Beatles News

No one can blame Paul McCartney for being a bit trepidatious about starting another band venture after breaking up with the world’s biggest outfit. That kind of heartbreak must have stung every time he got on stage, at least for a little while. Nevertheless, McCartney built a second life as frontman of another band, Wings. They may not have earned the recognizability or the cultural cachet of The Beatles, but they were successful in their own right; even if McCartney couldn’t always see that.

According to the rock legend, one of his peers, David Bowie, helped put things into perspective for him. The avant-garde star made 

Wings always had a big burden to overcome. The Beatles’ success was unprecedented. Fans expected a lot from McCartney’s follow-up, and that pressure certainly weighed on him. ”Anything Wings did had to be viewed in the light of The Beatles,” McCartney once said.

Under that constant lens, McCartney struggled to block out the noise. Even though Wings did well for themselves, they didn’t go toe-to-toe with The Beatles, and that sullied any hope of reveling in that success.

“The interesting thing is that, looking back on some of t details

There has never been a band with more influence over popular music than The Beatles. It is an inarguable fact. They incorporated countless genres into their work, pushing the boundaries and exponentially expanding what was possible for music. Over their decade-long career as a group (can you believe it was only ten years?) they produced a vast variety of music that literally changed the world.

5 “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (1967)

Starting off on a wonderfully strange note: “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” As iconic as it is perplexing, the otherworldly track is the third on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – hands down the most psychedelic album in The Beatles' catalog. The song was inspired by a drawing Lennon’s nursery-aged son, Julian, brought home from school one day. It is also often posited that the first letter of each noun in the title, which spell out “LSD” when put together, is an obvious drug reference. Lennon refuted this theory emphatically. That being said, it was no secret that The Beatles’ music was influenced by hallucinogens during this time.

4 “In My Life” (1965)

John Lennon called “ details

An eight-year legal battle with Universal Music over a long-lost demo tape held by a famed Abbey Road sound engineer is finally set for a showdown in court.   A Los Angeles judge says Universal Music Group (UMG) can keep pursuing a legal battle demanding the return of what the label has called the “first known Beatles recording” from the estate of a famed Abbey Road sound engineer.

In a decision this month, Judge David Cowan ruled that Calderstone Productions — a UMG unit that administers the Beatles catalog — had legal standing to seek to recover the rare tape from the estate of Geoff Emerick, who the label claims stole it decades ago.
The Beatles records

Emerick’s estate, which says he rescued a piece of history from destruction, had argued UMG couldn’t show a “chain of title” to prove it was the rightful legal successor to Abbey Road, meaning it lacked ownership rights in the first place.

But in an Oct. 16 ruling, Judge Cowan rejected that argument: “Calderstone shows how the chain of title gives it the right to pursue its underlying conversion claim,” the judge said, using the legal term for the civil law equivalent of theft.< details

From pre-fame Matt Damon to Danny DeVito in Jordan Marsh and Yoko Ono in Boston, this Newton native has seen it all. We asked him about his decades-long career as a Boston culture photog.

I called Jamaica Plain photographer Roger Farrington ostensibly to talk about his photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

It speaks volumes about his decades-long career as a Boston-area photographer that those photos — the last ever taken of Lennon in a studio— were the tip of the iceberg.

Soon the Newton native is telling me about the time he’d photographed Matt Damon before “Good Will Hunting.” Danny DeVito riding the escalator in Jordan Marsh. Now-King Charles talking to shoppers on Newbury Street.

“It was ridiculous! It was a circus! I mean — oh, I had Elizabeth Taylor!” he says, jumping into a tale of Liz’s Hasty Pudding parade that ends with locals chasing her entourage “all the way through Harvard Square to the Lampoon Building, shouting ‘Liz, Liz, Liz!’”

Oh! And that time Andy Warhol was on Newbury Street. Farrington photographed the Queen of Thailand’s royal visit to Boston. Vanna White. Richard Pryor. Oh, and Alec details

When Dick Rowe infamously passed on four young Liverpudlians on New Year’s Day 1962, he didn’t just make a historic blunder—he also kicked off the greatest vinyl detective story in rock history.

New Year’s Day 1962.

Most of London was sleeping off a hangover. But The Beatles arrived at Decca Studios in West Hampstead, London.

They arrived after a grueling 10-hour overnight drive from Liverpool through a severe snowstorm. They were in London to perform a high-stakes audition that their manager, Brian Epstein, hoped would secure their first major recording contract.

Over the course of the session, the group dashed through 15 tracks chosen specifically by Epstein to showcase their range.

Rather than unleashing the raw, sweaty rock-and-roll energy that was currently tearing the roof off the Cavern Club, the setlist leaned heavily into polite pop covers and stage standards.

This is the 15-song track list from the audition session.

