Photographer Harry Benson took some of the more famous images of the Beatles, including a photo of the group having a spirited pillow fight in their Paris hotel suite in 1964. After the Beatles split in 1970, Benson continued working with Paul McCartney, taking pictures onstage with Wings as well as portraits revealing McCartney, his wife Linda, and their kids at home.
To honor McCartney on his 80th birthday, Benson has published Paul, a lush hardcover book featuring more than 100 rare photographs spanning from 1964 to 1992. The beautifully reproduced photographs and reflections from Benson are sure to appeal to hardcore Paul McCartney fans.
Presented in English, French and German, the text features Bensons’s thoughts on photographing the Beatles as well as McCartney. For Benson, Paul always functioned as a central point of interest in Beatles pictures. “He was the magnet; he was the one you looked at, the one who would carry the mood of the situation,” Harry Benson writes.
Some of the most charming photos in the book are the most personal — just Paul and wife Linda hanging out at home with the kids. Benson spent time with them at their Los Angeles home in 1975, taking photos of Stella gazing adoringly at her dad as he played piano. Another features Paul, Linda, Heather, Mary, Stella and a friend of Stella’s lined up according to height, showing off the family’s playful side.
In 1992, Benson visited Paul and Linda at their English farm to shoot photos of the couple with Linda’s favorite Appaloosa stallion; the love still apparent between the two of them shines through in the vividly colored photos.
Highlights also include photos from the Venus and Mars launch party, held aboard the luxury liner Queen Mary on March 24, 1975. A who’s-who of Los Angeles glitterati appeared for the event, and Harry Benson’s photos serve as a time capsule for the time period. Cher as well as Ryan and Tatum O’Neal are all smiles, while Michael Jackson tears up the dance floor with Heather McCartney. George Harrison also attended with wife Olivia, and photos of them chatting with Bob and Sara Dylan are a treat to see.
Benson was also allowed access to take onstage and backstage photos during the phenomenally successful Wings over America tour. While the concert images are exciting, it’s the offstage photos that reveal a more personal side of Wings. Benson recalls Linda McCartney commenting to Benson that Paul wouldn’t let anyone else take photos of him sweating and resting after a show, and indeed such photos are included in this volume. They give the reader an idea of just how much energy is required in putting on a two-plus-hour concert.
Another special photograph depicts Paul entertaining some famous visitors: Linda Ronstadt, Peter Asher, and the Eagles’ Don Henley and Don Felder.
Paul offers rare glimpses into Paul McCartney’s professional and personal life, onstage and offstage. The oversize, hardcover volume beautifully reproduces Harry Benson’s photographs in detail. Descriptions of each picture are in the back rather than accompanying each image; while this may allow for the photos to be presented in full, it forces the reader to flip back and forth to learn specific details. Despite this slight drawback, Paul is a valuable addition to any McCartney fan’s library.
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