A collecting friend of mine in the UK named Seamus Hayes was very kind in informing me of this new book written by a Wings roadie in the UK on the 1973 wings UK Tour. It is not a big softcover of approximately 70 pages, but it certainly intrigued my interest, and I await my copy in the mail
Here are the links for the book if you are interested in also checking it out:
The Long Way Roundby Martin Wilson (Author) Format: Paperback Before the stadium anthems and the corporate tours, rock and roll was built on steel ramps, heavy flight cases, and the sweat of invisible men. In the spring of 1973, Martin Wilson is a twenty-year-old lad from Byker with four pounds to his name, a bad hangover, and hands scarred from carrying gear for bands that never made it. Then a letter slipped under a rehearsal room door changes everything. Suddenly, he is trading the cold working men’s clubs of Tyneside for a warehouse in West London, joining the elite American audio crew Showco, and embarking on a journey that will shape the rest of his life: the historic, chaotic, and deeply human 1973 UK tour of Paul McCartney & Wings. Told from the vantage point of a side-stage flight case, this beautifully crafted memoir is not a book about the “dragons” of celebrity gossip or rock-star excess. It is a profound love letter to the craft, the road, and the families we forge at four in the morning. From a terrifying moment when a roaring Glasgow crowd threatens to bring down a century-old balcony, to a quiet, unforgettable late-night encounter in a Cardiff theatre, Martin captures the rhythm of an era defined by a sonic revolution. Most of all, it is a story about home, fatherhood, and the silent dignity of a true craftsman-learning to love people through the hard, invisible work of your own two hands.
Readers’ Praise: “A masterfully written look at the golden age of rock from the perspective of the people who actually built the cathedrals of sound. “Deeply moving, authentic, and evocative. A stunning memoir about music, memory, and the choices that make us who we are.”
If you thought you knew it all about Beatles animation, you probably do not. This book goes a long way to help correct that complication!
Received my copy of Matthew Hahn’s recently released bookabout Beatles animation and I am very pleased. It is thorough and will serve as an excellent research resource book about Beatles animation in your Beatles book libraries
I have provided the description of the great new book below for you as guidance and a few links as to where it can be ordered!
The Amazon Description of the book
The Animated Beatles by Matthew Hahn (Author) Format: Hardcover By 1964, the Beatles had conquered the media of music, radio, television, film, and literature. Little did they expect they were about to dominate animation.
Al Brodax produced The Beatles Cartoon (1965), which was the first time that likenesses of contemporary personalities were cast as stars in an animated television series. (They beat the Three Stooges by a few weeks.) The premiere scored a 51.9 share, which was hitherto unheard of in daytime TV. Brodax followed up in 1968 with Yellow Submarine, another first: “. . . extremely real and enormously famous people were going to be animated into a feature film.” It received rapturous critical notices and audiences flocked to the theaters. Today it is recognized as a classic and an alternative to the Disneyfication that had taken over and stagnated animation.
The Beatles are the most caricatured celebrities of all time, with new fan films coming out daily on YouTube and TikTok. Matthew Hahn, author of The Animated Marx Brothers, The Animated Peter Lorre, and The Animated Universal Classic Monsters, has found hundreds of toons with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, and also “Fifth Beatles” Brian Epstein, George Martin, Stuart Sutcliffe, Pete Best, and Billy Preston. They have appeared in computer games, music videos, rides, museum exhibits, virtual reality, and AI. All three surviving Beatles did guest shots on The Simpsons (1989), and John made many posthumous cameos. Other projects include Family Guy (1999), The Powerpuff Girls (1998), Robot Chicken (2005), Celebrity Deathmatch (1998), BoJack Horseman (2014), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Minions (2015), Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards to Broad Street (1985), The Beatles Rock Band (2009), unfinished works like the long-gestating remake of Yellow Submarine, and apocryphal ones like the “Lost Beatles Cartoon Episode.” Creators and voice actors affiliated with Beatle-toons include Paul Frees, Bob Godfrey, Matt Groening, Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria, Seth MacFarlane, Simon Pegg, Seth Green, Jake Kasdan, Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Jason Schwartzman, Robert Zemeckis, and Cary Elwes.
