Beatles to release limited edition 'Yellow Submarine' picture disc single

Three views of the new "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" picture disc. (Courtesy Subafilms)

 The Beatles announced on social media May 30 they'll release a limited edition vinyl picture disc single of "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby." The mixes are taken from "1" and "1+," according to a source we asked at UMG. The release date is July 6. You can order this directly  from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.ca (Canada). Using these links helps us and we appreciate you doing so.  The movie will be back on the big screen starting in July. Tickets are now available at www.yellowsubmarine.film.

We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the classic animation film #yellowsubmarine with a brand new limited edition 7" picture disc! 

— The Beatles (@thebeatles) May 30, 2018

Free Kindle Beatles book worth at least a look

Happened to catch this book "Life on Two Legs" in the Amazon Kindle store yesterday. It's written by the founder of Trident Studios. The foreward is by Paul McCartney. The opening chapter talks about the recording of "Hey Jude." It's free, at least for now. (Prices are known to change without warning in the Kindle store, from my experience.) Worth at least checking out since it's free. 

New Cilla Black compilations feature Lennon-McCartney and Lennon remixes, album produced by George Martin

"All Mixed Up"/"Beginnings
Revisited"  (Cherry Red Records)

Cherry Red Records has announced two new 2-CD Cilla Black compilations coming on July 20 -- "Surround Yourself With Cilla"/"It Makes Me Feel Good" and "All Mixed Up"/"Beginnings Revisited."  (Order from Amazon.co.uk here.) The second, however, will be of special interest since it includes dance remixes of a Lennon-McCartney song she recorded "Step Inside Love" and  reworked versions of John Lennon's "Imagine" and Ringo's "Photograph."

The two titles each combine lineups of two previously released CDs. "All Mixed Up"/"Beginnings Revisited" were her last two CDs.  "Beginnings Revisited" featured new versions of early songs.  George Martin produced "Surround Yourself With Cilla," which featured cover versions of songs by the Bee Gees, Paul Simon and Harry Nilsson.  Each set also includes a Cilla interview.

(Order from Amazon.co.uk here.)

"Surround Yourself With Cilla"/"It
Makes Me Feel Good" (Cherry
Red Records)

+ Tracks appearing on CD for first time

Track listing for "All Mixed Up"/"Beginnings Revisited":

 Disc One: Cilla All Mixed Up:  1.Step Inside Love(Almighty Radio Edit)+ 2.Something Tells Me(Almighty Mix) 3.Anyone Who Had A Heart (Almighty Mix) 4.Baby We Can’t Go Wrong (Almighty Radio Edit)+ 5. I Don't Know How To Love Him(David Lee Marks Radio Edit)+ 6.Beautiful Goodbye (Klubkidz Extended Mix)+ 7.Faded Images (Tommy Sandhu's Ram Mix)+ 8.Kiss You All Over (Tommy Sandhu's Big Bill Mix)+ 9. A Fool Am I (Marley M Remix)+ 10. Your Song (Pookadelic Remix)+ 11.Step Inside Love (DJ Ronstar -Step In Daclub Mix)+ 12. Something Tells Me (Dan Thomas Club Mix)+ Bonus Tracks: 13.Black Paper Roses(2009 Chicken Feed Remix) 14. Imagine (Matt Pop Club Mix)

Disc Two: Beginnings: Revisited  1. Kiss You All Over (2009 Mix)+ 2. Imagine (2009 Mix)-With Cliff Richard + 3.BEAUTIFUL Goodbye(2009 Mix -Full Version)+ 4.Let There Be Love (2009 Mix)+ 5.Beginnings (2009 Mix)+ 6.This Kiss (2009 Mix -Extended Version)+ 7.My Man (YOU’VE Changed My Tune) (2009 Mix)+ 8. If You Could Read My Mind(2009 Mix)+ 9. I've Been Wrong Before (2009 Mix)+ 10. Photograph (2009 Mix)+ 11. Anyone Who Had A Heart (LATE Night Version)(2009 Remix)+ 12. Step Inside Love (All Burnt Out Remix) 13. Kiss You All Over(2009 Acoustic Mix) 14.Imagine (2009 Acoustic Mix)+ 15. Beautiful Goodbye (Klubkidz Remix -Radio Edit) 16.Imagine(2009 Orchestral Mix)+ 17. My Man (YOU’VE Changed My Tune) (2009 Alternate Mix)+ 18.Beautiful Goodbye(2009 Stripped Down Mix)

Track listing for "Surround Yourself With Cilla"/"It Makes Me Feel So Good": 

Disc One: Surround Yourself With Cilla:   1.Aquarius 2.Without Him 3.Only Forever Will Do 4.You'll Never Get To Heaven (IF You Break My Heart) 5. Forget Him 6.It'll Never Happen Again 7. Think Of Me 8. I am A Woman 9.Words 10.Red Rubber Ball 11.Liverpool Lullaby 12.Surround Yourself With Sorrow bonus Tracks 13. London Bridge 14.Your Heart Is Free (JUST Like The Wind) 15.Quando Si Spezza Un Grande Amore (Mono) 16.SURROUND Yourself With Sorrow (False Start) 17. Surround Yourself With Sorrow(Take 9 -2009 Mix –Without Fade) 18.Aquarius(Mono)+ 19.Without Him (Mono)+ 20.ONLY Forever Will Do (Mono)+ 21.YOU'LL Never Get To Heaven (IF You Break My Heart) (Mono)+ 22. FORGET Him (Mono)+ 23.THINK Of Me (Mono)+ 24.WORDS (Mono)+ 25.RED Rubber Ball (Mono)+ 26. LIVERPOOL Lullaby (Mono) 27. SURROUND Yourself With Sorrow (Mono)+

