Pre-order the updated George Harrison 'I Me Mine' now from Amazon

The updated and "extended" trade edition of the George Harrison book "I Me Mine," which will be published in February, can now be pre-ordered from Amazon.com in the U.S. and Amazon.co.uk in Great Britain.

From Publisher's Weekly: 

"A 400-page memoir from the Quiet Beatle? Can it be? Well, yes and no: only about 60 pages of this earnest tome, originally published in 1980, are devoted to Harrison's recollections of life before, during and (notably) after the Beatles. His memories, which manage to feel fresh and distant at the same time, come to readers via transcripts of his conversations with Derek Taylor (1932-1997), the Beatles press officer and ghostwriter of Brian Epstein's memoir. Harrison (1943-2001) was only in his late 30s when I Me Mine came out-the Beatles had formed, changed music forever and disbanded before his 28th birthday. The rest of this volume consists of photos with whimsical captions ("the author enjoying a cheese sandwich with some friends" is assigned to a picture of Harrison with a sitar) and facsimiles of his handwritten lyrics (including a fairly different version of "Taxman"), each accompanied by a brief explanation (ideas expressed in "It's All Too Much," for example, were inspired by LSD and "confirmed in meditation"). Most of the songs were composed after Harrison's immersion in Hinduism; divorced from their melodies, lyrics espousing love, peace and harmony tend to take on a certain sameness. This volume offers much to Beatles zealots, but for the casual fan, Harrison will likely remain as admirable and as inscrutable as ever. B&w photos and illustrations throughout."

Genesis is also putting out a more expensive numbered and stamped version available through their website.

What's this? Another "Ringo Starr Greatest Hits"?

A bootleg two-disc career-spanning "Ringo Starr Greatest Hits" appeared this week on a couple of Amazon sites such as Amazon.de and Amazon in Japan.  We've confirmed this is definitely a bootleg and not official. (Amazon.com had a link until early Thursday a.m., but it's been taken down.)  

Capitol/EMI released "Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo" that included a CD/DVD version way back in 2007. Ringo has discussed releasing a new compilation, but this was not it. 

Here's the track list taken from a scan of the album. It's still on Amazon in Japan or Amazon.de in Germany if you're interested, but it's no longer on Amazon.com.

Beatles vinyl and bonus magazine in the UK

Jackie Spencer of Beatlesguides.weebly.com took this picture. No other details, it's a combination of vinyl and a magazine and they're available in the UK.

Tickets for Lennon tribute with Donovan on sale today

Tickets for this year's Theatre Within tribute concert for John Lennon headlined by Donovan go on sale at 1 p.m. ET today (Sept. 23), Theatre Within told us in an email today. The concert, the only Lennon tribute show in North America or Europe sanctioned by Yoko Ono, will be held at 8 p.m. Dec. 2 at Symphony Space in New York. Tickets can be purchased online at www.lennontribute.org or by phone at 212-864-5400. You can find more details in our story about the concert on Billboard.com. 

First details leaked for Beatles 'Eight Days a Week' DVD

Order the U.S. regular DVD version, the deluxe DVD version, the Blu-ray regular or the Blu-ray deluxe versions. These are all playable in the U.S. And check out our "That's What I Want Beatles" store on Amazon for all this and lots more. For those in the UK, those links are below. From Amazon.de (Germany), order here. From Japan (Amazon.co.jp), order here. There hasn't been an official announcement, but Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk are showing release dates of November 18 in the U.S. and  November 21 in the UK for the "Eight Days a Week" DVD, but keep in mind that the dates shown on online sites are placed there by them and not by anyone from the record company, so they are not always accurate, especially early on.  Amazon.com is listing four versions, the regular DVD version, the deluxe DVD version, the Blu-ray regular and the Blu-ray deluxe versions. Earlier today, Amazon.co.uk was showing four regular DVD and Blu-ray editions -- a regular edition with one disc, a deluxe regular edition with two discs, a Blu-ray with one disc and a Blu-ray deluxe with two discs. (Be aware that the Amazon.co.uk links for Region 2 DVDs. Those discs will not play in the U.S. unless you have a multi-region player.)

The unofficial descriptions are below. Sadly, the bonus Shea footage does not appear in the description for any edition. An official announcement will be coming very soon.

Deluxe edition description: 

"IN 1962 FOUR YOUNG MEN JOHN LENNON, PAUL McCARTNEY, GEORGE HARRISON AND RINGO STARR CAME TOGETHER TO FORM THE 20TH CENTURY MUSICAL PHENOMENON KNOWN AS, “THE BEATLES.”

The band stormed Europe in 1963, and, in 1964, they conquered America. Their groundbreaking world tours changed global youth culture forever and, arguably, invented mass entertainment as we know it today. All the while, the group were composing and recording a series of extraordinarily successful singles and albums. However the relentless pressure of such unprecedented fame, that in 1966 became uncontrollable turmoil, led to the decision to stop touring. In the ensuing years The Beatles were then free to focus on a series of albums that changed the face of recorded music. 

Master storyteller and Oscar winner, Ron Howard, explores this incredible journey in his own unique way: How did The Beatles do this? How did they cope with all the fame and pressure? How did they not only survive, but go on to revolutionise popular music? With original interviews, footage, staggering live performances, and the intimate study of character that Ron Howard is known for, he puts us right inside this extraordinary adventure, answering the question everyone always wants to know: What was it like to be there?!!

