Previously unseen photographs taken by Paul McCartney at the height of Beatlemania go on show at the National Portrait Gallery.
McCartney, who has owned a house in St John's Wood since the early 60s, will unveil more than 250 images from his personal archive when the Gallery reopens in June following a major refurb.
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm features pictures taken on the music icon's Pentax camera between November 1963 and February 1964 as he, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were propelled to global superstardom.
Described by McCartney as "the eyes of the storm," the images show the frenzy of Beatlemania from the inside out, chronologically documenting four months of travels, from grainy black and white images taken backstage in Liverpool, to rehearsing at a recording studio in Paris, to Manhattan skylines, and gleaming colour shots of Miami Beach.
An accompanying book 1964: Eyes of the Storm, is published on June 13 by Penguin Press. In his foreword McCartney writes: "Millions of eyes were suddenly upon us, creating a picture I will never forget for the rest of my life."
The earliest images date from when Beatlemania was gripping Britain, and culminate with photographs taken during the final days of the band’s first triumphant trip to America, when their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9 was watched by an unequalled television audience of 73 million.
The Photographs had existed as negatives and contact sheets for 60 years, but the majority had never been made into prints. Rediscovered in McCartney's personal archive in 2020, he has selected the photographs and shared personal reflections about the time.
He said: "Looking at these photos now, decades after they were taken, I find there’s a sort of innocence about them. Everything was new to us at this point. But I like to think I wouldn’t take them any differently today.
"They now bring back so many stories, a flood of special memories, which is one of the many reasons I love them all, and know that they will always fire my imagination. The fact that these photographs have been taken by the National Portrait Gallery for their reopening after a lengthy renovation is humbling yet also astonishing – I’m looking forward to seeing them on the walls, 60 years on."
NPG director Dr Nicholas Cullinan said: "We all know what Beatlemania looked and sounded like from the outside, but what did it look and feel like for the four pairs of eyes that lived and witnessed it first-hand? Over more than half a century, we have become familiar with press photographs showing the smiling Beatles and their screaming fans, but Paul McCartney’s intimate photographs have more in common with a family album, capturing people caught in off-guard moments of relaxation and laughter."
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm runs from June 28 to October 1. https://www.npg.org.uk/
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here