Posted on Leave a comment

Happy Birthday, Yoko – But Who is the REAL Yoko Ono?

John and Yoko

Is there a more divisive and controversial person in Beatles history than Yoko Ono? Why was she always at John’s side? What did the others think of her? Did Yoko split up The Beatles? The Get Back series proved that she and John were almost inseparable, but many more people were in the studio!

There is always a lot of negative press, but now there is a new book by Madeline Bocaro called In Your Mind – The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono. For a change, this is an objective look at Yoko and who the REAL Yoko Ono Lennon is, which will surprise you.

In Your Mind - The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono
In Your Mind – The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono

Ono’s fascinating life goes way beyond what most people know. We visit Yoko’s inner and outer worlds. You will be touched by her wit and wisdom, her spiritual nature, and her intent.

John and Yoko
John and Yoko

Although always associated with John, her life story spans thirty-three years before meeting John Lennon, twelve years with him, and over forty years of creativity since his death. Yoko breaks down the boundaries between art and life. Her enchanting philosophy and uplifting positivity are irresistible. She shows us the truth – with sincerity and humor, enlightening us to our own superpowers.

Ono’s work is unfinished – to be completed in your mind.

Madeline Bocaro
Madeline Bocaro

Her art is on the ceiling, on the floor, and in the sky. It is invisible – a wind, a whisper, a scream. It is imagining one thousand suns rising, a billion universes, stealing moonlight on the water… Ono’s music and films are an extension of her art. This book covers every aspect of her life and work. 

Will you be bold enough to read this book with an open mind and discover the REAL Yoko?

Get your copy of Madeline’s great book on Yoko Ono.

Posted on Leave a comment

The Fest for Beatles Fans

Fest for Beatles Fans

The Beatles Bookstore will be at The Fest for Beatles Fans in New York this coming weekend – 9th to 11th February 24. Come and find them in the Marketplace and talk to them and buy some books too! And if you can’t make it, you can order their books below.

Authors At The Fest:

David Bedford
David Bedford
Jude Kessler
Jude Kessler
Terry Crain
Terry Crain
Madeline Bocaro
Madeline Bocaro
Kit O'Toole
Kit O’Toole
Posted on Leave a comment

EASY RIDER WITH A LENNON MAGAZINE IN THE HOPPER

REBELS WITH A CAUSE “GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN”

I recently obtained the late actor Dennis Hopper’s copy of this magazine featuring Mr. Lennon and Miss Ono on the cover. The issue of the magazine is from 1969. Got it for a very reasonable price, on eBay!

Lennon Magazine
Lennon Magazine
EBay description of the item fiba: Actualite, Issue #1, 1969. Side-stapled, 56 pgs. Includes articles on Turkish & Greek cinema, the fiba award for best films (8-page section on winning films No5 & Two Virgins by Yoko Ono, with brief article by Ono), poem by Lionel Ziprin, Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet, and more. From a collection of publications obtained from the estate of Dennis Hopper.

There are a couple of Beatle/Lennon connections with the late Dennis Hopper. He co-starred with Peter Fonda in Easy Rider and Fonda turned out to be the inspiration for the Beatles tune, “She Said, She Said.” The late Terry Southern, who helped to co-write the screenplay for “Easy RIder” also wrote “The Magic Christian” and “Candy,” which were film vehicles for Ringo Starr. Terry Southern also taped an hour-long cassette of John Lennon jamming with Mick Jagger during the “Lost Weekend.”

Dennis Hopper


Background of Dennis Hopper from Wikipedia–Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor and film director. He is known for his roles as mentally disturbed outsiders and rebels.
Hopper made his directorial film debut with Easy Rider (1969), which he and co-star Peter Fonda wrote with Terry Southern. The film earned Hopper a Cannes Film Festival Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Hopper was also in a few films associated with another prominent rebel, James Dean, “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant”!

