AMAZING new Beatles book!

 

I am about to self-publish my new book entitled "Bizarre Beatles Coincidences - Or Are They?!" As a lifelong student of the "Fab Four" (yes, that's what they were called) I am constantly surprised that no one has made the kind of connections which seem self-evident to me. So if you're tired of the usual so-called "revelations" (really rehashing of information easily accessible on the internet-web), this publication may be something of a surprise. A life-changing one! Naturally I don't want to release too much, but here are a few appetisers. You thought you knew everything about the Beatles? Think again! These are just a few snippets, and there is plenty more in the book.

A DIFFERENT DRUM(MER): The BIZARRE story of Jimmy Nicol

Jimmie Nicol temporarily replaces Ringo for a tour and Paul McCartney moves in with Jane Asher's family. So what, you might say. But then a few short years later the band the Stone Poneys release a song called different drum. Their singer? Linda Ronstadt. And your point? you might be saying. Well, fast forward a few more years, and who is Linda Ronstadt's producer? Only Peter Asher, of Peter and Gordon fame - and Jane Asher's brother. The supposed musical footnote of Linda Ronstandt's earlier career can now be seen as a veiled reference to Beatle substitute Nicol, though I'm not sure whether it's positive or negative. Almost certainly one or the other. AND it was written by Beatle-wannabe Mike Nesmith. Coincidence? You decide ...

LET 'EM IN or (TWIST AND SH)OUT: The AMAZING tale of the credits behind the song

Let 'Em In, a hit for Billy Paul, a cover of the Wings song which namechecks other artists (Phil and Don) and Macca's relatives (Auntie Jin). So much is already known, I grant you that. But what nobody else seems to have noticed is the amazing coincidences around the name of the cover artist. "Billy" is of course a reference to "Billy Shears", the barber in Penny Lane, and "Paul" impudently namechecks the composer himself. So next time you hear "Billy Paul" singing Let 'Em In, maybe you'll be listening with a wry chuckle on your face. His TRUE identity has never been revealed. But perhaps now you have an idea. Self-referential, fond of singing songs about transparent, tear-inducing vegetables ... just let the pieces fall into place and all will become clear. Or will it? You decide ...

A bizarre footnote to the whole affair is that "Billy Paul" actually surfaced again, this time recording a song which had no Beatles connection - or did it? Thanks For Saving My Life is a clear reference to A Day in the Life, cowritten by Lennon and McCartney. It has long been suspected that Lennon was secretly grateful to Macca for the middle eight ("Woke up, got out of bed ...") which transformed the song into a true masterpiece. But only NOW can it be revealed that Lennon once, a little shyly, actually stooped to thank his collaborator - not directly, of course, but through the prankish persona of "Billy Paul" (actually "Billy O'Paul on some labels, an obvious echo of "Winston O'Boogie"). John Lennon never admitted to this in his lifetime and in a bizarre footnote to the saga the late Michael Jackson pursued Paul ("Billy Paul", I mean, not Paul-Paul) through the courts for copyright infringement but Lennon's traces had been so well covered he eventually tired and decided to go after Neil Innes instead.

This has only been a SAMPLE of what is in the book. These anecdotes, shorn of their context in an escalating series of astonishing revelations, will inevitably seem fragementary. The only way to appreciate this is to buy the book, which will be available shortly.