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May Pang, left, who had a relationship with John Lennon, during a period when he was separated from Yoko Ono, will share photos from that time in a show at AnArte Gallery.

For decades, complete strangers have told May Pang they knew all there was to know about her and her 18-month relationship with John Lennon.

“I’ve had many fans or people, they all say, 'I know everything about you,' and I say, 'You do? ' And they go, 'Yes, I’ve read everything,'” Pang said in a telephone interview. “After so many years, my story took on a life of its own, with other people telling it. At first, it doesn’t bother you, but after a while, now it’s bothering me. Now people are hearing different stuff that’s not correct.”

Pang has been working to set the record straight about her time with the former Beatle. They were together from 1973 to 1975 when he was separated from Yoko Ono, an era in his life dubbed “the lost weekend.”

Source: Deborah Martin/expressnews.com

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Paul McCartney‘s hit-making abilities are something of a marvel. It’s no surprise he has secured nine No. 1 songs throughout his career, given he pretty much wrote the book on how to craft a timeless pop offering. Below is our definitive ranking of McCartney’s Billboard Hot 100 hits.

9. “Listen To What The Man Said“

First up we have “Listen To What The Man Said.” We have no qualms with this track. It’s fun and a good listen but we find it to be a little less powerful than some of the other hits on this list.

8. “With a Little Luck“

“With a Little Luck” features a rhythmic melody that is hard not to sing along to. It’s a little quirky and very ’70s, but we see why it was such a hit amongst McCartney fans upon its release. That being said, it’s not one of McCartney’s signature tracks, meaning its appeal hasn’t been as long-lasting as some of his other No. 1’s.

Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com

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Paul McCartney discussed John Lennon's role in writing The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus." Some of Paul's comments are a little questionable.

Paul McCartney discussed John Lennon’s role in writing The Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus.” Some of Paul’s comments are a little questionable. Regardless, “I Am the Walrus” is one of the key tracks of John’s career.

During a 2009 interview with Clash, Paul discussed his feelings about “I Am the Walrus.” “I think in a way, for instance something like ‘I Am the Walrus,’ someone like John probably doesn’t get enough credit, because those sessions, those preparatory sessions, were very important because they set the style and often gave very accurate briefs of what we wanted,” he opined.

“For instance, all of John’s ‘Everybody’s got one’ and ‘Ho ho ho, hee hee hee, ha ha ha’ [from ‘I Am the Walrus’], all that stuff was from John at a session with [The Beatles’ producer] George Martin, a preparation session,” he added. “We’d be around at John’s house or George’s house, and he’d say, ‘I want details

This story is the second in a two-part series about travel destinations of interest to fans of The Beatles, including a magnificent place I found ‘accidentally’… Read the first part here.

New York City is where John Lennon put down roots in 1971, and where his life was tragically taken nine years later. Right next to Central Park is The Dakota, the historic apartment where he lived with Yoko Ono. I’ll admit it was a little strange to stand across the street from that building, seeing the entranceway where he was shot, and have it feel eerily familiar after seeing it depicted so many times in the media.

Tucked inside the park is Strawberry Fields, a five-acre memorial landscape honouring Lennon’s life as a musician and peace activist. The Imagine mosaic is a peaceful place to stop and reflect, or just sit and watch “the wheels go ’round and ’round” around you.

Source: RoseAnna Schick/winnipegfreepress.com

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See the trailer to the three-part Apple TV+ docuseries, narrated by Kiefer Sutherland, examining the aftermath to the Beatles legend’s assassination

There have been a number of eye-opening Beatles documentaries through the years, from the Beatlemania doc Eight Days a Week; a tribute to the Fab Four’s loyal secretary, Good Ol’ Freda; Martin Scorsese’s poignant George Harrison: Living in the Material World; and last but certainly not least, Peter Jackson’s recent eight-hour opus Get Back, chronicling the recording of the group’s final album, Let It Be, and subsequent demise.

Now, we have what hopes to be the definitive documentary about the aftermath of Mark David Chapman’s 1980 assassination of John Lennon outside the Dakota.

Premiering Dec. 6 on Apple TV+, and narrated by Kiefer Sutherland, the three-part docuseries John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial features new information gleaned from FOIA requests, as well as the first on-camera interviews with a number of people surrounding the tragedy, including Richard Peterson, a taxi driver/witness to the shooting; the Dakota concierge who desperately tried to save Lennon’s life; and Dr. Naomi Goldstein, the first details

Director Rob Reiner revealed that production of the mockumentary sequel begins February

Rob Reiner, who directed the original 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap, revealed during a podcast aired Monday that Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Garth Brooks will make appearances in a new sequel.

