The Beatles Love by Cirque De Soleil: A Review

For the past 10 years or so, people have been telling me that I just had to go to Las Vegas, Nevada, and see the Cirque De Soleil production of "Love."  "The music is amazing!"  They would tell me.  "It is outstanding!"  They would say, "I can't believe you are such a big Beatles fan, and you have never seen Love!"  However, when I would ask these people what was so great about it or what it was all about, they would say,  "You just got to go and see it!"

 Truthfully, I might have gone to see the show if it was somewhere else. Vegas just doesn't have anything to offer me besides this show. I don't drink alcohol, I don't gamble, I hate being around drunks, and I dislike large crowds. However, my Dad's Barbershop singing group was having their competition in Las Vegas this year, and I had the opportunity to go.


Currently, the Mirage is decorated in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Sgt. Pepper.   As you walk into the casino, you hear songs from Sgt. Pepper, and there are Pepper decorations. There is even a large Sgt. Pepper display for you to get a photograph next to.  It is very welcoming and inviting.  

There is this nice walkway with jumping Beatles and the Union Jack overhead. The Beatles shop has tons of awesome Beatles things to purchase and enjoy. I began by enjoying the experience before I even got into the theater. To the left of the jumping Beatles is the area that looks familiar because it is where you have seen photographs of Ringo and Paul. It is there that you will see the artwork that honors John and George. These are MUCH, MUCH smaller than I thought they were.

Yours truly with the John artwork.   

There is also a concession stand that sells overpriced Beatles-themed drinks. The theater is in the round, and so there really isn't a bad place to sit.  I have heard people say that, and as someone who does theater, I know that we say that, but it isn't totally true.  However, for this show---there really isn't a bad seat.  Inside of the seats are speakers.  This is extremely awesome because there were times when I could just hear John's voice or Paul's bass right in my ear.  

Ignore my mom and me in this photo and just take notice of the speakers in the seats.

The show is extremely high-energy. There is a lot of acrobatics, which I expected, but there is also a lot of dancing. The story is loosely that of the Beatles. It starts with the bombing of World War II and goes into the 1950s rock' n roll, Beatlemania, and the later 60s psychedelic and protest periods. It ends with the breakup of the Beatles.      

The story is told through a variety of ways.  Extreme skating, ballet, gymnastics, acting, and acrobatics are all incorporated with amazing lights and video screens.  The music is 100%  Beatles.   Everything is Beatles music from the four guys themselves.  And what really amazed me was how good the music sounded. I think this is the best the Beatles have ever sounded. It was a very clear and fresh sound.    It is hard for me to grasp that this is music that is over 50 years old. The music is something to be proud of.  I was so happy to see many young children in the audience because the Love show is a great way to spread the love of the Beatles and their music to the next generations. They are going to remember the visual images along with the music for the rest of their lives.  

Ringo and Paul with the Love cast in 2016

What didn't I like?  I was trying to make sense of the characters and the stories they portrayed in the songs, and I failed miserably at it.  I still have no idea why a scared-looking guy was holding flowers throughout the whole show.  I am not sure if the Sgt. Pepper guy was a friend or an enemy.  Why was one guy trying to pour tea all the time? I am not an avant-garde person and I think I need things to be spelled out for me more. I bought the program for the show, and it helped me understand things a bit, but I still don't think I fully got the show.

Something else I didn't understand. There were video screens in the four "corners" (for lack of a better word) of the stage that appeared from time to time.  They showed the Beatles animated. For example, once you would see Paul, Ringo, and George in animated form, walking in Sgt. Pepper suits.  Where was John?  Every Time these screens came out, it showed Ringo, Paul and two George's. Was this a mistake?  Did Yoko refuse to give them the rights to John's image?  What is the deal with that?

This doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. I loved the music and all the energy of the cast. The dancing and acrobatics were really great to watch. There was so much going on that I think you would need to see the show at least 10 times from different seats to get the full effect of everything.  The show is great for any one--fan or not. There were some Beatles references that only the die-hard Beatles fans are going to catch (a reference to Revolution #9 didn't slip by me!), but there is so much to see that even people who only know a few Beatles songs will enjoy it.

On Saturdays at 1:00pm at the Love Theater, you can see a free show called the "Magical Technical Tour." It is just a half-hour long. You sit in the theater, and they show you a few of the behind-the-scenes things that make "Love" happen. You don't get to see any of the performers, but you do get to hear the music, the lights, and the stage. It was really neat to see. They also show bits and pieces of the Love documentary on these huge screens, so that was cool as well. If you are in Las Vegas and are available on a Saturday, it is worth checking out.


If you can't make it to Las Vegas for the actual show, the CD and DVD documentary are always available, but it is worth your time and effort to see it at least once.


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101 Hours with John Lennon & Paul McCartney: an e-book review

The e-book 101 Hours with John Lennon & Paul McCartney by Lillian Roxon first appeared as an article for "Eye" magazine in 1968.     Since most people do not have this rare magazine at their disposal, this 15 page e-book makes the article available for anyone to read.

