PAUL MCCARTNEY PHOTOGRAPHS 1963-64 EYES OF THE STORM
HAPPENINGText: Alma Reyes
We arrive at the first section staged with photographs of the band’s London (including Liverpool) days. Scenes capture concerts and recording sessions, for instance, at the Liverpool Empire theatre with the production and management crew. We sense the band members’ intimacy, whether backstage or at the pub, and the hustle and bustle amidst the media and fans. “I’m reminded of so many things: of an England that was more my parents’ generation than my own; of the early concerts and those original fans; of Beatlemania and of a London that in 1963 spoke of promise and ambition and everything new to four young men from the north.”
Installation view, London, Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64 Eyes of the Storm, Tokyo City View, Roppongi Mori Hills Tower
McCartney took a striking self-portrait in 1963 up the attic of actress and author Jane Asher’s family home in Westminster. The couple dated for about five years, and shared Asher’s home with the band for several years.
Another group of photos present the Beatles tour in Paris in 1964. Scenes spread from recording and photo sessions to McCartney’s views of Parisian streets and landmarks. Many of the pictures were taken from inside the Austin Princess luxury car. The twosome portrait of Lennon and Harrison (1964) and Lennon slightly bending and waving (1964) are priceless shots. During this time “I Want to Hold Your Hand” reached No. 1 in the U.S. charts.
Installation view, Paris, Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64 Eyes of the Storm, Tokyo City View, Roppongi Mori Hills Tower
McCartney promised himself that the band wouldn’t step in the U.S. until they have landed with a No. 1 hit. Since the big break finally happened, they flew to New York in 1964. When the Beatles’ first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, 73 million local viewers from 23,240,000 American homes were accounted for. The staggering presence had never been witnessed before since Elvis Presley, and marked a truly historic event. These golden moments are documented in a special corner of large contact prints and a video clip of the popular American TV show.
Installation view, Washington D.C., Miami, Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64 Eyes of the Storm, Tokyo City View, Roppongi Mori Hills Tower
The collection of photographs moves onwards to Washington, D.C. and Miami. Some scenarios depict the group in the plane, at airports, or among crowds of fans and photographers at their feet. McCartney was able to grasp the sparkle of of sheer joy, surprise and excitement in the band members’ faces, like incessant euphoria over the glittering fame the band truly wanted. He reminisced, “It was kind of incremental, yeah, but the American thing was the big tipping point… there was an upward trajectory. By the time we went to America it was like: Woah, this is it. You know, we’ve really made it now.”
Installation view, Miami, Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64 Eyes of the Storm, Tokyo City View, Roppongi Mori Hills Tower
The color pictures from Miami seem to have left the monochrome life behind, at least temporarily, and were replaced by the sun, swimming pools, boats, and water skiing. The snapshot at Miami Beach of Harrison holding a cigarette while a girl in yellow bikini hands him a drink hints the youthful innocence of that period.
Quotes by McCartney on the gallery walls bring the images to life as though his words echo the energy, spirit and spectacle surrounding the Beatles’ music legacy that will be forever remembered. In his words, “…the Beatles certainly were at the centre, or the eye, of a self-generated storm… To look at the strength, to look at the love and the wonder of what we went through that’s captured in these photographs is the whole thing. It’s what makes life great.”
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64 Eyes of the Storm
Date: July 19th – September 24th, 2024
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 19:00 (Friday and Saturday till 20:00)
Place: Tokyo City View
Address: 52nd Floor, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Ropponngi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 (0)50 5541 8600
https://www.eyesofthestorm.jp
Text: Alma Reyes
Photos: Courtesy of MPL Communications Ltd. © National Portrait Gallery, London. © Fuji Television Network, Inc.
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