How do you become a Beatles author, blogger, filmmaker, podcaster and member of The Quarrymen?
You get ill with a chronic incurable, painful, condition, but find a very wise and understanding doctor.
David far left with The Quarrymen
This is the story of how David Bedford started work on his first book, Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles, and went on to write and co-write several other books too, as well as the documentary film “Looking for Lennon” and so many more Beatles projects.
This is the story, from an interview in 2014 and then updated in 2024.
The Colour of Your Dreams – Some Days in the Lives of the Beatles – Published October 2024 by BearManor Media
The author of this 2024 Beatles book is Gene Popawho is also the writer of another wonderful book with heavy Beatle overtones entitled “British Invasion’ 64” (detailed below). Gene’s well-written and detailed new book traces the career of the Beatles from the end of their touring years through the recording of their magnum opus “Sgt. Pepper” and finishing off with the epic satellite performance with a worldwide audience of the anthem “All You Need is Love.”
Summer of Love
Some critics may say “Do we really need another book about the Summer of Love”? My answer to that question is that I have seen very few books that deal with this question that are so well-written tying together so many of those collective events of those few short years in such a clear and cogent fashion. I like to pride myself in my recollections of Beatle-related details of having lived through those times, and yet Gene came up with several details that I was not aware of. However, I won’t spoil things for you. You will need to read the book for yourself to find out the details I am referring to… . For those that decide to purchase the book, I extend the challenge to you to find the new information that I reference. I will be honest in my replies to your conjecture!
The three book titles explored below can be found at Amazon, Abe Books and occasionally on Ebay!
The front cover of the new Gene Popa title:
The Colour of Your Dreams
Back Cover:
The Colour of Your Dreams back cover
Gene Popa
Another title by the author who authored the first book appearing on this post, Gene Popa. This title was also published by BearManor Media. The book was published in July of 2023 and it details the British Invasion spearheaded by the Beatles who ultimately secured the satisfaction, vindication, and restitution to the empire for having the young colony seceding from the British back in the 1700’s!
The two titles by Popa serve as excellent bookends. One deals with the worldwide rise of prominence of the young musicians from Liverpool, and their musical compatriots, and the corresponding musical and cultural revolution that this spawned. The other book shows the evolution and growth of the band in what many claim to be the apex of their career eventually elevating them to the status of becoming permanent musical Icons!
Front cover of the British Invasion Popa book:
British Invasion ’64
Back Cover of the book:
British Invasion ’64
Gene Popa’s publisher-BearManor Media link:(When the link opens type in Gene Popa in the search grid and his book titles will appear)
Another book with Colour of Your Dreams in the title! This one is from the early ’90s.
This title was the earliest Beatles book with The Colour of Your Dreams being a part of the name of the book:
Published by Dorrance Pub Co. in January of 1992. The authors of this Beatles book are Stuart Madow and Jeff Sobul.
I also have this title in my collection and it takes more of a music-specific analysis towards the Beatles psychedelic years and the highlights of the many masterpieces that were crafted during those years.
In summary, this post highlights three books that I found to be truly enjoyable and worth having in my collection.
The Colour of Your Dreams
Questions to close this post: What book do you feel still may be needed to be explored or written that deals with a particular subject matter dealing with their creative evolution that still needs to be explored?
Will Mark Lewisohn answer all of those type of questions in Vol 2 and Vol 3 of his Beatles biography?
Does it bother you as Beatles book collectors, to have the title or lyrics from Beatles songsas the title of Beatles books?If so, I would like to hear the reasons why!
As a Beatles print collector, I have a particular fascination in finding and purchasing the rare independent Beatles books. Recently it proved to be a treasure trove for finding these items which I covet on Ebay. I love these independently produced books not only because of their difficulty to find but many of them are first-rate productions despite their creation and production problems due to operating under low budget constraints.
A book about collecting the original UK pressings by Mitch Scharoff:
Collecting UK Pressings
Collecting UK Pressings
Noted Beatles fan, Katie Collard, produced this independently produced book:
In The Hollows
In The Hollows
The back cover of the Katie Collard book:
An independently produced biography of the Beatles issued in 1981-need assistance with the author of this piece, maybe it is a factor of getting older, but I could not find evidence of the author in my copy of the book:
A Magical History Tour
A Magical History Tour
A sample page from the interior:
A Magical History Tour
Another sample page:
A rare title written by European Beatles authority Arno Guzek who wrote one of the earliest known Beatles discographies. This title was issued in 1977. C. Mattoon was the co-author of this work.
