Beatles Roundup II: Releases from the latter half of 2023

By Gillian G. Gaar

It’s been a big year for Beatles fans, with the release of the “Now and Then” single and the updated versions of the 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 compilations (and you’ll find the full story of those releases in the Winter 2023 issue of Goldmine). But there’s also been the usual flurry of Beatles-related releases as well, and you can read about all of them right here:

Shifting his focus from LPs to EPs has worked out nicely for Ringo Starr — and his fans, who can now enjoy a steady stream of releases from him throughout the year. His latest is the EP Rewind Forward and he’s brought along plenty of his friends to lend a hand. Such as Paul McCartney, who wrote “Feeling the Sunlight” (while also providing backing vocals and playing a variety of instruments on the track), a song that’s a perfect fit for the typically optimistic Starr. “Shadows on the Wall” is a moody midtempo rocker; “Miss Jean” is edgy pop that would be great to see performed live. And on the title track (co-written by Starr and his engineer Bruce Sugar) Starr turns philosophical, reminding you “That love and peace and kindness can change your world,” a great sentiment for this time of year. Other names you might recognize: Toto/All Starr Band member Steve Lukather, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), and longtime sparring partner Joe Walsh. You can order the EP on CD, cassette, or 10” vinyl from Starr’s website.

Nearly 50 years after its originally proposed publishing date, Living The Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans (Dey St.) has finally appeared. The longtime Beatles road manager was working on his memoir, based on his own diaries, when he was killed in an altercation with police in Los Angeles on January 5, 1976. Eventually the Evans family opened their archives to acclaimed Beatles author Kenneth Womack, who’s crafted an unexpectedly sad story about his subject. The overworked and underpaid Evans devoted his life to The Beatles, making it clear to his family they would always come second (his love letters to his long-suffering wife ring hollow when placed alongside stories of his constant philandering). The man who yearned to be centerstage was instead perennially always on the sidelines and ended up a lost soul; as his father puts it, “Malcolm was all right till he met those four lads.” A sobering account of the darker side of the entertainment industry. Womack is also working on an illustrated book that will feature Evan’s extensive collection of memorabilia. And Goldmine interviewed Womack about his book in the Winter 2023 print issue, here.

If you didn’t buy McCartney’s The Lyrics on its release in 2021 due to its price, you’re in luck. The original edition featured two hardback volumes packaged in a slipcase, with a list price of around $70. But it’s now been republished in a single paperback edition (from Liveright Publishing) at a more affordable price, and with a bonus; seven additional lyrics that weren’t in the original edition. It’s the next best thing to an autobiography, as Sir Paul shares the stories behind his Beatles and solo songs, in a book that’s also illustrated with many rare photos. In other words: it’s essential. And in a related McCartney note, McCartney III has just been reissued in three different colored vinyl editions.

On December 8, 1980, journalist Laurie Kaye was thrilled to be a part of the RKO Radio team doing an exclusive interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono at their home office at the Dakota apartments in New York City. The interview is the focal point of her new book, Confessions of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Name-Dropper: My Life Leading Up to John Lennon’s Last Interview (Fayetteville Mafia Press), and there’s a lot more to her story than just this historic interview. Over the course of her career Kaye crossed paths with more than a few famous names, including McCartney and George Harrison, and it’s interesting to read their interviews from the years before they lapsed into giving well-rehearsed answers. A magical mystery tour through the music scenes of the 1960s and ’70s.

In the run up to the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ arrival in America, Bruce Spizer’s The Beatles: Please Please Me To With Beatles (498 Productions) is the book you’ll want to have on hand. It’s a meticulous account of how the group first conquered the British Isles, then set their sights on the states. As usual in Spizer’s album series of books, the story is told from the U.K., U.S. and Canadian perspectives, with forays into world and cultural events of the period, and fan recollections (so many of the latter that they’ve moved online; add your own here). Plus detailed info on recording sessions from the 1962 Decca audition to the “I Want to Hold Your Hand” single. And lavishly illustrated to boot.

It’s just one of a number of new books chronicling The Beatles’ breakthrough in the U.S. Debbie Gendler’s I Saw Them Standing There: Adventures of an Original Fan During Beatlemania and Beyond (Backbeat Books) is a terrific insider’s look at those heady early days. After acquiring a copy of the Please Please Me album in April 1963, Gendler became an early US Beatles supporter, which led to her being in the audience for their first Ed Sullivan appearance, then working with the fan club, and eventually meeting the group members themselves (becoming especially close with McCartney’s brother Mike). She had Beatle-related adventures post-split as well; you’ll never watch I Wanna Hold Your Hand again without thinking of the memorabilia she loaned to the filmmakers being ruined during the shoot. An excellent memoir about a lifelong love affair that any Beatles fan can relate to.

Bob Kealing’s Good Day Sunshine State: How the Beatles Rocked Florida (University Press of Florida) is a well-researched book detailing every move the Beatles made in Florida in 1964. The first trip was the most momentous, with their arrival in Miami coming in the wake of their first Ed Sullivan appearance in NYC. Kealing reveals all kinds of inside information, such as the fact that the group failed to settle their hotel bill until they were threatened with a lawsuit. There are also plenty of first-hand accounts from folks who interacted with the group both on this visit, and their later Jacksonville concert, held in the wake of a hurricane.

