by ANDREI HARMSWORTH - Wednesday, February 27, 2008 metro.co.uk

The Beatles may be the greatest band in chart history but it looks like the awesome foursome's popularity just ran out after a national radio station bravely banned playing their hits.

Virgin Radio breakfast host Christian O'Connell pulled famous chart toppers like 'Hey Jude' and 'She Loves You' from his playlist after listeners sensationally voted off the Cavern Club heroes following an on air debate.

The band's fate was sealed when a listener known as 'Brendan' called up O'Connell pleading for him to boycott Paul McCartney and place him in the station's gimmick 'People Carrier of Doom'.

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'Brendan' also insisted Sir Paul's career died with John Lennon and the Beatles were 'never that good anyway'.

Stunned, the breakfast DJ then consulted The Who singer Roger Daltrey who failed to spare his contemporaries saying: 'I didn't like all their music. I can understand that everything has it's sell by date'.

O'Connell then put Brendan and Daltrey's gripe to the nation, which resulted in thousands of listeners sensationally voting the Liverpudlians off air.

He told listeners: 'I love the Beatles. I've always been a big fan of Paul McCartney and as a station we've always supported them. I'm surprised and disappointed by the decision but it's my duty to honour it.'

I think it's a bit excessive to ban a particular band. Be it the beatles or not! There are plenty of music on the radio that get's repeated constantly and that not everybody likes. Very random thing to do I feel!

- Dale Fernandes, London

The Beatles have been turning young people on to good music forever, including today and tommorrow. I'd say ban Virgin Radio.

- Beatlesnumber9, Ohio, USA

Sickening. Most of the mediocre bands played on this station are weak, middle of the road immitations of the Beatles anyhow. These poeple are either ignorant of this or simply prefer to be spoon fed their taste in music according to whats currently 'cool.' Or they simply dont like the Beatles. Either way their idiots.

- Billy, London

It's about time someone had the courage to do this. The out dated over played boy band have had their day and we have to move on.

- Luther Blissett, Watford

Wow. What is wrong with this country. No wonder it's gone to pot. If you can't enjoy/ appreciate the Beetles, you don't deserve to breath the air this earth provides! Don't get me wrong, it's not a generational thing. I was born long after the Beetles. But things don't have a 'sell by date'. Once a good thing, always a good thing. And the Beetles were the only decent thing to be produced from this Island in the past century. Sure, artists like Winehouse have some great talent and music (I won't comment on any others), but at least the 'awesome foursome' were respectable as well.

- Non- Brit Beetle Fan, London

As a big Who fan, I wish Daltrey would have stood up for The Beatles. Because someday someone may want to ban The Who's music and that's a shame for everyone.

- Sean Kilkelly, New York, USA

Everybody's got their opinion on what kind of music is worth listening to, mine is that in the 40 years since, there are few bands that have created anything anywhere nearly as original, innovative and top notch as the Beatles did.

- Jaxon, Dallas TX USA

You can hear the classic songs coming out of the same speakers used in the sessions, and gawp at the original technology, some never before seen in public.

The Underwire got the lowdown on exhibits from the show's curators, Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan. The pair co-authored a quintessential book of Fab Four techno facts, Recording the Beatles, which was reviewed by Wired on launch last year (it's sold around 9000 copies online).

Here's an exhibit for tech spec lovers everywhere: "Memo/letter to staff about rejection of the new 8-track recorder for the new Beatles album sessions (1968 White Album). While the Beatles had been waiting impatiently for a modern 8-channel recorder, when it arrived the technical staff rejected it as lacking the same quality of the 4-channel machines it was replacing."

Former Abbey Road engineer John Kurlander (now a leading film score engineer) loaned a series of 1966 Abbey Road Setup Sheets, showing how studio equipment was to be placed for a session.

But if that's too specialist, simply kick back and listen to the music while pondering how things have changed. Or not. As Kehew enthuses: "Seeing these in person points out some huge differences in design and construction compared to today's recording methods. An original oily, tank-like beast (the EMI tape machine) and military-looking vocal compressor are now replaced by a modern laptop...yet other items - like classic European microphones and vintage guitar amplifiers - are still in heavy use in today's studios".

Most of the artifacts are from private collections in America, though the former Studios manager, Ken Townsend, loaned a nostalgic piece of kit - a studio ashtray.

I have to declare a interest. In the 1960s, my music-mad dad sold the first Beatles singles in a music store in Jersey, Channel Islands, and was flown to Abbey Road to hear those early recordings.

The exhibition runs thru' July.

