Help ! Beatles Movie To Be Released On Blu-Ray

The Beatles' 1965 full-length movie Help becomes the latest film from the Fab Four to get go high def with the June 25 release of Help! on Blu-ray. The Richard Lester-directed musical spy spoof follows up last year's Blu-ray releases Yellow Submarine and Magical Mystery Tour and word is that the band's final film Let It Be will also see a Blu-ray release by the end of the year. No word yet on any bonus material. The film was digitally restored and released on DVD with added features in 2007.
The movie featured seven Beatles songs including the title track, "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", "The Night Before", "Another Girl", "Ticket to Ride", "You're Gonna Lose That Girl" and the George Harrison-composed "I Need You".

From the press release...

The Beatles’ second feature film, 1965’s Help!, is on the way on Blu-ray. On June 24 (June 25 in North America), Help! makes its eagerly awaited Blu-ray debut in a single-disc package pairing the digitally restored film and 5.1 soundtrack with an hour of extra features, including a 30-minute documentary about the making of the film, memories of the cast and crew, an in-depth look at the restoration process, an outtake scene, and original theatrical trailers and radio spots. An introduction by the film’s director, Richard Lester, and an appreciation by Martin Scorsese are included in the Blu-ray’s booklet.

Help!’s Blu-ray edition follows the 2012 release of The Beatles’ digitally restored Yellow Submarine and Magical Mystery Tour feature films on Blu-ray, DVD and iTunes with extensive extras. Help!’s restoration for its 2007 DVD debut wowed viewers, earning five-times platinum sales in the U.S. and praise from a broad range of top media outlets around the world, including USA Today heralding the DVD as “a grand re-release,” The Guardian’s appreciation of the film’s director, Richard Lester, saying “Lester matches The Beatles’ ‘star’ power with smart, colourful visuals and casual surrealism,” The Los Angeles Times’ restoration rave: “With dynamic compression that was standard in the 1960s lifted for the digital age, the full range of the group’s musicality comes through – it’s like several coats of dust have been cleaned off an old master’s painting,” and four-star reviews from Rolling Stone and MOJO with the latter saying, “They really don't make them like this anymore.”

Directed by Richard Lester, who also directed the band’s debut feature film, 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night, Help! follows The Beatles as they become passive recipients of an outside plot that revolves around Ringo's possession of a sacrificial ring, which he cannot remove from his finger. As a result, he and his bandmates John, Paul and George are chased from London to the Austrian Alps and the Bahamas by religious cult members, a mad scientist and the London police.

In addition to starring The Beatles, Help! boasts a witty script, a great cast of British character actors, and classic Beatles songs “Help!,” “You're Going To Lose That Girl,” “You've Got To Hide Your Love Away,” “Ticket To Ride,” “I Need You,” “The Night Before,” and “Another Girl.”

Help!’s Blu-ray package pairs the digitally restored original film with these extra features:

• “The Beatles in Help!” – a 30-minute documentary about the making of the film with Richard Lester, the cast and crew, including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of The Beatles on-set.
• “A Missing Scene” – a film outtake, featuring Wendy Richard
• “The Restoration of Help!” – an in-depth look at the restoration process
• “Memories of Help!” – the cast and crew reminisce
• 1965 Theatrical Trailers – two original U.S. trailers and one original Spanish trailer
• 1965 U.S. Radio Spots (hidden in disc menus)

In addition to the digitally-restored film, the new disc features outtakes, a 30-minute documentary, an introduction by director Richard Lester and an appreciation by Martin Scorsese.

Beatles fans: Help! will be here soon. Nearly 48 years after its theatrical release, the Fab Four’s second feature film will be issued on the Blu-ray format this June with a stack of extra material.

our editor recommends

The Blu-ray edition of Help! will carry the digitally-restored film and 5.1 soundtrack plus an hour of extra features, including a 30-minute documentary on the making of the film, memories of the cast and crew, an in-depth look at the restoration process, an outtake scene, and original theatrical trailers and radio spots.
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Also, there’s an introduction by the 1965 film’s director, Richard Lester, and an appreciation by Martin Scorsese included in the Blu-ray disc’s booklet.
The Blu-ray version is slated to arrive June 21 in Australia, June 24 in Europe and June 25 in North America, the band announced today via the official Beatles Website.
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Help! was restored for its 2007 DVD release, which earned five-times platinum sales in the U.S., according to EMI.
The forthcoming Help! Blu-ray edition follows the 2012 release of The Beatles’ digitally-restored Yellow Submarine and Magical Mystery Tour films on Blu-ray, DVD and iTunes.
Extras on the Blu-ray release of Help!:

• “The Beatles in Help!” – a 30-minute documentary about the making of the film with Richard Lester, the cast and crew, including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of The Beatles on-set.
• “A Missing Scene” – a film outtake, featuring Wendy Richard.
• “The Restoration of Help!” – an in-depth look at the restoration process.
• “Memories of Help!” – the cast and crew reminisce.
• 1965 Theatrical Trailers – two original U.S. trailers and one original Spanish trailer.
• 1965 U.S. Radio Spots (hidden in disc menus).

Twitter: @billboard

As y'all probably know, "Help!" is heading our way again, now on Blu-ray. The Beatles have control over all their films, except "A Hard Day's Night". With "Help!" due out in June, The Beatles/Apple have released three of their four films on Blu-ray in the course of a year. Here's the schedule:
June 2012: "Yellow Submarine"
October 2012: "Magical Mystery Tour"
June 2013: "Help!"
Can we believe that October 2013 will see the release of the film we're really waiting for: "Let It Be". This writer thinks so.




