An online Beatles fan club for and about Beatle fans
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, November 29, 2015
When did George paint Kinfauns
Our dear friend over at the Kenwood blog posted this amazing fan-photo of George Harrison. In the photo you will notice that George is wearing the shirt that he often wore during the summer of 1967. However there is something that stands out in this photo----George's house is white! We all know that George painted Kinfauns during "the summer of love" but when did this happen?
Well we have a clue. Leslie Samuels talks to George and Klaus Voorman and shows them a photo of them painting the house "the month before" when her friend, Elieen from Chicago came to pay a visit. We are able to date Leslie's visit to Paul and George's houses to July 12, 1967 (give or take a few days).
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| Elieen's photo of George and Klaus painting Kinfauns in June 1967 |
By the time Leslie made to to Kinfauns, it was fully psychedelic.
Another slight clue we have is that John got this psychedelic Rolls on May 25, 1967 and I have read (although I am not sure if it is totally true) that his Rolls inspired George to paint his cars and his house. So if we use those dates----then Kinfauns was painted between May 26-July 12. So most likely George, Klaus, Pattie and whoever else was helping painted it over several days in June of 1967. And this would make sense because mid-June wasn't an overly busy time for George or the Beatles.
George Harrison MBE!
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| copyright Imagecollect.com/Globe photos |
Please do not post this photo on facebook, tumblr, etc. I purchased the license rights to share this photo on my blog and if it is spread around the globe like wildfire the person spreading it could possibly get in legal trouble. I post things like this for every imagecollect photo I have purchased the rights to post, and still see the photos all over the internet. But at least I cover myself.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Bicycle peace
It isn't every day that you see a photo of Ringo Starr riding a Yellow Submarine bike.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Workin' like a dog
A couple shot of John and Cyn and George walking into the London premiere of A Hard Day's Night.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
It was 20 years ago today (no really it was!)
How many of you know what you were doing 20 years ago at this very moment? If you were a Beatles fan in 1995, then I know exactly what you were doing---the same thing I was doing: watching the Beatles Anthology on A "Beatles" C. We were anxious to hear the world premiere of "Free as a Bird."
The advertisement for the Anthology really pushed for it to be watch by not just as serious fans, but by the casual fan as well. I was 19 at the time and in college. When I was in high school, just a few years earlier, being a Beatles fan was not considered "cool." I was teased and picked on because I liked "hippie music." Suddenly, with the Anthology on TV, the people who used to think the Beatles were terrible were asking me questions about them. For once (and maybe the only time), being a Beatle fan was considered cool. I was a moderator on a popular Beatles chat room at that time and I remember the chat room being filled with people who were new fans. Those who just discovered the Beatles and were wanting to know where to turn for more music and information. It was an exciting time in my life as a Beatles fan.
It was exciting to see the Anthology video on television and hear new interviews from George, Ringo and Paul (and to see what new place Paul was going to be interviewed...a campfire? On a boat? Where next?). It was exciting to see the pristine footage of film that had never or rarely been seen before, especially the home movie footage. And most of all it was exciting to hear Beatles music! To hear "In Spite of all the Danger" on Anthology 1 for the first time left me awe struck. Who would have through we'd ever been able to hear a Quarry Men recording?
The advertisement for the Anthology really pushed for it to be watch by not just as serious fans, but by the casual fan as well. I was 19 at the time and in college. When I was in high school, just a few years earlier, being a Beatles fan was not considered "cool." I was teased and picked on because I liked "hippie music." Suddenly, with the Anthology on TV, the people who used to think the Beatles were terrible were asking me questions about them. For once (and maybe the only time), being a Beatle fan was considered cool. I was a moderator on a popular Beatles chat room at that time and I remember the chat room being filled with people who were new fans. Those who just discovered the Beatles and were wanting to know where to turn for more music and information. It was an exciting time in my life as a Beatles fan.
It was exciting to see the Anthology video on television and hear new interviews from George, Ringo and Paul (and to see what new place Paul was going to be interviewed...a campfire? On a boat? Where next?). It was exciting to see the pristine footage of film that had never or rarely been seen before, especially the home movie footage. And most of all it was exciting to hear Beatles music! To hear "In Spite of all the Danger" on Anthology 1 for the first time left me awe struck. Who would have through we'd ever been able to hear a Quarry Men recording?
Did any of you actually see a Beatles Anthology advertisement on a bus?
Love and t-shirts
Throughout his New York Years, you often saw John wearing a variety of t-shirts that said "Home." "Home was the name of a New York restaurant that John frequented the owner, Richardoften gave him t-shirts (gee--what better advertisement than John Lennon?) As a matter of fact, one of John's old "Home" t-shirts hit the auction block and went for $16,400--making it one of the top five most expensive t-shirts ever.
Also up for auction is this Walls and Bridges album that is autographed by John to the owners of home. I think it is really neat that he signed it "love and t-shirts.'"
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Lennonology : A book review
I have been waiting for the book Lennonology by Chip Madinger and Scott Raile since I first heard about the book in 2008. And every time I heard that the release date had been pushed back, I was disappointed but yet knew that Chip and Scott were working on putting out a great book. And let me tell you--Lennonology does not disappoint!
What is Lennonology, you ask. Besides being the must-have book for all serious fans of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, it is a book that chronicles the day-to-day events of the life of the Lennons from the day John and Yoko met in 1966 until the day of John's death in 1980. If you are familiar with Mark Lewishon's amazing book, The Complete Beatles Chronicles, then the layout of Lennonology should look familiar. It takes the Day-by-day approach and spells out what John and Yoko were doing day in and day out.
