March 10

Ringo Starr exhibit to open June 12 at Grammy Museum

The Grammy Museum will put up its third salute to a Beatle with the June 12 opening of “Ringo: Peace and Love,” billed as “the first major exhibition to explore the life of Ringo Starr.” It's also touted as the first major U.S. exhibition focusing on a rock drummer. 

Museum officials have gathered previously unpublished photos, correspondence and film footage as well as iconic items from Starr's career. Some of the notable artifacts include the drum kits he played when the Beatles performed historic concerts on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and at Shea Stadium in New York, his military-inspired costume from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and the red jacket he wore on the group’s 1969 farewell concert on the rooftop of Apple Records in London.

The exhibit also will have an interactive feature allowing visitors to take a virtual music lesson with the world’s most famous rock drummer. 

In addition to his music with the Beatles and as a solo artist in the 40 years after the group disbanded, the show will touch on his activities as an actor, philanthropist and peace activist.

Starr has made several visits to the Grammy Museum, including a Q&A session and performance in 2010 in conjunction with the release of his album "Y Not." At that time, the Grammy Museum was hosting an exhibit of Alfred Wertheimer's 1956 photos of Elvis Presley, which Starr visited and spoke about with The Times.

“Ringo: Peace and Love” will run through November, and then tour select cities to be announced. Full information is available on the Grammy Museum’s website. The museum has also previously hosted shows  dedicated to the lives and careers of John Lennon and George Harrison.

Abbey Road Studios Open to Public March 8-17

Filling music fans in on the secrets of the studio is Brian Kehew – record producer, engineer, musician and author of one of the most comprehensive books on The Beatles’ time at the studio. 

“I still remember my first time visiting,” he tells Scout London. “It was very significant for me, it was like coming home to Mecca. It felt like you were entering a very holy or special room. Many people feel that there is a vibe in there. I don’t know whether it’s just Beatle fandom or people do actually feel something in there.”

Alongside co-author and co-speaker Kevin Ryan, Kehew spent a painstaking 15 years researching and writing his book, Recording The Beatles, that documented in exact detail the processes used by The Beatles – and many other huge artists such as Pink Floyd, The Hollies, Adele and Oasis – to achieve such impressive results at the north London studios.

“I think the impression people have is that the artists who have come through Abbey Road have been the greatest in their era, across many decades now, all the way back to 1930s,” says Kehew. “They were the greatest of their time and it all reflects back on the studio.”

For more on this story: Full Story

Still Fab! The 10 Greatest Solo Albums By Former Beatles

Sure, The Beatles revolutionized music and created a body of work that will stand for centuries. That doesn’t mean, however, that the members of group didn’t go on to produce music that in some instances was just as timeless. Below are 10 solo albums made by Fab Four alumni that should be part of every record collection. 

Plastic Ono Band – John Lennon (1970)

Few Beatles fans were prepared for the searing introspection John Lennon unleashed with his first solo album. Having recently undergone primal scream therapy – a grueling process intended to bring repressed childhood memories to the surface -- Lennon composed material that gave new meaning to so-called confessional songwriting. Such classics as “Mother,” “Working Class Hero,” “Love” and “Well Well Well” were the result.

Ram – Paul and Linda McCartney (1971)

Everyone knows Double Fantasy was credited to John and Yoko, but many forget that Ram was credited to Paul and Linda. No matter. Featuring fuller production than McCartney’s self-titled post-Beatles debut, the album nonetheless contained a tossed-off charm that’s aged well. The whimsical two-part suite, "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” remains quintessential McCartney. “Ram reminds me of my hippie days and the free attitude with which was created,” McCartney said last year, in a statement posted on his website.

All Things Must Pass – George Harrison (1970)

The Beatles’ breakup gave George Harrison the opportunity, at last, to express fully the songwriting prowess that had long been brewing in him. This triple-album opus – the first box set in rock music history – also introduced the spiritual themes and slide-guitar emphasis that would often be central to Harrison’s subsequent work. High points include “My Sweet Lord,” “Isn’t it a Pity” and “What is Life.”

Ringo – Ringo Starr (1973)

The original idea for Ringo’s All-Starr Band concept can be traced to this terrific album. Contributions came not just from all of Ringo’s former mates in the Fab Four, but also from the likes of Marc Bolan, Harry Nilsson, Nicky Hopkins and members of The Band. “Photograph,” which Starr composed with George Harrison, and the delightful cover of “You’re Sixteen” both topped the charts in the U.S.

Source: Gibson

PAUL MCCARTNEY ANNOUNCES RECORD STORE DAY EXCLUSIVE

Another classic rocker has thrown his proverbial hat into the vinyl ring known as Record Store Day. On April 20, Paul McCartney will release a limited edition 12-inch EP of the live version of ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ that was originally released on 1976′s ‘Wings Over America.’

The Second Disc is reporting that the EP replicates the 1976 release, with four versions on the platter: Side One contains full and edited versions of the song in mono, while Side Two has the stereo mix of both. The single reached No. 10 in 1977 in the U.S..

The Record Store Day exclusive fuels speculation that an announcement for the reissue of ‘Wings Over America’ and the first-ever DVD release of ‘Rockshow,’ the 1980 concert film from that tour, could be imminent. Last summer, McCartney’s manager, Scott Rodger, said that ‘Wings Over America’ would be reissued at some point in 2013, but as of now, there has been no release date scheduled for either. In 2012, McCartney put out a single of ‘Another Day’ b/w ‘Oh Woman, Oh Why’ for Record Store Day before following it up with the reissue of 1971′s ‘Ram‘ in multiple formats a month later.

Released as a triple-LP in 1976, ‘Wings Over America’ chronicled the band’s only U.S tour, and McCartney’s first full-scale concerts in America since the Beatles quit touring in 1966. McCartney didn’t tour the U.S. again until 1989. ‘Wings Over America’ has been out-of-print on CD for many years.

Source: Ultimate Classic Rock

The Sheraton Hotel in Petaluma will be the site of this year's Marin  Sonoma Beatles Festival

which takes place on Sunday, July 28 2013 and  stars The Silver Beatles from Los Angeles.  The day starts with a 1PM show by the Pepperland Band, a local band out of Sebastopol, followed  by two sets by The Silver Beatles, one at 3:30 pm which covers the  Beatles from 62-66, and a second set at 5:30 pm which covers the Fab Four's 67-70 period.

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