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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Recently purchased this cover story of the late former Wings guitarist Jimmy McCulloch on Ebay! I love finding cover stories of some of the stellar musicians who played with the solo Beatles over the years. Certainly Jimmy McCulloch was one of the best of those musicians!
Jimmy McCulloch of Wings
Jimmy played guitar on this classic recording of Thunderclap Newman as a very young man. Pete Townsend of the Who was heavily involved in the production of this great song!
That is certainly not the main part of this story…
Jimmy McCulloch Biography
I remember when the author of this wonderful book, Paul Salley, contacted me on my former Facebook page to tell me of the forthcoming publication of his Jimmy McCulloch biography. Jimmy was a very talented man who died much too young. For those who are interested in a copy of this book which also deals significantly with Jimmy’s involvement with being a prominent member of Paul McCartney’s Wings, the title is available on the Amazon link provided below.
I was fortunate that Paul informed me that he knew I liked to purchase limited and signed editions of these type of books. He created a special signed book-plate edition of the book consisting of 100 copies. He was very kind to me to allow me to purchase the last numbered copy of the signed edition. His hard work and dedication was well worth the time needed to create this wonderful book.
The book is loaded with previously unknown information and detail about a guitarist whose name can be safely coupled with the word “prodigy.”
I enjoyed this book very much and I am confident that you will as well!
Look at some of the praise offered about Jimmy on the back cover of Paul’s book. (shown below)
The book was edited by Wings fan Mark Cunningham and here is the cover:
Bought this wonderful limited edition and signed book of The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics back in 2017 from Waterstones Bookstore in the UK. Unfortunately that was also the year that graphic artist/illustrator Alan Aldridge passed away.
Alan not only had a unique artistic vision as it applied to the Beatles. His illustrations of Beatles songs sparked many spirited conversations concerning his interpretations of the songs. Aldridge also had a very distinctive signature when he signed his books as you will see below. He had an association with John Lennon, giving John a print of his illustrated lyric of John’s song “Dr. Robert”, and also designing a John Lennon ‘Superman’ book cover!
The signed edition portrayed below was limited to 1,500 copies!
The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics
The back cover of the book
The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics
The signature page
Signed Page
A note from Alan:
John Lennon as Superman
Aldridge also did a reprinted cover image for one of John Lennon’s books. He portrayed Lennon as Superman, but was forced to change the ‘S’ to avoid copyright problems. I believe Alan also took the photo of the front cover of the book.
The Penguin John Lennon
Volumes 1 and 2 of Aldridge’s successful hardcovers from 1969 and 1971. Published by Delacorte
Volumes One and Two of The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics
Another distinctive example of Aldridge’s unique signature:
Do you have these books? What do you think of his illustrations? Has he captured the lyrics? Let me know in the comments.
This post deals with 2 titles that extensively cover the importance of one of the most talked about concert performances in the history of popular culture: The Beatles At Shea Stadium. These are the two books in my collection that I continually turn to answering any questions that I may have concerning that historical event. There is also a little bit of non-Beatles nostalgia included in this post which I hope you will enjoy!!!
Top of the Mountain: The Beatles at Shea Stadium 1965 Hardcover – August 1, 2022
by Laurie Jacobson (Author) Rowman & Littlefield Publishers/Backbeat
Laurie Jacobson has written numerous fascinating and interesting popular-culture based titles over the years and this is one of my favorites.
She cites many fascinating anecdotes about the following well-known individuals who were present at this historic concert like the young Caryn Johnson (Whoopi Goldberg), Mary Louise Streep (Meryl Streep), and Steven Lento (Steven Van Zandt); future Beatle wives Linda Eastman and Barbara Bach; stars like Bobby Vinton and Ed Sullivan; and Beatles contemporaries such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Felix Cavaliere and The Rascals, Marvin Gaye, and more. Collectively they paint a picture which makes you feel that you are right there with them! An astonishing book which underscores the importance that this one concert had to the evolution of popular music concerts that were to follow!
Here is a podcast interview with Laurie about her book with host Brad Page on the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast:
And a little bit of extra nostalgia is provided for your enjoyment though not associated with the Beatles. Laurie has the distinct privilege and honor to have been able to chronicle the birth and growth of the importance of TV in American culture in many excellent books. In that vein, this is a photograph signed by Jon Provost playing Timmy Martin in the old Lassie series. The connection with Laurie’s book that is shown above is that Jon Provost years later became Laurie Jacobson’s husband. The photograph is also signed by June Lockhart who played Timmy’s mother, Ruth Martin in the series. She was also to star in several hit TV shows including “Lost in Space.” She made numerous film appearances in Hollywood including “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Her father, Gene Lockhart, was an Academy Award Nominee and appeared in many excellent films.
