Yellow Submarine book on iTunes for free
updated 10:30 pm EST, Thu December 8, 2011
Rare giveaway features interactive elements
The iTunes store is giving away copies of a Yellow Submarine e-book from the Beatles, as featured on the main page of the store. The book, which is dedicated simply "For Steve," tells the tale of the 1968 movie in form of a children's book, with clips from the film, animated illustration and a read-along feature using actor Dean Lennox Kelly. The book is a free download.
Kelly, who was most recently seen in the US as Shakespeare in Doctor Who, had been scheduled to play the role of John Lennon in a 3D remake of Yellow Submarine before Disney abandoned the idea last March. The original 1968 film did not use the actual Beatles as voice actors except for a short live-action cameo by the band at the end of the film.
The book features a page of links to many of the original songs performed in the movie by the Beatles and Sir George Martin, as part of a compilation called Songs from the Yellow Submarine Book. The full original soundtrack album of the film is not available on the iTunes Store, presumably due to licensing issues over the music and songs that only appeared on it (the Beatles included four songs on the soundtrack that are not found on their original albums). One of the four, "All Together Now," appears on the compilation.
A short video promo for the book appears on the Beatles' main page in the iTunes Store. The book is in ePub format and can be read using iBooks or other ePub-compatible readers.