The author kindly sent me a bookplate for the book! Thank you, Matt!
The back cover of the book:
Concluding Remarks:
Let me know if you decided to add this title to your Beatles book collections and your opinions and comments about the book!
I found the book to have significant amounts of new and very interesting information, and the protagonists of the book (the Beatles) were very animated and often cartoonish about their convictions!
Recently a good friend of mine on the internet named Anthony had a discussion with me about all of the fantastic, unreleased John Lennon songs that we both heard on the Lost Lennon radio series and on YouTube but these songs never had a studio professional treatment until three of them were finished by the remaining Beatles, of course I refer to Free as a Bird, Real Love, and the #1 UK release of Now and Then. Anthony and I had a discussion of hoping that Sean would eventually consider a family project of finishing up the best of his dad’s still unreleased compositions to gift the world with studio productions of the many wonderful songs that John left behind.
I Invited Anthony to write the letter and I invite you to read the exquisite letter that Anthony wrote, welcoming the latest Lennon addition to the family, Aurelius, to the world, and explaining to Sean a project that he hopes he will consider one day when he has the time. Enough of my dissertation. Here is the exquisite letter of my internet friend, Anthony:
THE LETTER:
Dear Sean,
Congratulations Dad (and Mom). What a joyful time in your lives and one that is certain to inspire the proud parents.
As lifelong fans, it is our hope you might someday consider a project that would mean a great deal to millions of people around the world: an album built around some of your father’s unfinished demos.
For so many of us, John’s music has never really belonged to the past. We grew up with it. We fell in love to it, raised families with it playing in our homes, turned to it during difficult times, and celebrated better days with those songs somewhere in the background. In a very real sense, generations of fans have grown up alongside the Lennon family. After all these years, the love still burns remarkably strongly.
The extraordinary work that was done with “Now and Then” reminded us that an unfinished recording does not necessarily have to remain unfinished forever. In the right hands, and approached with sensitivity and respect, an old voice can reach across the years without losing the humanity that made it matter in the first place.
Perhaps somewhere in the Lennon archives are a few more fragments—unfinished songs, home recordings, melodies, lyrics, or ideas—that John never had the opportunity to complete. We can think of no one better than you to decide whether any of them deserve another life. Not as an attempt to recreate John Lennon, which no one could ever do, but as a loving conversation between generations.
And now you and Charlotte have welcomed little Aurelius into your family. Parenthood has a wonderful way of changing our sense of time: suddenly the past, present, and future seem to sit together in the same room. Aurelius will grow up surrounded by an extraordinary artistic legacy, but more importantly, by the family behind that legacy. Who knows? Perhaps one day he, too, will find his own way of making music and adding another chapter to a remarkable family story.
Of course, this may not be the moment for such a project. These are the days of diaper changes, nighttime feedings, very little sleep, and discovering the incomparable joy of simply being Mom and Dad. The tapes can wait.
But someday, should the idea speak to you, imagine what might be possible. With some of the world’s most gifted musicians and producers only a phone call away—and with your own remarkable musicianship and understanding of your father’s work—you would certainly have some interesting choices to make.
There is no need to manufacture nostalgia. John already left us more than enough. But if there are still a handful of songs waiting quietly in a box somewhere, perhaps they deserve to be heard.
And perhaps we are not quite finished listening.
With affection, gratitude, and enduring love for the music,
Lennon Fans Forever
LENNON DEMOS
Now that the beautiful letter by Anthony has expressed the viewpoint of many fans, we wanted to take this opportunity to demonstrate some of the Lennon demos that have appeared on YouTube, being attempted by various musicians:
Anthony, YouTube has proven that there are more than just a few scraps remaining. The following links from YouTube reflect several people attempting to finish up some of John’s demos with their own vision of what a studio sounding track might sound like. Some of them are noticeably better than others, but they all deserve a listen to envision or determine what the final finished product might have sounded like if it was ever brought to the studio! Some of these YouTubers deserve a medal for their efforts in my opinion.
