too Far

“John, You Went Too Far This Time” by the group Rainbo featured the actress Sissy Spacek singing about her frustrations with John Lennon doing the nude album cover with Yoko called “Two Virgins,” on this Roulette 45.

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Posted on 06/02/202327/05/2024 by liddypool — 4 Comments

Rod Davis: A Quarryman – On Record Before The Beatles

Rod Davis

Little is known that one of the original Quarrymen, Rod Davis, actually was on an official 45 “release” earlier than the Beatles were. After Rod had left the Quarrymen he played banjo on this 1961 recording. Rod was on this record by The Trad Grads.

He signed the slipcase sleeve for this 45 as shown below for this Decca 45 release.

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Learn More About The Quarrymen

Just Like Starting Over: John Lennon and The Quarrymen

When John Lennon and his group The Quarrymen stepped onto the back of a wagon in Rosebery Street on 22^nd June 1957, Charlie Roberts borrowed a camera and took a few photos of the event. It was just a group of friends having fun at a street party.

What Charlie didn’t know at the time was that he was capturing a piece of Beatles history. This was the first time that John Lennon had been photographed performing with his group. Skiffle was the new music and soon, John would meet Paul McCartney who would then introduce George Harrison to John.

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Posted on 02/02/202331/05/2024 by liddypool — 5 Comments

Bent Coppers – The Story of Norman Pilcher

Signed edition of the late Norman Pilcher’s book “Bent Coppers.” Published by Clink Street Publishers in 2020.

Bent Coppers

“Semolina Pilchard“. There is conjecture in Beatles circles that John Lennon used this term in his song “I Am The Walrus” to refer to police officer Norman Pilcher. There was a mass trade edition of this book written by the notorious policeman who was responsible for arresting several of the most important rock figures of the 1960s on drug-related charges.

This book is Norman Pilcher’s version of the stories that captured the imagination of many who were part of the counterculture movement of that era. The version of the book shown below represents the signed edition of which only 250 copies were issued before Norman Pilcher passed away from cancer in March of 2021.

An interesting revelation according to Norman’s good friend, Reg, was that Mr. Pilcher after John had been charged at the police station, Norman sat down with John, and it was then that John and Norman had a long chat. It was there that Norman was swayed by John and what he believed in. John actually did send Norman postcards following his arrest from various locations, 6 in all from Japan France etc.

I am sure when the two of them were in the police station neither of them could have envisioned at that time what the long-term consequences of that arrest would be!!!

So what were those consequences? Let me know in the comments below!

If you wish to purchase a limited editioned signed copy of Norman’s book, they are only available through the author’s friend Reg, at contact.bentcoppers@gmail.com and not the publishers.

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