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Category Archives: Films

Related to a film, DVD, VHS, etc.

Mar 09 2 comments
Films, VOW

Another Girl (1965 Bahamas “Help!” clip)

Help! cover art

From February 4 – February 14 (St. Valentine’s Day) ,1965, Paul McCartney went on holiday to Hammamet, Tunisia with his girlfriend Jane Asher. Inside the house on the grounds where they were staying was a lavish bathroom with perfect acoustics for songwriting. This was where Paul wrote “Another Girl”.

The Beatles convened the day after his return on February 15th to begin the sessions for the upcoming Help! album and film. Having polished off “Ticket To Ride” in the afternoon session, they used the evening session to work on “Another Girl” and George Harrison’s “I Need You”.

“Another Girl” was knocked off in one take and 10 edit pieces. The 4-track recording had bass and drums on track 1, John Lennon’s Fender and George’s Jumbo Gibson acoustic on track 2, and Paul’s lead vocal along with John and George’s backing vocals on track 3. Track 4 had a few extra vocals from Paul and John, tom-toms from Ringo Starr and George playing his Gretsch at the end. The song was finished off the following day with the recording of Paul’s lead guitar track. This was most likely combined with track 2. Get the whole story »

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Feb 17 2 comments
Films, VOW

Please Please Me – McCartney ‘US’ tour encore, 2005

US Tour

Paul McCartney threw the first Beatles #1 into the setlist for one of the encore performances recorded during his ‘US tour’ and it appears from the footage that this ‘pleased’ the audience very much. The ‘US’ tour began on September 16th, 2005 in Miami FL and finished on November 30th, 2005 in Los Angeles, CA. The tour name “US” stands for both “us” and the “U.S.”, where all the gigs were played. Put together for promotion of his latest album Chaos And Creation In The Backyard, the tour included 37 shows with a great account of it appearing on Paul’s DVD The Space Within Us. Paul’s band members on the tour were the same as they’ve been since 2002 and include Abe Laboriel Jr. (drums), Rusty Anderson (guitar), Brian Ray (guitar/bass), and Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens (keyboards).

Click the image above to play the video.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Chaos And Creation In The Backyard Paul’s original 2005 CD containing the hits “Fine Line” and “Jenny Wren”.

2) The Space Within Us – 2006 DVD disc with lots of footage from Paul McCartney’s 2005 ‘US’ Tour, including this performance of Please Please Me.

3) The Space Within US – 2008 Blu-Ray disc with lots of footage from Paul McCartney’s 2005 ‘US’ Tour, including this performance of Please Please Me.

4) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

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Feb 13 5 comments
BROW, Films

Beatles Rarity Of The Week – Take This Hammer Medley, 1969

Welcome back for another edition of The Beatles Rarity Of The Week. After the filming of their surprise concert on the roof of Apple during the cold afternoon of January 30, 1969, The Beatles thought they had enough footage for their Let It Be documentary film. Well, almost anyway. There were still a few songs not appropriate for the rooftop show that they knew should be covered in the film with finalized versions. Those three numbers were “Two Of Us”, “The Long And Winding Road” and “Let It Be”.

So on the following day, The Beatles and Billy Preston returned to the Apple basement to perform these songs for the camera until they had releasable takes. “Two Of Us” was worked on first and knocked off fairly quickly. The other two required a bit more time. The final results of these recordings are seen in the Let It Be documentary just before the rooftop show which is used to wrap up the film.

This week’s BROW comes from a warm-up rehearsal from this January 31st session, recorded just before getting serious with the initial takes of “Two Of Us” were made. Get the whole story »

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Feb 10 2 comments
Films, VOW

Real Love (Official Anthology Video Clip, 1996)

Real Love CD single

Most Beatles fans are well aware of the John Lennon demos Yoko Ono gave to Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in 1994, and the magic that was breathed into them for use on the Beatles Anthology project. Although even casual fans have seen both of the resulting video clips more than once, it has been awhile since I have seen them and thought a revisit of one of them wouldn’t be out of line.