 

Posted by Roger Stormo at Sunday, May 26, 2013

Source: http://wogew.blogspot.com/2013/05/beatles-on-blu-ray.html 

Help Full album remastered:



 

Beatles Complete Rooftop Concert Video

This is the section from the movie Let It Be where the Beatles perform on the roof of Apple Corp circa January 30th, 1969. You can watch it below. Enjoy.

The Beatles - Rooftop Concert (London Original... by STARDUST72





http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xtrooe_the-beatles-rooftop-concert-london-original-version_music#.UZf7XNg2ksl

Paul McCartney - Unplugged Performance

This has been one of my favorite Paul McCartney performances and albums. Below is information about it, DVD and album cover scans, a full length YouTube video, and full audio to listen to. Enjoy.

Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) is a live unplugged performance by Paul McCartney, recorded and released in 1991. Following the vastness of his world tour recently captured on Tripping the Live Fantastic, McCartney relished the opportunity to strip back his songs and appear on the newly-launched acoustic-only show. Consequently, McCartney was the first in a long line of artists to release an unplugged album.[

Performance

Unlike other artists who appeared on the acclaimed show with acoustic instruments plugged into amplifiers (producing the sound heard), McCartney's instruments were 100% unplugged. Microphones were carefully placed close to guitars, pianos, etc. to pick up the sound (this can be seen on the album, where a large rectangular microphone can be seen in front of McCartney's acoustic guitar).
Using the same line-up that recently backed him (save for Blair Cunningham who had replaced Chris Whitten), McCartney used the opportunity to dust off some of his rarer tracks, including three from his 1970 debut album McCartney, alongside some obscure covers amid a helping of familiar Beatles hits.

Songs

This recording was one of the first in the famed MTV Unplugged series.
Several tracks performed in the show were not included on the album, as follows: "Things We Said Today", "Midnight Special", "Matchbox", "Mean Woman Blues" and "The Fool". Among numbers rehearsed by the band but not performed at all, include: "Mother Nature's Son", "Figure of Eight", "Cut Across Shorty", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Heart of the Country", "She's My Baby", and "Mrs Vandebilt".

 

 

Release

With McCartney in a loose and carefree context, critical response to Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) was very warm.
Initially released in a limited edition, individually numbered run in 1991, Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)—with artwork that recalls Снова в СССР's—was reissued in a more permanent fashion in the late 1990s. Upon its original issue, it reached number 7 in the UK and became McCartney's highest peaking US album in almost ten years, reaching number 14.

 

 

Track listing

All songs written by Paul McCartney, except where noted.

Side one

1. "Be-Bop-A-Lula" (Gene Vincent/Tex Davis) – 4:04
2. "I Lost My Little Girl" – 1:45
3. "Here, There and Everywhere" (Lennon–McCartney) – 3:16
4. "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (Bill Monroe) – 4:21
5. "We Can Work It Out" (Lennon–McCartney) – 2:48
6. "San Francisco Bay Blues" (Jesse Fuller) – 3:29
7. "I've Just Seen a Face" (Lennon–McCartney) – 3:01
8. "Every Night" – 3:24
9. "She's a Woman" (Lennon–McCartney) – 3:39

Side two

10. "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (Robert Higginbotham) – 4:08
11. "And I Love Her" (Lennon–McCartney) – 4:17
12. "That Would Be Something" – 4:02
13. "Blackbird" (Lennon–McCartney) – 2:09
14. "Ain't No Sunshine" (Bill Withers) – 4:05
15. "Good Rockin' Tonight" (Roy Brown) – 3:42
16. "Singing the Blues" (Melvin Endsley) – 3:46
17. "Junk" – 2:26

Personnel

• Paul McCartney – acoustic guitar, drums and vocals
• Linda McCartney – piano, Indian harmonium, percussion and vocals
• Hamish Stuart – acoustic bass guitar, acoustic guitar and vocals
• Robbie McIntosh – acoustic guitars, piano, dobro and vocals
• Paul "Wix" Wickens – piano, keyboards, accordion, percussion, acoustic bass guitar and vocals
• Blair Cunningham – drums and percussion

References

1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) at Allmusic
2. ^ http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mtv-unplugged-premieres
3. 
   Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unplugged_%28The_Official_Bootleg%29  
   
4. 
   
   Here is the Complete YouTube video performance:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Here are the audio files to enjoy, broken down into 3 parts:
   
   Part 1
   
   
   
   
   Part 2
   
   
   
   
   Part 3
   
   
   
   
   
   Bonus: A fan has shared these songs here:
   
   http://mgdesk.zapto.org/mp3/collections/dvd-archive/beatles%20%26%20maccartney/Paul%20McCartney/Live/1991%20Unplugged/
   
   
   
   
   

Paul McCartney to Reissue 'Wings Over America' Album and 'Rockshow' Concert Film

  

 
This spring, Paul McCartney will continue his ongoing back-catalog reissues project with the re-release of his late-1976 live album, Wings Over America.
 
The album captures the best moments of one of the most sophisticated tours of the mid-'70s. McCartney and his band, Wings, performed to more than 600,000 people at 31 shows in the US and Canada, ending with three nights at The Forum in Los Angeles.