A little background information is that Lillian Roxon was Linda Eastman's best friend at the time.   Lillian was a music writer and Linda of course was a music photographer.      They worked together on this story with Lillian writing the story and Linda taking the photos (which are WAY too small in the ebook.  I am showing the photos here in this post).  

Lillian followed John and Paul around New York during their May 1968 trip to announce the formation of Apple.    She spent 101 hours with the two Beatles and reports back what she observed, what they wore and what they said.    One thing that is missing is this expose of a weekend in the life of Lennon-McCartney is that Linda was not there just as a photographer.     Linda is not mentioned at all, but we all know now that she was there "with" Paul.

Lillian is obviously a John Lennon fan and she makes little jabs here and there about Paul (such as calling him an incurable ham).


This article is really a brief overview of what they did in New York at that time.    It briefly talks about the interviews at the St. Regis Hotel, the Tonight Show interview, the walk in Central Park, the Chinese Junk boat trip (cost $400 for the day), the main press conference  and staying at Nat Weiss' apartment.

One part that I guess I wasn't familiar with was that they went to one of  Brian Epstein's favorite restaurants, where the owner had to stop people from coming in so they could enjoy their meal and then went to a club called Salvation.

The only part of the story that I found interesting was about two fans named Julia and Anne.   I have to wonder if these are the girl's real names or names that were made up.      Julia was a Paul girl and Anne was all for John.     These girls found out by typical Beatle fan ways where the guys were going to be staying and got into Weiss' building.    They ended up following the guys to Central Park and were some of the few fans there at the park.     Supposedly Anne said to John something about how she wants to come and sleep on his lawn and John answered, "You'll have to move when the gardener comes."     I wonder if these two girls are really the girls that I have spoken to that took photos of John and Paul at Central Park.   I was always told that they were the only ones there.    Either they are the same girls, or the girls in Lillian's story are totally made up.

This was an extremely short article and it didn't go into enough detail for my liking.    It was fun to read, but I am not sure if it was worth the $1.99 that I paid.       It was interesting and if you place it along with the other information about this weekend that was written (Denis O'Dell comes to mind), it makes a good companion piece.     I just wish more details were included and less opinions.


Sadly Lillian Roxon and Linda drifted apart as friends, especially after Lillian wrote a terrible review of the James Paul McCartney TV special.   She died from an asthma attack a year later, so the two former friends never had a chance to patch up their differences.

Sara's 10 Best things of the Fest for Beatles Fans 2017 (A review)

This past weekend I had a great time at the Fest for Beatle fans in Jersey City, NJ.    I spent most of my time behind a table where I was selling my book and photographs.    I want to say "thank you" to all of the people that stopped and said that they enjoy this blog.   You have no clue how good that was to hear.    While I have always done this blog for my own enjoyment, it is really amazing to see the faces of the people that actually share in this adventure with me.  

It was a thrill of a lifetime to see my name and photograph in the Fest program and to go up on stage and sing along with the "Hey Jude" finale.  

I had a great time at the Fest.   If you haven't been to one or haven't been in a long time, I really want to encourage you to give it a try, if even for just one day.    Yes, the Fests are very expensive and sort of commercialized; however it is really one of the few chances you get to talk in person to other Beatle fans.   There is a real feeling of peace and love and just a great vibe that you won't find anywhere else.     Think about it and I hope to see you there!

Here are my 10 favorite things about the 2017 Fest for Beatles fans in Jersey City, NJ.


10.  The hotel and the view from the hotel.
This year the Fest was held at the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City, which is located on the Hudson.   From one side of the hotel, you could see the Freedom Tower and the New York skyline and from the other side you could see the Statue of Liberty.   This was only my 2nd Fest on the East coast, but from what I have been told, this hotel was a huge stop up from the previous venues.    The staff was very accommodating and I really enjoyed the hotel overall.

The nighttime skyline taken from the window of the hotel

9.  Fabcast live

I listen to a lot of Beatles podcasts.   There are so many that are excellent and it is hard to choose just one to call a favorite.   However, one of my top 5 Beatles podcasts is "Fabcast"  with Howie Edelson, Stephen Bard and David Morrell.   It is a pretty deep podcast and is worth checking out.    In the past, the live podcast discussions have always been one of my favorites to watch and the "Fabcast" session I went to was no exception.      Howie and Bard were on hand and discussing Paul and John in 1980 and how they inspired one another.   It was a really good discussion.  

Howie Edelson and Stephen Bard of "Fabcast"

8.  Sgt. Pepper Party (honoring Brian Epstein)
On Saturday night, there was a party and everyone was encouraged to come dressed in their "Swinging '60's" garb to celebrate the life of Brian Epstein.     It was a little bit "out there" for my taste, with some strange poetry being read, but it was all in good fun.    The best part was the reading of the "5th Beatle" script.

