Jennifer Juniper - A book review

 

It has been a long time since I have written a Wednesday Review.   With remote teaching 28 first graders, working on my book, and trying to keep this site up to date, I really haven't had time to read.   Seeing my stack of Beatles books growing, I decided to spend some time in Jenny Boyd's autobiography,   Jennifer Juniper.

Jenny Boyd, of course, is the younger sister to Pattie Boyd.   If you have read Pattie's book, some of the family background stories are familiar, but with Jenny being 8 years younger than Pattie, her take on things is different.   

Jenny had to deal as a teenager as being known as "George Harrison's sister in law" and struggled to find her own identity.   I never thought about it, but it must have been quite challenging to meet genuine friends who don't want to be around just because of The Beatles.  As part of Jenny's search to find herself, she turned to meditation and spirituality.   She told her sister about her journey and turned Pattie onto it, and she then talked to her husband, George, about it, and the rest is Beatles history.    Interestingly, Jenny wasn't sure what she thought about TM and the Maharishi.  

In gaining her independence, Jenny booked a one-way ticket from London to San Francisco in 1967 and lived there during a time of free love and hippies.   She loved her time there and talked it up to Pattie and George.  By the time they arrived in August 1967, Haight Ashbury had gone from being a place of love and peace to a place full of drug addicts and beggars.    George basically told Jenny to pack up her things because she was coming home.   Since Jenny's visa was about to run out, she left with them. 

One thing that I really noticed is how George treated Jenny as his little sister and not just his wife's sister.   There was a time when Jenny was being taken advantage of and allowed a lot of people to crash at her London flat.  George pulled her aside and told her that they weren't paying rent and just taking advantage of her kindness, and she needed to tell them to leave.  I loved seeing how much George cared for Jenny.   His kindness towards her remained for his whole life. 

Jenny dated Mick Fleetwood on and off since she was a teenager.   They had the ultimate in an on again off again relationship.  She would date someone else but always ended up back with Mick, even though they had a very difficult relationship.    Jenny tried to date Donovan, who wrote the song Jennifer Juniper for her, but they just didn't click romantically (I think to Donovan's disappointment).    She ended up marrying Mick Fleetwood and moving to Los Angeles with him.   Mick was frequently on tour, and either Jenny joined him and lived the party life of alcohol and cocaine or was a recluse in their home while he was away.   They divorced, and true to how they were when they were dating, they got back together and re-married.    They had a toxic relationship, but she just couldn't find herself and end it. 

Jenny didn't really get her life together until she was almost 40 and went to college.  It is an amazing story about someone who was emotionally lost and eventually found her purpose.   Jenny's life is very inspiring. 

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that at times I was confused about the timeline of things.   I even thought at one point I had skipped a few pages on accident because time jumped so fast and I was left wondering what happened.   I never did understand why she and Mick had to get divorced the first time nor did I understand about the affair she had with one of Mick's bandmates.  

It would have been nice to have more information about her time in India or running the Apple Boutique, but then again -- this wasn't intended to be a Beatles book. 

This is a great book to read during this crazy time in life because it is such an inspirational story -- although it takes a long time to get to the part where Jenny decides to make a change in her life.  But it shows that is it never too late to take control of your life and make a change. 

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

https://amzn.to/3P4yErY

Conquered!: The Beatles 1965 Video Guide - A Book Review

 Infamous Beatles bootleg expert, Doug Sulpy has published his second book in his video guide series.  This one is called Conquered! and documents every video clip of the Beatles available in the year 1965.

Video clips from ITN, BBC, AP, the major TV networks as well as personal home video are all documented in chronological order.  He only documents the film clips that are available to the fans and not in private collections and have never been leaked out to the world.   They are organized by date, which is a great way to help get the correct dates by photographs.    The biggest portion of the book focuses on the making of the film Help!  It is interested to see the break-down of the order the help was actually made.    It's always interesting to read about some of the scenes that did not make it into the book.  

 All of the Beatles concert dates during the 1965 European tour and North American tour are also documented.   I especially enjoyed reading about the footage shot by fans.   Did you realize that the only concert from North American tour that has NO film footage is the Atlanta show?    I think that is interesting because very few photographs have surfaced from that particular concert.   

