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10.52pm
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1 May 2011
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This looks so good ive ordered it from asda which is selling it for £12 (less than half price), its a load of letters and correspondents from John throughout his life. Sounds fascinating.
The MMT dvd box set will wait till christmas, its only 2 months away, ive recently seen the film and can watch the bonus features when theyre uploaded on youtube in 3 days time. I might even see if folks are willing to do what happened with the stereo and mono boxes.
And i’ll rob a bank for the vinyl thats coming out. People hate banks at the moment so i doubt the sentence will be that long.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
12.58am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Got this in the post today and its gorgeous. Nearly 300 letters or notes and it gives a fascinating rarely seen glimpse of John and some of the pics are lovely. Heartbreaking to see one of the last autographs John gave but there are a ton of other things as well. Will be a delight to read thru it.
Spent far too much money on beatles things lately after being so good before.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
4.03am
25 September 2012
Offline meanmistermustard said
Spent far too much money on beatles things lately after being so good before.
Haha too much? I know that feeling….I need more books though and I think that this will be my next purchase. Would you suggest it?
11.45am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Definately. Have only gotten to the first chapter, there is a bit of background to how and why the book exists and a brief, but interesting, bio of John and his family up til 1960 when the letters become more frequent and available to collect, but its the first book in a while i really want to keep reading.
Should add that by letters the author Hunter Davies (he who wrote the ’68 official beatles biography) has been generic and has used it to mean memos, notes etc but there 285 along with many of Johns doodlings and you do get to see the originals along with background details, context etc.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
11.35am
3 May 2012
Offline Sounds good. Something else to go on the Christmas list.
Moving along in our God given ways, safety is sat by the fire/Sanctuary from these feverish smiles, left with a mark on the door.
(Passover - I. Curtis)
6.38pm
14 October 2012
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Has anyone got hold of it yet?
I spent about 3 hours in a bookshop reading it the other day, and I was fascinated. There were so many sides to him. I think his letters to Cyn are lovely (his drawings are so cute!) and some of them reflect his please-don’t-leave-me insecurities which are evident in his songs.
Its also very interesting to see John’s letters to/about Stu as well, as the magazines he made as kid and the funny wordplays he used in letters throughout his life .
But some of the letters to/about Paul/Linda are so bitter and angry, and downright unreasonable (“You want to meet up without Linda and Yoko? I thought that you would understand that I am JohnandYoko!”- I paraphrased that a bit, as I don’t have the book with me), and the things he says about how much he didn’t like touring and that the Beatles were all fake…it makes me really sad. If Lennon himself said all these things about the Beatles and to Paul, where does that leave us?
Does anybody else have any thoughts?
"I don't think we were actually swimming, as it were, with shirts on, 'cos we always wear overcoats when we're swimming,"-
George Harrison, Australia, June 1964
6.35pm
3 May 2012
Offline I´ve got it and although it´s an enjoyable read – very, it´s also sad reading some of the letters, including one to Stu and almost all of the ones written to Paul. I am proceding with care because as much as I love John, I´m worried that my view of him will change slightly after finishing the book, and I don´t want that to happen. I know he was an amazing man, a genius, but I don´t know…. there were many sides to him, I think. Loving it though, the best documented, researched and compiled books I have ever read.
Moving along in our God given ways, safety is sat by the fire/Sanctuary from these feverish smiles, left with a mark on the door.
(Passover - I. Curtis)
1.48am
Reviewers
17 December 2012
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Isn’t it about the love affair that went wrong? One saying everything was great and feeling the hurt, the other saying everything was wrong and feeling the hurt? John was always hitting out when he found it difficult to express his love and loss, and fear of loss. Only problem to me with the book is that it just gives one side of the conversation. It’d be nice to see the letters he was responding to in many cases. Especially the Paul letters and the letters from family members.
"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
2.22pm
12 November 2012
Offline The letters that he wrote to Cynthia were so cute, especially the Christmas card from 1958. I wish the book had more letters that he wrote to her.
"The world is a very serious and, at times, very sad place - but at other times it is all such a joke."-George Harrison
2.38pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline fabfouremily said
I´ve got it and although it´s an enjoyable read – very, it´s also sad reading some of the letters, including one to Stu and almost all of the ones written to Paul. I am proceding with care because as much as I love John, I´m worried that my view of him will change slightly after finishing the book, and I don´t want that to happen. I know he was an amazing man, a genius, but I don´t know…. there were many sides to him, I think. Loving it though, the best documented, researched and compiled books I have ever read.
