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1964

Eyes of the Storm

ebook
6 of 6 copies available
6 of 6 copies available

"Millions of eyes were suddenly upon us, creating a picture I will never forget." —Paul McCartney

Taken with a 35mm camera by Paul McCartney, these largely unseen photographs capture the explosive period, from the end of 1963 through early 1964, in which The Beatles became an international sensation and changed the course of music history. Featuring 275 images from the six cities—Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami—of these legendary months, 1964: Eyes of the Storm also includes:

• A personal foreword in which McCartney recalls the pandemonium of British concert halls, followed by the hysteria that greeted the band on its first American visit

• Candid recollections preceding each city portfolio that form an autobiographical account of the period McCartney remembers as the "Eyes of the Storm," plus a coda with subsequent events in 1964

• "Beatleland," an essay by Harvard historian and New Yorker essayist Jill Lepore, describing how The Beatles became the first truly global mass culture phenomenon

Handsomely designed, 1964: Eyes of the Storm creates an intensely dramatic record of The Beatles' first transatlantic trip, documenting the radical shift in youth culture that crystallized in 1964.

"You could hold your camera up to the world, in 1964. But what madness would you capture, what beauty, what joy, what fury?" —Jill Lepore

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    • Library Journal

      Starred review from June 1, 2023

      McCartney opens his personal photo archive to reveal mostly unseen images of the Beatles from the end of 1963 through early 1964, marking the 60th anniversary of the band becoming a global mass-culture phenomenon. The book showcases photos from McCartney's insider perspective, but it also looks out at what was happening around him at the time and offers personal reflections. Bookending explanatory notes by historian Jill Lepore and Rosie Broadley of London's National Portrait Gallery provide a deeper understanding of the culture and era. The content and the context render the results extraordinary. Technology also plays a major role in this collection. Numerous fantastic images appear digitally enlarged, from printed contact sheets rather than negatives. This project is mindful of Ringo Starr's 2013 Photograph, which was similar in concept with candid photos and recollections by the artist. Unlike Starr, however, McCartney focuses primarily on a single year. Readers will likely hope he continues with subsequent volumes covering the Beatles and beyond. VERDICT This beautiful art book serves as a most welcome companion to Beatles scholarship and 1960s culture in general.--Gregory Stall

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from June 1, 2023
      A luminous photographic record of the dawn of Beatlemania. Now 80, McCartney has been working at a breakneck clip to get the record straight, as witness the Peter Jackson-restored and revisionist documentary Get Back. Against that careful campaign, this collection is something of an accident, McCartney writes, representing the discovery of 1,000 photos he had taken in 1964. "I'm not trying to claim to be a master," he writes, "only an enthusiastic photographer who happened to be in the right place at the right time." Humility aside, Sir Paul proves a fine documentarian of the chaotic scene around him. Some of the countless highlights include a color image of George Harrison, finally at rest in Miami after the hectic tour that introduced them to America via the Ed Sullivan Show, against the backdrop of an anonymous (and headless) swimsuit-clad woman and looking far too young to be holding the cigarette and drink in hand; "a rare picture of John in his glasses," as McCartney writes, with Lennon looking more like a college quiz kid than a rock star, a weary-looking Ringo next to him; photos of fans of many ethnicities (as is now well known, the Beatles would not play a segregated room) and ages awaiting the arrival of the band, whose spirit-lifting tour occurred soon after John F. Kennedy's assassination, leading McCartney to comment in a charged aside, "To this day, I am very happy that Britain doesn't have the gun culture that exists in the U.S." The ancillary texts are scene-setting but less interesting than McCartney's own writing, including the introduction by noted historian Jill Lepore, who does a solid if dutiful job of placing the Beatles' 1964 experiences in the larger context of the world around them. The book includes a timeline and notes about each photo. Sir Paul knows his way around just about every artistic medium, and these photographs are a must for Beatles fans.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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