Beatle Books In Review: Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America by Jonathan Gould

I first read this book when I received it as a Christmas present a few years ago. I was curious as to how it would be different to the other Beatle books I had read, but by the end it had become one of my favourites. Even if you think you know the story already, there is still something about this book that keeps the reader gripped. One of the things I liked most about it was how much detail it went into regarding the songs themselves. Gould also does a wonderful job at setting the scene - by this I mean telling the band's story in a wider social context.

Review by Sarah Stacey

Beatle Books In Review: John Lennon: The Life by Philip Norman

Quite simply one of the best biographies of any rock musician I have ever read. There has been a lot of crap written about John (one mention of Albert Goldman's book The Lives of John Lennon is enough to send most fans into a rage) but Philip Norman's book is fantastic. It is respectful without glossing over any of the less savoury aspects of John's character. Norman interviewed all the key people in John's life, including Yoko Ono of course, and emerged with the best and most detailed account of his life to date. The only gripe I have is that the ending was a little too abrupt, but Sean Lennon's memories of his father are a nice way to finish off the book.

Review by Sarah Stacey

Beatle Books In Review: I, Me, Mine by George Harrison

This book is the closest George ever got to an autobiography. The first part is filled with his recollections of his childhood and being a Beatle, as well as his thoughts on life, religion, gardening and even motor racing, as told to Derek Taylor. The next section of the book contains photographs. My personal favourite is the section featuring the original handwritten lyrics to many of George's songs, accompanied by explanations from the man himself. It's great to see where he got his inspiration from, and nothing offers a better glimpse into the mind of a great songwriter. Olivia Harrison's foreword is very moving.

Review by Sarah Stacey

Beatle Books In Review: The Mammoth Book of the Beatles by Sean Egan

This one's for the nerds among us! It contains the author's own assessment of every album and single The Beatles ever released, plus their films. There are also numerous articles, including Maureen Cleave's now famous interview with John Lennon in which he made his "bigger than Jesus" remark, and interviews with key people such as Pete Best, George Martin, Pattie Boyd, Cynthia Lennon and Astrid Kirchherr - the latter three as part of the 'Beatle Women' section of the book. There is even a section dedicated to articles by people who don't like The Beatles, so read with care! I really enjoyed this book, despite the fact that I disagreed with quite a lot of Egan's opinions on the songs (he seems to dismiss quite a high number of renowned classics as "not great").

Review by Sarah Stacey

Beatle Books In Review: 'The Beatles Irish Concerts' by Colm Keane (2008)

I have to talk about a book that's close to my heart for no other reason than the fact I am an Irish fan of The Beatles. This is the story of the time Beatlemania hit Ireland in November 1963, when the group played two shows on our shores, at the Adelphi in Dublin and the ABC Ritz in Belfast, followed in 1964 by King's Hall in Belfast. There are interviews with the teenage Beatles fans who were there - all now well into their sixties, with children and grandchildren. There are also interviews with George Harrison's Irish cousins, who met their famous relative when he stopped by on that first visit in 1963. Whether you're Irish or not, it's still a highly enjoyable book to read if you simply love The Beatles.

Review by Sarah Stacey.

Harrison In Review: 'All Things Must Pass' (1970)

Of all the Beatles debut solo releases, 'All Things Must Pass' was the most successful. Indeed it was an auspicious start of a solo career for George. He'd been collecting material for a couple of years before hand and compiled it all in 1970 for a triple album set and with the Beatles break up he released it. Many of the musicians backing him on the record couldn't be legally credited at the time and there were far too many comings and goings of musicians to say who actually played what instrument on what track. What is fairly certain is that Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton were on the album with the rest of the soon-to-be Dominoes, Badfinger, Billy Preston, Pete Drake, Alan White, Klaus Voorman, Gary Brooker and Gary Wright. What is not fairly certain is the urban legends that have been perpetuated over the years. Harrison remembers that Phil Collins played congas on 'The Art of Dying' and somebody remembers seeing Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees who was a mate of Ringo's there and he may have played something. Alan White then dropped a bombshell by saying that John Lennon may have played on 'If Not For You'. The album continues to this day to receive universal acclaim but in the 2001 30th anniversary re-release Harrison regretted Phil Spector's co-production, stating that there was "Too much echo". The cover itself was a talking point in itself with Harrison sitting in his Friar Park garden among four gnomes. The message is pretty clear: the four gnomes are representative of his former band and George is above it all. Lennon commented that Harrison looked like "an asthmatic Leon Russell" on the cover and took offence to the supposed message but at that time, Lennon was being a brat about all his former bandmates solo albums, especially McCartney's.

