Beatles News

When The Beatles started out they were famously recast by manager Brian Epstein as four boys next door, their suits and mop top haircuts quickly varnishing over their raw rock ‘n’ roll roots. As time moved on, however, those roots showed through – sometimes in unexpected ways.

Take ‘Sun King’. A classic moment from the band’s final album ‘Abbey Road’, it was initially called ‘Here Comes The Sun King’ – before having its title shortened, to avoid confusion with George Harrison’s classic ‘Here Comes The Sun’.

Very much a group effort, the root for ‘Sun King’ owes a debt to Fleetwood Mac, then in their blues rock phase. Perhaps the biggest band in the country at the time, The Beatles lifted aspects of the guitar sound on No. 1 single ‘Albatross’ and turned it into their own.

George Harrison commented in 1987: “At the time, ‘Albatross’ (by Fleetwood Mac) was out, with all the reverb on guitar. So we said, ‘Let’s be Fleetwood Mac doing ‘Albatross’, just to get going.’ It never really sounded like Fleetwood Mac… but that was the point of origin.&rdqu details

Of all the songs that the BBC banned during the heyday of The Beatles, this particular ban is the most understandable. At the very least, it’s understandable in the context of the 1960s and what was considered taboo at the time.

This particular song that the BBC banned was “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” from The Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is one of the Fab Four’s most recognizable songs of their career. It was also one of their most thinly veiled references to the psychedelic drug LSD. The title of the song spells out “LSD”. The lyrics also make poetic connections to the substance, too.  The BBC Ban of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” by The Beatles Was Understandable at the Time

“Picture yourself in a boat on a river / With tangerine trees and marmalade skies / Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly / A girl with kaleidoscope eyes” are just a few of many obvious references in the song.

Mentioning a psychedelic drug in a song wouldn’t make most people blush nowadays. Still, the BBC was pretty strict about banning such songs in the 1960 details

The iconic British comedy musical film, “A Hard Day’s Night,” was released on this day in history, Aug. 11, 1964, and starred the Beatles in their first feature movie. The movie was released during the height of Beatlemania as well as the British Invasion, and “A Hard Day’s Night” is widely considered a classic, according to Britannica.com. It will mark its 60th anniversary in 2024.

The rock ‘n’ roll musical boasts catchy and classic Beatles tunes, including "Can’t Buy Me Love," "I Should Have Known Better," and the namesake "A Hard Day’s Night."

John Lennon wrote the song "A Hard Day's Night"; it credited to Lennon-McCartney and released on the movie soundtrack of the same name in 1964, according to the Beatles' official website.

Source: Erica Lamberg/yahoo.com

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Cynthia Lennon and Yoko Ono didn't get along. Here's why Cynthia was unhappy with Ono after John Lennon's death.

Immediately after John Lennon’s death, Cynthia Lennon reluctantly let her son, Julian, visit Yoko Ono in New York. Julian was still a teenager, and Cynthia didn’t want him to travel alone. Still, she allowed him to do what he felt was necessary. While Julian enjoyed spending time with his younger brother, Sean, Cynthia felt that Ono treated him callously.  Cynthia Lennon said Yoko Ono overlooked Julian Lennon after John Lennon died

When Julian arrived at the Dakota, Lennon and Ono’s building in New York, he found the apartment empty. Fred Seamen, Lennon’s personal assistant, took this opportunity to warn Julian about the visit.

“‘[Ono] will do anything to keep you in your place,’ he said. ‘Sean is the only person who matters to her. There’s simply no place for you in her world,’” Cynthia wrote in her book John. “Fred’s message was pretty brutal but it was proven absolutely true over the next weeks and months.”

Still, Ono was vulnerable with Julian when she saw him, admitting she didn’t know details

The Beatles were the greatest band of the 20th century. Their solo careers were each quite lucrative in their own right, even if most Beatles fans wouldn’t say they matched the power of their former band’s career. These six albums specifically were some of the best solo projects to come from each of the former Beatles members. Though, please keep in mind that this list is not tiered nor in order of greatness; each one of these Beatles solo projects is special for different reasons!
1. ‘All Things Must Pass’ by George Harrison

Many consider George Harrison to be the most underrated Beatle. After listening to his debut solo album, we’re inclined to agree. All This Must Pass is an incredible creative achievement from Harrison, and many would say it was his very best solo release. All he needed was to step away from the shadow of Paul McCartney and John Lennon to really shine on his own as a songwriter.
2. ‘Plastic Ono Band’ by John Lennon

The 1970 record Plastic Ono Band was a seething solo release from John Lennon. This whole album takes the listener on a journey of Lennon’s self-confrontations as he battles his inner demons, dreams, and preconceived notion details

John Lennon (1940–1980) was a British musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of The Beatles. Born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, Lennon was a pivotal figure in the evolution of popular music and culture.

