Nineteen Sixty Eight was a year in which the Beatles and singer-songwriter Donovan found quite a lot in common. Last year I acquired this signed Donovan photo of the Beatles in India with the Maharishi. Donovan made a few contributions to a couple of Beatles songs that they wrote in India and he taught John Lennon a unique way to approach his guitar playing. Donovan labels this the clawhammer style of playing that he taught to John.
This style, evident in both the songs “Julia” and “Dear Prudence” on the Beatles “White Album proved to be another way the Beatles were extraordinary in being able to assimilate what they were being taught by other musicians and to incorporate those abilities into their own musical canon. Donovan also contributed lyrics to the 1968 Beatles composition “Yellow Submarine.” George Harrison wrote an extra verse for Donovan’s song “Hurdy Gurdy Man.” Donovan decided not to use it, but many years later he issued a recording of the song with the extra Harrison verse.
It has been mentioned that Paul McCartney makes a contribution to the smash hit “Atlantis” by Donovan. There is also an underground recording of Paul jamming with Donovan at Abbey Road doing a number called “Heather.”
Donovan also wrote 3 songs on Postcard, the Mary Hopkin LP, which Paul McCartney produced.
Donovan had strong links to the folk tradition and there is an existing video of Donovan in a hotel room with Bob Dylan. It was obvious that folk music was soon to take root in the Beatles musical lexicon.
In closing, here is a version of Donovan performing the hit song “Atlantis.” Thank you Donovan for your many contributions to music and the Beatles catalog…
The Beatles Italian Tour book is unusual for me. I do not collect many foreign language books about the Beatles but I make an exception with photography books. I was scouring my bookshelves for books about the Beatles that may not be well known in the United States or even outside of Italy and I found this one. It is a softcover 125-page book that deals with the Beatles’ concert tour of Italian cities in 1965.
The book features photos taken of the Beatles in Milan, Genoa, and Rome! Photo books from around the world to me serve as a constant reaffirmation of their universal worldwide appeal. My knowledge of Italian is somewhat limited despite my lineage, but the language of photographs is universal and if you get a chance to acquire this book for your collections, in my opinion, you will enjoy it very much! I was able to acquire my copy on eBay. You may want to try a book search service to purchase a copy of the book if the interest is there! Arrivederci!
Book Published in 2005 by DeFerrari
Editor-Fabrizio DeFerrari-Sabrina Burlando Graphics: Barbara Collasanto
The Beatles Italian Tour
Back Cover of the book:
A couple photos of a group of Italian Beatles fans:
As with all record companies, demos and lost recordings always feature, and it was the same with Apple Records too. However, those demos and lost recordings always resonate more with fans and some of these will feature in the next book, Deeper Inside No 3. Lost recordings and records always have a mystique, and these most certainly do. The photographs are as follows:
No. 1. Hey Jude / Revolution
Hey Jude / Revolution
This is a test pressing of that recording before the Parlophone Catalogue Number was applied R 5722. Shown here is the B side, which contains the handwriting for Promo Identification.
No. 2. Apple 8 King of Fuh – Brute Force.
Apple 8 King of Fuh – Brute Force
So much again has been said about this issue, but a quick re-brief follows. Recorded and Written by Steve Friedland and first rejected by Capitol in the USA, John Lennon and George Harrison liked the content humour and agreed to release the song. Large numbers were pressed and issued to Media people, and when the song was finally listened to, it was agreed that it simply could not go out, so was recalled and dropped. Copies are changing hands at over 3,000 pounds.
No. 3. Que Sera Sera Apple 16 – Mary Hopkin.
Que Sera Sera Apple 16 – Mary Hopkin
This single flopped when issued failing to chart anywhere in the world. Mary never liked the song and was against its release, so really her heart was not in it. Unsurprisingly it flopped and despite a re-release on Apple 27 it failed again, and both copies were quickly withdrawn.
