Images of the Beatles

found this book in a used book shop recently and had to buy a copy for a dear friend. the photographs are a must for serious Beatle fans. some never before seen stuff.

Every year at Christmas, my family pretty much knows what to get me as gifts. Something, anything to do with The Beatles. As a long time Beatles fan, I just can't seem to get enough of the group that had such an impact on my life as a young man. After all of these years, I pretty much thought I had seen most of the photographs of the group that had ever been taken. But considering the tens of thousands of pictures that must have been taken of them over the decades, there had to be many I had not had the opportunity to have ever looked at before. I received The Beatles Unseen Archive as a Christmas gift and it was one I had not asked for or even knew existed. It is an incredible collection of rare photos of John, Paul, George and Ringo and those around them, starting in the early 1960s and ending with a sobering photograph of Paul McCartney outside of his home after he got word of the death of George Harrison. Printed on thick, high quality stock, this book features 384 pages and is a rigid paperback bound collection of 600 news, candid, concert and casual photographs taken by professional photographers for Associated Newspaper's "Daily Mail" all over the world as The Beatles passed by their lenses, many published here for the first time. And I have to admit, most, maybe 90% or more, I had never seen before. The book is also catalogued by chapters, with yearly chronologies and commentary. Each photo has a caption explaining who, what, where, and the chapter/chronology gives most of the whens. All photographs are black and white and since they are from the era of film cameras, expect to see grain, especially those that are blown up to full page size. I highly recommend The Beatles Unseen Archives as a gift for that Beatles fan who can't get enough of the Fab Four, especially in the way of pictures.

I picked up this book on a whim for my 2 year old who is obsessed with the Beatles. However, I have spent several hours myself looking through it and I love being able to read about the stories behind the pictures, even if she cant enjoy them yet. The pictures are brilliant and the size of them is also good, no squinting to see whats going on. I would recommend this book to any Beatles fan, and to anyone else who wants to know more about them, not only as a band but as individuals.

Yes, it is one of the best Beatles photo albums I've ever seen. It covers that period from 1963 through the breakup and to George's death in 2001. Some of the pictures are familiar, others aren't. It's a wonderful journey to start at the beginning and see the Beatles' milestones and how they change. We see their early exuberance and eagerness to please by posing in showbizzy poses in matching suits, being feted and receiving endless awards. They morph into the ultimate cool icons, hair growing shaggier, clothes weirder. Their relationships are chronicled. First it was Cyn, Jane, Patti and Mo. Then it was Linda and Yoko. Eventually Patti and Maureen were replaced by Olivia and Barbara. I love the early pictures of the women - all those wonderful dolly dresses and Patti's amazing eyes. (I was sooo jealous of her!). The pictures thin out after the breakup. There are intermittent photos of the individual Beatles and their families (mostly Paul) through the 70s, 80s and 90s. The last photo in the book is the sad photo of Paul the morning George died. There are almost no photos of the Beatles taken in America so it cannot be called a comprehensive collection. After all, this was the English press (Daily Mail and AP)and a lot of these photos never made it stateside until now. One thing that historians will note is the plethora of shots from the middle '60s showing just how important they were during that time. I'm so happy to have come upon this book. It is highly recommended for Beatles fans both who remember when and who want to know what it was like.

I love this collection of Beatle photographs taken from early in their careers to the post-Beatle years. (I have two copies of this book - the first one has a chronology that stops in 1999-2000, when George was still alive and the second one includes George's tragic demise in 2001). I love the way a Beatle song is used as a title for each chapter. The photos are well documented and include many people who crossed paths with the Beatles, such as Harold Wilson, Ed Sullivan (of course) and many lesser known people. The book also provides a rich history for each year that is being covered. Events are chronicled in the chronology and is a very "Beatle friendly" gauge indeed. The Beatles' travels and events regarding same are recorded. There are two pictures of George, packing his "Beatle Bag," with the picture captioned about how BOAC provided the Fabs free flights from England to France provided they advertised with those bags. Harold & Louise Harrison, Sr. are shown, sending their son off to America proudly and lovingly. These make a good book even better. Many of these photographs had not seen the light of day prior to the publication of this wonderful book. No Beatle fan should be without this one!