7.  Meeting Facebook Friends
I lost track of all of the people that came up to me and said, "We are friends on facebook."    Some of them I  have had really long conversations with over facebook messenger and others I barely knew.  However, it was awesome to meet everyone in person.

6.  The unexpected mini Wings reunion.
Wings drummers Denny Siewell and Steve Holly as well as guitarist Laurence Juber were all announced to be guests this year at the Fest.    Once the weekend got underway, Denny Laine showed up unannounced!   I am not sure if he was a surprise planned guest or if he just appeared on his own and decided to join in.   However,  the four Wings members sang a few songs and it was really awesome and unexpected.

5. The stories I heard!
As I said, most of my weekend was spent behind a table.    So many fans came up to me and started telling me the funniest and wildest Beatles stories!    I spoke with a woman who went to middle school with Nancy Shevell,  a woman who saw the Beatles in concert in Boston and after their limo drove by, she saw a cup sitting in oil on the driveway and she figured that oil came from the Beatles limo and so she scooped it up with the cup and took it home with her, and a man who hung out at the Dakota in the 1970's and one time with John and Sean returned home from the circus the driver of the car gave this fan popcorn kernels from John's popcorn from the circus.     And so many more little things----it was really fun for me to hear because I just love those stories.

4.  Panel discussions
I was on two panels and gave one presentation.    One of my favorite panels was a discussion on "who was the 6th Beatle."    Now in order to be considered a "Six Beatle" person, that means you aren't ever considered in the "fifth Beatle" category.  Therefore folks like Brian, George Martin, Pete Best and Stu are out.    Who did I ague for?  Can't you guess?  Mal Evans.

The Sixth Beatle Panel discussion

3.  Meeting Klaus Voorman
I actually met Klaus at a Fest in Chicago in the early 2000's.  He signed my Revolver album.   I always had regrets that I didn't get a photo taken with him, and so I fixed that this year.  I purchased his Revolver book (and had him sign it) and sat down next to the one and only Klaus Voorman for a photo.  

Klaus Voormann and me!

2.  Finding Lennon documentary

On Friday night, we had the amazing opportunity to see the world premiere of the new documentary about John Lennon called "Finding Lennon."    The film isn't quite finished yet, but let me tell you---whenever it is, you have to see it!    I wasn't expecting to be blown away by this film because---ANOTHER John Lennon documentary?     But this really was a fresh and fair look into John's life from birth to teenager.   Interviews with friends that John went to school with were shown and they told stories that none of us had ever heard before.    I am going to do a full review of this film once it is official available.


1.  Leon Wildes
I can't speak for anyone else, but the single best thing of the Fest for me was hearing Leon Wildes talk on Sunday afternoon.   I actually left my table and stopped trying to sell books in order to see Leon talk.    As you will remember, Leon Wildes was John Lennon's immigration attorney.    He single handedly was the person that got John Lennon his green card and allowed him to stay in the United States.   I was able to shake the man's hand and tell him thank you for all he did for John and Yoko.     Hearing Leon speak was very emotional for me.    

Me with Leon Wildes and his son Michael (and as luck would have it---my flash didn't go off so the photo is super dark)

Overall I would have to give this year's east coast Fest an 8/10.     I personally enjoy the Chicago area Fest a lot more, but that could be simply because it is the one I have attended for over 20 years and I am familiar with the faces of the people.  

The Beatles Eight Days a Week Blu-Ray disc 2 review

The Beatles' film of 2016, Eight Days a Week:  The Touring Years is now out on DVD and Blu-Ray with a special edition that includes a second disc with over 100 minutes of bonus footage.   I watched the bonus disc this afternoon and I am going to review each section and let you know what I thought of them because some parts were much better than others.

Words & Music:    This was all about the Beatles' writing and recording of songs until Revolver (1966).   It was good because of the new interviews with Paul and Ringo.   Paul talked about how he didn't want to play the bass at first, but John wasn't going to do it because he was a powehouse rhythm guitar player.  But then Paul heard some American bass players and realized that the bass wasn't so bad.   Ringo talked about how he never wanted to do fancy drum fills because of the focus on the singer and how he worked with the singer to make the song better.    Nice interviews---nothing new.   They also interviewed Peter Asher that talks about Lennon-McCartney writing songs for him and Gordon.    And then there was long interviews with some guy named Howard Goodall.   From what I understand, he is some BBC guy, but I have never heard of him and his parts were boring and rambling.   This part of the disc would have been so much better without that guy.

Early clues to a new direction:    Hands down the worst part of the disc.   It was to talk about the Beatles' roots in Liverpool and how from their beginning grew to the mania where young girls and even boys loved them because not only their music but their humor.     Nice idea, but the interview people I never heard of!   Various historians and authors that I have no clue who they are.  Did these people write books about the Beatles?  I don't think so.   There are so many great Beatles historians out there that should have been interviewed instead.    And how come they didn't talk to any female authors or historians.   It would have been nice to hear a female voice when you are talking about the effect of the Beatles on girls.   Sure they talked to Sougorny Weaver and Whoopi, but those girls only know of their personal experiences.   There are female Beatles historians.    The worst quote was "the girls were not only screaming for the Beatles, but also for themselves."  

