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Paul McCartney has returned to his home city through the years for numerous appearances and projects - but on one particularly visit to Liverpool, he had to keep a "closely guarded secret." In more recent years, the former Beatle has been spotted back in his hometown for a graduation ceremony at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), to perform at the Philharmonic pub and more.

But back in the 1980s, many will remember when Sir Paul made a rare television appearance on BBC sitcom Bread, alongside his late wife, Linda. Loved by millions since it first aired in 1986, Bread was a massive hit, reaching 21 million viewers at its peak.

Written by Carla Lane, the series followed the lives of the the close knit families from Dingle and filmed on the steep Victorian terraced Bread streets, which went on to become some of the most well known streets in Liverpool. Among them was Elswick Street, which the ECHO recently visited - and residents living on the street told us how the sitcom life isn’t too far from the truth.

Now nearly 40 years on from when Bread first aired, we've delved into the archives to uncover a number of behind the scenes photos from the set of the hit BBC series. Courtesy of o details

The Beatles never reunited before John Lennon's death. During his lifetime, though, he thought a band reunion was possible.

John Lennon said he lost interest in The Beatles when he met Yoko Ono. He remained in the band until 1969 when he told Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr that he wanted to move on. The band’s split was acrimonious, with the former Beatles insulting each other in interviews and songs. By the early 1970s, though, Lennon told a friend that he believed in the possibility of a reunion.
John Lennon was optimistic about a Beatles reunion by the early 1970s

In 1973, Lennon sat down with his friend, Elliot Mintz, for an interview. Mintz noted in his book, We All Shine On: John, Yoko, and Me, that he asked the question that was on everyone’s mind at the time.

“After carefully pulling out of the McDonald’s lot, I cautiously navigated to a surprisingly desolate stretch of beach near the Malibu pier, where the camera crew taped John and me talking about everything from his new album to his memories of Beatlemania to the ultimate question on everybody’s mind — and the one John had been asked at least a thousand times before: the possibility o details

The musician often called the Quiet Beatle sat in the background during the initial years of the Lennon & McCartney partnership, slowly building a voice of his own as a songwriter. The band’s latter years witness George Harrison coming to the forefront, writing music that is easily the equal of his illustrious peers.

A new generation seem to be agreeing. The top Beatles track on Spotify is ‘Here Comes The Sun’ – penned by George Harrison for their ‘Abbey Road’ album, it receives over 687,000 plays on the platform every single day.

George has just broken a new record, too. ‘My Sweet Lord’ – the gospel-drenched yearning for meaning that appears on his classic solo album ‘All Things Must Pass’ – has become the most streamed song by a solo Beatle daily on Spotify.

The song edges out Paul McCartney’s ‘FourFiveSeconds’ and receives 449,000 plays on Spotify every single day.

Source: Robin Murray/clashmusic.com

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Sir Ringo Starr just realized the voice he always wanted.

The 84-year-old The Beatles legend, rose to fame after lending his drumming skills to the iconic band alongside the late John Lennon, George Harrison, and Sir Paul McCartney. While he certainly can "hold a tune", he reached the epiphany of how everything "worked out" for them because of the songwriting talent each member possessed.

In a conversation with The Sunday Times, he stated, "Well, I always wanted to be someone else. Like Jerry Lee [Lewis] or someone! I mean, I can hold a tune, as long as it’s in my key.” "And it just worked out with the Beatles because John and Paul were great writers,” Starr added.

The iconic musician continued, "That’s what made us. And I’d get one song. And a couple of them were really good, you know, With a Little Help from My Friends and Yellow Submarine. They’re still huge and I still do them on tour. They wrote me a lot of really nice songs."

With the release of his latest music album, Look Up and is touring with his band, Ringo Starr and Friends, he admitted that it is still "fun."

"The band sounds great. We have a fun time and we just do it,” Starr told th details

John Lennon liked a goofy Paul McCartney song from the early 1980s. It’s not clear which version of the track John liked.

