Through the Eyes of Paul McCartney: “Rearview Mirror: Liverpool – London – Paris” on The Beatles’ Backstage and First Wave of Fame

Paul McCartney is a British multi-instrumentalist musician and one of the deepest lyricists of our time, as well as a member of The Beatles, who has remained faithful to his simplicity and craft throughout his life. But he has another side — a love for photography, through which he has captured many important moments of life during the early years and the first wave of The Beatles’ popularity in 1963–1964.

The uniqueness of Paul’s photographs lies in their sincerity: they are not staged shots, and they can transport the viewer back in time. The slight blurring and defocusing in some photos adds a feeling of being able to see the beauty in every moment.

This is exactly the kind of exhibition titled Rearview Mirror: Liverpool - London - Paris, which opened at the end of August in London at Gagosian and will run until October 4, 2025.

Drive Music Media received background information about Paul’s works and how they capture a time before "Beatlemania" through the lens and perspective of 21-year-old Paul — how he saw that time and how he preserved it on his film.

When you enter the gallery, you are instantly greeted by the spirit of the 1960s — large black-and-white photographs hang on the white walls, each telling its own story about the time when The Beatles were rapidly rising to fame. All of the photographs were taken by Paul McCartney himself, giving the viewer a sense of experiencing those moments through the eyes of one of the band’s members.

Some of the photographs are arranged, capturing the sequence of moments and telling the story of particular events in the lives of Paul and the other band members — Ringo Starr (originally Richard Starkey), George Harrison, and John Lennon. One such photograph was taken by Paul in December 1963 during rehearsals for The Beatles’ Christmas Show. It depicts a joyful Ringo Starr playing the drums.

Interestingly, during his first encounter with The Beatles in October 1960, before becoming a member of the band, Ringo was the drummer for two other groups — Rory Storm and The Hurricanes.

The next shot, which you can already see, was taken on the same day — Ringo, John, and Paul are sitting backstage during The Beatles Christmas Show, tickets for which were completely sold out. It was the end of that breakout year.

Not long before that, in 1961, John Lennon and Paul McCartney took a trip to Paris and got a hairstyle that later became iconic as part of The Beatles’ style. Shortly after their return, the rest of the band adopted the same hairstyle.

By 1963, the mop-top had become a style sensation for The Beatles, especially when the band arrived in the USA the following year.

The next shot is no less significant — according to Joshua Chaung, Gagosian’s Director of Photography, it was taken at a time when the public had not yet reacted so wildly to the band, which gave The Beatles the opportunity to explore the city more freely. People were responding more to the presence of photographers than to the musicians themselves.

However, looking at this photo, one can feel how important it was for Paul to capture the moment: his excitement that all of this was happening to them is palpable. Later, George Harrison would say that the scene seemed strange because there were more boys than girls in the crowd. And Paul captured a very important moment: when the photographers noticed The Beatles, three of them raised their cameras simultaneously — exactly what we see in the picture.

This photograph contains both balance and chaos — exactly what that moment felt like as The Beatles were gaining popularity: an excited crowd, gendarmes, and photographers. This is what the band would see throughout their subsequent career in every city they visited. One could say this photo captures the birth of their fame and how they first experienced it.

One of the warmest photographs taken by Paul is a portrait of John, behind whom, through the blur, we can see a photographer capturing The Beatles at that very moment. In this instant, we can sense that Paul caught a portrait of his friend, while someone else was capturing the same moment — and somewhere in someone’s archive, there might still exist a photograph of Paul McCartney photographing John Lennon. Yes, this is a supposition, but the photograph tells a deeper story, and by looking at the details and the direction in which the photographer is looking, the image can evoke precisely such thoughts.

One of the photographs you simply must see features John holding the Gibson J-160E guitar, an instrument that became iconic in the early sound of The Beatles. This guitar was used in the creation of such hits as «Please Please Me», «Love Me Do», and «All My Loving». In the photo, John is playing George’s guitar, as his own had been stolen at the end of 1963.

The next photograph feels more intimate, as it shows Paul photographing John, who is looking into a mirror at the London Palladium on January 12, 1964. Just a moment forever captured through his lens.

The entire series gives a sense of the viewer’s presence, as if taking a small journey alongside George, John, Ringo, and Paul.

Paul was capturing what Beatlemania felt like from the inside. More importantly, he showed that they were just ordinary lads from Liverpool who managed to kick open the doors of the industry and change it forever, leaving behind not only countless profound songs that redefined what a musical path could be, but also a visual history in the form of photographs seen through Paul’s eyes, when he was just a little over twenty.

And to truly feel the authenticity of that time — to understand how it all felt from the perspective of each band member — you don’t have to go far. You only need to open the doors of the Gagosian gallery; once they close behind you, you’ll be transported through time and experience what it was really like.

Pictures were provided by Courtesy Gagosian. Pictures were taken by Paul McCartney

The article cover — At London Airport (with Brian Epstein, Mal Evans, and Neil Aspinall) for Pan Am flight 101 to New York City, 7 February 1964 © Paul McCartney, Courtesy Gagosian

1 picture — Self-portrait in my room at the Asher family home, Wimpole Street, London, December 1963 © Paul McCartney, Courtesy Gagosian

2 picture — George, Ringo, and John backstage at The Beatles Christmas Show, Finsbury Park Astoria, London, December 1963 © Paul McCartney, Courtesy Gagosian

3 picture — Photographers, fans, and officers, rue de Caumartin, Paris, January 1964 © Paul McCartney, Courtesy Gagosian

4 picture — John on the Champs-Élysées, Paris, 15 January 1964 © Paul McCartney, Courtesy Gagosian

5 picture — John backstage at the London Palladium, 12 January 1964 © Paul McCartney, Courtesy Gagosian

The article were written by Asya Radko