Graham Reid | | 3 min read
Love Me Do
Writer and researcher Andy Neill is a man who knows the Beatles' story inside out, and probably a bit sideways too.
With Greg Armstrong he has written the quite extraordinary, detailed, lavishly illustrated When We Was Fab: Inside the Beatles Australasian Tour 1964.
At 300 pages and with hundreds of images, it tells not just the story of the Beatles tour but goes back into the details of how they got here in the first place (contract negotiations etc) and then their return home.
They interviewed scores of people who provided personal memories, anecdotes, factual detail and images to create a book which we said told the long arc of those 25 days in scrupulous detail.
Time then for Andy to answer some very specific Beatle questions . . .
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The first piece of music by the Beatles which really affected you was . . .
An image rather than a piece of music – the Help! album cover in a Gisborne shop window.
Your first role models in music, business or life in general were . . .
My uncle who played jazz piano, semi-pro, and knew how to enjoy life.
Finish this sentence: The best thing about music writing is . . .
(hopefully) getting paid.
If writing about music was denied you, your other career choice would be . . .
Unemployment.
The three non-Beatle songs you would love everyone to hear are . . .
The Lonely Surfer - Jack Nitzsche; I’m Not Like Everybody Else - The Kinks; Synthetic World - Swamp Dogg.
Any interesting, valuable or just plain strange musical memorabilia at home...
John Entwistle’s empty Rothmans packet, which he annotated with his London address, while staying at Auckland’s Logan Park Motor Hotel in 1968.
The best book on music or musicians you have read is . . .
Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan
If you wanted to persuade someone about the greatness of the Beatles which three songs would you play them, and why those ones?
I’ll Get You; Rain; You Never Give Me Your Money.
I’ll Get You for the infectiousness of the early years; Rain encapsulating early Lennon psychedelic surrealness and studio experiments; and the genius of late-period Macca in You Never Give Me Your Money
The three films you'd insist anybody watch because they might understand you better are . . .
The Ipcress File; Life Of Brian; A Hard Day’s Night
The last CD or vinyl album you bought was . . . (And your most recent downloads include…).
The Doors Live At Konserthuset, Stockholm September 20, 1968
One song, royalties for life, never have to work again. The song by anyone which wouldn't embarrass you in that case would be . . .
Waterloo Sunset
The poster, album cover or piece of art could you live with on your bedroom forever would be . . .
My Generation The Who.
You are allowed just one Beatle album and it is . . .
Revolver
Best solo album by each Beatle?
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band; Ram; All Things Must Pass; Ringo
And finally, what project would you like to be working on in two years time?
Retirement.
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WHEN WE WAS FAB: INSIDE THE BEATLES AUSTRALASIAN TOUR 1964 by ANDY NEILL and GREG ARMSTRONG. $99 signed by the authors.
From Hedley's Books here
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Elsewhere's review of this book is here.
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