Paul McCartney and Wings Exhibit at the R&R Hall of Fame -- A Review

 

I had the amazing opportunity to attend the "Paul McCartney and Wings" exhibit and VIP gathering (don't get too excited -- I just bought a ticket like everyone) at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio last weekend. 

If you are a Paul McCartney / Wings fan you have to see this exhibit!  I was just completely knocked out by all of the amazing artifacts that were on display.  

This display occupies space on the 6th floor of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  It is a much smaller space than I anticipated, and one of my few complaints is that I wish it were located in a larger location than the small exhibit room on the 6th floor, because if you get more than 20 people up there, it gets hard to see the items on display.   If you are going to visit, you might want to know that you have to take an escalator up to the fourth floor, then walk the stairs to get to the 6th floor -- but there are really great Wings decorations in the stairwells that you don't want to miss.   If stairs are an issue for you, then get on the Wings decorated elevator.  The elevator is large enough to fit 2-3 wheelchairs and people.  

The exhibit has a Wings compilation video showing in a loop while you are there and a big Wings logo on the ceiling. 

This is on the ceiling -- very cool!

The exhibit starts with McCartney and ends with McCartney II.  There are guitars, clothing, ephemera, and other artifacts from every Wings era represented.  Things were donated by Paul, Denny Seiwell, Denny Laine's estate, Jimmy McCulloch's estate, Laurence Juber, Steve Holly, and John Hammel and others as well.  

Highlights for me included:  the original drawing of the Wings logo, Paul's handwritten lyrics to Maybe I'm Amazed, the red "gown" Paul wore in Morocco,  the outfit and guitar Paul used on Top of the Pops for the performance of Junior's Farm, Paul's see-through guitar and handwritten lyrics for Helen Wheels,  all of the items from the tours,  John Hammel's Back to the Egg pin,  Laurence's Japan 1980 jacket and Rockestra scarf.  

But my two favorite things were:  Robbie the Robot and the sweater Paul wore in the Waterfalls video.  I stared at those items for so long and even took a selfie with Robbie.   

The Junior's Farm outfit and guitar

The see-through guitar

Robbie!! You are still with us!

If this wasn't under glass and heavily secured -- I might have taken it -- just saying. 

In the middle of the room is the "Rude Studio" sign, along with a place to listen to and view various songs, live recordings, and photos.   Also in the middle is a replica of the McCartneys' kitchen in Scotland, with Linda's photographs, and Linda's camera is on display!  So amazing. 

I would have liked to have seen more representation of Linda as a member of Wings in this exhibit.  I loved that her camera was on display, but seeing one of her tour dresses, her keyboard, her lava lamp, or something that represented Linda as a band member would have been great.   

But that is really my only complaint (besides I wish it was in a larger space) about the exhibit.  It was beautifully done and it made me proud to be a Wings fan.  

While I was there, I visited the Beatles section of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  And let me say that I was extremely disappointed.  I have been to the Rock Hall 5-6 times since it opened, and the Beatles part is always really cool.  But this time -- not so much.   Four of the Beatles' guitars were missing, with a sign saying "this item has been temporarily removed."  I understand that things get removed, but 4 out of 5 guitars at once?   All of the handwritten materials -- letters, lyrics, and even John's green card are replicas.  I can see a photo of these items online -- I go to a museum to see the real deal in person.   They had Paul's grey, collarless suit on display, but when I read the description more closely, I realized it was the suit made for the Paul wax figure in 1964, and Paul himself never wore it.   The only thing that I thought was cool in the display was John's "This is not here" t-shirt.  

The VIP party was fun.  Steve Holly and Laurence Juber were interviewed, and then they played some Wings songs.  That was really great.  I watched some of the Rock Show film and did some shopping in the gift shop.  They had a ton of Wings stuff for sale: t-shirts, sweatshirts, books, postcards, stickers, buttons—it was heaven!  I bought a long-sleeved t-shirt, a button, and a postcard.   

I was also fortunate to meet many of the fans whose stories are on this site.  A group of fans who went to many Wings concerts in the 70s and met Paul outside the studios during the Wings era held a gathering, and I was able to sit and listen to their stories in person.  I met many fans whom I only knew of by name because I  have typed it up many times on this site over the years.  

The Paul McCartney and Wings exhibit will be in Cleveland at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a full year and you need to make your way out there to see it!  You will love it.  

The Day the Beatles became THE BEATLES

 

As far as I am concerned, August 18, 1962, is the day that The Beatles became the band that I love and adore.  It was on this very day 60 years ago that Ringo Starr first officially played with John, Paul and George.   Sadly there are not any photographs of this historic occasion.  However, you can visit Port Sunlight and see the sign on the wall on the outside of the building like I did with my mom in 2017.  