This blog post does not represent an encouragement or sanction of these YT recordings only that they do exist on YouTube, giving the Lennon family a possible prime incentive to put together the project being suggested at the beginning of this post directly under the Lennon family tutelage and direction!
Many of these attempts are excellent and makes fans wonder, “I wonder what a finished studio production sanctioned by the family would actually end up being?” Peter Jackson – this is one helluva project for you, dear sir!
Do most fans think that a project like this should be attempted by the family or should things be simply left alone?
Two excellent attempts:
A song John apparently wrote about playwright Tennessee Williams sometime in 1974/75!
PAMELA DAVIS:A very talented musician who teaches music put together a wonderful CD called Dear John an exciting collection of her interpretations of some of John’s as of then unreleased material
Questions: Based on what you have heard on the YouTube samples provided on the post, what are your favorite numbers and why? Would you like to see a couple of final studio albums put together by the Lennon family finishing the incomplete numbers and taking the finished numbers and giving them a full studio production with backing vocals, where applicable, and guest musicians to play and sing along with John, perhaps some of his musical friends that survive could lend a contributing hand to the recordings. Peter Jackson could help like he did with Now and Then to bring John’s special voice to the forefront of the possible releases!
A special thank you to Anthony, a very special person indeed, for his wonderful letter to Sean! I hope he hears you and agrees that this is a good idea!
Don’t let the recent historical and cultural revisionists tell you who John Lennon was, as only he truly knew! Personally, I will always see him as a troubled but beautiful genius who invited us all to reflect about our own lives!
My friend Anthony sums it up perfectly when he states:
“THE WORLD JUDGED JOHN LENNON FOR THE MASK THAT HE WORE – THE SHELL THAT PROTECTED THE PAIN OF HIS CHILDHOOD! THE PEOPLE WHO LOVED HIM SAW THROUGH ALL OF THAT!!!“
Here we have the autobiography of a Liverpool taxi driver who came to be known as the Beatles cabbie. Brian Epstein used to call Eddie for his advice about the matters of the pressures of managing a very successful band. Sometimes it is not the earth-shattering news stories that are important in capturing the spirit of the times. Many of these books do not circulate on a mass scale and that is another element of attraction for me.
They have important stories to reveal, yet are not always widely available. Many are independently published and reach a small audience, and those good stories are lost to the public at large. That is what holds the fascination of these titles for me. As stated on numerous times on this blog, the Beatles story is analogous to a giant puzzle. No one has the complete full story or all of the pieces; it is comprised of little pieces that help to paint a small part of the whole magical marshmallow pie. Here is another little piece of the pie for you to consume…
A brief book description:
There You Are, Eddie – Autobiography of a Liverpool Cabbie is the true and remarkable life story of Eddie Willis. A cabbie’s cabbie, Eddie has met many folks over the course of his 50-year career. Many of them told him he should write a book. This is it.
With the ease of a natural storyteller, Eddie’s voice rings loud and clear from every page. It’s a rare, poignant and moving account of how one working-class man didn’t let working with the world’s most famous people go to his head. And what he built instead
“You’re not just a taxi driver. You’re a therapist, psychiatrist and a philosopher.” John Lennon
Please note-a special commendation goes to Tom Calderbank who encouraged and assisted Eddie Willis with the completion of this book!
Back cover of the book:
The author’s inscription:
A Special Thanks to Seamus Hayes & Dale Roberts:To Seamus Hayes for acquiring the book for me and asking the author to inscribe the book and to Dale Roberts whose YouTube video helped alert me to the book’s availability!
