tommy
And That's A Start
Posts: 14
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Post by tommy on Sept 19, 2014 16:51:35 GMT
i don't know if this is the right topic...but i have a question. I have a few biography books about the Beatles. And i wanted to know if some biography FICTIONALIZED about the fab four does exists ? Like "Blonde" on Marilyn Monroe which was like that. If you know, thanks for your answers
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 19, 2014 19:25:08 GMT
The only one that springs to mind would be "The Ruttles" TV shows
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tommy
And That's A Start
Posts: 14
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Post by tommy on Sept 20, 2014 9:38:19 GMT
yes i saw the Ruttles tv show but it was a parody. I'm searching something more serious, lol. Maybe, it doesn't exists. Thanks for reply
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Post by Mr Kite on Sept 20, 2014 10:35:05 GMT
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tommy
And That's A Start
Posts: 14
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Post by tommy on Sept 20, 2014 12:08:29 GMT
whow, thanks for this link Mr Kite ! I don't know about these books !
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Post by pothos on Sept 20, 2014 12:14:21 GMT
Wasn't there a childrens comic book in the UK in the late 1960's that features fairy tail characters that were entertained by a band called The Beakles. All had face of birds.
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Post by Amadeus on Sept 20, 2014 12:48:40 GMT
That's what makes the Beatles so sinister a band. One of them is dead but who and where do the clues lead?
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 21, 2014 16:24:11 GMT
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 22, 2014 9:53:33 GMT
I can't emphasise enough how important the "Mersey Beat" newspaper was to us back in 1960s Liverpool. To have our own weekly paper, giving all the news about forthcoming events as well as reviews of appearences was fantastic. We eagerly devoured every issue. There was a tremendous grapevine of information about the music scene; not just locally but nationally. We would hear news and gossip very quickly. For example, I remember the news of the sacking of Pete Best spreading within hours. Interest in the scene was high, and "Mersey Beat" fuelled it. Now you can read bound copies of the paper in one book. Mersey Beat: The Beginnings of The Beatles. Although rare and expensive, it is an important part of the history of that amazing scene.
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 24, 2014 18:13:06 GMT
Not a book, but for a fictional account the play John, Paul, George, Ringo and Bert is superb. I saw it twice when it was on in London; really funny [as you would expect from Willy Russell] and great story, with good music
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Post by mrmustard on Sept 24, 2014 18:31:35 GMT
Amazon failed to find a supplier for The Best of Fellas. I've ordered it direct from Spencer Leigh's website now.
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 24, 2014 18:33:23 GMT
Spencer is usually very fast and reliable. Hope you enjoy the book.
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 25, 2014 16:07:57 GMT
I was in the Discount Book Shop on St Johns Precinct today, and they had copies of "Best of Fellers" for about £3. They also had other Beatles/Merseybeat books at good prices, such as Bill Harry's book. Any Liverpool members might find a visit there useful.
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Post by mrmustard on Sept 25, 2014 20:02:28 GMT
I was in the Discount Book Shop on St Johns Precinct today, and they had copies of "Best of Fellers" for about £3. They also had other Beatles/Merseybeat books at good prices, such as Bill Harry's book. Any Liverpool members might find a visit there useful. Bloody hell! I need to cancel my order on Spencer Leigh's website and save my self 7 quid!!!
