Traveling with the Beatles

 

War is over

 

The Lost Weekend is now in full swing

 

November 7, 1973 

Spector and Lennon

 

Bangala Desh Film Premiere in NYC

 

Bangla Desh Film Premiere in NYC

By Marcy Reichback

Mrs. Lennon’s Apple Farm newsletter

April 1972

Well, tonight was the first showing of Bangla Desh.  My friends and I decided to go (of course).   I got out of work at 5:30, there were 2 shows, 6:30 and 8:30.  We were hanging out by the front of the theater.  People were in line, everyone had tickets (invite only).  We thought we were never going to get in.  It’s now 6:00, Phil Spector arrives, so that’s a start, then at 6:15 Allen Klein comes.  I said to my friends, “I’m going to talk to Klein.”  They looked at me like I’m crazy.  “You don’t just talk to Klein.”  Well, I got my nerve up, walked over, and said, “Excuse me, Mr. Klein, I have 2 tickets for the show, but I have an extra friend.”  He stopped me and said to the doorman, “let them in.”  I didn’t have the 2 tickets, I just thought I’d try it.  Well, it worked.  They didn’t ask for the tickets which was lucky.  We got in after Ravi finished.  Just in time for George.  The movie was great, the close-ups were too much.  The sound is great.  The audience in the movie was in four speakers in the back and the music and talking up front.  TOO MUCH!  The movie was fabulous. 

Getting back to us, after the movie we went upstairs to look around.  We hid in the bathroom.  Meanwhile downstairs they were letting the people in for the 8:30 show.  So, we took a chance and went into the lobby and my friends were looking a different way when I saw a whole lot of flashes going off.  I said, “Someone is coming.”  It was John and Yoko.  We got some really great shots.  He was wearing a hat sideways, long army coat, his cowboy boots, and jeans.  Yoko was wearing a black short fur jacket and jeans, her hair tied back.  We followed them upstairs to the first balcony.  We sat (again) one row behind them. 

I got really upset at these young girls (about 13 or 14 years old) who asked him if they can shake his hand, and they really took advantage of his good mood.  Yoko looked like she was in a bad mood.  Phil Spector started to push them (the girls) away after a while.  I don’t blame him.

 

The movie took a while to begin.  John yelled out “Let’s see the movie!”  10 seconds later the movie started.  Oh, before that happened some really stupid girls asked him to say “hello.”   He said “hello.”  Then they asked him to say “George.”  He said “George.”  I really felt bad for him.  I know how The Beatles felt when all those cripples used to touch them.  He looked and sounded like a trained puppy.  It was really bad.  When the movie started, Yoko and him asked Jerry Rubin to buy some popcorn and candy, and soda for them.  So, he disappeared for a while.  John smiled when Rich did “It Don’t Come Easy” and when George sang “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”  He was toe-tapping and bopping his head when Leon Russell did his songs.  John also pointed out Klaus for Yoko.  Why – I don’t know. She knows him.   They smoked ciggies like they were going out of style.  Then Jerry Rubin came back and gave something to John.  I couldn’t see what it was, but my friend turned to me and said really seriously, “Jerry just passed John and joint.”  I was so upset.  Plus why smoking pot in the movie?  It stunk the whole place up.  They looked so stupid and everyone knew exactly what they were doing.  They (John, Yoko, etc) thought they were being really cool about it, but they really weren’t.   After Dylan finished his songs (before George did Something and Bangladesh), John, Yoko and Jerry left.  Oh, Phil Ochs was with them also.  We beat them downstairs to their car, took some more pix, and went out to eat.

 

Note from Mar (editor of the newsletter):  Thanks for this, Marcy.   I know a lot of people have a lot of ideas about pot, but John doesn’t have to smoke it to be cool.  I for one don’t’ go into that thing, but I don’t’ condemn anyone who wants to do it.  People here always smoke it in the theaters.  As a matter of fact, the guy in front of us at the showing of Bangladesh was smoking it.   The girl next to him asked if he would put it out because if he was caught it would ruin it for the rest of us.  He was nice enough to do so.  The only real beef I have about it in the theater is it (the smell) gives me a big headache.  So, let’s not condemn, but accept.

 

Premiere of the Concert for Bangladesh Film

 March 23, 1972 

George & Phil

 

Farewell Ronnie

 

Sadly we have lost the first person with a Beatles connection in 2022.   Ronnie Spector passed away after a short battle with cancer.    Ronnie was an Apple artist who recorded the song "Try Some Buy Some."   She also had a flirtatious relationship that might have been intimate with John Lennon. Ronnie denied that anything ever happened between her and John. 

I reviewed her autobiography a few years back.   If you are interested in Ronnie Spector and her incredible life, I highly recommend it. 

http://www.meetthebeatlesforreal.com/2015/04/be-my-baby-by-ronnie-spector-book-review.html

When Halloween was Christmas

October 31, 1971 -  50 years ago today, on Halloween,  John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the Harlem Community Choir recorded one of the best Christmas songs of all time (well in my opinion), "Happy Xmas (War is Over).   
 