Harrison and Dylan wrote 'I'd Have You Anytime' together.

The album's smash hit single was the subject of a plagiarism suit. 'My Sweet Lord' was deemed by the Bright tunes corporation to have too many similarites to the Chiffon's 1963 hit 'He's So Fine' which they owned. It went to trial in 1976 and George's manager Allen Klein actually purchased Bright Tunes during the suit, effectively becoming the man that was suing George. It all worked out in the end though as the court ordered that Harrison buy Bright Tunes himself and become owner of 'He's So Fine' which he did.

The album is definitely a masterpiece of George's and is probably considered his best work up until 1987's 'Cloud Nine'

Beatle Books In Review: Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now by Barry Miles

I always remember this book being around the house when I was little, and when my fascination with The Beatles developed, I read it and found it really enjoyable. If you're looking for Paul's side of the story, this is exactly what you get - you won't be disappointed. Paul speaks candidly about all aspects of his life and The Beatles, from his childhood in Liverpool to his relationship with John and beyond. I've written before on my own blog about how overlooked his contribution still is by many people, and I would recommend this book to anyone who feels that way.

Review by Sarah Stacey

Beatle Books In Review: All Things Must Pass: The Life of George Harrison by Marc Shapiro

As George is my favourite Beatle, I was really looking forward to reading a biography of him, particularly one that was - as the front cover of this book proclaimed - "well-written and informative". Unfortunately, it was neither. The author seemed to speed through George's childhood. In fact, he seemed to speed through mostly everything, which makes it seem as though he was in one big rush all the way through the writing process. It's also very short and seems like little more than a cut and paste job, as it features no original interviews (at least not that I recall). Basically, it does a terrible disservice to a genuinely fascinating subject. Avoid at all costs.

Review by Sarah Stacey 

Beatles In Review: Magical Mystery Tour 2012 Deluxe Box Set DVD

This is a lovely, well presented package. It contains plenty of extras to make it well worth getting as opposed to just buying the DVD on its own. The film itself has been restored and the soundtrack remastered to sound even better than ever in surround sound. It's presented on bright yellow discs which are aesthetically appealing and just another nice touch. I really enjoyed the extra footage, with up to date commentary from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and Anthology footage from George Harrison and John Lennon. It's worth buying for this alone. I really enjoyed McCartney's insights in particular, as it showed just how far ahead of the times the Beatles really were...more than just progressive! Ideas such as filming a Parisian gendarme and using a jaunty version of La Marselleise as a soundtrack is very "out there" for the time, but years in advance of what was going on in terms of film in the period, and definitely still relevant now. I also loved the book with all the bonuses such as scripts, call sheets, correspondance etc which gives a tantalising and delicious insight into the production process of the film, which is just enough and no more (I can never get enough of these goodies!) Also included is a 7" mono EP which is a faithful recreation of the original and even a replica MMT ticket. A brilliant package which will keep me going for years to come - I found with the that even now I find new things every time I go back to it.

Review by Lauren Elizabeth

McCartney In Review: 'Tug Of War' (1982)

After the release of 'McCartney II' Paul regrouped Wings for rehearsals and recording in October 1980. He was still undecided on how to carry on with the band and, lacking sufficient direction in the sessions, he called upon his old friend and producer George Martin to take charge and they got things back on track until the morning of 9th December when Paul heard the news from New York City that his best friend, collaborator and fellow ex-Beatle John Lennon had been murdered. Quite understandably, Macca and George Martin put a hold on further sessions for this album in order for him to grieve for his friend. Of course, when confronted by press mere hours after hearing the news, Paul was typically non-committal about John's death, his parting words to the camera being "It's a drag, isn't it?" which sparked off outrage at his seemingly non-caring attitude. In reality, Paul was seriously trying to keep it together on Oxford Street that day.

