Fashioning The Beatles: a Book Review

 

I have often posted on this site information and thoughts about the Beatles fashions.  The clothing John, Paul, George, and Ringo wore is part of the Beatles story and what made them the band we all love.  I have long thought that a book should be written about the Beatles and their fashion, and finally that has happened.    

Fashioning The Beatles: The Looks that Shook the World by Dierdre Kelly is a well-researched book that takes the reader on a journey through the years of Beatles clothing and the history behind it.  The book is written chronologically, starting with the Teddy Boy look of the Quarry Men Days, going into the leather in Hamburg, the suits that Brian had them wear, and onto the casual denim of Abbey Road and fashion the Beatles wore after the band broke up. 

The one thing that really stands out is that the Beatles were one step ahead of trends when it came to clothing.  As soon as the masses started wearing something the Beatles were wearing, they would change their look.   The Beatles look changes with the music.   This book is really great at laying out the whole evolution of the Beatles and their different looks. 

I really liked reading about the different shops in London where the Beatles bought their clothing:  Hung on You, Granny Takes a Trip, Mr. Fish, Dandy Fashions --- all names I had heard, but to learn the history behind these shops was really interesting.   It is also fascinating to read about how this all led up to the Apple Boutique and the mistakes that were made in that endeavor. 

If you want to learn more about fashion and the Beatles' clothing, this is the book for you! If you are just focused on Beatles music, it would be best to skip this one.

The link below will take you to the Amazon Affiliate page for this book.  Any purchases made through this link will provide a small percentage of the sale to go to Sara.   The money earned through the affiliate link is used to pay for the annual upkeep of the site.  Thank you for your support. 

https://amzn.to/49rGDGU

Johnny Gentle and the Beatles: A Book Review

 

Not too long ago, I posted about the recent death of Johnny Gentle and said how I discovered that his book, Johnny Gentle and the Beatles, which has been out of print for a long time, was available as an ebook.   I warned that I would be reviewing it soon -- and yes -- I have finished the book and am ready to tell you my thoughts. 

I was extremely impressed with this book.   It was very well written and researched.   For a book that is about just a few weeks in the life of The Beatles, it was detailed and interesting.  

Johnny Gentle was an early 1960s "crooner" who was fairly popular in the UK in 1960.  He just never quite made it big.  He had some hit songs, but they never moved up the charts.  He was talented and could sing rock and roll but was pegged as a singer of ballads.  However, teenage girls loved him, and he was very popular in Teenage Magazines.  This was where Johnny Gentle was at the time The Silver Beatles auditioned for Larry Parnes and were hired to tour Scottland for one week as Johnny Gentle's back-up band.  

What I guess I didn't realize (or maybe forgot) was that after Johnny's set with the Beatles backing him, the Beatles went and did their own concert.  It is great to read about the Beatles' setlist and how it changed during the tour and how the reaction to The Beatles just got better and better.  Even without a hit record or any exposure, teenagers who came to hear Johnny Gentle absolutely LOVED the Beatle's music.  

One of my favorite stories in the book told the story of when The Beatles were hungry and went to a beach because they figured they'd find food cheap there.  Some girls who had seen them at the Johnny Gentle concert recognized them and invited them to come to one of their houses for lunch.   So there she had The Beatles in her house eating sandwiches.  I bet that is a story those girls told years later! 

Check out this book if you are someone who doesn't mind reading an ebook.

https://amzn.to/3vjA632

The link above is the Amazon Affiliate link for the book reviewed tonight.  All purchases made using this link earn this site a small percentage of the sale.  Funds earned are used to pay for the annual fees to keep the site online. Thank you for your support. 

I Saw Them Standing There: A Book Review

 

Last month, at the Fest for Beatle Fans in New York City, I had the pleasure of meeting Debbie Gendler. Debbie was someone that I was familiar with, and I had been anxiously anticipating her book for several years. This past week, I read I Saw Them Standing There.  It was such a great memoir of a first-generation Beatles fan who was there and experienced so much!

Debbie was one of the first Beatle fans in the United States. She got involved with the Beatles fan club before the Beatles' first trip to New York, and it was through this that Debbie was given a ticket to see the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show (see photo of her above). If that was the only story Debbie had about the Beatles, that would have been enough—but that is just the tip of the iceberg in her Beatles adventures. 

