Beatles, Let It Be, Box Set Edition with Get Back Book, UK 1970

One of the most readable and illuminating books ever written about The Beatles. A lavishly illustrated, rollicking account of the real people and events that inspired the Beatles lyrics. Who was "just seventeen" and made Paul´s heart go "boom"? Was there really an Eleanor Rigby? Where´s Penny Lane? In A Hard Day´s Write, music journalist Steve Turner shatters many well-worn myths and adds a new dimension to the Fab Four´s rich legacy by investigating for the first time the ordinary people and events immortalized in the Beatles´ music and now occupying a special niche in popular culture´s collective imagination. Arranged chronologically by album, the book breaks new ground by exploring how private incidents influenced the group´s writing and how their music evolved. Turner reveals that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was really a drawing by Julian Lennon of his childhood friend; Bungalow Bill was an all-American tiger hunter; Doctor Robert was a New York ´speech doctor´; and much more. A longtime Beatles admirer, Turner tracked down and interviewed the real-life subjects of the songs, probed public records and newspaper archives, and spoke in depth to the people closet to the Beatles to unearth tales that have never before been made public. The result is a book that chronicles an untold story of the Beatles themselves. Illustrated with over 200 photographs, A Hard Day´s Write is a visually alluring and highly entertaining journey to the land stretching just beneath your conscious mind, mapped out with strawberry fields, fool-topped hills, and long and winding roads.

Published to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of John Lennon’s death, this previously unpublished collection of poignant photographs is a record of one day with The Beatles—just after Sgt. Pepper was released. In September 1968, critically acclaimed photojournalist Don McCullin was invited to spend a day photographing The Beatles in locations ranging from Paul McCartney’s garden to the banks of the Thames, as well as in their recording studio. The timing of this was, in hindsight, significant. The Beatles had just released Sgt. Pepper, Vietnam was in turmoil, and riots had spread through America’s cities and campuses. It was the moment when the innocence and optimism of the sixties darkened—the instant the youth movement, of which The Beatles were icons, converged with the antiwar protests, the civil rights movement, and the burgeoning counterculture. One of the most poignant photographs taken that day was of John Lennon posing as dead, surrounded by the other three band members. Lennon himself carefully choreographed the image as a pose of protest, but it is now seen as tragic and strangely prophetic. These images of four inspired artists at the pinnacle of success and on the cusp of transformation mark the passing of an era, and in them, we can glimpse our own lost youth.

In the years following the 1960s, Beatle fans around the world were twice-stunned: in 1970, when their beloved group disbanded, and ten years later when the murder of John Lennon ended a decade of hope that somehow the Fab Four would reunite. Between those milestones were astounding highs and unfathomable lows. George Harrison´s 1971 benefit for the suffering of Bangladesh showed the world the possibilities of rock´s altruism, while Lennon asked the world to "imagine" universal peace before sitting out half the decade to raise his son. Ringo Starr, the most overlooked Beatle, carved himself a surprising niche in film before launching a string of hit singles. And Paul McCartney, widely seen as the instigator of the Fabs´ breakup, became one of rock´s most beloved performers, racking up record-breaking smashes that climaxed with a triumphant world tour in 1976. Fab Four FAQ 2.0 picks up the story where the acclaimed Fab Four FAQ left off. Loaded with images of rare period ephemera, including periodicals, single sleeves, and movie stills, this is the first comprehensive biography of all four ex-Beatles. This book covers everything from their recording careers in the decade after the band´s dissolution to the musicians they played with, the bands they influenced, the manifestations of latter-day Beatlemania, and the constant clamor for reunion expressed by fans and - sometimes - by the four themselves.

The 4 complete Ed Sullivan shows starring the beatles,digitally remastered and including some previously unreleased material, to be issued on dvd by universal music enterprises. When The Beatles stepped onto Sullivan´s New York stage on Sunday, February 9, 1964, to make their American TV debut, 86 percent of all TVs on at that hour--73 million Americans--tuned in. It was the most-watched program in history to that point and remains one of the most-watched programs of all time. Nearly 50 years after the four landmark live performances of The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show," those legendary appearances with newly remastered audio and carefully restored video will finally be made available worldwide on home video through a major distributor. The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles was produced by SOFA Entertainment. "We used the full extent of today´s technology," says Andrew Solt, Executive Producer and CEO of SOFA Entertainment. "The quality is better than it ever was, in fact, better than when the shows aired, especially visually. For example, the February 16 performance was from Miami´s Deauville Hotel, not from a studio. The quality of the tape image was very fragile. We went back and improved it frame by frame." With a running time of more than 250 minutes, The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles presents those shows uncut, including not only all of the other performances but also all of the original commercials. Also included is The Cast of Oliver! (featuring a young Davy Jones) singing "I´ll Do Anything For You." The audio is available in both mono and a 5.1 remix. In addition, the new DVD set has been augmented with approximately 13 minutes of additional footage.