Love discovering books that have some Beatles-related stories between the covers. I was surfing sites on YouTube, and I came across the following link dealing with the activities of Beatle Week in Liverpool. In one of the interviews conducted by Dale Roberts he interviewed the man who helped the author put the book shown above together. It immediately stopped me in my tracks as I knew I would have to purchase a copy for the collection!
I was pleased to learn about the above book by watching this video made by Dale Roberts in the UK. He interviews the guy who helped Eddie and encouraged him to write a book of his many memories and to release his autobiography!
The interview with the bloke who helped the author put the book together is located around 15:30 into the video!
What if the Beatles had help writing their songs? Songs born of John and Paul’s talent, yes, but magnified by a mystic object tied to JFK and the secret society that put him in office. In this reimagining of the ‘magic’ behind the Beatles, Golden Slumbers follows a young mechanic living in 1970’s L.A. who uncovers these truths as he struggles to find himself–and find love.
There are a few Beatles books that I was never able to obtain a signed edition of the book while the author was still alive. For obvious reasons, when the author passes away the task of finding a signed edition of their work can become very difficult. Gareth Pawlowski passed away at the relatively young age of 55 in 1995 and I never was able to obtain a signed edition of his wonderful Beatles book shown below. That circumstance changed recently when I was looking through signed editions of books at ABE Books search service and I was able to find one Gareth signed book and it was the one that I wanted.
I love collecting signed editions of Beatles books because they are the creators of the work in question and even if they are no longer here, it is special to me to have their signature in the book that they were inspired to create. In a way it is a means for them to live on, inspiring and educating future generations. One of my longtime favorite Beatles book titles was by Gareth Pawlowski as it featured many unpublished photos of the early Beatles including John Lennon asking UK singer Billy Fury for his autograph. I loved this book because up to its release so many photos featured in the book were new to the reader. Even though the book was not inscribed to me, I will always hold the book titles that I have admired so much over the years, that are signed, in a special place and I thank those departed individuals for their great contributions to the preservation of history and the educational legacy they have left behind!
The book’s cover:
Published by E.P. Dutton in 1989:
Note: If you do not have this Beatles book in your collection, you need to seek out a copy! It is one of my all-time favorite Beatles books!
How They Became The Beatles
An ad for the book:
How They Became The Beatles
The original person that this book was dedicated to has been blocked out:
This picture had one of the biggest impacts on me when I first purchased the title many years ago. It features the perceived self-confident and very proud John Lennon asking singer Billy Fury for his autograph. Billy Fury was to die prematurely in his 40s from heart trouble!
Gary Pawlowski’s introduction to John Lennon asking Billy Fury for his autograph at the Beatles Larry Parnes at the Ble Angel Club!
John Lennon asking Billy Fury for his autograph
My Billy Fury signature:
Billy Fury’s Autograph
NOTE: THIS BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS THE RESULT OF A COPILOT SEARCH
Biography of Gareth Lee Pawlowski (1939–1995)
Gareth Lee Pawlowski was born on September 11, 1939 in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, USA He served in the United States Navy as a YNSN (Yeoman, Senior Grade), a role typically involving administrative and clerical duties His military service was part of his early life before he pursued a career in historical research and authorship.
Pawlowski became a historical researcher and published author, known for two notable works:
Flat-Tops and Fledglings: A History of American Aircraft Carriers (1971), a detailed account of the development and operations of U.S. aircraft carriers, illustrated with over 400 images
How They Became the Beatles: A Definitive History of the Early Years 1960–1964 (1989), which chronicles the rise of the world’s most influential rock band, using rare documents and photographs
His writing often combined meticulous research with rich visual material, making his works valuable resources for both military history and music history enthusiasts.
Pawlowski passed away on February 22, 1995, at the age of 55 . He was buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California, in Section 47, Site 699
In summary, Gareth Lee Pawlowski was a U.S. Navy veteran whose later life was dedicated to preserving and presenting detailed histories of significant cultural and military subjects through his well-researched, illustrated books.