The Beatles Live:  This is one of the best parts.   Apple could put out a DVD of all live Beatles performances and that would be awesome.  There are five songs included from 1963-1965.   There's a good mixture of Paul and John songs (no George or Ringo).   I really liked the Manchester 1963 performances.   It is really awesome to see the boys from 1963 in glorious true color.   My only complaint was the the 1965 Blackpool performance of Help! (which was in fake color, but I can overlook that) wasn't the performance version.   We all have the Anthology and know that John messes up the words.   It is part of the charm of that performance.  Why use a different track?

A Deeper Dive:
Liverpool:  Now THIS is how these interviews should be!   They went down into the Cavern Club and interviewed amazing people from the Cavern days from Liverpool.   Freda Kelly, Allan Williams (which they used captions for, which I didn't think was needed),  Bill Harry, etc etc.  

Three Beatles' Fans:  Another great segment.   They talked to three ladies that saw the Beatles during their first U.S. visit in 1964.    Two of them were seen screaming on the Ed Sullivan Show and the other saw them in Washington D.C. and met them afterwards.   I loved this part!   (And the DC girl has a photo that I had never seen before---bonus!)

Ronnie Spector:  I am not really sure why she was included.   She said that she took the Beatles to Harlem when they were in New York in Feb. 1964.    Never heard that before.   When did that happen?   Did that happen?

Shooting a Hard Day's Night:  This should have been part of the Hard Day's Night re-release and not included here.   Nice interview with people involved in the film.    Just seemed out of place.

The Beatles in Australia:   Again--nothing new here.

Recollections of Shea Stadium:  This was fun.   It was Tony Bennett's son talking about going to see the Beatles in 1965 at Shea Stadium.   He had a good story of getting kicked out of the Beatles locker room.   Showed a snippet of silent footage he took of the concert.     Only thing that bothered me was that he kept saying that the Beatles had just released "A Hard Day's Night" and that they came out in their "Hard Day's Night" suits.

The Beatles in Japan:  This was included in the film when it was shown in Japan.   It should have just been included in the film in general.   They interviewed the photographer that was with the guys in Japan and showed various common footage.    It was nice to have the Japan shows represented.  I would have been better to hear from one of the fans and see how she got into the Beatles and what she remembers of the concert.

An Alternate opening:    Glad they didn't use it.


Overall I would say that the extra disc is alright.    I think I like the film better.   There were some nice moments, but I am not sure if it was worth spending the extra money on it.

Beatles Yellow Submarine Lego set: A Review

I was fortunately to receive the Beatles Yellow Submarine Lego set over the past weekend and I am excited to tell you about it in tonight's review.  

Let me start off by telling you all that besides making something that I used to call "a house" out of Legos as a child, I really do not have any background in making things with Legos.   I have never owned a Lego set before and I really wasn't sure what I was in for.

John was there the whole time cheering me on!

As tempting as it was to just let the set mint in the box and never open it, I am glad that I decided to take the plunge.   First let me tell you about the box.   It is really nice.  It is sort of like a shoe box and it is very colorful with images of the Yellow Submarine.   Inside of the box has a little treat.  On one side is the cartoon yellow sub Beatles peering through portholes and on the other side is the same thing only with the Lego version of the Yellow Sub Beatles.

The whole Lego set is extremely well organized.   There are 5 separate baggies, each labeled with a number.   The booklet takes you step-by-step through each bag.   There aren't any words in the booklet, just pictures to show you exactly what to do.   I was surprised how easy it all was.

Here is a photo of the baggies before I jumped in and got started

It took me two evenings to put the entire thing together.   There were times where I got a little lost and had to backtrack and re-do a few steps, but over all it was a challenge, but not so challenging that I got frustrated and wanted to give up.   The most difficult section for me was the stand that the submarine sat on.  It is all white and I got confused.   I started to get frustrated with it and had to take a break and come back to it later and I was able to get it all correct.    I was really surprised as a Lego "newbie" how you would start to put something together and thing to yourself "what on earth is this?" and then suddenly it starts to look like something on the sub.

After bags 1 and 2 were done, it was starting to look like something--but I wasn't sure what!

When you read through the instruction booklet, you find out that the two main guys that worked on the project are mega Beatle fans.   And it became obvious because of the great detail that is in this set.  Inside of the submarine is a clock, and a calendar set to 1968, a steering wheel that moves and yes--even a button for Ringo to push (even though he was told not to).   It is pretty neat because you can take the top off the submarine and see the inside stuff and have your Beatle guys sit inside.   How much fun would this have been to play with when you were a kid?   I can just see a child acting out scenes from the movie.

