The 50th anniversary of the release of Abbey Road, returning to the Beatles’ fanaticism.
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the publication of Abbey Road
London, England, 1964
? David Hurn | Magnum Photos
In the era when the Beatles were the most popular, who didn’t think about what it would be like to keep "mop head"?
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr have also been asked this question countless times, and they always replied jokingly, "What if we don’t leave Mop Top?"
London, England, 1964
? David Hurn | Magnum Photos
And what about those who recorded the Beatles in their heyday? On the 50th anniversary of the release of the band’s last album, Abbey Road, photographers who had close contact with the quartet recalled the past, which also allowed us to know some interesting inside stories of the band in its popular era.
Liverpool, England, 1963
? Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
In 1963, Philip Jones-Griffiths, a Magnum photographer, went backstage to shoot the Beatles’ concert at the Royal Theatre in Liverpool, just before the four became household names.
Although the photographer rarely talked about the story of his contact with the band when he was alive, his works are enough to tell everything, especially the one that took Ringo’s signature in underwear.
England, 1963
? Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
In 1950s and 1960s, this Welsh photographer recorded the life of the working class in his hometown of Radland, denbighshire and Liverpool. In 2008, before the publication of his solo album Recollections, he said, "(Liverpool) is a place for me to broaden my horizons, let me go out of the country and experience the outside world. I was enlightened and educated here and began to get in touch with multiculturalism. This bustling port city has become my favorite! "
Liverpool, England, 1963
? Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
After that, Jones Griffith went to Vietnam to record the war and used his works to change the American people’s views on this conflict. His works were uncompromising, and Bresson compared them to Goya’s war-themed prints.
By contrast, his meeting with the Beatles was relaxed and pleasant. "I spent most of my time in the dressing room, trying to get to know them," he later recalled. "The most wonderful thing was the letters from female fans, which shocked the whole band. Members commented,’ How do they know these things!’ "
England, 1963
? Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
When Jones Griffith met the Beatles, they were United and tacit, and their career had just started in Hamburg, Germany. And when another Magnum photographer, David Hurn, started shooting bands in 1964, a year later, their charm had swept the world.
London, England, 1964
? David Hurn | Magnum Photos
In 1959, Hearn collaborated with director Richard Lester to film The Running, Jumping & Standing Still Film starring Peter Sellers. So during the production of A Hard Day’s Night, Hearn was invited to shoot on the set.
London, England, 1964
? David Hurn | Magnum Photos
In a telephone interview from his home in Wales, he said: "The consensus reached between Lester and me is that although I often go to the set, I will not be like an ordinary still photographer. I am more interested in the relationship between fans and bands, so most of the photos taken are their responses to fans. "
Shooting began in early March 1964 and ended at the end of April. Halfway through the progress, "Beatlemania" reached its peak, and the top five on the Billboard charts in the United States were swept by bands at the same time, which is an unprecedented record.
London, England, 1964
? David Hurn | Magnum Photos
It can be said that Hearn conducted this visual research on fan culture at the best time. The photographer said, "They are the most influential band in history, and I suspect their fans are also the most absurd and fanatical. The members couldn’t move a step. On several occasions, they were in my car, and the police had to let them go directly at the red light, because they knew that once the car stopped, it would be surrounded. This has a great impact on the four young people, and all kinds of unexpected things can happen. "
London, England, 1964
? David Hurn | Magnum Photos
When the band faced this special "imprisonment" situation, Hearn was able to get to know them better. As screaming fans were kept out of the police line, members had to turn to secular entertainment to relieve their boring life. "What we used to do together included playing Monopoly," Hearn laughed. "My great regret is that I didn’t record these pictures, because I wanted to win the game so much that I didn’t even think of taking pictures with my camera!"
The picture of the quartet sitting around the piano in EMI Recording Studio (renamed Abbey Road Recording Studio a few years later) was also captured by Hearn, who thought this photo was worth collecting and truly described the natural state of the four people getting along.
