These two books have the movie “Help!” as a common denominator. If you love photographs of the Beatles from that era, you will love both of these books in my humble opinion!
FIRST EDITION Eight Arms to Hold You 50 Years of Help! and the Beatles
Publisher ACC Art Books 2017 Simon Wells, Paul Skellett
This is a superb book with so many outstanding photographs from the individuals mentioned in the eBay book description which is from a current listing on the site the last time I checked there. This publication is a boxed set and is a first-class production. If you get a chance to find one of these books, it is well worth the purchase! The quality of the photos is superb.
Here is the eBay description of this excellent book
The follow-up to the successful Hard Day’s Night, with rare unseen photos- Help! is considered the forerunner to contemporary rock musicals and pop videos, with rare and unseen photos- The film includes a host of classic tracks such as Ticket To Ride, You’re Going To Lose That Girl, and the title track, Help! Remarkable as it may seem, this is the first book on The Beatles’ film Help! and that in itself is a rare milestone in Fab Four history.
So put down your mobile phone, turn off your satellite TV and unplug the internet, and travel back 50 years to wallow in the beauty of The Beatles as never presented before. It may seem clichéd to say this, but truly, a splendid time is guaranteed for all.
Simon Wells, from the introduction.
“Eight Arms to Hold You is a unique publication. It features both rare and unseen photos and materials from the movie Help!, drawn from archives on all four corners of the planet; all of which is forensically remastered by one of the country’s best forensic art and image restorers, Paul Skellett. The book is curated by world-renowned Beatles author, Simon Wells (Beatles 365 Days and Beatles Japan ). This is one of the most meticulously researched and restored Beatles titles to date, with support from Rex Features Archive, The British Film Institute, The Pete Nash Collection, The Vincent Vigil Collection, The Mark Hayward Collection, The Cavern Club, The Beatles Story Museum, The Hard Days Night Hotel, The Beatles Fest and many other private collectors.
Richard Lester, the legendary director of Help! has also lent his assistance in releasing parts of his private collection (including the original hand-noted script) as well as being part of the book’s final approval process. The project has renowned Beatles researcher and author Simon Wells on board to curate and narrate the story, with specialist forensic art and photography restorer, Paul Skellett handling the full image remastering process.
Another excellent photo book of photos from the first color film of the Beatles. Many previously unseen photos. This makes a great companion piece to the book shown above. Like Lennon/ McCartney, the two books make a great duo!!!
THE BEATLES: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE SET OF HELP! By Emilio Lari & Alastair Gordon
HERE WAS THE EBAY BOOK DESCRIPTION WHEN PURCHASED:
Published in 2015 by Rizzoli International Publications, Incorporated
An extraordinary collection of mostly unseen photographs of the Beatles during the making of Help!. Published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the Beatles’ second motion picture, Help! , this almost entirely unpublished collection of photographs marks a pivotal turning point in the band’s history, as they evolved from much-loved musicians into the most important group of all time.
The Beatles’ first movie filmed in color, Help! is a madcap adventure featuring cinematography and film sequences widely considered to be hugely influential to the modern performance-style music videos of today. Specialist set photographer Emilio Lari was invited by director Richard Lester to shoot stills of the production at Twickenham Studios and document behind-the-scenes larking about as the band relaxed in their hotel between takes. With an introduction by Lester and intimate, never-before-seen images, The Beatles: Help! provides new and fascinating insights into the band that changed the history of music and the world.
I have both books. They are well worth the money and absolutely recommendable.