The Beatles: On The Road 1964 - 1966 

Antonio G. Pereira  ©  2023  Antonio G. Pereira

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        The Beatles: On The Road 1964 - 1966 by Harry Benson. Published by Taschen GmbH  https://www.taschen.com https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Benson-Beatles-Multilingual/dp/3836557673 Here's another Coffee Table sized book. This one by British Photographer Harry Benson, who photographed The Beatles as they were becoming famous through the year 1964. From the residency at the Paris Olympia, the first U.S. visit (Ed Sullivan, Miami - The Beatles' visit to (then) Heavyweight Contender Cassius Clay's Gym Boxing Practice, during which resident wit, rapid fire mouth Lennon meets his match (soon to be Heavyweight Champion Muhammed Ali), and apparently Harry Benson is not amused), the filming of, 'A Hard Day's Night', the first leg of the European/Australian/New Zealand tour (with Jimmy Nicol sitting in for Ringo - who was in hospital), and finally, during the 1966 American Tour. Strangely, Harry Benson (since he had his own opinion and observation about the circumstances of the 'Beatles more Popular than Jesus Christ' controversy), offers no accompanying narrative to the Memphis Press Conference, which he photographed, other than gratuitously photographically descriptive. There are two incredible photographs of The Beatles walking towards the stage and enormous audience at Suffolk Downs Racetrack in Boston though, among other equally incredible photographs, like the obviously racially mixed audience in Chicago. The text in this book is multilingual, and is in English, German (Taschen, the Book Company, is in Koln) and French. The photographs are printed on top quality paper, so they look really good. Interesting record of a place and time in history. Well done! 

 Jimi

Antonio G. Pereira  © 2023  Antonio G. Pereira

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        Jimi by Janie Hendrix and John McDermott. Official 80th Birthday Edition. Published by Chronicle Chroma. An Imprint of Chronicle Books. https://www.amazon.com/Jimi-Janie-Hendrix/dp/1797220012 

        This is quite a gorgeous Coffee Table sized book. Beautifully designed and presented. To review, Janie Hendrix is Jimi Hendrix' sister, daughter by marriage (of Al Hendrix to her mother Ayako) and adopted and raised as his own child by Al Hendrix, when Jimi was away in Europe becoming a sensation. Though she was very young when Jimi returned to the United States, and they finally met in 1968, she remembers him very well, with love and fondness throughout this book. John McDermott first came to my attention through the magazine, International Musician and Recording World (a magazine which I became aware of in 1981, when Dan Foster, who worked with Caesar Glebbeek at the original Hendrix Information Centre in Amsterdam, Holland, and helped Glebbeek put together the original Hendrix Information Centre Booklet (of which I have a copy) shared his issue of International Musician and Recording World with me; as an article about Jimi Hendrix was in that particular edition. Later in the mid 1980s, I subscribed to the magazine, and that is where I first saw mention of John McDermott; who at the time was producing Promotional Videos for one of the better Hendrix copyist bands, named Jon Butcher Axis. I remember a big window display for their current album in the Sam Goody's that used to be across the street from Radio City Music Hall, the week they were appearing at The Bottom Line.

        This book, along with Chris Welch's book, 'Hendrix', and David Henderson's book, 'Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child of The Aquarian Age', as reference tools, will give you a complete, honest picture of Jimi Hendrix' life. Here, you will find no opportunistic, two bit Drug Counselling Expert Analysis stupidity disguised as Scholarship, or misguided, superimposed onto Hendrix, one dimensional Right Wing Pseudo-Patriotism. Just the facts. With the exception of the openly dishonest and mob connected (in both Britain and America) Michael Jeffrey (as well as the assorted shady characters and ass-kissers that worked for him), and the circumstances of Hendrix' death (still open to question as far as I'm concerned), this is as close to an honest assessment of Jimi Hendrix' life as you're going to get. A heartfelt thanks to all the people who contributed with their time, their thoughts and remembrances, to help put this book together. I think one Jimi Hendrix, would be quite surprised and moved, that so many people cared about him and his legacy of music, all these decades later.