A Drag: Paul was confronted by the press on London's Oxford Street mere hours after hearing the news.

In an attempt to get over this loss, Macca did what he does best; Threw himself into his work. Sessions for the album resumed in February 1981 at George Martin's AIR studios in Montserrat. The location change obviously neccessary to avoid press seeking further comment from Paul about John. During these sessions, Paul collaborated with Stevie Wonder on 'What's That You're Doing?' and the single that would soon be a smash hit; 'Ebony And Ivory'. Also on the album was Carl Perkins, who did a duet with Paul on 'Get It' and to show some support for each other, Ringo turned up to play drums for 'Take It Away' which turned out to be the second single from the album. Eric Stewart from 10cc began a five year long collaboration with Paul on this album

You Never Know Who May Be Listening To Ya: Paul & Ringo perform 'Take It Away' for the 1982 promotional film which also starred John Hurt and George Martin.

The album, like most of Paul's releases from the 1980's suffers from its dated moments and the two glaring songs are 'What's That You're Doing?' and 'Ebony And Ivory' which are both with Stevie Wonder. It definitely seems that Paul works best either alone or with John Lennon. Another song which would probably seem dated to people today is 'Dress Me Up as A Robber' which is one of my favourite tracks on the album for it's falsetto vocals and ringing bass line. The album's eponymous opening track was a beautifully orchestrated affair which half of Paul's fans put on a par with Lennon's 'Imagine'. The track that really brought Lennon fans back to McCartney though and more than made up for his off-the-cuff comment was 'Here Today' which is an acoustic, heartfelt tribute to his friend referencing their relationship during the Beatles. 'Somebody Who Cares' is a good sing along track and as I write this, I can't get the chorus out of my head 'The Pound Is Sinking' was probably a throwaway song but again Paul proves his worth by fitting a melody around the words and, to quote an American friend who listened to the song, his "silly British stuff". 'Ballroom Dancing' and 'Wanderlust' are two songs that I believe Paul should do live again.

Side by Side on my Piano, Keyboard, Oh Lord: Paul & Stevie in the 'Ebony & Ivory' video in 1982.

'Tug Of War' was released in April 1982 hitting the number one spot worldwide and restoring much of the critics faith in Macca. Some had thought, rather wrongly, that they'd seen the last of Paul McCartney.

The Beatles In Review: 'Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane' (1967)

Nothing Is Real: The Beatles film their promotional video for 'Strawberry Fields Forever' in Knole Park, Sevenoaks, Kent, England in 1967.

 When the Beatles resurfaced in January 1967 with a double A sided single the public all over the world rushed to buy it. It sounded different. 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' but the accompanying promotional film proved a shock to many fans. The Beatles had grown moustaches and side burns and had cut their hair and styled it differently to the mop tops that had made them so loveable and cute. They had also stopped wearing matching suits and ties that had made them easily identifiable. The Beatles had re-invented themselves and if you weren't on board then you were doomed.

'Strawberry Fields Forever' Promotional Film (1967)

 When the video was previewed on 'American Bandstand' Dick Clark sat amidst his audience to get their comments and more than a few looked shocked and stunned. "What'd ya think of that?" Dick asked a smiling teenage boy next to him "I thought it was great!" the boy enthused. Dick obviously wasn't looking for that kind of reaction so he quickly turned his attention to the girl on the other side who said through a plastered on smile "I don't like their hair, their moustaches" Dick nodded "Didn't dig the moustaches, huh?" he replied and then a slightly conservative looking boy next to her piped up "It makes them look older and ruins their image" then he asked a slightly ditzy looking blonde "I thought it was funny!" she said while nodding her head like a bobble-head. Another girl piped up "They're ugly!" and the audience broke out in laughter and applause. "They went out with the twist" another conservative boy said while the girl next to him said "They look like Grandfathers or something". 