Having released four consecutive chart-topping albums (Red Rose Speedway, Band on the Run, Venus and Mars and Wings at the Speed of Sound, plus 1973’s Academy Award-winning James Bond theme “Live and Let Die”), McCartney's solo career was at its peak.
In 1976, the band featured McCartney, Linda McCartney, Joe English, Denny Laine and lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch.
This latest project is broken into three stages:


Wings Over America
The album will be reissued May 27 in a range of formats, including a standard edition (which is available for pre-order at Amazon.com) and a four-book, four-disc (3CD, 1DVD) Deluxe Edition Box Set. The box set’s audio and video include the two-disc Wings Over America remastered at Abbey Road, a bonus audio disc recorded live at San Francisco’s Cow Palace, a bonus DVD containing the rarely seen 75-minute television special Wings Over the World and a photo gallery montage titled “Photographer’s Pass.”

The Deluxe Edition Box Set contains four exquisitely rendered art books packaged with an array of memorabilia, souvenirs, mementos, keepsakes and never-before-seen photos and art work from Wings' 1976 tour. The 110-page tour book recounts the behind-the-scenes drama through dozens of live performances and backstage photos along with new interviews and liner notes from eminent music journalist David Fricke.

The leatherette-bound “Tour Itinerary” contains memorabilia including printed 8-by-10 glossy band photos, a backstage guest pass, facsimiles of the invitation to the end-of-tour party at the Harold Lloyd Estate in Beverly Hills along with Wings over America concert tickets, original album art work, tour posters, set lists, lyrics, press materials and more. “Look," the box set’s book of Linda McCartney photography, features Paul and the band in their everyday life as they made their way across the country in the spring of ’76.


Rockshow DVD/Blu-ray Release
For the first time, Wings' Rockshow concert film will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on June 10. The film, which was shot in 1975 and 1976, was premiered in November 1980 in New York and April 1981 in London. The film, which features a full-length concert, has been fully restored from the original 35mm film with restored and remastered sound, including a 5.1 mix.


Rockshow Theatrical Release
Rockshow will hit theaters for one night only on May 15. The film, which will be shown at 500-plus cinemas across the world, features an introduction by McCartney. There also will be an exclusive VIP premiere screening of Rockshow, with McCartney in attendance and introducing the film, at BAFTA on May 15 in London. Head here for more details.
For more information, head to PaulMcCartney.com.

Source: http://www.guitarworld.com/paul-mccartney-reissue-wings-over-america-album-and-rockshow-concert-film

 

You can watch the entire concert on uTube here:

From Wikipedia:
Wings over America is a live album by the band Wings, released in December 1976 on MPL Communications (in the US, it was released by MPL Communications and Capitol). In its initial release, it was a triple album and included a poster of the band, which reached number 8 in the UK charts and peaked at number 1 in the US. The cover was designed by Hipgnosis, and features a painting of an airliner about to open its cabin door.^[1] The album was a collection of recordings gathered from Wings' Wings Over America part of their world tour. A remaster is set to be released in May 2013.

 

Recording

Originally, Wings over America was to be a two-record set, but this was rethought due to the success of a bootleg^[2] called Wings from the Wings, released as a triple record set,^{[nb 1]} recorded on 23 June 1976 at The Forum, in California.^[3] This caused McCartney to redo the official release as a three-record set which was compiled from all recorded shows of the band's America leg of their world tour that spring,^[2] of which, McCartney listened to all of the tapes and selected 5 of the best performances of the whole 28-song set list.^[4] McCartney choose and mixed the final set of recordings after 6 weeks of listening^[4] during October–November 1976.^[1] Numerous songs, however, were taken from the 23 June 1976 show.^[1] "Soily" was recorded on 7 June 1976 at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver.^[5][6] Some recordings, however, received studio overdubs.^[2] Wings' drummer, Joe English, said that the "overdubs were necessary because of people singing out of tune".^[7]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[8]
Rolling Stone	(favourable) [9]
MusicHound	[10]

Wings over America was another success for Wings, reaching number 1 in the US^{[nb 2]} in early 1977 (the last in a 5-album stretch of consecutive number 1 albums for Wings)^[2] and number 8 in the UK,^{[nb 3][12]} and selling 4 million copies in the US alone.^[13] While the album had sold 4 million copies in US, each of the sales was count as one unit of sales, instead of each disc separate, which would make sales of 12 million discs.^[13] The album was the first triple album by a group to reach number 1, and was a critical success.^[13] The album was repressed a month later, in January 1977.^{[nb 4][1]} "Maybe I'm Amazed" was released as a single,^[13] on 4 February 1977, peaking at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US,^{[nb 5][15]} and at number 28 on the UK chart.^{[nb 6][16]} There are two related items to the album: the TV documentary Wings Over the World and the Seattle show that was filmed and released as the film Rockshow.^[17] Both of which, however, were released 3 years and 4 years, respectively, after the album.^[17]
Wings Over America was issued as a double-compact disc in 1984 on Columbia.^{[nb 7]} The album was first released in the UK on compact disc on 26 May 1987 by Parlophone.^{[nb 8][1]} The album, along with McCartney's Ram and Tug of War albums, was reissued in the US on compact disc on 18 January 1988.^{[nb 9][20]} The album was issued by EMI two more times on CD, in 1989^{[nb 10]} and on 19 February 1990.^{[nb 11][1]} A 1999 reissue of the album by Toshiba-EMI in Japan reinstated the three-disc format from the original LP issue, and is the only edition of the album to do this.^{[nb 12][21]} On 14 April 2008, the album was released as a digital download on both iTunes and Amazon. It was removed for some time off of digital music sites in 2010 and 2011, but as of August 2011 it is available for sale on iTunes.^[22] The album is scheduled for reissue on 27 May 2013 as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection.^[23] Rockshow is also set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray, with its audio remixed into 5.1, on 10 June 2013.^[23]

