Here There and Everywhere - A Film made by Fans for Fans!

A Film made by Fans for Fans! Supported by The Cavern Club, The Beatles Story Museum, The Hard Days Night Hotel, The Fest For Beatles Fans, Abbey Road on the River and The British Beatles Fan Club.

Here There And Everywhere (HTAE) is an 80-minute ‘love letter’ spanning the band’s history as seen through the eyes, felt through the hearts and as told through the memories of their fans . . . from those who organise the fan festivals and tribute concerts . . . the memorabilia collectors who amaze and delight with their rare and unseen photographs and films. . . The Club runners who keep the fans together, to the authors and artists who continue to breathe fresh life into the never-ending magical mystery tour.

The film will feature never-before-seen, restored fan footage and photographs, providing a first-hand history about the opportunities created through the love of the band. Many artists and bands will pack HTAE with performances. Special licensed recordings will also be produced, featuring musicians and vocalists from around the world, creating a global Beatles  soundtrack.

Contributors to the Pledge campaign will receive a signed DVD of the movie before the launch. Those who pledge for the DVD offerings will also see their name on the film’s credits, if they pledge during the campaign. So yes, that’s right, your name will appear up in lights on the credits of this film.

As part of the ongoing production the producers will also encourage artists and animators around the world to include their Beatles-inspired interludes in the film. But perhaps most importantly, if you fans have a story to tell, then get in touch and we will look to see if we can include you and your story in the film. This is a fans film, so amidst the array of interviews and performances we want to include you! 

The film will launch at a number of iconic venues after release, with a TV network broadcast release at the conclusion of the project. The film will also be streamed on partner websites, with exclusive introduction interviews and extended excerpts at each partner site. Here There And Everywhere will also be shown at a number of film festivals, along with other staged releases,  including preview theatre and launch screenings in the UK, USA and Europe; to be confirmed. Production starts in late February/early March, 2017.

Click here to learn more.

Tom Donald explains George Martin's arrangements on BBC Newsnight

Our membership secretary has an uncanny ability to run into people with Beatle connections and stories in the most unlikely places such as train stations and piano classes.

Below is her latest find.  Tom Donald, a teacher at the London Contemporary School of Piano, has a video on YouTube in which he explains George Martin's fabulous arrangements to Evan Davis on BBC Newsnight.

Tom says

"To me George Martin was the "mastermind" behind the great success of the Beatles, and I say that with full upmost respect to the raw talent of the Fab Four. Having said that, 'raw talent' is simply not enough. Proper detailed and analytical study of music, combined with a hunger for creativity is the key ingredients for musical greatness. George had his finger on the pulse, he had the vision to look well beyond the songs that Lennon/McCartney and Harrison composed.

When the BBC asked me to talk about George Martin's contribution to the Beatles, I really felt that words could not describe to the general listening public the influence Martin had on the Beatles through his innovations as a producer. So I asked the BBC Newsnight team if they could bring a grand piano onto the set. Because they mainly 'do politics' on Newsnight, this was no easy request, but there has to be a first for everything!"

Check out this school website for free downloadable lessons

New Release today - Yellow Submarine LEGO® Set

Just what we've always wanted! Just released today, Lego has a new Beatles Yellow Submarine LEGO® set that is sure to be on every Beatle Fan's Christmas wishlist this year.

With this set you can build your very own authentic replica of the Yellow Submarine in LEGO® bricks. It is more than just the submarine. The set includes:

• 4 mini figures: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, plus a Jeremy figure.
• The Yellow Submarine features a removable top, cockpit that fits all four Beatles mini figures, four rotating periscopes, two rotating propellers and an adjustable rudder, plus a removable display stand.
• A minifigure display stand
• And special accessory elements: John's telescope, Paul's 1x2 ‘Love' tile, Ringo's round 2x2 ‘half a hole' tile, George's submarine motor and Jeremy's apple.

Lego reached out to the BBFC asking that we help spread the word and in exchange they have given us our own BBFC link to help you purchase your own set. Each sale using this dedicated link benefits the club just like our Amazon link. So have a look and if you decide to buy, please use our link to benefit the club.

Go LEGO® Shopping!

