This weekend I was scrolling through new videos on YouTube when a very cool video by one of my favorite Beatles sites (https://www.parlogramauctions.com/) came on that featured a ton of old Beatles scrapbooks.

Obviously the scrapbooks featured in the Parlogram Auction video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyplKZWtSv4) were kept by an uber Beatles fan in the UK. I said to myself I can relate to being an uber Beatles fan and the video reminded me that for a time when I was in grade school and high school (from around 1975 to 1984) I too kept a few Beatles scrapbooks.

(Note: my scrapbooks also contains things as early as 1971 to as late as 1988. The earlier W-MEE Top 100 of 1971 flyer – see below – came from my older brother.)

Now I live in the Midwest so my scrapbooks don’t have quite the broad reach or appeal as that huge collection of UK newspaper clippings from the YouTube video but it does bring back a lot of warm memories.

It’s hard to believe most of the clippings that I saved are now over forty years old but the passage of time hasn’t really hit them too much as they all seem to look practically as new as the day I cut them out.

Honestly I can’t for the life of me remember why I decided to clip any Beatles related news stories but for a time I did just that. Not only did I save newspaper clippings but in that same period I was an avid reader of Billboard magazine and managed to buy a few copies here and there and grabbed a few bits and pieces to put in the scrapbook as well.

(Note 2: I saved many full-page advertisements for Beatles and solo Beatles releases. Three of them are shown down below in the photos)

The early ’80s was also a time when I bought my records from places like Kmart so I also managed to save quite a few of their in-store Top Ten record flyers. A few of those are featured too plus a few radio flyers promoting the Top Ten from a local radio station called WMEE.

It’s so funny the things that pop into my head as I searched through these scrapbooks.

Several things initially jumped out to me like frozen Cokes (I used to get a frozen Coke as the machine for it was right near the record section of Kmart), old movie theaters now long gone (the Holiday theater in an ad below was an enormous old theater that was built in 1969 and closed in 2000) and hanging out at the local mall’s small book store called Reader’s World waiting for the latest issue of Billboard Magazine to show up in the stands.

I also remember the local Musicland record store (part of the national chain) which is featured below in a newspaper ad for exclusive Beatles flexi discs that they were giving away in 1982. I believe these flexi discs were tied into Musicland’s promotion for The Beatles then recent “Reel Music” album release.

I bought several Beatles/solo Beatles albums from Musicland (“George Harrison”, “Back to the Egg”, “Let it Be” and “Tug of War” to name a few) and I also bought my first three CDs ever from them as well in 1986 – Paul McCartney’s “Venus and Mars”, “Tug of War” and “Wings Over America” (all on the Columbia label btw).

I also happened to find a flyer advertising “The Lost Lennon Tapes” show from 1988 which was broadcast Sunday mornings on a local radio station called Rock 104. I remember tuning in and religiously taping all the Lost Lennon shows from 1988 to around 1990 or so.

I’m not sure where I got that flyer from but I must have stuck it in these old scrapbooks for safe keeping – and I’m glad I did too, LOVE the look of that flyer.

As you can see the 1980 to 1984 time period is my heaviest time for saving any and every Beatles/solo Beatles clipping. Those high school years for me have imprinted themselves indelibly in my mind and have remained my favorite solo Beatles era to this day. Even now just thinking of that time period makes me nostalgic.

Anyway, have a look at some of the things I saved in my scrapbooks from long ago. I’m so glad that all the articles still look pretty good. It’s another mirror into the past that even if you weren’t there you may find interesting if your a Beatles fan.

As usual there are plenty of photos above and below.

Well that’s all for now!

Take and care be safe and well. And they’ll be more blog posts coming soon to a theater near you …

You say it’s your birthday … 

And so it is. It’s not just any birthday mind you, it’s Paul McCartney’s 80th birthday this upcoming Saturday on June 18th. Let that sink in a minute – yes I said 80th.

In honor of this major milestone I thought it might be fun to take a look back at eighty of my favorite songs from McCartney’s often maligned solo career. More times than I can say I’ve heard so-called Beatle fans say McCartney’s musical career began and ended with The Beatles.