The Beatles receiving the MBE is documented as well as the promotional films that were made that autumn and the Lennon-McCartney television special.    Only one concert during the 1965 UK tour had any film documentation   It is so sad to learn because there are so few photographs and no audio footage from any of those shows.  

The biggest issue I had with the book was Sulpy interjecting his personal opinions into the book.   I just want to read about the footage that is available and the date it was recorded.   I really do not need to hear anyone personal thought about minor things.   He called the jacket John frequently wore at the time (the blue one with the stripes) "hideous."    He takes a crack at Ringo's singing of "Act Naturally" and made it VERY clear that he does not like the Lennon-McCartney special.      While I found some of Sulpy's opinions to be funny, I still feel like they did not belong in a book that is meant to help fans to organize and learn about video footage of The Beatles.    If he wants to share his personal thoughts, he would do better to have a blog or keep it on his webboard and leave it out of the books. 

I still recommend Conquered!:  the Beatles 1965 Video Guide  along with the book written about 1964 because they are great resources in knowing what video footage of The Beatles is out there.  I have to give Sulpy credit for all of the hours it must have taken him to view the footage, transcribe what is said in some cases and organize it in the correct order.   I am sure it was a very time-consuming and difficult task that most fans aren't willing to take on.     

Twist & Shout - The Beatles in Bath 1963 - Book Review

 

This week I read the book Twist & Shout The Beatles in Bath 1963  by Simon Hurford.   This is a little book about The Beatles concert in the town of Bath on June 10, 1963.    

This isn't a very long book and really only focuses on the concert, although it does give a little backstory about The Beatles and their success up until June 10, 1963.     Some interesting thing about this concert was the opening acts were very well received.   A local group called Chet and the Triumphs was one of the opening acts along with the Colin Anthony Combo and the fans actually liked both of these groups.    The Pavillon where the concert was held was right behind a school full of girls that got to see The Beatles enter and you must know that John took advantage of that!     It was a much similar time then because the Beatles got hot dogs and Coke for their meal. 

It was a very hot summer night when the Beatles performed in Bath and Paul's amp blew out because of it.  PLUS the Triumphs' drummer got to perform on Ringo's kit!   Great stories!

I liked this book because it really does show the early day of Beatlemania and how exciting everything was at the time. 

Unfortunately, this book is difficult to track down.   I had to call the local bookshop in Bath to order myself a copy.    However --- if you happen to find a copy of this book, it is a quick and fun read. 

George Harrison on George Harrison : A Book Review

 

I recently read the book George Harrison on George Harrison (edited by Ashley Kahn).    This book  is a collection of interviews with George from his first interview with The Beatles'  in 1962 until the last statement he made before he died in 2001.  

I really like interview books because they are wonderful for research purposes.   It is very time-consuming to transcribe radio and television interviews.  Having them right there in a book is so helpful.    What I don't like about interview books is the way the person being interviewed comes across on print might actually be different if you listen to the audio.  I recommend everyone doing what I did -- and looking up the available interviews on Youtube after reading them.   

Many of the most well-known George interviews are found here:  Dick Cavett Show, the 1974 Dark Horse Press conference,  The Michael Jackson radio interview, Rockline, Mtv with the Traveling Wilburys, and the VH1 1997 interview just to name a few.   There were also quite a few interviews that I was not familiar with at all.  Many of these gave some new insights into George's life.    A few things  I found while reading this book is that George repeats the same stories over and over again and his stories never change.  George is CONSTANTLY quoting the Rutles or talking about The Rutles.  If you aren't a Rutles fan and don't' have the entire movie memorized, then you might miss some of the references, but they are obvious if you know the movie.   This tells me that George must have watched that movie or read the script a LOT because it is always in his conversation.    George has an amazing memory when it comes to people's names.    I can't believe how many people from his past that he will talk about by name.   One story that he told twice in the book that I don't' recall ever reading about before was how his Dad had a friend named Len Horton who owned the liquor store.    Young George would go down to Len's place on his night off and the older man would show George guitar chords.   Are the rest of you familiar with this story?   Why isn't Len Horton celebrated?   He is the guy that taught George the first guitar chords he ever learned.    I also found it pretty cool how George would talk about some of the previous interviews that were in the book.    He talked about the time he met Michael Jackson and Michael didn't realize that George had written "Something."    That interview with  Michael Jackson saying that very thing was in the book.  

