ANGUS McBEAN'S PHOTOGRAPHY AUCTION

Beatles also signed McBean's visitors book

 

which went for £11,000

Work and possessions of the late British photographer Angus McBean has sold at auction in Suffolk for £88,000.

The 259 lots included test shots for a Beatles album cover and photos of film stars including Audrey Hepburn and Laurence Olivier.

The collection was sold by McBean's former partner who lived at Debenham, Suffolk.

The auctioneers in Bury St Edmunds estimated it would go for more than £50,000 and said they were "delighted".

'Photo-surrealism pioneer'

McBean photographed The Beatles looking over a stairwell for the cover of their debut album Please, Please Me released in 1963.

Two test shots for a recreation of that image for their 'blue' compilation album of 1970 sold for £650.

 

The Beatles also signed McBean's visitors book which went for £11,000

McBean's visitors' book for his London studio, signed by a myriad of stars, was estimated at £5,000-£10,000 and sold for £11,000.

It includes signatures and messages from The Beatles, lawyer and writer John Mortimer, playwright and songwriter Noel Coward and US photographer Robert Mapplethorpe among others.

Many other individuals photographs of film stars including Marlene Dietrich, Vivien Leigh and Audrey Hepburn were also sold.

Edward Crichton, auctioneer at Lacy, Scott & Knight, said: "We are absolutely delighted as only one item, a small bookcase painted by McBean failed to sell."The magic ingredient is the iconic stars of stage and screen, beautifully photographed by a pioneer of photo-surrealism who was in fact one of Britain's pre-eminent photographers of the mid 20th Century."

McBean was born in Wales in 1904 and lived at Flemings Hall, Bedingfield up to his death in 1990.

The auction house said he left his collection to his partner David Ball, who has just moved to Morocco and could not take it with him.

The buyers were a mixture of private collectors and museums. 

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GEORGE MARTIN´WORK PERFORMED AT FESTIVAL

George Martin's work performed at festival

George Martin attended the first night of the festival at Dorking Halls to see his own Mission Chorales piece being performed.

George Martin with festival conductor Brian Kay

FORMER Beatles producer George Martin brought a touch of rock 'n' roll to the Leith Hill Music Festival on Thursday evening.

Publicity manager Jo Forrest said: "It's only the second time this has been performed in this country.

"It rarely gets an outing because George Martin isn't known for his choral music.

"There was a very warm reception for him, a standing ovation before and after."

The three-day Leith Hill Music Festival involves competitions between choirs by day and concerts by night, with the finale on Saturday to feature Mozart's Coronation Mass.

Highlights of the competitions so far have included Mickleham Choral Society's musical take on the Lewis Carroll poem Jabberwocky, and Leatherhead Choral Society's winning performance on Friday.

There are still tickets available for the Friday and Saturday evening concerts, starting at 7.30pm. They can be booked by calling 01306 881717 or visitingwww.dorkinghalls.co.uk. 

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INDIANAPOLIS DATE ADDED TO "OUT THERE" TOUR 2013/ PAUL SPOTTED IN BEVERLY HILLS

Paul has just confirmed he will be performing at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday 14th July as part of his all-new 'Out There' tour.

Tickets for the concert will go on sale Friday 19th April through Ticketmaster at 10am (local time).

Registered fans of PaulMcCartney.com will have the opportunity to buy pre-sale tickets for the show from 9am (local time) on Tuesday 16th April directly from the website. Fans will need to be registered by 6am (EST) on Tuesday 16th April. Fans who are not currently signed up to the mailing list can do so by clicking HERE!

The gig at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse will mark Paul's first gig in Indianapolis since his appearance at the Pacers Sports Entertainment Center in October 2002 as part of his 'Back In The U.S. Tour'. Let us know in the comments below if you were at that gig!

The "Out There" tour will see Paul and his band travel the world throughout the year, visiting both places of historical significance to Paul and new spots for the very first time. Further announcements and dates will be added in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to PaulMcCartney.com.

For full details of Paul’s "Out There" tour check out the website’s ‘Upcoming Tour Dates’ section HERE!
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PAUL HANGING OUT AT THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL WITH NANCY AND FRIENDS IN BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA APRIL 12, 2013. 

 
 

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WINGS OVER AMERICA REISSUED

 

© Paul McCartney  

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PAUL:IS STILL BRITAIN´S WEALTHIES MUSICAL ARTISTa

 

Paul performs in Rio de Janeiro. EFE/File 

London,- Former Beatle Paul McCartney is still Britain's wealthiest musical artist, according to the latest edition of the Sunday Times Rich List.

The newspaper estimates that McCartney and his third wife, U.S. trucking industry heiress Nancy Shevell, have a combined fortune of 680 million pounds ($1.05 billion).

In second place is composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, with 620 million pounds.

