Saturday, July 17, 2010

“Book Review: Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments from Stage to Studio by Andy Babiuk” plus 2

“Book Review: Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments from Stage to Studio by Andy Babiuk” plus 2

Book Review: Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments from Stage to Studio by Andy Babiuk

Posted: 16 Jul 2010 09:32 PM PDT

At first blush, Andy Babiuk's exhaustively researched Beatles Gear might seem like a book with somewhat limited appeal, even to the most diehard Beatles fan.

While it is true that in many respects, this detailed study of the musical instruments used by history's most celebrated rock group is geared most towards tech-heads — there is also a lot to like here for those of us who may not know the difference between a Rickenbacker and a Les Paul.

For starters, if you love the Beatles at all (and who doesn't?) the pictures in this book will quite simply take your breath away. Beatles Gear is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of beautiful photographs of the Beatles' musical tools of the trade. In addition to what fans would expect — such as McCartney's violin-shaped Hofner bass, Lennon's trademark Rickenbacker, George's Gretsch hollow-body, and Ringo's Ludwig drum kit — many of these photos are rarer, never-before-seen shots of the less historically celebrated instruments owned at one time or another by the Fabs.

Many of these previously unpublished photos were obtained through auctions and other means. There is also a multitude of shots featuring the Beatles themselves, many of which capture the group practicing their craft both onstage and in the studio.

Babiuk's text, while rich with the sort of detail that is sure to make any self-respecting musical gear-head's mouth water, also unfolds in a chronological, easy-to-follow order that even the most technically challenged Beatles fan will find engaging. While the focus here is definitely on the gear, Babiuk's narrative also doubles as a history of the band from their earliest days (and instruments) in such incarnations as the Quarrymen to the their final days together at Abbey Road studios and, of course, the breakup which eventually shocked the music world.

In addition to the Beatles themselves, Babiuk's story also covers the Beatles' most important musical associates and accomplices — from George Martin and Alan Parsons to Billy Preston and Eric Clapton. Side projects like Lennon's Plastic Ono Band and Harrison's experiments with both Indian and electronic music also receive considerable ink — revealing that while Lennon and McCartney may have been the band's creative force, it was probably George who was the most purely musical Beatle.

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Beatles fans relive memories of Minnesota concert

Posted: 16 Jul 2010 09:09 AM PDT

by Elizabeth Dunbar, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — It didn't matter that Carol Ersing's father wouldn't let her bring the binoculars to see the Beatles. Or that her older brother threatened to kill her if she screamed during the show.

Forty-five years after making their only appearance in Minnesota, Ersing considers the Beatles concert one of the best experiences she's ever had.

"It has to be one of the top five things in my entire life," said Ersing, who was 11 years old when she attended the concert at Met Stadium in Bloomington. "It was just so much fun to be with so many people who loved the Beatles just as much as I did."

Ersing and some of the 25,000 fans who attended the concert plan to visit the Minnesota History Center's new exhibit displaying photos from the event on Aug. 21, 1965. The photos were taken by then-17-year-old Bill Carlson, who published a book in 2007 about the Beatles' Minnesota appearance.

The exhibit opens Saturday, but the Minnesota History Center has planned an opening bash for Tuesday that includes a screening of the Beatles movie, "A Hard Day's Night," and a Beatles music performance by a cover band.

Ersing, of Cottage Grove, still has a newspaper clipping of the photo of her grabbing another girl's binoculars to get a closer look at her Beatle, George Harrison. Candy Kragthorpe, of Shakopee, still has her ticket stub and a list of the songs she wrote down at the concert as the Beatles played.

A stage was set up on the infield of the baseball diamond, and the Beatles walked onto the field from one of the dugouts to play to the jumping, screaming fans.

"When they came out we were just crazy nuts," said Kragthorpe, who was also 11 years old at the time. "Everybody just screamed from the beginning to the end -- you could barely hear the music."

The concert lasted about 30 minutes. Many people paid $5.50 for their tickets, although $10 could get you a better seat.

Marykay Kelley was one of the lucky fans who watched the show from box seats right behind home plate. Kelley, of Eagan, still has the concert program with full-size pictures of each Beatle. She and her friends used the pictures to try to get the Beatles' attention.