The original starred David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) who played band members of the fictional English heavy metal band Spinal Tap. During an interview on Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast, Reiner said part two, which was announced May last year, would begin shooting by the end of February.

McKean, Shearer, and Guest are expected to reprise their roles as the fictional band, and along with directing the new film, Reiner is set to return as filmmaker Marty DiBergi.

“We never thought we would do a sequel,” the director previously told NME. “It was only because we started to talk to each other and we came up with an idea we think might work — we don’t know it will. We’re going to try. The bar is incredibly high. We debated whether or not we should do it… I said, ‘Look details

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr recently teamed up to help finish the new Beatles track “Now and Then.” Still, the old bandmates and good friends do more than just make music when they get together. McCartney posted a recent photo of him and Starr on his Instagram that shows them enjoying a plate of vegetarian pasta.

The pic was taken by McCartney’s daughter Mary and is among a variety of images that appear in her new cookbook, Feeding Creativity, which is available now.

In a promotional YouTube video for Feeding Creativity, Mary explains that the publication is a hybrid between a photo book and a vegetarian cookbook. The concept behind the book is that she would visit various creative friends and family members and bring them different meals. During her visits, she would take photos of those friends and family members and would discuss the food that they love and what inspires their creativity.

Source: Matt Friedlander/americansongwriter.com

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The Beatles spent quite some time on the road. Their touring schedule was robust. So much so, that the end of their career saw them all but announce their retirement from the road. Nevertheless, they logged many hours on the tour bus prior to calling it quits. Because of this, life on the open road became a familiar facet of their music. Find our four favorite road songs from the fab four, below.

1. “Magical Mystery Tour“

The Magical Mystery Tour
Is waiting to take you away
Waiting to take you away

Perhaps The Beatles’ most distinctive road song is “Magical Mystery Tour.” The song acted as the title track for both a record and an accompanying film. The made-for-TV project saw the foursome get into all kinds of wacky shenanigans while out on the road. The equally mystifying song pairs perfectly with the off-kilter movie. No other band could pull “Magical Mystery Tour” off.

2. “Two of Us“

Two of us riding nowhere
Spending someone’s hard-earned pay
You and me, Sunday driving
Not arriving, on our way back home

Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com

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Iconic musician Ringo Starr and His All Star Band have announced six shows on the Las Vegas Strip next year.

According to a news release, Starr and his band — Steve Lukather, Edgar Winter, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart and Gregg Bissonette — will return to The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas for six dates in 2024.

Promoter Live Nation says the performances are scheduled for May 22, 25, 26, 29 and 31 and June 1, 2024 at 8:30 p.m.

“I’ve always said I’m my happiest when I’m playing with great musicians - and this band is one of the very best. But even so,” Ringo said with a laugh, “sometime during and just after every tour I think ok that’s it - I’m going to stop touring. My family don’t believe me anymore and so it comes as no surprise to them that once again, I’m taking the All Starr Band back on the road! We’ll be doing 12 shows in May and June, going back to Mexico - which I love - and we’ll be doing a bit of a residency in Las Vegas at The Venetian. See you out there and until then I send you peace and love.”

Source: FOX5 Staff/fox5vegas.com

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George Harrison’s favorite record, the triple album All Things Must Pass was released a few months after the Beatles’ official implosion

“ It was a great experience making this album., even if I didn’t really believe it » Harrison said a few years later. “ I remember thinking in the studio that it was marshmallowy, but the people around me were enthusiastic. That’s when I realized it was good. »

For the album’s 30th anniversary in 2000, Harrison himself oversaw a new mix, which included a remake of his hit “My Sweet Lord”. And today, to commemorate the album’s 50th anniversary, its rights holders are releasing a sparkling new mix of the title track “All Things Must Pass,” which also heralds a major project in the works.

The songs told Harrison’s story in multiple, sometimes undetectable ways. With subtle references that probably went over most fans’ heads, “Wah-Wah” and “Run of the Mill” were jabs at the Beatles’ crashing reunions and their chaotic histories. “Beware of Darkness” was his take on the less savory side of the music industry, and his newfound devotion to H details

The Beatles never truly got back together.

At least during John Lennon's lifetime, that is, having acrimoniously called it a day in 1970 after a decade together.