I personally did not like the interview with the  Hare Krishna's at the temple that George had built.   I liked a little bit of it, but George basically said the same things in all of them.  While I have great respect for George's spiritual beliefs and his love of God and spreading consciousness to the world,  I personally do not agree with everything he believed.   So I found a lot of it to be boring and my mind wandered some.   I think just one of those interviews would have been great.   However, if you share in George's spiritual beliefs or you want to learn more about them, then you might really enjoy all of the interviews with the Hare Krishna's at the Temple.  

George Harrison on George Harrison showed all of the many different sides of George:  the musician, the family man, the friend, the Hare Krishna, the funny guy, and The Beatle.   Overall I  had a better understanding and appreciation for George after reading this book. 

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

https://amzn.to/3SYFMqT

Run Out Groove - A Book Review

Run out Groove by Dave Morrell is the fourth book he has written about his life as a Beatle fan inside the music business.  In this book, Dave picks up in 1980 where he has been just hired to work the rock section of Capitol Records in New York City.

The book tells of the high and low points of his job and how he was able to meet many amazing rock stars like Iron Madian, Crowded House, Great White, Duran Duran and so many more that were popular in the 1980s.

Of course, the most interesting sections to us are at the beginning, when he sees John Lennon for the last time on the streets of NYC and the work he did promoting Paul McCartney's Press to Play and Flowers in the Dirt albums.    He got to spend time with Paul during these times and has great, fun stories about hanging out with him and smoking pot with Linda!  (You gotta read it to believe it!)

I found some of the dialog of his mean bosses yelling at him to be tedious at times.   I think two chapters of this information would have been enough, and I

ended up skimming some of that part.  His bosses were really mean.  I don't think I could make it in the music business.

Dave also tells a lot about being a Beatles collector and the famous shoot he did for Rolling Stone Magazine

Run Out  Groove is a fun book to read, just as Dave's other books have been.  You get a real feel for the music business from an insider's perspective.  Make sure to add this book to your reading list during this pandemic.  It will help get your mind off all the crazy going on in the world.

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

https://amzn.to/3uJafkR

Beatles Day In New Orleans - A Book Review

I really enjoy books that focus on a specific city on a Beatles' tour.   I wrote a book like this myself about St. Louis and I have read books about Indianapolis, Kansas City, Cleveland, Bournemouth,  Germany 1966, etc etc etc.    I am happy to add New Orleans to the collection.

Beatles Day in New Orleans is a book published in 2019 by a new author, Steven Y. Landry.   The Beatles performed in NOLA during their North American tour on September 16, 1964.   It is one of those stops where, for a very long time, there was very little information or photographs to help us know what exactly happened during this stop on the tour.

Thanks to this book, we have a much clearer understanding of the insanity that was the day the Beatles were in New Orleans.   Landry interviewed the opening act, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, and Frogman's memories helped with this understanding.  This is the first time I am aware of Frogman being interviewed about his time with the Beatles, so it is great that this author was able to get his stories.

There are a lot of great little stories in this book that you have never heard before.  I especially enjoyed one about Paul getting help for an earache.  There are stories from Beatlemaniacs from the time they got to see and meet the Fab 4 at the press conference as well as the mayor (who John called Lord Mayor) who had the lads sign a proclamation making September 16 Beatles Day in New Orleans and made them honorary citizens (why didn't John throw that in the fact of immigration?  J/K).   The mayor gave copies of these proclamations out to any fan who wanted one and included a photograph of him with The Beatles.  This photo has been around for a while, and it looks obvious that George has been cut and pasted into the photo.  Why??   Well -- we find out that Ringo, Paul, and John were in the original photograph, but because this photo with the mayor was to be printed on the copies of the proclamation, the whole group was desired on the page.  So-- a little cut and glue of a photo of George from the same press conference was used, and there you have early Photoshop!

A lot is also told about when the Beatles met Fat Domino (who actually didn't like the nickname Fats!--I knew it all along!)   And I discovered in the photos of them singing with Domino they are singing "I'm in Love Again."   I thought we'd never know what they sang! 

I knew the New Orleans concert was crazy, and fans rushed onto the field, but I had no clue just how crazy it was and just how badly some of the fans were hurt.  You have to read it to believe it (unless you were there).