 "They look so much different than they used to"

 'Penny Lane' Promotional Film (1967)

 After a showing of the Penny Lane film, the comments were, again, divided: "It was different" said a girl "It was brighter, they smiled in this one at least" a southern boy drawled. "They're as bad as the Monkees" a decidedly uninformed boy snorted derisively. "They look much different than they used to" said a girl who was obviously pondering what this would mean for her love of the group. "I thought they were good" said a girl who got a round of cheers as the only one so far who had commented on the music. "Not much of a change" commented a boy sarcastically which drew laughs. The consensus was the Beatles had turned weird. But there was a definite change about the Beatles. They'd moved on with these two records and their absence for the latter part of 1966 had made their return a shock to everyone.

Concert In Review: The Beatles at Candlestick Park - August 29th 1966

"We'd like to carry on....I think? Not really sure here....I'd like to carry on, certainly....definitely..." - Paul McCartney, Candlestick Park, 1966.

Those words from Paul just before the final two songs of the concert at the Baseball stadium Candlestick Park located in the soon to be hippie paradise San Francisco, California would turn out to be prophetic. Although nobody could hear them over their own screams, the Beatles final show of their North American tour of 1966 would turn out to be their last ever tour and announced live appearance. It was sort of known among the Beatles and their entourage that it was going to be the last show. Just before they began playing, John Lennon took a camera on stage and snapped pictures of the other Beatles and himself at arms length and Paul McCartney asked their press officer Tony Barrow to make a tape recording of the concert.

Coming Out of Left Field: The Beatles give their final concert at Candlestick, but not a single fan knew at the time this would be the final time the band would appear live in America.

The concert itself was the usual of the tour. They played a total of 11 songs, probably which only snatches were heard due to the screams. The park wasn't even full either; of a 42,000 capacity only 25,000 tickets were sold. This seems unbelievable today to Beatles fans who missed out on the chance to see them either because they were too young to go or wouldn't be born for years but at the time, it was a reflection of what was happening. The Beatles had opened the floodgates for the British music invasion of the USA. The way i see it, this sorted the proverbial wheat from the chaff of Beatles fans; the 25,000 who turned up were real fans and hadn't just jumped on the bandwagon in 1964.

We Can't Hear You: The Beatles had finally got tired of nobody listening to them at their concerts.

"John wanted to give up more than the others. He said that he'd had enough." - Ringo Starr

John and Paul brought a camera on stage to take photos of each of the band to document this historic event.

"Before one of the last numbers, we set up this camera, I think it had a fish-eye lens. We set it up on the amplifier and Ringo came off the drums, and we stood with our backs to the audience and posed for a photograph, because we knew that was the last show." - George Harrison


After the last number, which was 'Long Tall Sally' instead of 'I'm Down', Paul, George & Ringo bounded off the stage. John lingered a little longer and played the opening notes of 'In My Life' which nobody probably heard and, sadly, isn't on the tape recorded by Tony Barrow as the tape ran out during 'Long Tall Sally'. John quit playing and ran to catch up with his band mates who were piling into the armoured car which would take them straight to the airport where they'd board a plane bound for Los Angeles. "That's it then. I'm not a Beatle anymore." George announced on the plane. Live performance had dominated the Beatles career for the last 6 years and had only got more and more intense the harder they chased their collective dream of being famous. Everything they did was sandwiched between concert appearances, even recording sessions. Now there would be no more concert appearances, no more live Beatles.

The Last Time: John, Paul & George walk towards the stage for the last time in the USA. Note the camera Paul is carrying to document the occasion.

 The Beatles would do only one more concert in their life time. It was on a rooftop in London on January 30th 1969. But that's another story.....

"We're sorry for the people who never got to see us live. You might have enjoyed yourselves." - John Lennon

Lennon In Review: 'Live Peace in Toronto' (1969)

I consider this album to be John Lennon's debut release, his first studio album came a year later in 1970 but this live album, recorded at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, Canada. Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band were on the bill with 1950's stars such as Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry and up and coming groups of the day; Alice Cooper and The Doors. The festival was billed as the "Toronto Rock and Roll Revival" and attracted around 20,000 when it was announced.

Winging It: Klaus, John & Eric rehearsing on the plane.