Of course, they were dubbed 'The Threatles' when Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr reunited in 1994 to revitalise Lennon's long-lost demos for 'Free As A Bird' and 'Real Love'.

Once the band split, each of the members would fraternise with one another in some way and contribute to each other's albums in some way.

With the exception of John and Paul that is, due to their ongoing dispute which boiled over into thinly veiled digs at one another in songs like Paul's 'Too Many People' and John's scathing 'How Do You Sleep At Night?'.

The Beatles' best albums, ranked
George Harrison's widow Olivia shares "magical" backstory for The Beatles' 'Now and Then' artwork
Ringo Starr says he and Paul McCartney first thought The Beatles wouldn't "last a week"
The inside story of why The Beatles really broke up

Collaboration post-Beatles was more of a frequent occurrence with Ringo however, as John, Paul, and George were happily pursuing their own creative ambitions.

Focusing on his acting career in details

Paul McCartney married for a third time in 2011. At the ceremony, he took time to honor his late friend, John Lennon.

Paul McCartney has been married three times, and John Lennon attended none of his weddings. Lennon died before McCartney’s second two weddings, and The Beatles were at such a low point in their relationships that none had attended McCartney’s first. Still, McCartney took time to bring attention to Lennon during his wedding in 2011. Here’s why McCartney wanted to pay his respects to his late friend.

In 2011, McCartney married Nancy Shevell, whom he began dating in 2007. This was McCartney’s third marriage; his first wife, Linda McCartney, died in 1998, and he finalized his divorce from his second wife, Heather Mills, in 2008.

The couple wed at the Old Marylebone Town Hall in a small ceremony that included both their families, Ringo Starr and his wife, Barbara Bach, and George Harrison’s widow, Olivia Harrison. After the ceremony, the group headed to McCartney’s home for a party.

“They had a lovely dance together,” McCartney’s brother Mike McGear told People, adding that the wedding was “Fabulous. Beautiful. It was just lov details

John Lennon said The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" was similar to Bob Dylan's music. He even accused the "Lay Lady Lay" singer of getting "away with murder" among intellectuals.

Bob Dylan’s influence is so great that it even extends to a song about an “elementary penguin.” John Lennon said The Beatles‘ “I Am the Walrus” was similar to Dylan’s music. He even accused the “Lay Lady Lay” singer of getting “away with murder” among intellectuals. While John’s comments were spot-on in some ways, he also ignored a major aspect of Dylan’s work.

The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, John cited Dylan as an inspiration and also discussed “I Am the Walrus.” “In those days I was writing obscurely, à la Dylan, never saying what you mean, but giving the impression of something,” he explained. “Where more or less can be read into it. It’s a good game. I thought, ‘They get away with this artsy-fartsy crap; there has been more said about Dylan’s wonderful lyrics than was ever in the lyrics at all. Mine, too.&rsquo details

John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote a song for The Rolling Stones together. John explained why he was willing to give the track away in the first place.

In an incredible moment that the world somehow forgot, John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote a song for The Rolling Stones together. John felt the song encouraged The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to write songs of their own. The “Imagine” singer explained why he was willing to give the track away in the first place.
The Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership wrote “I Wanna Be Your Man.” The Rolling Stones were the first group to release “I Wanna Be Your Man.” It was The Rolling Stones’ second single, following a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Come On.” The Beatles later recorded the tune for their album With the Beatles featuring lead vocals from Ringo Starr.

Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com

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“OK! This is the All-Starr Band!” declared Ringo Starr last month in New Buffalo, Michigan, dashing onto the stage to begin the evening as emcee before moving to the drum set later. “Every one of you will know at least two songs!” joked the Beatle, setting the stage for the extravaganza to come.

Touring behind his latest EP Rewind Forward, Starr has toured in an array of All-Starr Band iterations since 1989, ceding center stage to his famous band mates throughout a show that functions not just as a trip down Beatle memory lane but recent rock history.

Joined on this run by guitarists Steve Lukather (Toto) and Colin Hay (Men At Work), bassist Hamist Stuart (Average White Band), keyboard player Edgar Winter, drummer Gregg Bissonette and saxophonist Warren Ham, the seven piece group put their spin upon a few tracks from the projects of each member.

Source: Jim Ryan/forbes.com

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Drummer Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, denied any chances of a supergroup forming with other children of The Beatles, including John Lennon’s son Sean Lennon and George Harrison’s son Dhani Harrison. Starkey’s responses came after he posted an image of himself hanging out with Sean Lennon and fans began proposing the supergroup idea.

