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A Day in the Life of The Beatles
Published to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of John Lennon’s death, this previously unpublished collection of poignant photographs is a record of one day with The Beatles—just after Sgt. Pepper was released. In September 1968, critically acclaimed photojournalist Don McCullin was invited to spend a day photographing The Beatles in locations ranging from Paul McCartney’s garden to the banks of the Thames, as well as in their recording studio. The timing of this was, in hindsight, significant. The Beatles had just released Sgt. Pepper, Vietnam was in turmoil, and riots had spread through America’s cities and campuses. It was the moment when the innocence and optimism of the sixties darkened—the instant the youth movement, of which The Beatles were icons, converged with the antiwar protests, the civil rights movement, and the burgeoning counterculture. One of the most poignant photographs taken that day was of John Lennon posing as dead, surrounded by the other three band members. Lennon himself carefully choreographed the image as a pose of protest, but it is now seen as tragic and strangely prophetic. These images of four inspired artists at the pinnacle of success and on the cusp of transformation mark the passing of an era, and in them, we can glimpse our own lost youth.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Don McCullin
57 books38 followersDon McCullin grew up in north London and was evacuated in 1940 to Somerset. He failed the eleven-plus examination and went to Tollington Park Secondary Modern School. He won a trade art scholarship to the Hammersmith School of Arts and Crafts and Buildings. His father, who was an invalid, died, aged forty and McCullin was forced to find work to earn money for the family. He became a pantry boy on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway dining cars, travelling between London and Manchester. In 1950 he went to work in a cartoon animation studio in Mayfair before the Observer newspaper bought one of his gangland pictures and set him on the road as a photojournalist. He moved to the Sunday Times, where he worked for eighteen years. His photographs of almost every major conflict in his adult lifetime until the Falklands war provide some of the most potent images of the twentieth century. His pictures are in major museum collections all over the world. He is the holder of many honours and awards, including the C.B.E. His home is in a Somerset village.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 21, 2024
"We found [it] was surreal, but the times were surreal." --the recollections of Sir Paul McCartney, from the introduction
British photojournalist McCullin was invited to photograph The Beatles during one summer day - although the GR synopsis states September 1968, other more reputable sources say it was earlier in July - in the midst of their sometimes tumultuous and/or acrimonious recording sessions for The White Album. (Said platter marked the musical emergence of four individuals rather than the group atmosphere that mostly colored their previous work.) What he captured that day - in a handful of color shots, but mostly in b&w - were four young amiable men who still seemed to be in very good spirits with one another. Barring two shots - one of the boys interspersed with a crowd of common folk in front of a wrought-iron fence at a church (used in their very first greatest hits compilations in 1973, the so-called Red and Blue albums), the other of them standing among some tall flowers in an urban garden (purloined by their assistant Peter Brown for his Beatles-related memoir The Love You Make in 1984) - the remaining photographs were all published for the first time here in A Day in the Life of The Beatles. It's a nice collection - my favorite moments being the apparently candid group shots that present them smiling and laughing (on pages 33 and 122) - but will probably work best for the devout fans. The lack of accompanying text on locations used or any sort of memories from photographer McCullin - he and Sir Paul only scantly contributed during the initial pages - does the book no favors, but it's still a quick read for those completionists seeking out anything Beatles.
British photojournalist McCullin was invited to photograph The Beatles during one summer day - although the GR synopsis states September 1968, other more reputable sources say it was earlier in July - in the midst of their sometimes tumultuous and/or acrimonious recording sessions for The White Album. (Said platter marked the musical emergence of four individuals rather than the group atmosphere that mostly colored their previous work.) What he captured that day - in a handful of color shots, but mostly in b&w - were four young amiable men who still seemed to be in very good spirits with one another. Barring two shots - one of the boys interspersed with a crowd of common folk in front of a wrought-iron fence at a church (used in their very first greatest hits compilations in 1973, the so-called Red and Blue albums), the other of them standing among some tall flowers in an urban garden (purloined by their assistant Peter Brown for his Beatles-related memoir The Love You Make in 1984) - the remaining photographs were all published for the first time here in A Day in the Life of The Beatles. It's a nice collection - my favorite moments being the apparently candid group shots that present them smiling and laughing (on pages 33 and 122) - but will probably work best for the devout fans. The lack of accompanying text on locations used or any sort of memories from photographer McCullin - he and Sir Paul only scantly contributed during the initial pages - does the book no favors, but it's still a quick read for those completionists seeking out anything Beatles.