The band, which consisted of John on guitar and vocals, Yoko doing her thing, Alan White on drums, Klaus Voorman on bass and Eric Clapton on lead guitar, had no prior rehearsal and they had to rehearse on the plane on the way to Canada which barely happened. By the time the band took the stage they'd agreed on a set list; 'Blue Suede Shoes', 'Money (That's What I Want)', Dizzy Miss Lizzy', 'Yer Blues', 'Cold Turkey', 'Give Peace a Chance', 'Don't Worry Kyoko' and 'John John (Let's Hope for Peace)'. The last two tracks were decided on stage and were largely improvised and were "sang" by Yoko Ono.

Sweet Little Rock & Roller: Lennon performs at the Toronto festival.

When the album was released, Yoko's performances were put on side two and thus were rarely or never played by people who bought the album. It's fair to say these performances by Yoko were not welcome at a rock and roll festival and on the accompanying film of the concert, Alan, Eric, Klaus and even John begin to leave Yoko to her screaming which lasted for about 12 minutes. The crowd also got fed up and began to leave. On a recent DVD viewing, my father, who'd had a few bevvies and could have probably lasted through a Cliff Richard song, soon got fed up of Yoko doing her thing all over him. "SHUT YOUR F***ING HEAD YA TONE DEAF BITCH!" he screamed at the telly, his dog-ends going everywhere. I have to say, after witnessing John, Eric, Klaus and Alan lead us through some very enjoyable music, I was inclined to agree.

 

 

McCartney In Review: 'McCartney II' (1980)

McCartney II: Paul's stark cover for the album.

Ten years after his debut solo album 'McCartney', Paul released the highly experimental and at least a decade ahead of it's time, 'McCartney II'. This was only his third completely solo release (the other nine being with Wings) and was released at a time when Wings' were in limbo. It seems Paul was unhappy with the way 'Back To The Egg' turned out and began recording on his own in July 1979 at his titular titled 'Rude Studio' on his farm in Scotland. 

What these sessions yielded was the lion's share of 'McCartney II'. He'd been very productive, recording 20 songs, the first being 'Check My Machine' as a way to test his recording equipment. Undecided on what to do with the recordings, he shelved them for the time being and began preparations for a UK tour with Wings that winter. During that tour Wings performed a new song that Paul had written; 'Coming Up'. This live version of the song, recorded in Glasgow, produced a more fuller sound and was released as the B-Side to the studio recorded version in April 1980. 

The live version is subsequently more well known in the US whereas the studio version is more known in the UK. That January, Wings' tour of Japan had a false start when Paul was arrested upon entering the country due to them finding a bag of Marijuana in his luggage. This cancelled the tour and this event seemed to confirm that Paul was finished with Wings and wanted to truly go solo. That May, the album came out and went straight to number one. 

Also as a happy result, 'Coming Up' revived the creative juices in his old partner John Lennon;

"I heard one track of Paul's; 'Coming Up' which I thought was a damn good piece of work," - John Lennon

                                                                                                                  

Coming Up: McCartney performing with Wings on their Winter UK Tour in 1979.

The main thing I like about the album is it's improvised sound. This is Paul McCartney making music without really thinking about it and that for me is what makes McCartney II one of my favourite albums of Paul's. Indeed, his jam 'Check My Machine' is probably my favourite track on the album. His bass has a wonderful tone to it and cuts through everything else to make it the lead instrument. 

Maccing Out: Paul performs with himself and as himself in the promotional video for 'Coming Up'

Another single from the album that I love is 'Waterfalls', an electric piano driven song that should have been a bigger hit than it was at the time. All in all, McCartney II was another of Paul's masterpieces. 

Whether you're a fan of Paul McCartney or not, you have to give him credit for keeping it up. There were long periods between albums for John, George & Ringo but Paul kept churning them out no matter what people thought of his music, simply because he can. 

'Temporary Secretary' is another fun track and probably the single track that is thought of as being ahead of its time. The synthesizer loop, the plodding drums and Macca's lament of "how hard it is these days for young girls in the face of everything to stay on the right track" are what make this track one of Paul's unloved songs. In 1980, Paul McCartney proved that with 'McCartney II' he was still a force to be reckoned with in the music world.