“What a guy (although he looks completely insane here and he is and so are we),” wrote Starkey in his caption. “It was so great that Sean invited us to hang at the Dakota and actually get to know each other a bit. We had a gas, and I have to say being in the apartment … I experienced such an overwhelming feeling of love that we didn’t wanna leave.”

Starkey’s responses to fans pushing for the Beatles kids supergroup have been mostly light-hearted. “Would I love to see you, Dhani, and Sean do something together,” wrote one fan, to Starkey’s response “[You] mean a three-way right?”
The same fan quickly elaborated “[I] was thinking more musical! You are all so talented and wonderful artists. I think your fathers knew each other, too.” The drummer quipped “If we had spent t details

During his recent tour of Australia – which finished on the Gold Coast last Saturday (November 4) – Paul McCartney swung by Studio 10 for a rare TV appearance on The Project.

For panellist Georgie Tunny, this was a dream come true (let’s be real though, it’s every music journalist’s dream come true), being able to personally pose a question to the iconic Beatle... On national television, no less.

But as wild as it was, the opportunity was also equally daunting; see, Tunny only had the time to ask McCartney a single question – and as any fan of his or The Beatles’ at large would agree, there’s a nigh-on endless list of topics one could want to him to expound on.

In this exclusive essay for TheMusic.com.au, Tunny explains how she decided on the one question she wound up posing to Sir McCartney…

Source: Ellie Robinson/themusic.com.au

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If Paul McCartney isn’t the greatest songwriter who has ever lived, he’s right up near the top of the list. Continuing his prolific output right into his eighties, McCartney has been writing enduring melodies since the late 1950s (though audiences outside of Liverpool and Hamburg wouldn’t hear any of them until 1962). To date McCartney has written or co-written 32 songs that reached No. 1 on Billboard’s singles charts, with sales in excess of 25 million units.

Most listeners know a Paul McCartney tune when they hear one. But along the way, McCartney has embarked upon a number of unusual projects, producing results that don’t always sound like what one might expect. One of those, Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest, made in a pseudonymous collaboration with Youth (Martin Glover) as The Fireman, was released 30 years ago.

Here are five notable (but unlikely-sounding) Paul McCartney releases.

Source: Bill Kopp/goldminemag.com

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When John Lennon decided to come out of his five-year musical career hiatus at the dawn of the 1980s, one of the first people he enlisted to produce what would become the fifth studio album credited to the former Beatle and his wife, Yoko Ono – "Double Fantasy" – was Jack Douglas.

Looking back however, Lennon's decision was a bit of a head-scratcher – Douglas was known primarily for his work with hard rock and heavy metal bands (Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Montrose, etc.), whereas it was supposedly new wave (The B-52's, in particular) that had rekindled his desire to return to music.

But there was one band that Douglas had previously worked with that was much more in line with Lennon's work with the Beatles (and his early solo work) – Cheap Trick. So, when it was time to begin work on what was envisioned as one of the harder rocking tunes on the album ("I'm Losing You") and a tune that Ono had penned ("I'm Moving On"), Douglas immediately thought of two Trickers to lend a hand – guitarist Rick Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos.

On Tuesday, August 12, 1980, both Nielsen and Carlos found themselves at the Hit Factory in New York City, about to begin work on the tunes – and details

Ringo Starr's latest project is for fans of music and of fashion.

Published Friday, “Beats & Threads” is an illustrated journey through the former Beatles drummer's decades in show business, featuring images of everything from his drum kits to his trend-setting wardrobe. The 312-page book is being sold through the publishing division of Julien's Auctions.

"Featuring nearly 300 shimmering images capturing iconic and many never-before-seen intimate moments of Ringo’s illustrious life and career, along with the drum icon’s warm memories told in his own words, this immense tribute to the enduring influence and time transcending impact of the Fab Four member is a ticket to ride through fashion and Beatles history," the publisher announced.

“Beats and Threads” has a list price of $80, along with signed limited editions for as much as $750. All proceeds will be donated to the Lotus Foundation, which offers support for various charitable projects, from substance abuse to homelessness.

Starr, 83, has had a busy 2023, releasing the EP “Rewind Forward,” touring with his All-Starr Band and working with Paul McCartney on the “final” Beatles song, details

Through the years, Paul McCartney has built a Beatles legend regarding the band’s introduction to America. He’s said on numerous occasions that he and John put a stake in the ground with manager Brian Epstein in advance of their famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, stating:

“We’re not going to America till we’ve got a number one record.”

