The Famous Abbey Road Crossing and Web Cam.
Recently speaking to Goldmine, John Lennon‘s son Julian Lennon listed the ten albums that changed his life. As he disclosed, one of them brought him closer to his father.
Julian picked his late father’s 1974 album ‘Walls and Bridges’ as one of his favorite records and recalled their relationship at the time:
“Dad’s album. I played snare with one stick on it, yes, if you can call that playing, in any capacity. Dad and I were seeing each other and getting along at that moment in time, so not only was it a special time, but he was doing that, and Elton [John] was there at the same time.”
It is no secret that Julian experienced a strained relationship with his father after his parents ended their marriage in 1968 due to John’s affair with Yoko Ono. Following the divorce, the late Beatle had limited contact with Julian for many years. In a 2020 article published by the Guardian, the singer explained how he had felt after his father left home:
Source: Bihter Sevinc/rockcelebrities.net
detailsFeeling redundant at the age of 27, post-Beatles Paul McCartney would compare his predicament to that of the astronauts who’d returned from the moon: “What do you want to do with the rest of your life?” he mused. His was to be a bumpy re-entry, characterised by a nagging doubt that was at odds with the apparently super-confident figure the public had seen on the cinema screen in Let It Be.
From the low-key beginning of his first solo album McCartney, via a procession of variously slick or odd records throughout the 1970s, Paul built a band, Wings, as an extension of his travelling family, before they crashed following his still-bizarre weed bust/imprisonment in Japan in 1980. Like most of his ’60s contemporaries, Macca then seemed a bit lost during that glossy decade, before fully relocating his muse in 1997 with Flaming Pie.
Source: Tom Doyle /mojo4music.com
detailsSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the most experimental album by The Beatles. It was so different from their previous albums that The Beatles weren’t even the same people. They all took on the persona of a fake band led by Sgt. Pepper, with Ringo Starr adopting the name “Billy Shears.” However, Billy Shears has a connection to The Beatles that led to many fan conspiracy theories.
One of the most famous music conspiracy theories ever is the “Paul is Dead” theory. The conspiracy suggests that Paul McCartney died in a car accident in 1966 and The Beatles had replaced him with a look alike. The cover of Abbey Road contains multiple “clues” that supposedly confirm Paul’s death.
One essential part of this theory is who replaced McCartney. The theory suggests manager Brian Epstein held a competition for a Paul look alike. After Paul was killed, Epstein paid the police and journalists to keep things under wraps while introducing the new McCartney, William Campbell Shears, a.k.a Billy Shears.
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
Ringo Starr was already a well-known drummer in Liverpool before The Beatles added him to the roster. But the fame he achieved in the Fab Four was a different beast. The notoriety led Ringo’s family to treat him differently, which he said was “quite a blow” to his ego. He ignored his family’s advice to pursue music as a full-time job. When Ringo achieved international superstardom because of it, he felt like an outsider among his relatives.
In the middle of 1962, Ringo was an ace timekeeper and a key member of Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, a well-known Liverpool band. By August of that year, he upgraded when The Beatles added him to the roster. By March 1963, he was the drummer in the hottest group in England.
The Beatles became world famous by the end of 1964. They never wanted for anything. Fans monitored every move they made. Sycophants, groupies, and people-pleasers surrounded the Fab Four hoping to grab a sliver of the spotlight. People treated The Beatles like royalty — superior beings surrounded by mortals.
Source: Jason Rossi/cheatsheet.com
In the mid-1960s, Beatlemania swept through the New York home of playwright Adrienne Kennedy. One of her sons, Adam, would sing I Want to Hold Your Hand; his older brother, Joedy, talked of the Fab Four as if they were the centre of his world. It was a tough time: Kennedy had just separated from the boys’ father and they were about to leave their apartment. But for the eldest child, “the Beatles were all that were on his mind,” she remembers. He treasured his copy of John Lennon’s book In His Own Write, a collection of poems and tales, which she read herself.
“Somewhere in those months of turmoil and Joedy’s passion” Kennedy decided to adapt the book as a play. It was a project that would take her to the heart of London’s theatreland and bring Kennedy both joy and pain. And, in a neat case of symmetry, she revisited this period of her life four decades later in her 2008 play Mom, How Did You Meet the Beatles? which is presented as a conversation with Adam. “He asked me again and again those questions,” she says. “Finally we decided he would tape my answers.”
Source: Chris Wiegand/theguardian.com
May Pang, John Lennon's love interest and companion during the 18-month "Lost Weekend" era in the mid-’70s will be exhibiting her candid photos of Lennon at the Up Front Art Space in Cuyahoga Falls on Friday, June 9, through Sunday, June 11, as well as a hosting a special Q&A session after the screening of her documentary on her life with Lennon at The Nightlight cinema in Akron on Thursday, June 8.