Hand painted replicas of 1960's Beatles poster by the man who did the originals

Back in August we alerted our readers to an exhibition of posters in Liverpool recreated by the man who did the originals.  During International Beatleweek we visited the exhibit and it was absolutely wonderful!

In the 1960's Tony Booth was the original artist for The Beatles and Brian Epstein where he produced hundreds of the original gig posters and signs round Liverpool during the Merseybeat era.

At the time when the gigs were over,  they would be ripped down off the walls and replaced with the next one for the next week.  No one at the time realized that they were valuable memorabilia. Only one original has miraculously survived.

Lucky for us, the artist, Tony Booth, has painstakingly recreated each and every hand painted poster all over again.  These hand painted posters are available for sale but also available are signed prints made from the hand painted versions.

At the exhibit it was fascinating wandering around and reading each poster and admiring the skill and precision of Mr. Booth's work.  We also watched a video which you can watch below.

The exhibit will end this month but the posters can still be viewed and purchased from his website. Please have a look.

Click to visit The Beatles Posters

 Below are some links to additional information:

• Press article about the exhibit  
• The official Tony Booth website
• The exhibit official flyer

Painting by the Beatles Inspires 'Art in a Corner' Charity Event

ART IN A CORNER is endorsed by Paul McCartney and supported by Ringo Starr.

Photo by Robert Whitaker, courtesy of Getty Images

ART IN A CORNER
Inspired by the only known painting ever made by The Beatles.

Tokyo, 1966: The Beatles create Images of a Woman, the only painting they ever made.

50 years later, some of the biggest names in music - including Beach Boy Brian Wilson, Elvis Costello and The Bootleg Beatles - have followed in The Beatles footsteps to create their own versions of this unique piece of music history.

Project poster by artist Paul Skellett

The project is organised in support of Children & the Arts and Youth Music, two charities working with over 100,000 children and young people each year.

Exclusive, limited edition prints and posters are available to order now via http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/artinacorner with much more to come over the coming weeks.

About the project

The paintings will be shown in a series of exhibitions across the UK - held throughout September and October, 2016 - before being sold in support of these two charities:

• http://www.childrenandarts.org.uk
• http://www.youthmusic.org.uk 

Exhibited artwork will also include archive photos of The Beatles’ 1966 tour of Japan by renowned British photographer Robert Whitaker.

About the Beatles' Painting Images of a Woman (1966)
The only known painting The Beatles ever made, Images of a Woman’ was painted on tour in Japan, in 1966. It’s amazing to think that this incredible, abstract composition was painted by the ‘Fab Four’ simply to pass the time.

The Beatles arrived in Tokyo ready to play three concerts at Budakon, Japan’s premier martial arts arena. Because of security fears for the band’s safety and protests against their intrusion into such an iconic Japanese institution, all four were kept on lockdown inside the Tokyo Hilton between shows.

To keep them entertained, manager Brian Epstein brought in a set of art supplies, laid a large paper canvas on a table and placed a lamp in the centre. He then left four of the most famous men in the world to get creative.

Participating Bands

• Boy George
• Brian Wilson and band 
• Circa Waves
• Elvis Costello
• Florence & the Machine
•  Imagine Dragons
• Jan Haworth – the co-creator of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover – and family
• Jerry Dammers - The Specials
• John Illsley - Dire Straits
• Level 42
• Marillion
• The Bootleg Beatles
• The Libertines
• The Pretty Things 
• The Right Hand Lovers  (aka Charlie Higson, Paul Whitehouse, Brian Pern (aka Simon Day) David Arnold & David Cummings. 
• The Wombats
• Wolf Alice
• Years & Years

Legendary Beatles REVOLVER Cover Beatles in a brand new 2016 version

GoodTimes - the German magazine for music from the 60s to the 80s - is celebrating 50 years of REVOLVER, with five different cover pages of the Beatles.   Learn more from the press release below.
                                              ----
"It was 50 years ago today" when Klaus Voormann designed and completed the cover of the legendary Beatles album REVOLVER. And now, the artist has re-created his famous work once again, by exclusively working for the German music magazine  GoodTimes.

