Sandbanks & the Tip: Tracks goodies.

Tracks have just published full details of their latest auction, and, as ever, it is full of fascinating bits unt bobs, including these rare pics: above - John and extended family on the balcony at Mimi's place in the summer of 1966. Below, John plus trusty Raleigh Lenton, by the Tip off Menlove Avenue:

Both of these, and lots more, can be found at the dedicated site. I'd recommend scooting over there tout suite.

Sandbanks: Poole, Dorset.

Some photos of Mimi, taken in and around Sandbanks, and mainly dating from the 1970s.


Mini was usually good for an amusing quote or two about John. For example:"I've just quit reading the papers these days. Apple sends me his records, but I won't play them. And I've asked my friends not to tell me about them. The shameful album cover and that [erotic] art show of his. He's been naughty and the public doesn't like it, and he's sorry for it. Now he wants sympathy. That's why he's come out with all these fantastic stories about an unhappy childhood. It's true that his mother wasn't there and there was no father around, but my husband and I gave him a wonderful home. John didn't buy me these furnishings, my husband did. John, Paul, and George wrote many songs together sitting on the sofa you're sitting on now, long before you'd ever heard of the Beatles. Why, John even had a pony when he was a little boy! He certainly didn't come from a slum!" A pony, indeed. Also note the picture, obscured by camera flash, hanging on the wall below:


Mimi:"Everytime John does something bad and gets his picture in the papers he rings up to smooth me over. See that new color television? It was a Christmas present, but he had it delivered early. A big present arrives every time he's been naughty. I usually have a huge photograph of John hanging in the lounge. When he's a good boy, it'll go back up again!"
Errr...quite so.

Poole: upgrade and "ting".

Local wizard Derek B has sprinkled his fairydust over the above image, and the results are pretty fantastic; for those who may not know (nor care), the picture originally appeared in Mojo, but was, unfortunately, unevenly spread over two pages, and overlaid with writing and visual garbage... which explains the fact that it is usually seen with only the right hand portion present, as that bit was relatively undespoiled (and also the pretty useless patch-job previously attempted on these pages). But here it now is in pristine hi-res.
He also, for the hell of it, went down to the ferry and got an exact match:


The booth is actually very close to (the former site of) Mimi's house on Panorama Road; in fact, just round the corner:


Muchas gracias Derek.