The Beatles- Tell Me What You See
Page 6
00-01-96 – Promo Video
Real Love
Not creating quite the same publicity as the previous single, perhaps because John Lennon’s original demo had already been released on the ‘Imagine: John Lennon’ movie soundtrack in 1988, the accompanying video is more straight-forward than the one for ‘Free As A Bird’, featuring shots of the mid-‘90s ‘Threetles’ with archive John Lennon footage. There are two slightly different edits for this video, as, upon discovering that there are quite a few shots of Yoko included, they edited in brief clips of the other Beatles’ wives too. Getting to No. 4 in the UK and No. 11 in the USA, the video was shown on ‘Top Of The Pops’ on 14-03-96, and is on both ‘Anthology’ and ‘1+’.
1999/1968 – Promo Video
Hey Bulldog
To promote the 1999 ‘Yellow Submarine Songtrack’ album, Apple came up with something very special indeed. As mentioned in the 00-02-68 entry, on 11-02-68, when The Beatles made a video to promote ‘Lady Madonna’, they were actually seen (but not heard) working on ‘Hey Bulldog’. Now, a mere 31 years later, fans finally got the chance to see the footage with the correct soundtrack. The video can be found on ‘1+’.
2000/1963 – Promo Video
She Loves You
The first of 3 videos especially made to promote the ‘1’ CD release in 2000, this video simply features footage of girls screaming.
2000/1964 – Promo Video #3
I Feel Fine
Also to promote the ‘1’ CD, a couple of animated ‘flash’ videos were made, though this one was wisely passed over for the 1965 videos when the ‘1+’ DVD was compiled 15 years later.
2000/1969 – Promo Video
Come Together
Another ‘flash’ video from 2000, this didn’t look all that great even then, and looked more unimpressive when it was included on the ‘1+’ DVD.
2003/1969 – Promo Videos #2 and #3
Get Back
More newly created videos were made in 2003, this time to promote the ‘Let It Be… Naked’ album. Utilising January 1969 footage from both Twickenham and Apple studios, 2 similar videos were made for ‘Get Back’, with one of those later released on ‘1+’.
2003/1969 – Promo Video #2
Don’t Let Me Down
Another ‘new’ video, this uses Apple rooftop outtakes, rather than the studio/rooftop mix on the original 1969 video for the song.
2003/1969 – Promo Video
Two Of Us
For ‘Two Of Us’, a different approach was used, as this features the studio performance (as seen in ‘Let It Be’) converted to black and white, with coloured animated drawings in the background.
2007/1966/1967 – Promo Video
Within and Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows
To promote the controversial ‘Love’ album of remixes, just this one video was made. It uses clips from the Rain’, ‘Penny Lane’, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and ‘Hello Goodbye’ videos, ‘I Am the Walrus’ and ‘Blue Jay Way’ from ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, and ‘All You Need Is Love’ from ‘Our World’. All very clever, but the end result is as disorientating as the music on the album. The video can be seen on ‘1+’.
2013/1963 – Promo Video
Words Of Love
To promote the ‘On Air – Live At The BBC Vol. 2’ collection, a rather good video combining Beatles footage and animation was made. This is on ‘1+’.
2015/1964 – Promo Video
Eight Days A Week
The only ever TV performance of ‘Eight Days A Week’ is long lost (see the 03-04-65 entry so a new video, featuring a compilation of clips from the 1965 Shea Stadium concert, was made for the ‘1+’ DVD.
2015/1966 – Promo Video
Yellow Submarine
Another video that was made especially for the ‘1+’ DVD, this is compiled from clips of the movie of the same name.
2016/1968 – Promo Video
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Created to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil's ‘Love’ theatrical show, this video features footage of a dancer (presumably from the show), combined with animation. It has little to do with The Beatles, but does nicely compliment the acoustic-version-with-strings soundtrack, the highlight of the ‘Love’ album.
2018/1968 – Promo Video #2
Back In The U.S.S.R.
The first of two videos for the late 2018 expanded reissue of ‘The White Album’, this features brief Beatles footage along with random clips of Russian-themed scenes, all semi-animated and with the lyrics to the song.