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 26, 2014 10:31:53 GMT
Many books have been written by people who were around during the birth of the Beatles. One I read fairly recently is The Rocking City: The Explosive Birth of The Beatles by Sam Leach, a local promoter. The book is full of scams and strokes SL pulled on his rivals, mainly Alan Williams, Ray McFall and Bob Wooler. He does himself no credit in this account and comes across as a nasty piece of work. He has an uncanny ability to recall every conversation verbatim. Almost everything the Beatles said to him in 1961 is remembered. However, the dialogue strikes me as unconvincing, and I suspect a big dose of hindsight. Also, he quotes slang terms which were only used decades later. For me, the best parts of the book are the accounts of a couple of nights SL organized at the Iron Door Club and the New Brighton Tower.He ran the first all-night "Rock Arond the Clock" at the Iron Door, featuring the amazing line up of the Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Remo Four, Rory Storm and the Hrricanes, Kingsize Taylor, The Big Three, Derry and the Seniors and several more. SL enumerates the Beatles' set, which kicked off with Paul ripping into "Hippy, Hippy Shake" and finishing with their blistering "Money" RSATH pulled all thye stops out with "A shot of Rhythmn and Blues", and a few more rockers, before Rory slowed with "I'll be there" before handing over to Lu Walters, the Ringo for "Boys" For the final number Rory "vaulted over both the piano and Ringo's drums, with a huge leap, landing centre stage and near frightening the girls at the front half to death. With a wild rebel yell he ripped the microphone from it's stand and belted into "Roll over Beethoven" to an incredulous roar from the cdrowd" According to SL "their rendition of "Roll over Beethoven" was possibly better than the Beatles' version" By the way, it was at this event that Cilla first took to the stage, to sing a few lines of "Fever" with the Big Three. Just as you are impressed with the detail SL throws in Gerry singing "How do you do it" a couple of years before it was even written! Stu Sutcliffe was still with the Beatles at this time, and SL remembers that he often played without his bass being plugged into the amp. When Brian Epstein entered the scene SL evidently regarded his as an enemy. Also, it was SL who prompted Brian to take an interest in the Beatles, and he claims that the story of Raymond Jones asking for "My Bonnie" at NEMS is a myth. In fact, Spencer Leigh has proved that the Ray Jones story is true. SL also gives the least convincing account of the sacking of Pete Best. After the Beatles found fame SL still dabbled in the scene, and regularly played football in a showbiz team The Merseybeat xi, with Rory Storm, Lu Walters and Lee Curtis. SL utters a statement regarding the Beatles success "As it was, I suppose the Beatles did OK without me." I think that sums up his attitude and the tone of the book
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Post by mrmustard on Sept 26, 2014 13:01:24 GMT
Funny thing the Raymond Jones story. Alastair Taylor has been interviewed many times and said he made the name up and wrote his name along with the My Bonnie request in the Nems book that they used for customers requesting records they didn't have in stock. Spencer Leigh insists Raymond Jones exists and has a recorded interview with him. In fact when this debate came up on the forum a few years ago, I emailed Spencer and he confirmed the story and allowed me to print the email he sent on this forum.
Why would Taylor lie or get this so wrong? Assuming Spencer is correct - which I believe he is.
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 26, 2014 17:27:07 GMT
I've no idea why he would lie. I believe Spencer. I don't know much about Alastair Taylor, but Sam Leach's version doesn't ring true either.
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Post by mrmustard on Sept 26, 2014 22:36:33 GMT
Got my Best Of Fellas today from Spencer Leigh's website today. Damn site better service than Amazon. And it was signed!
I am proposing a new section of the forum; The biggest Beatle free loaders. Any advances on Sam Leach?
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 27, 2014 10:22:33 GMT
Spencer covers many of these freeloaders in his article Beatle Books – Gimme Some Truth, Part 1 In it he mentions Alastair Taylor ...."Rather like Sam Leach, I feel that Alistair is justifying his place in the Beatles’ story and this is his primary motive for writing his books. The fact that he complains at the start of A Secret History about his omission from the Beatles’ Anthology emphasises this. Like Sam Leach, he claims to be the Raymond Jones who turned Brian Epstein onto the Beatles by going into NEMS in 1961 and requesting their German single with Tony Sheridan, My Bonnie. This is nonsense as I have Raymond Jones’ phone number and can call him today. I don’t deny that Alistair Taylor was around as a lot of this happened but was he so central to the story? Couldn’t anyone have been “Mr Fix-It” and his claim that he helped Paul McCartney to write Hello Goodbye is as unconvincing as Pete Shotton’s boast that he assisted with Eleanor Rigby." Another guy who promulgates myth is Joe Flannery. Besides claiming that the lads modelled their haircuts on his mother[!] he added fuel to the story that Brian Epstein helped to get "Love Me Do" into the charts by buying thousands of copies. According to Flannery: "He went and he bought 10,000 copies of "Love Me Do," and that was in his store room in Whitechapel, because I'd seen them, they were there, 10,000 copies," Mark Lewisohn demolishes that myth in his "Tune In" I'm sure all members here are sick and tired of the chancers claiming relationships with the Beatles. How many people were John Lennon's best mate? That is why Mark Lewisohn's book is so important; it tells the straight truth as far as it can ever be known.
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 28, 2014 11:25:00 GMT
Last night I saw a flyer for a "Mop Tops Tour" of Beatles sites. Only £99, but you get to meet Sam Leach, "Beatle promoter, friend and expert" This is the guy who can't even spell Mathew Street!
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