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If you read any Beatles history that covers their entire career, you will encounter much condemnation of this film.
#Magical mystery tour movie movie
Give it another try sometime - it has aged well.īut then we have that first post-Epstein movie venture, " Magical Mystery Tour ," the Boxing Day would-be treat that went way, way wrong. Their first two cinematic forays, " A Hard Day’s Night" (1964) and " Help!" (1965) were largely steered by others, with the former managing to meld itself into a glorious piece of top-end, artful cinema, the other being far patchier and flawed, but esoteric and esoterically watchable. Lacking their rudder, in a sense, at least insofar as outside-of-the-studio decisions went, the band attempted to regroup by making a film on their terms. " Later in that summer, manager Brian Epstein died. The year had begun with their release of the finest single we have, in “Penny Lane”/”Strawberry Fields Forever,” then reached a zeitgeist-bending high water mark in the early summer with "Sgt. It was into that market that the Beatles wished to step as their once glorious 1967 campaign drew to a close. It’s a big shopping day, a big post-Christmas sit-around-and-bask day, and an ideal day for some light television entertainment.
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In England, this is what is known as Boxing Day, when the postman and others in the service industries, however broadly defined, can expect to receive a present in a box - or they once could, anyway. I only wish they would now put out a sequel made up from the parts they left on the cutting-room floor.The consensual first misstep in the Beatles’ career occurred the day after Christmas, 1967. But praise to all of them for making a most entertaining film. 'I Am The Walrus' has four of them togged up in animal costumes switching at times to them bobbing across the screen as egg-men.Ī special word of praise for Ringo, who more than the others comes over very, very funnily.
#Magical mystery tour movie tv
It's a pity that most TV viewers will be able to see it only in black and white. For 'Blue Jay Way' George is seen sitting cross-legged in a sweating mist which materialises into a variety of shapes and patterns. The film sequences for the musical numbers are extremely clever. I am convinced they are extremely capable of writing and directing a major movie for release on one of the major cinema circuits. After watching a rough cut of their 'Magical Mystery Tour', which BBC viewers can see on Boxing Day. If they aren't already planning so, the Beatles should start planning their next full-length film immediately. The US release made # 1 in early January 1968 and stayed there for eight weeks. "Baby, You're A Rich Man" and their current single, "Hello, Goodbye". These titles were "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Penny Lane", "All You Need Is Love" - their anthem that had been broadcast around the world via Satellite in June.
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In the US, the double-EP format was not considered viable so instead, Capitol Records created an album by placing the six songs from the EP on side one of an album and drawing side two from the titles that had appeared on singles in 1967. 2 in the UK singles chart, held off the top spot by their own single.
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The EP was a runaway success and reached no. A lyric sheet was also stapled into the centrespread of the booklet. The booklet contained stills from the show along with a comic strip telling the story. It was decided that the soundtrack for the programme would be released on two seven inch discs which would be packaged with a booklet in a gatefold sleeve.
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