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When the renowned photojournalist Michael Peto died in 1970, he bequeathed an incredible 130,000 prints and negatives to Scotland's University of Dundee. Decades later, while archiving the work, the University made an astonishing discovery within the collection – hundreds of photographs taken during the making of The Beatles' second feature film, Help!
In Now These Days Are Gone, Genesis is proud to present Michael Peto's previously unseen photographs of The Beatles for the very first time.
Ringo: 'Every day when there's a break in filming you get a chance to see rushes of the scenes they shot the day before.' Paul: 'And that's hilarious because you get to see all the bits of the film where somebody mucked things up by laughing and forgetting their lines.'
Michael Peto's historic photographs capture The Beatles on the set of Help! at Twickenham Studios on Salisbury Plain, enjoying dinner at their Salisbury hotel, relaxing over tea and biscuits with their Help! co-stars, in the recording studio, and facing press the day their MBEs were announced to the world.
'Completely engrossing... a virtual museum of nostalgic photography contained within gilded pages.' - Goldmine
1965 was an incredibly important year for The Beatles. That summer Help! was not only the band's last feature film, it was their last stand as lovable mop-tops. In October they would record Rubber Soul and begin a period of unprecedented musical and lyrical innovation that would change the face of popular music forever. It was the year The Beatles evolved from mere pop stars into the most important band in history, icons of the age.
Acclaimed photographer Colin Jones writes the book's Foreword. It was when Michael Peto first showed Colin's photos to the picture editor of The Observer, that Colin's own career as a Fleet Street photographer was given a kickstart.
'He would tell me such things as, "Do not look at photography for inspiration, If you get stuck, cool off in art gallery." "Take pictures with your brain, not your eyes." "A good photograph is the one you can walk around like a piece of sculpture." I now realise, many years later, that he was using photography as art. Michael was never interested in the competitive side of photography, winning awards or joining prestigious agencies: he absolutely hated all that.'
Every copy in the edition is signed by the Principle and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee, Sir Alan Langlands.
Select from the following editions:
| Collector | £295 |
While The Beatles were shooting their second feature film, Help! Michael Peto was working for The Observer Sunday newspaper – then the UK's most prestigious publication for photojournalists. His position ensured access to The Beatles over the course of a year. The publication of his work in Now These Days Are Gone presents nearly 300 pictures of The Beatles, seen of the very first time.
Since 1974 Genesis has created signed limited edition books on behalf of authors and artists ranging from the Beatles to Buckingham Palace.
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