"Our whole section would hold Paul's picture up, and he would nod to us," Kelley said. "We went through all of them. We'd get a little nod or they'd tip their guitar."

After the show, Colleen Sheffler and her friend got separated as Sheffler tried to get another glimpse of the Beatles.

"I was sure that I saw George Harrison's sisters in one of the limousines, so I took off running," Sheffler said. All the buses left with Sheffler's friend on one of them, so Sheffler had to call her mother from a pay phone and ask for a ride.

Sheffler, who was 15 at the time, said that while seeing the Beatles back then was a big deal, she didn't realize then that she'd still be talking about it now.

"This was life changing," said Sheffler, who remains a fan. "They are the soundtrack of my life, especially my young years."

Sheffler still has a picture of her and her friends as teens, dressed as the Beatles and lip-syncing to their songs. Several years ago, she visited Liverpool, England, where the Beatles got their start.

Ersing has Beatles memorabilia decorating part of her home. When she first met her husband 14 years ago, the two didn't have anything in common -- until they realized they were both Beatles fans.

"We still to this day bring out the 45s and do karaoke," Ersing said.

Ersing said she's thankful her mother bought her ticket to the show, even if her father made her leave the binoculars at home in Duluth so they wouldn't get stolen in the "big city."

"Little did my mom know at the time spending that $5.50 a ticket, that it would be such an awesome memory for me for the rest of my life," Ersing said. "She could never have known that."

For more on the Beatles' only appearance in Minnesota...

Watch an audio slideshow of the interview All Things Considered did with Bill Carlson when he published his book, "The Beatles! One Night Stand in the Heartland." Carlson's photos will be featured at the Minnesota History Center starting Saturday.

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Book Review: Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments from Stage to Studio by Andy Babiuk

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 02:15 AM PDT

At first blush, Andy Babiuk's exhaustively researched Beatles Gear might seem like a book with somewhat limited appeal, even to the most diehard Beatles fan.


While it is true that in many respects, this detailed study of the musical instruments used by history's most celebrated rock group is geared most towards tech-heads — there is also a lot to like here for those of us who may not know the difference between a Rickenbacker and a Les Paul.


For starters, if you love the Beatles at all (and who doesn't?) the pictures in this book will quite simply take your breath away. Beatles Gear is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of beautiful photographs of the Beatles' musical tools of the trade. In addition to what fans would expect — such as McCartney's violin-shaped Hofner bass, Lennon's trademark Rickenbacker, George's Gretsch hollow-body, and Ringo's Ludwig drum kit — many of these photos are rarer, never-before-seen shots of the less historically celebrated instruments owned at one time or another by the Fabs.


Many of these previously unpublished photos were obtained through auctions and other means. There is also a multitude of shots featuring the Beatles themselves, many of which capture the group practicing their craft both onstage and in the studio.


Babiuk's text, while rich with the sort of detail that is sure to make any self-respecting musical gear-head's mouth water, also unfolds in a chronological, easy-to-follow order that even the most technically challenged Beatles fan will find engaging. While the focus here is definitely on the gear, Babiuk's narrative also doubles as a history of the band from their earliest days (and instruments) in such incarnations as the Quarrymen to the their final days together at Abbey Road studios and, of course, the breakup which eventually shocked the music world.


In addition to the Beatles themselves, Babiuk's story also covers the Beatles' most important musical associates and accomplices — from George Martin and Alan Parsons to Billy Preston and Eric Clapton. Side projects like Lennon's Plastic Ono Band and Harrison's experiments with both Indian and electronic music also receive considerable ink — revealing that while Lennon and McCartney may have been the band's creative force, it was probably George who was the most purely musical Beatle.


There are also new details on some of the more exotic instruments used on latter day Beatles records — like Harrison's sitars and the mellotron — all accompanied by more of those gorgeous photographs. Of particular note to Beatles historians are insider accounts of the sessions for albums like Abbey Road and Let It Be — made as the group was essentially imploding — that transport the reader to the studio itself.


Beatles tech-heads will find Beatles Gear nothing short of manna from heaven itself. For the rest of us, it makes for a worthy addition to any Beatles collection, and perhaps even a somewhat essential one for the historical completists. Whichever camp you choose to pitch your tent with, Beatles Gear is a book that any Beatles fan can agree on.

View the original article on blogcritics.org

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