Old UK

Rare and Unseen Photographs Taken From the Archives of The Beatles Book

admin September 10, 2024

Throughout The Beatles’ career, official magazine The Beatles Book captured their development from British pop fledglings to international megastars. Photographer Leslie Bryce travelled the world with the band and supplied shots for the 77 editions of the monthly magazine . The photographs of the Fab Four were taken from 1963 to 1968 for the magazine but they never made it into print. There were far too many pictures to print at the time. Now the best are in a book taking its title from the Beatles song I’m Looking Through You.
Looking Through You is published by Omnibus Press, £39.95.

Odeon Theatre, Hammersmith, London, December 21, 1964. George checks his equipment on the first day of rehearsals for the seasonal run which opened on December 25 and ran until January 16, 1965.

EMI Studios, London, April 14, 1966. One of the guitars John used on the ‘Paperback Writer’ session was this orange Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins Nashville model which he generously gave to his cousin David Birch the following year. The guitar, which came up for auction in 2014 but failed to reach its reserve price, was subsequently sold privately for $530,000.

Ringo up a tree, at home in Weybridge, Surrey on May 31, 1966.

The band chilling out on Greet Street in London a few days after John Lennon’s birthday in October 1963.

The Beatles with stunt doubles hired to handle the trickier, more dangerous parts of their ‘Ticket To Ride’ ski video.

Ringo doing his thing at Wolverhampton’s Gaumont Cinema, November 19, 1963.

Lennon’s listening to a pre-release test pressing of the ‘Twist And Shout’ EP on a portable record player that travelled with the group on tour here.

George relaxing with some fan mail and a cigarette backstage before a show in Margate in July 1963.

John and Julian Lennon at home in Weybridge, 1967.

Margate, July 8-13,1963. The Beatles kill time between performances gazing at their reflections for a Leslie Bryce-arranged pose.

John and George enjoying an intimate moment over a glass of milk.

The Beatles

ABC TV Studios, Teddington, July 11, 1964. Paul attends to Dusty Springfield’s elaborate hair-do backstage at top-rated Saturday teatime variety show Thank Your Lucky Stars.

Scala Theatre, London, March 1964. Shooting the climactic television concert sequence for A Hard Day’s Night which included ‘Tell Me Why’, ‘If I Fell’, ‘I Should Have Known Better’ (featuring John on harmonica), ‘You Can’t Do That’ (which was cut from the finished film) and ‘She Loves You’.

Circus-Krone-Bau, Munich, Germany, June 24, 1966. With only the briefest of rehearsals in their hotel suite, it was painfully obvious to those who cared to listen that The Beatles were out-of-shape as a live band for their final world tour, evidenced by lacklustre playing, forgotten lyrics and often out-of-tune performances. Much to George’s amusement, John reminds a forgetful Paul of the opening lyric to ‘I’m Down’ at the finale of the evening Munich show.

EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London. November 3, 1965.. A panoramic view of The Beatles at work in Studio 2 during the recording of ‘Michelle’ for Rubber Soul.