McCartney, 71, has headed the musicians portion of the rich list since it was first established in 1989, when his holdings were valued at 80 million pounds.

Another list confined to musical artists under 30 is led by 24-year-old singer Adele, with an estimated fortune of 30 million pounds.

The full list of wealthy musicians will be published on Sunday, while the overall Rich List is due out on April 21. 

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PAUL ES EL MUSICO BRITANICO MAS RICO SEGUN THE SUNDAY TIMES

• Paul no ha bajado del primer puesto de la lista desde 1989.

Paul se mantiene en la lista de los músicos británicos más ricos gracias a una fortuna que alcanza los 680 millones de libras (casi 800 millones de euros), según el dominical The Sunday Times.

La lista saldrá publicada en su totalidad el próximo 21 de abril, cuando el dominical también dará a conocer otra correspondiente a los músicos británicos jóvenes más acaudalados, un registro que lidera Adele.

Paul que cumplirá 71 años este junio, no ha bajado del primer puesto de la lista de músicos ricos desde 1989, cuando su fortuna se estimaba en 80 millones de libras (unos 94 millones de euros).

Actualmente,Paul comparte su caudal con su esposa neoyorquina,Nancy Shevell, de 52 años y heredera de una empresa de transportes estadounidense que aporta 150 millones de libras (unos 176 millones de euros) del total.

Quien sigue en fortuna a Paul es el compositor Andrew Lloyd Weber,con 620 millones de libras (726 millones de euros) en su haber, y el grupo de rock irlandés U2, cuya fortuna asciende a 520 millones de libras (609 millones de euros). 

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BACKSTAGE WITH JAMES MCCARTNEY

ET recently sat down with James McCartney in London as he prepares to follow in his famous father's footsteps by releasing his first full-length album and embarking an a major US tour. 

James, 35-who over the years contributed by playing guitar and drums on solo albums by his father and latemother, Linda-admits he's a bit nervous about launching a full-fledged career in the "rock and roll kind of lifestyle." But he also said it's exciting to be releasing his new album Me -dropping May 21-which he describes as "intimate, deeply personal, and honest." The first single off the album, Strong As You, is currently available on iTunes.

James said that one of the best parts of the tour will be getting to see parts of the southwestern U.S. that were so beloved by his American mother. "Just enjoying music and traveling and going to the southwest of America, which I love. There's a place my mom loved," he said. Check out James' 47-date tour schedule- which kicked off April 6 in Portland, OR- to see when he'll play a city near you.

He revealed that his upcoming performances will be unique solo-acoustic shows, but his overall musical influences evolved over the years. "I went through a big Nirvana phase. Now I'm more into the Beatles and the Stones-the '60's stuff. So really, ultimately just everything."

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MARK RONSON: BAILE FUNK AND USHER INSPIRED PAUL´S NEW ALBUM

"He came in one day playing some baile funk-moombahton thing, asking, 'How do we get this kind of energy?'," said Ronson 

Last we heard from Mark Ronson about producing for Paul McCartney, the British DJ/producer was calling the recording process "insane" (in a good way) and explaining, to that one person who's never heard the Beatles, that Macca "writes good songs."

Now he's revealed that baile funk and Usher have both played roles in Paul's upcoming new album. "With Paul, you learn to not ask too many questions and just do your best work," Ronson told the magazine. "He came in one day playing some post-Bonde do Role baile funk-moombahton thing, asking, 

'How do we get this kind of energy?' And then he played me 'Climax' by Usher, and he was like, 'I love where all the sonics sit in this.'"

While you envision the 70-year-old former Beatle walking through a disheveled alley in Rio de Janeiro bumping CSS and Looking 4 Myself on his iPod, we patiently await McCartney's new direction.

Last month, Ronson explained his process on working with the musical legend. "He's done every kind of music. He invented the rule book in several different ways," Ronson said. "I don't know if [our stuff] is revolutionary, but they're brilliant songs. I just tried to give him a sound he was looking for." 

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PAUL´S OLD FRONT DOOR SELLS FOR £5,060

Paul lived at the house in Allerton between 1955 and 1964

The front door of the childhood home of  Paul has been sold for more than £5,000 at auction.

The wooden door was on the house at 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton, Liverpool, when the Beatle lived there from 1955 to 1964.

It was bought at Dominic Winter Auctions, based in Cirencester, by a telephone bidder from Chorley in Lancashire.

The house is now a National Trust property which is open to the public.

The hammer came down at £4,100 with the final figure £5,060 once the auction house's premium was added.

Auctioneer and valuer Chris Albury said: "It was a bit nerve-wracking, as all these odd things are which can draw huge amounts of attention, but when it comes down to it only a small number of bidders actually wanting to buy such a thing.

"There were two phone bidders and a couple of commission bidders, so the bidding started at £3,000 and crept up in £100 increments till it got to the final hammer of £4,100.