Although there’s a very good chance that this sentiment was a desire of the band, the truth was that the Beatles were committed to that appearance way before. The Beatles would eventually reach #1 in the USA (“I Want To Hold Your Hand”) in February of 1964, (BEFORE their Sullivan appearance). However, in the late fall of 1963, the Beatles executed a determined crusade to crack America.

This story begins with George Harrison. Just as “She Loves You” was climbing the UK charts, destined to be the catalyst for Beatlemania in their home country, he fulfilled his state-side dream and jumped on a plane in September 1963 to visit America. Bunking down in Benton Illinois with his sister Louise (who had immigrated there with her husband and children) it was just 5 months before George would be introdu details

While they were a going concern, the Beatles gave their fans a special gift every Christmas.

This year, fans of the Fab Four have been blessed with the gift of 'Now and Then', the last ever Beatles single, as well as a pretty snazzy Abbey Road-style Christmas jumper.

Back during the band's 1960s heyday though, their biggest supporters – dubbed "Beatle people" by the band – got an annual gift via their membership of The Beatles fan club, which was ably managed by Fifth Beatle Freda Kelly.

'Carnival of Light': The mysterious Beatles recording that still hasn't been released
"I don't like your tie!": How The Beatles' sliding doors moment became the best thing on the internet
Listen to the Gold Christmas Live Playlist on Global Player

Even to this day, these records are incredibly difficult to come by, and they're not available on streaming, to download, or general sale in the shops.

For those who weren't on board at the beginning, an LP compilation was sent out to fan club members in 1970 – called From Then To You in the UK and The Beatles Christmas Album in the US – but they're not any easier to find today.

Source: Mayer Nissim/goldradiouk.com

 Yoko Ono has moved away from her longtime residence at the Dakota building in New York City and is now living on a 600-acre farm in upstate New York with a small community.
Ono has no plans to sell her apartment at the Dakota and seems content living a peaceful life off the grid.
Despite unknown health issues, Ono is said to be in good spirits and enjoying her new surroundings on the farm she shared with her late husband, John Lennon.

Yoko Ono is living off the map these days, in a community that has a population of 280 people. Ono and her husband, John Lennon, initially purchased the property in 1978. She was married to the legendary musician and Beatle in 1969. The couple fought against being deported from the U.S. at one point, and Lennon was spied on by the FBI.

Source: Elizabeth DeMaine/thethings.com

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George Harrison’s widow, Olivia Harrison, is confident that her late husband approved of The Beatles‘ just-released tune “Now and Then.”

In a post to George’s social media accounts, Olivia shares a “surprising magical story” about how a clock that her husband purchased gave her a sign that he supported the song’s release.

“We were in this store, George saw this clock made out of bits and pieces and it had some Scrabble letters and it just said ‘Now And Then,’” she explains. “He was attracted to it for some reason, he just took it off the wall and bought it. [He] built this little Russian dacha in the garden and hung the clock on it and there it sat for 25 years.”

She notes that last summer after cleaning it and putting it on her mantelpiece, she got a call from Paul McCartney about the unfinished tune from their Anthology sessions.

“I said, ‘I remember it, it’s called ‘Now and Then.’ And I’m standing there looking at the clock,” she says. “We were so moved and happy that this thing that George had held in his hand somehow magically appeared. And I said, ‘I thin details

The Beatles’ compilation albums 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (also known as the Red and Blue Albums, owed to the distinctive cover art), re-enter Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Nov. 25) at Nos. 6 and 5, respectively, following their expanded reissue on Nov. 10.

The titles sold 22,000 and 24,000 in the week ending Nov. 16 in the U.S., according to Luminate. Each told sold less than 500 copies in the previous week. For both titles, it is their largest sales week since the week ending Dec. 24, 1994, when they sold 37,000 and 40,000, respectively.
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Upon their original release in 1973, the 1962-1966 album contained 26 songs, while 1967-1970 held 28 tunes. (On the Billboard 200 chart, 1967-1970 reached No. 1, while 1962-1966 peaked at No. 3.) For the 2023 reissue, 21 songs were added to the two albums — 12 songs on 1962-1966 and nine on 1967-1970. The latter’s additional cuts include the recently released new single “Now and Then,” which debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 – marking the Fab Four’s 35th top 10-charting hit.

Source: Keith Caulfield/billboard.com

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