Some notes from the Beatles 'LOVE' 10th anniversary

Some thoughts after the Beatles “LOVE” 10^th anniversary in Las Vegas we attended:

• On Thursday, the day of the show, The Beatles Shop at the Mirage started selling a LOVE 10^th anniversary program in addition to the original one. There are some pictures on this page. There are pages in the new program devoted to the Beatles family with quotes from Paul, Olivia, Yoko and Ringo, plus pictures of the new show. You can see a few pictures here. For those not coming to Vegas, they do mail order, though there's no online link to the store. Their phone number is (702) 792-7729. The bundle price for both programs is $65. (Yes, you read that right.) As I recall, they were selling them separately, though the bundle pack comes in a slipcover. 

• The Beatles Shop is a great place to visit, but be prepared to bring money. There are a lot of tempting things, and if you look hard enough, there are markdowns. We found a LOVE iPOD case for $20.
• People started lining up for the red carpet event on Thursday in early afternoon. The red carpet arrivals started about 10 minutes late. We were down at the end of the red carpet, so everyone walked by us at the very end. Paul and Nancy were the last to walk by us. They stopped once in the center to pose, didn't say anything, then moved on. Strangely enough, with Paul and Ringo in the house, life went on and gambling never stopped.
• The "LOVE" show, which is a stickler for starting on time (and not letting people in who are late until a break in the show) started about 10 minutes late for this. The celebs were pretty much in their seats when the public came in. We could see Yoko and Sean from our seats, but there were others who could see Paul and Nancy clearly. The brief statements after the show were touching and really made the show. They should add something like that after the show as a permanent ending.
• "LOVE” has temporarily taken over the Beatles' official website, which is showing clips of the show first thing when you go to the site and has a lot of information regarding the 10^th anniversary.

Behind the scenes of the Beatles' "LOVE"

Apple Corps Ltd. 

The Beatles and the Cirque du Soleil have been posting videos on YouTube to celebrate the "LOVE" show's 10th anniversary. "Evolution of Sound" and "Evolution of Props" were posted July 12, and all have been uploaded this month. 

More pictures of Paul McCartney in Cincinnati, part 1

Here are more pictures taken by Olivia Anne Morris Fuchs from Paul McCartney's show in Cincinnati on July 10. Read our story here. Look for more in another post.

The complete John and Yoko performance on "The Jerry Lewis Telethon"

Photo courtesy Lennon Archive. 

John and Yoko's full performance has not been seen, to our knowledge, since the original event. Well, here it is. (Thanks to J.B.)

Roag Best to open museum with his collection of Beatles rarities in Liverpool

We spent some time on the phone Tuesday with Roag Best, who told us about his upcoming plans to open a multi-story Beatles attraction called "The Magical History Museum" in Liverpool. "We bought a four-story building on Mathew Street between the Cavern Club and the Hard Day's Night Hotel," he said. The building faces the Cavern Club "so our position I think is pretty wonderful."

The ground floor will have a bar-restaurant called "Sgt. Pepper's" and will be the first part of the building to open, which will happen on July 28. The museum will open later, he said. 

The building will have displays of Beatles history going up through 1970 with memorabilia he inherited from his mother, Mona Best ("who was a hoarder") and from his father, Neil Aspinall (whose link to the Beatles should be known to anyone reading this) and stuff he has collected himself over a 30-year span. (Pete is not involved.)

"I only go after rare items," he said. Among ,the things he owns is the 1962 color silent film footage of the Beatles playing at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, believed to be the earliest known color footage of the group. You can see a short version of it on this page, but Roag said there is more that has never been made public. "I think the maximum we've put out is about 15 or 16 seconds, and it runs to just over a minute. It was a valentine's dance, but not on Valentine's Day. They were playing on a different night."

 He said the gentleman who sold Roag the film wasn't there to film the Beatles, but for a family event. After learning of the film, Roag said it took him 18 months to track him down and finally he worked out a deal.

The last time we saw Roag was when the Pete Best Band toured the U.S. A great show that was. 

Finder of possibly the earliest picture of Paul McCartney comments

The Liverpool Echo ran a story today with a photo that could be the earliest picture of Paul McCartney. We have some exclusive comments here from Peter Hodgson, who discovered it going through the Echo archives and is also quoted in the story. The photo is below.  

On the one above, Hodgson said, "Just a normal photo of children having fun on a beach. Oglet Shore Speke circa 1947. Well, a normal photo until you take a closer look. Paul facing the camera, Mike looking out to the Merse (Mersey)."  

This is blown up from the one above. "Paul and Mike always wore braced up shorts when they were little boys. There are many photos proving this. See the girl standing with them wearing white dress, white ribbons in her hair?"

"White dress, white ribboned hair. Paul in his braced up shorts," Peter Hodgson says. "The photo of Paul sitting down with the girl is what convinced me as the girl also had white dress and white ribboned hair. As soon as I'd seen her on the beach with them, I immediately remembered a photo of her with Paul, in Paul's backyard in Speke. "

McCartney's brother Mike weighed in today to the Echo and said he's not positive, but he says there's a chance the top photo could be he and Paul. “I couldn’t say it is definitely us, but it might well be! I’d say there is a 50/50 chance it’s us. We did wear shorts like that with the braces on. Our hair did look like that. And the height difference between the two boys looks right as our kid is 18 months older than me," he told the Echo.

He also said the girl resembles one that used to live next door to them on Western Avenue. "She was more our kid’s age, and she did look like the girl standing next to the boy in the photo who could be Paul. It’s a fascinating story!"

Hodgson adds, "Pure luck that I examined the photo. I only examined the photo as it stated it was taken on Oglet Shore in Speke as I knew that the McCartneys used to play there. I wouldn't have bothered otherwise."

If you know who the girl is or have any other clues, leave a comment here.

George Harrison "I Me Mine" book gets expanded edition

Photos -- Genesis Publications

Genesis Publications announced today an expanded version of "I Me Mine," the book that Harrison first released by Genesis in 1980, then later published in a mass market edition by Simon & Schuster in 1981, and reissued by Chronicle Books in 2007. Genesis says the new version contains 53 rare photos, with several unearthed for this new edition, and contributions from Olivia Harrison and Derek Taylor. It will be issued in a limited edition of 1,000 numbered and stamped copies. The book has been expanded to 632 pages and 59 more songs have been added for a total of 141 songs.

Part 1 is the story of George Harrison's life and music through his own words, and those of his friend Derek Taylor. Part 2 has his song lyrics. A new cover has been designed by Sheperd Fairey. 

More details and purchase information is on the Genesis website. Genesis says it will also be released as a trade version this fall.