Tag Archives: beatles

August 30, 2015 · 7:00 am

Book Review: “It’s Sid Bernstein Calling” by Sid Bernstein

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the fact that I started reading this book this week became really surreal when I realized, it’s been two years this week since Sid departed this earth.  And throughout this week, while reading It’s Sid Bernstein Calling, there have been a lot of other coincidences too.  Just as I put the book down for a moment, something will come on TV or someone will bring up a topic that I just read about in this book.  Makes me think Sid’s still with us.

What a wonderful man Sid was.  I had the pleasure of meeting him twice in my lifetime and he was a joy to be around.  And I attended the memorial tribute they had for him in NYC where I ran into the lovely May Pang while standing in line.

May and I at Sid Bernstein tribute show Feb. 2014

May and I at Sid Bernstein tribute show Feb. 2014

Once again, I digress.

This book was a real surprise to me.  I had no idea what an incredible man Sid Bernstein was beyond his dealings with bring the Beatles to America and a few other various artists.  Sid Bernstein was in WW1…in Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge.  He started managing musicians when he was just 14 years old and never stopped.  And this book is written, just as if Sid were sitting in front of you, modestly telling it to you himself.  Not only did he represent some of the biggest names in show business, he rejected some of the biggest names in show business (Barbra Streisand!).

Sid’s book is out of print, but you can still buy new and used copies at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Half.com.

I rate this book: 4 out of 4 Beetles!

 

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August 23, 2015 · 7:00 am

Book Review: “Wonderful Tonight” by Pattie Boyd

Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me by Pattie Boyd was written in 2007.  This book should be used as a learning tool for all models and teenagers that dream of marrying a rockstar!  Her story is also proof positive that growing up in a rich family doesn’t necessarily mean you had a happy childhood.

At the tender age of 20, Pattie Boyd married George Harrison at the height of Beatlemania.  But after several years, as her marriage started to crumble, Eric Clapton took a fancy to her and from what appears to be a case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, Pattie left George and ended up married to Eric.

Throughout this book, Pattie questions just about every romantic decision she’s ever made…even as they were happening to her. She brings us through her two well publicized divorces; her striving to be on her own; George’s death and the tragic death of Eric’s son from an affair he had while married to her, only coming out of the haze in her early 40s realizing she doesn’t know who Pattie Boyd is aside from the ex-Mrs. Harrison and ex-Mrs. Clapton.

Pattie does a great job telling her life story and letting you in on the private lives of both her ex-husbands.  There are a few stories along the way that contradict other people’s versions of the same tales, but she tells you in the beginning of the book that this books tells the stories the way she remembers them.

Oh…and in case you’re wondering (since we are talking about George again!), there is plenty of pot smoking and acid dropping in this book too!

You can buy copies of Wonderful Tonight on Amazon or Half.com for $0.01 or more.

I rate this book: 4 out of 4 Beetles!

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August 16, 2015 · 6:31 am

Book Review: “I, Me, Mine” by George Harrison

Call me a glutton for punishment.  After reading Derek Taylor’s book about his non-stop LSD trips and then seeing Derek’s widow talk about their non-stop LSD trips in “Living in a Material World“, I decide to read George Harrison’s autobiography that he wrote in 1980 with the assistance of …Derek Taylor!  Oh goodie…more acid trips!

Several years ago, I asked a world renowned Beatles expert and radio show host what book he thought was the best book ever written about the Beatles.  His answer was I, Me, Mine by George Harrison, so in realty, this book has been on my list for years.

This book is three separate parts.  Part one is a conversation between Harrison and Taylor about George’s thoughts on everything and nothing at all.  For the Beatles fans that are looking for secrets into George’s past, you won’t find them here.  What you will find is his thoughts on Beatlemania and his religious beliefs.  And of course, you’re going to get the bonus of a lot of mumbo jumbo from Derek in between!

The second part of the book is page upon page of pictures of George throughout his life.  From childhood, adolescence, Beatlemania, Monty Python and beyond, including snapshots from the family album.  I can’t say there was anything that wow’d me.

Part three of the book is meant for the diehard Beatles and George Harrison fans.  Each of the songs that George wrote are presented in their raw handwritten form, typed form and another page with George’s explanation behind what inspired the song.

This book left me a little disappointed.  I guess I was looking for more about George from George instead of Derek’s edited version.  The book almost seems like it was published as a way to placate the ever hungry fans for more information.

Copies run on Amazon and Half.com from $0.75 up to $200.  I borrowed mine from the local library!

I rate this book: 3 out of 4 Beetles!

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August 11, 2015 · 7:00 am

Tea for Tuesday: Review of Mrs. McCartney’s Golden Slumbers Herbal Green Tea

Mrs. Angie McCartney’s Organic Teas

Golden Slumbers Herbal Green Tea

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Tea(s) From: China
Region(s): Zhejiang Province
Antioxidant Level: Medium
Caffeine Content: Low

 

There are days when I look forward to sitting down in the evening and relaxing with a cup of tea while sitting on my screened in back porch, so I was really looking forward to Golden Slumbers Herbal Green Tea long before I had to sit down and write this review.  I chose to go the traditional American route and have this with a slice of apple pie.