It is a rare occurrence that I ever come across a Beatles collector and fan whose collection I can say that I truly envy. (In a good way). Thanks to blog administrator, David Bedford, I have been introduced to a 2nd generation Beatles fan that has truly impressed me with the signatures and Beatles-related artifacts that he has acquired for his personal collection in a 20-year time frame. I jokingly told Matt, that our collections combined could form quite the impressive Beatles museum. Many Beatles collectors have a sense of community about their collections. They help their fellow collectors to track rarities down that other collectors may be looking for.
Sometimes the pendulum swings the other way as some collectors can also feel very possessive about the items that they have accumulated during their lifetimes. However, part of the thrill of collecting is the ability to share the thrill of finding something both rare and historical with others that share that common interest. After exchanging a few emails with Attorney Matt, I am pleased to announce that we will be presenting with Matt’s consent some of the rarities in his personal collection as a series of blog posts. I know that you will be as pleased, fascinated, and entertained by these special items as much as I have!
The magic of the Beatles is just as powerful with some 2nd generation fans like Matt
A profile of Matt on a visit to the Beatles birthplace of Liverpool, England along the River Mersey!
Beatles Fan and Collector Matt
Background info:
Matt is an attorney from New England. He is a second-generation Beatles fan but is just barely old enough to have been alive when all four Beatles still were. Matt’s dad, Alex, gave him his love for The Beatles. Alex had seen The Beatles in concert twice and met both Ringo and George in London in 1970. Matt has been collecting and selling Beatles memorabilia for over 20 years now. Focusing entirely on autographs of The Beatles and those who were part of their story and artifacts from places associated with the band. Matt’s collection began unexpectedly and for free. In early 2006, Matt mailed Ringo a copy of a published opinion piece about John Lennon that Matt wrote.
Fast forward a few months later and Matt receives a photo signed by Ringo with a note from his assistant. The first autograph was obtained. A couple of months later, Matt made his first visit to Liverpool, England. While visiting St. Peter’s Church Hall, where John met Paul, the Verger Graham Paisley raffled off an original floorboard from the Hall. Matt didn’t win the floorboard, but before he left the Hall, Verger Paisley gave him a plastic bag with another original floorboard. Verger Paisley told Matt that he could tell that Matt was a true fan and he wanted to gift the floorboard. The first artifact was obtained. Matt decided to begin collecting both artifacts from places associated with The Beatles, and autographs from them and those who were part of their story. This journey has resulted in him meeting and corresponding with many people associated with The Beatles.
Over the years, Matt has been a respected buyer and seller on eBay and has done business with major auction houses throughout the world. Most recently, Matt’s memorabilia company consigned to auction, the original sketches used in the creation of both drumheads used for the Sgt. Pepper album cover photo shoot, Dougie Millings’ original hand drawn and signed patterns for the suits he made for The Beatles to wear in concerts and movies. Matt’s favorite autograph in his collection is from Ivan Vaughan, who introduced Paul to John. That day was the big bang in Beatles history, and it’s always been important to Matt and its effect in shaping his collection.
Ivan didn’t sign many autographs, so anything signed by him is rare. Matt’s favorite artifact is a large piece of the original Cavern Club stage that The Beatles performed on 292 times. When people think of The Beatles and Liverpool, their birth city, they think of the Cavern Club. It’s iconic and legendary and there is just something about holding a piece of that stage that The Beatles performed on. Matt enjoys the thrill of the hunt for artifacts and autographs he is looking for. Meeting and sharing stories about Fab acquisitions with other fans and collectors is a big part of what this 20-year-old journey has been all about. Matt is grateful for the love and support of his family as he’s pursued his collecting passion.
The floorboard from St. Peter’s Church:
NOTE:
Matt has consented to provide us with photographs of select items from his large distinct and unique personal Beatles collection. He has also provided the descriptions of the items presented. We sincerely thank him for his kindness in sharing these with us!
