The blog is designed to feature both old and new Beatles-related print material including books, magazines, posters, or correspondence with people that have a Beatles connection or association. The blog will also feature books from people that have worked with the individual members of the group during their solo careers! Looking forward to seeing you here! Looking forward to your participation and feedback on the blog!
John “Buzz” Bezzini has one of the world’s largest collections of Beatles books and he will share his thoughts and opinions on some of the more rare and unusual Beatles titles.
John taught a course in 1984 called “The Beatles in Retrospect” marking the 20th anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival in America.
John also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication.
Enjoy Buzz’s Beatles Book Blog.
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Don’t forget that there are hundreds of Blog Posts here, so check them out on the Index at the bottom of the page!
The Beatles first engineer, Norman “Hurricane” Smith, who engineered their recordings up to and including Rubber Soul. Geoff Emerick was to take over the mantle from Norman. Not only was Norman an engineer, he was also a writer and performer who had a hit 45 with the single “Oh Babe, What Would You Say.” He also had a stint at producing.
The book pictured below with the signature, I purchased from Norman at the Fest For Beatles Fans in 2007. It truly was a pleasure meeting him. Norman passed away in 2008.
Norman Smith’s “Oh Babe What Would You Say”
Published specifically for the 2007 Fest for Beatles Fans Published by Opix Media London and Ireland:
John Lennon Called Normal
Norman Smith’s signature
Smith’s Autograph
Published by Lulu 2008 after Norman had passed, this is the more recent edition of Norman’s book.
Several Iveys/ Badfinger print Items that I have acquired over the years which I hope you will find interesting to peruse.
The first series of items are petty cash invoices signed by Pete Ham, Tom Evans, Joey Molland, and Mike Gibbins. One of the tragic elements of having Badfinger petty cash invoices is their tragic story of how their recording success did not translate into financial security. According to many sources, financial mismanagement by impresario, S. Polley, ultimately led to drive two members of the band to commit suicide. The drummer, Mike, is also now deceased and the only surviving member of Badfinger is Ron Griffiths, formerly of the Iveys, who was with Badfinger for only a short time, and Joey Molland, who replaced Griffiths in the band.
Pete Ham petty cash invoice:
Pete Ham Petty Cash Receipt
Tom Evans petty cash invoice:
Tom Evans Petty Cash Receipt
Mike Gibbins petty cash invoice:
Mike Gibbins Petty Cash receipt
Joey Molland petty cash invoice:
Joey Molland Petty Cash Receipt
Petty cash voucher signed by early Iveys/ Badfinger manager-Bill Collins:
Petty Cash Receipt for Bill Collins
A nice handwritten inscribed message to me from early Iveys/Badfinger member, Ron Griffiths. Ron wrote the Badfinger song “Dear Angie.”
Autograph of Ron Griffiths
For a recent cd release, Joey Molland did a fundraising event with Kickstarter whereby pledging a certain amount could secure a handwritten Badfinger song by Joey even if Joey did not write the song. I chose “Apple of My Eye” for several reasons. It was Pete Ham’s song of regret of having to leave Apple Records and it also referred directly and indirectly to the problems that artists have in dealing with record companies. This was unfortunately to get much worse for Badfinger when they moved on to their new record company. Sad to realize that the end of the both the Beatles and Badfinger were issues related to business and management. This song summarizes for me what business problems can lead to with a band.
Apple of My Eye by Pete Ham of Badfinger
If you would like to learn more about the tragic story of Badfinger, I highly recommend the following book by the late Dan Matovina which is superb. It is difficult to track down and commands high prices because of the great demand.
Without You – The Tragic Story of Badfinger
Without You – The Tragic Story of Badfinger
Buzz
Two Great Books about Badfinger at The Beatles Bookstore
Heavenly Encounters: Wish You Were Here Part 2 (Paperback)
Inspired by the group Badfinger.
Rock star Tomas Alvers finds that searching for his friend Paul isn’t as simple as he’d hoped. Still in Heaven, Tomas meets past souls from times gone by, such as Marc Bolan and Marylin Monroe. Along the way, Tomas discovers a strange and mysterious stone and stumbles upon an exact replica of a club where his Earthly band debuted.
Taupin and Lennon on stage – special thanks to David Morrell
Information about the Beatles is of course not just limited to books written solely about the Beatles.