As soon as I opened the bag to get out a tea bag, I was met with the sweet smell of oranges…my absolute favorite fruit!  But it’s kinda interesting that the ingredients make no mention of orange being in this tea.  Unfortunately, that’s going to be as good as this review gets.  This is the first tea that I can say I was truly disappointed in.  Despite my very best efforts to steep and stir the tea bag, this tea would just never get strong enough.  I don’t believe it’s just my taste for strong tea that was the problem.  There was barely a tint to the water after 7 minutes of steeping in the pot.  I think if I didn’t add to lumps of sugar, I would have never finished it.

I’m afraid to say, but this one needs to be kicked up a notch, Angie.  At least the pie was good….

 

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August 9, 2015 · 6:20 am

Movie Review: “George Harrison: Living In A Material World”

This is the movie I had attempted to watch several weeks ago while I was traveling.  I ended up in a battle to watch it on my iPad mini for weeks now, before finally giving up and having to watch it on my PC.  I really dislike watching any type of movie on my computer.  I’d much rather do it from the comfort of my couch, especially a 3.5 hour documentary like this.

George Harrison: Living In The Material World, directed by Martin Scorsese, came out in 2011.  Even I had tears in my eyes when I saw the trailer for the movie before it’s release.  Was I going to be able to sit through this film about a beloved Beatle who left us way too early?

The movie actually starts out quite poorly.  Several times during a scene, the music just drops off and  the scene goes to an interview.  There’s no fade out.  I kept thinking, “Is this going to happen through the entire film?  Is this really a Martin Scorsese film?  I guess I should be happy he didn’t cast Leonardo as George!”  Then I started thinking, “Thank god it’s not a Tim Burton film with Johnny Depp as George!”  But I digress…

For some unknown reason, the music stops dropping off and begins fading out between scenes, but still the first half off this film felt more like a Beatles documentary than a movie about George.  I paused it and got up several times to get a drink, let the dog out, etc.  I almost dreaded having to sit through Part Two after the intermission, but that’s actually where the movie picks up and becomes George’s story.  (Except the part where Derek Taylor’s wife shows up and, just like Derek, only wants to talk about doing LSD with the Beatles.  Do these people talk about anything else?!)

Part Two of this movie is a delight and kept me in my chair until the end as George’s friends, colleagues, wife and son telling us about the real George.  If you can make it through the Blah-Blah of the first 1.5 hours,  you’ll love the rest.  Though I wouldn’t call this Scorsese’s best cinematic production, the scenes with George and Friar Park are beautiful.

It was not available on my Fios OnDemand, but you can rent from Amazon.com, iTunes or Netflix.

Buy at Amazon.com or any major retailer where movies are sold.

I rate this movie: 3 out of 4 Beetles!

 

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August 4, 2015 · 7:00 am

Tea for Tuesday: Review of Mrs. McCartney’s Maharishi Peach

Mrs. Angie McCartney’s Organic Teas

Maharishi Peach

 

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Tea(s) From: Sri Lanka
Region(s): Nuwara Eliya + Dimbula + Uva
Antioxidant Level: High
Caffeine Content: Medium

 

This review is coming to  you from my four day silent retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY.  Having been on this same retreat in 2012, I knew the monks were known for their fudge and fruitcake, so that’s what I chose to pair with my tea for this week’s review.  And it only seemed obvious that  Maharishi Peach should be the tea of choice for a stay at a monastery!

As I write this (by hand since electronic devices are not allowed here), it’s 10:30 on Saturday morning.  I’ve attended 7:30 a.m. prayer, breakfast and the orientation/welcoming meeting.  With a lull in the day’s schedule and seeing they had put out some fudge in the dining room, I took this opportunity to sit down to tea.  I can report now that I  made a wise choice in my tea selection!

The monk’s fruitcake is not like the brick of dried pastry you get during the holidays.  Theirs is very moist and is more similar to a spice or carrot cake with dried currants.  And now I know that it tastes great with Mrs. McCartney’s Maharishi Peach tea.  The spice of the cake is a a great pairing with the peach and fruitiness of the tea.

As for the fudge, I let it melt on my tongue and then washed it down with the tea.  What an amazing treat that was!

I love this blend, Angie!

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August 2, 2015 · 7:00 am

Book Review: “As Time Goes By” by Derek Taylor

By the time this review is scheduled to post,  I’ll be on a 4 day silent retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY.  I considered taking another Beatles book with me to review, but decided to leave work at home while I contemplate world peace.  Enjoy the review.