Debbie had her own Beatles fan club chapter in New Jersey and was able to do a lot of really fun Beatle-focused activities.   Those fans who lived near major cities in the 1960s (especially Los Angeles and New York City) just had more opportunities to be close to the guys than the fans in the mid-west.  Luckily for Debbie -- she was able to travel independently to New York City and volunteer at the fan club office.  She was present during the Beatles press conference in 1965 at the Warwick Hotel. After the press conference, she was allowed to go into the Beatles suite to meet them, and something happened that caused John Lennon to tease her and embarrass her.   You will have to read it for yourself. 

Debbie befriended Mike McCartney, and because of that friendship, she spent time with Paul and Linda on many occasions. One such occasion was Mike's 50th birthday party, where Debbie told a great story about Mike and Paul performing together. She snapped some photos, but they do not appear in the book.   

I really enjoyed the book because the wonderful stories from Debbie just kept coming.  I don't want to ruin too much of the book because you need to read it for yourself.    

The chapters in this book are very short, which I always enjoy because I am always reading on the road. If you enjoy reading memoirs of first-generation fans or stories of people who met the Beatles in person, then you need to add this book to your Beatles library. 

 Posted below is a link to purchase this book on Amazon.   It is an affiliate link for this site.  I get a small percentage of money for anything ordered through the link.  The money earned from the affiliate Amazon link goes toward the annual fee to keep this site running.  Thank you for your support.  Sara

https://amzn.to/3wDmjV8

Without You-The Tragic Story of Badfinger: A Book Review Ba

Badfinger performs at the original Cavern Club 

Badfinger with George Harrison 

Harry Nilsson with Pete Ham and Tom Evans (writers of Without Out)

Mal Evans with Kathie Molland 

 

Many books are called "The Tragic Story," but I think the story of Badfinger truly deserves those words.   In reading the book Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger,  I really realized just how tragic it was for these Apple music recording artists.   It was a long book, and while I knew how the story ended, I kept waiting for things to get better.  It never did -- things just get worse and worse. 

Badfinger (originally called The Iveys) started out as a band during the height of The Beatles but never tried to be like them.   However, because they caught the attention of Mal Evans and got signed onto Apple Records, plus Paul McCartney wrote their first hit song, they were constantly compared to The Beatles.  They HATED it.  As much as they loved the Beatles and appreciated everything they did for them, they quickly were tired of answering questions about the Beatles and being treated as 2nd-rate Beatles. 

That didn't stop them from associating with the Fab 4.  George Harrison especially appreciated Badfinger and asked them to perform at Bangladesh and on All Things Must Pass.   It Don't Come Easy was first offered to Badfinger before it was given to Ringo (can you imagine anyone but Ringo singing that song?)

But even with hit songs for themselves, concert tours all over the world, and a #1 song for Harry Nilsson that they wrote -- Badfinger could never make it big.   They were always broke.  They were mismanaged and lost money.  Joey Molland's wife, Kathie, was the cause of a lot of issues for the group. The drummer, Mike, left the group for a while, and they had another drummer until they got Mike to come back.   Promises were made to them that never happened.  Egos seems to get in the way.  Badfinger should have been a lot bigger than they were.   And it all lead up to the sad death of Pete Ham and later Tom Evans.  

The book was very interesting, and I read a lot about the group that I never knew.  I didn't think it painted Joey Molland in a very good light, but then again, it didn't paint much of anyone in a good light.  The Badfinger story is messy, and the author did a good job of telling the story in spite of the difficult subject.   I thought the book was longer than it needed to be, but that might be because the chapters were long. I don't like to stop reading in the middle of a chapter, and that might be why it felt like such a long book.   This book was written in the early 2000s, and it is now outdated in some parts, but overall, it was an interesting book. 

https://amzn.to/3TfAKYl

This is the affiliate link to purchase the book from Amazon.  For every purchase using this link, I get a very small percentage of the purchase.  Any money made from Amazon links is used for the annual fees to keep this site going. 

The Dream is Over - A Book Review

 

If you are a John Lennon fan, you will be familiar with Dan Richter.   He lived with John and Yoko at Tittenhurst in the early 1970s and worked for them.  He photographed the Plastic Ono Band albums and the Imagine album.   And besides that -- I didn't know much more about him. 