Track listing

All songs by Paul and Linda McCartney except where noted. For the five Beatles songs included, McCartney elected to reverse the songwriting credit to McCartney–Lennon,^[17] while "The Long and Winding Road" was credited to just McCartney.^[1]

Side one "Venus and Mars/Rock Show/Jet" – 9:56 "Let Me Roll It" – 3:51 "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" – 4:04 "Medicine Jar" (Jimmy McCulloch/Colin Allen) – 4:02 Side two "Maybe I'm Amazed" (Paul McCartney) – 5:10 "Call Me Back Again" – 5:04 "Lady Madonna" (McCartney–Lennon) – 2:19 "The Long and Winding Road" – 4:13 "Live and Let Die" – 3:07 Side three "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" – 1:55 "Richard Cory" (Paul Simon) – 2:50 "Bluebird" – 3:37 "I've Just Seen a Face" (McCartney–Lennon) – 1:49 "Blackbird" (McCartney–Lennon) – 2:23 "Yesterday" (McCartney–Lennon) – 1:43

Side four "You Gave Me the Answer" – 1:47 "Magneto and Titanium Man" – 3:11 "Go Now" (Larry Banks/Milton Bennett) – 3:27 "My Love" – 4:07 "Listen to What the Man Said" – 3:18 Side five "Let 'Em In" – 4:02 "Time to Hide" (Denny Laine) – 4:46 "Silly Love Songs" – 5:46 "Beware My Love" – 4:49 Side six "Letting Go" – 4:25 "Band on the Run" – 5:03 "Hi, Hi, Hi" – 2:57 "Soily" – 5:10

2013 remaster

Wings over America is to be reissued in several packages:^[21]

• Standard Edition 2-CD; the original 28-track album
• Remastered vinyl 3-LP version of the Standard Edition
• Deluxe Edition Box Set 3-CD/1-DVD; the original 28-track album, a bonus tracks disc, DVD of the TV documentary Wings Over the World, 136-page book, assorted memorabilia, 60-page photograph book, 80-page sketch book and download link to all of the material

Discs 1 & 2 (Standard Edition)

Sides one to three are on disc one, while sides four to six are on disc two.

Disc 3 – Bonus tracks (Deluxe Edition Box Set)

1. "Let Me Roll It"
2. "Maybe I'm Amazed" (P. McCartney)
3. "Lady Madonna" (McCartney–Lennon)
4. "Live and Let Die"
5. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)"
6. "Bluebird"
7. "Blackbird" (McCartney–Lennon)
8. "Yesterday" (McCartney–Lennon)
   • All tracks previously unreleased, recorded live at Cow Palace, San Francisco

Disc 4 – DVD (Deluxe Edition Box Set)

1. Wings Over the World

Personnel

• Paul McCartney – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and bass guitars, piano, keyboards
• Linda McCartney – backing vocals, piano, keyboards, percussion
• Denny Laine – lead vocals on "Spirits of Ancient Egypt", "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)," "Richard Cory," "Time to Hide", and "Go Now" and backing vocals, acoustic, electric and bass guitars, piano, keyboards, percussion, harmonica
• Jimmy McCulloch – lead vocals on "Medicine Jar" and backing vocals; acoustic, electric and bass guitars
• Joe English – backing vocals, drums, percussion
• Tony Dorsey – trombone, percussion
• Howie Casey – saxophone, percussion
• Steve Howard – trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion
• Thaddeus Richard – saxophone, clarinet, Western concert flute, percussion
  
  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wings_over_America

Bonus: A fan has posted the original 2CD set here for sharing:

http://mgdesk.zapto.org/mp3/collections/dvd-archive/beatles%20%26%20maccartney/Paul%20McCartney/Live/1976%20Wings%20Over%20America/

 

Did the Beatles Get Screwed?

By Eli Attie,  Posted Monday, March 4, 2013, at 2:25 PM

Brow Beat is following the Beatles in “real time,” 50 years later, from their first chart-topper to their final rooftop concert. All last month we looked back at Please Please Me, which the Beatles recorded 50 years ago in February. It was toward the end of that same month that they started their own publishing company, Northern Songs.

On Feb. 22, 1963, the Beatles made what many consider the biggest business blunder of their career: They signed away a majority interest in their songwriting, to a struggling music publisher with no track record, for absolutely nothing.

 Decades later, McCartney would refer to the agreement that created their publishing company, Northern Songs, as a “slave contract.” Harrison would mock its terms in an outtake from Sgt. Pepper’s, singing “it doesn’t really matter what chords I play… as it’s only a Northern Song.” Lennon would say with some bitterness that the bald and bespectacled man who proposed the deal, Dick James, had “carved Brian [Epstein] up.”

In fact, by the standards of the day, Dick James made the Beatles—a band with one hit record and zero leverage in the industry—a pretty good deal.