Recordings Of John, Paul, George & Ringo
Recordings Of John, Paul, George & Ringo
A sample page from the title:
Recordings Of John, Paul, George & Ringo
The copyright page for the book:A 1977 release
Enlighten Books 1992 release by John Aylward dealing with Apple singles. I have been looking for this title for quite some time.
Apple Singles File
A few sample pages:
Apple Singles File
Apple Singles File
Apple Singles File
Apple Singles File
Interested in hearing about the rare independent Beatles-related publications that you may have.
What is your crown jewel?
The item that you may have been searching for a long time that either was incredibly difficult to find or expensive to the point where you may have pondered and had 2nd thoughts about the purchase. Thank you for your input on these questions.
Buzz
Some Great Books in our Bookstore
Cavern Club – The Inside Story
This first-hand account of Debbie’s teen years frequenting and eventually helping to run the original Cavern Club is the authentic inside story of the Beatles launch pad, full of triumphs and failures – and surprise celebrity encounters.
£17.25Original price was: £17.25.£13.50Current price is: £13.50.
In Your Mind – The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono (Softback)
Now in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Library & Archives
Acclaimed by MOJO & Goldmine
Recommended by Olivia Harrison
Spotlighted on The Beatles Channel, Sirius XM Radio
The true story of the woman John Lennon loved. Includes the work and music they made together, the love story of John & Yoko, and her relationship with the Beatles.
Ono’s incredible story goes way beyond what most people know.
There are astounding details about Yoko’s life (thirty-three years before meeting Lennon, twelve years with him, and over forty years of creativity since his death).
The author has followed Ono’s career since the mid-1960s, assembling a vast media archive on the artist. Yoko’s own voice, along with Lennon’s and others (in cited, published interviews) tell her undeniably true and complete story, disproving many myths. Bocaro has spent valuable time with Ono, gaining incredible insight.
Here is the ultimate exploration of Yoko’s childhood, her relationship with Lennon, her art, films, music and activism for peace and women’s rights.
It’s All Too Much is the unique memoir by music industry veteran David Stark, who grew up in north London during the 1960s as a dedicated Beatles fan and was lucky enough to meet his musical heroes on various memorable occasions. From gate-crashing the Yellow Submarine film premiere in 1968 (aged just fifteen) and ending up sitting directly behind the group, to meeting all of them individually in some extraordinary circumstances, David has some highly entertaining stories about his many Beatles encounters which have never been told before.
As I rummage through my Beatles-related collection and cataloging the pieces for future reference, I often come across items that I think that may be of interest to other Beatles fans or solo Beatles fans. Many of these books or magazines and assorted print media are from different countries or may simply have not reached a large mass audience when they were issued or released. This is the 2nd Buzz’s JPGR Hodgepodge post featuring some of these items. The Hodgepodge posts will become an occasional feature on this blog. The regular posts will continue to cover books or magazines that have some feature or some specific subject matter in common with each other or have a common theme tying them together!
Hope you will enjoy today’s Hodgepodge: The items pictured here are from my personal collection and were acquired from such various venues as Ebay and Abe Booksand other private collectors.
Tribute to George Martin:A special Billboard publication from April 11, 1998
In My Life-The Billboard Tribute to George Martin
Love these types of publications that are not widely circulated but are precious as collector’s keepsakes!
George Martin
The inside photo of George featured on the reverse side of the cover:
George Martin
The name of the individual who wrote the feature article about George Martin: Paul Sexton
George Martin
I love to collect Beatles-related auction programs for a various number of reasons. This one is from the great organizations in the UK called TRACKS, which I have purchased many Beatles items from. This one was from a 2014 auction. The reason I like these catalogs so much is that many items that I have never seen before and cannot afford to buy, I can at least have a nice photograph of the item and the history behind it in the archive. In another catalog I purchased a long time ago, (I don’t believe it was a TRACKS catalog) I had a picture of the reel-to-reel tape recorder that Bob Molyneux used to record the Quarrymen at the Woolton Village Fete. To top things off, Molyneux signed that same auction catalog.