2018/1968 – Promo Video
Glass Onion
For this video, the free poster that came with ‘The White Album’ is very cleverly brought to life, and is one of the more worthy ‘new’ Beatles videos from recent years.
‘THE BEATLES’ CARTOONS SERIES
Although largely unknown in the UK, from September 1965 until October 1967, a series of 39 (or 78, as each 18-minute episode featured 2 distinct stories) animated cartoons were shown on US TV. Simply called ‘The Beatles’, there was much to criticise: The Beatles’ voices (voiced by actors) were terrible, so much so that Brian Epstein refused to allow it to be broadcast in their homeland; they wore circa ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ era suits and hairstyles throughout, despite the music eventually going into the early psychedelic era; and The Beatles’ characters were clichéd and one-dimensional. All of this was despite the cartoons being Produced by Al Brodax and Directed by George Dunning, the same people who were later involved in the far superior ‘Yellow Submarine’ feature film. Yet, the series proved to be influential, with later cartoon series on groups (real and fictional) such as ‘The Archie Show’, ‘The Jackson 5ive’ and ‘The Osmonds’ owing it a large debt, and where else can ‘The Beatles’ be seen performing such songs as ‘Not A Second Time’, ‘Any Time At All’, ‘What You’re Doing’, ‘The Word’ and even ‘Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand’ and ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’? Unfortunately, the chances of any official releases are slim; despite John later saying how much he enjoyed re-runs of the show, every episode was bought by Apple in the ‘90s, and it hasn’t been screened anywhere since.
1. A Hard Day's Night / I Want To Hold Your Hand (Sing-A-Longs: Not A Second Time / Devil In Her Heart)
2. Do You Want To Know A Secret / If I Fell (Sing-A-Longs: A Hard Day's Night / I Want To Hold Your Hand)
3. Please Mr. Postman / Devil In Her Heart (Sing-A-Longs: If I Fell / Do You Want To Know A Secret)
4. Not A Second Time / Slow Down (Sing-A-Longs: Baby's In Black / Misery)
5. Baby's In Black / Misery (Sing-A-Longs: I'll Get You / Chains)
6. You've Really Got A Hold On Me / Chains (Sing-A-Longs: Slow Down / Honey Don't)
7. I'll Get You / Honey Don't (Sing-A-Longs: You've Really Got A Hold On Me / Any Time At All)
8. Any Time At All / Twist and Shout (Sing-A-Longs: I'll Be Back / Little Child)
9. Little Child / I'll Be Back (Sing-A-Longs: Long Tall Sally / Twist and Shout)
10. Long Tall Sally / I'll Cry Instead (Sing-A-Longs: I'll Follow The Sun / When I Get Home)
11. I'll Follow the Sun / When I Get Home (Sing-A-Longs: I'll Cry Instead / Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby)
12. Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby / I Should Have Known Better (Sing-A-Longs: I'm A Loser / I Wanna Be Your Man)
13. I'm A Loser / I Wanna Be Your Man (Sing-A-Longs: No Reply / I'm Happy Just To Dance With You)
14. Don't Bother Me / No Reply (Sing-A-Longs: It Won't Be Long / I Should Have Known Better)
15. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You / Mr. Moonlight (Sing-A-Longs: Don't Bother Me / Can't Buy Me Love)