Beatle Books In Review: 'The Beatles' by Hunter Davies (1968)

We're excited to announce our first guest reviewer at The Beatles Through The Years: Sarah Stacey.

Sarah is a first year Multimedia student at Dublin City University in Dublin, Ireland and she, like us all here at Beatles Through The Years, is a massive fan of all things Beatle! For the next few weeks we'll have Sarah reviewing a selection of books about the Beatles and anything else Beatle-related. We also know Sarah is a fantastic guitar player! So welcome aboard Sarah! Very happy to have you here!

The mother of all Beatle books, this is the one that started it all. Written in 1968, with the full co-operation of the band members themselves, Davies gives an up close and personal account that no other author has ever really been able to do. Of course, the passage of time has highlighted a few inaccuracies here and there, but that's down to the fact that while certain people were alive, they didn't want particular things to be known. For instance, certain aspects of John's childhood were glossed over for fear of upsetting his aunt Mimi. That aside, it is still the biography to rival all others.

 Review by Sarah Stacey.

Check out Sarah's blog here

The Beatles In Review: 'Magical Mystery Tour' (1967)

Magical Mystery Tour was conceived of by Paul McCartney on a trip to the United States in early 1967. On the plane back he'd simply drawn a circle.

"Paul comes into the studio one day and says 'I've got this idea' and shows us this piece of paper with a circle on" - Ringo Starr

The circle was eventually made into a pie chart with each section being listed like so:

Paul's idea for Magical Mystery Tour and what the Beatles ended up working from.

 There was no script. The band just hired a bus and had it painted in a lot of colours and had "Magical Mystery Tour" emblazoned on the sides. Hired a load of weird and wonderful characters and jobbing actors and told them to "Be on the coach on Monday morning" and set off for the West country and film whatever happened on the way.

The Walrus was Paul: The whole film was Paul's idea and the others went along with it.

What actually happened was bugger all. This soon became apparent to John, George and Ringo but Paul pressed on, believing in the Beatles mantra that had seen them to the toppermost of the poppermost: Something will happen. But nothing did. Over 10 hours of footage was shot over a two week period which was edited down to an hour.

At RAF West Malling in Kent filming the 'I Am The Walrus' sequence.

When Britons sat down to watch their Televisions on Boxing Day 1967 they saw on BBC One, in black and white, a 40,000 pound, hour long home movie by the Beatles and their friends. Critical reaction was largely negative with people denouncing the Beatles as having "gone too far this time, with their shoveling Spaghetti onto fat women's plates and their Paul McCartney prancing about!"

Where's the Bus?!: Even though the film was considered a flop, the bus is still instantly recognizable as part of Beatles lore.

"We don't say it was a good film. It was our first attempt. If we goofed, then we goofed. It was a challenge and it didn't come off. We'll know better next time but I mean, you couldn't call the Queen's speech a gas either, could you?" - Paul McCartney

Oddly enough, the Queen had commented to head of EMI Joseph Lockwood earlier in the year; "The Beatles are turning awfully funny, aren't they?".

They are the Eggmen: 'I Am The Walrus' in full swing.

Personally, my favourite parts of the film were the Spaghetti shoveling scene with John, Ivor Cutler and Jessie Robins, Victor Spinetti as the Army Sergeant and the Aunt Jessie/Mr. Bloodvessel scene on the Beach. I think it's a good documentation of were the Beatles were at that point in the career; A bit crazy with the death of their manager and hoping a coach to the coast would do them some good. 

Satisfaction Guaranteed: The Beatles on the roof of the bus.

Sadly though, most of the passengers of the Magical Mystery Tour are no longer with us: John, George, Jessie Robins, Victor Spinetti, Derek Royle, Ivor Cutler and Mandy Weet.

End Song: 'Your Mother Should Know' was given the glitzy treatment for the film's big finish.

For a long time, there was confusion over what had actually happened to Mandy Weet who played Miss Wendy Winters in the film. It was later discovered that she had changed her name to Miranda Forbes (Mandy Weet was her birth name) and acted in many small parts on British TV up until 1998. She sadly died in 2001 of leukemia. It was never known whether she changed her name because she was afraid she'd never work again due to the film's poor critical reception but I hope she was proud to have been a part of the Beatles' legacy.