 Featuring a wealth of specially created supplementary material totaling 100 minutes of extras, the deluxe home entertainment editions contain exclusively created featurettes for fans to delve even deeper into the band’s world.  Accompanying these are stunning, fully restored full length performances of some of the band’s most iconic tracks including “Twist and Shout” and “She Loves You” recorded at the ABC Theatre, Manchester in 1963 and “Can’t Buy Me Love” at the NME Awards, 1964, in London, bringing the experience of seeing The Beatles in concert fully to life for all fans. A full breakdown is included below.

2-disc Deluxe Collector’s Edition (DVD/BD) includes:

• 1 x BD/DVD feature disc
• + 1 Bonus Disc (containing approx. 100 minutes of extras, highlighted below)
• 64 page booklet with an introduction from director Ron Howard, essay by music journalist and author
• Jon Savage and rare photos from The Beatles’ private archive
• Words & Music (24 mins): John, Paul, George & Ringo reflect on songwriting and the influence of music from their parents’ generation, Lennon/McCartney writing for other artists, The Beatles as individual musicians, and the band as innovators.  Also featuring Howard Goodall, Peter Asher, Simon Schama and Elvis Costello.  The interviews with Paul and Ringo are unseen.
• Early Clues To A New Direction (18 mins): A special feature touching on The Beatles as a collective, the importance of humour, the impact of women on their early lives and songwriting, and the band as a musical movement. Featuring John, Paul, George & Ringo, along with Paul Greengrass, Stephen Stark, Peter Asher, Malcolm Gladwell, Sigourney Weaver, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Curtis, Elvis Costello and Simon Schama.  Again the interviews with Paul and Ringo are unseen.
• Liverpool (11 mins): The early days in Liverpool of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s are brought vividly to life by those who worked closely with them at that time including fan club secretary Freda Kelly, Allan Williams an early manager, and Leslie Woodhead multi-award winning documentary film director.
• The Beatles in Concert (12 mins): Five great but rarely seen full length performances of The Beatles live in concert - Twist and Shout, She Loves You, Can’t Buy Me Love, You Can’t Do That and Help!

Additional features are:  

•  Three Beatles' Fans
• Ronnie Spector and The Beatles
• Shooting A Hard Day’s Night
• The Beatles in Australia
• Recollections of Shea Stadium
• The Beatles in Japan
• An alternative opening for the film

 and the regular edition description: 

"IN 1962 FOUR YOUNG MEN JOHN LENNON, PAUL McCARTNEY, GEORGE HARRISON AND RINGO STARR CAME TOGETHER TO FORM THE 20TH CENTURY MUSICAL PHENOMENON KNOWN AS, “THE BEATLES.”

The band stormed Europe in 1963, and, in 1964, they conquered America. Their groundbreaking world tours changed global youth culture forever and, arguably, invented mass entertainment as we know it today. All the while, the group were composing and recording a series of extraordinarily successful singles and albums. However the relentless pressure of such unprecedented fame, that in 1966 became uncontrollable turmoil, led to the decision to stop touring.

In the ensuing years The Beatles were then free to focus on a series of albums that changed the face of recorded music. Master storyteller and Oscar winner, Ron Howard, explores this incredible journey in his own unique way: How did The Beatles do this? How did they cope with all the fame and pressure? How did they not only survive, but go on to revolutionise popular music? With original interviews, footage, staggering live performances, and the intimate study of character that Ron Howard is known for, he puts us right inside this extraordinary adventure, answering the question everyone always wants to know: What was it like to be there?!!"

Everything you've ever wanted to hear by this British Invasion band

If you were a first generation Beatles fan in 1965, the Unit 4+2 and their hit song "Concrete & Clay" surely caught your attention. Now, RPM Records has released "Unit 4+2: Concrete & Clay: The Complete Recordings," a two-disc, 43-track set available from Amazon.co.uk that has everything the band released between 1964 and 1969, including their work from Decca Records, and later Fontana Records. "Concrete & Clay" peaked at #28 in 1965 on the Billboard charts. The group had one other chart hit, "You've Never Been In Love Like This Before," which hit #95 on the singles charts two months after "Concrete & Clay." (You can get both songs as digital downloads together from Amazon.com in the U.S. in one purchase at this link.)

The set, which has their 14 singles, an EP and two albums, is as musically diverse as the song "Concrete & Clay" suggests. These guys weren't a one-note group. Their music had a wide range, which you can gather just from some of the songs they covered -- "La Bamba," "500 Miles," "Butterfly" (by the Bee Gees), "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (who didn't cover or imitate Dylan?) and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." On stage, the group also performed songs by the Beach Boys, Doris Troy, the Everly Brothers and the Temptations. In their later years, they tackled psychedelic pop

The group included Russ Ballard pre-Argent. It was Ballard and another musician from whom the monicker "+2" on the group's name came from. The booklet has  new interviews, vintage pics and graphics and a detailed history. In short, "Unit 4+2: Concrete & Clay: The Complete Recordings" is a great look back at the complete legacy of a group that most Americans knew for only the one song that stuck in a lot of people's heads (it did ours) then and now.  

U.S. early risers, take note: Two Beatles, Ron Howard to do live Facebook chat Wednesday a.m.

Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr along with Ron Howard, the director of "The Beatles: Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years" that opens this week, will answer fan questions live on the band's Facebook page Wednesday. The chat will take place at 12:40 p.m. GMT, which translates to 8:40 a.m. ET and 5:40 a.m. PT.

The film, which opens in the UK and U.S. theaters later this week, will be available to U.S. subscribers of the Hulu streaming service starting Sept. 17. “Live at theHollywood Bowl,” a CD with recordings from the group's concerts there in 1964 and 1965, was released by Universal Music Group on Sept. 9. An SHM-CD version is available only in Japan.