To reference Mr. Spizer again, his books in his Beatles album series always have a chapter devoted to the music scene of that particular era. Gene Popa’s British Invasion ’64 (BearManor Media) is like one of those chapters expanded to book length. That momentous year saw the release of a lot of great records, and not just by The Beatles and other British Invasion acts, but also by what Popa’s calls “The American Response,” which included such acts as The Supremes, Lesley Gore, and Sam Cooke; and you’re reminded that adult oriented performers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, and Louis Armstrong were also chart contenders during the year as well. Not to mention that this year also laid the musical groundwork for even more exciting musical developments during rock’s arguably most exciting decade. A well-rounded overview of, as the book’s subtitle puts it, “The Year That Changed Rock ‘n’ Roll Forever.”

We Can Work It Out: Covers of the Beatles 1962-1966 (Strawberry Records) is a different kind of tribute album, looking at recordings of Beatles songs released while the group was still together. Some are well known, such as Kenny Lynch’s version of “Misery,” not only the first Lennon/McCartney cover, but also released before The Beatles’ own version came out. But there’s also plenty of intriguing finds, like future producer Glyn Johns’ take on “I’ll Follow The Sun,” Liza Minnelli’s version of “For No One” from 1968, and “Things We Said Today” by the mysterious Strawberry Fair (unknown singer, unknown band). There’s a number of foreign language versions, too, like Dick Rivers’ French version of “Love Me Do” (“Je Suis Fou”).

When you think of where Beatles sites to visit might be, cities like Liverpool and London would likely be the first that come to mind. But that’s just the starting point for Jack Marriott in Beatles Blackouts: Trips Around the World in Search of Beatles Monuments (Microcosm Publishing). It’s an entertaining story of one man’s mission to track down tributes to the Fab Four that can be found in the most unlikely of places; the Beatles statue in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the Lennon Wall in Prague, the Beatles museum in Buenos Aires, the Beatles tribute band in Beijing. He also meets numerous folks along the way who spin some very tall tales, making this an especially amusing travel memoir.

Having previously written Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation and bios of Lennon and McCartney, Philip Norman’s George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle (Scribner) proves to be one trawl too many through familiar territory. For one thing, he doesn’t bother updating info we now know to be incorrect (e.g., the Beatles June 1962 session with George Martin wasn’t an “audition”), and there’s far too much foreshadowing of events to come, which keeps the story from unfolding on its own. There are also numerous errors throughout (despite what he claims, both “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something” do appear on the original edition of the 1967-1970 album). In short, not as much of a fresh perspective as we got in Norman’s Beatles and Lennon books.

Harrison’s son Dhani has had an eclectic musical career, as member of the bands thenewno2 and Fistful of Mercy, and as a solo artist. And you can hear that eclecticism on his latest solo album, Innerstanding (H.O.T. Records/BMG), of which he says, “Here we are in a new world and here is the new album that has come forth from it.” It’s a collection of diverse sounds, by turns ambient (the gentle lull through most of “La Sirena”), then edgy and fractured (“Dangerous Lies”). Graham Coxon from Blur guests on a number of tracks, with Liela Moss (The Duke Spirit) and Mereki) making appearances as well. It’s out now digitally, with a two-LP set on yellow vinyl coming in February.

As per its subtitle, Lesley-Ann Jones’ Fly Away Paul: The Extraordinary Story of How Paul McCartney Survived the Beatles, Found His Wings and Became a Solo Superstar (Coronet) focuses on McCartney’s 1970s years. Jones, who also worked as a U.K. journalist, has a breezy, gossipy style, which makes this a light and easy read. She does delve into some areas overlooked by other books (such as a chapter on McCartney’s Scottish home), while the most interesting passages are those that deal with her own interactions with the couple (she was going to co-write Linda McCartney’s autobio until husband Paul pulled the plug). Her experience as a working journo also gives the book a greater feel for the atmosphere of the times. But she’s wrong about Wings’ “Live and Let Die” being the best Bond theme; that would be “Goldfinger”!

Just about every aspect of the group’s story has been written about somewhere. But Deidre Kelly has found a new angle in Fashioning The Beatles: The Looks That Shook the World (Southerland House). The group’s sartorial appeal has been mentioned in other books of course, with most emphasis on the Mop Top era of suits and the Beatle haircut, and the striking Sgt. Pepper costumes. But here you get the entire story of changing Beatle fashions, from the leather gear of the group’s Hamburg days to the “rustic” look of “proletarian blue jeans” at the end of the 1960s. As with their music, The Beatles put their own spin on fashion, and ended up creating something quite distinctive, and Kelly carefully details it all.

And last but not least...

Goldmine’s Winter 2023 magazine (above) presents The Beatles cover feature on the release of the single “Now and Then,” and the reissues of the 1962-1966 (“The Red Album”) and 1967-1970 (“The Blue Album”) compilations. Interviews with Giles Martin and Beatles author Kenneth Womack, and others. Find out more about the issue here.

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