There is also a section about George's stop in Louisiana during the Dark Horse Tour and Paul and Wings recording in the city of the Venus and Mars album.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  There were some known facts mixed in with some new nuggets and fan stories.  It was a lot of fun to read.   I have only seen it sold on Amazon, and included below is the link if you would like to order a copy for yourself.

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

https://amzn.to/49Y7XNL

Ringo's White Album - A book review

Let me be honest.   I typically would not have been interested in reading Ringo's White Album by Alex Cain.  But you know how it is -- we are all stuck in the house and the Kindle edition was really cheap ($1.16).   So why not give this book a read?

There are some really interesting things in the book.    The author really knows his audience and doesn't bother us with the background of how Ringo joined the Beatles or any of the information we already know about the drummer.  He jumped right into the topic of the book, which is greatly appreciated.

This book is exactly what the title says:  Ringo's drumming and percussion on the White Album. Cain goes into how Ringo quit the Beatles and about Paul's drumming on Back in the USSR and Dear Prudence as well.     The most interesting part of the book (for me) was the section about the Hey Jude promo films.  There was some information about Busker Bill and the filming that was really interesting.   I also liked how the book went song by song and put who played what percussion instrument. 

The rest of the book was a little over my head.   I know very little about reading music and nothing about drumming.   Parts of this book were boring to me -- just going on and on about the drumming patterns and whatnot. 

That is not to say that this is a bad book.  It just didn't interest me too much.  Cain did a great job writing it.  It was obviously well-researched, and he knows a LOT about drumming and admires Ringo for being a great drummer.    I am sure that if you were a musician and especially a drummer, the information found in this book would interest you. 

The wonderful thing about living in the era of self-published Beatles books is that now anyone can write in his/her niche area of The Beatles.   I think that is great!    There is bound to be hundreds of other Beatle fans that are interested in the same area that the author is interested in. 

If you want to learn about Ringo's drumming on the White Album in great detail -- then this is the book for you!   Plus, it really wasn't a bad book to read while being quarantined.


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

https://amzn.to/3IhcwqD

Linda McCartney: the Polaroid Diaries -- A Book Review

Photo by Linda McCartney 

I have often said that it would be amazing to sit down with the McCartney family photo album and see the photographs that Linda had snapped of Paul and the kids (and animals) during her life.   We have gotten peeks into the album from time to time:   inside of albums, various books, the calendars put out by the Fun Club, etc.   Those peeks always just whetted my appetite to see more from her album.     The book Linda McCartney The Polaroid Diaries gives us McCartney family fans our wish.  We get to see the McCartney six as a regular family all through Linda's Polaroid camera.

Linda was a talented photographer and she really loved the instant development of the Polaroid camera.  She took tons of Polaroids of her family doing all sorts of things all around the globe.  Some of her photographs are artistic and others are no different than a photograph that you might have in your own family album.

I like seeing this side of the McCartney family.  Celebrating holidays, playing on the farm, and wearing silly homemade masks.  If you didn't know better, you'd forget that you are looking at a famous family.

The book itself is made of very heavy paper and the photos look amazing and crisp in the book.  I was really impressed with how well-made this book really is.   The Forward is written by Chrissie Hynde, and she tells a touching story about Linda's last photoshoot and use of Polaroid in 1998.

  My biggest complaint about the book is that each photo is labeled with the location of where the photo was taken and the decade.   Being the nerdy Beatle person who likes to have my photos organized by date, seeing "1970s" in a photo is not helpful.   They could have at least put the year of the photo if they didn't know the full date.  Why bother just giving the decade in the first place?

This is a must-have book for anyone who is a fan of the McCartney family and/or Linda McCartney's photographs.   There are a few photos of Ringo in the book and one of George, but besides that, there isn't any Beatle content.  The photographs are from the 1970s-1990s.    Keeping that in mind, this is a really great book and well worth the price.


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

https://amzn.to/42XosHw

Brian Epstein 1964 & the Beatles -- A Book Review

Because  I donated money toward the Brian Epstein statue,  I was sent a copy of a new book titled Brian Epstein 1964 & the Beatles:  The Year that Changed the World.