Lennon-McCartney originals:

“Like Dreamers Do”
“Hello Little Girl”
“Love of the Loved”

Covers and standards:

“Money (That’s What I Want)” details

Much has been said and written about the break-up of The Beatles - and what might have been the catalyst that drove the final nail in the coffin. It was a combination of things - band members feeling neglected, resentment (“We’re the grooves, so just watch it, okay?”), pressure to deliver new music, the aftermath of Brian Epstein’s premature death, the drudgery of living in each others pockets day-to-day for years... and according to the narrative at the time, Yoko’s presence while the group was at work.

The Fabs fall apart

It’s not even entirely clear who split the group. John Lennon claimed he wanted out but didn’t know how to break it to the other three so rather than confront them, he let it simmer - perhaps hoping it would all run its natural course and peter out. Then, in April 1970, Paul McCartney let slip that it was all over in a press release interview for his new solo album that there would be no more Beatles - no new music, no tours or shows, no more writing collaborations with John.

To the question, “Are you planning a new album or single with the Beatles?” Paul bluntly replied, “No”. He elaborated, citing “personal diff details

The argument about who the “Fifth Beatle” might have been is a bit of a pointless one. No one was on a par with the contributions made by the four members themselves. But it’s intriguing to look back at the group’s history and note some of the fascinating characters who were a part, however tangential, of their story.

For instance, there was Alexis Mardas, aka Magic Alex, who briefly popped up in the group’s orbit in the late 60s. Alas, when the group needed Mardas to step up with his supposed technical expertise in 1969, things didn’t go as planned.
The Magic Man

A native of Greece, Alexis Mardas first started making the rounds of British pop stars when he became acquainted with Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones. In 1966, he met John Lennon when both men were frequenting the Indica book shop in London. Soon, Mardas joined Lennon’s entourage.

Mardas often boasted of his undiscovered technological innovations, many of which drew the wonder of Lennon. Some of his promised (but never quite realized) innovations included a house that hovered above the ground and music speakers embedded in wallpaper.

Unfortunately, Mardas also seemed to be a magnet for co details

There are lots of opinions swirling on the internet about The Beatles’ final years as a band, with some Fab Four fans posthumously judging the musicians for what they did (and didn’t do) in the tumultuous last few years of the 1960s. However, I would argue that Paul McCartney showed tremendous foresight when he—along with Ringo Starr and George Harrison—rejected a song John Lennon proposed the band release as their next single in the fall of 1969.

For some context, The Beatles had just released their penultimate album, Abbey Road, on September 26 of that year. The album’s lead single, “Something”, with “Come Together”, was set to come out on October 6. On September 30, fresh from the album release, John Lennon went into the studio to record “Cold Turkey” with the Plastic Ono Band, having been turned down by his other bandmates.

The Plastic Ono Band version came out on October 20. The songwriting credit was solely John Lennon. This marked a first for the musician who previously released all of his other compositions, even the personal ones, under the Lennon-McCartney partnership.
“Cold Turkey” Never Would Have Worked as a Beatles S details

There's quite a lot of ground to cover in the upcoming Beatles biopics, but a source tells Closer that one of the four-part films' heartbreaking plotlines will center around the death of Paul McCartney's beloved first wife, Linda.

"Linda is a big character in the world of the Beatles," reveals the source, and director Sam Mendes "has opted to make her a huge part of these movies by hiring Saoirse Ronan, who is a four-time Oscar nominee, to play her."

McCartney, 84, wed Linda in 1969 and the pair, who shared daughters Mary, 57, and Stella, 55, and son James, 49, were married for nearly 30 years. He also adopted the photographer's daughter Heather, 63, from a previous marriage.

After the Beatles broke up in 1970, "it was Linda who saved" McCartney from his "deep, deep anger," the "Maybe I'm Amazed" singer told biographer Tom Doyle, per The Times U.K., and the pair went on to play together in the band Wings.

Then in 1998, Linda tragically lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 56.

"When it comes to Linda's illness, the movies will go there, and they're doing it in a tasteful way that is fully aligned with Sir Paul's own wishes for the project," insists the source, adding that McCar details

There are lots of opinions swirling on the internet about The Beatles’ final years as a band, with some Fab Four fans posthumously judging the musicians for what they did (and didn’t do) in the tumultuous last few years of the 1960s. However, I would argue that Paul McCartney showed tremendous foresight when he—along with Ringo Starr and George Harrison—rejected a song John Lennon proposed the band release as their next single in the fall of 1969.

For some context, The Beatles had just released their penultimate album, Abbey Road, on September 26 of that year. The album’s lead single, “Something”, with “Come Together”, was set to come out on October 6. On September 30, fresh from the album release, John Lennon went into the studio to record “Cold Turkey” with the Plastic Ono Band, having been turned down by his other bandmates.

The Plastic Ono Band version came out on October 20. The songwriting credit was solely John Lennon. This marked a first for the musician who previously released all of his other compositions, even the personal ones, under the Lennon-McCartney partnership.
“Cold Turkey” Never Would Have Worked as a Beatles S details

On October 24th, John Lennon filed a lawsuit against the US government, accusing it of tapping his phone.