One of the reasons it is difficult to keep up with the information onslaught in compiling a Beatles-related library is that there is a significant amount of little-known stories and information about the band and their solo careers found with friends and associates the Beatles made over the years. These individuals, who are often superstars themselves, manage to come out with stories of their own in their respective books!
A wonderful example of that is the new book by Elton John’s lyricist, Bernie Taupin with his terrific new book entitled “Scattershot.”
There is a chapter in this book that Bernie writes about his experiences with John Lennon entitled “John Lennon’s Not So Lost Weekend.” Not to detract from the other interesting parts of the book that have nothing to do with the Fab Four or John Lennon specifically, but the Lennon chapter I found to be especially riveting as Taupin deals with both Lennon’s insecurities and his own. For example, at the famous Elton Thanksgiving concert, when it was time for the encore and John’s return to the stage to play tambourine with Taupin, they literally had to encourage and push one another to return to the stage to end the show.
Both were reticent, but their mutual fright made it easier for both of them to encourage one another to make their appearance. Bernie also tells an amusing but very sad tale about Lennon and Taupin’s encounter with Beach Boy Brian Wilson at a party. Bernie also attended a Bob Marley show with John Lennon and that is detailed in the chapter about John. Needless to say, that story gives the line, “The grass is always greener,” a totally new meaning. Bernie obviously had a lot of respect for John Lennon as did Elton John.
Some say that Bernie’s lyrics to the Lennon tribute “Empty Garden” are perhaps the best lyrics attributable to any Lennon tribute song! The Lennon/ Taupin respect for one another was obviously mutual as many people do not realize that Lennon also contributed a collage he designed for the song “Bennie and the Jets” for the book.
This is the book that the collage appears in:
Bernie Taupin’s Book
Here is the book described at the beginning of this post!
Scattershot by Bernie Taupin
Published by Hachette Books-2023
I loved this book and was so happy that I purchased it!
Bernie Taupin Scattershock
This is a signed/autographed copy that was available at Premiere Collectibles.
Signed Copy of Bernie Taupin’s Book Scattershock
Here is a brief excerpt from the beginning of the Lennon chapter in the Taupin book:
THE HOLIDAYS CAME EARLY THIS YEAR THANKS TO TWO SPECIAL PEOPLE
The holidays came early to me this year as I was able to acquire two very hard to find signatures that have a connection to the Beatles story. One is the signature of Freddie Lennon, John’s dad, which I have been seeking for more than 30 years. Through the information provided to me by renowned “John Lennon expert, Chip Madinger, who was aware that I have been searching for Freddie’s signature for a very long time. Chip informed me that the signature on this page was being auctioned off at Omega auctions.
Alf Lennon Signature
The person who was selling it said that the signature was in an old autograph book which he purchased in an antiques store in Liverpool. I had photos of two other examples of Freddie’s signature for comparative authenticity purposes.
In addition the person that helped me the most in this enterprise was my excellent internet friend, Seamus Hayes, who bid on the item for me with his Omega account. Seamus and I have been helping each other out in acquiring items for our respective collections and our trust in one another is without question. When Seamus acquires an item for me, I inform him of my price range and if he is able to secure it, I then issue the compensation for his efforts. This arrangement works in reverse if Seamus, who lives in the UK needs something from the States. This shows the importance of networking when seeking out rarities across the world.
Both Chip and Seamus have been part of the sterling network helping me to expand my Beatles collection the last several years. Acquiring Freddie’s signature has now narrowed my Beatles-related autograph want list.
Still Looking!
I am still looking for the late James McCartney (Paul’s dad), Magic Alex (the so-called Beatles electronic expert), Dick Rowe (The Decca executive who turned down the Beatles), Robin and David Lennon- (John’s two half-brothers) Ingrid Pederson, (aka Victoria Lennon, John’s half-sister that Julia put up for adoption), the Maharishi, Tommy Moore (Beatles drummer), Kyoko, Yoko’s daughter, Beatrice, Paul’s daughter, Jason and Lee Starkey, two of Ringo’s children. (I have Zak’s).
Here is the Freddie Lennon signature acquired and a few photos I am probably going to frame the piece with:
The Freddie Lennon signature acquired the day after what would have been John Lennon’s 83rd birthday!
Alf “Freddie” Lennon’s Signature
This photo and the following few photos I was able to find on the internet, but there was no attribution accompanying the photos. If anyone knows who these should be attributed to, please let me know and adjustments will be properly made to the post.