London, England, 1964
? David Hurn | Magnum Photos
"In my opinion-this is entirely a personal opinion-I’m not sure that their relationship is as good as it looks," the photographer said frankly. "This is because they seldom get together. You know, the kind that has no activities at night and goes to dinner together. Generally, people see four people posing together. Photographers sent by other newspapers will ask them to pose for photos together or make faces. I’m not interested in posing at all; To a certain extent, I think this is anti-photography. "
You know, as early as 1964, the relationship between Lennon and McCartney was already very complicated. "I’m not sure whether John and Paul like each other," Hearn said. "There is fierce competition between them, which makes them great creators. They also inspire each other, but I have never felt the state of friends in four people. "
London, England, 1964
? David Hurn | Magnum Photos
In private, Hearn and Ringo get along best, and they once spent a Christmas together. The photographer thinks that this drummer is the most down-to-earth and the least competitive among the four people. "george harrison wants to be the best guitarist in the world. He made great efforts and went to India to learn all kinds of things. Paul and John write songs. They are always competing with each other. Ringo is the one who was left out. I like him very much. "
Rome, Italy, 1965
? Ferdinando Scianna | Magnum Photos
Almost no country can be immune to the charm of the Beatles beat. In June 1965, when Magnum photographer Ferdinando Scianna was shooting a band at Teatro Adriano in Rome, people’s enthusiasm for "The Beatles with Long Hair" left this Magnum photographer with a lifelong psychological shadow.
Rome, Italy, 1965
? Ferdinando Scianna | Magnum Photos
"It made me exhausted and disappointed …" Scianna told The Huffington Post in 2014. "In all the chaos, you couldn’t even hear the music, and the scene sounded worse than I expected. I was extremely nervous at the time, just like being bitten by a snake. Since then, I have hardly been to other rock concerts. "
Rome, Italy, 1965
? Ferdinando Scianna | Magnum Photos
In 1968, Lennon and McCartney announced the establishment of Apple Records at the Beatles press conference in new york, when photographer Elliott Landy went to shoot (some of his archival works are now represented by magnum photos). Although the scene at that time was not so chaotic, photographers still needed to seize the position.
"It was a scuffle," Randy said in a telephone interview from Woodstock’s home. "When I got to the scene, I could only stand anywhere. As a photographer, I never allow the need to shoot to overwhelm my manners. "
New york, USA, 1968.
? Elliott Landy | Magnum Photos
Randy said that the purpose of his photography is to capture the "essence" of a moment. "I think the most important picture is the whole scene: showing reporters and photographers shooting the Beatles and reflecting the state where Lennon and McCartney were at that time. The essence of that situation is that these two people are surrounded by many journalists and photographers, and people want to get some exclusive content from them. "
Also at this press conference, John Lennon said that the relationship between the band and Indian Maharishi Yogi was a mistake, but Randy admitted that he didn’t remember what was discussed at the scene that day: "In fact, I seldom listen to outside voices when taking pictures. All the brain power is concentrated on composition. "
New york, USA, 1968.
? Elliott Landy | Magnum Photos
Randy remembers two things vividly. First, he held a 22 mm lens over the heads of other photographers and took the picture that made him most proud: "This is a vertical composition photo with only two members. This photo is my favorite because it shows them dealing with the media. "
Another story is about another photographer, Linda Eastman, whom Randy met in Fillmore East, new york’s Lower East Side, when they were both filming live performances. "At the end of the press conference, Lennon and McCartney walked into the elevator, and she was with them," Eliot recalled with a smile. "She wasn’t taking pictures, so I remember that moment. I thought,’ Wow, that’s interesting.’ It’s surprising that she should know them. Of course, she married Paul later. "
? Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
Raymond Depardon, a French photographer and documentary producer from Magnum, never filmed the Beatles himself, but when John Lennon was assassinated in 1980, he happened to be in new york. In the short film "10 Minutes of Silence for John Lennon" (10 Minutes of Silence for John Lennon), he captured the scene that fans gathered in Central Park for a vigil.
Shortly after the filming was finished, Depadon said, "I happened to be in new york, and I heard the news of John Lennon’s assassination. What a coincidence." He has seen the announcements of the next mourning activities all around him, so he took a camera with a microphone and walked to the park, wandering in the crowd, away from the swarming media. The short film itself is restrained and quiet, but it is not lifeless silence; There was background noise and the police helicopter circled overhead. "I photographed everything around me; People on the ground are crying, and a whole generation is moved by his music. "
After a long silence, the crowd cheered spontaneously "People stood up and dried their tears, and then we heard Lennon’s music," said Depadong. "It was a postcard-like moment. A photographic freeze. "
? Raymond Depardon | Magnum Photos