BLACK & WHITE SHOTS OF THE BEATLES ARE NOW BEING EXHIBITED

The Beatles have a casual tea in the Abbey Road canteen, 1967. 

George and John visit a tea lady (Picture: David Magnus)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some incredible black and white shots of The Beatles taking a break at the famous Abbey Road studios, never before seen by the public, are now being exhibited.

 

They show the lads sharing jokes and looking very at home as they collect tea from the canteen, puff a few crafty fags, make pro-peace signs and record in various eccentric outfits.

It seems a police officer was assigned to protect Liverpudlian megastars Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney during tea breaks in case anything untoward happened.

Photographer David Magnus captured the wonderful images of the Fab Four at EMI Studio 1, Abbey Road, for the BBC, in June 1967. 

Sideburns ahoy in the canteen (Picture: David Magnus)

The band were preparing to perform All You Need Is Love for the corporation’s first live global broadcast, Our World, and Magnus’ task was to capture what happened.

George and Paul test out their trumpets (Picture: David Magnus)

The new London photo exhibition of his work celebrates the 50th anniversary of this June 24 event, which reached an audience of 400 million around the world.

Ringo chills out with his drum kit (Picture: David Magnus)

Recalling his experience, Magnus said: ‘As I came from the EMI canteen, one of the female studio staff stopped me, put a hand on my shoulder and said to me, “I must touch you as you’ve been in the same room as The Beatles”.

‘It was as if I carried an aura from the Beatles. This to me sums up Beatlemania.’

This was a transitional period for the Beatles’ music, and their increasing interest in experimentation led them to spend time in India with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi the following year.

When these snaps were taken they’d just released Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, though it looks as though their image was already beginning to evolve.

Ringo has a puff during takes (Picture: David Magnus)

By the end of 1966, the band had grown sick of touring and vowed never to do so again, which led to rumours they were about to break up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The band record, surrounded by signs, flowers and techies (Picture: David Magnus)

Instead, they hit the Abbey Road studios and made what many fans believe was their best album, including tracks like Strawberry Fields Forever and A Day In The Life.

John secured a flower in his hair at one point (Picture: David Magnus)

All these photos and more are now being exhibited in The Beatles Unseen: Photographs by David Magnus at Proud Gallery in Chelsea, London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul paints signs about love and peace for the TV broadcast (Picture: David Magnus)

The show opens tomorrow, 16 March 2017, and runs through to May 14.