The Beatles documentary '8 days a week'

I heard about this documentary a while ago and the date went straight in my diary. Today was the world premiere of 'Eight days a week – the touring years', a film about the Beatles and it was streamed live into local cinemas, much like the recent trend for opera and theatre performances.

I once worked for one of the co-producers back in the 1980s, when I was the freelance producer of 'Total Recall – the history of Roxy Music', a long form tv docco about the band.  Bruce's own company made the programme using material we searched for around the world, including any live performances we could find, as well as the graphic material from the band's own archive for which the group were well known. I was really pleased that Bruce had been pivotally involved in getting this major Beatles film made and for cinema release.

Helena and I really enjoyed the film and I recommend it as the sound quality is wonderful with all the live performances having been re-mstered by Giles Martin, the son of the Beatles producer, George Martin. There was also a mass of anecdotal footage which was very moving, helping to tell the story of their rise to the unique global phenomena which ensued, especially in the early years.

I tried to snatch a few pictures in the cinema and have chosen to blip this probably unknown image. It was taken at the tail end of this period, I think in early 1966. In the film they are disillusioned with the touring and the pressure and demands of the public and the industry for whom they have become now a product, much like meat on a butcher's shelf, to be sold and used..

I knew of this photo shoot, which became notorious.The photographer was Bob Whitaker, who had been working with them very closely for several years, and had photographed several of their album covers. As they said in the film they were mostly tired of all the general press photo shoots, as can be seen in the various examples the director shows. But in these images (and there were several out-takes shown) they seem very animated again like in the early years.

They chose one of these pictures for their next American album release, but it was banned, probably by their US record company, and the pictures never were released at all.  I knew about this only in recent years, long after I had by chance got to know Bob, the photographer, whom I met in the 1980s through friends. Sadly he died a few years ago but his work remains as a fine record of the Beatles as people. He carried on a varied career including time as a war photographer. I think he would have been pleased that his name was mentioned by them in the film, as he fell out with their company Apple Corps, who claimed to own copyright on some of his work, a dispute which must now have been settled. 

If you were around for the sixties or seventies I would recommend this film as a glimpse into changing times and a look at when life seemed simpler. They were really good musicians too and you can hear clearly that they could play live very well, and enjoyed doing it, until it went pear-shaped.

I have added a still picture of John Lennon from the film as he was always my favourite at the time.