A little bit of nostalgia to jar your memories – thanks to Laurie and Jon!!!
A few of Laurie Jacobson’s other popular culture book titles:
Hollywood Haunted — Authors’ Cut Top of the Mountain: The Beatles at Shea Stadium 1965 TV Dinners Dishing Hollywood Timmy’s in the Well Hollywood Heartbreak
We now return to the subject of the Beatles at Shea!!!
To get the complete picture of the Shea Stadium event you can not go wrong by acquiring both Laurie’s book and the book below by Dave Schwensen.
The Beatles At Shea Stadium: The Story Behind Their Greatest Concert (Paperback) – November 28, 2013
by Dave Schwensen (Author) Publisher- North Shore Publishing
The details provided in this excellent book will astonish you. Dave is highly regarded as one of the leading authorities concerning the Shea Stadium concert and after reading this book, you will find it difficult to disagree with that assessment.
A wonderful Beatles podcast featuring the author of this excellent Beatles book- Dave Schwensen. You will enjoy this program very much featuring the extraordinary hosts: Allan Kozinn, Ken Michaels, Al Sussman and Steve Marinucci!
Dave has also written another Beatles-related title and here are a few of the book details. Dave is one of the fortunate people who can say that they actually saw the Beatles perform live:
The Beatles In Cleveland: Memories, Facts & Photos About The Notorious 1964 & 1966 Concerts Paperback – April 1, 2007
by Dave Schwensen(Author) Publisher North Shore Publishing
Front Cover of the Book:
The Beatles in Cleveland
Back Cover:
The Beatles in Cleveland
You can not go wrong by adding any of these Beatles titles to your book collections. The titles can be found at the expected sources, Amazon and Ebay, as well as the book search services such as Abe Books. Happy hunting!!!
The concept of the PLASTIC ONO BAND fit in well with Yoko’s concept of conceptual art. The medium is flexible and so the band should also be flexible in both it’s membership and format. Technically anyone that participates is a member of the band. Towards the end of the Beatles, you get the distinct impression that several of the Beatles were looking to play with other musicians, to expand the horizons, so to speak.
However the pressure of the “expected” commercial success of the Beatles could inhibit that type of choice for the band. John suggests in the “Get Back” by Peter Jackson movie that they incorporate Billy Preston permanently into the band as the group seemed to come to life with his contributions and presence. Paul offhandedly scoffs at that notion suggesting they have trouble enough with satisfying the needs of 4 members never mind expanding the group adding the odds of even more disagreements among a larger membership.
A Thought to Ponder on the Plastic Ono Band:
Band decisions that are made are often trade-offs. To get something desired, decisions made about band direction often can mean giving up something else. The concept of having a band that consistently has the same members offers the elements of predictability of knowing where a song is going to go because of one’s familiarity with the other musicians in the group as a result. It could also offer having a tighter band musically because of that familiarity.
Conversely, a possible negative perception is boredom through that predictability and not being exposed to the talents, suggestions, and contributions of other great musicians. Witness the life that Billy Preston’s keyboard playing interjected into the performance of “Get Back.” Another factor is group dynamics as the Plastic Ono Band concept means that if you are comfortable with the members, you could possibly ask them to return for future recording sessions. If you had problems with one of the members, you would not ask them to return. That flexibility could be construed as both a positive or a negative depending on the people involved and their respective communication skills and talent levels.
Bad Chemistry or Rejected Proposal?
Band chemistry has a lot to do with whether a fixed-format band is preferred to a more flexible set-up. If you have numerous songwriters in a group, tensions could abound as the individual members could see their contributions as being subordinated depending on the group’s individual personalities. An interesting question to ponder would be is if the suggestion proposed by John at the Sept 1969 meeting of John George and Paul had been accepted would that have restored their dynamic or simply have bought some time for an inevitable split.
Here is another question to consider. If the Beatles had agreed to do occasional Beatle albums and solo albums, would they have saved their best material for the “Beatles” albums or would their egos have prompted them to save the best material for their own solo projects to “make a statement” to the others and the public at large?
For me as fan, it was always an interesting exercise to see what musicians John and Yoko were using for their projects. However I must admit, certain musicians because of their talents with their instruments were preferred over others. It was a fun exercise seeing the eventual lineups on the individual recordings.
The front cover of my copy of the July 5, 1969 issue of NME which featured John’s design of Yoko’s concept of flexibility in the perception of the make-up of their conceptual band. The flexible plastic containers with the tape machine, microphones and a phone directory indicated that virtually anyone could be a member of the band.