Posted on 2 Comments

David Stark-“Beatle Fan Extraordinaire” – It’s All Too Much

It's All Too Much

Despite owning a massive Beatles book collection, there are only a few Beatles titles that I can honestly say that once I began reading it, I finished reading it in one sitting. “It’s All Too Much” is one of those titles, David Stark has led the life that most Beatles fans can only dream of. The beneficiary of good timing, good luck, and his own uncanny ability to think quickly on his feet, has led David to lead a charmed Beatles fan’s life.

We are so fortunate to have this book, a collection of stories about David’s extraordinary encounters with the Beatles over the years.  His Yellow Submarine premiere story is worth the price of the book alone. David has so many Beatles-related adventures to discuss in the book, it is virtually mind-blowing! He worked for Beatles publisher Dick James for a short while and he has many

links and connections to the music industry. He is also a musician and a drummer in the band “The Trembling Wilburys.” David is also involved with Paul McCartney’s LIPA and has the honor of giving out one of the school’s most prestigious honors.

This is the cover of his wonderful book that you will not be able to put down once you begin reading it.

It's All Too Much
It’s All Too Much

The book is available at the Beatles Bookstore, at David Stark’s website, and at most booksellers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Teaser

As a special surprise and gift to all of us at the blog. David has given me permission to post one of his precious Beatles-related artifacts (though not in the book).

Here is David’s note to me recently:

 “Here’s something you will love, a note I own from George to an engineer named Cormack about (I presume) the soundtrack to the Raga film about Ravi Shankar, probably around 1971.”

George Harrison note owned by David
George Harrison note owned by David

This is the tremendous band that David is the drummer for and he performed a tribute to George in March of 2023.

The Trembling Wilburys
The Trembling Wilburys

The Trembling Wilburys is the UK’s finest tribute to rock supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, featuring a line-up of top musicians and vocalists who perfectly recreate the unique sounds & style of the amazing band created in 1988 by George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.

Band members include Andy McNish as Bob Dylan and Tom Petty; Dave Collison as Roy Orbison; Michael Goulding as George Harrison; and Marko Laver as Jeff Lynne; lead guitarist Dzal Martin (Terry Reid/Equals); keyboard player Steve Salvari (Central Line/Chaka Khan); and drummer Dave Stark (John Lennon Experience/Dave Stark Five).

Their superb show features a great mix of Traveling Wilburys’ classics such as ‘End of The Line’, ‘Handle With Care’ and ‘She’s My Baby’, as well as solo hits by all five original Wilburys plus Beatles and ELO classics, including ‘Here Comes the Sun’, ‘Taxman’, ‘Hold On Tight’ and ‘Roll Over Beethoven’. An incredible band who deliver a high-octane show of the highest standard, don’t miss them!

The Trembling Wilburys
The Trembling Wilburys

David Stark has provided the ticket link to the Feb 2024 event.

The Camden Club | LIVE AT THE CAMDEN CLUB: THE TREMBLING WILBURYS

Buzz

Posted on 1 Comment

Help! With Your Beatles Books

The Beatles Help!

These two books have the movie “Help!” as a common denominator. If you love photographs of the Beatles from that era, you will love both of these books in my humble opinion!

FIRST EDITION Eight Arms to Hold You 50 Years of Help! and the Beatles

  Publisher  ACC Art Books  2017 Simon Wells, Paul Skellett

This is a superb book with so many outstanding photographs from the individuals mentioned in the eBay book description which is from a current listing on the site the last time I checked there. This publication is a boxed set and is a first-class production. If you get a chance to find one of these books, it is well worth the purchase! The quality of the photos is superb.

Here is the eBay description of this excellent book

The follow-up to the successful Hard Day’s Night, with rare unseen photos- Help! is considered the forerunner to contemporary rock musicals and pop videos, with rare and unseen photos- The film includes a host of classic tracks such as Ticket To Ride, You’re Going To Lose That Girl, and the title track, Help! Remarkable as it may seem, this is the first book on The Beatles’ film Help! and that in itself is a rare milestone in Fab Four history.

So put down your mobile phone, turn off your satellite TV and unplug the internet, and travel back 50 years to wallow in the beauty of The Beatles as never presented before. It may seem clichéd to say this, but truly, a splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Simon Wells, from the introduction.