Keep in mind that when Chuck Berry recorded his first 45 for Chess Records in the mid-’50s, the Chess brothers made him share songwriting credit—right on the label—with a prominent disk jockey, as well as with the company’s landlord. The publishing rights to Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” were purchased by his label bosses for all of 50 dollars. This kind of wholesale theft was commonplace; in the early rock era, the ethics of the average music publisher could make a mob capo blanch.

But Epstein knew that the right music publisher could make a difference. Publishers were, in effect, hustlers. They promoted new songs by their artists, and even more important in the pre-Beatles era, when most artists didn’t write their own songs, they hawked the songs to other artists.

“Love Me Do” had been published by EMI’s in-house publishing arm, Ardmore & Beechwood, which did nothing to promote it. As a result, it stalled at No. 17 on the charts, even though Epstein allegedly ordered 10,000 copies, nearly two-thirds of the record’s initial sales, as his own effort at “promotion.” When the much more promising “Please Please Me” was on the verge of release, Epstein set out to find his hustler.

This is where the London music scene’s old boys’ network came into play. James had been a modestly successful dance-hall singer, produced by none other than a young George Martin. His 1956 recording of “Robin Hood,” the theme to a British TV series, hit No. 14 on the charts—the biggest success either had ever had. This won James a regular spot on Radio Luxembourg, produced by a man named Philip Jones. (This connection would soon prove fateful, as I’ll explain below.) When James’s musical career sputtered to a halt, he got into music publishing. It was James who brought Martin and the Beatles “How Do You Do It,” which the Beatles hated but recorded anyway.

At this point, Epstein wanted to approach Hill & Range, the U.S. publisher that handled Elvis Presley’s catalog, about taking over from Ardmore & Beechwood. Martin, perhaps out of loyalty to his pal James, urged Epstein to go with a smaller, “hungrier” company. He in fact gave three names to Epstein, but added a special plug for James. When one of the other contenders was 20 minutes late for his appointment with Epstein, the Fabs’ manager simply left and showed up at James’ office early. James ushered him right in. Epstein played him an acetate of “Please Please Me” and told him that if he could help turn it into a hit, he could handle their publishing.

The Beatles in studio with George Martin in 1966.
Wikimedia Commons

In the eyes of some contemporaries, James may have literally been hungry at this point; Epstein was reportedly alarmed by the shabbiness of his office. But right in front of Epstein, James called his former producer Philip Jones, who had fortuitously taken over one of Britain’s most important pop TV shows, Thank Your Lucky Stars. He played “Please Please Me” into the phone, got the Beatles their first national TV appearance, and—seeming much better connected than he was—sealed the deal that made him wealthy beyond comprehension within 18 months.

After “Please Please Me” became a hit, it was James who suggested the Beatles form their own publishing company. While this wasn’t completely without precedent—Irving Berlin had owned his own songs—it was hardly the norm. The idea was, by making Lennon, McCartney, and Epstein partners in the venture with James, they could have some control over their creative rights, in addition to receiving royalties. George Martin saw it as “a very clever deal” because its generosity ensured the Beatles would sign with James for the long haul—ten years, initially.

The deal was signed in Epstein’s Liverpool home; it’s believed that Lennon and McCartney didn’t even read the contract. British record sales would be split nearly 50-50—about the same as the Ardmore deal—with James taking a 10 percent administration charge from the artists’ share. For overseas sales, James’ administration charge was 50 percent—also standard for the time, though it meant the songwriting Beatles and Epstein would share just 25 percent of, say, a huge American hit. Overall, James and his business partner managed to retain 51 percent of the company—a majority stake that caused a lot of headaches for the Beatles down the road.

Did the Beatles get screwed by the very creation of Northern Songs? It’s hard to see how. They’d released just two 45s—one of them barely a hit—and yet they formed their own company, a move that did give them some say in their creative lives, and would soon be imitated a thousand-fold. James not only helped to launch “Please Please Me” with a prime TV spot, he worked to see that their songs were covered by everyone from Herb Alpert to Petula Clark to Ella Fitzgerald—which was the business Lennon and McCartney hoped to be in once their performing careers fizzled out. After all, in 1963, no one could have predicted the value or longevity of the Beatles’ canon. Lennon would tell Gloria Steinem in 1964, “I know this thing can’t last. I’m saving the money.” And as late as 1965, McCartney would say, “We’ve got people we trust—our manager, our recording manager, our publisher, and our accountant—they’re all trustworthy people, I think. So we leave it to them and I don’t have to worry.”

Knowing what we all know today, could the Beatles have kept 75 percent of their publishing, which is standard today? Could they have owned and managed their publishing outright, like Berlin, and hired cheap flaks to do the hustling? Of course they could have. But back in February 1963, not even the Beatles knew that they’d become the Beatles.

Read more from Blogging the Beatles
The Beatles Race Against the Clock
The Beatles Bring Back Rock Rawness
The Forgotten Songwriter Who Inspired the Beatles
The Beatles Record Their Debut Album

Source: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/03/04/the_beatles_start_northern_songs_was_it_really_a_slave_contract.html

Places I Remember: The Beatles as you’ve never seen them before…

March 15, 2013 7:35 pm

Exclusive interview with photographer Henry Grossman

 By Gabrielle Pantera

 “There are so many stories behind the pictures,” says My Time With the Beatles photographer Henry Grossman.