The 45th anniversary celebration of Junior's Farm - A Review

On Sunday, June 2, 2019, I went to Cookeville, Tennessee, to celebrate in the 45th anniversary of Junior's Farm.     A wonderful fan named, Dan Ealey organized the entire event.  When Dan was 16, he was able to convince a magazine to send him press credentials to interview Paul while he was in Nashville.   Dan discovered that Paul and the rest of Wings were staying at Putman's Farm in nearby Lebanon and was able to spend three amazing weeks with the members of Wings

Linda, Paul, and Dan on Junior's Farm   Photo belong to Dan Ealey.

To celebrate the 45th anniversary, Dan organized a celebration.   The special guest of honor at the festival was Geoff Britton, the Wings drummer during 1974. 


The event took place at the community center.  It started with some live music by a few local musicians that just play songs on their guitars.   Some Beatles, Wings, and songs from the 1960s.   They were very good and talented. 

The next part was my favorite, there was a Q &A with Geoff Britton and Dan Ealey. 

Geoff Britton talks about being down on Junior's Farm 

Dan told some of his stories of hanging out with Jimmy, Denny, and Geoff and meeting Paul and Linda (and how little Heather was doing security and asked him questions).      Geoff told some great stories including one about how the mailbox on the farm exploded.   He explained how he auditioned for Wings and what it was like in the studio with Paul.    Great NEW stories about Paul are always a welcome change.   A surprise guest came out -- it was one of Junior's sons who had some memories to share as well.  It was really a great conversation.

Dan had brought along his bass guitar that he gave to Paul McCartney.   Paul played the guitar while he was rehearsing at the farm, but gave it back to Dan when he left to go back to London. 

Geoff then played with Dan's band.  They played a variety of songs from the 1960s, including a few Beatles numbers.   Of course, the concert ended with a great version of "Junior's Farm."

After the concert, there was a meet and greet with Geoff where I was able to get him to sign my Wingspan book and a couple of photos and pose for a photograph.

Geoff was a very friendly, humble, kind man.   He is a great drummer and has a great memory for his time with Wings.   He has not publically spoken about being in Wings for a very long time and I am not sure if he will be doing any more guest appearances.    However, if you are a Paul McCartney and Wings fan, then you need to hear him talk.    It was a great time!

By the way:  I tried to find Junior's Farm itself to get a photo of the gates and the house, but I was unable to locate it.   It isn't an advertised location. 

The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Museum - A Review (2018)

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland 2018 (photo by Sara Schmidt)

I was the proud recipient of a grant to travel to Cleveland, Ohio to do research for my upcoming book about the Beatles' fan clubs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Archives.     I spent Tuesday-Friday during the day digging through old scrapbooks, files, books, and databases for Beatles information for the book.      However, my evenings were free and the library wasn't open on Saturday, so I took the opportunity to meet up with the girls from WALHFMF and go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum to see the Beatles stuff.


The museum changed around the Beatles section recently and it has some great Beatles items to see in person.

Flower jacket that John wore frequently in 1967 (photo by Sara Schmidt)

Jacket John wore during the 1966 tour!!  (Photo by Sara Schmidt)

The piano that was in the Asher house (photo by Sara Schmidt)

Some John items (guitar was used in Double Fantasy) 

It was very John-heavy this time in the museum.    Ringo's drumsticks were on display and a classic Beatles 1963 suit of George's but it seemed to have more John items.   Now, I personally wouldn't be complaining about this because John is my favorite, but if I was a George, Paul or Ringo fan, I would be a little disappointed by the lack of recognition. 

Right next to the exhibit, is a wall of small screens.   This is a great documentary about each of the Beatles albums.   All of the key players are shown talking about the songs and albums.   There isn't any new information, but I did spot a couple "new" photographs and it is well worth the time to sit on the benches nearby and watch from Please Please Me to Let It Be.

There is a special exhibit going on right now called "Stay Tuned: Rock on TV."  I really enjoyed it.   It is all about rock music and television from variety shows to MTV -- everything is covered (including cartoons).    Beatle fans will want to check out the Ed Sullivan section on the 4th floor right behind this huge television set.    The guitar John Lennon used on the Sullivan show is displayed (and was hard to photograph) as well as a few other items.

Go up to the 5th floor and you will find the clothing Ringo wore on Saturday Night Live in 1984

If you find yourself in Cleveland this summer, it is well worth going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.    There is a lot of things to see and interesting films to watch as well as plenty of Beatles content to keep you happy.   