In the early days of August in the year 1966, the seventh Beatles album REVOLVER was released. Musically matured, the four musicians from Liverpool proceeded to say goodbye to the more lightweight Beat music that had established their world wide reign during  the 1960s. REVOLVER (featuring songs like “Eleanor Rigby“, “Taxman“ or “Tomorrow Never Knows“ as well as “Good Day Sunshine“ or “Yellow Submarine“) was revolutionary for the band. It also pointed the way and in fact turned out to define the style of a musical direction which later came to turn into Psychedelic Rock.

Matching the detachment and multi-layered character of the music was a task achieved by Klaus Voormann, a fellow friend and companion of the band from their Hamburg days. The musician and graphic artist, who was often called „the fifth Beatle“, has become a famous part of musical history by illustrating the legendary album with a cover that happened to be just as legendary. In his innovative and revolutionary black & white collage where he mixed line drawings and cut-outs, he enhanced the main motive  - the heads of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – with highly detailed photo snippets in varied moods. Thus, Voorman revolutionized the era’s more plain and artless design of LP covers with simple photo shots of the artists, and he inititiated a truly massive innovative impulse in this artistic field.

This is how Klaus Voormann managed to capture the unconventional, complex vibe of this golden age of creativity, which also characterizes the music of this highly experimental album. The REVOLVER cover is the most significant work that he has ever created. For this, he was honoured with a Grammy award, and he inspired many colleages to dare and try new ways in cover design..

The now 78 year-old artist once again retreated to his workshop in Tutzing right by Lake Starnberg in order to newly re-design the REVOLVER cover for its golden 50-year jubilee. This is how this series of five graphic creations took shape, which will be exclusively issued on the July edition of the music magazine GoodTimes – in cover illustrations as well as posters.

"Needless to say, everyone here at the publisher’s office is proud and grateful that Klaus Voormann spontaneously took part in making this project happen", says Fabian Leibfried, the magazine‘s chief editor, who is determined to serve the music of the 1960s to the 1980s. "There will be five variations of the cover – each of the Fab Four on their own as well as all the four of them together. Respectively, the illustration on the cover matches the one on the giant poster in the centrefold of the magazine."

Starting on Friday, the 15th July 2016, the GoodTimes edition 4/2016 with the five issue variations will hit the shops. It will feature a comprehensive interview with Klaus Voormann on the history of the cover and all its consequences.

Contact:
GoodTimes – NikMa Verlag
Fabian Leibfried
Eberdinger Straße 37
71665 Vaihingen/Enz
Germany
E-Mail: goodtimes@nikma.de

Possible new Beatles release on coloured, shaped vinyl

We received an email this week telling us about this campaign to release a new Beatles  coloured, shaped vinyl single of "Cry for a Shadow" and said we would help spread the word.  Below is the message and a link to the funding campaign where you can learn more about the project led by Joe from Germany.

"For years I did a record label, putting out lots of different kinds of music. As close as I got to the Beatles in the heyday of my label many years ago were two Denny Laine solo CDs that I licensed from England for the German market, one of which featured Paul McCartney as a guest.

For the last several years, I have been winding the label activities down, but the final release on the label was supposed to be a Beatles vinyl project. Somehow though, it is just beset by bad luck, and is still not out.

"I was hoping you could announce the project on your site so that Beatles fans will know about it. I know the track is old and often released,  but to make up for that, I plan on making sure it gets put into a packaging that would make even the Beatles proud, with colored, shaped vinyl, a wonderful full color open up cover, as well as a Klaus Vormann licensed art on the inside, something that this track has not yet seen. The artwork you can also see on the site."

If this has piqued your interest, click here to go to the crowd funding campaign to learn more.

See inside Paul's studio with virtual reality

As part of the promotion of Paul's new album to be released in June, he has partnered with Jaunt Studios to create two 360 degree videos of him in his private studios.  The links below will take you to the two videos.  If you have a smart phone or tablet, you will be able to rotate the device to look up down and all around his studio at will.

Special Members only deal on this fab new book

---

Special Offer for BBFC Members only: Get the pre-sale prices below AND free UK shipping using the special BBFC members only code.  To get the code, email membership@britishbeatlesfanclub.co.uk and ask for the Norman Parkinson Book code.  If you a current member, we will respond with the code for you to use.

