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Post by queenofthehours on Jun 22, 2016 15:19:57 GMT
Last Sunday I went to Liverpool to visit the Beatles Story on Albert Dock. Attachment Deleted
I'd been dying to visit the museum for years and as the day promised only rain Sunday was the ideal opportunity to go. When you get your ticket you also have the opportunity to buy a souvenir guide which I did but I still haven't read it yet as I don't like to juggle guide books when I go to exhibitions. However I did pick up an audio guide which is narrated by John's sister.
To my surprise, although it shouldn't have been, there was a fair amount of Jeff Lynne involved at the Beatles Story. But I'll get to that later. To start with here is Nelson Wilbury's first guitar. Attachment Deleted
This was in the first part of the exhibition along with lots of information about the lads and how they started out. There were class photos of Quarrybank and the Liverpool Institute featuring George, Paul, John and their friends. And there was a display about the Quarrymen with instruments and information about skiffle. Further along the museum had mock ups of the Casbah, Hamburg, Mathew Street and the Mersey Beat paper offices -
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Post by queenofthehours on Jun 22, 2016 15:37:09 GMT
Next was the star feature of the exhibition for most people I think. A faux Cavern.
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It looked very convincing and had tables and chairs you could sit in like real fans to admire the décor and watch a short video. But what it didn’t have was the smell the real thing supposedly had or the damp, hot, heavy air that you can still experience at the Cavern that’s on Mathew Street today. In fact, the museum staff did aim to recreate the famous walls dripping with moisture by painting the bricks with shiny paint. The best part was that you could sit and see people’s faces light up as they walked in and saw the Cavern. There was a little kitchen in there too which had a few too many modern features for it not to have been used for real teas and coffees rather than merely as a piece of history. This leads me to my first Lynne moment – this false Cavern was used in the 'Free as a Bird' video.
There were more mock ups to come – EMI studios, NEMS and a Yellow Submarine you could walk through with real live fish in the portholes! There was also a gravestone for Eleanor Rigby that was also used in the 'Free as a Bird' video -
It is the real deal made of granite and weighs 50 stone. I often wondered why 'Free as a Bird' affected me so much when it came out. I was just 13 and was beginning to get into music but the track affected me in ways that no other Beatles track did. I thought it was just nostalgia but now I realise that it was Jeff's production.
In the next museum area I came across this information which surprised me -
Attachment Deleted For this mellotron -
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Post by queenofthehours on Jun 22, 2016 15:55:12 GMT
In one of the final rooms was this -
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Ringo's sparkly gold kit from the Concert for George.
In this section each of the Beatles had their own section with seating, information and a little video to illustrate their career post-band. Ringo's featured Thomas the Tank Engine's face on the floor while Paul's video showed James Bond. I didn't get to see John's as the fire alarm went off and everyone had to evacuate. However just before that moment I was sat for quite a long time in George's section.
In the next photo you'll see a picture that was on George's information wall. It features some people who seem to have been in a band with George.
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By now my audio guide had stopped working, I guess the battery had run out. Perhaps I'd been in the exhibition too long? Anyway, the fire bell went off and everyone was ushered out. I'm glad I was at the end rather than the start of the show because this next picture is of the main thing I wanted to see -
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John's white piano from 'Imagine'. I snapped it very quickly as I walked by and despite being very disappointed that I couldn't look for longer I'm pleased I at least got a glimpse of it!
I'd recommend the Beatles Story to everyone as it's fantastic but to me it is a little too close to "A Child's First Illustrated Guide To The Beatles" to let us in on any new aspects. I'd say that all of us here on the forum are as well informed as the exhibition aims to teach but aside from the information and the story it's the exhibits that really shine. If you go you'll not learn anything new but you will have a very good time and experience a few surprises.
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Post by queenofthehours on Jun 22, 2016 16:16:05 GMT
There is a second venue for the Beatles Story at the Pier Head, where the ferries depart from.
Incidentally, here is a Ferry 'Cross the Mersey decked out in Dazzle Ship colours -
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In this venue you can see a 4D Beatles show but I didn't have time to watch this as I wanted to see the Pattie Boyd photography exhibition before I had to go home. All the photos in the show were taken by the first Mrs Nelson Wilbury and feature both George and Eric. Many of them you may have seen a few times in books but you can't help admiring Patty's talent, she should be a noted artistic Beatle-wife alongside Yoko and Linda. www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3515337/John-Lennon-Paul-McCartney-famous-trip-India-George-Harrison-naked-bed-Eric-Clapton-stage-1974-Pattie-Boyd-s-unseen-photos-Fab-Four-display-time-UK.html
The last thing I saw at the Beatles Story, before heading back to the bus through the pouring rain, was a little exhibition called the British Invasion.