The Plastic Ono Band Newspaper Advert
You Are the Plastic Ono Band
The back cover of the Plastic Ono Band NME issue is presented below the “Rock Peace” mentions below. When John and Yoko formed their Plastic Ono Band, Billy Preston performed in the band not only on the Plastic Ono Band LP but he also played in the Christmas Lyceum Ballroom benefit show back in 1969. It is also rumored that it was at a jam session that Billy Preston played on during the recording of George’s “All Things Must Pass” album that John may have suggested to George that the jam session that was conducted that he heard should be released as a Plastic Ono Band recording called “Rock Peace.”
There is no formal substantiation for this story at this point but it is true that a song called “Rock Peace” had been considered or at least talked about. Tony Bramwell had even written a news report about the song in an August 1969 issue of the famous Beatles Monthly magazine which I have included below. Bramwell described the song as a long and heavy instrumental.
Here is a picture I took from my copy of the August 1969 issue of the Beatles Monthly news column where Bramwell mentions the Rock Peace track.
Plastic Ono Single
Here is an interesting bit of speculation about the Rock Peace track from the excellent Steve Hoffman Music Forum:
Interview with Lennon expert, Chip Madinger, where he discusses the unreleased Plastic Ono Band Song called Rock Peace and other fascinating subjects. “Things We Said Today” is one of the most informative and interesting podcasts on the net.
The answer to the ROCK PEACE mystery will be forthcoming in a book by Lennon scholar, CHIP MADINGER! YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS THAT BOOK!!! The previously unknown Lennon information that Chip Madinger is able to dig up is simply profound!!!
The back cover of my copy of the Plastic Ono Band NME issue featuring a Billy Preston Apple recording promotional ad.
Billy Preston
Are you the Plastic Ono Band? What did you think of the concept?
Want the latest think piece canvassing The Beatles’ World, without having to invest a ton of your time? Check out the new “Tell Me Why” podcast with host Jude Southerland Kessler, author of The John Lennon Series of narrative biographies. Kessler interviews Beatles personalities, authors, artists, influencers, playwrights, filmmakers, historians – interesting Beatles people – in a succinct 20-minute format.
The Tell Me Why Podcast
Described as a “short, sharp podcast for busy Beatles people ‘in-the-know’…or busy Beatles people who want to be ‘in-the-know,’” “Tell Me Why” offers the latest perspectives and happenings without monopolizing too much of your time. Come together with Jude and her fab guests right here, bi-monthly, on The Beatles Bookstore.
The first four shows feature May Pang, Ruth and Angie McCartney, Terry Crain, and the great Ivor Davis! 😍
Here are the links for the first FOUR incredible shows:
BRITTON DRUMMEDON ONE HANDCLAPPING AND MANY MORE – WHETHER OR NOT HE IS LISTED AS “GEOFF” OR “JEFF”
FORMER MEMBER OF:
CHAMPION, EAST OF EDEN, THE KEYS, MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND, ROUGH DIAMOND, WINGS AND THE SPITFIRES
I love the task of learning as much as I can about the musicians that members of the Beatles chose to work with over the years and the various contributions they made to the songs that reverberate around in our minds. Though Geoff Britton was only with Wings for a very short time, always enjoyed the work that I was aware that he had played on. As well as his drumming skills, he was quite the martial arts expert as well! In keeping with what I said above about learning more about the recordings that the musicians that played with the ex-Beatles over the years, I was fortunate to pick up a rare 45 by the former Wings drummer Geoff Britton. Here is a rare demo of Geoff Britton’s, listed here as Jeff Britton which I recently acquired on Discogs.
Released on Decca in 1976. Special thanks to Dan Ealey for confirming that Geoff and Jeff were indeed the same person before I made my purchase! It is also great to see Geoff getting a writing credit on both of these numbers…
Dan Ealey was so kind in arranging for Geoff Britton to sign a drumhead I had purchased from Dan. Geoff wrote some of Paul’s lyrics from Junior’s Farm about “You Should Have Seen Me With the Poker Man” on the drumhead.
Dan Ealey was the guy who gave a Rickenbacker guitar to Paul McCartney when Wings were in Nashville.
Geoff Britton’s Signed drumskin for John
When Wings returned to the UK, they recorded the One Hand Clapping soundtrack which Geoff Britton drummed on and the set was officially released in 2024. There is a special vinyl release as well as a 2 cd set. They are available on the official McCartney website and such vendors as Amazon. It is wonderful to see a man who was only with Wings for a short time having his work preserved and displayed for posterity!
One Hand Clapping with Wings
An excellent interview on YouTube of Geoff Britton talking about “One Hand Clapping” and his time with Wings!
Would love to hear your feedback of the 2 Jeff/ Geoff Britton and the Spitfires songs on the instrumentals presented above from the 1970’s on YouTube. Links are at the top of this post! I happen to like them very much!
