My Beatles Bible growing up was All Together Now by Harry Castleman. Note that this was released in 1976, with liner notes for each song.
My Beatles Bible growing up was All Together Now by Harry Castleman. Note that this was released in 1976, with liner notes for each song.
Yes, but I do not like the anti-McCartney/Harrison chapters in later versions of Shout! Very mean-spirited in my view. McCartney loathed the book from the start, allegedly calling it 'Shite'. However there has been a detente between him and Norman over more recent years.
As for Lewisohn, it's worth making your way through the many interviews here. In some he talks frankly about the strained relationship he had with George Harrison.
https://www.marklewisohn.net/media/
I'm very fond of the first part of the series of books Mark Lewisohn is writing.
There is also a book by Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philip Margolin on the Beatles recording.
And for those interested in sheetmusic, I also own a book with the complete sheetmusic of all Beatles songs.
I haven't read the book but I'm aware of the general tone. In one of those podcasts, Lewisohn alleged that there was score-settling, tit-for-tat going on. Harrison had previously bad-mouthed Emerick so Emerick returned the 'favour'.
McCartney and Barry Miles' book Many Years From Now is worth a read. Again there's an agenda with McCartney at the height of his 'I was the weird one really!' mode, but it's probably the closest we'll get to an autobiography.
And he went out of his way to show his love for Paul, who was very nice to him, unlike the JOhn and George, apparently. I get it, though. I can see how studio engineers might be treated by "rock stars." But, he did come off as a bit whiney about it. That being said, he was a vital participant and I'm glad he wrote the book.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Also for an analysis of every track they recorded in the studio, Ian Macdonald's Revolution In The Head.
Their BBC sessions have been an area of particular interest for me in recent years.
Lewisohn needs to get volume II out or he's going to make George RR Martin look like a speed demon.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
^Don't hold your breath.
https://www.marklewisohn.net/volume-2/
Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
https://michaelpdawson.bandcamp.com
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx
Anyone ever seen this short film? I discovered it last year and it's great, it's about the Star Club tapes and Kingsize Taylor/Allan Williams hustling the tapes around. Press the volume icon for sound if it's muted.
https://twitter.com/BBCArchive/statu...25911424622592
Cool, thanks for the link. One interesting point is that Allan Williams mentions that Ringo had recently joined the Beatles when the tape was made. This contradicts the story that was put out when the recording came out on LP that the gig was from the Pete Best era, but Ringo just happened to be sitting in that night. This story was apparently made up to obscure the fact that the Beatles were already under contract to EMI when the tape was made.
Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
https://michaelpdawson.bandcamp.com
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx
^Yes, John Lennon famously wisecracked that the sleevenote for the eventual Lingasong album had seemingly been written with a court case in mind.
In reality The Beatles didn't want to do those late 1962 Star Club shows at all, as 'Love Me Do' was doing well in the charts at the time they went. Having said that I think the recordings have merit. It is the only documentation of The Beatles performing certain songs.
Yep, they recordings are from December of '62.
I love it. They claimed that their hearts weren't really into these performances, but man are they cool to hear! And there are fans out there doing a really good job of cleaning them up. The complete recording has been out for of ew years now. Personally, I think it's worthy of a limited official release.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
^I've heard a fairly recent version of the Star Club tapes (the 'Executive Version' or whatever it was called) and in terms of sound quality, it's not far from that tape of them rehearsing in the Cavern. Those who've heard the raw tapes always said they sounded far better than the lousy fake-stereo Lingasong version.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Even with Lennon clowning around with the lyrics ('here I am on my nose') and without his vocal intro, the version of 'Mr Moonlight' is better than the one they did in the studio. A pity they didn't do the song like this for the BBC!
Last night I accidentally stumbled into 'Across the Universe' (the movie) on one of the channels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Across...niverse_(film)
I quite enjoyed it allthough the plot was weak or phony. Fun to hear the very different versions of the songs. Fun to recognize Beatles elements.
But basicly rubbish all together.
My fave is "Recording the Beatles":
http://www.curvebender.com/rtb.html
It's not "about the Beatles" exactly, there are plenty of books on that, this one is on the equipment, studios and engineering, in great detail. If you're a big fan, highly recommended.
Bob
Last edited by Bob Drake; 06-09-2020 at 02:45 PM.
Penny Lane might be renamed
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-to-penny-lane
That article flat out states that the Lane was named after slaver James Penny, but according to this there is no historical evidence behind that claim:
https://theprioryandthecastironshore...t-james-penny/
Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
https://michaelpdawson.bandcamp.com
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx
https://deadline.com/2020/06/the-one...ge-1202957814/
WAAAAAAAAAAthe Peter Jackson documentary, The Beatles: Get Back, which was initially set for Sept. 4 of this year will now go close to a year later on Aug. 27, 2021. The doc includes footage from studio sessions that have never been seen or heard before as well as their final live performance on a rooftop in London.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
https://michaelpdawson.bandcamp.com
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx
Bookmarks