The star attraction here for me was undoubtedly Keith Moon's gold kit -
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Keith plays the kit here;
And here, where you can see it better:
My last photo is of a super swanky yacht that was parked in the dock for some reason -
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I later found out that this boat was built in 1984, is 51 metres long and once was used by George and Barbara Bush. It can accommodate 16 passengers and 13 crew.
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Post by Helmut83 on Jun 22, 2016 16:32:07 GMT
Great photos, queenofthehours! And I totally agree about what you said: nothing new for us long-time Beatles fans (really, I'm not sure during my stay at Liverpool I learnt a single new thing about the Beatles), but to get to see those things personally, that's the whole point of being there. It feels totally different. It feels real. That's when you say "these guys actually existed and were human beings". John Lennon's "Imagine" white piano and the room decorated as in the video is no doubt a standout. Did you buy any merchandise at the store?
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Post by Helmut83 on Jun 22, 2016 16:33:50 GMT
Huh, and how didn't you manage to get inside that boat?
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Post by unomusette on Jun 22, 2016 20:58:02 GMT
Huh, and how didn't you manage to get inside that boat? Yes, being a queen and all, you should have access to any ship in the harbour Excellent account of your Beatley trip, some great pics and I especially like the idea of all the reconstructed sites. Ooh, and John Lennon's piano, that must have cost a bit for the museum to acquire, unless it was donated. Now you've done this, what will be your next "must visit" destination?
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Post by queenofthehours on Jun 23, 2016 14:23:11 GMT
The whole exhibition is quite wordy. Lots and lots of boards of information to read and then there's the audio guide. I wonder if the likes of us, reasonably informed Beatles fans, might be better off just enjoying the reconstructed areas and the exhibits rather than trying to learn anything. That said, if I hadn't been trying to read absolutely everything I'd have missed Jeff Lynne's Mellotron. now that was new information, I didn't know he'd once owned a museum exhibit!
Let's all thank George Michael for once - www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-68109/Lennons-piano-display.html
No other destinations planned at the moment but the Beatles Story was only planned at the last minute!
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Post by queenofthehours on Jun 23, 2016 14:29:19 GMT
Great photos, queenofthehours ! And I totally agree about what you said: nothing new for us long-time Beatles fans (really, I'm not sure during my stay at Liverpool I learnt a single new thing about the Beatles), but to get to see those things personally, that's the whole point of being there. It feels totally different. It feels real. That's when you say "these guys actually existed and were human beings". John Lennon's "Imagine" white piano and the room decorated as in the video is no doubt a standout. Did you buy any merchandise at the store? I bought things from both gift shops - at Albert Dock and the Pier Head. I bought a few pin badges from the Pier Head and more pins still from Albert Dock plus a postcard and some patches. I'm completely obsessed by patches. I would have bought a t-shirt but I haven't a clue which to choose or what size I'd need as all the best designs are either unisex or men's. At the Pier Head I saw some tempting George Harrison t-shirts, I really wanted the orange Extra Texture one but I'll have to wait until I go again as I cannot find that top anywhere online.
I didn't have any time left to try for the boat! Anyway, it was tipping with rain.
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Post by BSJ on Jun 23, 2016 19:15:21 GMT
When you get excited looking at photos of what The Beatles owned, you know they’re a part of your DNA! Great “Free As A Bird” video. I watched a few times without the sound, better to pay attention to the what’s being shown, and found very few reference to songs, time of The Beatles lives I wasn’t familiar with. A large influence of my childhood. They were always there! Lennon’s piano! Extra bonus Moon’s drums! I would not have been able to contain myself standing around reading those boards. Thanks for sharing queenofthehours!
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Post by unomusette on Jun 23, 2016 20:56:37 GMT
Well, I certainly learned something from your trip queenofthehours, thanks for the info about how George Michael saved the white piano. I always knew he had a good heart
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Post by queenofthehours on Jun 24, 2016 15:57:38 GMT
There was also a pair of John Lennon's sunglasses that he gave to a Japanese translator who later took out the lenses when he learned of John's death.
The thought entered my head, at about the point where the mellotron was, that the only thing better than a Beatles museum would be an ELO museum!
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