Denro visited today, which is always fun, bringing with him the new mono Beatles CD set. We listened to “Sgt. Pepper’s” and realized that mono is indeed the best way to hear the Lonely Heart’s Club Band. The experience really was as if we were hearing it almost for the first time.
I always expect Dennis to bring a stack of old comic books, and he didn’t disappoint. One story in particular caught my eye. Take a look at this drawing.
Gil Kane drew this picture of a smartphone in 1965! He really nailed it in every way. Very impressive.
Once again it is my pleasure to present Prue Bury, with Pattie Boyd and Paul McCartney, on the set of “A Hard Day’s Night.” This picture is found in the big “Anthology” book, and I haven’t seen it anywhere else.
Would the Beatles have succeeded without Brian Epstein? Yes, I think so, because talent will out, but without Epstein their story would not have turned out the way it did. I really don’t think Brian exploited the Beatles financially, but it does seem that he could have been tougher in some of his business negotiations with others.
Last year, Epstein’s copy of his contract with the Beatles was put up for auction, and it sold for $211,000. It’s dated October 1, 1962, a few days before the release of “Love Me Do.” It’s been said that the contract was actually drawn up on January 23, but as far as I can determine, that was a different document, in whole or at least in part. Ringo’s name can be seen, and he didn’t join the band until August. Either way, Epstein didn’t actually sign a contract with the Beatles until October 1.
I would be interested in seeing the entire text of the document. It reportedly gives Brian’s percentage as 25% of the gross, and Paul McCartney confirms that amount in “Anthology.” Yet because of the fantastic success of the Beatles, there were some in the business who assumed Brian was taking advantage of them above and beyond what was agreed upon. Brian denied that, as seen in this brief video clip.
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In 1964, Brian made an appearance on the American TV game show, “What’s My Line.” The host, John Daly, refers to Epstein as “Barry,” and Brian makes a rather quiet correction.
From the July, 1964 issue of Modern Screen magazine, a preview of “A Hard Day’s Night.”
My all-time favorite Beatles lady is the lovely and delightful Prudence Bury. Actually, I don’t think of Prue as being a Beatles girl, per se, because she’s so interesting in her own right.
Here is Prue with George and Pattie, but the article incorrectly identifies her as Tina Williams.
Prue and Pattie are mentioned again, but the pictures show neither of them, and Sue Whitman is incorrectly identified as Pattie.
And I don’t recall John Lennon ever saying he loved to dress like an English gentleman.
On Monday, March 25, 1963, in Liverpool, with no expectation that they would ever be the stars of a huge hit movie, and with the filming of “A Hard Day’s Night” a year away, the Beatles made some silent home movies, using photographer Dezo Hoffman’s 8mm camera. In April, back in London, at Westminster Cameras, they watched the movie reels, and Dezo took this picture of the event.
The room lights are on, and the projector bulb is off, so obviously this is a posed photo, but the boys looked very pleased. It’s one of the rare times John is seen wearing his Buddy Holly glasses. Because Lennon was so nearsighted, I assume that much of Beatlemania was literally a blur for him.
In late July, at a hotel in Somerset and a beach near a place called Brean Down, the Beatles made more home movies with Dezo. The custom YouTube player has the movies, with some studio outtakes for a soundtrack.
The first background song is “Bad to Me,” a hit for Billy J. Kramer. To my surprise it’s a John song, and not one of Paul’s. A very nice cover of “Bad to Me” is another great new track by Lia Pamina with Robbie Leff. Here’s Lia!