July 8, 2018
This beautifully designed volume contains photos drawn from the 15 rolls of film the war photographer Don McCullin shot of the Beatles on July 28, 1968, as the pop quartet were preparing their white album. It traces their day in London, from one locale to the other -surprisingly, the lads still had the zip and zaniness (it seems to me) of the "old days" - the Hard Days Night days, that iconoclastic, devil-may-care quality - despite four tumultuous and eventful years of their worldwide fame having elapsed by then. They look somewhat older than their mid-20s.. especially John.. but they still seem to retain some of the innocence/excitement of the olden days, when it was obvious they were as surprised and elated as their fans.
On July 28, 1968, I would have turned 16 about ten days prior - it was my next to last summer at home.. little did I realize that the upcoming couple of years would completely recreate my life. Who knows if it was for better or for worse? In retrospect, the adventurous experiences of youth probably did at least give me some perspective on life. Had it not been for that portion of my life, I might have spent my entire life ensconced in reading, writing stories and poems, drawing, taking pictures - but not really living life, never seeing the world and so forth. Of course there was no holding back the youth of the 60s - and the youthquake was perfect for me, at least - since I really never did have a competitive bone in my body. The obvious choice was to escape regimentation and so forth - perhaps disappointing a lot of folks in doing so, but ultimately, being truer to myself than if I had stayed the course I had once imagined I would take in my life.
But, back to the volume under discussion. Certainly, these are beautifully executed photographs of the Fab Four - particularly a few individual portraits such as a couple of Paul at the piano with a parrot on his shoulder. The black and white photos many times seem to highlight the pollution or grime of London, greyness contrasted with the exuberance of the young men cutting capers, mugging for the camera etc.
The Beatles had of course grown up and perhaps become more skeptical and jaded by the time these photos were taken, as opposed to when they first burst upon the American cultural scene four or five years before. Were they by 1968 cynics - in it to make a buck? As the 1960s drew to a close, the Beatles would disintegrate. The 60s, seemingly the decade of rebellion and idealism, would end with a new world, with trends like disco on the horizon. The members of the Beatles would continue individually with astonishing solo careers, but the distinctive freshness and enthusiasm of the quartet would vanish.
Perhaps they all found out too much too fast. George became a follower of Hinduism, perhaps a consolation after having seen the world and perhaps having his fill of it. Paul would continue touring, writing catchy pop tunes and making tons of money - basically, continuing the Beatles legacy but somehow denatured, because of the absence of the other 3 Beatles. John would become the most politically engaged, perhaps he was assassinated to silence his voice, who knows? His music, as raucous and bitter as it could sometimes be, was also the most interesting. Ringo continued with a show-biz career in LA - probably mostly collaborations and touring with the occasional new release. But somehow, separate, they never really attained the heights and creativity they had when they were together. A "posthumous" record put together from tapes from before John was shot - "Free as a Bird" had a weirdly funereal, death-like quality to it. Perhaps appropriate considering that John by then was dead.
This is an interesting volume that I would recommend to anyone interested in the era - especially the fateful year 1968.
Fifty years ago... it almost seems like yesterday... strangely enough, I can remember so many things from back then, but also strangely enough, my life wasn't that different, as it was still even then focused mostly on books, poems, films, following current events/politics, and interacting with a small group of friends. (In those days, via phone mostly.) In those days, I considered it a big deal to see a film at the Thalia - sometimes alone sometimes with friends. Seeing films in those days before VHS or DVD was a big thing... you would have to go to a theater to see a film again if you wanted to see it again. There was no streaming. In 1968, I was leading a carefree existence - not that different from today, actually - I really had no ideas or notions of what would happen to me later on in life. In 1968, I had by then been against the war in Vietnam since the age of 12, since the escalation in 1964. At the same time, I had become increasingly enthusiastic about rock 'n' roll - listening to what are now considered golden oldies on AM radio endlessly, and occasionally buying 45s, or even LPs. The music had its rebellious quality, which expressed youth's dissatisfaction with the grownup world perfectly, even if the lyrics were nominally about something else. Still, there were plenty of pop tunes as well... upbeat and mostly mindless songs that would remain stuck in your consciousness.
