The Beatles in Canada
 |
| New book: The Beatles in Canada – The origins of Beatlemania! by Piers Hemmingsen |
The Canadians were the first north-Americans to discover The Beatles, a fact that isn’t well-known south of the border. Months before the Americans caught on, Capitol of Canada did not, unlike their U.S. chapter, reject George Martin’s attempt to have Beatles records released. This new book celebrates the release of the Beatles first records in North America and their very first number one charted record in Canada, She Loves You. The book includes Forewords by noted Beatles expert and British author Mark Lewisohn, and extensive contributions by Capitol of Canada’s Paul White – the A&R man who put his career on the line in early 1963 to issue the Beatles music in North America before anyone else. The book, the first in a two volume series, is an authoritative reference work that thoroughly delves into the roots of Beatlemania in Canada and continues its way to chronicle the actual events at the dawn and rise of the Beatles fame in Canada. The book also includes a special companion audio CD with one hour of rare audio clips.
The Beatles In Canada – The Origins Of Beatlemania documents the creation, marketing and distribution of the Beatles music in Canada, and lists the earliest radio station chart successes in the most remote outposts of Canada. There are chapters on trans-Atlantic press coverage, the fan clubs, original Beatles advertising, record reviews and profiles of the key people and places that were involved in this uniquely Canadian story.
Thoroughly illustrated with original photos and artifacts, the author has had unique access to the archives of the key players in the history of the Beatles in Canada, and also to private collections of Canadian Beatles artifacts going back more than 50 years. But the best of the book lies in the stories of the young fans who in some wonderful cases brought Beatles records to Canada from England in the summer of 1963 and turned their friends on to these new sounds.
Each book is numbered and signed by Piers Hemmingsen. The author has followed The Beatles since he first saw them in England in early 1963, has written previous books on the subject and has been a regular contributor to the British Beatles Fan Club Magazine and has provided articles over the years to Goldmine Magazine and Record Collector Magazine. He has provided detailed archival research on special project assignments for EMI Music Canada and Universal Music Canada.
Links:
UK & Europe: MusicRoom.com
USA: The Fest for Beatles Fans
Canada: TheBeatlesInCanada.com
Sample pages: TheBeatlesInCanada.com
There was also a book by Mary-Lu Zahalan called Cultural Capital:The Beatles In Canada, which she wrote as her diseration from the Beatles & Popular Music Masters course at Hope University in Liverpool
I see that right now there is a "deluxe edition" available. Any word if a not so deluxe edition will be available?
For $175 USD? Well, I'm still going to hold on to the myth that the Beatles only ruled North America via the United States and keep spinning my Canadian import bootlegs. Thanks Canada!
This brings back the memory of discovering the Beatles singing "She Loves You" over short wave radio before any major record releases in the USA.