“This new book is the best of my many Beatles photographs. I’m happy to share some of my favorite work and thoughts on those scenes. These are souvenirs of places I remember and some very memorable friends.”
“Even though The Beatles had lots of photographs taken of them, occasionally one of the photographers would be out of the ordinary,” says former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney who wrote the book’s introduction. “Henry Grossman was one such photographer.”


“These had been lying dormant for maybe 40 years because after Life magazine sent back the negatives and slides, I put them in my archives,” says Grossman. “I was a busy working photographer so I had other assignments to work on.”
In 1964, at 27 years old, Grossman was hired to shoot the Beatles’ first U.S. television debut at what is now their most iconic and famous performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1965 he traveled with the band to The Bahamas and Austria during the production of Help! Over the next three years, Grossman photographed private moments at home, parties and recording sessions. Grossman shot over 6,500 photographs of them, almost all of the photos unseen and unpublished until now. My Time With the Beatles is a compilation of 1,000 photos of the Fab Four shot between 1964 and 1968.


The book weighs 13 pounds and is 528 pages. Images are both color and B&W. The photographs are presented in chronological order, and Grossman gives details as to the photos and the situation for the photo that was taken.
Grossman’s editors are Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan at Curvebender Publishing. “I met Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan when they came to me in New York looking for a picture to include in their book called Recording the Beatles,” says Grossman. “I brought out a slew of contact sheets and when they saw how many there were they flipped. Brian and Kevin told me I had the largest number of unseen Beatle pictures ever. They chose a picture of the Beatles recording at Abbey Road. That book is now a standard in the recording industry with its deep research into the technical aspects of machinery, tape, engineers and so on.”


“Any one of these unpublished sessions turning up would normally be a great find,” says editor Kevin Ryan. “It was even more incredible that this many wonderful photos had gone unseen. This is not just another book of Beatles photos. This is among the most significant collection of Beatles images in existence, both artistically and historically.”


Henry Grossman was born in New York City to renowned etcher Elias Grossman who had been commissioned to do portraits of Gandhi, Einstein, Mussolini, Paul Robeson and others. After attending Brandeis he studied acting with Lee Strasberg where his classmates included Dustin Hoffman and Elliot Gould. In addition to being a photographer, Grossman performed at the Metropolitan Opera as a principal tenor and on Broadway for a run of more than 1,000 performances in Grand Hotel.


My Time With the Beatles is limited to 1,200 numbered copies and costs $495. Books one to 250 are signed by Henry Grossman and are $795. The book is housed in a clamshell box. Available at http://www.curvebender.com. Prints available at www.rockpaperphoto.com. Grossman’s website is www.henrygrossman.com.

Source: http://www.british-weekly.com/?p=11846

New Beatles Releases

The Beatles have historically timed many of their releases for the pre-holiday season. With the 50th anniversary on Oct 5th and John's birthday on October 9th, this fall will see a number of important films, books, and recordings by and about the Beatles family hit the shelves. Here is a checklist of some of the most interesting releases to watch out for. You can also read our celebration of Oct 5th, 1962 and the first James Bond film and Beatles record release here.

The John Lennon Letters (book/Oct 9): "John Lennon was one of the greatest songwriters the world has ever known, creator of "Help!", "Come Together", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Imagine", and dozens more. But it was in his correspondences that he let his personality and poetry flow unguarded. Now, gathered for the first time in book form, are his letters to family, friends, strangers, and lovers from every point in his life. Funny, informative, wise, poetic, and sometimes heartbreaking, his letters illuminate a never-before-seen intimate side of the private genius. This groundbreaking collection of almost 300 letters and postcards has been edited and annotated by Hunter Davies, whose authorized biography The Beatles (1968) was published to great acclaim. With unparalleled knowledge of Lennon and his contemporaries, Davies reads between the lines of the artist's words, contextualizing them in Lennon's life and using them to reveal the man himself."

Paul McCartney Live Kisses (movie/Nov 13): "Live Kisses captures Paul McCartney performing the songs from his acclaimed Kisses On The Bottom album live from the legendary Capitol Studios in Hollywood. Paul is joined by a virtuoso group of musicians led by Diana Krall on the piano in these sparkling renditions of classic songs from the American songbook and the wonderful new song My Valentine. In between the songs there are interview clips with Paul, Diana Krall and many of those involved in the recording of the Kisses On The Bottom album. This is an intimate and charming performance which adds yet another facet to Paul McCartney's already broad canvas of talents."

Ballad of the Skeletons (music): Allen Ginsberg teamed up with Paul McCartney and Lenny Kaye to produce this song in 1996. Long out of print, the piece has returned as an MP3 download on Amazon. 

The Unknown Paul McCartney (book/April 2013): This out of print study of Paul's experimental work outside of pop returns as a Kindle book. "Throughout his career, McCartney has initiated and participated in projects that have taken him very far away from the kind of music associated with his career in The Beatles, in Wings, and as a solo artist. From as far back as the 1960s there have been experimental solo projects, both under his own name and incognito. These include the legendary 'Carnival of Light' sixties freak-out, the Percy Thrillington diversion in the 70s, techno, ambient and chill-out releases as The Fireman, pure noise performance art as well as less-publicised activity, much of which Ian Peel now reveals in depth in print for the first time."