The jingle-like tunes of those days probably filled our brains to a greater extent than we would want to admit today. They would be endlessly repeated. We would put on the radio when in a car, when cleaning.. or doing anything energetic, like vacuuming, or waxing a parquet floor. But we could also study and listen to music. In the pre-Walkman days, the stereo was king - so listening was mostly an indoor activity, or something you could do while traveling in a car. There were no boomboxes although the era of the cheap transistor radio was dawning. I remember listening and drawing, or listening and writing, and listening and reading. I had eclectic tastes - like today - so blues, jazz, classical, folk, bluegrass - almost any genre really - was OK. Music was more important than TV.. although we also watched our fair share of TV. There was, it seems, less of an emphasis on accumulating clothing or shoes - at least for me this wasn't a big deal. I guess I considered myself a beatnik sort, as an adolescent and teen, although unlike the beatniks I didn't hang out at cafes in the Village. Just as now, I was way too shy to actually venture out and mingle or meet people randomly. I've always had a handful of friends ... basically the same pattern has continued throughout my life. It's interesting how certain patterns of behavior appear to be lifelong.. no matter what happens.. or how many compromises we all had to make in the process of growing up and mastering life.. we seem to return to our roots, to the things we always considered our favorite or most favored activities.
I did find one interesting quote from Mr. McCullin's introductory essay:
"I think everything Lennon did was a protest. Every statement he made seemed to come out of anger. There were many contradictions to him. He was a talented man who could write about peace and love, but deep down he was ... forceful and aggressive."
This is an interesting volume of photographs that the reader can view in probably less than an hour..
Given that the Beatles hold a central position in the youthquake of the last century, it probably would be a welcome read for any boomer, or anyone of any generation interested in the '60s.
On July 28, 1968, I would have turned 16 about ten days prior - it was my next to last summer at home.. little did I realize that the upcoming couple of years would completely recreate my life. Who knows if it was for better or for worse? In retrospect, the adventurous experiences of youth probably did at least give me some perspective on life. Had it not been for that portion of my life, I might have spent my entire life ensconced in reading, writing stories and poems, drawing, taking pictures - but not really living life, never seeing the world and so forth. Of course there was no holding back the youth of the 60s - and the youthquake was perfect for me, at least - since I really never did have a competitive bone in my body. The obvious choice was to escape regimentation and so forth - perhaps disappointing a lot of folks in doing so, but ultimately, being truer to myself than if I had stayed the course I had once imagined I would take in my life.
But, back to the volume under discussion. Certainly, these are beautifully executed photographs of the Fab Four - particularly a few individual portraits such as a couple of Paul at the piano with a parrot on his shoulder. The black and white photos many times seem to highlight the pollution or grime of London, greyness contrasted with the exuberance of the young men cutting capers, mugging for the camera etc.
The Beatles had of course grown up and perhaps become more skeptical and jaded by the time these photos were taken, as opposed to when they first burst upon the American cultural scene four or five years before. Were they by 1968 cynics - in it to make a buck? As the 1960s drew to a close, the Beatles would disintegrate. The 60s, seemingly the decade of rebellion and idealism, would end with a new world, with trends like disco on the horizon. The members of the Beatles would continue individually with astonishing solo careers, but the distinctive freshness and enthusiasm of the quartet would vanish.
Perhaps they all found out too much too fast. George became a follower of Hinduism, perhaps a consolation after having seen the world and perhaps having his fill of it. Paul would continue touring, writing catchy pop tunes and making tons of money - basically, continuing the Beatles legacy but somehow denatured, because of the absence of the other 3 Beatles. John would become the most politically engaged, perhaps he was assassinated to silence his voice, who knows? His music, as raucous and bitter as it could sometimes be, was also the most interesting. Ringo continued with a show-biz career in LA - probably mostly collaborations and touring with the occasional new release. But somehow, separate, they never really attained the heights and creativity they had when they were together. A "posthumous" record put together from tapes from before John was shot - "Free as a Bird" had a weirdly funereal, death-like quality to it. Perhaps appropriate considering that John by then was dead.
This is an interesting volume that I would recommend to anyone interested in the era - especially the fateful year 1968.