Hendrix: The Ultimate Tribute - From The Makers of Classic Rock 

Antonio G. Pereira  © 2023  Antonio G. Pereira 

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        My, my, my... Here's a new one. A Hendrix magazine called, 'Hendrix: The Ultimate Tribute (Third Edition). Y'know, it's stuff like this, that makes me glad Hendrix' father Al Hendrix waited and was smart enough to get a reputable Journalist, and wrote his own autobiography; telling his own family history, himself (My Son Jimi by Al Hendrix with Jas Obrecht - https://amazon.com/My-Son-Jimi-James-Hendrix/dp/0966785711  After taking control of his son's Estate in court https://casetext.com/case/hendrix-v-branton , and removing Alan Douglas, it's surprising that things like 'Hendrix: The Ultimate Tribute' (mostly rehashed junk - Apparently, nobody here seems to know how to write a historical piece on a great musician without being gratuitously salacious and juvenile.) still sees the light of day. Strange that in this 'Ultimate Tribute', no mention is made of Mitch Mitchell's story about Hendrix taking him to sit in at his friend Joe Tex' gig at Town Hall, during the Electric Ladyland sessions; that was related by Mitch in his autobiography (with John Platt), 'Inside The Experience' - https://amazon.com/Jimi-Hendrix-Experience-Mitch Mitchell/dp/051757716X  (I might also add that the group that Mitchell was in before the Experience was Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, that used to regularly play in the Flamingo. Georgie Fame's group covered just about all of the current Soul and Jazz music being made during the mid-sixties era. So we're talking about everyone from Jimmy Smith to Motown and Stax. The Flamingo was quite a popular London Club, run by the Gunnell Brothers (Rik and Johnny), and was frequented by British West Indian and British enthusiasts; and on the weekends they were joined by Black American Servicemen from a Military Base outside London. So it was packed. Before the Jimi Hendrix Experience debuted playing at this same club, when Mitch took Jimi (with Chas) to see where he used to play, and Jimi no doubt ran into some Servicemen from the Base in the Flamingo, you can imagine the scene. Or can you? Perhaps someone here in 'Hendrix: The Ultimate Tribute' - From The Makers of Classic Rock', will find the time or 'interest', to follow this up and try to find some of the people who were there. My point being, when Mitch told this story in his book about Jimi's friend Joe Tex, Hendrix knew full well what he was doing when he took Mitch with him. Yes the 60's was quite an interesting era, that is, if you look at it that way.) And I guess nobody bothered to interview Lonnie Youngblood (who is very much alive - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Youngblood ), an old friend of Hendrix, that he jammed with at Small's Paradise in 1969. A photograph of that jam is on the cover of the LP 'Two Great Experiences Together'. https://amazon.com/Jimi-Hendrix-Lonnie-Youngblood-Experiences/dp/B000LZC34U  

Spare me....

https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2014/02/jimi-hendrix-hear-my-train-comin-dvd.html

https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-meditation-on-hendrix-lennon-and.html

https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2013/01/ultimate-hendrix-illustrated.html 

https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2014/08/tomorrow-land-1964-65-worlds-fair-and.html 

https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2011/04/forever-changes-arthur-lee-and-book-of.html 

https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2011/09/let-it-bleed-rolling-stones-altamont.html 

 Beatles/Dylan - Intersections '66

Antonio G. Pereira © 2023 Antonio G. Pereira

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        Bob Dylan nearing the end of a World Tour in May 1966 in London, finishing up at Albert Hall, spends a night hanging out with John Lennon; during which D. A. Pennebaker  shoots some footage in the back of a limo for a projected film, Eat The Document. (The follow up to Don't Look Back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNIQznF6NkQ )This is the complete segment with Dylan and John Lennon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSO_YniK4XE Dylan, near burnout, does two final shows at Albert Hall, attended by The Beatles and their wives and friends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW9_2r3raHE  After which Dylan returns to the United States just before Blonde On Blonde is released, and aside from hanging out with The Rolling Stones during an after hours party in the Chelsea Hotel, when they play Forrest Hills Tennis Stadium in July, goes home up in Woodstock. At the end of July he has a motorcycle accident that puts him in the hospital, and is not seen for more than a year. The projected film, Eat The Document (aside from sporadic screenings over the decades) has never been officially released. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Dxgh2RzWo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgokxatYqZE  

        Meanwhile, The Beatles are finishing their new album Revolver and embarking on a World Tour of their own in June/July. In August they will do one more tour, in the United States. It will be their last:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km-F1Q6d0UY 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srg2_w-Ji1s