"The winning phone bidder was Tracks, specialist Beatles dealers from Chorley, Lancashire - so it was back to the county from whence it just came."

He added: "We are very pleased indeed and the vendor Glen South, who had no expectations, is happily surprised."

The house in Forthlin Road, where Paul lived from the age of 13 to 22, was listed as a Grade II building by English Heritage last year. Several Beatles songs are believed to have been composed there, including Love Me Do, I Saw Her Standing There and When I'm Sixty-Four.

When the McCartney family left the house in 1964 it was taken by Sheila Jones and her family, who refurbished it in about 1978, throwing out the doors, window fittings and tiles.

Mr South, a local musician, heard about the door, and collected it from the house. He kept it behind his sofa at his home in Lancashire.

Sir Paul's bedroom door from the same house sold at a London auction in 1995 for £2,875. 

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NUMBER 5 COPY OF "WHITE ALBUM" SELLS FOR GBP5,300.-

A collector has paid more than $5,300 on eBay for an ultra-rare early stereo pressing of the Beatles‘ ‘White Album,’ which may — or may not — have once belonged to John Lennon.

Low numbers from the individually sequenced 1968 two-record set, featuring an otherwise blank design created by Richard Hamilton, have become treasured collectors items over the years. The story has always gone that the first four copies were given to members of the Beatles. None of those editions, of course, have ever made their way onto the open market.

However, this new seller claims that there were, in fact, five copies distributed — with the additional album going to producer George Martin — and that Lennon allegedly claimed No. 5. Of course, a similarly numbered edition — this one in mono, and marked “No. 0000005″ — sold for $28,141 on eBay back in 2008, so the exact historical narrative is a little muddy.

What we do know is this: Someone just bought a very interesting $5,348.35 conversation piece.

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THE BEATLES RECREATED AS SAND SCULPTURES IN BRIGHTON

The sun is out and the temperature has just started creeping above freezing, so Brighton is preparing for the summer season.The seaside city today put the finishing touches to a series of music-themed sand sculptures ahead of a major exhibition that will last throughout the spring and summer.

The international Sand Sculpture Festival starts on Monday and 4,000 tonnes of sand were shipped into the city in preparation, with 20 artists working to create sculptures of the world's most famous musicians. 

The theme for this year is a Sing-a-Song of Sculpture and The Beatles, Beethoven, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley and Adele have already taken shape in the Black Rock area of the coastal city.

Co-organiser and sculptor Nicola Wood said: "A lot of people are convinced that we mix cement or glue into the sand. They are wrong. It really is just sand and water. The secret is in the preparation. It takes a great deal of strength and endurance to compact such volumes of sand."

Co-organiser Alec Messchaert added: "We have 20 of the best sculptors in the world here in Brighton so we are confident that our debut exhibition here will be a hit."

The exhibition continues until September 30. 

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WINGS OVER AMERICA - WHAT´S IN THE BOX?

Wings over America' - What's in the Box? 

Yesterday we announced that on May 27th / 28th the latest reissue in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection will be the 1976 Wings album 'Wings over America'.

Full details of the release can be found HERE! but we thought we'd give you a sneak preview into what you get in the Deluxe Edition - check out the 'unboxing' video below!

Pre-order your copy of 'Wings over America' Deluxe Edition at Amazon HERE!

What do you think? What are you most looking forwards to in the reissue? Let us know in the comments below…!




'Wings over America' - Deluxe Edition contents:



'Wings over America' - Deluxe Edition:



Look!:



'Wings over America' tour itinerary including replica tour programme:



Essay book:



The Ocean View by Humphrey Ocean:

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INDY A LIKEY STOP ON PAUL´S 2013 TOUR (INDIANAPOLIS)

Paul McCartney is seen during '12-12-12, The Concert For Sandy Relief' at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 12. / Don Emmert / AFP / Getty Images

Let it be here?

Paul McCartney has announced seven U.S. dates for his 2013 tour, and it’s likely Indianapolis soon will be part of the rock ’n’ roll icon’s itinerary.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse will host a by-invite event announcement titled “Out There” — also the title of McCartney's tour — on April 12. The announcement will be preceded by an English breakfast, an appropriate meal to salute a musician who grew up in Liverpool and captivated the world as a member of the Beatles.

READ MORE... HERE. 

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"WINGS OVER AMERICA" TO BE REISSUED IN MAY

Take Flight Again In 2013… With Wings!

Re-release of Paul McCartney & Wings’ groundbreaking 1976 live album ‘Wings over America’ containing bonus material
(May 27th)

DVD release of the live concert film ‘Rockshow’ documenting the band’s epic 'Wings over the World' tour across America
(June 10th)

Theatrical release of ‘Rockshow’ and an exclusive VIP premiere screening – featuring an introduction by Paul – at BAFTA
(May 15th)
(Click the image below to pre-order 'Wings over America' from Amazon)



This Spring will see another chapter unfold in the life of Wings, the UK rock group formed by Paul McCartney after the break-up of The Beatles – and one of the most successful bands these Isles have ever produced.