I read his book The Dream is Over London in the 60s, Heroin, and John and Yoko on the Kindle app this last week, and I really enjoyed it.   Dan is a very interesting man.  He was a mime in New York City for a long time until he quit and decided to travel the world, learning about the various theaters.   In Japan in the early 1960s, he met and befriended Yoko Ono.   

Eventually, Dan and Yoko are in London at the same time and are hanging out together.  Then Yoko gets together with John and introduces her new boyfriend to her friend.    Dan, his wife, and his child move into Tittenhurst to help remodel the home.   During this time, Dan was fully into heroin addiction, and he supplied the drug to John and Yoko.    When they quit doing it, they confronted Dan and told him to keep living there, he needs to be off herion because they don't want it around them.  They really helped him get on the path to being clean, and while Dan went back to drugs on different occasions, he really credits John and Yoko for helping him.  

Dan was part of  the Lennon's life during some very important time, including the whole Kyoko kidnapping and custody issues.   

Dan's depiction of Yoko was probably the most realistic depiction of her that I have ever read.  He points out her faults without making her seem evil while also praising her good side without making her look like a saint.   Since he knew her before she met John, his observations were very insightful.   However, I do think she did him wrong by promising to financially back the movie he wanted to make and then pulling the funds when John and Yoko decided to end Joko Films.   Dan was literally in the middle of filming it with the actors.   Yoko knew how important this project was to him and it just seemed mean to pull the assistance that she promised her friend.  

This book is basically impossible to find in physical form.   But it is available to read on Kindle for a reasonable price.  If you are a John Lennon and/or Yoko Ono fan, it is one worth reading. 

The link below is the affiliate link to purchase the ebook directly from Amazon.com   I make a very small percentage of money from any sales using this link.  All money made from the affiliate link on Amazon goes towards keeping this site running. 

https://amzn.to/4bqG4zm

A Week in the Life: A Book Review

 

Mike Vickers with George and Paul (and George Martin) showing the Moog

After I started to read this book, I had to stop and look up to make sure Mike Vickers really was involved with the Beatles and this book wasn't a work of fiction.   The way Vickers writes felt like fiction to me, but rest assured, Mike Vickers really was there and his book  A Week in the Life: Working with the Beatles on All You Need is Love is indeed nonfiction.  

When George Martin had a death in his family (his father), he asked Mike Vickers to write the arrangement for the orchestra for the Beatles new single, "All You Need is Love."   This book tells the tale of the exciting week in Mike's life from getting the news that he was asked to do this, to getting the acetate and working on the song, to going over to Cavendish and meeting with John and Paul in person to go over a few things.   Mike is then asked to conduct the orchestra live on the Our World telecast, a job that he was very nervous about doing.   It ended up that the take recorded during the rehearsals is what was heard and the musicians were playing but not heard during the live segment.   Mike was a very nervous guy who didn't think he was good enough for this task, but in the end, everything turned out nicely and Mike had a sweet little story to tell. 

There is a "B-plot" in this book that I think was unnecessary.   Mike tells the stories of the various boarders he had at his house during this time in 1967.   I have a feeling that if you heard Mike talk about these strange casts of characters, you'd be in stitches.  However, reading about them just felt unnecessary, especially when you get several detailed pages on how the couple that stayed in the attic were having loud sex.  While the plot twist at the end of the book with the boarders was humorous, it was not needed in a book about The Beatles. 

I wish he had written more about how he was one of the few folks with a Moog synthesizer and how he went into the studio during the recording of Abbey Road to show George how it worked.   He spent pages about the sex lives of his boarders, but just a paragraph about this amazing experience. 

When I was reading the book, I didn't know anything about Mike.  He made himself sound like he was George Martin's age.  He spoke about how The Beatles were wearing hip psychedelic clothing and he was wearing a new blue suit that looked out of date.  I pictured a man that was older than the Beatles.  However, when I started to look up information about him, I discovered that he was born in 1940!  The same year as Ringo and John.  I really pictured an older gentleman while reading the book. 