Some of the Beatles-related signatures in Matt’s collection:The first autograph – Sir Richard Starkey
In the first installment about Matt’s Beatles collection, we are going to present some of the background and photos of some select autographs that Matt has acquired in his 20 years of Beatles collecting!
Matt’s collection began unexpectedly and for free. In early 2006, Matt mailed Ringo a copy of a published opinion piece about John Lennon that Matt wrote. Fast forward a few months later and Matt receives a photo signed by Ringo with a note from his assistant.
Woolton Village Fete Flyer signed by all of the Quarrymen that backed John Lennon that historic day &by Sally Wright, the 1957 crowned Rose Queen:
Matt’s signed flyer from the 40th anniversary of the original Woolton Village Fete in July of 1957 when John Lennon met Paul McCartney. All 5 Quarrymen that appeared with John on that day in 1957 signed this wonderful flyer. When I saw this item in Matt’s collection, I knew we shared a very serious passion as I also have a similar signed document in my own collection which will be presented in a future post. It is fabulous that this document was also signed by Sally Wright, the Rose Queen crowned at the 1957 Fete.
Flyer signed by Pete Shotton, Geoff Rhind, Len Garry, Colin Hanton Rod Davis Eric Griffiths and the Rose Queen from 1957 – Sally Wright!
From Quarrymen reunion in 1997
Pics of Matt’s George Martin signed letter. Matt sent Sir George that same article about Lennon that he sent to Ringo. In return, Sir George mailed Matt this signed letter with the article he sent him enclosed. If you look closely, you can see the imprint of the article in the letter from where the ink ran off. Hand signed letters by George Martin are rare but the content makes this letter even more special. Sir George mentions John Lennon, his work with The Beatles, and his work on the music for The Beatles Love show in Las Vegas.
Letter from George Martin
George Martin’s letter to Matt:
Letter from George Martin
Here are the pics of Matt’s Lee Eastman signed letter, and his Allen Klein signed check. These items took him a long time to find. He found them both on eBay a few years ago. The Lee Eastman letter comes with the original envelope. It was signed on Ringo’s 30th birthday and it references Linda and her daughter Heather. Matt paid a hefty sum for the Allen Klein signed check. It’s nearly impossible to find anything by Klein outside of a contract, so he felt compelled to buy it. What’s great about this check is that he made it out to the Apple Scruffs. Matt said he would love to know the story behind this check!
Lee Eastman’s Signature
Matt’s signature of the late Lee Eastman. Paul’s former father-in-law and was the head of the legal firm that was representing Paul McCartney ‘s interests when the Beatles were splitting up and afterwards:
Matt’s signature of the most notorious figures in Beatles history, Allen Klein, on a check he wrote to the Apple Scruffs for One Dollar in 1971:
Signature of Allen Klein
Here are pics of Matt’s items signed by John’s aunt Mimi Smith and Ringo’s daughter Lee Starkey. Beatles’ family members’ autographs run the range of easy to find to nearly impossible to obtain. According to Matt, Zak Starkey is easy to find, but Lee Starkey is very difficult. He found the Lee Starkey autograph from a collector who met her at a Ringo related event. The Mimi Smith autograph is a fun piece that he found many years ago on eBay. Matt, has it displayed with an original hymn book used at St. Peter’s church in the ’40s and ’50s when John and Mimi attended church there with John singing in the choir.
Matt’s signature of John’s Aunt Mimi along with a hymn book from St. Peter’s Church:
Matt’s rare signature of Lee Starkey, one of Ringo’s three children. Jason and Zak Starkey are Lee’s brothers:
Here are pics of Matt’s Prudence Farrow and Francie Schwartz autographs. Both are difficult autographs to find. Matt met Prudence at a Fest for Beatles fans in NY in February 2014. He attended her lecture on Transcendental Meditation and then met her afterwards. She graciously signed this note for him. Francie’s signature is very hard to find. He got this personalized one very recently on eBay. The framing company Matt works with had to work some magic with the matting for this.