We went into a dream

I am sure many of you are like me and have been to Liverpool and went on a Beatles tour.   If you haven't had the good fortune of doing that, it is something that is on your bucket list.    And if you have gone or will be going, you MUST book a tour with the best tour guide in Liverpool, Jackie Spencer.    I have told you all about Jackie before.    She is the greatest because she is a real, true Beatles fan.   George is her favorite.   There is nothing better than going a Beatles tour with someone that loves the band as much as you do.

Part of the tour includes going down to the dock and seeing the extra large Beatles statue.    No one ever thinks they will meet a Beatle on a Beatles tour in Liverpool.    But it never hurts to daydream about it    That dream came true to the wonderful fans that were on Jackie's tour the day Paul and James Corden came into town.    They just happened to have been at the Beatles statues at the right time.     I asked them to share a little bit about what they saw and thought while it all went down.

Hi Sara, it was an incredible moment of good luck for us all! Jackie was just finishing a tour with myself, my husband John (we are from Washington state), my sister in law and her husband (Susie and Nacho Ramirez from California). Since we were all there, here are all of our thoughts, if you don’t mind:

Myself:
I was thing about the statues and how they must’ve felt leaving their home town. We were leaving Liverpool the next day so Jackie really had us thinking about it. Paul came walking up, I saw all of the cameras and ran across the front of him to get some pictures! I just kept thinking I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it! And I’m pretty sure I squealed a little

John:
My initial thought when he hopped out of the car was that I couldn’t believe it and it took my breath away. This can’t be happening I said to myself several times.

Susie:
Our hearts and minds were completely immersed in Beatlemania having just done Jackie’s tour. Then to be standing at the statue of them leaving, and we were leaving, up walks Sir Paul larger than life! I thought wow! What a fulfilling moment.

Nacho:
It was unbelievable that he was there in his home town and so cool to be seeing him there in his home town!

We also felt like “somebody spoke and” we “went into a dream”!!

Paul's visit to Cuba in 2000

On January 14, 2000 Paul McCartney and some members of his family traveled from a winter holiday in the Caribbean to visit Cuba.   While there he did a variety of sight seeing, but a guy gets hungry and so he stopped at the El Morro resturnant which is located near Santigo. 

He did the usual -- ate his meal outdoors at a table that had a nice very of the water.   Finished his meal and posed for a photo for the staff at the resturnant, signed a few autographs and went on his way for more fun on holiday.    I would guess that Paul McCartney didn't think anything else about this meal ever again.

However --  the El Morro resturnant will never forget their famous visitor.   The scooped up  his place setting and saved it, saved the chair he sat in and along with an autograph  put these things on display for all to see.   Now they  have taken it a step farther!    The place where Paul once sat now has a Paul McCartney statue in the seat.   There is also a chair with a replica of Paul's autograph on it. 

All of this is obviously to help with tourism.   Who wouldn't want to get their photo snapped with a Paul McCartney statue?    And to see these things, you have to go inside the El Morro and if you are going inside, then you might as well have something to eat.    I wonder if whatever Paul orderd is now called "The Macca" dish. 

Sara's Beatles travels in the Netherlands

Like many people, I enjoy to travel.   I just love seeing new places and experiencing the culture as well as meeting the people.    Part of my traveling experience is to track town Beatles things wherever I go.    

Last month I went to Liverpool, London and the Netherlands.    I have reported about Liverpool and London in the past, and so I am not sure if anyone wants the whole "what I did on my summer vacation" to those places again.    I can tell you that I had an amazing time.   We celebrated Paul's 75th birthday with a bus load of likeminded fans in Liverpool,  went to the Whirral,  spent time in the Cavern Club and the typical Beatles sites.    In London we crossed Abbey Road, went into the Abbey Road shop, had lunch with a Beatles friend, went on a great Beatles tour and got to go inside of 3 Savile row.   

The last part of our trip took us to Amsterdam and since it was a new experience, I thought I would share a little bit about Beatles traveling in Holland. 

The Netherlands is a very small country, especially if you are from the United States.     We stayed in Amsterdam, but I am pretty sure we saw the entire country.         It was fairly easy to get around in Amsterdam because they had a tram that you rode around the city.   As long as you knew where you were going once you got off the tram, you were all set.  

Everyone in Amsterdam rides a bike.    I have not been a bike since I was a kid.   Here in the United States, bikes are sort of thought of as a child's toy and is not a major mode of transportation for most adults.    There were bikes everywhere and they seem to have more rights than people walking.   Just something to remember if you are ever in Amsterdam.