With The Beatles, Lennon, along with Paul McCartney, co-wrote many of the band’s most famous songs, including “Imagine,” “Help!,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “All You Need Is Love.” His songwriting, vocal style, and innovative approach contributed significantly to the band’s success and influence.

After The Beatles disbanded in 1970, Lennon pursued a solo career, producing acclaimed albums such as *Imagine* (1971) and *Double Fantasy* (1980). His solo work often reflected his political activism, personal introspection, and desire for peace.

Lennon’s life was tragically cut short when he was assassinated on December 8, 1980, in New York City. Despite his untimely death, his legacy endures through his music, his contributions to the cultural landscape, and his messages of peace and love.

1. Imagine
2. Woman
3. Jealous Guy
4. Instant Karma!
5. Watching the Wheel details

It is a picture that spawned a thousand stories as Beatlemaniacs continue to try to find some kind of meaning behind what was essentially a simple promotional photo.

The photo for the cover on The Beatles album Abbey Road is yet another of the many over analyzed aspects to their history, and an absolute must see for every Beatles fans when in England.

Apple Records creative director John Kosh designed the cover, which is the only album that doesn't have the name of the band or the title of the record on the front.

"we didn't need to write the band's name on the cover [...] They were the most famous band in the world". Kosh said.

The photograph of the group walking on a zebra crossing, was based on ideas that Paul McCartney sketched, as photographer Iain Macmillan had only ten minutes to take the photo while standing on a step-ladder. Macmillan took six shots, and McCartney chose the one that ended up on the record.

The photo sparked conversation, because in the photo the group walk across the street in single file, with John Lennon in front, followed by Ringo Starr, McCartney and George Harrison. Paul is barefoot and out of step with the others, and Harrison is the only one not wearing a details

George Harrison’s pivotal project The Concert for Bangladesh is now available on streaming platforms for the first time. Stream the full album below.

This massive event took place in 1971 and pioneered the concept of large-scale music benefit shows. The acclaimed concert took place over two shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden and saw Harrison welcome the likes of fellow Beatle Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, virtuoso instrumentalist Ravi Shankar, and Eric Clapton throughout the event. Focused both on raising money for Unicef and awareness of the humanitarian crisis of the Bangladesh Liberation War (which had not been covered in-depth by Western media), “The Concert for Bangladesh” was considered a major success.

The album went on to win Album of the Year at the 1973 Grammy Awards, and the concert is often references as a turning point in major stars using their voices, platforms, and concerts for a larger purpose.

Source: IMDB

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Trafalgar Releasing and Mercury Studios have set a September 26 release for documentary One Hand Clapping, an opportunity for audiences to step back in time to 1974 with Paul McCartney and Wings.

The behind-the-scenes look delves into the making of the acclaimed One Hand Clapping album featuring rare footage, interviews with the band, insights from the creative team, and iconic Wings hits.

“It’s so great to look back on that period and see the little live show we did. We made a pretty good noise actually! It was a great time for the band, we started to have success with Wings, which had been a long time coming, said McCartney, whose exclusive filmed introduction will kick off the screenings along with previously unseen Polaroid photographs from the recording sessions.
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The full documentary directed by David Litchfield will include previously unreleased Backyard Sessions, showcasing McCartney on acoustic guitar performing beloved tracks from his catalog. Highlights include the previously unreleased song Blackpool and covers of personal favorites like “Twenty Flight Rock,” the song he played for John Lennon during their first meeting.
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Today, we're celebrating the 60th anniversary of the song 'Ringo for President' by The Young World Singers. Back in 1964, this catchy tune reached #132 in the charts and ignited a playful political campaign to make Ringo Starr the President of the United States of America.

Occurring during the Johnson/Goldwater race at the time, a well-organised group of fans banded together to enter the drummer as a third-party write-in candidate for Commander in Chief.

