CLASSIC ROCK INTERVIEWS: #The Beatles and WWII

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

TONY PALMER LEGENDARY BRITISH FILMMAKER AND DIRECTOR TALKS ABOUT THE BEATLES AND WORLD WAR II

TONY PALMER

ON THE RAY SHASHO RADIO SHOW

Tony Palmer’s film resume includes over 100 films, ranging from early works with The Beatles, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher (Irish Tour '74) and Frank Zappa (200 Motels), to his classical portraits which include profiles of Maria Callas, Margot Fonteyn, John Osborne, Igor Stravinsky, Richard Wagner, Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams. He is also a stage director of theatre and opera.

Palmer’s latest project is a legendary musical tribute “The Beatles and WWII” issued on CD/DVD by Gonzo Multimedia UK .Take a group of some of the most famous solo artists of the 70’s – Elton John, Tina Turner, The Four Seasons, The Bee Gees, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry, Rod Stewart, Leo Sayer, Keith Moon, Helen Reddy, Jeff Lynne & Frankie Valli – get them to sing cover versions of some of the most famous Beatles songs ever written. Add a considerable dollop of authentic documentary footage of the Second World War telling the story of that epic encounter…

“The Beatles and WWII”!!!

Sound crazy? It is. But enormously entertaining, and occasionally very chilling. A unique blend of music and film like no other. Of that much we can be absolutely certain.

“The best collection of Beatles covers in a film EVER”

In an article written by Ronnie Dannelley editor of Ear Candy Magazine: “The old 1976 film was the strangest mix of cinema and rock ‘n’ roll, combining World War II images (newsreels and Hollywood films made at that time) with the music of The Beatles (not The Beatles original recordings, but by various artists). The old movie combined a pastiche of World War II-themed film segments (both period films and post-war action films) with the backdrop of the music of The Beatles (NOT the original songs, but cover versions by various artists). Strange concept huh? A long story, but the end result was disastrous. The original distributor junked the film so completely that no copies survived, and the film took on its iconic status.”

Says legendary director Tony Palmer of his new film, “Although the original 1976 film had disappeared, thanks to the indifference and stupidity of the original distributor, instinctively I felt the central idea, and the material, and of course the music, were just too good to be lost forever.

“So for those fans who have had to rely on a few very poor quality extracts on YouTube, the 2016 film is a completely new experience, much of it in HD. Yes, we have used some of the original tracks, but added a lot of new archive footage, some never seen before. In addition, I have often used totally different music. The film starts with Vaughan Williams, and ends with Shostakovich, taking in Rachmaninoff en route and including many of the famous 2nd World War speeches by Roosevelt, Churchill, Montgomery, Chamberlain, Joe Kennedy and Hitler. And the film makes reference to war-torn Syria and the massive problem of immigration along the way.

“It is a far more complex film than the original, and I hope will give everyone pause for thought about the troubled world in which we live.”

THE BEATLES and WORLD WAR II

Produced by Sandy Lieberson

Directed & Edited by Tony Palmer

Tracks:DVD
Greensleeves - arr. Vaughan Williams
The Fool on the Hill - Helen Reddy
Yesterday - David Essex
The Long and Winding Road - Leo Sayer
I Am the Walrus - Leo Sayer
Come Together - Tina Turner
Shostakovich 11th Symphony
I Am the Walrus - Leo Sayer
Maxwell's Silver Hammer - Frankie Laine
Shes Leaving Home - Bryan Ferry
Let It Be - Leo Sayer
Getting Better - Status Quo
Help! - Henry Gross
Nowhere Man - Jeff Lynne
With a Little Help from My Friends - Jeff Lynne
'Army Air Corps' song - Robert MacArthur Crawford
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Elton John
She Came In Through the Bathroom Window - Bee Gees
With a Little Help from My Friends - Jeff Lynne
Because - Lynsey de Paul
Get Back - Rod Stewart
Nowhere Man - Jeff Lynne
We Can Work It Out - The Four Seasons
'Oche Nash' from St John Chrysostom Liturgy, Rachmaninoff
Shostakovich 11th Symphony
A Day In The Life - Frankie Valli
Michelle - Richard Cocciante
The Long and Winding Road - Leo Sayer
Victory March - Sousa
The End - Will Malone
When I'm Sixty-Four - Keith Moon
Golden Slumbers - The Bee Gees
Strawberry Fields Forever - Peter Gabriel
Hey Jude - The Brothers Johnson - 1:30 Shostakovich 4th Symphony
Fool on the Hill - John Williams (arr. Brouwer)

CD One
The Fool on The Hill - Helen Reddy Yesterday - David Essex
The Long & Winding Road - Leo Sayer
I Am The Walrus - Leo Sayer
Come Together - Tina Turner Maxwell's Silver Hammer - Frankie Laine
She's Leaving Home - Bryan Ferry
Let It Be - Leo Sayer
Getting Better - Status Quo
Help! - Henry Gross Nowhere Man - Jeff Lynne
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - Elton John

CD Two
With A Little Help From My Friends - Jeff Lynne
Because - Lynsey De Paul Get Back - Rod Stewart
We Can Work It Out - Four Seasons A Day In The Life - Frankie Valli
Michelle - Richard Cocciante When I'm Sixty Four - Keith Moon
Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight - The Bee Gees
Strawberry Fields - Peter Gabriel
Hey Jude - The Brothers Johnson Lennon speaks
The Fool on the Hill - John Williams

Purchase “The Beatles and WWII” at Gonzo Multimedia and amazon.com

Visit the Official site of Tony Palmer at www.tonypalmer.org