Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: Beatles

  • A Hard Day’s Night (BFI Film Classics)

    A Hard Day’s Night (BFI Film Classics)

    Published by the British Film Institute, this book shows how a “film meant to capture a pop phenomenon became an enduring cinematic classic.”  The black and white film, A Hard Day’s Night, was released in 1964. It changed the way the band saw themselves and their relationship with the screen. The documentary style that the movie achieved came at a time when Britain was undergoing great change regarding celebrities and pop culture. The media attention was focussed and persistent.

    The information in the book A Hard Day’s Night, comes from Samira Ahmed discovering the film as a child and then, later, beginning work in the television industry. She is a journalist and has many awards to her name. The author examines the movie and explains in detail the craft and the appeal it has. She also looks at the social scene of the times in Britain, and after many interviews and discussions with the band, she talks about the sexual politics in the movie. She also examines the role of women in the film.

    In the introduction, Samira explains many technicalities of making the film. The film makers consisted of men from North America who put a youthful “version of British manhood on the screen.” It consisted of a black and white film with the slapstick humour of the silent movies”. From here, we are told of the film content, the silent excerpts, the humorous parts and follow the storyline along. The film was shot in chronological order, with the band members realizing that they couldn’t be out at night partying and on the set at 6am.

    The detailed examination of the film and its plots is fascinating reading. For any Beatles fans or film buffs Samira has provided a wealth of information and insider knowledge to keep them reading for many hours.

  • John & George in Spirit: Harmonics of the Heart

    John & George in Spirit: Harmonics of the Heart

    Back in the mid 1960’s the pop group The Beatles rose to fame and fortune. Their light burned brightly for five years before they disbanded, each to go their own way, but leaving behind a legacy of music that has stood the test of time; the lyrics of many of their songs still as relevant today as when they were penned back in the ‘60’s.

    But what was it that saw four young men from Liverpool rise so spectacularly to become a world phenomenon. John and George in Spirit- Harmonics of the Heart goes a very long way to explaining just what it was that drove the group to such heights, and what they hoped to achieve with their music. 

    Channelled through Susan Courtney, who John Lennon and George Harrison later, once things got seriously underway, refer to as Bird, they set many aspects of their life as The Beatles out in clear view, clearing up many of the misconceptions created when they disbanded and what they, as divine beings, have been undertaking in the many years since their passing.

    The volume of work, all channelled sessions, is large, full of fascinating and often complex information which is best read chapter at a time. Each chapter deals with specifics, beginning with a clear presentation as to how the four young men came to be part of such musical phenomena, and in celestial realms are still carrying on the work they began here on earth.

    Many loose ends are explained, as are many of the lyrics, such as Blackbird, Help, All you need is love and many more, which for devotes makes fascinating reading, as it is being delivered from the people who created timeless rhythms and words; as is the power of music, the eternal harmonics, being able to lift the human spirit in times of immense despair, sadly something we are today witnessing in the Russia – Ukraine War that is unfolding in Europe.

    Outtakes at the end of the book make for slightly more individual reading, as it is more of a question and answer session about a wide range of topics or queries, that many people would like to have answered in relation to physical and metaphysical matters, which make a light ending to a book which is comprehensive, serious, witty at times and packed full of eternal and infinite wisdom.  

  • The Beatles: The Illustrated Lyrics

    The Beatles: The Illustrated Lyrics

    The Beatles were and to some degree still are, a musical phenomenon that changed the beat of modern music, but all that was for the future as back in 1963, they were just a group of rather trendy, beat driven musicians playing at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, doing covers of American imports, B-sides at that, just like every other group at the time.

    During the ‘60’s, America was driving the sound and nothing new was happening on the British music scene. John Lennon and Paul McCartney decided they could do a bit better than that and with the voice, hopes and to a degree the arrogance of youth, set about learning how to construct songs, trying their fledgling efforts out on their fans, watching their reactions to see if the number worked.

    And so the legendary song writing team of Lennon and McCartney was born and one that went on to influence music long after the group disbanded only five years after they played their first gig in the Cavern Club. During those five years they set the world on fire, Beatlemania was the result, and a song book of hit after hit was the legacy left to the world.

    The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics is a complete collection of the songs written over their five years, beginning with I Saw her Standing There released in the USA by Capitol records in 8 February 1964 and remaining on the Billboard charts for more than 11 weeks, peaking at number 14: not bad for a previously unknown band! It was the lead song on their first album Please Please Me.

    Some of the lyrics are not all that well known, such as Doctor Robert (1966) but the beautiful Lady Madonna (1968) is iconic; The End was the finale composition written for the Beatles in 1969 by John Lennon credited to Lennon-McCartney, and the last piece to be recorded by the four Beatles. It was not just the end song to Abbey Road but also the end; the signing off of a rock phenomenon which over the past 50 years, has not faded into little more than memories.

     Each of the sets of lyrics has been beautifully placed on pictures and images of the ‘Fab Four’ in their heyday: posters and other pictorial memorabilia that crafted the images that showcased the lives of four young men whom famed shaped into public figures, capture the very essence of an  unrepeatable time in Music history.

    Lyrics are not poetry per se, but worlds strung together to tell a story requiring the aid of backing and beat, therefore in some of the pieces the wording is simple, almost disconnected and in others is emotion poring forth into melody, offering and hinting at the life and times of the world as it moved into a new sound, a generation who were chasing and forming change, looking for a beat, a passion and an ideal that was different.

    For Beatles’ fans, The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics is a classic and a must have, as it is more than just a collection of Lyrics on the pages, it is a history of five years of change, passion, love, and excitement that is, fifty years on, as fresh and vibrant as the songs where when first written and played to adoring fans.

