McCartney & Wings - One Hand Clapping - It's Official + Pack Shots

Six days after the news mistakenly slipped out, Paul McCartney has officially announced the release of audio from the 1974 live studio performance called One Hand Clapping. Pre-orders are now available for the LP and CD plus a range of associated merch and bundles. And we get a look at pack shots of what’s included (but no video announcement of same….). Here’s the 2LP plus 7″ vinyl, which is…

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McCartney & Wings - One Hand Clapping Live Studio Sessions from 1974 Newly Mixed

Seems someone at Universal Music Canada hit the “Publish” button a little early on a press release about a hitherto unknown June release from Paul McCartney. It reads: The wait is over: With the June 14 release of One Hand Clapping, one of the most bootlegged live albums in musical history will finally receive a proper release. In August 1974, when Band on the Run was enjoying a seven-week…

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It’s Been a Long and Winding Road to the Let It Be Film, but….. After a five year wait since Apple first promised to re-release this film, the teaser above appeared on various social media over the last couple of days. What was it all about? All the details can now be found on the official Beatles website. As someone who last saw this movie in full at the cinema in 1970, I’m genuinely keen to…

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Paul McCartney - CHOBA B CCCP - Two Editions (How to distinguish them, what needs to be checked)

Last post we looked at how to go about identifying an unusual Australian pressing of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This type of id task comes up all the time when collecting Beatle and solo discs. Exactly which pressing do I have, and what are the key things to look out for? One of the big collectables with a range of variations is original pressings of Paul McCartney’s CHOBA B CCCP. So…

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Sgt. Pepper Label Anomaly

The subtitle of this blog is “Adventures in Collecting Beatles Music” and so we often get people inquiring about rare (or not-so-rare) pressings that they’ve come across out in the wild. Like this one earlier this week from a reader named D-Wizz who is based in Brisbane, Australia: I refer to the attached photos which are both sides of the same record. I note that the font used for each label…

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Paul McCartney's Lost Höfner Bass

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you are probably aware by now that Paul’s 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar, which was stolen in 1972, has been…. In September last year we reported on a concerted new effort to trace the missing instrument – and it seems that the case has well and truly been solved. In fact, the bass is already back in the hands of its original owner – Paul McCartney. Check…

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A Rainbow of McCartney III LPs!

If you don’t believe there are collectors out there intent on having every single variation, then think again: This is a photograph from the collection of one of our readers and contributors – Guy from the USA. Guy has managed to secure no less than 16 different McCartney III colour variants, and 10 different McCartney III Imagined double LPs. You can check them off against our two guides to…

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Heaps of RSD 2024 Titles for Beatle Fans and Collectors

Apologies, but we’re a little slow of the mark with the Record Store Day 2024 news from last week. However, it has given us a bit more time to research and hopefully provide a few more details – so here goes. First up, from Apple Records is another unique format first for The Beatles. It is a tiny The Beatles Limited Edition RSD3 Turntable, featuring a Beatle-branded dustcover and turntable…

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More Dark Horse News

Regular readers will know that we like to keep up with news about the Dark Horse label – the Beatle-related record company started by George Harrison, but now run by his son Dhani. The revitalised label signed a distribution deal with BMG and has been slowly re-releasing in physical form some of the original Dark Horse titles. It’s also embarked on an eclectic series of reissues and new titles…

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Congratulations on Grammy Win, and Good Luck for the Oscars

The Beatles have won a Grammy in the 66th annual awards ceremony. It was for Best Music Video for the song ‘I’m Only Sleeping’, the film clip made to promote last year’s re-issue of the Revolver album. The award went to Em Cooper, video director, and Jonathan Clyde, Sophie Hilton, Sue Loughlin and Laura Thomas, video producers. Artist and director Em Cooper explored the space between dreaming…

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Weird Sgt. Pepper "Radio Station Promo" - Anyone Seen It Before?

One of our readers has been in touch asking about how to get a valuation on a very unusual promo copy of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. They write: “I have a radio station promo copy of Sgt. Pepper I won from them in a contest in 1967. Black/white label, songs in a different order from the released album. Etched serial numbers are SS10077-01A and SS10077-01B. Have you any suggestions for…

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New Dark Horse Title is an Unusual Choice but a Great Album

From Olivia Harrison’s socials: Nina Simone is recognised as one of the most authentic and captivating artists of our time. She recorded some of George’s songs with powerful conviction. We are privileged to have this album on the Dark Horse label. – Olivia“Nina Simone’s music has always held a special place in the hearts of my family. Her unique talent and profound artistry not only resonated…

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Official Beatle Podcast - The Beatles' Legacy - Red & Blue

Just in time for some holiday listening The Beatles have quietly launched a new official 6-part podcast celebrating the legacy of the band. Written, produced and presented by someone close to the band, music historian Kevin Howlett, it features interviews with John, Paul, George and Ringo, as well as many other musicians and producers including George and Giles Martin, Dave Grohl and Mark…

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A Happy Crimble and a Very New Year!

Thank you for following us all year. Here’s hoping you have a very happy festive season, and we will see you again next year!

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Collecting 'Now and Then' - and beyond....

There’s no doubt about it. It has been a busy couple of weeks for collectors and completists in the Beatle community! Not only have we had the release of the new/last Beatle single, ‘Now and Then’, but also a newly expanded Beatles 1962-1966 [Red] and Beatles 1967-1970 [Blue] in double CD and triple LP form. One of our readers (Guy in the USA) prides himself on securing every possible…

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Country Life Magazine - George Harrison's Garden

UK magazine Country Life has this month published a very interesting story about the topiary gardens of George and Olivia Harrison’s famous Henley-on-Thames estate, Friar Park. We’re all used to seeing the occasional photograph showing glimpses of Friar Park – the mansion, extensive grounds and amazing gardens that George purchased in 1970. The most famous would have to be this album cover: So…

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George Harrison's Historic House "Friar Park" - New Book

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had an interest in the homes of the Beatles. Not a snooping, voyeuristic interest – but more of an architectural one because they (especially John and George) have lived in some very interesting buildings over the years. That’s why our interest was sparked when we got a press release this week from a company called The Campfire Network advertising a new…

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