A young Freddie Lennon at the center of the photo. Appears to have been taken on a boat with his fellow merchant seamen.
Alf “Freddie” Lennon (centre)
Another photo of a young Fred
Freddie Lennon
Freddie holding the 45 he made in 1965/66 to probably capitalize on his son’s fame. Freddie actually did a lip-synced TV performance of the song on Dutch TV but no video apparently survives!
Alf “Freddie” Lennon with his Record
The rare Dutch picture sleeve of Freddie’s 45. He sang this very rare version in the Dutch language and was backed by a few (to become famous) musicians on the recordings, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, who were to become part of Jimi Hendrix’s Experience!
Freddie Lennon’s Record
Freddie about to go to work:
Alf in the kitchen
Another Great Set of Autographs! – Ken Scott, Beatles Engineer
Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust with Ken Scott
Magical Mystery Autograph! Whose Is It?
Below is the signed Magical Mystery Tour LP and the description of the item. What was significant to me as a collector is even though John Van Hamersveld is well-known in the art world, very rarely do you hear about his involvement in designing the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour cover. Peter Blake is acknowledged for his ornate Sgt. Pepper cover design, but the design for the Magical Mystery Tour album has been greatly understated in my humble opinion!!! I am happy to have acquired 2 of the signatures of men that had something to do with the final product!
The following description of the item is from the Ebay
seller
The designer of the Magical Mystery Tour cover, John Van Hamersveld and an engineer on the record, Ken Scott. Scott was promoted to engineer, where his first session was with the Beatles on their song “Your Mother Should Know”. His first orchestral recording session came a few days later when he recorded the strings, brass and choir for the band’s song “I Am the Walrus”. During his time with the Beatles, Scott also worked on the songs “Lady Madonna”, “Hello, Goodbye” and “Hey Jude”, as well as The Beatles and Magical Mystery Tour albums.[4]
Among the notable songs from those albums that he worked on are “The Fool on the Hill”, “Glass Onion”, “Helter Skelter”, “Birthday”, “Back in the U.S.S.R.”, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Not Guilty”, the last of which was recorded for the White Album, but not included on it.
Van Hamersveld created over 300 album covers and the iconic poster and artwork for the ultimate surfers movie, Endless summer.
And here is the signed album cover: I have never seen a signed album cover by the album cover designer before…
John Van Hamersveld’s Autograph
I hope you enjoyed this?
Have you got any Beatles autographs? What is your most treasured piece of Beatles memorabilia? Let me know in the comments.
Due to the success of the 1st volume we decided to make a follow-up, another one is in the making and will end the trilogy.
A NEW BOOK OUT SOON! THE BEATLES IN ITALY (August 1965/July 1967) is a follow-up to the acclaimed 1st chapter of the Fab Four in Italy book, (1963/65) and scheduled for release on October 15th, 2023. A 3rd volume will cover the rest, meaning 1967/70.
Another Fab collection of artifacts from the era, a 508-page mammoth photographic book. As the previous volume, the book is authored by collectors Fulvio Fiore and Alex Franchi, and is privately pressed in a limited, hand-numbered edition. If you enjoyed the 1st edition, you’ll be thrilled by this one! The most comprehensive collection ever of articles, tour pictures, promo posters, song sheets, unseen documents and more about the Beatles in Italy through 1965/1967 years.
A splendid time is guaranteed for all! Enjoy the sample pics and PM Alex to reserve your copy, or send me an e-mail : soundlover30@hotmail.com
Hope you like this book – it is a fantastic achievement by the authors. Have you got the 1st volume?
A massive privately published photo book by noted Italian Beatles collectors Fulvio Fiore and Alex Franchi. Over 500 pages. I bought my copy today. Interested parties can contact Alex Franchi at the email provided at the bottom of the page.
Pages from the book
“I Beatles In Italia” is a 500-page mammoth photographic book on the Fab Four during the years 1963/1965 in Italy.
The book is authored by collectors Fulvio Fiore and Alex Franchi and is privately pressed in a limited, hand-numbered edition, due out September 1, 2023. They describe the book as “Surely the most comprehensive collection ever of articles, tour pictures, promo posters, songsheets, unseen documents and more about the Beatles in Italy through 1963/1965 years”.
Here are some sample pages from the book:
1963 – Please Please MeThe Beatles in Italy 1963I Beatles in Italia – 1964
Inquiries about the book should be addressed to Alex Franchi at the following email address