John Lennon didn’t always like Paul McCartney’s songs, but he praised one of Paul’s solo hits from the early 1980s. Sadly, the track John liked sounds like it was performed by Kermit the Frog. Listeners loved the song anyway. John Lennon didn’t care about Paul McCartney’s solo songs.

During a 1980 interview from the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, John discussed Paul’s post-Beatles work. “Somebody asked me what I thought of Paul’s last album [McCartney II] and I made some remark like I thought he was depressed and sad,” he said. “But then I realized I hadn’t listened to the whole damn thing. I heard one track — the hit, ‘Coming Up,’ which I thought was a good piece of work. Then I heard something else that sounded like he was depressed.

“But I don’t follow their work,” he added. “I don’t follow Wings, you know. I don’t give a s*** what Wings are doing, or what George’s new album is doing or what Ringo is doi details

When The Beatles broke up, John Lennon publicly aired his grievances with the band and his former bandmates. He made it clear that he was ready to move on and did not share the warm opinion of the band that so many did. Within a few years, though, Lennon said he had let go of these bad feelings. He claimed that his memories of The Beatles were fond, despite what he may have said in the past.

In the early 1970s, each of the former Beatles constantly fielded questions about whether or not the band would reunite. Lennon, who broke up the band, said a reunion was a possibility. His friend, Elliot Mintz wrote about it in his book We All Shine On: John Yoko and Me.

“‘It’s quite possible, yes,’ [John] said as we sat on the sand. ‘I don’t know why the hell we’d do it, but it’s possible.’” He’d spoken publicly about his problems with the band, but he claimed he’d moved past them. By 1973, he said he didn’t harbor any bad feelings about the band.

Source: Showbiz CheatSheet

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50 years ago this month, music superstar Paul McCartney, his wife Linda and his band Wings flew into New Orleans to record songs for the album “Venus and Mars” at Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn’s Sea-Saint Recording Studio in Gentilly.

News of the former Beatle’s visit made the front page of the Jan. 8, 1975, States-Item, with reporter Jack Davis writing that McCartney had received a temporary visa to stay in the city until March 1. Davis explained that the visa “will not allow McCartney to do any work other than the recording, meaning that performances by the 31-year-old rock star and songwriter are not permitted.” But fans did get glimpses of him coming and going from the studio on Clematis Street in Gentilly, where the couple’s three children also joined them.

About a month later, during a press conference aboard the excursion boat Voyageur, Paul McCartney said New Orleans was selected as a recording site because “it’s warm and it’s a musical city,” according to Millie Ball’s Feb. 14, 1975, story in The Times-Picayune. Music legends Lloyd Price, Earl King, Dr. John and Professor Longhair dropped by the sessions which also featured To details

George Harrison had a handful of hit songs after The Beatles broke up, but his best one didn’t hit No. 1. Interestingly, the tune in question was supposed to sound a bit like The Beatles’ “Penny Lane.” George’s best song might have hit No. 1 if he hadn’t made a particular decision.  George had three No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100: “My Sweet Lord”/”Isn’t It a Pity,” “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth),” and “Got My Mind Set on You.” Those are all good songs, but they aren’t George’s best. The pinnacle of his career was “What Is Life.”

The tune combines George’s rock ‘n’ roll tendencies with his spiritual outlook and producer Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound technique. The lyrics are clever, as they could be interpreted as being about loving a partner or loving God. It’s hard to listen to it without feeling some uplift, whether you are spiritual or not.

During a 2001 interview with Billboard, George discussed the origin of “What Is Love.” “When we were going through all the tapes, I just found this version that was like a rough mix [at Trident details

The Beatles were set to get back together in the mid-1970s, but drummer Ringo Starr has shared the reason the band said no – despite being offered nearly £41million for one just performance.

Legendary rock group The Beatles had a chance to reunite for a lot of money but turned it down for just one reason. Ringo Starr, the band's drummer, shared the group were offered $50million in 1976 – the equivalent of £200million today – to get back together for a one-off performance.