“Real Love” began as a piano demo recorded around 1979 by John with an audio cassette recorder that he sat on top of his piano. The tape Yoko Ono gave to the surviving Beatles also included “Free As A Bird”, “Grow Old With Me” and “Now And Then”, but only “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” were used for the Anthology project.

Original Beatles producer George Martin was initially offered the opportunity to produce, but declined due to his hearing limitations and Jeff Lynne, who had worked with George Harrison and the Traveling Wilburys, was given the job to co-produce with The Beatles instead. Get the whole story »

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Oct 07 0 comments
Films, VOW

Give Me Some Truth – original clip from 1972 ‘Imagine’ film

Imagine cover art

This Sunday John Lennon would have been 71, and so I thought some of his music from ’71 would be a good thing for this week’s VOW (video of the week).

Between 1969 and 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono released fourteen films, and the last of these, Imagine, made its world premier on December 23, 1972. Its purpose was not to promote the album of the same name, as it had already been released 15 months earlier, in September 1971. However, it does include separate video spots for each of the songs on the Imagine album, as well as a couple tracks from Yoko’s Fly album, also released in September 1971 (and to think this was all well before anyone had even thought about anything called MTV).

This clip of John’s “Give Me Some Truth” is from this film and begins with a short segment of his earlier single, “Power To The People”. It includes scenes of John and Yoko in the streets leading a peace rally as well as footage from their book signing event for Yoko’s Grapefruit paperback. We also see a little bit of John at his Ascot Sound Studios (or possibly the Record Plant in New York), during the Imagine album sessions (Imagine sessions occurred in both places).

Much of the footage from this film was restored years later for use in the 1988 box office movie Imagine – John Lennon as well as the DVD released in 2000 titled Gimme Some Truth – The Making Of John Lennon’s Imagine Album. The song “Give Me Some Truth” has a great political sentiment, and no definition of its message need be stated for most people reading. It also has some sizzling guitar licks by George Harrison. Enjoy…

Click the image above to play the video.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Imagine – 2010 remastered CD of original 1971 Imagine album by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

2) Imagine – John Lennon (Deluxe Edition) – deluxe edition of Imagine – John Lennon 1988 movie (100 minutes), featuring much of the original 1972 Imagine film

3) Gimme Some Truth – The Making of John Lennon’s “Imagine” – 2000 DVD feature on the making of John Lennon’s Imagine album (around 63 minutes)

4) Fly (2cd Slim) 1997 remastered 2-CD set of Yoko Ono’s original 1971 double Apple album – with contributions from John Lennon

5) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

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Oct 05 3 comments
Extras, Films

Tonight on HBO – Martin Scorsese’s George Harrison: Living In The Material World

George Harrison: Living In The Material World

The long-awaiting documentary film on George Harrison that we’ve been hearing about for a few months is finally here! In the U.S. tonight, premiering on HBO – Part 1 of Martin Scorsese’s George Harrison: Living In The Material World. Part 2 will air tomorrow evening. (check local listings for showtimes).

Here are a few video clips to get you ready.

Comments from Director Martin Scorsese:

Additional comments from Director Martin Scorsese:

HBO Trailer

More info on home video version here.

Buy at Amazon UK or check your local retailer.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World – A new book by Olivia Harrison. Drawing on George Harrison’s personal archive of photographs, letters, diaries, and memorabilia, Olivia Harrison reveals the arc of his life, from his guitar-obsessed boyhood in Liverpool, to the astonishment of the Beatles years, to his days as an independent musician and bohemian squire. Here too is the record of Harrison’s lifelong commitment to Indian music, and his adventures as a movie producer, Traveling Wilbury, and Formula One racing fan. The book is filled with stories and reminiscences from Harrison’s friends, including Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and many, many others. Among its previously unpublished riches are photographs taken by Harrison himself beginning in the mid-1960s. It is a rich tribute to a man who died far too young, but who touched the lives of millions.

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