Disc Two: It Makes Me Feel Good: 1.Something About You 2.I'll Take A Tango 3.September Love Affair 4.Lay The Music Down 5.San Diego Serenade + 6.HEARTBEAT 7.RUNNING Out Of World+ 8.To Know Him Is To Love Him 9.It Makes Me Feel Good 10.Lay It All Down 11.One Step From Your Arms 12.Lovin' Land + BONUS Tracks 13.Fantasy 14.It’s Now 15.I Believe (When I Fall In Love, It Will Be Forever) 16. Easy In Your Company + 17.Little Things Mean A Lot 18.A Bad Case Of Rock 'N' Roll 19.Slow Dance+ 

Writer takes up challenge for funny song about Beatle-hating girlfriend

Ken Sharp, the author of "Starting Over: The Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy" and other books on music, also dabbles in recording. He took up a challenge from his co-producer and pal, Fernando Perdomo, who suggested he write a song about a girlfriend who disliked the Beatles. Sharp, who is a huge Beatles fan, told us, "Given that I LOVE The Beatles and they’re my favorite group I took him up on that challenge. The song is about a guy who is in a good relationship, his girlfriend treats him very well, but her dislike of the Fab Four is a major deal breaker and he has to break off the relationship. I mean, who is their right mind could hate the Beatles, right?"

The song was recorded and produced by Sharp and Perdomo and recorded at Reseda Ranch Studios in Reseda, CA.

And the lyrics are cute. Here's one verse: "She don’t know John from Paul, but baby what’s the worst of all, she thinks Wings is a TV show and Lennon is a Russian mole."

You can get the song here.

Beatles festival to feature The Fifth Estate ("Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead")

The Fifth Estate (Courtesy Liverpool Productions)

Liverpool Productions announced today that the 2018 Fab 4 Music Festival will be held on from 1 to 10 p.m. June 9 at the Toyota Oakdale Theater, 95 South Turnpike Road, Wallingford, CT 06492. The event will feature 20 groups on two stages, both indoors and outdoors.
Special guest performers will be The Fifth Estate, whose hit song "Ding, Dong, The Witch Is Dead" hit #11 on the Billboard singles charts during an 11-week run. Other live acts include The Hofners, Penny Lane, Number Nine, The Taxmen, Rotary, Take Two & Call Me In The Morning, Double The Dial, Corporation TeeShirt, Beatlehead and Pat Horgan's Thunder Road.

The Fab 4 Music Festival is presented by Live Nation is association with Liverpool Productions, which presented "NYC FAB 50: The Beatles' 50th Anniversary Celebration" in New York City, and have produced the Connecticut Beatles conventions since 1978. They also organize the annual "Magical History Tour" fan vacations to Liverpool and London. For further info, visit website www.Fab4MusicFestival.com or call (203) 795-4737.

Klaus Voormann book pre-sale has begun!

Picture copyright Klaus Voormann

Klaus Voormann has begun taking orders for his next book, "It Started in Hamburg." The exclusive edition which is signed by Voormann is now available for pre-sale in his website shop. It will be published in the second half of May.

Here are details taken from the website (and thanks to J. for the alert):

Scheduled to be available as of the second half of May 2018

Softcover/adhesive (unsewn) binding
22 cm x 26 cm
220 pages
More than 200 images (fotos, illustrations, sketches, objects)

About the book:

Musician and graphic designer Klaus Voormann’s Grammy award-winning Beatles “REVOLVER” album cover is considered a masterpiece. However, confining his achievements to the “REVOLVER” album cover wouldn’t capture the whole picture of his multifaceted artistic work.

On the occasion of his 80th birthday in 2018, the book „KLAUS VOORMANN – IT STARTED IN HAMBURG“ is dedicated to his substantial creative work, beginning in Hamburg in 1958. Looking back on a productive period of 60 years, the graphic art also refers to
the musician Voormann and the perennial influence of the world of music.
Besides well-known illustrations from the Beatles-area, almost 200 pieces of artwork will reveal the artist’s diversity, including many graphic works, sketches and productions supplemented by fotos and stories – hitherto unknown to the general public – and contributions of companions and friends.

You can see images of pages from the book on the website.

Julian Lennon sets book autograph sessions in New York and L.A.

Julian Lennon announced today he will sign copies of his new book "Heal the Earth" at 7 p.m. April 6 at Barnes & Noble Union Square, 33 East 17th Street, New York, NY 10003 and 7 p.m. April 13 at Barnes & Noble The Grove at Farmers Market, 189 The Grove Drive Suite K 30
Los Angeles, CA 90036.

Amazon purchase link for "Heal the Earth" 

Amazon purchase link for "Touch the Earth" (his previous children's book)