The best part of the entire Beatles Yellow Submarine Lego set is by far the Beatles characters.   Lego really should sell these guys separately, because I am sure many fans would buy them who aren't interested in the entire Yellow Submarine.   Each of the Beatles is holding what he is holding at the end of the movie.

Also included is a figure of Jeremy--he holds a green apple.


I really love this set.  I know some fans are complaining because it is "another Yellow Submarine collectible" and they want more music.    I dont think we should be so picky.  I mean we got a new Beatles album and movie this year.    I think it is time to release this Lego set to get the next group of kids interested in the Beatles.   What a great way to get introduced to the band!   It is a fun Beatles item, which is something I dont' think we see very often.

If you would like to purchase the Beatles Yellow Submarine Lego set, or if you were planning on buying it online, could you do me a favor?   Could you order it through this blog?    You all know that I do not make any money off the blog, but I got this great opportunity through Lego and I thought I would give it a shot.   I was a little nervous, because what if I hated the set?  But luckily I honestly thought it was really cool.   Anyhow---a percentage of each set bought through this blog will go back to me.   I really would like to be able to use the money to pay for the fees that I pay out of my pocket to keep the blog running.   I really thought it was a win-win for everyone.     If you click on the link (just click on the photograph)  it will take you to the Lego website.  It is set for the UK, but you can change the location and it still works.    Let me know if you have any questions.   Thank you!

Fair Park Walking tour -- audio website review

Photo taken by Sara Schmidt 2013

photo taken by Sara Schmidt 2013

When I went on my trip to England in July 2013, I was excited about going into Henley and seeing the Harrison's home, Friar Park.    Of course the disappointment was that you can only stand at the gates and glare past them.   When I stood at the gates, I could only imagine what was beyond the front path from the few books and articles I have read over the years.

However---the days of dreaming is over!   While you still are not allowed to go past those front gates (something I highly recommend all of you doing!), our friends at the Campfire Network has done the next best thing.    They have set up a website that has an audio tour of every nook and cranny of Friar Park.

For the past three days, I have been going through the audio files, and enjoying the trip through the many gardens of Friar Park.    The tour starts with a basic history of Friar Park, starting in the 1800's and with Sir Frank Crisp and explains some of his quirky reasons for making the property as interesting as it is.

The audio files are reasonably short (most between 3 minutes up to 24 minutes).  I liked that each section was broken up into sections, because I was unable to listen to the entire tour in one sitting.  I loved the voice of the narrator!   It was very soothing and he emphasized important words.  He did not sound robotic or like he was reading a script.   I usually do not like audio books because I always feel like the narrator is robotic or overly dramatic.   I was entertained by the audio files.

I liked learning the reason why it looked like visitors were walking on the water at the lake at Friar Park.    There were a bunch of interesting stories, such as the snow on the Matterhorn, that were just fascinating.

In going through this audio tour, it was easier for me to understand why George Harrison enjoyed living in Friar Park.   George was just as quirky as Sir Frank and George did an amazing job keeping up the gardens at Friar Park.  

Having gone through the audio tour, I now feel like I have a better visual picture of Friar Park.   I thoroughly enjoyed  going through the site and found it to be educational, fascinating and fun.

Campfire Network is going to do audio tours for the Dakota Building and Tittenhurt in the near future.   I am excited to hear all about those Beatles homes as well!

If you would like to go on this audio tour, visit the website at www.campfirenetwork.com   There is a special deal for all readers of Meet the Beatles..for Real.   If you sign up for membership before the end of October you will get 20% off!    The code is MTB116

Paul and Ringo's live Facebook chat: A review

This morning, September 14, 2016, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr did something they had never previously done:   the answered questions on a live Facebook chat.   Along with Ron Howard, they spoke for about thirteen minutes.  Fans from all around the world sent questions through Facebook comments.  And unlike other forums similar to this one, fans were to ask the guys questions about the Beatles because the entire reason for this live chat was to promote the Ron Howard documentary about the Beatles touring years, "Eight Days a Week."

Ringo and Paul along with Ron were inside Abbey Road Studios and were interviewed by Edith Bowman.  Both Paul and Ringo looked relaxed and healthy.  Ringo was supporting a tan, confirming that he was vacationing in Malibu and not in rehab again.

It seemed a bit silly to conduct this interview before Paul or Ringo had seen the finished film, however; they did a ice job answering the questions and giving Ron Howard the chance to put in his comments as well.   I know the questions came from fans, but they were basic questions and not different than what I would've expected from an interviewer.   However, I am sure it was a thrill for the few fans that had their questions asked to hear Paul and Ringo respond.

There really wasn't anything new discovered in the interview.  Ringo told the same joke about how on their one day off a month Paul would have to judge a beauty contest.  While nothing new was uncovered, there was something almost magical about watching Ringo and Paul together talking about the Beatle days.