To celebrate the release on May 27th of ‘Wing over America’ & ‘Rockshow’ we are relaunching the Wings Fun Club for a limited time only. These emails will keep you up to date with the re-issue campaign. We will also be launching a microsite for fans to leave their memories of the tour as well as featuring hundreds of exclusive photos from the tour! Keep checking PaulMcCartney.com for details...

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‘Wings over America’

First, the historic live album, which documented the band’s triumphant 1976 tour across North America, will be reissued in a range of formats. Fans and hardcore devotees alike will be especially thrilled with the stunning four-book, four-disc (3CD, 1DVD) Deluxe Edition Box Set. The box set's superior audio and video include the two-disc ‘Wings over America’ album remastered at Abbey Road, a bonus audio disc recorded live at San Francisco’s Cow Palace, a bonus DVD containing the rarely seen 75-minute television special ‘Wings over the World’ and the photo gallery montage entitled ‘Photographer’s Pass’.

Moreover, the Deluxe Edition Box Set contains four exquisitely rendered art books packaged with an incredible array of exclusive memorabilia, souvenirs, mementos, keepsakes and never-before-seen photos and art work from this historic tour.

The spectacular 110-page commemorative tour book beautifully recounts the behind-the-scenes drama through dozens of live performances and backstage photos along with new interviews and liner notes from eminent music journalist David Fricke.

The ‘Wings over America’ leatherette-bound ‘Tour Itinerary’ contains extravagant memorabilia including printed 8X10 glossy band photos, a backstage guest pass, facsimiles of the invitation to the infamous end-of-tour party at the Harold Lloyd Estate in Beverly Hills along with ‘Wings over America’ concert tickets, original album artwork, tour posters, set lists, lyrics, press materials and much more.

‘Look!’, the box set’s warm and intimate book of Linda McCartney photography features Paul and the band in their everyday life as they made their way across the country in the spring of ’76.

Lastly, the set contains ‘The Ocean View’ an extraordinary hardbound compendium of drawings and sketches by artist Humphrey Ocean that captures the band on tour in relaxed and revealing ways. A striking artistic achievement in and of itself, the audacious ‘Wings over America’ Deluxe Edition Box Set is a must have for any McCartney enthusiast.



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‘Rockshow’ DVD Release

Second, for the first time a DVD will be released by Eagle Rock of the live concert film 'Rockshow' which was shot in 1976 when Paul McCartney & Wings undertook the epic ‘Wings over the World’ tour which was the largest-scale tour they would ever undertake as a band.

Packed with all the classic Wings hits - plus some of The Beatles’ and Paul’s solo classics - the film is released on both DVD and Blu-ray formats. Although filmed on this tour at the enormous Kingdome in Seattle, ‘Rockshow’, originally a cut down version of the concert, was not premiered until November 1980 in New York and April 1981 in London.

It was originally released on Betamax (later on laserdisc) but it’s only now that the complete full length concert is being made available fully restored from the original 35mm film and with restored & remastered sound, including a 5.1 mix for the first time.

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‘Rockshow’ Theatrical Release

And then third, but by no means least, Eagle Rock has partnered with distributors Specticast who are releasing the film theatrically worldwide for a ‘one night only’ event on May 15th (see here for more details:www.rockshowonscreen.com) – meaning the film will be shown in more than 500 cinemas across the world!

The theatrical release features an exclusive introduction with Paul McCartney, but there will also be an exclusive VIP premiere screening of ‘Rockshow’, with Paul in attendance and introducing the film, at BAFTA on 15 May 2013.

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For ‘Wings across America’ Paul brought with him one the most sophisticated and dazzling rock shows of the mid-Seventies (it was a time when nobody worried about extravagance or expense) and the band would eventually perform to more than 600,000 people at 31 shows in the US and Canada, ending with three mind-bending nights at The Forum in Los Angeles. It’s no exaggeration to say that the demand that greeted Paul McCartney & Wings (Linda McCartney, Joe English, Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch) in the spring of 1976 as they embarked on what would become their one and only North American tour was overwhelming.

Having released four consecutive chart busting albums including ‘Red Rose Speedway’, ‘Band on the Run’, ‘Venus and Mars’ and ‘Wings at the Speed of Sound’ – not to mention 1973’s Academy Award-winning James Bond theme ‘Live and Let Die’ – Paul’s solo career was in full flight… and having not performed in the States for 10 years either solo or with The Beatles, excitement had reached fever pitch.

Now Paul gives fans the chance to be able to immerse themselves in a concert that is destined to live forever. 

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