Trouble with the Lennon McCartney exchanges have to be put into context. Found this interesting with both sides of the argument
"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
4.54pm
14 October 2012
Offline Trouble with the Lennon McCartney exchanges have to be put into context. Found this interesting with both sides of the argument
http://www.beatlesinterviews.o…..atles.html
I think there’s a draft of that letter in the Lennon Letters…I think its so sad that they were like that with each other. I feel worse for Paul because the things John says about him- in that letter, in interviews and in How Do You Sleep- are awful, like having acid chucked at you. I feel angry that John wouldn’t empathise with Paul, but then again he must’ve felt pretty betrayed when Paul sued him, George and Ringo.
Its so sad that such a wonderful friendship ended so bitterly 
"I don't think we were actually swimming, as it were, with shirts on, 'cos we always wear overcoats when we're swimming,"-
George Harrison, Australia, June 1964
5.55pm
Reviewers
29 November 2012
Offline 
^they had actually reconciled quite a lot and there were several aborted attempts at working together on something, anything, up until John’s death (all of which were thwarted by Yoko). Still, the fact that there wasn’t any true closure between he and Paul before his death is the truly sad thing.
"I know you, you know me; one thing I can tell you is you got to be free!"
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8.33am
3 May 2012
Offline This is slighty off-topic, sorry.
One of the things that upsets me most about the whole Beatles story etc. is that John never returned to Liverpool, the fact that he fell out with Paul saddends me too but he never returned home and that little fact seems overlooked sometimes. It´s like his years in England were now just a chapter in his life that he didn´t want to return to (at least for a little while) and I don´t like to think of them as just that.
Apologies, I´m rambling a bit.
Moving along in our God given ways, safety is sat by the fire/Sanctuary from these feverish smiles, left with a mark on the door.
(Passover - I. Curtis)
2.02pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline I dont think John didnt want return to England, more he liked life in America as he could get about with very little hassle from ordinary folk, only having to give an autograph occassionally, say hi or pose for a quick picture. Obviously the US Authorities tried to boot John out and thats why he couldnt return – fear of never getting back in – and then Sean was born. Tho if he went to Japan why not England?
I believe the stories that he was coming back in ’81 more than the stories of getting on the road and doing She Loves You , mainly because Mimi was over here. I hate thinking of that, that he had so many plans and never got to carry them thru. S**t time was December 8th and 1 crazy a*****e with a gun.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
3.00pm
Reviewers
29 November 2012
Offline He also was very angry at the UK for how the public and press treated Yoko (rightfully so, IMO, but still…)
"I know you, you know me; one thing I can tell you is you got to be free!"
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3.49pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Didnt the US press also treat them crapply? Probably wrong but i have a memory of John saying how great it was being in Canada as they both got such a great reception from the press – that would have been in ’69 around the time of the Bed Ins.
Actually thinking about it John might not have gotten in because of the ’68 drug bust and thats why he didnt go to the US. Tho maybe the press still gave him hassle. But then how did they get in in the early 70’s? Uck – its all scrambled in my head – I DONT KNOW!!!
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
5.43pm
Reviewers
29 November 2012
Offline Well, yes, the US press wasn’t much better, but he did say many times that it was the UK press’s “fault” they started doing heroin (which I think is a bunch of BS) and why they left Britain. And you’re right about the Canada thing, especially becase the US authorities delayed on letting him for the ’68 bust.
"I know you, you know me; one thing I can tell you is you got to be free!"
Please Visit My Website, The Rock and Roll Chemist
Twitter: @rocknrollchem
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6.36pm
8 November 2012
Offline DrBeatle said
he did say many times that it was the UK press’s “fault” they started doing heroin (which I think is a bunch of BS)
Wait , what? Any links? That’s amazing.
parlance
7.48pm
1 November 2012
Offline Didn’t John have a favorite aunt he loved and he visited like every year (or even more often)? I remember seeing her interviewed and she said John would visit her and confide all his feelings to her and act like a little boy around her (like she was his “true mother”). I believe she lived (and maybe still lives) in England somewhere…?
Faded flowers, wait in a jar, till the evening is complete... complete... complete... complete...
8.03pm
Reviewers
29 November 2012
Offline Funny Paper said
Didn’t John have a favorite aunt he loved and he visited like every year (or even more often)? I remember seeing her interviewed and she said John would visit her and confide all his feelings to her and act like a little boy around her (like she was his “true mother”). I believe she lived (and maybe still lives) in England somewhere…?
All of his aunt’s are dead far as I know, but this might be his aunt Mater who lived in Scotland? (His cousing Stanley Parkes’ mum). She was one of Julia and Mimi’s sister and I know he was super close with her and her husband (they ended up raising his two half-sisters after his mum died)
"I know you, you know me; one thing I can tell you is you got to be free!"
Please Visit My Website, The Rock and Roll Chemist
Twitter: @rocknrollchem
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