Matt’s signature of Francie Schwarz, Paul’s girlfriend during the White Album sessions after he had a permanent falling out with his former girlfriend Jane Asher. Paul was to find his first wife soon when he began to date Linda Eastman!
Here are Matt’s photos of his Alan Civil and Ronnie Scott autographs. Finding anything signed by either of these brass legends is tough. One thing Matt discovered as a collector is that if you know what specific autographs, you’re looking for, you can eventually find them with a bit of patience and repeated internet searches. There are reputable historical (not necessarily pop culture) autograph dealers out there and inventory is always changing. That’s how these two autographs were obtained. Matt states that he probably never would’ve found the Alan Civil signature on eBay. That’s a needle in the haystack!
Matt’s wonderful signature of the horn player on the Beatles great track entitled “For No One”. Alan Civil passed away in 1989 :
Here are pics of Matt’s Bill Smith, Horst Fascher, and Johnny Hutchinson autographs. The Smith and Hutchinson autographs were obtained from a reputable UK based autograph dealer that Matt regularly buys from. The Fascher autograph is great because he’s pictured with The Beatles. Most signed items from him are on convention programs without any such picture!
It has been reported that Bill Smith actually coined the name for the “Quarrymen.” Bill’s tenure with the Quarrymen was a relatively short one:
Matt’s signature of Horst Fascher, the Beatles favorite bouncer who occasionally sang with the Beatles on stage:
Johnny Hutchinson – a substitute drummer at the Blue Angel for the Beatles at the Larry Parnes audition. This is Matt’s signed photo of that occasion. Johnny Hutchinson was considered to be a very tough guy in Liverpool who actually intimidated the so-called tough guy, John Lennon. He was the drummer at one time for the very popular Liverpool group, The Big Three:Look to the right of this framed piece as it also has the signature of Johnny Gentle from the Beatles early sojourn to Scotland!
Here are pics of Matt’s Eddie Kramer, Sir Joseph Lockwood, and Robert Fraser autographs. The Fraser and Lockwood autographs were both purchased from a UK based autograph dealer. The Eddie Kramer autograph was removed from a book about Jimi Hendrix that he signed and inscribed.
Matt’s Eddie Kramer signature:
Kramer engineered two Beatles songs that appeared as a single and on Magical Mystery Tour—”All You Need Is Love” and “Baby, You’re a Rich Man.”
Sir Joesph Lockwood: Matt’s rare signature of the EMI executive. He was heavily involved with many Beatles activities including banning John Lennon’s Two Virgins album from his record label!
Matt’s signature of art dealer and impressario, Robert Fraser:
Some info about Robert Fraser from Wikipedia:
Fraser art-directed the cover for the Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – he dissuaded the group from using the original design, a psychedelic artwork created by the design collective The Fool, instead suggesting the pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth, who created the famous collage cover design for which they each won a Grammy Award.
It was through Fraser that Richard Hamilton was selected to design the poster for the White Album. His gallery also hosted “You Are Here”, Lennon’s own foray into avant garde art during 1968.
Engineering some great records:
A lovely photograph of Matt’s, of several engineers that worked on the respective Beatles albums shown below:
Eddie Kramer worked on a few tracks on Magical Mystery Tour; Ken Scott worked on some tracks on the White Album; Alan Parsons worked on Abbey Road and Glyn Johns worked on the Let It Be Album!
Closing remarks:
I know that you are all as thrilled as I am to be able to share some of Matt’s wonderful treasures with everyone on the blog. Matt has been very kind to consent to do more of these blogs to share his wonderful collection with all of us. Very few collectors who are not first-generation Beatles fans have impressed me with their collections. Matt’s collection made my jaw drop to the floor and that is the reason “I can say no more…until NEXT TIME!!!
The book covers the approximately 150 licensed items that dotted store shelves and helped fuel the band-crazed fan during the time right after the band landed in America and performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. Toys, games, dolls, jewelry, clothing, wigs, and more!