No. 4. Happiness is a Warm Gun in Your Hand – The Beatles Demo Pressing.
Happiness is a Warm Gun in Your Hand – The Beatles Demo Pressing
This was a first-finished pressing for demo and listening only. Ostensibly a John Lennon song, as with the contract situation, the demo pressing was labelled as an EMI Recording, not Apple. This is one of the very few one-sided records in existence. Having been given this copy, in 1968, it has remained in my collection since then stored away from sunlight. This was to be the title until changed to the one we know today. The song was also reworked, mainly with the Tuba and brass moved backwards into the final mix.
No.5. Badfinger Apple 35 – Suitcase / The Name of the Game
No.5. Badfinger Apple 35 – Suitcase / The Name of the Game
Recorded by the band and planned as a single release during 1971/72. The songs were duly finished and were selected as the single APPLE 35. The finished recordings were listened to again, and George Harrison, who largely took Badfinger under his wing was rather scornful of the songs, saying that they were not strong enough. Maybe he was right at the time, but it’s worth remembering that when various compilations of Badfinger were assembled, both tracks were often included in the presentations.
This is just a sample of some of the lost and missed recordings. More will be found Deeper Inside No 3. Can you wait for it?
Inside Number Three – The Illustrated History of Apple Records
Inside No3 takes you through that famous door, deep into the minds of all who worked there at Apple Records. This is done also in a very different way. This is not a kiss-and-tell diary, it is through fan adulation and understanding via a personal collection of artifacts and memorabilia that author Nigel Pearce has built up over the last 50 years.
The anticipated follow-up to the successful book Inside Number Three has now fully materialised as a fully-fledged and produced Presentation Event.
The unique book written and assembled by Nigel Pearce, Inside Number Three has now become a living presentation experience and has already made a brilliant start in bringing that world live to an audience. It takes you back to a different long-forgotten world. which only makes one wish you could stay there and live it all again.
Using his beautifully displayed collection of Apple memorabilia,(or this part of it!) as a colourful base, Nigel has expanded the publication into a living retrospective, of the revolutionary world hidden behind that famous white door at No 3 Savile Row, London W.1
Accompanying this excellent presentation are some of his precious artefacts, including records, posters, memos, and video collages showing artists and other advertisements of that time between 1968 -1976.
Apple Artifacts
Number 3 Savile Row
Apple Singles
Apple studios
Badfinger
Badfinger – Finest Moments
Mary Hopkin – Que Sera Sera
Mortimer
Mary Hopkin – Temma Harbour
Trash
George Harrison on Zapple
By using these items as an educational and illustrative synopsis, one is given a rare insight into those long-lost colourful days and times long passed. It reinvigorates those memories from grainy flashbacks into vivid colour, and brings them once again to life. It also educates those fans who were not there and illustrates how revolutionary those at Apple were.
By careful use of marrying the book, with on-screen photographs and artefacts, coupled with his own knowledge and delivery, you have an event that you will never forget, which includes time for questions and further discussion.
For a current review please visit norfuknews.com to find out more, and Nigel has already opened for Steve Hackett for one of his famous acoustic weekends. This presentation makes for a perfect Beatle-orientated event, so for further details please contact us here at The Beatles Bookstore, or via www.insideandoutsideno3.com where your enquiry will be dealt with. Â
More news to come!
Nigel Pearce
Get Nigel’s Book Here
Inside Number Three – The Illustrated History of Apple Records
Inside No3 takes you through that famous door, deep into the minds of all who worked there at Apple Records. This is done also in a very different way. This is not a kiss-and-tell diary, it is through fan adulation and understanding via a personal collection of artifacts and memorabilia that author Nigel Pearce has built up over the last 50 years.