There are a lot of museums in Amsterdam, but the only one that we went to was the Anne Franke House.    If you are ever in Holland, you must see the Anne Frank House.  It is an unforgettable experience.

 One of the first places we went was to the Amsterdam Hard Rock Cafe.    I make a point of going to the Hard Rock at any city where I am staying.      They did not have a lot of Beatles things on display, but they did have this box that John and Yoko gave out to friends for Christmas in 1980.  

If you are a Beatles fan in Amsterdam you have to go to the Amsterdam Hilton, right?     The outside of the hotel looks very much like it does in the photographs of the hotel from the 1969 Bedin.    I am told that room 702 is decorated in John and Yoko decor.    I tried to get into the room myself.   It costs over $1000 a night to stay there, so that was out of the question.    I went to the front desk and asked the woman there and she told me that they were too busy at the time to take guests up to the suite, but I could come back at 11pm.    It just wasn't possible for me to return so late.   I asked her if I could just go up to the door.   To use the life, you have to have a keycard.    She again told me no and so I left the Amsterdam Hilton with some disappointment.

Speaking of hotels, there was a record shop near ours that had a big Sgt. Pepper display in the front window.    Look what was #2 that week!   Who would have ever thought that the Beatles would be back on the charts after 50 years!

Something else we did that had a Beatles connection was go on a canal boat ride.   As I am sure you recall, the Beatles (without Ringo) did this in 1964 when they were on their world tour.    It was fun to imagine the streets and bridges filled with fans as we took our one hour boat trip around the canals. 

We also made a visit to Alkmaar.    Alkmaar is a quick train trip from Amsterdam--about 30 minutes.   Here is my advise if you want to go to Alkmaar from Amsterdam.   Don't use the ticket machines at the Central Station.   Go to a live person and purchase your ticket.    The machines are for people with the "Dutch card," which if you are from the Netherlands, you don't have. 

Why did we go to Alkmaar?   It wasn't for the cheese---it was for the Beatles museum!   There is a large Beatles museum in Alkmaar.   Once you leave the train station, look for blue signs that say "Beatles museum"  and follow them across a bridge and you are there. 

The Beatles Museum is the personal collection of the fan that runs that place.   I was impressed by how organized it was.    Everything is laid out by album.  So anything that has to do with " With the Beatles" is grouped together, etc.    There is just so much original Beatles memorabilia to look at.  If you go, plan on spending well over an hour to look at everything.    "Let it Be" was showing on a big screen in the back and there was a lot of stuff for sale, including a great selection of "Dutch imports" (which aren't imports since they are in Holland!  I got a good laugh out of that).      My only issue with the museum is that a few of the items on display there (Ringo's Abbey road jacket, Paul's Shea Stadium jacket and George's first guitar to name a few) were labeled as being the original, when I am certain that they are reproductions.    

The last day we were in the Netherlands, we spent on a tour with Guus and Gabreilla of Beatles International.     They couldn't have been nicer or more helpful.    They drove us all around Holland and we saw Beatles things along the way as well as plenty of wooden clogs and windmills.      We went to Blokker and saw where the Beatles (again without Ringo) performed in 1964.   They have a monument build to honor this occasion of the Beatles' performance. 

Another one of the really amazing sites we saw was the WWII memorial where Alan Williams took the Beatles right before they went to Hamburg as well as the store where John stole the harmonica.

The trip ended to a visit to a Beatle friend, Ed's house.   Ed is one of the co-writer of the A is for Apple series, which I contributed to.   It is great to meet Beatles people in person after knowing of them online for so long.   Ed has a great Beatles collection and it was  a real treat to see it in person.

As you can see, the Netherlands has a lot to offer Beatle fans.    I know it isn't on the top of the list like Liverpool or London, but I think it is well worth the time to go and check out these sites as well. 

60 years of John and Paul!

Today marks a wonderful day in Beatles history.    It was 60 years ago TODAY that John Lennon and his band, The Quarry Men performed at the the church fete and Paul McCartney was in the audience.  Paul met the guys inside the church, played a little "20 Flight Rock" and well--history was made!


I was lucky enough to be at St. Peter's church two weeks ago.   Here are the photos I took of the area.  The stage from the hall is no longer there---instead it is in the Liverpool Museum down on the dock area.  It is really difficult to photograph the stage, but I did see it.

Photographs on display from July 6, 1957

Since a photograph wasn't taken of John and Paul meeting artist, Eric Cash painted this amazing depiction of what it was like.  Look at the details!

Here I am standing where the stage was back in 1957

Jackie Spencer shows the Rose Queen cape that was worn by the Rose Queen of 1957.