Pang was with Lennon during the recording of his only No. 1 post-Beatles song, "Whatever Gets You Through the Night," with Elton John. She was with Lennon and David Bowie as they created the song "Fame." She was involved in the recording of Lennon's "Walls and Bridges" album, his "Rock 'N' Roll" album with Phil Spector, and the production of Harry Nilsson's album "Pussy Cats." She even once lived in a beach house with Lennon, Nilsson, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and others.
Source: beaconjournal.com
detailsSir Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy looked in good spirits as they hung out with Jay-Z at his wife Beyonce's final London concert at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
The former Beatles star, 80, was seen chatting with the billionaire rapper, 53, as he and Nancy, 63, enjoyed the show.
Paul cut a casual figure for the gig, sporting a navy jacket and a light blue shirt which he wore with a pair of dark trousers.
Nancy opted for a black low cut top along with a matching shirt and a pair of light blue slim-fitting jeans.
Letting her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders, Nancy was all smiles as she chatted with her pals during the show.
Source: Sean O'grady/dailymail.co.uk
detailsRingo Starr has had an incredibly successful career with his music. Still, he admitted his life could have turned out much differently. Starr explained that when he was growing up in Liverpool, he, like many other people his age, joined a gang. He spoke about the shocking violence he witnessed while growing up and noted how lucky he felt that music came into his life when it did.
According to Starr, most people he knew growing up were in gangs. It was either join them or put a target on your back.
“We were by the docks in Liverpool and each and every area had its own gang,” he said in The Beatles Anthology. “It was like New York or Hamburg. I was a Teddy boy; you had to be. Where I lived, you had to associate with some gang, otherwise you were ‘open city’ for anybody. The choices were: you could either be beaten up by anybody in your neighbourhood, or by people in other neighbourhoods (which I was, several times).”
Starr adapted to this lifestyle. While he wasn’t good at fighting, he was good at running. Still, he saw shocking violence in his youth.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
detailsPaul McCartney recalled the Beatles’ first trip to the United States and how it convinced the members they weren’t just another band that would simply “fizzle out” after a short period of success.
In an excerpt from a book that accompanies his new photo exhibition in London (via The Guardian), McCartney explained his feelings when he rediscovered lost photos he’d taken during the 1964 trip, during which the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show three times and secured their future.
“Anyone who rediscovers a personal relic or family treasure is instantly flooded with memories and emotions, which then trigger associations buried in the haze of time,” he wrote. “It was a period of – what else can you call it? – pandemonium. We four guys from Liverpool couldn’t possibly realize then the implications of what we were doing. By the end of February 1964, after our visit to America … we finally had to admit that we would not, as we had originally feared, just fizzle out as many groups do. We were in the vanguard of something more momentous, a revolution in the culture.”
Source: wbsm.com
George Harrison wrote The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” because he liked descending chords. The star who inspired the song also inspired The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” and “Blackbird.” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was not a single in the United States.
A star said he helped inspire George Harrison to write The Beatles‘ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” The star revealed what he thought of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” when he first heard it. Subsequently, the tune appeared on a hugely successful album.During a 2016 interview with Westword, folk singer Donovan revealed he learned to play the guitar in a fingerpicking style from Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family. For context, the Carter Family was a folk group that recorded songs between the 1920s and the 1950s. Subsequently, Donovan taught John Lennon to play guitar in this style, and he also influenced George.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
detailsThe Beatles all considered Elvis Presley to be one of their rock idols. Much of their love for the genre comes from listening to early records by the king of rock. Paul McCartney said The Beatles tried to utilize some of Elvis’ techniques in their own work, and one song perfected what he called the “Elvis echo.”
One Elvis Presley song that profoundly impacted Paul McCartney was “Heartbreak Hotel”. McCartney was in awe of the Memphis singer’s vocals, but he also was fascinated by the blaring echo that gave the track a distinct sound. The Beatles wanted to replicate that echo, and McCartney said one song that perfected it was “A Day in the Life” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
“Elvis is a truly great vocalist, and you can hear why on Heartbreak Hotel,” McCartney said in 2005 (via Guitar World). “It’s a perfect example of a singer being in command of the song. Musically it’s perfect, too. The double bass and the walk-in piano create this incredibly haunting atmosphere.
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I always knew I had taken some pictures in the 1960s. At first, I couldn’t pinpoint the year, but I was certain we were quite young, just when the Beatles were really taking off. I never tried to find this collection – consciously, that is – but I kind of thought that it would just surface at the right time. There’s often a certain amount of serendipity involved. And while we were preparing for an exhibition of my late wife Linda’s photographs in 2020, I learned that my own had been preserved in my archives. When I first saw them after so many decades, I was delighted that these images and contact sheets had been finally located.