It seemed a tempting deal for the Fab Four but they eventually turned the offer down. Starr and fellow surviving Beatles member Paul McCartney briefly reunited at the Wings frontman's show in London late last year. But a full Beatles reunion never came to be after their break-up in 1970.

Their final live performance took place from the Abbey Road Studios' rooftop, where new songs like 'Don't Let Me Down' and 'Get Back' were performed. With Starr and McCartney reuniting on stage to play Helter Skelter and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, some fans remembered the massive offer presented to the band in 1976.

While the band's members would go on to work with one another on some of their solo proje details

The song is a fixture of Paul's live performances and was in the setlist for last year's 'Got Back' tour

During the break up of The Beatles, Paul McCartney spent a lot of his time at his farm in Campbeltown, Scotland. When John Lennon told his bandmates he wanted a "divorce" from The Beatles in September 1969, a devastated Paul retreated to Scotland to write what became his first solo album - 'McCartney'.

The release of that album in April 1970 confirmed Paul's departure from The Beatles and saw him receive much of the blame for the band coming to an end - as John's 1969 decision to quit had not been made public. After the release of 'McCartney', Paul continued to spend plenty of time at his Scottish farm and he decided to write a song about the quiet life there.

Paul bought the 183-acre site on the Kintyre Peninsula in 1966 and it became a sanctuary for him away from the pressures of fame. He wrote plenty of Beatles songs there, as well as Wings and solo hits.

In 1974, Paul recorded 'Junior's Farm', a song about life on the farm. Taking inspiration from Bob Dylan's 'Maggie's Farm', Paul came up with a character called Junior who had escaped the city for a new rural life.

It represented P details

The late former President Jimmy Carter reportedly held the 1971 John Lennon hit "Imagine" as his favorite tune. But its use as a song at his state funeral ceremony has set a firestorm on social media from critics saying it wasn't fit for use in what in a memorial service in a Christian church.

On Thursday, the tune was performed by fellow Georgian Trisha Yearwood and her husband Garth Brooks during Carter's Washington National Cathedral funeral service. One year earlier, Brooks and Yearwood performed it at former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s wake, as well. The country star couple previously worked with Carter on several Habitat for Humanity home projects, according to reports.

Social media lit up later Thursday, calling into question the performance of the song, given its lyrical rejection of religion.

"Imagine there's no heaven / It's easy if you try / No Hell below us / Above us, only sky," the first line goes.

On X, several observers, including top conservative figures, questioned the use of the song, while others differed.

"Having Joe Biden lecture us about what a strong Christian Jimmy Carter was before the crowd sits through ‘Imagine’ with the lyrics ‘Imagine details

Don Bradman, the greatest cricketer of all time, was once asked if he reckoned he could have maintained his batting average of 99.94 against the fearsome West Indian bowling attack of the time. Oh no, he said. Not a chance. He’d probably be hitting in the 50s, like the very best batsmen of the time. But then again, he added, he was in his late 60s so it was unrealistic to expect better.

That’s the position Paul McCartney occupies in the world of pop. No, at 82 years old he is not going to make a new Revolver or Abbey Road. And no, he can’t do the Little Richard scream like he used to 60 years ago. But he is still, as they say in sport, the Goat. The undisputed champion of the world. One of the four men who invented the concept of the guitar band as we now know it, writer of dozens of the best-loved songs in the world.

Consider this: McCartney played for the best part of three hours on the last night of his Got Back tour, and these were among the songs he either wrote or had a large part in writing that he did not play: ‘Yesterday’, ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘The Night Before’, ‘Paperb details

John Lennon and Paul McCartney had one of the most prolific and influential songwriting partnerships of modern musical history, but it didn’t come without its pitfalls. As the duo—along with George Harrison and Ringo Starr—progressed further in their tenure as the Beatles, differences in approach, style, and preference began to arise. By Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, virtually everyone had some sort of grievance about another, whether on a musical or personal level.

