The Beatles | Photo 08

I got a kick out of the idea of this window coming up saying, "The Beatles on Flickr!" :-D

These are the Beatles' portraits from the White Album, of course, photographed by John Kelly in the autumn of 1968. These particular miniature prints came from the thirtieth-anniversary CD edition of the White Album from 1998, which was issued in a cardboard sleeve with individual serial numbers, just like the original 1968 vinyl pressing. (I have number 0298527.)

Many people commented on the fact that none of the Beatles are smiling in their White Album portraits, although alternate shots released later reveal smiles from Paul and George, and a small grin from Ringo. The Beatles's relations with each other were in a contentious phase when they recorded their double album, though, and Ringo almost quit the group. The record was rather sprawling and uindisciplined, but still an enjoyable and successful effort overall.

For this picture, I tried to artfully arrange the portraits on a flat surface with a little randomness as an experiment. This is a taste of more Beatlemania to come; I'm going to the metropolitan New York Beatles convention (actually in New Jersey) tomorrow. :-)