John's birthday party

 

October 9, 1971 -  John Lennon's 31st birthday party (aka Happy Happy Happy Happy Birthday John)

Work on the live album

 

Remember Phil Spector's work on John Lennon's Imagine album ?

 Music producer, Phil Spector passed away from Covid today.   Phil is a very strange individual, to say the least.  Most music fans admire his music production and the famous Wall of Sound.   At the same time, he was found guilty of murder and had been accused of holding people hostage, shooting guns to intimidate, and being emotionally abusive to his wife.   Phil Spector is one of those people that you have to attempt to separate his work from the actual person.    And even then, many Beatle fans do not like his work, saying that he ruined the original Let it Be album.  

At the announcement of his death, many people were unaffected.   He has been in prison for some time and we haven't heard from Phil besides Christmas time when the famous songs he produced are played nonstop.    

Nonetheless, Phil Spector is part of The Beatles story and part of John Lennon's life.   One thing that always stands out in my mind is John and Phil at the microphone singing "Oh Yoko."   The guy behind the board keeps playing the wrong verse of the song and John gets really annoyed at him and then Phil is supposed to sing the harmony on the chorus with John and he can't get it right.   John then is trying to teach Phil Spector the harmony.   That little part of Imagine always seemed funny to me.  John was just not having a good day.  

I am not sure how history will remember Phil Spector.  Somehow I don't think it will be for not being able to learn the harmony on Oh Yoko.   

Backstage photo

 

John's birthday party 1971

October 9, 1971

The concert for Bangledesh (the movie)

Not sure what to even title this one....

George and Pete

Be my Baby by Ronnie Spector -- A Book Review

It has been a while since I posted a "Wednesday Review," and I am glad to be back on my regular schedule and post one tonight. This week, I read the book Be My Baby by Ronnie Spector. It was written in 1990, so it is an older book. I have read that a second revised edition came out in 2004. I personally borrowed this book from my local library. 

The book is the autobiography of Ronette, Ronnie Spector and her very crazy life.  The things this woman has lived through is just amazing.   Even if she didn't have an amazing singing voice, the things she has endured makes her pretty awesome.

The book explains how Ronnie, Estelle, and Nedra got their start as the Ronettes and how they first danced at the Peppermint Twist club. Then Murry the K saw them, hired them, and got them to perform at his shows every week in New York. From there, Phil Spector saw the girls, and they started recording and had a huge hit, "Be My Baby."

There is a LOT of Beatles stuff in this book.  Much more than I ever thought.  In January 1964, the Ronettes traveled to England to do some concerts.  And while they were there, the first night they went to a party and John, Ringo and George were there.  They had a really fun time dancing, and it became obvious that Estelle and George were flirting and the two of them went off to a private room.  Ronnie and John also went off to a private room and they started to kiss, but Ronnie stopped it after that.   However, the four of them double-dated several times at fancy London restaurants, and George even flew back to London during a short break in the Paris tour to spend some time with Estelle.

The next month, the Beatles came to America, and the Ronettes were leaving England. They almost flew on the same plane together---but they didn't.  But Phil did in a sneaky way....

While at the Plaza, the guys invited the Ronettes over (and they brought along Murray the K.).  There is a pretty wild story about a naked girl having sex with one of the Beatles entourage while everyone is snapping photos and about John trying to get Ronnie to sleep with him, but Ronnie turned him down.    Honestly----I am not sure if I totally believe this.  Cynthia was with John on this trip.  They shared a hotel room. So how did John get Ronnie into his room without Cyn knowing about it?   Something about that story didn't add up to me.

Anyhow---Ronnie and Phil have an insane relationship.  Phil basically kept her prisoner in their home in California.  He wouldn't allow her to go into the kitchen and eat or leave the house very much, and he was so mean to her.  He had a golden coffin with a glass top made and told her that is where she would be if she ever tried to leave because he would kill her!  But she still ended up married to the guy and became an alcoholic to escape the craziness of Phil Spector.

Then, in 1971, they went to London, and Ronnie recorded a song written by George Harrison, "Try Some Buy Some," on Apple Records.  Ronnie's explanation about this made me laugh.  She really disliked that song and wasn't surprised that it wasn't a hit.

Ronnie eventually does divorce Phil, and it was a big mess of a divorce hearing.  John and May Pang even go to court one of the days.   

Pete Bennett, Ronnie and John during the Lost Weekend

The last time Ronnie saw John Lennon was in 1976 outside of the Dakota. They chatted for a bit, and John told her how happy he was being a househusband. Then he introduced her to someone in the music business who helped her get back on track a bit.


I really liked this book and not just the Beatles stuff.   Ronnie Spector (who took that name after George and John suggested it) lived the life of a strong woman.   Especially knowing what we do now about Phil Spector, it is amazing to know that she made it out alive.    

I give "Be My Baby" my recommendation.   It honestly was a hard book for me to put down because I couldn't wait to see how she overcame her next obstacle.

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/4a1aVRp

Bangeldesh premiere

Happy Birthday John from the whole world

John Lennon's birthday in 1971 was a very busy one but there was time for cake and a jam session with friends.   Here are some photos taken during John's 31st birthday celebration as we celebrate the life of John Lennon today.  Happy birthday John!