My biggest issue with the interview was with Edith Bowman.  Her Scottish accent was at times difficult for me to understand, plus her voice wasn't very loud.  That being said, she did display energy and kept the interview moving.

The last question was about why the title of "Eight days  a Week" was chosen for this documentary about the Beatles touring years.  This has been a questions going around in Beatle fans circles since the title was announced.  The song that the title comes from is one that the Beatles never sang in a live concert.   Ron Howard gave an answer about how he wanted people to know that the film was just one part of the Beatles' story.  Ringo then encouraged Paul to tell how he came up with the name of the song.  Paul tells a story we first heard through the Anthology about how he had a driver who said he was working "eight days a week" while driving Paul to John's house.

In watching the interview, it hit me that moments like these won't be around much longer.  It was great to see these two old friends talking about their band.  I have a feeling this is an interview we will remember for a long time.

The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl

With all of the excitement of the new Beatles album, "Live at the Hollywood Bowl," I thought it would be fun to take a trip back to 1977 and see the reaction from fans during the release of the original live Beatles album.   I have an arnenal of Beatles magazines and books in my basement, and so I went digging through the spring & summer 1977 files and was a little surprised to see that not much was written about the Beatles new album at that time.   Was it because Paul was so busy with Wings during that time?    Was it because new Beatles albums in 1977 weren't a big deal?   I don't know.   I did find one review tucked away towards the back of the May/June 1977 issue of "the Write Thing" written by Nina Goss.   

Reviews
By Nina Gross
June 1977

I found "Hollywood Bowl" to arouse greater emotion in me than I thought it would.  I h ave my share of bootlegs, but the state of those recordings isn't even worth speaking about.  "Hollywood Bowl" had much better sound than you would expect from the liner notes.   With any Beatle performance it seems irrelevant to discuss how well they played or sang.  I doubt the majority of Beatlemaniacs left concerts thoughtfully remarking that 'they really didn't do 'Ticket to Ride' as good as the album.'Yet, for the 1964 performance especially, their playing does reflect welcome good spirits and john really knocks you out with the sheer power of his voice.  For a while the screaming bothered me, until I realized the only reason was that my voice wasn't among the peoples' there.  By the time the rendition of "Can't buy me Love" rolled around, I was in tears, because I know this album embodies something I will never really know, and something I would sacrifice everything to experience for five minutes.  What was going on that night in August--while my mother was trying to toilet train me- transcended the boundaries of music and people going to a concert.   Perhaps I never will know what it is to be 100 feet from performing Beatles, but this album accomplishes what Martin humbly suggests in the liner notes, it gives us a "clue".  

Letters From Mum-- A Review

When Louise Harrison mentioned in her book, My Kid Brother's Band that she had plans to release the letters her mother sent to her during the years of Beatlemania, I was thrilled at the possibility.    The senior Louise Harrison is  a much loved figure in Beatles fan history, and she was known for having a great sense of humor and for writing letters.      Many of the letters she sent to fans between 1963-1970 have appeared on this blog over the years.

Letters from Mum is a audio book from George's sister, Louise.    She reads letters that her mother sent to her from Liverpool to her home in Benton, Illinois during the year of 1963.     I really enjoyed this audio experience.    Louise did a great job reading the letters her mother sent her.   Her Liverpudlian accent really added to the mood of the letters and I am glad that it is her voice that we hear and not an unknown narrator.

The letters themselves are very interesting.  In the middle of hearing a mother telling her daughter normal day to day events, you also get to hear about the beginning of Beatlemania through the eyes of George Harrison's mother.    She talks about fans and mania and about going to Beatle concerts.   She also writes to Louise about George's trip to the U.S. to visit her and how Ringo changed his mind and decided to go to Greece instead of the United States.    It was especially interesting to hear what she had to tell her daughter about Brian Epstein and work Louise was trying to do for him (basically---don't promote all of Brian's groups---focus on your brother).  

I really liked having Mrs. Harrison's humor shine through.   I had to laugh at the story of how she was trying to sneak things through the airport duty free.

The only part of this audio that I disliked was the last track.    It was not a letter written by Mrs. Louise Harrison, but instead was something sister Louise wrote after her brother's death in 2001.   It was a rambling speech that talked about the Benton house turning into a Bed and Breakfast, Louise's charity, Drop In and seeing her brother for the last time.    I didn't feel like this speech fit in with the rest of the material in this disc.    It really should have been left off.

However, don't let that last track denture you from this treasure.  It can be purchased as a CD for $15 or a digital download for $10.   I bought mine through the itunes store.   You can purchase it directly from Louise Harrison's website as well.

http://www.lettersfrommum.com/shop/

John Lennon The Bermuda Tapes Ap: A Review

If you are a John Lennon fan with an ipad and haven't done so already, it is well worth getting the "John Lennon Bermuda Tapes" app.   This interactive app tells the story of John Lennon's  June 1980 sailing trip to Bermuda and how he came to write the songs that appeared on his album, "Double Fantasy."