Yes of course McCartney’s writing was beyond stellar throughout The Beatles short but miraculous career but to say that McCartney hasn’t produced much of worth since 1970 is just plain ignorant not to mention mean-spirited and just plain wrong.

If one takes the time to pick though Paul McCartney’s solo catalog you can find many, many incredible songs that can easily stand along side his Beatles work. A few come to my mind as we speak: “Calico Skies”, “Jenny Wren”, “Every Night”, “Back on My Feet”, “Tomorrow” and “Beautiful Night” just to name a few; all fine songs that fit comfortably along side his greatest Beatles work.

I know that some of you cynics out there are scowling even now but whatever – open your ears!

Below is my list, repeat MY LIST, of eighty songs from throughout McCartney’s solo career that I find to be outstanding. I’ve chosen to stay away from many of his solo and Wings hits as most people are already familiar with those songs.

(Note: Besides I tend to lean toward deep album tracks as they tend to be some of McCartney’s best work.)

Instead I’ve chosen mainly deep cut album tracks as well as a few choice b-sides, rarities and in one case an unreleased outtake (don’t ask where to find it but it’s out there and is one of McCartney’s lost treasures for sure).

Anyway, without further ado here’s my list of McCartney 80 at 80.

If you’ve not heard some of these songs I think it would open your mind to the continued greatness of Paul McCartney as a songwriter and performer and no he didn’t stop being great after The Beatles:

1. Kicked Around No More
2. Daytime Nightime Suffering
3. Every Night
4. On the Way
5. The Pound is Sinking
6. Ode to a Koala Bear
7. It’s Not True (45 mix)
8. Footprints
9. The Back Seat of My Car
10. Little Lamb Dragonfly
11. Tomorrow
12. Some People Never Know
13. Through Our Love
14. Beware My Love
15. Wanderlust
16. Cafe on the Left Bank
17. London Town
18. Once Upon a Long Ago
19. No Words
20. Treat Her Gently/Lonely Old People
21. She’s My Baby
22. No Values
23. Back on My Feet
24. Old Siam, Sir
25. So Glad to See You Here
26. Morse Moose and the Grey Goose
27. Mistress and Maid
28. Flaming Pie
29. The World Tonight
30. Don’t Let it Bring You Down
31. Arrow Through Me
32. Too Much Rain
33. Mr. Bellamy
34. Only Mama Knows
35. Vintage Clothes
36. C Moon
37. She is So Beautiful (a lovely track exclusive to a Japanese CD)
38. Jenny Wren
39. Only Love Remains
40. Pretty Little Head (45 mix)
41. People Want Peace
42. Hunt You Down/Naked/C-Link
43. Slidin’
44. Winter Bird/When Winter Comes
45. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
46. Dress Me Up As a Robber
47. Tug of War
48. Keep Under Cover
49. Cage (unreleased song from the “Back to the Egg” sessions)
50. Calico Skies
51. Another Day
52. Talk More Talk
53. Big Boys Bickering
54. She’s Given Up Talking
55. Letting Go (45 mix)
56. Dear Boy
57. Too Many People
58. One of These Days
59. Dance Til’ We’re High
60. Two Magpies
61. C’mon People
62. Baby’s Request (1979 version)
63. My Brave Face
64. We Got Married
65. Distractions
66. I Owe it All to You
67. Pipes of Peace
68. New
69. Appreciate
70. Sally G
71. Struggle
72. The Mess
73. Bluebird
74. Soily
75. Big Barn Bed
76. Run Devil Run
77. Junk
78. Road
79. Beautiful Night
80. Somedays 

Well there you have it. Happy Birthday Sir Paul McCartney!

Here’s to many more years of songwriting and performing and no matter what happens after your 80th you’ve already left the world with such timeless and wonderful music that anything after today is just icing on the cake!!

Above and below are some photos of a selection of CD releases from my Paul McCartney collection. Some are old, some are new (the newest and probably last CD release of some of these albums) and a couple (“London Town” and “Back to the Egg”) are grey area discs that look and sound so nice I thought it would be fun to share them here.

That’s all for now and until next time be well and see you soon!