Beatles News

Over Thanksgiving weekend in 2021, Beatles fans settled in for Get Back, Peter Jackson’s eight-hour epic that transported viewers back to the weeks leading up to the band’s famous rooftop concert in January 1969. Though more lighthearted than the troubled reputation of the period would indicate, the docuseries was colored by the irrefutable fact that it concludes with the last live performance the Beatles would ever give. Even the happy moments were made bittersweet with the knowledge that, despite appearances, it was nearing the end.

This Thanksgiving, fans received the perfect cinematic companion piece. Beatles ‘64, now streaming on Disney+, bookending the group’s story by providing the ultimate insider's look at the birth of Beatlemania in the United States. Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, the film is directed by his longtime editor David Tedeschi, a crucial collaborator on his string of essential latter-day rock docs examining the work of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and George Harrison. “I think one of the reasons they chose us to make this is because we're from New York,” Tedeschi tells PEOPLE. “And it's a very New York story.”

That was, of course, wh details

The Beatles are always present on the music charts in the United Kingdom in one capacity or another. The band remains perhaps the most famous ever in the nation, even more than half a century after they split. While they often fill one or two spaces on a ranking, or perhaps a few tallies, this frame has turned out to be especially huge for the rockers.

This time around, The Beatles debut two different projects on the charts in their home country. Both collections start their time on three lists apiece, and these wins don’t even manage to tell the full story of their ongoing success on the U.K. rankings.

1964 US Albums in Mono is the top performer between their two debuts. The box set features eight LPs in a sizable offering from the group, which focuses on their earliest work. The seven albums represented were slated for release in the U.S., and only in mono, in the mid-’60s, and now they’ve been pressed once again on vinyl using the original tapes.

That collection of full-lengths debuts inside the top 40 on all three U.K.-based lists it reaches this frame. 1964 US Albums in Mono lands highest on the Official Vinyl Albums ranking, where it enters at No. 14, only missing the top 10 by a details

The Beatles rehearse at the Deauville Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida, for their February 16, 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Harrison is playing his second Gretsch Country Gentleman, as evident by the lever-style mute that can be seen to the treble side of the tremolo unit.

This past year saw the unraveling of one Beatles guitar mystery when Paul McCartney’s first Höfner bass was discovered more than 50 years after it was stolen. That guitar had been the focus of the Lost Bass Project, which tracked down the Höfner in the loft of a family home in East Sussex, England.

But the discovery of McCartney’s 1961 Höfner has opened up a new mystery in the world of Beatles guitar gear: Was George Harrison’s Gretsch Country Gentleman electric guitar really destroyed in a 1965 mishap during the Beatles’ Scotland tour? Or was the victim actually another guitar?

According to Beatles history, Harrison’s Country Gent — his second — was smashed to pieces on the evening of December 2 as the group journeyed from London in their Austin Princess limousine for a December 3 performance at Glasgow’s Odeon Cinema. Beatles chauffeur Alf Bicknell was left to tra details

Sean Lennon has rejected the “assumptions” made about his parents, artist Yoko Ono and the late John Lennon, over their “Lost Weekend” separation.

Sean, also a musician, is preparing to mark the 44th anniversary of the Beatles star’s death in New York in 1980.

In an interview with BBC Radio 6 Music about the recently released, Grammy-nominated expanded box set edition of John’s 1973 album, Mind Games, Sean discussed the influence his mother had on his father’s work.

At the time he was writing his fourth solo album, Mind Games, John was in the middle of his famous 18-month separation from Ono, a period referred to as the “Lost Weekend”.

“A lot of people said like, ‘Yoko wasn’t around for this record, why are they featuring her in the booklet’ or something,” Sean began. “And I think there’s a lot of history, there’s a lot of assumptions made about that time period because they were sort of on their way towards that famous separation that people call the Lost Weekend.

“But the truth is, even when they were apart they were always talking, so I don’t think they ever really broke up details

The documentary Beatles ‘64 takes a look at the band’s arrival in the United States in 1964, and among the songs and nostalgia, there’s a pretty dark and sad part in which John Lennon foresaw his own death. Directed by David Tedeschi and produced by Martin Scorsese, Beatles ‘64 was released on Disney+ in November 2024. The film features footage shot by Albert and David Maysles during the Beatles' visit to the United States, which was originally for the 1964 documentary What’s Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A., along with interviews with fans, producers, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr.

Beatles ‘64 is a look into the band’s feelings and reactions to arriving in the United States, their historic performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the fans’ intense welcome and reactions to the band’s arrival and presence, and the overall atmosphere as the country had just gone through the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The latter is mentioned multiple times throughout the documentary, and it had a big impact on the band, particularly John Lennon, making way for Beatles ‘64’s saddest part.