The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour (movie/Oct 9): Beautifully remastered edition of The Beatles experimental film. Includes many special features and unseen footage. Although the film often confused fans expecting another A Hard Days Night, the movie is a great time-capsule into the group's interest in surreal imagery and the multilayered songwriting of the Sgt Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour period. A deluxe edition includes a book and the original 2-record vinyl EP in Mono.

The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour and Beyond! (magazine special/Oct 10): "Celebrating the re-release of the band's mythical 1967 film on DVD/Blu-ray (out on October 8), this one-off issue combines archival features on Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper... with brand new material including Jon Savage's reassessment of the Magical Mystery Tour film, a rundown of The Beatles' 67 Greatest Psychedelic Moments and a treasure trove of iconic and unseen photographs. Special Limited Edition 'Walrus' cover is officially the rarest issue of MOJO ever (only 1000 copies are available, all exclusively via Mojo)."

The Beatles Stereo Vinyl Box Set (music/Nov 13): "Manufactured on 180-gram, audiophile quality vinyl with replicated artwork, the 14 albums return to their original glory with details including the poster in The Beatles (The White Album), the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band's cut-outs, and special inner bags for some of the titles. The albums are accompanied by a stunning, elegantly designed 252-page hardbound book in a lavish boxed edition which is limited to 50,000 copies worldwide." Records will also be available separately. The Mono remasters will also be released on vinyl in 2013. 

Produced by George Martin (movie/Sept 11): "Produced By George Martin is a feature length profile of Sir George Martin, Britain's most celebrated record producer. The film talks about his childhood, his war experience and his early days as a music student. In the early fifties he joined EMI/Parlophone and started working on orchestral music, comedy records and music for children. Then in 1962 he signed The Beatles. Together George Martin and The Beatles revolutionized pop music and recording techniques forging probably the greatest producer / artist collaboration there will ever be. The film is in an intimate portrait of George Martin at home and at work. It features numerous classic clips of the artists he has produced and new interviews with many of them including Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Michael Palin, Jeff Beck, Rolf Harris, Cilla Black, Millicent Martin and Bernard Cribbins."

Love Me Do by Bill Harry (book/Sept 7): "Love Me Do" was the Beatles's first single. Longtime Beatles friend and fan Bill Harry takes us behind the scenes in honor of the 50th anniversary. He tells about how Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr after the first recording session, how John stole his harmonica, why the vocal was switched from John to Paul, how George got a black eye, and the real story behind the legend that Brian Epstein bought thousands of records to get the song on the charts." Free for Kindle until Oct 9. 

Beatles Stories (movie/Oct 2): "Songwriter Seth Swirsky grew up in the 1960s idolizing the Beatles their songs, their sound and their style. In 2004, he set out, video camera in hand, to talk to people who had crossed paths with his heroes. From Sir Ben Kingsley to Sir George Martin, and Beach Boy Brian Wilson to astronomer Brian Skiff, Swirsky filmed hundreds of personal recollections from people who knew them well to those who just had an unforgettable encounter. Others who shared their recollections of the Fabs include: actors Henry Winkler (aka 'The Fonz') and Jon Voight; former Beatles recording engineers Norman 'Hurricane' Smith, Ken Scott, and John Kurlander; musicians Smokey Robinson, Jackie DeShannon, Graham Nash, Davy Jones, Susanna Hoffs and Art Garfunkel, among dozens of others."

Beatles Collected (book/Nov 13): "2013 is the fiftieth anniversary of the Beatles' major arrival in America. This book is the first serious book about Beatles collectibles. Beautifully photographed and designed, it includes a range of Beatles merchandise from guitars, plastic models, clothes, wigs, bubblegum cards, and even Beatles mothballs." 

The Beatles in Liverpool by Spencer Leigh (book/Oct 15): "Chronicling the story of the Beatles in their native city of Liverpool, this rock biography combines authoritative text with the most striking images from their time in the city. Documenting the seminal events of this English quartet—from the Beatles’ childhood, the influence of Liverpudlian humor on their lyrics, and whether John was really a “working class hero,” to the other acts that the Beatles played for, the influence of visiting American rock and rollers, and Brian Epstein’s pre-Beatles troubles—this recollection reveals the Fab Four’s evolution from the Quarrymen (an early version of the Beatles) to international musical icons. Combining exclusive interviews with musicians, promoters, club managers, and audience members as well as fans, friends, and family along with rare photographs and memorabilia, this history is the definitive, fully illustrated account of the formative years of the world’s most influential rock and roll band."

The Beatles in Scotland (book/Oct 1): "In intimate detail, this account reveals the pivotal part Scotland played in the genesis of the Beatles and the extraordinary connections that were fostered north of the border before, during, and after their meteoric rise to global fame. Following the Fab Four as rough-and-ready unknowns on their first tour of Scotland in 1960—when they were booed off stage in Bridge of Allan—and then in 1964 as all-conquering heroes, this insightful biography also shares how the momentous decision to break up the band was made in Scotland. Facts about Paul and Linda McCartney’s connection to Mull of Kintyre and Lennon’s childhood holidays in Durness are included, as are eyewitness accounts, anecdotes, and many never-before-seen photos." 

The Beatles: The Playboy Interview (book/Sept 17): "In mid-1962, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner was given a partial transcript of an interview with Miles Davis. It covered jazz, of course, but it also included Davis’s ruminations on race, politics and culture. Fascinated, Hef sent the writer—future Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Alex Haley, an unknown at the time—back to glean even more opinion and insight from Davis. The resulting exchange, published in the September 1962 issue, became the first official Playboy Interview and kicked off a remarkable run of public inquisition that continues today—and that has featured just about every cultural titan of the last half century."

