“1964: Eyes of the Storm” book published

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

About

On this day, “1964: Eyes of the Storm,” a new book of photographs taken by Paul McCartney was released. The book showcases a collection of captivating images primarily taken during the Beatles’ 1964 North American tour, an era inseparable from the intense fervour of Beatlemania. It also includes photographs captured in both Liverpool and Paris. Announced in January 2023, the book features a foreword written by Paul McCartney himself and an introduction penned by Jill Lepore.

To enhance the experience, a complimentary photo exhibition was inaugurated at the London National Portrait Gallery on June 28 and remained open to the public until October 1, 2023.

Amidst the promotional campaign for this photography book and the accompanying photo exhibition, Paul McCartney participated in several interviews with BBC1, BBC Radio 4, CBS Sunday Morning, and the online magazine, The Face. Additionally, he took part in an on-stage conversation at The Tribeca Film Festival, where he shared the spotlight with renowned American TV personality Conan O’Brien. Moreover, he partook in a live-streamed conversation alongside Stanley Tucci.


From Waterstones:

Photographs and Reflections by Paul McCartney

‘Millions of eyes were suddenly upon us, creating a picture I will never forget for the rest of my life.’

In 2020, an extraordinary trove of nearly a thousand photographs taken by Paul McCartney on a 35mm camera was re-discovered in his archive. They intimately record the months towards the end of 1963 and beginning of 1964 when Beatlemania erupted in the UK and, after the band’s first visit to the USA, they became the most famous people on the planet. The photographs are McCartney’s personal record of this explosive time, when he was, as he puts it, in the ‘Eyes of the Storm’.

1964: Eyes of the Storm presents 275 of McCartney’s photographs from the six cities of these intense, legendary months – Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami – and many never-before-seen portraits of John, George and Ringo. In his Foreword and Introductions to these city portfolios, McCartney remembers ‘what else can you call it – pandemonium‘ and conveys his impressions of Britain and America in 1964 – the moment when the culture changed and the Sixties really began.

1964: Eyes of the Storm includes:
– Six city portfolios – Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami – and a Coda on the later months of 1964 – featuring 275 of Paul McCartney’s photographs and his candid reflections on them
– A Foreword by Paul McCartney
– Beatleland, an Introduction by Harvard historian and New Yorker essayist Jill Lepore
– A Preface by Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and Another Lens, an essay by Senior Curator Rosie Broadley

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241619711
Number of pages: 336
Dimensions: 285 x 248 x 245 mm


From Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm – National Portrait Gallery (npg.org.uk) – Self-portrait, Paul McCartney, 1964, © Paul McCartney
Photo by Paul McCartney. From Paul McCartney on Twitter, June 23, 2023: Happy #InternationalPortraitDay! These portraits of John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr feature in Paul’s new exhibition and book #EyesOfTheStorm
Photo by Paul McCartney. From Paul McCartney on Twitter, June 23, 2023: Happy #InternationalPortraitDay! These portraits of John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr feature in Paul’s new exhibition and book #EyesOfTheStorm
Photo by Paul McCartney. From Paul McCartney on Twitter, June 23, 2023: Happy #InternationalPortraitDay! These portraits of John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr feature in Paul’s new exhibition and book #EyesOfTheStorm
New York, February 1964: ‘Ringo setting up his precariously perched drum kit during rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan show’ – From ‘Suddenly, we were in Wonderland’: Paul McCartney on his lost photos of Beatlemania | Paul McCartney | The Guardian
A message from fans on the beach outside the band’s hotel in Miami – From ‘Suddenly, we were in Wonderland’: Paul McCartney on his lost photos of Beatlemania | Paul McCartney | The Guardian
Slovak photographer and friend of the band Dezo Hoffmann (on right), among the throng in Paris – From ‘Suddenly, we were in Wonderland’: Paul McCartney on his lost photos of Beatlemania | Paul McCartney | The Guardian
Photo by Paul McCartney. Cilla Black, London 1964 – From Paul McCartney | News | You Gave Me The Answer – ‘Eyes of the Storm’ Exhibition and Book Special!
Photo by Paul McCartney. Girl with headscarf. Washington DC, 1964 – From Paul McCartney | News | You Gave Me The Answer – ‘Eyes of the Storm’ Exhibition and Book Special!
Photo by Paul McCartney. “George looking young, handsome and relaxed. Living the life. Miami Beach, 1964” – Paul – From Paul McCartney | News | You Gave Me The Answer – ‘Eyes of the Storm’ Exhibition and Book Special!
Self-portrait. London, 1963 – From Paul McCartney | Collections | Eyes of the Storm
John and George. Paris, 1964 – From Paul McCartney | Collections | Eyes of the Storm
John Lennon. Paris, 1964 – From Paul McCartney | Collections | Eyes of the Storm
“The crowds chasing us in ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ were based on moments like this. Taken out of the back of our car on West Fifty-Eigth, crossing the Avenue of the Americas.” – Paul – From Paul McCartney | Collections | Eyes of the Storm
Photographers in Central Park. New York, 1964 – From Paul McCartney | Collections | Eyes of the Storm
Ringo Starr, London – From Paul McCartney | Collections | Eyes of the Storm
“The boys in our dressing room” – Paul. – From Paul McCartney | Collections | Eyes of the Storm
New York City, February 1964: ‘We were staying at the Plaza Hotel, who were pretty horrified by all the hullabaloo’ – From ‘Suddenly, we were in Wonderland’: Paul McCartney on his lost photos of Beatlemania | Paul McCartney | The Guardian
Miami: ‘Of the photos I took on the journey from the airport to the hotel, one of the most striking, for me, is of an armed policeman on his motorcycle. His gun was framed perfectly through the window, and I managed to focus on his gun and ammunition. It was still slightly shocking for us to see a gun in real life’ – From ‘Suddenly, we were in Wonderland’: Paul McCartney on his lost photos of Beatlemania | Paul McCartney | The Guardian

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Last updated on December 22, 2023

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