Beatles ‘64 goes back and forth between foo details

Paul McCartney is back in fashion. When, after a three-hour set, McCartney walked off stage at Glastonbury in 2022, the audience seemed to be expressing a country’s gratitude, as 20 days earlier those on the Mall for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations had to the Queen. For Elizabeth II, it was her penultimate public appearance. McCartney, though, is back in December on a UK tour: still hungry at the age of 82 for the appreciation, still, by his sheer virtuosity, wishing to settle scores.

Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary Get Back on the Beatles’ January 1969 sessions, the Glastonbury concert and the 2023 Beatles single “Now and Then” are all part of McCartney’s attempt to re-elevate the Beatles into the mythical realm, with the songwriting duo of Lennon and McCartney at its heart. His implicit antagonist is still Yoko Ono, who has spent the four and a half decades since her husband’s death insisting that the spirit of John Lennon was bigger than the Beatles.

Since Get Back came out at least, McCartney has been winning. The documentary shows emphatically that when the love between Lennon and McCartney was supposedly obliterated, it was instead very much alive. It is evident details

Unprecedented excitement and hysteria led thousands of fans to John F Kennedy International Airport in New York City on February 7, 1964, with placards and banners to welcome The Beatles and jumpstart their American invasion.

“At Carnegie Hall – their second American concert – the establishment was appalled when they heard the rock and roll music these kids were playing in the hallowed halls and banned their promoter [Sid Bernstein].”

One of the things that set John Lennon apart from other songwriters was his fearlessness. He wrote about topics from which others would generally shy away. And he would sing about personal subjects without worrying if they might cast him in an unflattering light.

“Cold Turkey,” a single he released in late 1969, openly described Lennon’s attempts to kick his heroin habit. The song is a harrowing listen but an essential one, in large part due to his courage in going to such a dark place.  In From the “Cold”.

The tumult of The Beatles’ final years together has been well-documented, but it’s still easy to overlook just how pressurized that situation must have felt for the four men going through it. In the case of John Lennon, he had bottled up childhood trauma that was about to burst, embarked upon a new relationship with Yoko Ono that people close to him (including other group members) openly disdained, and like others in the band, felt artistically constrained.

Seeking an outlet to escape the reality of that scenario, Lennon and Ono started using heroin heavily during the sessions for the White Album in 1968. When they decided to try and quit the drug in 1969 details

Paul McCartney’s tour through Latin America came to an end, and to commemorate this closure the former Beatle shared a series of images of his most memorable performances through his social networks.

Among these highlights are several scenes from his shows at the GNP Stadium, and the closing of the Corona Capital, where he was accompanied by St. Vincent to perform “Get Back” and then he called her along with Jack White to accompany him in the song “The End”, where they had a great guitar duel.

That was the closing of the festival, in which Paul gathered 82 thousand people, according to the official numbers shared by Ocesa.

“15 concerts, 8 cities, and 1 unforgettable show… Thanks to everyone who came to the Latin American dates of Got Back 2024,” wrote the “Hope Of Deliverance” singer on his account and Instagram.

In addition to the shows, there are images of the fans who waited for him outside the Four Seasons hotel, who carried banners and Sargento Pimienta outfits.

The artist performed at the GNP Stadium on November 12 and 14 and made his debut on the Latin American festival scene at Corona Capital.

Source: theyucatant details

George Harrison once drew a simple frame around the Beatles' musical origin story, highlighting the impact of the blues.

"If there was no Lead Belly, there would have been no Lonnie Donegan; no Lonnie Donegan, no Beatles," friend John Reynolds remembered Harrison saying in the Legend of Lead Belly documentary. "Therefore no Lead Belly, no Beatles."

But Donegan's brand of local rockabilly, called skiffle, also drew from country music, old-timey songs and bluegrass. In fact, Liverpool had a bustling country scene, led by Phil Brady, among others. Brady's earliest fame coincided with the Merseybeat fad that played a more celebrated role in shaping the Beatles' sound.

Ringo Starr had long been a fan of country music, but John Lennon was responsible for bringing this influence into the group's songwriting core.

"I grew up with blues music [and] country and western music, which is also a big thing in Liverpool," Lennon subsequently recalled. "One of the first visions I had was one of a fully dressed cowboy in the middle of Liverpool with his Hawaiian guitar, you know? That's the first time I ever saw a guitar in my life. He had the full gear on."