I can't really recommend this book, but if you are curious and need a quick read, then  you can give it a try.   It is only available on the Kindle and it is priced under $10.  

https://amzn.to/4bSfOOz

This link is an affiliate link to Amazon.  All purchases made through this link give a small percentage back to me (Sara).  The money is used to pay for the upkeep of this site from year to year.  I think last month I made $1.72 from the affiliate link, so honestly, I just use it for the annual renewal of the site.   

Confessions of a Rock N Roll Name Dropper - A book Review

Laurie interviewed Paul and Linda in 1979 during the Back to the Egg era and she interviewed John and Yoko while they were promoting Double Fantasy on December 8, 1980

 

I feel like I just made a new friend.  The past three days I spent with Rock & Roll journalist, Laurie Kaye and I got to know all about her life and adventures with some of the biggest names in music.  

Alright -- I just got finished reading the book Laurie Kaye's new book, Confessions of a Rock N Roll Name Dropper, but her book was so well written and engaging that I now feel like I know Laurie and really think we need to be friends. 

To those of you who visit this site, you will know Laurie Kaye as the woman who conducted John Lennon's last interview on December 8 with RKO.    Her interview with John is well-known and loved.   Parts of it were used in the Anthology and other documentaries about John's life.   When she interviewed John, he was in a wonderful mood and said some great things.  While no one at the time would have known that it was John's final interview, his words in this interview are just amazing.  If you haven't heard it in a while, it is well worth the time to take a listen. 

But Laurie didn't just interview John.  She also interviewed Paul and Linda during the promotion of Back to the Egg in 1979 (and it is thought that Paul might have recommended her to John for his interview).   And she conducted an interview with George Harrison over the telephone.  The stories about these interviews were great to learn about and they really show the personalities of both former Beatles. 

Laurie is a Beatles fan and she wrote one of the first Beatles radio shows that was syndicated and played around the United States in the 1970s.   Many, many Beatles fans came to know and love the band after listening to the program.  

This book isn't about The Beatles but about the life of a young, single woman that worked in the California music scene in the 1970s.   As the title suggests, she met a lot of famous people during that time, and she tells her stories about them as she tells the story of her life. 

I found the book to be a really fun and enjoyable read.   It wasn't a book that was too long and was easy for me to read a few chapters here and there while traveling.     

For those of you who were concerned, Laurie talks about John's killer because, unfortunately, John's murder is part of her story.  However, she does NOT mention the killer's name at all in the book.  I know that is a concern of many of you, and I want you to know that she purposely has left that terrible person's name out of the book, but the parts about John's death are upsetting, as you would expect.  

https://amzn.to/4310dZ4

*The Amazon link posted after all my reviews is an affiliate link.   I make an extremely small amount of money from any purchases made from this link.   All money made from this Amazon affiliate link goes to pay to keep this site going ad-free. 

Living the Beatles Legend: A Book Review

 

If you have spent any time here at MTBFR, you will quickly learn that my favorite person in Beatledom (outside of the Fab 4 obviously) has always been Mal Evans.  He caught my eye when I first became a fan some 30 years ago because of his resemblance to my Grandpa who passed away in 1994 (although through this book I learned that my Grandpa was taller than Mal).  Because of his appearance, I tried to learn more about the Beatles road manager and quickly discovered that there was not much out there about him.  

When I started this site, I decided that I was going to dig and find more information about Mal Evans and learned all about the book he was writing at the time of his death and also about his diaries (my Grandpa was also a man that kept a diary, so that really interested me).   On this site, I questioned how a book that was almost finished could disappear and never see the light of day.   At one point I even questioned if it had information in it that Apple didn't want us to know.  

So it is with tears of joy that I write this review, because not only are Mal Evan's diaries and manuscripts safe and sound, but Kenneth Womack used them exclusively to write the book Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans.  

I finished reading the book a few days ago and I have taken some time to digest it.   Like all well-written Beatles books,.I am going to need to re-read it to truly grasp it all.   But WOW -- what a journey Ken takes the reader on through Mal's life.   It is a tragically sad story from start to end, yet it is also filled with so much joy.   Mal was there for everything The Beatles experienced.  Every tour, every album, holidays, India, the rooftop -- you name the event and there is a 99.9% chance Mal was there (the only thing I think he missed was the Maharishi in Wales when they learned of Brian's death).   And this book is his story told through his words.   You don't get the same old Beatles stories in this book.  So much new information is hidden within the covers.   