Source: Paul McCartney/theguardian.com
detailsThe Beatles released their penultimate album, Abbey Road, in 1969, and it has widely been recognised as one of their best works.
Included in the record - aside from such classics as Come Together and Here Comes The Sun - was Something, one of George Harrison's best-loved songs.
The tender track was written as a love letter to Harrison's first wife, Pattie Boyd. But its origins come directly from another song from American star James Taylor.
He remembered recording his own album while the Fab Four were very close: "I was making my first album at Trident Studios in London, just as the Beatles were recording the White Album nearby. I realised how lucky I was to be listening to the Beatles playbacks and watching their process in the studio, but at the same time that I was surrounded by this holy host of my absolute idols, I missed my home in North Carolina."
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
detailsSir Paul McCartney shared how he came up with his James Bond theme for Roger Moore's Live and Let Die in a new 50th anniversary interview. And did you know The Beatles' legend almost didn't sing it?
When fans think of great James Bond themes the likes of Goldfinger, GoldenEye and Skyfall come up, but perhaps the very best is Paul McCartney’s Live and Let Die.
Three years out of The Beatles, Macca was recording and performing with his Wings band and was asked to write the new Bond song for Roger Moore’s first outing as 007 in 1973’s Live and Let Die.
Half a century on this week and the 80-year-old told his official website: “I don’t believe it, do you? I’m only forty-five!
“But no, it's always very weird when you get these kind of anniversaries because I don't keep count. I have no idea if it's coming up for fifty or sixty years or whatever.
“It’s shocking really, but in a nice way. I think, ‘Where did the time go?’ It’s nice that the song has lasted though, and people still enjoy it.”
Source: George Simpson/express.co.uk
The Beatles rocketed to international superstardom soon after they dumped drummer Pete Best. Ringo Starr entered the fray, the band sent its first album, Please Please Me, to the top of the charts in England, and the rest is history. John Lennon’s last words to Best in 1962 were fitting — a boring and simple sendoff to a band member about to lose his job.
Being remembered as the person who lost his job before the band found fame doesn’t show it, but Pete Best was instrumental to the early success of The Beatles.
His mother, Mona Best, owned Liverpool’s Casbah Club, a venue they frequently played in the early years. She also managed them briefly. The Beatles’ first drummer performed with them during their extended residencies in Hamburg, Germany. Best’s friend, Neil Aspinall, drove the group to gigs.
Source: Jason Rossi/cheatsheet.com
detailsAn apology note The Beatles wrote to a schoolgirl back in 1963 has sold at auction in London.
According to The Mail, the band wrote the letter to a young girl named Diana after canceling a visit to see her on the Isle of Wight.
Diana’s aunt worked for Paul McCartney’s cousin Bette Robbins; the band had planned to visit Robbins after their April 1963 show in Southsea, Portsmouth, and Diana was supposed to get to meet them. Unfortunately, the band had to cancel to return to London for some TV and radio appearances.
Source: kslx.com
detailsPaul McCartney said The Beatles’ “Nowhere Man” is “an anti-John song.” In addition, he revealed what he thought about it compared to other Beatles songs. John himself explained the origins of “Nowhere Man.”
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul revealed John penned “Nowhere Man” after a night on the town. “When I came out to write with him the next day, he was kipping on the couch, very bleary-eyed,” he remembered.
“It was really an anti-John song, written by John,” Paul added. “He told me later, he didn’t tell me then, he said he’d written it about himself, feeling like he wasn’t going anywhere. I think actually it was about the state of his marriage.” For context, John was still married to his first wife, Cynthia Lennon, at the time.
“It was in a period where he was a bit dissatisfied with what was going on; however, it led to a very good song,” Paul added. “He treated it as a third-person song, but he was clever enough to say, Isn’t he a bit like you and me?’
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Lead Beatles guitarist George Harrison passed away after a battle with lung cancer in November 2001.Paul McCartney has again shared a photo of one of his Beatles bandmates as he gears up to release a huge photo collection to the public. Pictures snapped by Paul, using his own camera between December 1963 and February 1964, will be displayed at The National Portrait Gallery this summer.Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm will run from 28 June to 1 October as one of two major exhibitions to relaunch the gallery after three years of refurbishments. The never-before-seen photographs were taken by Sir Paul McCartney during the height of Beatlemania when the Fab Four were propelled from being the most popular band in Britain to an international cultural phenomenon.
Source: Kian Rains/liverpoolworld.uk
detailsThe Beatles George Harrison was devastated upon seeing Elvis Presley's drastic transformation during their last meeting.
Like many other musicians, The Beatles chose Presley as their inspiration in the music industry. The band members had been open about their love and admiration for the King of Rock and Roll, but they also felt devastated when they noticed massive changes in the singer.