Cast:

John Lennon - Himself/Ticket Salesman/Magician with Coffee/Aunt Jessie's Waiter/Narrator
Paul McCartney - Himself/Major McCartney/Brown Nosed Magician
George Harrison - Himself/Magician looking through Telescope
Richard Starkey - Himself/Talkative Magician
Victor Spinetti - Army Sergeant
Jessie Robins - Ringo's Aunt Jessie
Derek Royle - Jolly Jimmy Johnson
Ivor Cutler - Buster Bloodvessel
Miranda Forbes - Hostess Wendy Winters (as Mandy Weet)

The Beatles In Review: 'Help!' (1965)

The Beatles second feature film was filmed in a "haze of Marijuana" according to Paul McCartney. Indeed, it took several takes to get a scene right due to the Beatles' frequent fits of giggles. Richard Lester was also increasingly annoyed by Paul's tinkering with a song that he was writing on a conveniently placed piano. "If I hear that once more I'll have that bloody piano taken away! What's it called, anyway?" Lester fumed one day "Scrambled Eggs" Paul replied. 'Help!' had a plot line that centred around Ringo, due to his acting in 'A Hard Day's Night' being roundly praised. Ringo had been sent a ring by a fan who was mixed up in an Eastern cult and apparently she cannot be sacrificed to the dreaded "Khali" without the ring so Clang and his minions, including the lovely Ahme, leave for London to get Ringo and chaos breaks out with the Beatles being chased all over the world by the Cult, Two mad scientists and Scotland Yard.

Paul realizes he's accidentally touched a part of the girl he didn't mean to.

By the time Help began filming the Beatles were bonafide world-wide superstars so their box office success with this movie was assured. Despite them being stars of the movie, the band felt like more time was being spent on the supporting cast, which included Leo McKern as the villainous 'Clang'. McKern would go onto find a place in the hearts of the British public as London Barrister Horace Rumpole in the ITV series 'Rumpole of the Bailey' and Eleanor Bron, who it is rumoured had an affair with John during filming. "We felt like extras in our own fucking film!" Lennon complained in an interview years later. Eleanor Bron gives a slightly over the top performance as the double agent Ahme but she serves her purpose.

Fans line up to see the film at a Cinema in Chicago, 1965.

It is generally felt that 'Help!' is a rather disappointing follow up to 'A Hard Day's Night' but I think some of the sequences showcased the Beatles' talent for oddball comedy and the Monty Python Team were watching and listening closely. Victor Spinetti saved the day when the film showed signs of flagging, putting in a wonderful performance as the mad scientist Professor Foot, along with his "fiendish semi-human assistant" Algernon, played with genius subtlety by Roy Kinnear, who's perhaps better remembered for his turn as Veruca Salt's father in the 1971 musical 'Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory'.

All in all this movie was like Elvis' movies. An excuse to see the Beatles in action and in colour.

Sadly though, some of the cast are no longer with us; John Lennon, George Harrison, Leo McKern, Victor Spinetti, Roy Kinnear, Patrick Cargill, Peter Copley & Alfie Bass.

Cast:

The Beatles - Themselves
Leo McKern - "Clang"
Eleanor Bron - "Ahme"
John Bluthal - "Bhuta"
Victor Spinetti - "Professor Foot"
Roy Kinnear - "Algernon"
Patrick Cargill - "Superindendant Gluck of Scotland Yard"
Peter Copley - "Jeweller"
Warren Mitchell - "Abdul"
Alfie Bass - "Doorman at Indian Restaurant"
Bruce Lacey - "Lawnmower"

L-R: John Lennon, George Harrison, Leo McKern, Victor Spinetti, Roy Kinnear, Patrick Cargill, Alfie Bass & Peter Copley.

The Beatles In Review: 'A Hard Day's Night' (1964)

The Beatles starring in their first feature film at the height of the mania surrounding them was bound to be a success even if they'd just been filmed standing around smoking cigarettes. As it happens, the plot of the film was a day in the life of the Beatles which was the cleverest thing they could have had as a plot as it satirizes the craziness that surrounded them very well and still stands up today as a fresh, hilarious movie. George even met his first wife while working on the film.