There were a few things in the book that I was originally disappointed about (namely what was said about The Apple Scruffs) but I really shouldn't have been.  Living the Beatles Legend is not a Beatles history book and should not be read as if it is.  Some of the things in the book contradict stories that are canon in Beatles lore (for example the back story of the song Let It Be).   But the things in the book are Mal's point of view and taken from his own manuscripts and his own memories.   As far as Mal was concerned, Let It Be was written because in India when Paul started singing "Mother Malcolm comes to me...."   I am happy to say that this book truly is Mal Evan's story.   A man who up until recent years has just been a footnote.   He led an incredible life, and you just have to read it to understand. 

The book itself is not difficult to read, however, do be warned that Ken uses words sometimes that I had to look up in the dictionary so that I was sure I knew what they meant.  I read the book while I was on the road -- on airplanes and in hotel rooms mostly and I don't think that was the right way to read it.  I am going to re-read it when I have a chance to really dig deeper.   And I just love Beatles books that give me a chance to do more research and learn more. 

I  have to give Living the Beatles Legend the title of Best Beatle Book of 2023 (well umm...right after Dear Beatle People naturally) because of the new stories and information that has been discovered from the book.   I recommend all Beatle fans should read it and it would be the perfect gift for family and friends to get Beatle lovers for Christmas.   

As I finished it, I couldn't help but think that Mal was smiling down, happy that his story has finally been told.  The words he wrote over 47 years ago are finally being read by people who love the Beatles.  Thanks, Mal, and thanks, Ken. 

https://amzn.to/3SVBKj2

*Please know that this Amazon link is my affiliate link.  I receive a very small percentage of money from the sale of anything purchased through this link.   I use the funds received through the Amazon affiliate link to pay for the annual fees associated to keep this site online.  

The Beatles: In Their Own Words - A Book Review

 

I was looking for an inexpensive and quick-to-read Beatles book on Amazon last week to read on my flight home from Houston and The Beatles:  In Their Own Words by Barry Miles filled that bill perfectly.    The fact that it was compiled by Beatle friend and author, Miles really sealed the deal for me.  

However, this book was just a typical run-of-the-mill Beatles interview book.   I would think that I was familiar with 80% of the interviews in the book and I can't say that anything in the book was a surprise.   

The interviews are transcribed word for word and do not go in chronological order, but instead are by theme.  The themes were  The Beatles story, Press conferences, songwriting, the songs, the films, drugs & politics.   The time frames of the quotes seem to skip all over the place, but I wasn't sure what year each quote was from. 

I particular quotes that really hit home for me since I read this book shortly after heard "Now and Then" for the first time were these quotes by John:

"Beatlemusic is when we all get together..."  "So when the combination works you come out with what we call 'Beatlemusic.' Of course we don't write songs together anymore.  We haven't written together for two years.  Not really, anyway.  When The Beatles perform that makes it into Beatlemusic.  I mean it's a long time since we've sat down and written for many reasons. We used to write mainly on tours.  We got bored, so we wrote.  Today, the Beatles just go into the studio.  And IT happens!"

The Beatles:  In Their Own Words was interesting enough to read on the plane, but if you are looking for a book of transcripts of great Beatles interviews, this isn't the book.    There is a great book called Speaking Words of Wisdom that was self-published and has many more interviews than this Miles book does.   However, Miles' book was fine, even if you might be able to quote along with the words in the book at times. 

https://amzn.to/3Igzzl5

*This is an Amazon Affiliate Link.  If you buy this book or anything else using this link, Sara gets a small percentage of the money spent.   She uses that money to keep this site up and running.  Any help is always appreciated.  

The Beatles All Too Much: A book Review

 

Photo by Pattie Boyd 

Because I am flying somewhere different across the United States each week for my job, I have been reading on the plane a lot.   Last week I read a Beatles book The Beatles All Too Much: The Untold Story of A Hollywood Actor's Two Months with The Beatles in India written by Judd Klinger.   