Fifty years ago... it almost seems like yesterday... strangely enough, I can remember so many things from back then, but also strangely enough, my life wasn't that different, as it was still even then focused mostly on books, poems, films, following current events/politics, and interacting with a small group of friends. (In those days, via phone mostly.) In those days, I considered it a big deal to see a film at the Thalia - sometimes alone sometimes with friends. Seeing films in those days before VHS or DVD was a big thing... you would have to go to a theater to see a film again if you wanted to see it again. There was no streaming. In 1968, I was leading a carefree existence - not that different from today, actually - I really had no ideas or notions of what would happen to me later on in life. In 1968, I had by then been against the war in Vietnam since the age of 12, since the escalation in 1964. At the same time, I had become increasingly enthusiastic about rock 'n' roll - listening to what are now considered golden oldies on AM radio endlessly, and occasionally buying 45s, or even LPs. The music had its rebellious quality, which expressed youth's dissatisfaction with the grownup world perfectly, even if the lyrics were nominally about something else. Still, there were plenty of pop tunes as well... upbeat and mostly mindless songs that would remain stuck in your consciousness.
The jingle-like tunes of those days probably filled our brains to a greater extent than we would want to admit today. They would be endlessly repeated. We would put on the radio when in a car, when cleaning.. or doing anything energetic, like vacuuming, or waxing a parquet floor. But we could also study and listen to music. In the pre-Walkman days, the stereo was king - so listening was mostly an indoor activity, or something you could do while traveling in a car. There were no boomboxes although the era of the cheap transistor radio was dawning. I remember listening and drawing, or listening and writing, and listening and reading. I had eclectic tastes - like today - so blues, jazz, classical, folk, bluegrass - almost any genre really - was OK. Music was more important than TV.. although we also watched our fair share of TV. There was, it seems, less of an emphasis on accumulating clothing or shoes - at least for me this wasn't a big deal. I guess I considered myself a beatnik sort, as an adolescent and teen, although unlike the beatniks I didn't hang out at cafes in the Village. Just as now, I was way too shy to actually venture out and mingle or meet people randomly. I've always had a handful of friends ... basically the same pattern has continued throughout my life. It's interesting how certain patterns of behavior appear to be lifelong.. no matter what happens.. or how many compromises we all had to make in the process of growing up and mastering life.. we seem to return to our roots, to the things we always considered our favorite or most favored activities.
I did find one interesting quote from Mr. McCullin's introductory essay:
"I think everything Lennon did was a protest. Every statement he made seemed to come out of anger. There were many contradictions to him. He was a talented man who could write about peace and love, but deep down he was ... forceful and aggressive."
This is an interesting volume of photographs that the reader can view in probably less than an hour..
Given that the Beatles hold a central position in the youthquake of the last century, it probably would be a welcome read for any boomer, or anyone of any generation interested in the '60s.
January 3, 2011
The photographs are gorgeous and any Beatles fan will enjoy seeing them. There are two reasons this book lost stars: 1) layout at the expense of some photos & 2) a bit more text could have enhanced the photographs without upstaging them.
I can't understand why anyone would lay out a book so that the subject's face is printed in the center binding. There is no way to position the book to be able to properly view and appreciate the photograph.
McCullin appears to regard himself as a man of pictures whose words could only detract from the strength of his photographs. And I can very well believe that he had no appropriate words to pair with these images, but I do think that there must be some words by someone that could take this project to the next level. This book is a museum exhibition without the benefit of the curator's exposition on context.
I can't understand why anyone would lay out a book so that the subject's face is printed in the center binding. There is no way to position the book to be able to properly view and appreciate the photograph.
McCullin appears to regard himself as a man of pictures whose words could only detract from the strength of his photographs. And I can very well believe that he had no appropriate words to pair with these images, but I do think that there must be some words by someone that could take this project to the next level. This book is a museum exhibition without the benefit of the curator's exposition on context.
January 10, 2011
This book that is completely devoid of any text. Instead it has pictures that chronicles the Beatles in a single day. The pictures are funny and filled with emotions. They're quite sad especially because of the fact that two of them are dead, and the others have aged so much. All in all, great for a Beatles fan.
February 13, 2011
Beautiful photos, mostly previously unseen. Introduction by McCartney, it must make him sad to peruse some of these shots of his old mates.
July 16, 2022
There were so many photographs here that I'd never seen before. Simply astounding!
May 13, 2011
i loved it so much, i had to buy a copy.
July 12, 2012
A book full of black and white and color pictures from The Beatles's Mad Day Out photo shoot. Great to add if you like photography books (and/or The Beatles of course).
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews