Tittenhurst Park

This Tittenhurst Park blog is dedicated to John Lennon's home in Sunningdale, near Ascot, Berkshire between 1969 and 1971. The aim is to gather as much material relating to the estate as possible - obviously with the emphasis on the Lennon-era, but also concerning Tittenhurst Park as it was before and after John Lennon's ownership. In addition, there will be posts about and associated with the Beatles, plus any other rubbish I feel like. The blog is purely meant for the entertainment of anyone (assuming there is actually anyone) who, like me, has an unhealthy interest in one particular Georgian mansion. Those with anything interesting to contribute in the way of links, photos, scans, stories etc. please do contact me: tittenhurstlennon@gmail.com
(Legal: this blog is strictly non-commercial. All material is the property of the photographer/artist/copyright holder concerned. Any such who wishes a picture etc to be removed should contact me and I will do so. Alternatively, if someone is happy to see their photo on here, but would like a credit/link then let me know and I'll be happy to provide one).
Enjoy!


Tuesday

John Lennon: Handwritten Lyrics






The handwritten lyrics to "(Just Like) Starting Over," the first single from 1980's Double Fantasy, Lennon's final album. "I've always loved that song," says Ono. "But it's really sad to hear now. He's talking about starting his life over, but he died so soon after."



More of Lennon's handwritten lyrics.



Lennon's handwritten lyrics to "Whatever Gets You Through the Night."

LENNONYC




“New York became a part of who John and I were,” said Ms. Ono. “We couldn’t have existed the same way anywhere else. We had a very special relationship with the city, which is why I continue to make this my home, and I think this film captures what that time was like for us very movingly.”

“The period that Lennon lived with his family in New York is perhaps the most tender and affecting phase of his life as a public figure,” said Susan Lacy, series creator and executive producer of American Masters as well as a producer of the Lennon film. “Just as the generation that had grown up with the Beatles was getting a little older and approaching a transitional time in their lives as they started families, they saw this reflected in Lennon as he grew from being a rock star icon into a real flesh and blood person.”

“I have long been moved by the honesty and directness of John’s music,” said Michael Epstein, LENNONYC director, producer and writer. “And, by using never-before heard studio talkback of John from this period, I think I was able to give the viewer a window into John Lennon that had not been put to film before.”

Following the breakup of the Beatles, Lennon and Ono moved to New York City in 1971, where Lennon sought to escape the mayhem of the Beatles era and focus on his family and private life. At the same time, he created some of the most acclaimed songs and albums of his career, most of them written at his apartment at The Dakota on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, including Mind Games, Whatever Gets You Thru the Night, I’m Losing You, and Woman. He also remained highly active in the anti-war movement as well as numerous other progressive political causes.

As much as New York made an impact on Lennon and Ono by offering them an oasis of personal and creative freedom, so too did they shape the city. At a time when New York faced record high crime, economic fallout and seemed to be on the verge of collapse, Lennon and Ono became a beloved fixture in neighborhood restaurants, at Central Park, at sports events and at political demonstrations.

Lennon and Ono also bonded with millions of their fellow New Yorkers in their experience as immigrants. The film traces their struggle to remain in the U.S. when the Nixon administration sought to deport them, supposedly based on a narcotics violation, but which Lennon insisted was in response to his anti-war activities.

LENNONYC features never-before heard studio recordings from the Double Fantasy sessions and never-before-seen outtakes from Lennon in concert and home movies that have only recently been transferred to video. It also features exclusive interviews with Ms. Ono, who cooperated extensively with the production and offers an unprecedented level of access, as well as with artists who worked closely with Lennon during this period, including Elton John and photographer Bob Gruen (who took the iconic photograph of Lennon in front of the skyline wearing a “New York City” t-shirt).

Thursday

Imagine: John Lennon by Tom Hanley







30 years after John Lennon’s untimely death in 1980, Proud Galleries, Chelsea, London presents Imagine, an intimate photographic portrait of Lennon by celebrated music photographer, Tom Hanley.
One of the most recognisable faces in the world, even now, John Lennon is one of the most celebrated musical icons of the last century, his songs still endlessly popular. Hanley’s relationship with Lennon began in the early 1960s as he started to work with the Beatles. Given unrestricted access to the superstar group, Hanley was able to capture the more intimate moments behind closed doors while ‘Beatlemania’ gripped the world and for some time after, as he built relationships with the band members.
His portraits of Lennon are particularly striking and they reveal a softer side to the musical genius. The collection includes portraits of Lennon at his piano working on ‘Imagine’, widely considered to be one of the greatest songs of all time; and relaxing at home with his wife, Yoko Ono. A collection that includes never before seen images and comprises vintage prints, this exhibition is a poignant and touching memorial to John Lennon 30 years after his death. A link to the gallery site is here
24th November to 16th January 2011

Wednesday

John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for "I'm Only Sleeping" for sale


John Lennon's original handwritten lyrics for I'm Only Sleeping are expected to sell for £350,000 at auction. John wrote them on the back of a letter demanding £12 for a car phone and threatening legal action. He penned the words in April 1966, just days before the Fab Four recorded the song for album Revolver. His first version shows various scribbles and seems to be about his love of lying in bed rather than anything drug-induced. The lyrics will go under the hammer at Bonhams, London, on December 15. Consultant Stephen Maycock said: "You can see the creative process at work and the ideas that are coming to him as he writes it."

Lennon's lyrics for A Day In The Life sold for £810,000 earlier this year.

Album John Lennon signed for his killer to be auctioned


John Lennon signs the copy of Double Fantasy that is coming up for auction..

One of the grisliest artefacts in musical history is up for sale, with a murderer's fingerprints on its sleeve. An American dealer is selling a copy of John Lennon's Double Fantasy, an LP Lennon signed for Mark David Chapman – his killer.
On 8 December 1980, just five hours before Lennon's death, Chapman was photographed approaching the Beatle to get him to sign a record. After Chapman shot Lennon outside his home, this LP was allegedly found by a maintenance man in a planter outside the gate. It was handed over to police, according to the dealer, who uncovered Chapman's fingerprints around the autograph. Officials later returned it to the owner, "with a letter of extreme gratitude from the district attorney".
"The album is the most extraordinary artefact in rock'n'roll history," said Bob Zafian, a spokesman for the seller. "I have never come across a piece with such provenance. Police reports, fingerprint documentation, letters from the [district attorney], it goes on and on." The original owner, a lifelong Beatles fan, sold the item for an alleged $150,000 (£94,000) in 1999. It is now up for sale via Moments in Time. According to the New York Post, the auction site is seeking $850,000 (£535,000).
As for who is selling the item, Moments in Time is keeping his identity secret. "[He] doesn't want to be named because he received death threats," Zafian said. Chapman himself sought to reclaim – and sell – the LP. In a 1986 letter, Lennon's murderer said it would be "the least [he] could do" to auction the album and donate the proceeds to a children's charity. "Is there any way to assess the value of an item such as this?"
Presently serving a sentence of 20 years to life, Chapman was denied parole in September for the sixth time.