16. Can't Buy Me Love / It Won't Be Long (Sing-A-Longs: Anna (Go to Him) / Mr. Moonlight)
17. Anna (Go To Him) / I Don't Want To Spoil The Party (Sing-A-Longs: Matchbox / Thank You Girl)
18. Matchbox / Thank You Girl (Sing-A-Longs: I Don't Want To Spoil The Party / Help!)
19. From Me
To You / Boys (Sing-A-Longs: Please Mr. Postman / I Saw Her Standing There)
20. Dizzy Miss Lizzy / I Saw Her Standing There (Sing-A-Longs: Ticket To Ride / From Me To You)
21. What You're Doing / Money (Sing-A-Longs: Dizzy Miss Lizzy / All My Loving)
22. Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand / She Loves You (Sing-A-Longs: Bad Boy / Tell Me Why)
23. Bad Boy / Tell Me Why (Sing-A-Longs: Please Please Me / Hold Me Tight)
24. I Feel Fine / Hold Me Tight (Sing-A-Longs: What You're Doing / There's A Place)
25. Please Please Me / There's A Place (Sing-A-Longs: Roll Over Beethoven / Rock And Roll Music)
26. Roll Over Beethoven / Rock and Roll Music (Sing-A-Longs: I Feel Fine / She Loves You)
27. Eight Days A Week / I'm Looking Through You (Sing-A-Longs: Run For Your Life / Girl)
28. Help! / We Can Work It Out (Sing-A-Longs: The Night Before / Day Tripper)
29. I'm Down / Run For Your Life (Sing-A-Longs: Eight Days A Week / Paperback Writer)
30. Drive My Car / Tell Me What You See (Sing-A-Longs: Yesterday / We Can Work It Out)
31. I Call Your Name / The Word (Sing-A-Longs: She's a Woman / Wait)
32. All My Loving / Day Tripper (Sing-A-Longs: I'm Looking Through You / Nowhere Man)
33. Nowhere Man / Paperback Writer (Sing-A-Longs: And I Love Her / Michelle)
34. Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields (Sing-A-Longs: Good Day Sunshine / Rain)
35. And Your Bird Can Sing / Got To Get You Into My Life (Sing-A-Longs: Penny Lane / Eleanor Rigby)
36. Good Day Sunshine / Ticket To Ride (Sing-A-Longs: Strawberry Fields Forever / And Your Bird Can Sing)
37. Taxman / Eleanor Rigby (Sing-A-Longs: Got To Get You Into My Life / Here, There and Everywhere)
38. Tomorrow Never Knows / I've Just Seen a Face (Sing-A-Longs: She Said She Said / Long Tall Sally [repeat from episode #9])
39. Wait / I'm Only Sleeping (Sing-A-Longs: Penny Lane / Eleanor Rigby [both songs are repeats from episode #35])
JOHN LENNON
11-12-68 – ‘The Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus’ (UK)
Yer Blues (2 takes) / Whole Lotta Yoko [Performed by Yoko Ono]
Although John had done solo TV and film projects previously (most notably a couple of appearances in ‘Not Only… But Also’ and the ‘How I Won The War’ movie), this was the first time he’d sung and played for TV with a band other than The Beatles. Backed by a one-off super-group featuring Eric Clapton on guitar, Keith Richards on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums, they perform a storming version of The White album’s ‘Yer Blues’, plus, joined by Ivry Gitlis on violin, a far less essential jam that was later dubbed ‘Whole Lotta Yoko’. Unfortunately, for a variety of alleged reasons, this TV Special wasn’t shown at the time, though it finally got an official VHS release in 1996, later followed by a DVD. The version of ‘Yer Blues’ in the finished film is actually the first of 3 takes. The 2nd take only circulates on audio, but the 3rd is available on the DVD as a bonus track. Other acts on this TV special, as well as hosts The Rolling Stones, are The Who (whom probably out-performed everyone), Marianne Faithfull, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal and Julius Katchen, though the latter isn’t in the finished version, only appearing on the DVD as a bonus track.
00-03-69 – ‘Rape (Film No. 6)’ Movie (UK)
Everybody Had A Hard Year
During 1968 – 1971, John and Yoko made a series of experimental films. Most of these are tedious in the extreme, but one of the more interesting is 1969’s ‘Rape (Film No. 6)’, not least for this short cameo of John and Yoko after the closing credits. Filmed in the garden in Weybridge the day after ‘The Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus’ was taped, ‘Everybody Had a Hard Year’ was later incorporated into Paul’s ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’, making a far more interesting song. This clip is also on the ‘Lennon Legend’ DVD.
00-07-69 – Promo Video
Give Peace A Chance
John and Yoko, in addition to making arty films, did a series of peace events during 1969 – 1972, with their May-June 1969 ‘Bed-In’ event in Montreal being the most famous. It was during this that John both wrote and recorded (in bed) ‘Give Peace A Chance’. Released under the name ‘The Plastic Ono Band’, like many of John and Yoko’s records in this period, the single got to No. 2 in the UK and No. 14 in the USA. Initially released in two slightly different edits, the video was shown on ‘Top Of The Pops’ on 10-07-69 and 24-07-69, and later issued on the 1992 ‘The John Lennon Video Collection’ VHS release. For 2003’s ‘Lennon Legend – The Very Best of John Lennon’ DVD, additional war and protest scenes were added to the promo video, including 1980 footage of the crowd in New York’s Central Park following John’s death, with a similar but slightly different version of the 2003 video being repeated on 2010’s ‘Power To The People’ DVD.