Eight Arms to Hold You is a unique publication. It features both rare and unseen photos and materials from the movie Help!, drawn from archives on all four corners of the planet; all of which is forensically remastered by one of the country’s best forensic art and image restorers, Paul Skellett. The book is curated by world-renowned Beatles author, Simon Wells (Beatles 365 Days and Beatles Japan ). This is one of the most meticulously researched and restored Beatles titles to date, with support from Rex Features Archive, The British Film Institute, The Pete Nash Collection, The Vincent Vigil Collection, The Mark Hayward Collection, The Cavern Club, The Beatles Story Museum, The Hard Days Night Hotel, The Beatles Fest and many other private collectors.

Richard Lester, the legendary director of Help! has also lent his assistance in releasing parts of his private collection (including the original hand-noted script) as well as being part of the book’s final approval process. The project has renowned Beatles researcher and author Simon Wells on board to curate and narrate the story, with specialist forensic art and photography restorer, Paul Skellett handling the full image remastering process.

Help! Eight Arms to Hold You
Help! Eight Arms to Hold You
Help! Eight Arms to Hold You
Help! Eight Arms to Hold You

Another excellent photo book of photos from the first color film of the Beatles. Many previously unseen photos. This makes a great companion piece to the book shown above. Like Lennon/ McCartney, the two books make a great duo!!!

THE BEATLES: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE SET OF HELP! By Emilio Lari & Alastair Gordon

HERE WAS THE EBAY BOOK DESCRIPTION WHEN PURCHASED:

Published in 2015 by  Rizzoli International Publications, Incorporated

An extraordinary collection of mostly unseen photographs of the Beatles during the making of Help!. Published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the Beatles’ second motion picture, Help! , this almost entirely unpublished collection of photographs marks a pivotal turning point in the band’s history, as they evolved from much-loved musicians into the most important group of all time.

The Beatles’ first movie filmed in color, Help! is a madcap adventure featuring cinematography and film sequences widely considered to be hugely influential to the modern performance-style music videos of today. Specialist set photographer Emilio Lari was invited by director Richard Lester to shoot stills of the production at Twickenham Studios and document behind-the-scenes larking about as the band relaxed in their hotel between takes. With an introduction by Lester and intimate, never-before-seen images, The Beatles: Help! provides new and fascinating insights into the band that changed the history of music and the world.

Photographs from the set of Help!
Photographs from the set of Help!
Photographs from the set of Help!
Photographs from the set of Help!

Posted on Leave a comment

LENNON THE MUSICAL – THE NEON LENNON LIGHTS OF BROADWAY

Lennon the Musical

Added this huge colorful poster of Lennon the Musical to the collection from eBay. As many of you are aware, I love collecting not only rare and unusual Beatles items, but I like the ones with an interesting story. This Lennon musical was put together by Yoko Ono around 2005. It had a very short run due to the bad critical reviews.

Now and Then

However it did mark the first public performance of two of John’s rare and unreleased songs at that time of “India, India” and what was supposed to be the third Beatles Anthology reunion song, “Now and Then.” The song was actually called “I Don’t Want To Lose You” in the musical.  Two people have posted their own camera shot versions of the musical on YouTube. I suspect it will only be a matter of time before the powers that be have it removed from YouTube.

The rarity of this subway poster due to the short running time of the musical was the main attraction to me purchasing it. I can only imagine the exorbitant cost of having this framed.

LENNON THE MUSICAL 5FT SUBWAY POSTER BROADWAY

LENNON THE MUSICAL 5FT SUBWAY POSTER BROADWAY NYC JOHN LENNON THE BEATLES 2005

 RARE EDITION OF THIS POSTER MEASURES A LARGE 45X60 INCHES

AUTHENTIC POSTER FROM THE BROADWAY SHOW RELEASE FOR NYC SUBWAYS

Lennon - A New Musical
Lennon – The Musical

For those of you who are not members of my Beatles print blog. Here is the link.

To receive updates of new posts you need to register and subscribe. Hope you will join us and have some fun at this informational site dealing with Beatles-related print material!!!

Buzz’s Beatles Book/ Print Blog Archives – The Beatles Bookstore

Buzz