It is a fairly quick read and is full of photos and documents pertaining to the Beatles and Brian.   It goes through the year of 1964 and Brian's involvement in getting The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show and the other important events that Brian organized during the year. 

The entire book is leading up to the Beatles Civic Reception in Liverpool in July 1964.   It all began in early February 1964 (before the Beatles even went to the United States) when a City Councilor contacted the Liverpool Lord Mayor and suggested having a civic reception for the Beatles because they were bringing a lot of attention to the city.   From there the Lord Mayor wrote to Brian Epstein with the suggestion.   Brian had a positive response, but the Beatles were so busy with going to the United States, making a movie, recording a new album and then a world tour that there wasn't any time to squeeze in.   The book includes all of the correspondence between the Lord Mayor and Brian with Brian coming up with the idea of holding the reception at the same time as the Northern premiere of A Hard Day's Night.


All of the documents included in this book pertaining to the reception are very interesting.  I really liked seeing the personal guest list of the Beatles.   Paul invited the most people (but then he did have a large family in Liverpool).   On Ringo's guest list was none other than Freda Kelly.    I knew Freda was at the reception, but I thought since she was such an important person with the Beatles Fan club and she lived in Liverpool that she would automatically be invited.  Nope.  If Ringo didn't add her onto his personal guest list, she wouldn't have been inside.     I enjoyed reading a little bit about The Chants.  They were the only Mersey Beat group that was invited.    The parts about the reception and movie premiere were really interesting and I learned a few new little things.

The book should have gone through an editor one more time before it was published.  I found quite a few typographical errors, which distracted me some.   Much of the beginning of the book will be well-known information for all Beatle fans. 

The documents pertaining to the Liverpool reception are worth the price of the book, plus by purchasing this book, you are actually donating to the Brian Epstein Statue fund and what Beatle fan can't stand behind the fact that Brian deserves a statue?


https://www.beatlesliverpoolandmore.com/store/p80/NEW_BOOK_AVAILABLE_TO__ORDER_BRIAN_EPSTEIN_AND_THE_BEATLES_1964_THE_YEAR_THAT_CHANGED_THE_WORLD%3E.html

Belmo's Beatleg News (The complete Anthology) volume two 1994-2001: A Book Review

If you recognize these two graphics and they have put a smile on your face,  then Belmo's Beatleg News (the Complete Anthology)  Volume 2 1994-2001  by Belmo is the book for you. 

This book is primarily all of the Belmo Beatleg Newsletters that were published between 1994-2001.   Starting in 1987, Belmo put out a newsletter with reviews of the latest Beatles Bootleg records, information about upcoming releases,  photos of topless women, and various interviews that dealt with Beatles bootlegs( aka Beatlegs).    This newsletter was well received among fans because it gave out good, honest information but didn't take itself too seriously.     It ceased in 2001, and Belmo wisely decided to reproduce all of the old newsletters in a two-volume set of books.

I purchased Volume Two to start with.   I personally started buying Beatlegs in 1994 and was heavily into buying, trading, and discussing Beatlegs in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s.  The second volume of the book fits right into what I remember.    I also wrote a short article for this volume of the book, so I wanted to have my name in print in my collection.    I do plan on getting Volume One (19878-1992) in the near future.

I was never a subscriber of Belmo's Beatleg News, although I should have been.   I think it would have saved me quite a bit of money from buying terrible Beatlegs.    Either I was not aware of the newsletter at the time or thought I couldn't afford it.   I do have some copies that I have gotten over the years after the fact, so I was familiar with the newsletter.  If you ever subscribed to Belmo's Beatleg News, I am sure you'd really enjoy the book.

For me, as a former Beatleg a-holic, reading through Volume 2 was a trip down memory lane.  It had been so long since I had thought about the Great Dane BBC box set that was THE best BBC bootleg known to man.   I loved reading the review about it.   I also had forgotten about the Artifacts box sets, which were the pre-cursor to the Anthology series.  I had a  boyfriend at the time they were released that had a lot more money than I did in those days and he copied his Artifacts discs for me.   Great memories!    I have always been a big fan of Vigotone's label and remember being called "Vigo-girl" as a joke.    So many great titles that I know I have packed away and I need to dig back out.   I haven't listened to my John Lennon bootlegs on the Vigotone label in at least 10 years.     There are many little gems tucked away in the newsletters reproduced in the book.   One I discovered was an article written by a guy who talked to Alf Bicknell directly about the tapes he auctioned off in 1988.   I found the story behind those tapes to be fascinating.