The thing about 'A Hard Day's Night' is that it wasn't anything like 'The Girl Can't Help It', a music film which the Beatles loved, in that film, a buxom Jayne Mansfield was being pushed by her Mobster boyfriend (Edmond O'Brien) to be a singing star despite the fact that she couldn't sing and didn't have any interest in being a star. During the course of the movie, every American Rock & Roll Idol of the Beatles performed, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, just about everybody except Elvis was in it. While it served to spur the young Beatles on, the movie itself was an exploitation of what they thought was a fad at the time.

"This bloke's in my spot!" 

'A Hard Day's Night' was no doubt thought of in the same terms and that way of thinking was confirmed by director Richard Lester when, in early 1969, he inquired at United Artists about the existence of deleted scenes and out-takes from the Beatles' films and was told that they'd all been destroyed. Today only photographs remain of scenes that were left out of 'A Hard Day's Night', these include; a scene depicting the four in a pair of prams with John typing and Ringo answering a telephone, Paul McCartney's solo scene when he happens upon a young aspiring actress (played by Isla Blair) rehearsing, a scene where the boys are stuck in a traffic jam with their chauffeur (played by Frank Thornton). The character of Paul's grandfather who Wilfred Brambell plays with relish, may seem a strange character in a movie about a pop group but works, especially with the references to his character in the BBC sitcom 'Steptoe & Son' who is constantly called a "Dirty Old Man" by his onscreen son. Here in A Hard Day's Night, however, he is praised for being very clean! which he seems happy about. John Junkin's character of 'Shake' is instantly likeable, loosely based on Mal Evans, the Beatles longtime roadie and bodyguard, Shake is the Beatles gopher and, like anybody at that time would, loves every minute of it. Norman Rossington plays Norm with a vigour that is in stark contrast to the character he played in 'Carry On Sergeant'. Incidentally, Norman Rossington would go on to star alongside Elvis Presley in 'Double Trouble' in 1967 giving him the distinction of sharing screen time with two giants of the music industry.

"Can we have our ball back?!"

The role that is probably best remembered in 'A Hard Day's Night' is that of Victor Spinetti as the frantic T.V. Director who is desperately trying to get the Beatles to rehearse for their television concert. Spinetti would go on to become extremely good friends with the Beatles, John Lennon in particular, and star in their next feature film and their TV film.

Between takes of the "If I Fell" scene.

Ringo also came in for a round of praise for his solo scenes down by the river with child actor David Janson, who grew up to inherit the role of Herr Flick from Richard Gibson in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!

A rare colour photograph of Ringo during his "Parading" scene.

Sadly, only a handful of the cast are still alive. John Lennon, George Harrison, Wilfred Brambell, Norman Rossington, John Junkin, Victor Spinetti, Richard Vernon, Edward Malin, Derek Guyler and Robin Ray are all no longer with us.

A Hard Day's Night was brilliant, funny and it captured the Beatles at a time when everything was still somewhat fun in their lives. Every time I see it playing on the telly i think to myself; "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"

One of the deleted scenes.

And it's goodnight from them....

Cast:

John Lennon - "John"
Paul McCartney - "Paul"
George Harrison - "George"
Richard Starkey - "Ringo"
Wilfred Brambell - "Paul's Grandfather"
Norman Rossington - "Norm"
John Junkin - "Shake"
Victor Spinetti - "T.V. Director"
Anna Quayle - "Millie"
Derek Guyler - "Police Inspector"
Richard Vernon - "Man on Train"
David Janson - "Charlie - Young boy Ringo befriends"
Edward Malin - "Hotel Waiter"
Lionel Blair - "T.V. Choreographer"
Robin Ray - "T.V. Floor Manager"
Alison Seebohm - "Secretary"

From L-R: John Lennon, George Harrison, Wilfred Brambell, Norman Rossington, John Junkin, Victor Spinetti, Richard Vernon, Robin Ray, Edward Malin & Derek Guyler.