RINGO has published an ebook of his never seen before snaps which give a new look at the Beatles from their early days in Liverpool to performing in America.
I HAVE always loved taking photos. All the Beatles had cameras – I think we bought a whole load on our first tour of Japan – but I’d been snapping away for a while before that.
Millions of pictures of the Beatles have been taken and published over the years.
We always had a real photographer around us, like Dezo Hoffman and Bob Freeman, who took a lot of photos for our album covers.
But I took pictures of them photographing us – and I had a unique perspective of that incredible period of our lives.That’s why my new ebook, Photograph, is so special – because these are the shots that only I could have taken.They chart the story of four lads from Liverpool trying to live normal lives amid the frenzy that surrounded them.
Get Photograph at the iBookstore or http://www.RingoPhotograph.com for £9.99 from Wednesday.
Birkenstocks
This picture blows me away. I mean, it’s just me with my mum and my step-dad – Elsie and Harry – outside our house in Admiral Grove, Liverpool.
But I’m wearing Birkenstocks sandals! How cool am I?
Birkenstocks, ha ha ha ha! In those days! When I saw that picture I was like, ‘What? Where did you get them?!’ Anyway, there they are. We were just having a bit of fun outside the house.
We moved in there in 1945 and I lived there until I was 23 and moved to London.
With Cilla at a Party
Look at us – a crowd of lads at a party with Cilla Black. I’m with Johnny Hutch, Johnny Gustafson and Adrian Barber, who were in a band called the Big Three.
I was with my first band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
But Cilla and half of Liverpool were performers too. We’d be performing on stage and Rory would say, ‘Come on Cilla, get up and give us a song’ because she could sing. Cilla, she was just one of the many people around – she worked in an office, a lot of people were still working, although I’d given up by then.
Johnny Hutch, he was a cool drummer too. It was only Johnny and I could really play in Liverpool, ha ha ha! Anyway, that’s Cilla’s story, really. We would ask her to get up and sing, and then when Brian took us over and became manager, he managed a lot of bands in Liverpool and he also managed Cilla.
And that’s how she got that job on TV and she still “talks like that!” Hee hee hee!
With George
There’s George, Paul, Faron Ruffley from Faron’s Flamingos, and myself.
We bands were starting to mingle so we knew each other. I was still with Rory, I can tell by the way I’m dressed, and the leather jacket was part of the Beatle image from Germany.
Occasionally with the Beatles Brian Epstein would knock on my door saying, ‘The boys have a session, could you play?’ He’d always get me out of bed at, like, noon, to go and play the Cavern or something.
Anyway, that’s how it started with me and the Beatles, and then of course everybody knows the story.
I was playing Butlins again with Rory. And I get a call from Brian who said, ‘Can you join the Beatles?’ So I said, ‘Sure, when?’
And he said, ‘Today. Tonight.’ I said, ‘No, I can’t join tonight, I’m in a band here, we’ve got a job, you know? No, I’ll come Saturday!’ Ha ha ha!
Having a Meal
Like I said – these are shots that no one else could have, really.
I just had the camera with me a lot of the time. That could easily be my empty plate
lying next to John, with the knife and fork left on it.
lying next to John, with the knife and fork left on it.
Note the bottle of tomato ketchup!
My First Car
That’s my first car, a Standard Vanguard. I actually bought it from Johnny Hutch, the other drummer we talked about – and it cost me 75 quid.
That’s when I started carrying my own drums and driving friends around.
But it wouldn’t go into second, and every time it stopped, I had a puncture but I loved that car! I used to like to tell everyone it was hand-painted, which it was – it wasn’t sprayed, it was hand-painted, black and white.
Brian in the Beatle wig
That’s a great shot. Look how our manager Brian is laughing!
I mean ... I don’t know if it’s the neg, our prints, or I shot it out of focus or I moved the camera. It didn’t have to be clear, it captured the moment. I love that shot. I’ve also got one of George Martin in that Beatles wig which I love too.
Brian was posh compared to us but he liked a laugh.
Paul and Mal
The Beatles had two people looking after them – Mal Evans drove the band or lifted the amps and Neil Aspinall got us to the gig and made us the tea. And then Neil became head of Apple.
This is a fun shot of Paul and Mal. You’re in hotels, so you just look for things to do and you have a bit of fun. We’ve probably – by looking at the table – had a few drinks.
That was France. Look at the clock and everything on the mantelpiece there – looks very Francais.
John and Robert Freeman
This is Florida. There’s photo-grapher Robert Freeman and John, just hanging out.
Bob took some great photos, some great covers for albums.
We sort of ended up hanging out with really nice guys. He was a very nice man, and you know he took great shots and that’s what we needed.
John with guitar
I’ve got some great shots of John being pensive.His typical pose was to sit with one foot on his other knee – his foot was always high up – it was like his set-up.But here he’s deep in thought while playing.
That Hippie Penny Lane
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