Most of the book is taken up by the reproductions of the newsletters; there are also some new articles included (such as the one that I wrote) and an interview with Mirror Spock.

The book itself is a little pricy ($45).   That is why I didn't buy both volumes at the same time, but it is worth the price because there is so much information in the newsletters.   Unless you subscribed and still have all of your back issues, there is no way you'd be able to find all of the issues of the newsletters for a cheaper price. 

If you never collected Beatlegs and have no interest in them, then this book will confuse and bore you, and you might as well skip this one.  But if you are part of the Beatles underground back in the day, you need this for nostalgia, if nothing else.



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

https://amzn.to/49xtaxT

Hey Grandude! - A Book Review

Are you looking for a great new book to get your kids or grandkids this year?   Well, look no further than Hey Grandude! by Paul McCartney (illustrated by Kathryn Durst).    This book has absolutely nothing to do with the Beatles or Paul, but it is such a cute, fun book that I think everyone that loves Paul should have it in their library.

The story is about a grandfather named Edward Marshall Sr and his four grandchildren Lucy, Tom, Em, and Bob.  They call him Grandude and he calls them the Chillers.   The basic idea of the book is that Grandude has postcards and a magic compass.  On a rainy day, Grandude uses the magic compass and takes the Chillers on adventures to the places that are seen in the postcards.   Something happens at each place that is exciting and keeps the story moving. 

The illustrations by Kathryn Durst are adorable and really help with the story and the characters.  Plus I think the drawing she did of Paul is so cute!

For those that are interested, the publisher claims that this book is for children in preschool-1st grade (ages 4-7).    The average preschool - first grader will not be able to read this book alone.  As a reading specialist, I would say Hey Grandude! is written at a 2nd grade (7-8 years old) level.   The story is cute enough that any elementary school child would enjoy it.   It would be a great book for an older child to read to a younger one.    And it is also great for a Grandparent to read to Grandchildren.

I also have a great idea for teachers to use this book.   Read it to your class and then have them design their own postcard and then write an adventure for them to go on with Grandude.    This would be a great writing activity!    I would do it myself, but I have to teach my canned program. 

There is also an audio version of the book read by Paul McCartney.   I haven't heard it yet, but I hope to hear it soon.

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

https://amzn.to/42Wahm3

The Beatles and their solo years (A Trip down Memory Lane): A Book review

The book The Beatles and Their Solo Years:  A Trip down memory lane by Tom Fontaine is a very nice hardcover book with color photos inside.    The book features the collection of Beatles autographs Tom Fontaine has bought over the years.   He does not own all of them anymore, but took photographs of all of the autographs and put them all together in this book. 

The layout of the book is great.  It starts with Beatles autographs as a group in chronological order then moves onto a section for each solo Beatle, also in order.    The photographs are large enough to see in detail the autographs and anything else the Beatles wrote to the fans.

My favorite entries are the ones that include the fan's story on how the autograph was originally obtained.  I think the stories are more valuable than the autograph itself. 

Most of the signatures Fontaine purchased from auction houses, but some of them he got in person.  Ringo signed for him, and so did Paul.

There is a short section in the middle of the book about Tom's memories of Beatlefest.   This is a nice telling of his involvement in the Fest and is a nice trip down memory lane for those of us who regularly attend these events.  He has photographs of many of the guests over the years.    I think this section might be morning to readers who aren't familiar with the Fest and do not have an interest in it.

Overall I like this book.  It is a good reference if you are looking to check on the authenticity of a Beatles autograph.   It has great examples of signatures from all different time periods.    Not that I would recommend only relying on this book, but I think it is a great place to start for autograph authenticity.    It is also a good reference book to have on hand in general because of the stories included by fans. 

This isn't a must-have for all fans, but it is a nice book to have on your shelf, especially for anyone who has an interest in Beatles autographs.

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

https://amzn.to/49VEkMK

Baby You're a Rich Man - a Book Review

I recently read the book Baby You're a Rich Man (Suing the Beatles for Fun & Profit) by Stan Soocher.   I have been trying to learn more about the lawyers for The Beatles, and since I thought the title of this book was funny, I would read it.