Although there are many ways to illustrate the differences between Lennon and McCartney, one of the most succinct examples is “Lovely Rita,” the third track on the B-side of Sgt. Pepper’s.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s Musical Differences, Put Plainly

Even before learning who wrote the Sgt. Pepper’s B-side, anyone vaguely familiar with the Beatles’ repertoire could likely guess that Paul McCartney was the man behind “Lovely Rita.” From its character-driven narrative to its fantastical expansion of reality, everything about the song screams “McCartney.” Lovely Rita, meter maid, nothing can come between us, McCartney croons in his love song to a parking details

After Beatlemania swept the globe, many of the members’ children found the rampant popularity affected their own upbringings.

The Beatles was founded in 1960 by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Both before and after the group’s disbandment eight years later, the musicians each became fathers.

“I’ve always just tried to give my kids a bit of guidance if they seem to need it — but that was mainly when they were younger. Now that they are older, they’re guiding me,” McCartney, a father of five, said in a January 2023 interview on his website. “They don’t need so much guidance these days but if there’s ever a problem, I’m very happy to be the guy they come to.”

He added at the time, “You’re just there to help, and I suppose, have fun with — we do have a lot of fun. Now they’re older, we can have a drink together.”

 However, it hasn’t all been rosy memories for the kids. Julian, the eldest son of the late Lennon, told The Guardian in January 2025 that he and his mother had “nothing to do with the Beatles” after John left. (Julian is the son of John a details

 As previously reported, two members of Cheap Trick, guitarist Rick Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos were invited by producer Jack Douglas to play on the John Lennon album that ultimately turned out to be the last one issued during the former Beatle's lifetime: 1980's "Double Fantasy."

Ultimately, their contributions to the song "I'm Losing You" did not make the original album but were issued years later as part of the 1998 box set, "John Lennon Anthology."

But during an interview with Booked on Rock, the author of the Cheap Trick book, "American Standard: Cheap Trick from the Bars to the Budokan and Beyond," Ross Warner, discussed that at least Nielsen was paid an extremely high compliment by Lennon during the sessions.

"John had said something to the effect of, 'I wish I'd had this guy on 'Cold Turkey,'" Warner said (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). "'Cause Eric Clapton, A. was addicted to heroin, and B. didn't really deliver the solo."

Originally released as a single in 1969, "Cold Turkey" did in fact feature Clapton on lead guitar, in addition to Lennon on vocals and guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass, and none other than Ringo Starr on drums.

It also remains one of Lennon's most ra details

One Paul McCartney song is a disjointed mess about water and food and freedom. Here is how the track in question compares to Paul's other post-Beatles hits.

One Paul McCartney song is a disjointed mess about water and food and freedom. It’s not surprising that the “Say Say Say” singer wrote an oddball song. What’s surprising is that the track reached No. 1 in the United States. Here is how the track in question compares to Paul’s other post-Beatles hits.
1 Paul McCartney song won’t make sense no matter how many times you hear it

If you look at the list of Paul’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, you’ll see an interesting mix of songs. Some are perfectly normal, easy-listening songs, like “My Love” and “Ebony and Ivory.” Other tunes on the list are a tad experimental, such as “Band on the Run” and “Coming Up.” However, only one of the tracks on the list is bizarre on every level: “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.”

Firstly, the song is lyrically incoherent. It starts as an apologetic ballad addressed to someone called Uncle Albert. Who is Uncle Albert — and what was the narrator supposed to do for details

George Harrison‘s comeback to the top of the music world was one of the great Beatles-related stories of the late 1980s. After years of seeming reluctance toward sustaining a music career, he rallied with the one-two punch of a hit solo record and the formation of the Traveling Wilburys.

“Cloud 9,” the opening title track (although the LP was spelled Cloud Nine) to his mega-successful 1987 album, could be interpreted as someone reaching out to a lover. But in reality, Harrison was addressing everyone in the audience who found inspiration in his music over the years.