---

About the book:

Norman Parkinson with the Beatles features more than 500 largely unpublished photographs showing the Beatles recording their second album inside Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios, September 12th 1963 as well as images taken earlier in the day at the President Hotel in Russell Square. The photographs featured in the book have been reproduced and carefully restored from the original negatives kept safely in the Parkinson Archive. While a small selection of these images were originally published in 1964 in a magazine aimed at the American market, the vast majority of these photographs will be seen for the first time in over half a century. The images have been carefully arranged to match and identify the songs being recorded, including “I Wanna be Your Man, Little Child and Don’t Bother Me” and a narrative has been written by Mojo Magazines Pat Gilbert. As well as working on the album the band have been captured relaxing between takes.

Working with Norman that day was his son Simon, seen in the unique picture above. Simon has written the introduction to the book and will be signing every copy of the limited edition leather version. This is a part of his recollection: "Fifty years on and one’s teenage memories dim… so that night at Abbey Road, witnessing the Beatles recording with George Martin, now seems a blur, for want of a better word. My father earlier in the day had let it slip that he was ‘snapping’ the Beatles but I had no idea that I might actually be invited to the recording studio. The shock that I got from his phone call later that evening -- “You want to come and meet the Beatles?” – still reverberates. The ‘Sixties’, that is the rejuvenation (literally) of England, had started and guess who was largely responsible for this metamorphosis? Do I want to meet the Beatles? Whaaat! So up to Abbey road, into the studio and “Ullo, Simon”." 

This exquisitely produced book, printed and bound in the United Kingdom, promises to appeal to both Beatles collectors as well as Parkinson aficionados and is certain to become a genuine collectors’ keepsake.

---

Versions:
 
Norman Parkinson Deluxe Edition. Pre-Sale Price £100 (reverts to £130 after release date). £10 UK Delivery.  (See special members only offer at top of page)

288 page, 300mm square hardback book, numbered and bound with dark blue wibalin buckram. 170gsm art paper. 1000 copies worldwide.

Norman Parkinson Leather Slipcase Edition. Pre-Sale Price £250 (reverts to £275 after release date). £10 UK Delivery.  (See special members only offer at top of page)

288 page, 300mm square hardback book, numbered and bound with recycled blue leather. 170gsm art paper. Presented in a clamshell box with a limited edition Norman parkinson silver gelatin print.

Each copy is signed by Simon Parkinson who took some of the shots with his father on the day. 350 copies worldwide.

Review: Swinging 60s Shuttle Bus - Immerse yourself in rock and roll history

Rock and Roll fans pay attention: Next time you are in the London area, be sure to add an outing to Richmond to your itinerary.  Richmond and Twickenham  are well known as areas rich with Rock and Roll history that includes the Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Manfred Mann, The Who, David Bowie, The Animals, Joe Cocker, Elton John, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Genesis and many more. Even the Beatles, have some history here. However, the new Swinging Sixties Shuttle Bus makes learning and exploring this history easy, informative and most of all fun!

A group of fans representing the British Beatles Fan Club gave it a try last weekend and we were impressed. We opted for one round-trip ride on the bus that took us from the Waitrose bus stop in Richmond to Teddington and back. The original 1960’s double-decker bus is equipped with a music system playing music of the groups who got their start in the area, a fun and knowledgeable conductor (we had Paul) and a fab atmosphere.

The round trip ride takes about an hour and during the ride, the conductor with immerse you into the 60’s music scene with stories about the legendary artists who got their feet on the path to stardom from local venues. There is no better way to take it all in and learn more about the unique breeding ground that launched so many music careers.

The shuttle bus is the first creation of the Music Heritage London (MHL) which plans to expand in future with more ways to share this rich Rock and Roll heritage area with fans. To learn more about the Swinging 60’s Shuttle Bus including updated prices and schedule, visit their website and like them on Facebook. 

Paul our conductor also let us know about the Eel Pie Island Museum in town which we immediately added to our outing. Our next post will be a review of that fab museum.

‘All my loving he will give to her’

Dream came true for Beatles Story team member at Macca concert

 

A Beatles Story team member was invited on stage by the one and only Sir Paul McCartney at the Echo Arena last night and was proposed to by her new fiancé in front of thousands.

Diane McEvoy and Fabrice Gueho, who are both huge Beatles fans, were invited on stage by Paul in front of a full house towards the end of the show.

