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Book specifications:
Published June 2006 by cities500
Hardback (244x210mm) 112 pp
ISBN: 1-905547-03-X
PLEASE NOTE - This book is a fund raiser for LIVE8, please order from Liverpool 08 or TRACKS, signed copies are not available through any other ordering sysetem.
Book Forewords (PDF):
Foreword 1
Foreword 2
Foreword 3
Book Press Release / Media Coverage (PDF):
Mike McCartney's LIVE8 coolpix
During the summer of 2005 Mike McCartney was present at the main UK venue for the LIVE8 concert in Hyde Park in London. He was a guest of his brother Sir Paul McCartney and the show's organiser and founder Sir Bob Geldof. Throughout the course of the event Mike took a series of private and quite personal photographs of the performers, the celebrities and other activities that took place over the day.
They have formed a remarkable, if very intimate, photo diary of the event. Most of Mike's pictures are unique in that that they were taken from within the 'golden areas' - those behind the scenes that were not accessible to the majority of press and official public relations photographers, and certainly no member of the public was able to visit them.
In many ways they are an astonishing and unusual 'unofficial' record of the day's activities, particularly considering Mike's special relationship with so many of the celebrities. He was able through those friendships and close links to photograph them at their ease and in 'more natural poses' as they took part in what is regarded as the most astonishing showbiz gathering so far into this 21st Century.
Now many of his wonderful images have been published in a special 'one off' photo-diary book that records and celebrates this particular aspect of LIVE8. A special limited edition of 1,000 copies has been published by the Wirral based firm of Cities500 International Publishers, who also published Mike's earlier photographic anthology: Mike McCartney's Liverpool Life.
The luxurious LIVE 8 book has the endorsement and full support of both the event's creator Sir Bob Geldof and Sir Paul McCartney, both of whom have written personal forewords.
* Extracts from the Forewords
Paul McCartney - 'Live8 was one of the greatest days of the year, possibly the decade. Bob Geldof telephoned me, explained the idea of Making Poverty History and aiming the concert at the G8 conference. I was sold. Bob's a great salesman.
Luckily, my brother Mike was there with his trusty camera to record the day and capture many of the exciting backstage happenings. This book is made from a selection of those pictures and he and I are proud to have been there together and to have been a part of this momentous event.'
Bob Geldolf - 'God those bloody McCartneys. You ask one of them to pitch up - the musical genius one, and next minute the photographers, designers, guitarists, activists, mothers, babies, sisters, aunties, uncles and the rest all come and get stuck in. There must be something in that Liverpool mud.
Here's the brother's bit. The photographer, poet, hit songwriter one. He who captured perfectly a coming moment and a different age just before it happened with his Box Brownie or whatever. Who felt something long before everyone else. Who could hear the sound of it being born downstairs in the sitting room long before everyone else. And he shot it. Here he's at it again with his Box Brownie digital. Taking shots of maybe another age being born.'
ABOUT THE BOOK
* The book in the first instance is an additional fundraiser for Sir Bob's charity and linked to the LIVE8 theme 'Make Poverty History'.
* Cities500 - under the separate imprint of Woodland Publishing - has produced 1000 limited edition copies of the book.
* It commemorates and celebrates the LIVE8 event one year on - hence Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Bob Geldof have endorsed Mike McCartney's concept of the book. He has worked in collaboration with and Cities500 to make available in book form those fabulous yet informal photographs taken behind the scenes during that remarkable day.
* The book helps to re-focus the attention of the world back to that G8 meeting in Edinburgh and the LIVE8 concerts that highlighted the plight of the hungry, disposed and needy of Africa some 20 years after the original LIVE AID concert.
* We believe it is a perfect opportunity to support the ethos behind the LIVE8 concept as well as being an ideal opportunity to further the largely philanthropic work of the musicians and others throughout show business: those who helped draw the world's attention to the desperate plight of Third World countries.
* The book was officially launched by the Liverpool Capital of Culture Company on June 29th 2006 at the city's World Museum.
PEOPLE WHO APPEAR IN THE BOOK
Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Bob Geldof, Bono and U2, Brad Pitt, Sting, Jeremy Clarkson, The creators of Little Britain - Matt Lucas and David Walliams, Kofi Annan, Chris Martyn, John MacInroe, Peter Kay, Harvey Goldsmith, Slash (ex Guns n Roses), Madonna, Richard Curtis, Killers, Peter Blake, Sir Ian McKellen, Joss Stone, The Scissor Sisters, Bill Gates, Pink Floyd?s drummer Nick Mason and David Gilmour - with his family - and, of course, one of the seminal band's founder members, the inimitable Roger Waters, along with George Michael and Fran Healy from Travis.