John Lennon never seemed like the type of person to ask for anyone’s autograph. However he did make an exception back in 1960 at the Larry Parnes audition. There is photographic evidence of John asking singer Billy Fury for his autograph. The first time I ever saw the photograph of John asking Fury for his signature was in a book of superb early photographs of the Beatles written by the late Gareth Pawlowski and here is a picture of the book that the photograph appeared in. I can remember when I bought this book how amazed I was of all the fabulous rare photos of the early Beatles that Gareth Pawloski had acquired over the years:
How They Became The Beatles
A Billy Fury autograph which I just obtained on Ebay:
Fury’s Autograph
The DM’s Beatle site had posted the photo from the Gareth Pawlowski book of John asking Bill Fury for his autograph:
Ronald Wycherley was Fury’s real name but impresario Larry Parnes changed it to the stage name of Billy Fury.
Billy had many hits in the UK and many young UK musicians aspired to attain the great success that he had (witness John Lennon asking him for his autograph) but unfortunately he had a very weak heart due to having rheumatic fever as a child and he passed away at the young age of 42 in 1983.
As stated on numerous occasions in the past I also love to collect signatures of people that played a notable role or part of an interesting side story to the Beatles tale. I recently acquired these signatures for the collection as a few examples.
Timothy Leary – the Harvard professor that advocated for the therapeutic use of LSD. Mentioned in the song “Give Peace a Chance”, and he and his wife were at the John and Yoko Bed-In where the song was premiered. Leary also asked John to write a campaign song for him which evolved into “Come Together.” Leary was not too pleased with the resulting situation and the track was to become the leadoff track for Abbey Road. Timothy Leary passed away in 1996.
Allen Ginsberg , a friend of Yoko’s and a beat poet of the ’60s. He is also mentioned in “Give Peace a Chance” and was at many of John and Yoko’s happenings. Allen also did an unusual performance with Paul McCartney called “The Ballad of the Skeletons” which has been posted by someone on YouTube.
Here is a signed Ginsberg book that I acquired for my collection:
Allen Ginsberg’s Book
Baseball signed by Beat era poet:
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
A signed poem about baseball written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti that I purchased. The poem is about his passion for baseball and the San Francisco Giants!
Ferlinghetti passed away in 2021 and was over 100 years old at his passing.
A signed baseball poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti to accompany the signed baseball:
Passing away at the age of 101, Ferlinghetti was one of the most renowned radical poets produced in America. Ferlinghettipublished such well known Beat writers as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.
Noticed on this online site at the link below that he wrote a poem that mentions about John Lennon dying too soon and not being around anymore to give us the age-old answer to the question of “Why are we all here?”
A poem that mentions John Lennon dying too young “before he got to share “the answer” with all of us.
Royston Ellis – UK beat poet from the early ’60s who passed away in February of 2023. His Wikipedia background which details with the inspiration he gave for the songs of Paperback Writer and Polythene Pam. His friendship with John Lennon is also discussed on the Wikipedia page. Mark Lewisohn has discounted Royston’s claim that it was he who suggested that the Beatles spell their name as BEATLES rather than BEETLES!
Royston Ellis with the Beatles on the island of Guernsey in 1963, three years after the poet and the rockers first crossed paths in Liverpool. (Emmalena Ellis) I assume that Emmalena Ellis is the curator of the Royston Ellis Estate and the owner of the Beatles/Ellid photo. It was during the time that this photograph was taken that the inspiration for Polythene Pam arose. You will need to seek out the answer to that mystery on the internet.
Though not the book “The Primal Scream” that inspired John to write and record the John Lennon “Plastic Ono Band” LP, I recently bought this book because I was able to obtain Arthur Janov’s signature in this book. As you are aware I try to collect the signatures of many of the people that played an important role in the Beatles or solo Beatles lives! Janov’s therapy helped to create what many music critics have called a masterpiece despite it’s lukewarm sales figures due to it’s stripped down production and emotional intensity! Janov died in 2017 at the age of 93. He will always be associated and known for the psychotherapy he provided for both John and Yoko!