Fabrice held a sign throughout the concert saying ‘all my loving I will give to her if you let me propose on stage tonight!’ and it worked. Paul McCartney asked one of his team to bring them to the side of the stage for the encore and the next minute they were stood with him. 

Both overwhelmed whilst on stage, Fabrice giggled uncontrollably as his girlfriend Diane looked on in sheer amazement.

Once he managed to get the words out and ask for Diane’s hand in marriage, she of course said yes!

Diane McEvoy, 31, from Versailles in France, moved to Liverpool to follow her passion for The Beatles and now has her dream job at the Beatles Story. Her and fiancé, Fabrice are both huge Beatles fans.

 

On the proposal, Diane, who works on admissions at the Beatles Story, said: “I was so overwhelmed when a security guard came over and asked us to follow him to the side of the stage.  I thought I might faint and was just shaking. Myself and Fabrice had always said it would be amazing if we could do something like this and I knew about the sign of course, but we never thought it would work and I had no idea he had the beautiful ring with him.

 

“I was just so happy on both accounts, to be on stage with Paul and to be being proposed to by Fabrice was just amazing. It certainly took a while to register what was happening but I am so grateful to Paul for spotting the sign and inviting us up there. I will never forget the proposal, that’s for sure! Amazing evening and I can’t stop smiling today.”

 

Diane and Fabrice celebrated after the concert at the Cavern Club on Mathew Street.

BBFC Competition - Just 5 Days Left to Enter

It's been awhile since our last competition so when the makers of this wonderful new film featuring John Lennon's music asked if we would like to have free tickets to the film to offer as a prize, we jumped at the chance!

To make it fun, we took our inspiration from the film.  Since the film is about a letter from John Lennon to Danny Collins, we've created a fictitious letter from John that he might have written while out in Almeria Spain filming "How I Won the War" in 1966.

All you have to do, is deduce from the clues in the letter,  to whom the letter was written.  All correct entries will be put in a hat for a drawing and the lucky winner will be randomly selected on May 29th, the date the film Danny Collins is released in the UK.

The Contest Details

• The Prize: The winner will receive a film poster for Danny Collins signed by Al Pacino
• The Task: Read the letter in the image at the bottom of this post, and figure out who the letter was written to from the clues in the letter.
• Who can enter: You must be a current BBFC member with a membership number and membership dues current.
• How to enter: Send an email to website@britishbeatlesfanclub.co.uk containing:
• Your name
• Membership number
• Email address
• Mailing address (to send the prize to)
• Answer to the question "Who was John writing to in the letter?"
• Be sure to put "Danny Collins Contest" in the subject line

Competition time! - Win tickets (CORRECTION)

Notice - the film company contacted us to say they can't provide the poster as promised so the prize has been changed to two free tickets to see the film.

It's been awhile since our last competition so when the makers of this wonderful new film featuring John Lennon's music asked if we would like to have free tickets to the film to offer as a prize, we jumped at the chance!

To make it fun, we took our inspiration from the film.  Since the film is about a letter from John Lennon to Danny Collins, we've created a fictitious letter from John that he might have written while out in Almeria Spain filming "How I Won the War" in 1966.

All you have to do, is deduce from the clues in the letter,  to whom the letter was written.  All correct entries will be put in a hat for a drawing and the lucky winner will be randomly selected on May 29th, the date the film Danny Collins is released in the UK.

The Contest Details

• The Prize: The winner will receive a film poster for Danny Collins signed by Al Pacino
• The Task: Read the letter in the image at the bottom of this post, and figure out who the letter was written to from the clues in the letter.
• Who can enter: You must be a current BBFC member with a membership number and membership dues current.
• How to enter: Send an email to website@britishbeatlesfanclub.co.uk containing:
• Your name
• Membership number
• Email address
• Mailing address (to send the prize to)
• Answer to the question "Who was John writing to in the letter?"
• Be sure to put "Danny Collins Contest" in the subject line

Take a Virtual Trip Inside Abbey Road Studios with Google

Even if you have been inside Abbey Road Studios during one of their rare tour openings, you will love this interactive tour courtesy of Google.  As you tour through the various studios, you can try your hand at mixing tracks, listen to actual recordings and examine every little corner.

There is enough in here to keep you busy for days. Enjoy!

Click on the image below to launch.