If you choose the "Tell the Story" portion, then you are part of the action, getting to swipe and move your finger along the screen to allow things to happy while you hear John and other insiders tell the story of sailing to Bermuda.    It moves onto hearing about John discovering the B-52's and how "Rock Lobster" sounded like Yoko and his reaction to the song and interviews with three members of the B-52's are included.    There is a section where you hear John talk about coming up with the name "Double Fantasy" and while he is telling the story, you can "plant" your own flower and take a snapshot of it.

Here is the snap of the flower I made on the ap

But the best part by far is the music of John Lennon.    The app has what looks like cassette tapes of John Lennon's Bermuda demos.  It is sort of neat because the cassette player feature can rewind, fast forward and when you are done listening, you hit "eject."    These songs won't be anything new to Lennon fans.   I heard them on bootlegs many years ago and I am pretty sure most of them have been commercially available.    However, they are still great to hear.   I think my favorite is the demo for "Watching the Wheels" that has Fred Seaman banging on a pot in the background.      There also are the hand-written lyrics to the songs for you to view, which I always love to see.

Overall this is a really amazing app and for $4.99 (all of which goes to a charity that fights hunger) it is well worth getting (if you have an ipad).   My #1 concern with the app is that there will be a day in the future when an ipad app will be obsolete and the interviews and package will be gone forever.  


To purchase "John Lennon the Bermuda Tapes" go to the Apple App Store and search for it.   Enjoy!

Paul in Brazil- a magazine review

I try to review something every Wednesday for what I like to call "Wednesday Reviews."   This one is a first---it is a magazine called Revolution and it is printed in Portuguese, which I do not read or understand at all.

One of the readers of this blog, Marcus was super kind enough to send me this magazine from Brazil through the mail.  

It is published by Macro Mallagoli who has met all four of the Beatles and is quite a Beatles expert and respected fan.

Macro and family meet the McCartneys in 1990

This magazine focuses on all of the times Paul McCartney performed in Brazil over the years.   Of course the first time he was there was in 1989 as part of the World tour.    From what I am can tell, there some stories of fan meeting Paul during that tour and then in English there is the setlist and a load of great, rare photos!  And they are all in color on glossy paper. 

That is the pattern of the magazine---every tour stop with great photos and setlists (including the soundcheck set lists) until 2014!    And even as someone who cannot read the text, I find this magazine to have a great layout and to be fun to flip through.   Photographs do not speak a language and there are so many of them that were new to me!

Something else I liked about this magazine is that it wasn't filled with advertisements.   There were a few in the front and in the back, but mainly you are just immersed  in the world of Macca concerts.

I would recommend this magazine to anyone who knows how to speak a little Portuguese or anyone who loves Paul McCartney and is a completest.     I know for me, it is neat to see that fans from all around the world love and go wild over Paul the same way as the fans I have seen in the United States.

http://www.beatlesrevolution.co.uk/index.php/loja/publicacoes/694-lancamento-da-revista-paul-in-brazil-pelo-fa-clube-revolution

Vintage Venus and Mars review

This past month Paul re-released two classic Wings albums:  Venus and Mars and Speed of Sound.   I was extremely lucky for once in my life and I won both of these album through a contest at the Fab 4 Free For All.   I really got into Wings in the past 10 years and I never owned these albums, although I have been familiar with all of the songs on them.    I just had never heard them packed as an album.    I have been enjoying them, but I especially like Venus and Mars.     I found this review from a fanzine written in 1975, when Venus and Mars was first released and I thought it was really interesting to read.   The perspective in 1975 was quite different than today and I thought it was worth a read.

McCartney’s Interplanetary Nonsequitur:  Venus & Mars

By Jim Bollinger

The New Beatles Fan club

Vol II #6

Paul McCartney has spent the last year or so reforming his band which ran out on him, and has also been doing some running of his own, all over the US of A.  During this time, he rode the waves of the success caused by his platinum LP, Band on the Run, and only turned out one new bit of music in all of 1974, and that was only a two-sided single. 

Although “Junior’s Farm” did moderately well on the record chart, it was generally overlooked, and overshadowed by hits from two of Paul’s former partners.  I personally felt “Sally G,” the single’s B-side, held out some promise for Paul and his clipped Wings; the lyrics held together well and the Country & Western format showcased wife Linda’s whining voice rather well.

Anyway, that single seemed to indicate that Paul’s latest musical bent was more toward Roy Clark than the Beatles.  This is mainly what I expected from Venus and Mars.  What I got, however, is an entirely different mater.

Venus and Mars is a slick package of music which shows that Paul did more in New Orleans than clown in the Mardi Gras and watch the Super Bowl.  In fact, and surprisingly so, this entire album is thick withi the New Orleans jazz-rock.  And the performance of the reborn Wings is perhaps the most delightful aspect of this new LP.