13-09-69 – ‘Toronto Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival’, Varsity Stadium (Canada)
Blue Suede Shoes / Money / Dizzy Miss Lizzy / Yer Blues / Cold Turkey / Give Peace A Chance / Don’t Worry, Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow) [Performed by Yoko Ono] / John, John (Let’s Hope For Peace) [Performed by Yoko Ono]
With a line-up featuring Eric Clapton (guitar), Klaus Voormann (bass) and Alan White (drums), and on a bill that included Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Gene Vincent, The Doors and The Alice Cooper Band, John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band made their live debut. Although not quite vocally on top form, they performed solid versions of 3 rock ‘n’ roll classics, a reprise of the Beatles song he’d performed the previous December, the forthcoming single ‘Cold Turkey’ (here in a very different arrangement to the studio cut), and a loose but fun version of ‘Give Peace a Chance’. Despite his obvious nerves and rustiness, John did more than fine, but unfortunately, this was then followed by two lengthy, screechy, Yoko Ono songs, resulting in them leaving the stage to a mixture of cheers and boos. Released as the album ‘Live Peace In Toronto’, this was a No. 10 hit in the USA, though the full video performance wasn’t available publicly (at least officially) until a ‘80s VHS release, and later a DVD. ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ circulates unofficially as an alternate ‘rough’ edit.
00-10-69 – Promo Video #1
Cold Turkey
Again featuring Eric Clapton on lead guitar, ‘Cold Turkey’, John’s song about coming off heroin, was a UK No. 12 and US No. 30 hit. The video features speeded-up and quickly-edited footage (only some of it featuring John and Yoko), and was shown on ‘Top Of The Pops’ on 06-11-69, as well as on ‘The John Lennon Video Collection’ video. A new video was made for 2003’s ‘Lennon Legend – The Very Best of John Lennon’, see the 2003/1969 entry for details.
15-12-69 – UNICEF Gala, Lyceum Ballroom, London (UK)
Cold Turkey / Don’t Worry, Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow) [Performed by Yoko Ono]
For this charity concert, John assembled the greatest line-up of his solo career, with Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and Alan White playing their usual instruments, along with George Harrison (guitar), Keith Moon (drums), Billy Preston (keyboards), Bobby Keys (saxophone), Jim Gordon (drums), Delaney Bramlett (guitar) and Bonnie Bramlett (backing vocals). Despite this, and the eventful appearance of two Beatles sharing a stage for the first time since 1966, the end result is rather cacophonous. Only incomplete clips of both songs survive, but they appeared, complete, on the 1972 ‘Sometime In New York City’ album, albeit with Billy Preston’s organ replaced by a Nicky Hopkins electric piano overdub.
00-01-70 – Promo Video
Instant Karma
Although The Beatles were still together, at least officially, this was John’s 3rd hit single in 6 months, getting to No. 5 in the UK and No. 3 in the USA. The video, of which 2 different edits were made, features a hot air balloon ride combined with various clips from 1968-1970. It was shown on ‘Top Of The Pops’ on 05-02-70.
12-02-70 – ‘Top Of The Pops’ (UK)
Instant Karma
Appearin
g in the ‘Top Of The Pops’ studio for the first time in nearly 4 years, on 11-02-70 John taped two performances for future broadcast, with both versions featuring live vocals. For this first one both John and Yoko wear denim jackets, with Yoko blindfolded with a sanitary towel while holding placards. This performance was issued on ‘The John Lennon Video Collection’ video.
19-02-70 – ‘Top Of The Pops’ (UK)
Instant Karma
For this 2nd performance, John and Yoko wear black polo-necked jumpers, while Yoko, again blindfolded with a sanitary towel, does knitting. This performance was issued on the ‘Lennon Legend – The Very Best of John Lennon’ DVD, though unfortunately with the live vocal replaced by the studio recording. The original live version circulates unofficially.