The Beatles lost its second member when Harrison died on Nov. 29, 2001 - decades after John Lennon was murdered. Before his passing, he appeared in an interview and shared what their last meeting with Presley looked like.
"It was a bit sad really, because he had all those squawking singers and trumpet players and that stuff," he said, per Express. "But he had a great rhythm section - James Burton and all that gang - and I just wanted to say to him: 'Just get your jeans on and get your guitar and do [the song] that's alright with me mama and b***er all that other c**p."
Source: Angeline Sicily/musictimes.com
detailsGeorge Harrison, former Beatle, and solo artist, was nothing if not idealistic. For an example of this, look no further than his 1973 song “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth),” a song that was also a success, hitting No. 1 in the U.S.
The sound, which plays as if it was born on an island vacation, is driven by acoustic guitars, nostalgic guitars, and Harrison’s loving voice. In the song, Harrison expresses his desire for a loving, peaceful life. What else could be better?
Let’s dive into the song’s meaning and history below.
The song opens with Harrison wishing for an existence seemingly outside of the human form. He sings, Give me love, give me love, give me peace on earth / Give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth.
Give me hope
Help me cope with this heavy load
Trying to touch and reach you with
Heart and soul
Source: Jacob Uitti/americansongwriter.com
detailsThe Beatles, a band that needs no introduction, has left an indelible mark on the world of music. With numerous albums under their belt, the Fab Four have shaped the sound of modern music and continue to be a source of inspiration for musicians today.
From the early days of rock and roll with Please, Please Me to the experimental sounds of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, there is a Beatles album for every mood and milestone. It’s no wonder their music continues to captivate audiences more than half a century after their debut.
So with great excitement, let’s dive into the list of 10 of the best Beatles albums of all time and see which ones have earned the honor of being considered a top Beatles masterpiece.
1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Source: hellomusictheory.com
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Paul McCartney said he added violent lyrics to The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).” He explained the “bird” in the song.
John Lennon’s memories of the song contradicted Paul’s.
The Beatles‘ “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” has one of the most unusual titles of any 1960s song. Years later, Paul McCartney explained the meaning of the title. In addition, he said he added a violent element to the track’s lyrics.
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed the relationship between the man and the woman in “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).” “So she makes him sleep in the bath and then finally in the last verse, I had this idea to set [the the woman’s home] on fire as revenge, so we did it very tongue in cheek,” he recalled.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
detailsGeorge Harrison had moved quickly from his multiplatinum rock debut to a massive relief project for genocide-torn Bangladesh. Two years passed before he entered the studio again to record Living in the Material World.
He'd spent the period just before struggling mightily with his faith in humanity, as obstacle after obstacle got in the way while Harrison tried to get badly needed benefit funds to those in crisis. He'd had issues with walking the straight and narrow, swinging wildly between the kind of devotion that earned Harrison the nickname "His Lectureship" and the typical rock-star debauchery associated with the '70s.
All of it went into the new sessions, which relied on songs written in 1971-72 – save for "Try Some, Buy Some" the sadly appropriate song Harrison wrote for Ronnie Spector during the All Things Must Pass era. He also cleaved away some of producer Phil Spector's legendary excesses, relying on a smaller, consistent group of sidemen that included Gary Wright, Nicky Hopkins, Klaus Voormann and Jim Keltner.
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com
detailsHey Jude is a famous song by The Beatles, and you’ve probably sung along to this track more than once in your life, but do you know what it’s about? We’re going to tell you the meaning behind Hey Jude by The Beatles, so continue reading to find out all of the interesting facts about it.
The song Hey Jude is one of the most beloved The Beatles tracks, and it was written by Paul McCartney during the summer of 1968. At the time, John Lennon had just separated from his wife, Cynthia, because he was having an affair with none other than Yoko Ono.
Lennon and Cynthia had a five-year-old son, Julian, and McCartney was driving out to see the kid, and on his way out to see him, he began writing this song. McCartney was having trouble with the fact that because they were getting divorced, Cynthia would no longer be a part of the picture, given she had been with Lennon and in that inner circle before the group became famous.
Source: Florence Howard/musicgrotto.com
detailsPaul McCartney looked for John Lennon’s approval after he wrote The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Paul said John knew the song was good. It became a massive hit.
Paul McCartney revealed the circumstances under which he wrote The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Subsequently, he compared penning the song to having sex. That comparison makes perfect sense.In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed writing “Can’t Buy Me Love.” “I have a recollection of walking ’round St. John’s Wood with that in my mind so I might have written it at home and finished it up on the way to the studio, finally polished it in the studio, maybe just taken John aside for a second and checked it with him, ‘What d’you think?'” he said. “‘Like it.’ ‘Good. Let’s do it!'”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
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