Paul Talks by Julia Baird (audio book): Intimate interview by John Lennon's sister with Paul McCartney during the 1980s. 

Time: Paul McCartney (magazine special/Sept 18): "When Paul McCartney played Yankee Stadium in July 2011 for two sold-out concerts, the 69 year old "looked as if he was having a boyish romp," said the New York Times, marvelling at his 35-song performance. Age hasn't slowed down this former Beatle, nor dampened his ambition. As the most successful musician in pop-music history turns 70 this June, the editors of TIME will publish a celebration of Paul McCartney's unparalleled career. Written by James Kaplan, author of the acclaimed Sinatra biographyFrank: the Voice, TIME's richly illustrated book will give readers a backstage tour of the many chapters of Mc-Cartney's life: as the precocious son of a Liverpool trumpet player, the "cute Beatle" of the Fab Four years, the prolific song writing partner of John Lennon, the psychedelic seeker, the devoted husband of Linda Eastman, the reborn frontman of the band Wings, the shrewd businessman with a net worth of hundreds of millions, and the social activist with concerns ranging from animal rights to land mines. For McCartney, the adventures never cease."

Yoko Ono: To the Light (book/Oct 31): "As a pioneering conceptual artist, performance artist, film-maker, poet, musician, writer and peace activist for over five decades, Yoko Ono (born 1933) has influenced several generations of artists, musicians and cultural workers across the globe. Throughout her career, Ono has explored an incredible range of media, coining new kinds of artistic genres--most notably with her instruction pieces, which she began making in the 1950s and continues to devise today. Yoko Ono: To the Light accompanies the artist's major 2012 overview at the Serpentine Gallery in London. Included in this volume are reproductions of installations, films and performances, plus archival material relating to several key early works. Yoko Ono: To the Light is a concise introduction to the vast scope of this era-defining artist's many endeavors."

John Cage Shock 2 (music/Sept 11): In celebration of the 100th birthday of John Cage, Japanese label EM Records has released a 3-volume set of very rare Cage recordings from a Japan tour in 1962. Volume 2 features an historic live performance of Aria and Solo for Piano with Fontana Mix (mislabeled on the CD and vinyl as 26'55, 988 for 2 Pianists & a String Player) featuring John Cage, Yoko Ono, and David Tudor. Quite a haunting and surprising piece and recommended for fans of Cage and avant-garde music. The set also includes performances by Yoko's first husband, composer Toshi Ichiyanagi, and compositions by Tohru Takemitsu. 

Reaching Out With No Hands: Reconsidering Yoko Ono (book/Oct 23): "John "From her earliest work with the Fluxus group and especially her relationship with John Cage, through her enigmatic pop happenings (where she met John Lennon), her experimental films, cryptic books, conceptual art, and her long recording career that has vacillated between avant-garde noise and proto-new wave, earning the admiration of other artists while generally confusing the public at large who often sees her only in the role of the widow Lennon, Reaching Out with No Hands is the first serious, critical, wide-ranging look at Yoko Ono the artist and musician."

Yoko Ono Collector of Skies (book/Jan 1): "This lyrical biography explores the life and art of Yoko Ono, from her childhood haiku to her avant-garde visual art and experimental music. An outcast throughout most of her life, and misunderstood by every group she was supposed to belong to, Yoko always followed her own unique vision to create art that was ahead of its time and would later be celebrated. Her focus remained on being an artist, even when the rest of world saw her only as the wife of John Lennon."

YokoKimThurston (music/Sept 25): "This is NYC avant garde convergence at its finest. The idea of a meeting between Yoko Ono, Kim Gordon & Thurston Moore is so perfect, so obvious, the only shock is that it didn't happen earlier. Recorded in 2011 at Manhattan's Sear Sound, the album features lead vocals by Yoko, with backing vocals & guitars by Kim & Thurston. It's a wild collision of song-form, poetics, free-rock & classic glossolalic ecstasy. Yoko has not allowed herself to sound this raw since the earliest recordings of the Plastic Ono Band. There's a remarkably empathic & comfortable quality to the sound. The 3 communicate as though they'd been playing together forever." 

Other releases that should be on your radar:
Walrus & the ElephantS; John Lennon's Year of Revolution (book): just announced for Sept 2013.
Abbey Road: The Best Studio in the World (book): Foreword by George Martin.
Paul McCartney in His Own Words (CD): BBC archives of Paul interviews.
Mechanical Mammoth (music): Free MP3 song by Sean Lennon & Greg Saunier.
Strange Fruit (movie): New doc film about The Beatles and Apple.
Early in the Morning (music): limited-ed vinyl by Yoko Ono and Sonic Youth
Music of James Bond (book): Study of 007 music, includes McCartney.
thefearofmissingout (music): New album by Dhani Harrison's band, thenewno2.
In the Beginning (music): New vinyl of the Tony Sheridan/Beatles album.
The Beatles in Comic Strips (book): Collection of Beatles cartoon strips.
She Loves You (book): Kindle sample of Vol 3 in Jude Kessler's John biography.
Grey Album (music): Quarrymen do rockers and a sound-collage, No. 6.
Magical Mystery Tour website

Source: http://spyvibe.blogspot.com/2012/10/new-beatles-releases.html