Let Me Take You Down... to Almeria in Spain!
The city of Almeria in the Andalucia region of Spain, is steeped in history and culture. It has been used for location shoots for a number of films, including Lawrence of Arabia, Leone’s “dollar” trilogy and Blindman. Not as traditionally popular with tourists as other areas of Spain, it is nonetheless well worth a visit, not least for being the birthplace of one of the most enduring songs of the sixties.
In 1966, director Richard Lester was casting for his satirical black comedy, How I Won The War. Having worked with the Beatles on A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, he saw the cinematic potential of John Lennon – not just as a crowd draw, but as a witty deliverer of laconic dialogue, something that came naturally to him. Lennon was cast as sarcastic, glib ex-fascist Musketeer Gripweed, and the film began shooting in Almeria in September.
There are a few Lennon locations which any Beatlefan pilgrim must see. The locations for the shoot were Carboneros, Cabo de Gata and Tabernas, to which Lennon showed up every day, regardless of whether or not he was in the scene.
The beaches of Almeria are known as El Zapillo, and it was here that Lennon lodged in a small apartment called El Delfin Verde (The Green Dolphin), and began work on his most progressive work yet, a song that somewhat manifested Lennon's talent and musical ingenuity. Making music after all is not like playing poker online where those involved basically do not have control of the outcome. Thus one of the Beatles' memorable hits was born—Strawberry Fields Forever. El Manzanilla was a nearby restaurant frequented by the cast of the film, and it was here where Lennon’s 26th birthday was celebrated in October. Ringo Starr came out to Almeria for the event, and to keep John company on set. It was decided that the Lennons and Ringo should move into a bigger place.
Described in Cynthia Lennon’s book as a haunted house, Santa Isabel was the place where Lennon recorded the first demo’s of Strawberry Fields. It’s wild garden was left to grow even wilder for 30 years, until local journalist Adolfo Iglesias discovered its historic significance. It is now being restored by Almeria council and will soon become a public cultural centre.
The kernel of the idea for Strawberry Fields Forever was brought back to England after filming on How I Won The War was finished, and developed into one side of the Beatles strange and wonderful new single. Something had happened to John Lennon to make him move away from his impeccable but ultimately straightforward pop songs of the early sixties. Perhaps it was merely age or – as is often cited – his discovery of LSD, but it’s hard not to give some credit at least to the abundance of time he had on his hands shooting this curio of a film in southern Spain. The time to reflect in the exotic surroundings of Almeria certainly would’ve done no harm to the creative process, and when you visit the place, it’s easy to see why.
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