Tracks
The back cover of the 2014 Tracks auction catalog:
Tracks
Interviews with John and Yoko from this era fascinate me in trying to understand their political views at that moment of their history:
John and Yoko
Love the cover stories on music magazines, this one was about the One-to-One Concert. My only disappointment with these sorts of magazines as a collector is their fragile nature and the eventual yellowing of the magazine over time. We will see more about the One-to-One event somewhere down the road, of that, I am sure. Possibly a photo book and a remixed and remastered audio of the complete concert as well.
John Lennon
Never had seen this magazine entitled New Departures before I saw it on Ebay. Published in 1981. It features a tribute to John Lennon. I also included the magazine credit page to identify the people that put the issue together: The cover features a photo collage put together by Peter Blake who helped design and put together the Sgt. Pepper cover
John Lennon
New Departures
I love cover stories about the Beatles from Billboard magazine, this one featuring the famous Richard Avedon photos.
This is the November 18, 2000, issue:
Billboard
Could not resist this UK issue of the Independent on Sunday Magazine from March 9th, 2008. It was the photo of two musical titans speaking about their views of what was going on the world in 1968…
John and Mick
I normally do not purchase too many Beatles-related books and magazines that are not written in English. However, I purchased this wonderful magazine from Spain featuring many unique photos from the J and Y Bed-In. This issue is from March 22, 2009.
Spanish Magazine
Sundance Magazine Vol 1 No 1 April 1972features John and Yoko discussing Women’s Liberation issues. In 1972 John and Yoko agreed to do a series of articles for Sundancewhich dealt with many social issues. Somewhere in the collection I have the magazine with the poem that John wrote about another issue…
Sundance
Saw this magazine on Ebay in order to read the feature on Sean Lennon published in this UK magazine. Article written by Conrad Bischoff and photographed by Zackery Michael. Interesting interview and many nice photos of Sean are featured in this article from Foxes magazine in 2017.Apparently, this magazines strongpoint are the great photo essays being presented.Bought this on Ebay!
Sean Ono Lennon
Journalism has changed over the years and certainly so has the treatment of women in popular magazines. I bought this magazine of course because of the John and Yoko article but I was amazed of how the material was presented judging by today’s cultural norms of what is considered appropriate. I personally believe that Yoko would have been offended by the way some of the material was being presented in the article but maybe I am not being fair in that assessment. I will leave that judgement to you, if you ever get the chance to read it or indeed if you have already seen it.
LIFE – In Asia
This is one concert I wish I had attended. It was a loving tribute to George Harrison in 2002, a year following his passing. Many of George’s friends and fellow musical luminaries contributed to this wonderful show which was released as a cd, dvd, and a beautiful Genesis book title to commemorate the event. Having been unable to attend this event in the UK, I attempted to do the next best thing. I saw on Ebay the concert program being offered for sale as well as an unused ticket from the event. I purchased the program, and I am very happy that I did.The concert was such a special one that I was thrilled to have acquired this keepsake though I certainly would have preferred that I had been able to attend this special event!
Concert for George
The ticket of the event:
Concert for George
This Progressive Media magazine from 1980 known as CMJ Magazine was published bi-weekly. This issue came out in that horrible month of December 1980. Published by College Media this Vol 4 No. 6. Jeff Tamarkin was the Managing Editor of this magazine. Jeff was a former editor of Goldmine magazine and is a music scholar.
This issue contained a tribute to John Lennon following his murder/passing. This is the back cover of that December 1980 issue of the magazine:
Progressive Magazine
Prior to the onslaught of digital media, it was very difficult to acquire magazines and books that were available only across the pond. The rapid expansion of computers and the quickly evolving internet and such internet sources as Ebay allowed us all to acquire print items that we were not privy to before.
Love this 1996 issue of Weekend magazine, a supplement to the UK based Daily Mail. Features an interview with John’s sister Julia.
John’s Sister Julia Speaks
Main photograph below is by Steve Poole. The story in this wonderful magazine article is by Lynda Lee-Potter:
John’s Sister Julia Speaks
I have a particular fascination in collecting Beatles-related magazines from the Sgt. Pepper era like this cover shot of John Lennon from theJune 3, 1967 issue of a radio-based magazine.
