Paul McCartney 1964 Eyes of the Storm

Photographs and Reflections by Paul McCartney

In 2020, an extraordinary trove of nearly a thousand photographs taken by Paul McCartney on a 35mm camera was re-discovered in his archive. They intimately record the months towards the end of 1963 and beginning of 1964 when Beatlemania erupted in the UK and, after the band's first visit to the USA, they became the most famous people on the planet. The photographs are McCartney's personal record of this explosive time, when he was, as he puts it, in the 'Eyes of the Storm'.

'Millions of eyes were suddenly upon us, creating a picture I will never forget for the rest of my life.' - Paul McCartney Taken with a 35mm camera by Paul McCartney, these largely unseen photographs capture the explosive period, from the end of 1963 through early 1964, in which The Beatles became an international sensation and changed the course of music history. Featuring 275 images from the six cities Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami of these legendary months, 1964: 

1964: Eyes of the Storm includes:

A personal foreword in which McCartney recalls the pandemonium of British concert halls, followed by the hysteria that greeted the band on its first American visit.

Candid recollections preceding each city portfolio that form an autobiographical account of the period McCartney remembers as the “Eyes of the Storm,” plus a coda with subsequent events in 1964

“Beatleland,” an essay by Harvard historian and New Yorker essayist Jill Lepore, describing how The Beatles became the first truly global mass culture phenomenon Handsomely designed, 1964: Eyes of the Storm creates an intensely dramatic record of The Beatles’ first transatlantic trip, documenting the radical shift in youth culture that crystallized in 1964. 

- Six city portfolios - Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami - and a Coda on the later months of 1964 - featuring 275 of Paul McCartney's photographs and his candid reflections on them

- A Foreword by Paul McCartney

- A Preface by Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and Another Lens , an essay by Senior Curator Rosie Broadley

1964: Eyes of the Storm presents 275 of McCartney's photographs from the six cities of these intense, legendary months - Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami - and many never-before-seen portraits of John, George and Ringo. In his Foreword and Introductions to these city portfolios, McCartney remembers 'what else can you call it - pandemonium ' and conveys his impressions of Britain and America in 1964 - the moment when the culture changed and the Sixties really began.

“You could hold your camera up to the world, in 1964. But what madness would you capture, what beauty, what joy, what fury?” - Jill Lepore 275 images

Easton Press Beatles books

The Beatles: A Diary by Barry Miles

The Beatles Album by Julia Delano

John, Paul, George and Ringo by Tim Hill

Images of The Beatles by Tim Hill

The Beatles: On The Road 1964-1966 by Harry Benson

LIFE with the Beatles

The Beatles a Diary: An Intimate Day by Day History

A chronological account of the daily activities of John, Paul, George, and Ringo from their childhood in Liverpool to the breakup of the Beatles.

The Beatles Album

A pictorial account of the Beatles reveals the ups and downs of their careers, from their early days in Liverpool and Hamburg, through their debut on the Ed Sullivan show, to their breakup and separate accomplishments, in more than five hundred photographs.

John, Paul, George, and Ringo: The Definitive Illustrated Chronicle of the Beatles, 1960-1970: Rare Photographs, Collectible Ephemera, and Day-By-Day Timeline

John, Paul, George & Ringo minutely traces the meteoric rise of the Beatles from 1960 to 1970, with detailed timelines of their day-to-day activities, fascinating photographs (many exceedingly rare), penetrating biographies of everyone associated with the spread of Beatlemania, and contemporary excerpts from London.

Images of The Beatles

This comprehensive 448-page book about the world's most famous band, with more than 1000 illustrations, is an extraordinary feast of superb photographs, original memorabilia, newspaper features and a detailed chronology. It includes more than 900 photographs from one of the finest collections of photographs of the Beatles in the the archives of the "Daily Mail" and "London Evening Standard". Many are seen here for the first time. They tell the story of the Beatles in chronological order. It also includes a detailed chronology covering the day-to-day lives of the Beatles including performances, record releases and tours. Running through the book is the story of the Beatles told by author Tim Hill who has written five best-selling books on the Beatles and had access to much new archive material. The Beatles made unprecedented media history through the 60s as they transcended pop icon status to influence a generation. Included throughout the book are more than 100 newspaper articles and interviews, some facsimile and some transcribed, which give a first hand flavour of Beatlemania including the fascinating facsimile of the newspaper that Lennon was reading when he wrote the iconic 'A Day in the Life' (I read the news today oh boy...). It includes more than 200 pieces of rare memorabilia are reproduced in original form throughout, giving a flavour of the 1960s.

The Beatles: On The Road 1964-1966 by Harry Benson

These photos convey a really happy period for them and for me. It all comes down to music, they were without a doubt the greatest band of the 20th century, and that’s why these photographs are so important.