At first, I wanted to start with my favorite John Lennon time period (The Lost Weekend), read those years, and then go back to the beginning. However, I was advised to start at the front and work my way through the book in order. This was really good advice because it really opened my eyes to John and Yoko's relationship, the changes that occurred in it, and why those changes happened. It is different reading about it in order than reading one story here and another there.
The best part of this book is that it has been researched and has found information I never thought I would learn about. Exact dates are given (based on letters, newspapers, video footage, etc) for events that I just have in my files very vague information or "unknown" marked next to them. For me, the fun part of the book was getting into my John Lennon photo files, finding the photos that I have, and labeling them with the correct dates. I was able to find dates for about 50 previously unknown events! There are still some photos that I am unsure about, but that is all part of the fun of being a fan---and at least Lennonology gave me more things to look into and discover.
What didn't I like about this book? Well, there wasn't a whole lot, honestly. You know I am not a big fan of Yoko Ono's art or music, and there is a lot of information about her art shows, films, and performances that I found boring, but it was good to muddle through to get to the John information. I also found all of the information on John's immigration legal situation to be tedious and dull at times, which just made me think of how John must have felt living through it! I see the value of having this information, and I am glad that it is included in the book. And of course, I have to complain that there weren't enough photos and they weren't in color. But you'd expect that complaint from me, wouldn't you?
I have to give the authors "kudos" for handling John's murder in this book. I was highly impressed with their tact and manner of writing about this difficult subject.
I know that the prices of Beatles books seem outrageous these days, and to add yet another $100 book to your list is asking a lot. However, I am listing Lennonology as the Meet the Beatles for Real must-have book this Christmas because it is a must-have resource for anyone who is a hard-core Lennon fan. Who is this book for? Anyone who considers themselves to be a historian of John Lennon. Anyone who is a fan of John Lennon or Yoko's art and music. Anyone who collects photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Anyone who wants to know details about John and Yoko's lives.
If you are a casual fan or don't really care for John and Yoko, then skip this book and buy it for the most hard-core Lennon fan in your life instead.
I know that Lennonology is not going back on my bookshelf anytime soon, as I will be using it daily as I write this blog. Now, if only someone would write similar books on McCartney, Harrison, and Starr.
The link below is the affiliate link to Amazon, where you can purchase this book. I get a small percentage of anything purchased through this link. Money made from the Amazon Afflication is used to pay the annual fee to keep this site online. Thank you for your support. Sara
What is Lennonology, you ask. Besides being the must-have book for all serious fans of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, it is a book that chronicles the day-to-day events of the life of the Lennons from the day John and Yoko met in 1966 until the day of John's death in 1980. If you are familiar with Mark Lewishon's amazing book, The Complete Beatles Chronicles, then the layout of Lennonology should look familiar. It takes the Day-by-day approach and spells out what John and Yoko were doing day in and day out.
At first, I wanted to start with my favorite John Lennon time period (The Lost Weekend), read those years, and then go back to the beginning. However, I was advised to start at the front and work my way through the book in order. This was really good advice because it really opened my eyes to John and Yoko's relationship, the changes that occurred in it, and why those changes happened. It is different reading about it in order than reading one story here and another there.
The best part of this book is that it has been researched and has found information I never thought I would learn about. Exact dates are given (based on letters, newspapers, video footage, etc) for events that I just have in my files very vague information or "unknown" marked next to them. For me, the fun part of the book was getting into my John Lennon photo files, finding the photos that I have, and labeling them with the correct dates. I was able to find dates for about 50 previously unknown events! There are still some photos that I am unsure about, but that is all part of the fun of being a fan---and at least Lennonology gave me more things to look into and discover.
 |
| Thanks to Lennonology, I finally know why John is wearing throw-away gloves in this photo! |
What didn't I like about this book? Well, there wasn't a whole lot, honestly. You know I am not a big fan of Yoko Ono's art or music, and there is a lot of information about her art shows, films, and performances that I found boring, but it was good to muddle through to get to the John information. I also found all of the information on John's immigration legal situation to be tedious and dull at times, which just made me think of how John must have felt living through it! I see the value of having this information, and I am glad that it is included in the book. And of course, I have to complain that there weren't enough photos and they weren't in color. But you'd expect that complaint from me, wouldn't you?
I have to give the authors "kudos" for handling John's murder in this book. I was highly impressed with their tact and manner of writing about this difficult subject.
I know that the prices of Beatles books seem outrageous these days, and to add yet another $100 book to your list is asking a lot. However, I am listing Lennonology as the Meet the Beatles for Real must-have book this Christmas because it is a must-have resource for anyone who is a hard-core Lennon fan. Who is this book for? Anyone who considers themselves to be a historian of John Lennon. Anyone who is a fan of John Lennon or Yoko's art and music. Anyone who collects photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Anyone who wants to know details about John and Yoko's lives.
If you are a casual fan or don't really care for John and Yoko, then skip this book and buy it for the most hard-core Lennon fan in your life instead.
I know that Lennonology is not going back on my bookshelf anytime soon, as I will be using it daily as I write this blog. Now, if only someone would write similar books on McCartney, Harrison, and Starr.
The link below is the affiliate link to Amazon, where you can purchase this book. I get a small percentage of anything purchased through this link. Money made from the Amazon Afflication is used to pay the annual fee to keep this site online. Thank you for your support. Sara
The Fabulous Beatles!
No real reason to post this photo except that I really like it. All the boys seem to be smiling and looking at the camera---not an easy accomplishment! Plus there is a random clarinet in the background.
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