Then and Now
My copy of this January 1969 issue of Disc magazine. A great issue featuring a cover photo of John Lennon from the 1968 Rolling Stones R&R Circus. I love scouring through the old rock magazines especially those from the UK as you often find information of events or projects that may have been planned by the group but never materialized. Unfortunately, older magazines in the newspaper like format such as the older Rolling Stone Magazine yellow over time and become very fragile, and they need to be placed in plastic encasings to postpone their deterioration.
Disc
This is the hardcover edition of the Paul McCartney 2011 Tour program which comes encased in a slipcase. I do not normally collect tour books, but this one was special to me because not only was it a hardcover edition of the tour book, but it was also presented in a protective slipcase. Shown here are front and back covers of the book followed by a side view of the blue slipcase with the book inside.Many wonderful photos of Paul and the tour entourage are included in this tour book.
Paul on the run
Back cover of the hardback tour book:
Paul on the run
The side view of the book in the provided blue slipcase:
Paul on the run
This book has a multicultural origin. The book was printed in Hungary, but the publisher BAKHALL is located in Sweden and the text of the book appears in English. Published in 2007 under the supervision of Yoko Ono. The book presents a snapshot of the 1969 Bed-In event with many quotes from John and Yoko. The book is a small in size hardback which come with a dvd that features Bed-In documentary footage and Yoko’s Onochord video from 2004. The dvd is in the PAL format which is the European configuration for dvd’s and may not be watchable in some US dvd machines.
Front cover of the book:
Give Peace a Chance
Back cover of the hardback book:
Give Peace a Chance
A photo of the PAL format dvd that came with the book:
Give Peace a Chance
Hope you enjoyed the HODGEPODGE post of today! In the comments section I would like to hear from you about Beatle print-related items that were very difficult for you to find or locate or were so obscure that you felt compelled to buy them when you first encountered them. I am interested in hearing about Items that you had never seen before or that that your first reaction in seeing them was WOW, I have to purchase this for my collection!!!
The Beatles and The Jungle Book when The Beatles could have been turned into Vultures! – ANOTHER “WHAT IF” OF BEATLES HISTORY
This is a pin featuring the Vultures – Dizzie, Buzzie, Ziggy, and Flaps – issued in 2009 by Disney to commemorate the appearance of the characters in the 1967 Disney “Jungle Book” film. The pin sold out, no doubt due in some part to the supposed connection to the Beatles. Apparently, the Beatles were approached to do the voices of the vultures in the Disney film “The Jungle Book.” According to the article presented in the link below, John Lennon vetoed the notion of the Beatles doing the voices for the characters. Hope you enjoy the story. Written by Jordan Potter and appearing in FAR OUT!!!
What impact would it have had on the fans if the Beatles had made the decision to do a cameo vocal appearance in the film? Would it have been a positive career move or a negative one in your opinion?
The Lennon Play: In His Own Write by John Lennon, Adrienne Kennedy, and Victor Spinetti
Published in 1968 by Simon and Schuster – Victor Spinetti collaborated with Lord Laurence Olivier in a 1968 stage adaptation of a John Lennon work, The Lennon Play: In His Own Write, for the National Theatre!!!
Here is an excerpt from a Daily Mail article written by Ephraim Hardcastle on June 19, 2012
Laurence Olivier and the John and Yoko mix up
Spinetti recalled recently: ‘When I told Olivier that we now had John Lennon’s permission to go ahead, he said, “I’d very much like to meet with Johnny Lennon.” John and Yoko arrived at the National dressed exactly alike, in white, with their long hair. Olivier said, “Which is which, my dear baby? I can’t tell them apart!
This is the book of the play co-authored by Lennon, Kennedy, and Spinetti
This is my copy signed by the late Victor Spinetti and a Fest for Beatles Fans that was held in New Jersey several years ago.
Front cover of the book:
The Lennon Play: In His Own Write
The signature page of Spinetti’s inscribed message, signed at a Fest for Beatles Fans:
Signed by Victor Spinetti
The back cover of the book:
The Lennon Play: In His Own Write back cover
Adrienne Kennedy also shares her memories of working with and meeting a Beatle in the following title co-authored by her son Adam! This book is more difficult to find than the Spinetti title. I have seen this being offered on Ebay and book search services such as Abe Books!
Mom, How Did You Meet the Beatles by Adrienne Kennedy and Adam P. Kennedy