Venus and Mars is perhaps the prettiest sounding album by any of the one-time Fab Four since Side Two of Abbey Road.  Of course, this hasn’t the impact or sterling quality to come really close to Abbey Road, but the comparison may still be considered valid. 

McCartney, in an attempt to duplicate the successful semi-concept of his last LP, appears to be kicking a dead horse in trying to conjure a concept out of nothingness; the result is the poorest song on the album, the title cut.  And then Paul has the temerity to compound this crime by inserting a reprise of this filler on Side Two (where it does, however, sound a little better).  

The second song on the album kicks off what seems like a string of very subtle McCartney-style (remember RAM?) references to his ex-partners and their various relationships.  “Rock Show” contains some glaringly obvious references to George Harrison (“Come on, get your wig on straight; we can’t be late”;  “he looks a lot like a guy I knew way back when” “with the Philly (as opposed to L.A. perhaps) band,”  etc.), with a few possible remarks about David Bowie, too.  It is, however, a pretty fair rocker with a section that sounds lifted from Lennon’s old “Hey Bulldog.”

“Magneto and Titanium Man” may be a cleverly-disguised retort to accusations that Linda has ruined his music:  “and then it occurred to me/You couldn’t be bad…/You were the law.”  IN any case, it’s too self-consciously silly to be serious about its silliness.  Completing this string of ambiguous songs is the albums concluding medley “Treat her Gently/Lonely Old People”  Note the first two verse:  “Treat her gently/Treat her kind/She doesn’t even know her own mind/Treat her simply/Take it slow/Make it easy/And let her know/You’ll never find another way.”  That’s Paul McCartney advice to the lovelorn if I ever heard any.  But who’s the lovelorn?  John Lennon? Since the song was most likely written before the Lennons’ reunion, anything is possible.  Then examine the second part of the song”  “Here we sit/ Out of breath/ and nobody asked us to play.”  This may be construed by some as referring to Paul and John and the fate of the Beatles, due largely to the nebulous lyrics and the presence of a guitar complete with that teardrop sound straight off Lennon’s #9 Dream.

In other songs, the aforementioned New Orleans influence is unmistakable.  “Letting Go” is fine and funky, with one shortcoming – Linda’s background vocals come through a little too clearly.  Paul and Wings’ latest hit single, the slick “Listen to what the man said,” is a song with which even Rolling Stone could find no fault.  Other New Orleans-influenced songs with a nice sound are:  “Medicine Jar,” my personal favorite, penned by the cut’s lead singer, new Wings guitarist, Jimmy McCulloch.  It’s a refreshing song; spunky and well-played, with lyrics that can stand well with most McCartney compositions.  Then there’s “Spirits of Ancient Egypt,” which starts out well, dripped with Jim Stafford-type swamp mystery before its effect is destroyed by that silly bridge about Egypt and Rome.

Other influences evident on the album are historical.  On “You Gave me the Answer,”  McCartney hails back to his White Album days in a cut very reminiscent of “Honey Pie,” with traces of “When I’m 64” thrown in for good measure.  Another is “Call me Back Again,” a fine take-off of Rhythm & Blues which sounds hauntingly like Lennon’s “Yer Blues.”

McCartney is not yet, however, quite up to par he set with the Beatles, especially lyrically.  The words accompanying the ofttimes splendid music are usually anything but intelligent, and a few may be considered among the worst Paul has yet produced.  Some of them are so close to the “moon-June-spoon” school of writing (of which McCartney is Crown Prince) that it borders on absurdity:  “Any time, any day/ You can hear the people say/ That love is blind, well, I don’t know/ but I say love is kind.”  Really!

And there’s Paul’s subject matter: who is this man we are or are not supposed to listen to?  What do Venus & Mars have to do with a sports arena or a cathedral?   Why would Lucifer shine, looking like snow in a Broadway show?  And how do Egyptian and roman spirits get into a love song about now?  Those are but a few of the many unanswered questions the alert listeners poses after monitoring Venus and Mars.

With Venus and Mars, Paul McCartney’s music is finally beginning to assume direction and dimension.  At last, he seems to have settled into a sonance he likes enough to cultivate.  (Wings is given full credit for its work on the album, and shine through on Denny Laine’s guitar-work, with fine performance by the rest, too).  Of course, with this new turn of events, McCartney may alienate some of his accustomed audience, but at least he has enough guts to try, anyway.

Venus and Mars is a nice album –even a good album.  It’s narrower in scope than Band on the run, and in several other ways doesn’t measure up to that coup; but it is slicker and glossier than its predecessor and succeeds in an entirely different manner.   McCartney has followed up the greatest solo success reasonably well with this album.  His weaknesses still glare through the glossiness, but it has gotten to the point where one simply allows for them and enjoys the music.  Besides, it’s possible that the “Crossroads” with Paul ends the album may have more significance than its muzak-filler appearance would indicate.