By Christine Finn  Wired Blog Network

I Met the Walrus features an exclusive 1969 interview with Beatles member

For nearly 40 years, York graduate Jerry Levitan (’79) kept his exclusive interview with John Lennon hidden away in a box, only taking it out to show people on rare occasions. Other than one article published in TO magazine in 1988, he preferred to keep this very meaningful interview to himself.
Now, finally, that audio interview has been turned into a critically-acclaimed animated short film called I Met the Walrus, using Levitan’s original interview as the soundtrack. The film has received major attention at film festivals everywhere from Hawaii to the Middle East. Its latest honour is a nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards, taking place in Hollywood on Feb. 24.
“I never wanted to do anything that was demeaning or commercial or exploitative. It was always, in a weird way, a very personal thing to me. So about three years ago, I thought, I’m gonna do it in an artistic way – find a young filmmaker or artist and have them do their take on it,” said Levitan.
He met with many young artists eager to interpret his work into something new before deciding on Josh Raskin as the director and animator of I Met the Walrus.
“I liked the things he did. I thought he was funny, smart and creative and we hit it off, and he loved John Lennon. So he had the passion for it, and he had a great idea – to take the 40 minutes [of audio recordings], put it into five minutes and animate it,” said Levitan.
It all started in 1969, when the young Levitan, a 14-year-old Beatlemaniac, heard on CHUM FM radio that John Lennon and Yoko Ono were supposedly just arriving at Toronto’s airport. Before the rumour had been confirmed, even before the local media learned of their arrival, Levitan had deduced that the Lennons were staying at the King Edward Hotel and located their room with the help of an obliging cleaning lady.
Through sheer backbone and determination, Levitan snuck his way into the room and struck up a conversation with his hero, who invited him back at 6 p.m. for a proper interview. Levitan told Lennon that he wanted to play the interview for his school, to spread the message of peace. Several hours later, he literally had to push his way through the lineups of reporters waiting in the hotel hallway and was nearly dragged away by police. Luckily, he was called into the room at the last minute for the most coveted of interviews.
Lennon had plenty to say about revolutions, the Beatles and then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau, but his main message was clear.
“There are many ways of protesting for peace. Do everything for peace. Piss for peace or smile for peace, or go to school for peace or don’t go to school for peace. Whatever you do, just do it for peace,” said Lennon during the interview.
Levitan’s interview took place just before the Lennons’ famous Montreal bed-in for peace, during which the newly-married couple stayed in bed for seven days and nights to promote their ideals and speak to the press on the subject. It was during that bed-in, in room 1742 of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, that the song ‘Give Peace a Chance’ was written and recorded.
Levitan is hoping the acclaim and Oscar buzz surrounding the film I Met the Walrus will breathe new life into Lennon’s 40-year-old anti-war message.
“What is brilliant about the film is it uses [animated] images for every word that he says, and it communicates it in a very simple, yet beautiful way […] Everyone is happy to hear John’s words, and they’re as meaningful today as they were then,” he said.
These days, Levitan, a graduate of York’s Osgoode Hall Law School, makes a living at his law firm, Levitan Lawyers. He also wrote the book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Winning Everyday Legal Hassles in Canada. When he isn’t practicing law, he can be found acting in various roles or performing for children as his alter ego, Sir Jerry, a gig that started after writing a song for his then-two-year-old daughter.
Levitan may have an unusually varied career, but one thing that has never changed is his enthusiasm for the Beatles, their music and their message. He is just glad, he said, to be responsible for having Lennon’s voice heard again.
  from the Excalibur Web edition Written by Laura Godfrey, Assistant Arts Editor

When Sir Paul, 65, was approached by a Joe - a longtime Beatles fan - Paul politely responded “I can’t sign that here.”

Mills , 40, then approached 50-year-old Joe to criticize her estranged husband’s behavior, saying: “You should have told him that it’s his fans who made him rich and famous. You put him where he is.”

Heather then autographed the fan’s notebook, writing: “To Joe, lots of love, Heather Mills.”

The fan, who would not give his full name, had asked Sir Paul to sign an original of the Beatles White Album.

Joe revealed: “I’m a lifelong fan of Sir Paul and the Beatles. I brought down my collection, the White Album, Abbey Road and the others, so he would sign them.

“I’m so disappointed that he wouldn’t. I don’t understand. He just said: “I can’t sign that here.”

“Heather was really nice about it. She signed my book and said I should tell him that it’s fans like me who made him rich and famous. I guess she’s right.”

Meanwhile, Paul and Heather are set to return to the High Court on Monday after failing to reach a conclusion today.

A court spokesman said: “It will go on until Monday. It [the court] has not been booked beyond that yet, but it could be.”

It is thought that Heather’s decision to represent herself has caused proceedings to run on longer than expected. She has reportedly cross examined Sir Paul and his legal team.

By Owen Williams, Feb 15 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy

Ken McNab, a music writer based in Glasgow, is currently researching material for a book about the Beatles' Scottish connection.

In a letter to Forres man Ronnie Fraser, who was a dance promoter back in the early 1960s, Mr McNab said: "One of the chapters deals with all the concerts the band played in Scotland, before and after they were famous.

"I am trying to track down as many people as possible who saw The Beatles in their various guises in Scotland."

Ronnie had nothing to do with the Beatles' 1960 gig, but he is sure there are still people living in Forres who remember the visit.

"I believe the group were still called The Quarrymen or The Silver Beatles when they first appeared in Forres," said Mr Fraser. "I didn't see them myself, but I'm hoping some of those who did will get in touch."

The Beatles made an eight-day tour of the North-east, Moray and the Highlands in May, 1960, backing headliner Johnny Gentle, and as well as Forres, they played at Nairn, Inverness, Keith, Fraserburgh and Peterhead.

According to the book "Fit Like New York" by Peter Innes, it cost five shillings to see The Beatles in Forres, where the support band was Rikki Barnes and his All-Stars.

It is alleged the Beatles booked into The Royal Hotel after the gig and left without paying.

In January, 1963, The Beatles were back in Moray, where they played The Two Red Shoes in Elgin, still failing to make the impact that was to be just around the corner.

If anyone can help Mr McNab, they should call him on 0141 778 0311 (home) or 0141 302 6615 (business), or they can call Mr Fraser on 01309 672436.

Aliens could misinterpret earth's classic songs as declarations of war if they are recklessly broadcast into space, some scientists say.

Last week NASA broadcast a Beatles song, Across the Universe, towards the North Star, in the hope it would be noticed by extra-terrestrial beings.

But some scientists have urged NASA to be more cautious, saying aliens could misinterpret the song, and even take it as a battle cry.

Do you agree we need to consult more widely before sending out messages into deep space?

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