In recognition of today's anniversary, we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight two limited editions with Ringo in mind. Please note that we are down to the last copies for Mania Days and a number of the prints in Ringo's PHOTOGRAPH Portfolio 2024, shipping later this month. See below and secure yours before they both become fully subscribed.

Source: genesis-publications.com

George Harrison and John Lennon became close in the years they spent with The Beatles. They didn’t start out this way, though. Lennon initially hadn’t wanted Harrison to join the band, believing he looked so young that he damaged the band’s image. Harrison said that after an experience he and Lennon shared, he no longer felt he embarrassed him.

George Harrison said he stopped feeling like he embarrassed John Lennon after they tried LSD

In the mid-1960s, The Beatles began using LSD. Lennon and Harrison were the first to try the drug, and Lennon estimated that he used it 1,000 times.

“I don’t think John had a thousand trips; that’s a slight exaggeration,” Harrison said in The Beatles Anthology. “But there was a period when we took acid a lot — the year we stopped touring, the year of the Monterey Pop Festival, we stayed home all the time,...

Source: imdb.com

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What if George Martin and The Beatles had never met? Martin, already established as a producer, would surely have gone on producing records for The Goons, girl singers and symphony orchestras, among others. The Beatles’ native talents would probably have lifted them to the charts at some point, but would there have been a Revolver or a Sgt. Pepper, with all that startling sonic growth from their first recordings? The fateful crossing of paths brought out the best in both Martin and the Fab Four, made their legacies and changed the face of pop music in the 60s. As John Lennon once said of Martin: “He helped us to develop a language.”

Born in 1926, George Martin grew up in north London. After serving in the Royal Navy, he attended the Guildhall School Of Music, studying piano and oboe, and worked in the BBC’s classical music department. In 1955 he began working as a staff producer at EMI Parlophone, and in his first few years he recorded a diverse list of artists, including Matt Monro, the Ron Goodwin Orchestra and Peter Sellers.

“That’s part of my background, the catholic world of music that has no limits, no blinkers,” Martin later said. “I know many musicians in t details

August 7, 1980, was a pretty significant day for rock history. Why you might be asking? Well, that was the day John Lennon returned to the spotlight after taking a five-year break. John sent the world into a frenzy by returning to the studio to record what would become his final album, Double Fantasy.

John had stepped away from the music scene to focus on being a dad and enjoy life in New York City with his wife, Yoko Ono. But like most artists of his caliber, he couldn't resist the urge to get back in the studio, so decided it was time!

Double Fantasy wasn’t just any album. It was a love letter to Yoko and a celebration of their life together. The album was a mix of John’s songs and Yoko’s, creating a conversation between them. It is full of themes of love, family, and the joy of starting over. Songs like “(Just Like) Starting Over” and “Watching the Wheels” reflected John’s Happiness and peace after years of uncertainty.

Recording the album was a joyful experience for John. He was working with a new group of musicians, and the atmosphere in the studio was electric. John was full of energy, cracking jokes, and encouraging everyone around him. He was passi details

If you were to ask John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison what made the band as great as it was — and it’s a question drummer Ringo Starr would be able to answer from his own experience — the odds are that they would say it was The Beatles in Hamburg..

Among the local places they performed in their native Liverpool was the Jacaranda coffee bar, run by Allan Williams, who would occasionally become their booking agent (in the days before Brian Epstein became their true manager). In August 1960, he informed them that he could book them in Hamburg, if they could secure a drummer, which — in the days before Ringo had joined them — they did in the form of Pete Best.

Source: Women's World

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It comes with the territory of being famous—procuring unsolicited nicknames that seemingly make celebrities’ skin crawl. This has sadly been a longstanding tradition for as long as anyone remembers, and no famous personality is safe from the practice. Among these folks is Paul McCartney. Racking up nicknames such as “Macca” and “Percy Thrillington,” McCartney has come to despise one name in particular: “The Cute Beatle.”

Inspired by his younger years as a clean-cut chap from Liverpool, the name has unfortunately stuck with him for quite some time. Due to his involuntary attachment, McCartney has had a public disdain for the name. Though, in McCartney fashion, he acknowledges it with a tasteful amount of grace and humor.

Paul McCartney’s Least Favorite Nickname

In numerous interviews, McCartney has openly explained his dislike for the name. In a 1989 Daily News Interview details