#beatlebrainaics

Welcome back, friends! Let this mildly uncomfortable photo of Paul make your Monday a bit brighter!

As we get back into issue 35 of the Beatles Book, we are looking, first, at the “Letters from Beatle People” section.

Since we’re Americans, we’ve chosen a letter from our homeland from this issue:

This letter came from Audrey Larsen, who billed herself as the President of the Danbury Beatles Fan Club. (She was from Danbury, Connecticut).

She wrote a letter to the band (with a special focus on Ringo) thanking them for deciding to make a return trip to the United States. Audrey was very excited, as she’d already bought her ticket for the notorious Shea Stadium concert.

Audrey asked Ringo to please sing two or more songs during this upcoming concert. She also asked the darling drummer about the record “Woman,” which he wrote under the name Bernard Webb. Audrey complimented the song, but asked why it appeared under B. Webb in England, but A. Smith in the U.S.A.

Ringo wrote back saying he was happy to hear she got her ticket early and answered her question by saying the band’s American company usually does things differently than the British counterparts.

And it just so happens, Ringo’s lovely mug graced the centerfold in this issue!

Moving on, we’re hitting the “Behind the Spotlight” article, which is editor Johnny Dean’s writings that take a look to two years previous to the issue’s release.

So, this time around, Dean was discussing June of 1964 and what was going on for the Beatles then.

(Here we have a lovely shot of George, showing off his razor-sharp cheekbones!)

According to Dean, the fab four were excited in June 1964 as they looked forward to a big tour that would include parts of Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

The lads had just returned from holiday, with George, in particular looking tan and healthy after his time water skiing.

Upon return, the band got into the studio immediately to work out some new songs.

Dean took this time to explain that while John and Paul’s songs are all credited to Lennon-McCartney, the two came up with their own songs individually.

(The above shots show the lads during their Australian tour. They apparently did a lot of touring around in open cars while they were there.)

At this point in time, Brian Epstein was doing some work independent of the Beatles, putting on concerts with many different acts at the Prince of Wales Theatre on London’s West End.

Of course, the fab four did a performance there and it was one of the few that sold out completely!

Later on in June of 1964, the band made its first trip to Holland for performances. They had some good and bad times there.

They really enjoyed the lay out of Amsterdam, had a fun time on the canals, etc, but they had serious issues (John, in particular), with what they thought was very rough treatment of fans by the Dutch police. John was very vocal on the subject.

Sadly, poor Ringo missed out on the Dutch trip, because he was having his tonsils removed at the time. Drummer Jim Nichol stood in for Rings and reported being a bit overwhelmed by all the fans and the hype.

(This shot takes us back to the “present” in 1966, showing George, John and Paul during the recording of “Paperback Writer.”)

After their 1964 trip to Holland, the Beatles immediately got on a plane for a 16-hour trip to Hong Kong and then on to Australia. 

John brought his Aunt Mimi along for the ride, as she was keen to visit her sister in Australia.

Poor Ringo was out of the hospital 24 hours before he got on the plane. So, clearly he was a tough guy!

A little fun fact Dean mentioned was that, while they were in Amsterdam, John, Paul and George, fell in love with capes worn by local police officers. So, they bought one and took it to Hong Kong where they had expert tailors create enough for the whole band. They declared it the “new style” at once!

(Another shot from the “Paperback Writer” session. This shows a quick break for toast and jam with tea!)

The final section of the magazine was Neil Asipinall’s “Neil’s Column.”

(So, we’re officially back in 1966!)

Aspinall discussed the trials and tribulations of getting the band ready to go on tour. According to him, the lads had a much easier time of deciding what they DID NOT want to take with them, as opposed to what they did.

Some would say they hated all their old suits and needed to get new ones, then one Beatle would pipe in saying they already had too many suits and didn’t need any new ones.

According to Aspinall, their decision making around which instruments to bring was even more arduous than the wardrobe decisions!

Aspinall also told fans about the momentous first meeting between the Beatles and Bob Dylan. 

(This is a notorious meeting, as it was allegedly the first time the band smoked marijuana. Thanks for the introduction, Bob!).

Aspinall avoided any mention of drugs, but said that the meeting was quite a meeting of the minds. There was a lot of mutual respect between the Beatles and Dylan.

(The Beatles made sure to get good tickets for Dylan’s next show at the Royal Albert Hall, of course!)

Finally, Aspinall took time to congratulate roadie Mal Evans and his wife Lil on the birth of their daughter Julie.

Thanks for joining us this week! We take you out with this shot of John on the back cover of issue 35!

Issue 34 of the Beatles Book came out in May of 1966. 

The cover features a very famous photo of the band, which Alex’s mother says was one of her favorites as a young Beatles fan!

The editor’s letter from magazine editor Johnny Dean discussed what the lads were up to when we last left them.

The band was recording a new single at E.M.I.’s Number 2 studio in John’s Wood, London. This was after rumors were flying about them possibly recording their next hit somewhere in America.

Dean predicted their next single would have a different sound and instantly become the “song of summer.”

He also announced a new contest for readers to cast the leading lady (and love interest) for the next Beatles movie. There were many criteria this lady needed to possess, including: she needed to be a Beatles fan, have a good figure, be a good actress (that this was below “good figure” is...ahem...interesting), have a sense of humor, have long, straight hair, have a beautiful face, have an attractive personality, drink Coca-Cola (hello product placement?) and have a good singing voice. The winner of the contest would be announced in a later issue and win a new wrist watch!

Finally, Dean warned fans that new photos of Paul would show him with a chipped tooth from a recent accident, take a peek:

“Neil’s Column,” from road manager Neil Aspinall was next in the mag.

Neil explained that John and Paul were deep into song writing during the month of April.

He said all the Beatles were busy doing “press work” that month as well. That means doing things like posing for new pictures and doing interviews. They did interviews with reporters from all over the world, including a distinguished Brazilian journalist and a “girl reporter” (his words) from Canada.

The lads also provided some funny interview recordings for a record called “Sounds of the Stars” that was to be sent to people who signed up for a new music newspaper in May of 1966.

George has a bright and big idea!

“Beatles Talk” was up next in the issue. This time around George and Ringo had the spotlight.

They cleared up the rumors about recording in America, saying it was still something they hoped to do some day.

George was particularly keen on the idea of recording in Memphis where greats like Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding recorded.

George also discussed his newfound love for Indian music, saying he had recently bought a load of Indian albums, two sitars and a tamboura (which is a type of four string lute). George said he liked that Indian music allowed for a lot of improvisation, much like jazz. He also said that if Ravi Shankar had a London-based fan club he would sign up immediately!

Ringo didn’t add a ton of substance to the conversation, but he was, obviously adorable. He stated that he and George were only able to do the recording during their tea break (while recording their new single) and that it was time to get back to work!

Please join us next week when we take a look at the second half of issue 34! And until then, enjoy this John photo!