Derek…Derek…Derek!  Every book I’ve read about the Beatles mentions Derek Taylor.  One author even went so far as to say Derek is the real fifth Beatle!  Derek was Brian Epstein’s personal assistant before becoming the press agent for the Beatles.  Then he quit…then he came back again.  In that time, he wrote two books.  This is a review of his first book, As Time Goes By.

As Time Goes By by Derek Taylor is a 181 page memoir of Derek’s life in the music business from 1968-1971, with a lot of stories before and after those years.  This was Derek’s first memoir, his second was titled – Fifty Years Adrift and a third book, It Was Twenty Years Ago Today, about the anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s album was published in 1987.  He also helped George Harrison write his autobiography, I, Me, Mine.

I don’t know that As Time Goes By is the right title for this book.  After several chapters, I started to think it should be called ‘Everybody Must Get Stoned’ or ‘I Get High With A Little Help From My Friends’ or ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.’  It would seem from what I read in these pages, that Mr. Taylor spent most of his working years in an altered state of consciousness.  He even goes so far as to refer to himself on several occasions as an acid-head or pot-head.  His stories are great, but they come in no real chronological order.  The book seems to just be random memories and anecdotes of him and famous people.

Is it a good book?  Meh.  Is it a fun book?  Yes.  Is it weird as hell?  Oh, hell yeah!  Will I read his other books?  Only time will tell since I’m still trying to figure out what I just read.  What a long strange trip it’s been…

You can find a used copy of As Time Goes By on Amazon for less than $3 if you choose to go down that rabbit hole.

I rate this book: 2 out of 4 Beetles!

You can read more about Derek Taylor on Wikipedia.

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July 28, 2015 · 7:00 am

Tea for Tuesday: Review of Mrs. McCartney’s Blueberry Meanie

Mrs. Angie McCartney’s Organic Teas

Blueberry Meanie

 

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Tea(s) From: Sri Lanka
Region(s): Nuwara Eliya + Dimbula + Uva
Antioxidant Level: High
Caffeine Content: Medium

 

Since this week’s book review was for a book about Wings by John Taylor, who used to play in a Beatles tribute band called The Blue Meanies, it only seemed appropriate that this week’s tea review be for Blueberry Meanie tea!  I paired this tea with Biscoff cookies.

According to the Mrs. McCartney’s Tea website, Blueberry Meanie is made from: Black tea, Elderberry + Raisin pieces, Hibiscus petals and Natural flavors.  The black tea makes this a stronger tea like last week’s Good Morning! tea (just the way I like it), but it doesn’t have the berry flavor you would expect or find in the Liverpool Red tea.  I caught a better taste (or should I say aroma) of the blueberries in the after taste and when I exhaled through my nose from the linger tea on my palate after taking a sip.  And though this tea contains hibiscus petals, I didn’t get catch any floral flavors.  But your mileage may vary.

This was a very enjoyable tea and I look forward to having another cup in the future.

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July 24, 2015 · 12:07 pm

Beatles Freak Review goes to Louisville, KY in search of John, Paul, George and Ringo! | PRLog

Jennifer Vanderslice, owner and editor of Beatles Freak Review blog, will be packing her bags again this month for a weekend in Louisville, KY, to find all things Beatle-y.

Beatles Freak Review goes to Louisville, KY in search of John, Paul, George and Ringo! | PRLog.

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July 19, 2015 · 10:29 am

Book Review: “Nights Inside The Vault” by Sharon Richards

Good morning, Beatles Freaks!  This morning’s review is coming to you live from hot and steamy New Orleans.  This is not the review I had intended to post, but thankfully, I had this e-book loaded into my iPad’s Kindle app before I left home.  I had intended to rent a movie from iTunes to watch on the plane ride here, but due to technical difficulties beyond my control (the movie is no longer available on iTunes!), I decided to read this book  during my down time here in the Big Easy.

Nights Inside The Vault by Sharon L. Richards is the story of her short, but important time working the Hard Rock’s Vault in Orlando, FL from 2002-2004.  Sharon worked as a tour guide for the museum that housed many important and rare pieces of music history within it’s walls, including a section dedicated to the Beatles….a band Sharon was very familiar with and has spoken about at Beatles festivals across the country.

I have to applaud Ms. Richards’ work ethic and integrity as she demonstrates throughout this book her unwavering dedication to not only the Beatles, but to all the other bands represented at The Vault.  What started out as her dream job slowly became an illusion as she and the other guides took on the task of providing provenance to the various pieces of memorabilia.  Needless to say, the reader of this book will also loose faith in the machine that is the Hard Rock after reading Sharon’s accounts that came straight from her daily journals.

Though this self-published e-book could have used a good editor for the typos and flow, I think it is a necessary read for those that dabble in collecting music memorabilia.  It was quite the eye opener for me.

You can download a copy of Nights Inside The Vault at Amazon.com.

I rate this book: 3 out of 4 Beetles!

 

Bonus!  Here’s a video of Sharon’s former Beatles tribute band – Luv Me Do. I once referred to them as the only female Beatles tribute band that I could listen to.

 

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