After Lennon and Yoko Ono held their famed "bed-ins" in Montreal and Amsterdam, the FBI began keeping elaborate records on the muscian, including taking notes on his media appearances and wiretapping his phone.

During the tumult of the Vietnam War, the famous couple were self-proclaimed "peaceniks," frequently criticizing Nixon and the conflicts. The couple was vocal about their anti-war opinions, creating a huge anti-war movement in the USA and making friends with several members of the "New Left." Their political movement advocated for civil rights, gay rights, drug reforms, and feminism.

The FBI took note of their political opinions and affiliations. They became concerned that Lennon and Ono were planning a "large rock concert" in front of the convention hall in Miami Beach, where the Republican National Convention was being held. They were concerned this would interfere with the presidential election.

So, the FBI, tapped Lennon's phone and sent their agents to follow the former Beatles. He was very aware of this, admitting these practices made him "scared" and "paranoid."

"When it details

Brian May believes George Harrison deserves more recognition for his contributions to the electric guitar’s legacy. In his view, guitarists who dazzle with speed and fireworks have overshadowed the quieter virtues of the instrument — qualities Harrison possessed in abundance.

May knows a thing or two about making an electric guitar speak. He was crowned the world’s greatest guitarist in Total Guitar’s 2020 rankings, narrowly beating Jimi Hendrix to the top spot.

His work with his fabled Red Special is testament to his own formidable talent, though May’s playing often falls on the flashier end of the spectrum. Consider his solo on “Don’t Stop Me Now,” which he fought to include after Freddie Mercury argued that the song was better suited to piano. Yet, speaking to the Express in 2022, May explained why Harrison’s less showy approach deserves equal respect.

George Harrison plays his 1963 Rickenbacker 360/12 guitar on stage during rehearsals for the TV show 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' Summer Spin at Teddington Studios in London on 11th July 1964. 

“At every stage in their career and their music development, they were models,” he sai details

Though it would showcase the strengths of George Harrison as a songwriter better than The Beatles ever did, All Things Must Pass was not a smooth time for the so-called quiet one.

Harrison’s breakout solo album would come just a year after The Beatles had formally dissolved. His fellow bandmates had released projects of their own, but it was All Things Must Pass and songs like My Sweet Lord that gave Harrison a head start in his post-Beatles career. Despite the triple album featuring some of Harrison’s all-time great songs, including the Bob Dylan-inspired I’d Have You Anytime, the Something songwriter found himself feeling musically “paranoid” as a result of working with Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The songwriting duo would hardly let Harrison’s songs feature on The Beatles’ albums, leaving Harrison with a backlog of quality material that he placed on All Things Must Pass.

Speaking back in 1977 to Crawdaddy Magazine, Harrison confirmed that having Derek and the Dominos play on most of the songs, as well as finding a love for the Dylan-inspired I’d Have You Anytime, helped with the pains of recording his massive studio album.

He said: “I liked dif details

Kev McManus, Head of Liverpool UNESCO City of Music, reflects on this week’s announcement about a new home for The Beatles Story and how it will help support future talent…

Apple Corps will be opening a huge, new state of the art Beatles attraction in Liverpool in 2028. It is great news for the city in so many ways but for me what really struck home were the quotes from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Both acknowledged that The Beatles and Liverpool are inseparable. The city made them, and their ongoing love for the place shone through in their words.

The other really exciting element for me was the announcement that every ticket sold to The Beatles Story will contribute to the Apple Corps Liverpool Trust, a charitable initiative established to provide financial support and opportunities for emerging Liverpool artists. This type of support is absolutely vital at the moment – a time when it is increasingly difficult for emerging artists to breakthrough into a music industry that has changed beyond all recognition since the days that The Beatles did so.

This gift back to the city and its musicians is a brilliant gesture and it is why during the local press launch we had some musicians wh details

I like the Beatles, and I'm almost definitely sure that you do too. But I'm afraid their 21st-century omnipresence – impressive for a band that split up 56 years ago – is starting to bring me slightly down.

It has been revealed that there is to be a ginormous new Beatles museum in Liverpool, opening in 2028. Its 9,290 sq m will be packed with props and costumes from the four – yes, four – biopics of the band to be released the same year under the auspices of Sam Mendes. All this will come on top of the opening to the public of the band's former Apple Records headquarters in Savile Row, repurposed as another sanctum. This one promises seven floors of memorabilia.

Oh, and the dodgy Richard Curtis film Yesterday is being transformed into a stage musical, featuring the songs of Showaddywaddy – no, not really, it's The Beatles again.

One can't help feeling a little bit over-Beatled. Growing up in the Seventies, I naturally found the Sixties a bit naff, and the lingering overhang of The Beatles a bit tedious. Were people ever going to stop boring on about them?

After all, when you grow up after a big sensation has flared and died, you take it for granted. It will never be details