The actor in question is Tom Simcox, a frequent Western television actor in the United States in the 1950s and 60s.   Tom gave the author an interview, telling his complete story of his time in Rishikesh and with the Maharishi for the first time.   If you have read other books about the Beatles time in India, you will have heard about Tom being there.   Tom befriended Cynthia Lennon during this time and was a friend as Cynthia was confused by her husband's lack of interest in her.    I have a feeling that if Cynthia was not there with her husband, a romance might have happened between them because they quickly became friendly with each other.   

I found this book to be very interesting because it mostly goes into the reason why John and George were upset with the Maharishi, what the rumors were about the guru and women and how Magic Alex manipulated the entire ordeal.    One thing I did not realize was that Mia Farrow did accuse the Maharishi of making a pass at her --  but this occurred BEFORE the Beatles arrived.   Mia was upset and left the ashram for a bit and then returned after The Beatles had arrived.    I also learned how The Beatles were treated royally at the ashram while others who were there for the same reason such as Tom, were not allowed the same "luxuries."

I liked this book because I was able to read it on a flight from St. Louis to Houston and it was interesting with enough new bits of information to keep me interested.   

https://amzn.to/3UXcpbe

* I make a small percentage of money for each purchase using this affiliate link.  The money from the purchase of Amazon books is what is used to keep the site running.  Thank you for your support.   

A Common Case of Beatlemania: A Book Review

 

I just got finished reading the best book!  It is called A Common Case of Beatlemania, a memoir by Ursula Furey Costa.    I have read and enjoyed many memoirs of fans who were Beatlemaniacs in the 1960s.  This book is similar to those other books, but there is one HUGE difference.   The previous books were all written by Americans and show Beatlemania through the American fan experience.  Ursula was a teenage Beatles fan that lived in London and shows Beatlemania through the UK fan experience.   And what an experience it was!

Ursula and her friends traveled all around London to see The Beatles at every opportunity that they could.  Not only did she see The Beatles in concert on many occasions (including 4 of the 1963 Christmas shows), she also went around to their London homes (and had a hilarious encounter with Ringo!), met them three times at the Southern Fan Club meet and concert and was even in the audience during the "Around the Beatles" program.    The stories of exactly HOW she did all these things just have to be read to be  believed.    

This book was like going on an adventure.  You never know where Ursula and her Beatle loving friends would go next, but you were willing to find out.   

A Common Case of Beatlemania is my summer book pick for 2023.   It is quite a treasure to read first hand account of a fan that was there from the beginning with Love me Do.  

Here is the affiant link for Amazon if you decide to pick up a copy for yourself. 

 

https://amzn.to/3rqdECX

Eyes of the Storm - A Book Review

Photo taken by Paul McCartney 

Photo taken by Paul McCartney 

 

By now, I am sure you are all aware that Paul McCartney has a photography book that has been published.  And what a book it is!  So many photographs of Paul with a camera in his hand have been seen over the past 60 years.  I often wondered, "Where are Paul's photos?  I'd love to see what he photographed...."   And for the first time, we get to see all of the photos Paul took from the end of 1963 through February 1964.   Photos that Paul had taken in Liverpool, London, Paris, New York City, Washington D.C, and Miami are all featured in Eyes of the Storm.

Paul wrote the introduction and all of the captions.   It is pretty amazing that he was able to name just about everyone photographed in the book (besides random people that he took photos of).  I am sure that he had someone helping him out with some of the names, but who else would have known the name of a girl that Paul took to a drive-in movie in Miami?  

The photos Paul took are such an amazing look at the friendship between the Beatles and their inner circle.  Charming, sweet and loving photographs, and we are so blessed that Paul was willing to share these photos with the world.  My favorite photos are the few "extras" that Paul at the end of the book from the 1964 N. American tour.  It really whets my appetite for more books of Paul's Beatles photos.  

 What I could really have done without in the book was the writings from Jill Lepore.  What she wrote basically repeated what Paul had said throughout the book and added absolutely nothing to the book, especially for those of us who have followed The Beatles our entire lives.   

The one thing that I have not seen anyone mention is how Ringo's photograph book and Paul's are parallel.  If you look at the same section in Ringo's book (1963-1964), you will discover that Ringo took many of the exact same photographs with his camera that Paul took.   You know George and John had cameras with them as well.  Did they also take a photo of the police with his gun or the marque for The Beatles Washington concert?  I would love more than anything to have a book or website of photos from the same time period from all four Beatle cameras.   I am pretty sure Oliva has George's photographs, but I am unsure what happened to John's. 