If you didn’t know any better, you would have been forgiven for thinking his official name was “The Reclusive George Harrison” since that was how much of the world referred to him circa 1985 or so. At that time, the former Beatle didn’t seem to harbor all that much interest in trying to make his way back to pop stardom.

Ever since the first flush of activity in the early ’70s that came following The Beatles’ breakup, including a couple of very successful albums and even a tour, Harrison had largely shied away from the spotlight as much as possible. While he still sporadically made records, details

“Blackbird” is one of the deepest songs by The Beatles when it comes to the meaning behind the tune. The track is all about the civil rights movement that was taking place in the United States during the end of the group’s time together. In the decades since its release, it’s become a classic, and now, finally, a smash.

The Beatles’ cut finally flies into the top 40 in the United Kingdom for the first time this week. The tune reaches that important region—which often declares when a song becomes a hit—on one list as it surges. It also manages to launch within that tier on another tally, as the group doubles up with the half-century-old composition.

“Blackbird” rises into the top 40 on the Official Singles Downloads chart, hitting a new high in its second frame on the list. This week, the cut pushes from No. 96 to No. 31, gaining quite a bit of ground in only a few days as British fans continue to buy the cut.

The beloved production also debuts on one other chart in the U.K. “Blackbird” simultaneously opens at No. 35 on the Official Singles Sales ranking, which includes all forms of purchases, not just downloads.

Despite being one o details

When reporting on projects that have not started filming, it's always best to wait for the official press release if you need confirmation on casting. While some trust IMDb, it's too easy for bad actors to edit the cast lists randomly; there are also last-minute circumstances when an actor needs to exit a project due to unforeseen conflicts, and the production has to scramble to recast. However, Sam Mendes' Beatles Quadrilogy of movies seems to have had most of its cast confirmed, not by the production, but by the people who were in the other productions they're going to give up to star in the four interconnected biopics.

We first reported on this in early December 2024, when Barry Keoghan (Saltburn) was confirmed to play Ringo Starr. Considering Starr himself revealed the casting, it seems safe enough, even though the project refused to confirm anything; as multiple outlets pointed out, the deal had yet to be signed, necessitating keeping officially mum.

However, since then, two more castings have been confirmed... by the writers and directors of the projects they'll be leaving behind. Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers) was first when his Gladiator II director, Ridley Scott, was asked about Gladiator III. Scott details

It remains a fascinating exercise to wonder how John Lennon and Paul McCartney felt about each other’s songs.

Bands, and especially a band’s primary songwriters, are famously competitive. This explains why it’s so difficult to keep even the most successful groups together. Even the world’s greatest rock band couldn’t survive themselves.

George Harrison felt it as he began creeping out from behind the giant shadows of Lennon and McCartney. However, Lennon did praise McCartney’s songs in an interview conducted by writer David Sheff. Sheff had visited Lennon and Yoko Ono in August 1980 at their home in The Dakota on an assignment for Playboy.

Sheff’s interview appeared in Playboy on Dec. 6. Two days later, Lennon was shot and killed in front of his New York apartment. Sheff’s three-week conversations with Lennon and Ono were later compiled in his book All We Are Saying (2000). The book documents the last major interview with the couple.

If Lennon were alive today, these McCartney-penned classics might have made his playlist.

Source:americansongwriter.com/Thom Donovan

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After The Beatles broke up in 1970, the world was in mourning. A few years later, the now-defunct group did something unusual: they released two albums on the same day. These compilations of their biggest hits have gone on to rank among the most successful singles collections of all time, and they regularly find their way back to the charts—including this week in the band’s home country.

The Beatles see both of their 1973 compilations return to a pair of charts at the same time. Both 1962-1966 (usually referred to as The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (AKA The Blue Album) find their way to the music charts in the United Kingdom at the same time—just like when they were brand new. The two sets appear on multiple lists, landing close to one another on a pair of rosters.

1967-1970 is the bigger hit between the two on both rankings. On the main list of the most-consumed albums in the U.K., the singles-packed offering is back at No. 42, almost returning to the top 40. 1962-1966, meanwhile, comes in at No. 59 on that same list, which operates with a consumption model.

Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com

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Tensions were running high among the Fab Four as they recorded 'The White Album'
As their sound evolved in the second half of the 1960s, The Beatles' recording sessions saw creative differences come to the fore. 1966's 'Revolver' saw The Beatles move further away from their early rock and roll sound and they became increasingly experimental, with 1967's psychedelic 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' changing popular music forever.

But John Lennon famously disliked 'Sgt Pepper', taking aim at the album - which was primarily Paul McCartney's brainchild - after he left the band. But it was the sessions for 'The White Album', which was released in 1968, which really saw the fractures within the band begin to dominate.

Each member of The Beatles wanted to put their stamp on their work and express themselves creatively. About that period of recording, Paul said: "There was a lot of friction during that album. We were just about to break up, and that was tense in itself" and John later added: "The break-up of The Beatles can be heard on that album."

The recording of the double album's first track was famously tempestuous and saw one member of the band walk out. Paul began writing 'Back in the USSR' in details

John Lennon was tragically assassinated in December 1980 when his son Julian was just 17-years-old.

The two didn't have the best relationship, and Julian's relationship with his stepmom Yoko Ono was even worse, or at least became worse in the years following his death.

John was all about 'peace and love', but Julian didn't see him in that light and actually called his dad a 'hypocrite' in an interview with UK-based publication The Daily Telegraph, years after his father was murdered.

Although, Julian was reportedly inspiration for three of The Beatles' hit songs - 'Hey Jude', 'Good Night' and, of course, ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’.

But with John and Julian's mom Cynthia divorcing each other in 1968, Julian didn't see too much of him.

After John was murdered in December 1980, Julian expressed his confusion and resentment towards his father:

Speaking per the Tamba Bay Times, Julian talked about his resentment towards his dad.

“I’ve never really wanted to know the truth about how dad was with me. There was some very negative stuff talked about me … like when he said I’d come out of a whiskey bottle on a Saturday night. Stuff like that details

Retro Roundup will continue its look at 1970s hits outside the Billboard top 10 next week, but this week I want to offer praise to a book I read voraciously during my vacation in Florida.

When it comes to chronicling the Beatles and their recording career, author Mark Lewisohn is the most acclaimed by fans — his books on the band's recording sessions, with lots of interesting information on how the songs were put together, and the atmosphere in the studio, were revelatory. Lewisohn has also put out the first in a series of massive books combining Beatle biography with recording details. The first of these books, Tune In, goes up to 1962, and the second volume, which will dig in to the Beatles' most famous recordings, is being anxiously awaited by Beatles fans, including myself. Sadly, the author has been hobbled by a rift with the Beatles' organization, Apple.

In the meantime, authors Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair got the jump, in a manner of speaking, on Lewisohn. They released, almost exactly two years apart, the first two volumes of The McCartney Legacy. Unlike Lewisohn's work, McCartney's early life and his work with the Beatles are not tackled. Biography and recording details are combined to wonder details

Born in Liverpool, Julian Lennon, 61, was raised almost solely by his mother Cynthia, but has spent his adult years labouring to get out from under the shadow of his famous father, John. Already a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, children’s author, documentary film-maker and philanthropist, he’s now moved into fine art photography with a glossy new book, Life’s Fragile Moments. Spanning more than 20 years of work, it includes reportage taken while travelling the world for his charity, the White Feather Foundation; a closeup of his half-brother, Sean Lennon, taken on tour; and candid glimpses of a royal wedding. He lives in Monaco.

How did you get interested in photography?
I think I was about 11 years old when I first went out to the US to see Dad, and he had a very simple brown leather Polaroid camera that he used a fair amount – I have it here. I was really fascinated. That immediacy was exciting. I tried becoming a photographer with film, but always had problems – although I have great patience on some levels I have little in other circumstances. Then digital came along.

Have you had any formal training?
Hell no, I’ve always done everything organically. I never details