Honestly, Baby You're a Rich Man wasn't the best book on the subject of Beatles' lawsuits.   As I looked through the citations, I saw that most of the resources the author quoted from came from books I already own.   There were very few new resources and very little new information.    The book was well written and accurate, but the material can be found in other books.

It tells the stories of what you'd expect from a book about suing the Beatles:  Allen Klein, Paul McCartney, George's lawsuit about My Sweet Lord, John's immigration issues, Morse Levy, etc etc etc.    I found it interesting that this book places John signing the papers to end the Beatles in an apartment in NYC and not at Disney World, although they do state that May Pang says it was Disney World (and she took the photos) and John said once it was in an apartment and another time said it was at Disney World.

If you want to read a general overview of the Beatles and the legal issues they faced over the years, and this is a topic you have never read about before, this is a great place to start.  However, if you have already read Apple to the Core and You never give me your money, then don't bother with this one.


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

https://amzn.to/3wyfm82

NEMS and the business of Selling Beatles Merchandise in the U.S. : A book review

Have you ever wished you could magically go back in time to 1964 and see all of the Beatles merchandise on the shelves?   Well -- until that time machine gets finished, the next best thing has arrived.   The new book NEMS and the Business of Selling Beatles Merchandise in the U.S. 1964-1966 by Terry Crain. 

This is a beautiful hardcover book.   It is full of colored photographs of vintage memorabilia.   The book begins with the history of NEMS and Seltaeb, which is very interesting.   The rest of the book goes through all of the official merchandise of the Beatles in alphabetical order.    All of the items that you remember from your own childhood (if you are a first generation fan) or all the items you have seen for sale on eBay or at Beatles conventions are listed:  Beatles dolls, buttons, posters, guitars, jewelry, lunchbox, record player, wig, etc etc etc.     You also get to learn about some of the obscure Beatles items made, such as the Beatles hummer and the Beatles Twig.

Most of us will never be able to afford all of these Beatles goodies, so having the photographs and story behind each item is a great treasure.   It is fun to read the information about some of the items you have in your own collection.   Terry obviously spent a lot of time on this book, and the information is so fascinating.    A fun aspect of the book is the memories of the first generation fans about having the specific Beatles treasure as a young fan.    The story by Jude Southerland Kessler was really amazing!   You gotta read it.   

Just a word of warning -- don't expect to see the prices of things in this book.  It is not a collector's guide but a history of the official Beatles memorabilia.    Those collector's guides get outdated so quickly that they aren't even necessary. 

So far, NEMS is the best Beatles book published in 2019 that I have read.    Every fan will enjoy this one.  You don't want to pass it up!

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

https://amzn.to/436kAnG

The Roof (the Beatles Final Concert) - A Book Review

The book The Roof:  The Beatles Final Concert by Ken Mansfield is a real treat for Beatle fans both hardcore and casual.    Ken Mansfield, of course, is the "guy in the white jacket" that you see on the rooftop while the Beatles are performing on January 30, 1969.

Ken was much more than a lucky guy in a white jacket on a cold rooftop.   He was the U.S. manager of Apple Records.    In the book, he tells the story of how he got the job and explained his relationship with the Beatles and the rest of the Apple folks.

What makes this book special is that it is Ken's story.   It isn't a historical telling of the Let it Be sessions and the rooftop, but Ken's personal telling of the events from his point of view.    He doesn't white-wash the story either.   He tells of how uncomfortable things had gotten between the band and how he noticed a change once Billy Preston came on board.

Ken also digs into the history of the Mayfair area of London (where the Apple Building was located) and the history of 3 Savile Row itself.   It is actually very interesting!

The biggest part of the book deals with the performance on the rooftop itself.   Who was there and who wasn't?   Why was Ken wearing a white jacket?    Just how cold was it up there?    What about those bobbies?      Ken answers a lot of questions in a fast-paced manner.   It makes the book easy to read and very enjoyable. 

The book ends with chapters highlighting some of the unnoticed heroes of Apple who were good friends with Ken.

This book is really another one of those Beatle books that you just need to read, especially this time when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rooftop concert and into the 50th anniversary of Let it Be.

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

https://amzn.to/3wIixd4