The book is on the pricey side, but as this posting, it is on sale for $45 on Amazon. 

 

https://amzn.to/49RNfPr

* I make a small percentage of money for each purchase using this affiliate link.  The money from the purchase of Amazon books is what is used to keep the site running.  Thank you for your support.   

Good Day Sunshine State : A Book Review

 

I enjoy reading books that focus on and dive deep into a small part of the Beatles story.   Good Day Sunshine State: How the Beatles Rocked Florida by Bob Kealing is just the type of Beatles book I enjoy reading.

You think you know all of the stories about The Beatles visit in February 1964 to Miami, Florida. However,  Bob Kealing has interviewed people that were there and has discovered new stories and information about the days the Beatles spent in the sun.   I especially enjoyed hearing all about Sgt. Buddy and the friendship he formed with the Beatles and the story of how the Life magazine photographers got the famous shot of The Beatles in the swimming pool.

The book's second part deals with the Beatles' 1964 North American tour and their time spent in Key West (again, where Kealing interviewed important people from there that I had never heard of before).  One of the wonderful stories was about The Beatles jamming with a local musician in the early morning hours.  

A portion of the book discusses Martin Luther King and the racial strife in Florida in 1964.   While I have read a lot about Civil Rights, I was unfamiliar with what occurred in St. Augustine, Florida.   When you put the race issues going on just a few weeks before the Beatles' arrived in Florida and the fact that The Beatles refused to perform to a segregated audience, you realize the importance of their beliefs.  Kealing spoke with one of the Black girls who attended the Beatles Jacksonville concert alone.  It is a really great view of how different things were in the American south in the mid-1960s.  

I highly recommend Good Day Sunshine State.  It was an enlightening book with several "new" stories.  Many of them made me laugh and others made me think.  I think all Beatles fans will enjoy this refreshing look at The Beatles in Florida.  

https://amzn.to/3wA2HkP

* I make a small percentage of money for each purchase using this affiliate link.  The money from the purchase of Amazon books is what is used to keep the site running.  Thank you for your support.   

It's All in the Mind: Inside The Beatles' Yellow Submarine Volume 2 -- a book review

 

I have been on a Yellow Submarine kick lately.  I have been collecting quite a bit of vintage YS memorabilia and watching the film.   So I finally got around to buying the book It's All in the Mind:  Inside the Beatles, Yellow Submarine volume 2  by Dr.  Robert R. Hieronimus and Laura Cortner over my holiday break from work. 

Volume 1 of the book was published back in 2002, and I remember reading it and thinking it was really good.   I should have read that book again before I started because they refer back to the first book many times.  So my first recommendation is to read the first book before the second one.  

The first chapter of the book was really strange.   The authors were trying to make some deep connections between the Yellow Submarine and the Egyptian pyramids or something.  I didn't get it at all and was concerned that the entire book would be like that. However, let me assure you that after that initial section, the rest of the book is excellent.

I did not realize that before the 1968 movie, the Yellow Submarine was used as a symbol of peace all around the United States, and there was even a Church of the Yellow Submarine.  

Most of the book recounts the behind-the-scenes stories of the unnamed animators (because their names weren't in the credits), ink and paint girls, and artists involved in making the film.    While there is very little information about The Beatles themselves, I found the stories of these young men and women working in swinging London in 1967-1968 to be a lot of fun.   Their stories also gave me some new insights into how the animation process of Yellow Submarine was innovative and different from other animated films at the same time.  I really enjoyed the colored photographs throughout the book of those working on the film in 1968. In a time when people did not carry cameras around with them, the snapshots of the employees working on Yellow Submarine were absolute treasures. 

To be interested in this book, you will need to have a real interest in animation or a love of the Yellow Submarine film.   This is a true deep dive into the movie and has many interesting stories on how the film was made.   We all know that The Beatles themselves had very little to do with the Yellow Submarine, so it shouldn't be a shock that they are just bit players in this book.  

It was a very delightful read for me, and I recommend it to those who want to know more about this great film. 

https://amzn.to/3T02vTH

* I make a small percentage of money for each purchase using this affiliate link.  The money from the purchase of Amazon books is what is used to keep the site running.  Thank you for your support.