Daytrippin' Beatles Magazine

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Category Archives: Beatles Travel: UK


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Interview with Roag Best about his new Beatles Museum in Liverpool

by Steven G. Farrell

Beatles museum in LiverpoolA new Beatles museum opened this summer in Liverpool. The Magical History Museum is located on Mathew Street and was opened by Roag Best, son of Neil Aspinall and Mona Best, and brother to original Beatles drummer, Pete Best.

Mona Best, an ordinary British wife and mother in Liverpool, England, played a huge role in the history of pop music by opening up The Casbah Coffee Club in the basement of her family home on August 29, 1959. Mona was the first person to take a chance on a struggling rock n roll band known as The Quarrymen, providing them with a venue to hone their skills as musicians.

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Paul McCartney visits Penny Lane, his childhood home in Liverpool and more during Carpool Karoake with James Corden

Paul McCartney at Penny Lane selfie

The highlight of the Carpool Karaoke segment with Paul McCartney on The Late Late Show with James Corden wasn’t just the karaoke. McCartney gave Corden a tour of his hometown of Liverpool which made for some historic moments.

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Strawberry Field in Liverpool to open Visitor Center for Beatles fans

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Beatles fans will soon get to go through the red gates at Strawberry Field in Liverpool, made famous by John Lennon’s famous song. Every year, over 60,000 tourists stop by the iconic gates but were never allowed inside to visit the famous grounds. The Salvation Army plans to change that with a new visitor center anticipated to open in 2020.

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New Beatles statue in Liverpool

It’s hard to believe that there has never been a traditional permanent statue of The Beatles erected – until now! The new statue of The Fab Four was unveiled on Friday, December 4, 2015 at Liverpool’s Pier Head.

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The bronze statue depicting all four Beatles in suits, topcoats and Beatle boots, circa 1963 reminiscent of their Live at the BBC album cover photo, was unveiled by John Lennon’s sister, Julia Baird, and Liverpool Deputy Mayor Ann O’Byrne. According to The Liverpool Echo, the statue weighs approximately 1.3 tons and was sculpted by artist Andrew Edwards.

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The faces look extremely lifelike and the statues are a few feet taller than the real thing, causing most people to reach only the shoulder height of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr for photo purposes. John and Paul are placed slightly ahead of George and Ringo as they appear to be walking down the street together. The statue was presented to the city by the Merseybeat venue the Beatles helped to make famous, The Cavern Club.

The statue unveiling marks 50 years since The Beatles final show in Liverpool at the Empire Theatre on December 5, 1965. Sculptor Andy Edwards told the BBC that he hopes his statue will become “a place of ritual” for people to come together.

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“The statue stands in loving memory of the best band in the world – the band that leapt from The Cavern stage to worldwide recognition,” Julia Baird said.

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Update: In 2018, Paul McCartney visited The Beatles statues with James Corden.

PaulMcCartney with his Liverpool statue

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Review: An ex-Beatle in Bermuda: New book documents John Lennon’s historic visit

lennonbermudaEverything you ever wanted to know about John Lennon’s historic visit to the island of Bermuda during the Summer of 1980 is documented in the new book, “Lennon Bermuda” by Scott Neil. The striking illustration of Lennon on the cover is an example of the quality material you will find inside the book. The 120-page paperback is beautifully illustrated by Graham Foster, the artist and sculptor who designed the “Double Fantasy” sculpture unveiled in the Bermuda Botanical Gardens in June 2012 as a tribute to John Lennon.

[See photos of the “Double Fantasy” sculpture in Bermuda]

What “Lennon Bermuda” lacks in photographs, it makes up for in vividly-detailed descriptions and interviews with people who met and interacted with John Lennon during his visit. Author Scott Neil takes the reader on the journey with Lennon so that you feel that you are there with him from start to finish. Neil interviewed people who encountered Lennon every step of the way on his trip: from his small crew on the 43-foot Megan Jaye sailboat, to the realtor who found John a place to stay on the island, to local journalists who met Lennon while hanging out one night at the disco.

Bermuda represents such a significant time in John Lennon’s life since many songs on his last album, Double Fantasy, were written or completed during his two-month stay there. The name of the album was even influenced by Lennon’s trip when he saw the Double Fantasy freesia flower in the Bermuda Botanical Gardens.

With Yoko Ono’s cooperation, a most touching photo of John and Sean Lennon in Bermuda is featured in the book. John had the photo taken for a painting he commissioned in Bermuda so that he could present the painting to Yoko. The painting now hangs in the Dakota.

If you are interested in delving into these fascinating two months of John Lennon’s life, “Lennon Bermuda” is a treasure. The book is available separately or as part of a box set that comes with a 2-disc CD featuring musicians from Bermuda and around the world singing Lennon’s songs. The “Lennon Bermuda” book and limited edition box set are available at www.doublefantasybermuda.com

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Beatles tourism to increase with help from 2012 Olympics

With the 2012 Olympics coming to London this summer, tourism is expected to increase all across the UK. This increase is expected in areas like Liverpool and its many Beatles locations.

Marketing research data shows that the Olympics can increase tourism for up to 10 years for the host city following the event, as it did in Sydney, Australia following the 2000 games. This “legacy” effect is projected to be felt in the UK for the post-Olympic games period, especially from 2013-2017.

In addition to the Olympics, The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool is anticipating increased attendance beginning in 2012 due to 50th anniversary celebrations of The Beatles. On April 4, 2012, Camilla, HRH the Duchess of Cornwall, visited The Beatles Story in Liverpool to unveil a special plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of the formation of The Beatles.

Have you made your pilgrimage to the Beatles’ Liverpool yet? Take your own virtual magical mystery tour by clicking here to see a great slideshow of famous Beatles sites in Liverpool featuring Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, The Beatles’ childhood homes and more!

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New Abbey Road Beatles photo exhibit opens in London

August 8, 1969 – an important day to Beatles fans around the world. It was the day that the photo shoot for the famous Abbey Road cover took place. The photographer was Iain MacMillan, the setting was in front of Abbey Road Studios in London, and the subjects were John, Paul, George and Ringo.

As simple a cover as it was, the visual image has left an indelible mark on Beatles fans from generation to generation, with thousands visiting the site every year. Fans gather in front of Abbey Road Studios waiting to make their way across the Abbey Road crosswalk made famous by The Fab Four. 

Another ingenious idea thought up by The Beatles? Well, it wasn’t intended that way.
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As Ringo Starr revealed in an interview in 2008 on HBO’s Off the Record, the idea for the Abbey Road cover came about as a last resort.
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“The Beatles, we always sat around the studio with these big ideas… we’re going to do the cover and we’re going to go to Egypt, or we’re going into some volcano. We’re going to do this big thing, and then, ‘Oh, sod it, let’s just walk across the road.’  And that’s what we did!
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“We always came up with these big ideas — get in a plane, pack a bag… oh, God, let’s just walk over there. And it’s like, ‘Oh, look at what they thought of.'”
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A small exhibit of the original six photos shot for the cover are featured in a new exhibit at Snap Galleries in London. Beatles and Bystanders: The Abbey Road sessions will be on display through May 28, 2011, and the complete set of six photos is available for purchase.
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Snap Galleries has also posted an online catalog showing the photos. The photos are analyzed revealing some mystery bystanders who appear in the series of photographs.
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For more information, visit Snap Galleries official website.
–Trina Yannicos
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