  • I Me Mine: The Extended Edition

    I Me Mine: The Extended Edition

    The original I Me Mine was released in 1980 and has now been re-released to celebrate as the 100th specialist rock photography book to be released by specialist publishers Genesis Publishers.

    Harrison, often referred to as the ‘quite Beatle’ was indeed a man whom, while he loved to perform, to make music, to be a part of the generation who literally busted all the barriers in regard to music, performing, looks and style, hated the limelight, hated the demands fame and fortune placed upon him.

    In his own words he opens the door onto a life that was as astonishing as it was incredible, as this young lad from Liverpool and his mates were catapulted into fame and fortune almost overnight, becoming the sensation that took the world by storm, heralding in an era of music that was as dangerous as it was barrier breaking.

    Never before had the world seen a group such as The Beatles. They dressed in a manner that called for condemnation from pulpits of the world, from parents in despair of their daughter obsession with this group from Liverpool and the type of music they made was unprecedented. The world was only coming to terms with the hip swivelling of Elvis Presley when this new phenomena burst onto the airwaves.

    But what was it really like to be suddenly rich and famous; to become the obsession of young girls, to be mobbed wherever they travelled and even to be shot at by jealous boyfriends, after a memorable concert in America, as their plane left the tarmac.

    George Harrison reflects on the reality of being a world phenomenon and member of the pop sensation, The Beatles, as well as what life held for him once this juggernaut finally came to a halt. His volatile relationship with Paul McCartney, his love and awe of John Lennon and friendship with Ringo Star are gems tucked away in the pages. Gardening and his almost obsessive passion for racing cars have their own chapters with much of his detailing of racing cars seriously edited by Derek Taylor, because as he says, the details were excessive!

    Harrison alone is responsible for introducing eastern philosophy to the other members of the Group, not just in the musical influence but also from a spiritual perspective. His introduction to eastern religion and music had a long lasting effect on Harrison, as he spent the rest of his life pondering spirituality, following the dictates of eastern religion and penning many of his more than 140 songs, such as the iconic My Sweet Lord in a direct correlation to his spiritual journey.

    A lovely introduction has been included in this edition from Olivia Harrison as she opens the door a little on their private lives. Derek Taylor, long-time friend and mentor of Harrison has added notes and various introductions to this work, which has created a warmth, adding a very personal touch from people who knew and loved him, which is often missing from such autobiographical works.

    A huge collection of photographs, along with an additional 50 lyrics which were written for his studio albums All Things Must Pass and Brainwashed have also been included.   Each of these lyrics come with a little side note from George Harrison as to the motivation behind each of the sets of words. Beautifully presented they are reproduced in their original scribbled format with a translation when the penmanship becomes somewhat ‘confused’, as the words and the stanzas change as inspiration drives the pen!

    For anyone who ever watch, obsessed or listened to the Beatles and then followed their individual careers once they split up, this is a memoir that is well worth obtaining as a collector’s item. As it is a limited edition, this one produced in colour for the first time, containing previously unpublished material, it is unique.

    It is also a loving presented peek into the life and times of a man, who in his own quite way, with a somewhat droll sense of humour and a great sense of the ridiculous, continued on with his music both as a solo performer and then as a founding member of the group The Travelling Wilbury’s consisting of Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynn and Tom Petty.

    George Harrison died in 2001 from lung cancer leaving behind a legacy of his music which will last for many years to come and will go on to influence the music scene for many more generations.

     

  • John Lennon: A Celebration of His Life and Legacy

    John Lennon: A Celebration of His Life and Legacy

    Designed as a magazine compiled of a series of interviews with John Lennon, or hypothesis on the various aspects of his life as perceived on his journey from a fledgling musician to his death in 1980, this collective work offers differing perspectives on this man, who some thirty-five years on, is as fascinating today as he was then.

    Each of the articles takes a look a specific section of his life; as small child growing up in post-war Britain during a time when so much of society’s values had changed and were still changing, to the influence his family had on the man he was to become.

    His burgeoning talent as an artist and musician are detailed, as well as his meeting up with Paul McCartney at a village pub in Woolton. It was to be several month later before the pair performed on the stage together. George Harrison a school mate of Paul, joined John and Paul in the Quarrymen and so began, what is arguably one of the most influential bands in the music industry for many decades. Ringo Starr joined forces with them in August 1962 and you could well say the rest is history.

    John Lennon has been portrayed as perhaps the most complex of the team, battling his demons, moving from music to art to film, pushing hard at life’s edges; always challenging and  in pursuit of that illusive something!

    That his life was colourful goes without saying as the world, at their time of fame, was still emerging from a more traditional framework. Wherever the Beatles travelled, whatever they came up with, whether it be their music, their fashion, their hair styles, their views or opinions, they were news! Big news!

    Each of the articles in this ‘magazine’, offer up a fresh  perspective of where John Lennon was on a personal basis at various stages of his musical and personal growth. His clashes with McCartney as they love/hated their way to fame, his struggle with his identity, his influence on the music industry long after the final chapter of the Beatles had been written; and closed.

    He moved on to a very different lifestyle with the woman he called the love of his life, Yoko Ono, focusing more on his art, his differing style of music, as well as setting out on yet another journey of self-discovery.

    His legacy lives on to have a significant cultural influence on today’s world of Art and Music; far more so than John Lennon would ever have believed possible when he and Paul McCartney penned that very first song ‘Love Me Do’ in 1958-59, which was finally recorded by the Beatles on 5 October 1962 and began their rise to fame, notoriety and a sound never to be recreated, all the many years on!