Lennon would favor a similar style with his pre details

The Beatles transformed pop culture during the 1960s and had so many incredible songs that even some of their most obscure compositions could be classified as masterpieces. While there are very few people on planet Earth who wouldn’t recognize hits like “Yesterday,” “Here Comes the Sun,” or “Let It Be,” there are just as many incredible underrated Beatles tracks that deserve way more love. For every “A Hard Day's Night” or “Eleanor Rigby,” there’s another hidden gem that long-time lovers of the Fab Four will point to as a forgotten classic in need of more attention.

What started with two teenagers named John Lennon and Paul McCartney bonding over their love of R&B and skiffle music eventually led to these Liverpudlians becoming some of the most recognizable names on the planet. After they were joined by George Harrison and Ringo Starr, the world was fully introduced to the most trailblazing band pop music had ever seen as Beatlemania went into full swing, and audiences couldn’t get enough of these musical icons. With 213 songs released between 1962 and 1970, it’s shocking just how prolific the Beatles were, as even their most underra details

The Beatles landed at JFK Airport on February 7, 1964, greeted by 3,000 of the fans that had sent “I Want To Hold Your Hand” to the top of the Hot 100, and America’s love affair with the Fab Four hasn’t abated in the six decades since. George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr spent just over seven years assembling the most beloved catalog in popular music. While solo careers, films, covers, and archival releases have kept the Beatles brand profitable, it’s really those original albums that have remained durable objects of fascination that still reveal new depths.

Over the years, popular opinion has evolved about the Beatles’ albums, although the second half of their career looms large over those early Beatlemania years. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was for many years their consensus masterpiece, and in subsequent decades, The Beatles (“The White Album”) and Revolver have enjoyed reappraisals. Abbey Road has emerged as their most popular record in the streaming era, and while Let It Be has never surged to the top, documentaries and its prominence on classic rock radio have elevated the divisive album’s stature.

Beatles &lsqu details

Sean Ono Lennon has recently opened up about John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s relationship, and how it continues to impact his mother today.

Lennon sat down for an interview with BBC Radio 6 Music recently to discuss the release of Mind Games: The Ultimate Collection. Lennon produced the special edition box set release of his late father’s album Mind Games. The collection also includes a wealth of additional material, from footage to a book to reproductions of advertisements for the album from the 1970s.

During the interview, the subject of his parents’ relationship was brought up, as it naturally would. Chris Hawkins asked Lennon if he learned any new information about his parents while putting together this very intimate project.

“Well one thing I noticed was that my mum was on some of the tapes, you could tell she was in the control room,” said Lennon. “So a lot of people said like, ‘Yoko wasn’t around for this record, why are they featuring her in the booklet’ or something. And I think there’s a lot of history. There’s a lot of assumptions made about that time period because they were sort of on their way towards that famous separation.&rdqu details

John Lennon wasn’t known as a religious man during much of his life. He even pondered what the world would be like without religion in one of his most famous songs, “Imagine.” His apparent lack of enthusiasm about Christianity didn’t stop him from producing one of the biggest Christmas hits of all time.

“Happy Xmas (War is Over)” is a classic by this point, one that returns to prominence every December. The tune reappears on several charts in the United Kingdom as the big day nears.

Lennon is back on both the Official Streaming chart and the main ranking of the most-consumed songs in the U.K. with his tune. “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” blasts back onto the streaming roster at No. 67. It comes in much lower–at No. 92–on the general songs tally.

“Happy Xmas (War is Over)” has now spent at least one year on both of those charts throughout its lifetime. The tune reaches that milestone on the streaming ranking, as it’s now lived on the list for 52 turns–though not all in a row. The cut is up to 61 stints on the songs chart.

Lennon fronts “Happy Xmas (War is Over),” but the tune isn’t credited to the for details

Beatles '64 promises a fan-pleasing look at the titular band's maiden trip to American shores, but the Disney+ documentary doesn't quite come together. Produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by David Tedeschi, Beatles '64 follows John, Paul, Ringo, and George from their United States touchdown in early 1964 to their triumphant return back home in Britain. Like great music documentaries of yore, Beatles '64 combines an awesome soundtrack with behind-the-scenes footage, all manner of live performances, talking head interviews, and unquestionably fascinating views of the legendary "British Invasion."

Reactions to Beatles '64 have been largely positive, albeit with some division. At the time of writing, the Disney+ documentary holds a 94% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and plenty of reviews have been effusive in their praise. The Guardian hails the film as a "sublime snapshot," while Rolling Stone calls it a "a tribute to the fans as well as the band." On the other end of the spectrum, The Telegraph accuses Beatles '64 of achieving the impossible by making The Beatles "boring," whereas The Glass Onion takes the slightly more nuanced view of "compelling but slightly confused." Certainly, it is easy to see why opini details