Beatles News

A collection of seven thousand autographs, including a self-portrait of Beatles guitarist John Lennon and Yoko Ono, has sold for more than £55 thousand at a Bristol auction house.

The items belonged to Dutchman Jan van Bree, who started collecting in 1957 after he wrote to Italian singer Beniamino Gigli and received a handwritten reply. Van Bree went on to collect signatures from celebrities across the world by writing them letters, waiting outside theatres and buying historical autographs.

The collection, which auctioneers have described as 'the best they've ever seen,' includes signed cheques, programmes, and letters.

Andrew Stowe of Auctioneum, which sells across Bristol and Bath, said: "I was awestruck." The Lennon and Ono sketch was drawn during the couple's 1969 'bed-in' anti-war protest.  

"It’s the sheer variety of Jan’s collection that makes it so special," Andrew added.

"We’ve got autographs from all areas of history, entertainment and political figures. We’ve got sixteenth century royalty alongside Black Sabbath, John Steinbeck alongside Laurel and Hardy. "It’s a comprehensive ‘who’s who’ of famous s details

Imagine taking a nice peaceful walk by the Arkansas River in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and spotting Paul McCartney - yes, THAT Paul McCartney - just hanging out under a random overpass? No security detail, no adoring fans swarming him, just Sir Paul lounging up by the concrete pillars, soaking up the sunshine and the scenic majesty of....a highway bridge and the "usual graffiti". It's hilarious how cheerfully he narrates, “Here we are in Tulsa! Some sort of overpass!” as if he’s stumbled upon one of America's great wonders.

It's beautiful, and in a weird way - it all makes sense. McCartney has always been about simplicity - finding melody in the mundane and whatnot. Maybe he was there to reconnect with nature, or maybe he just wanted to smoke a funny cigarette in peace. He was known to enjoy some marijuana back in his day....

Either way, it’s kind of awesome. A Beatle sitting under a bridge in Tulsa, pondering the universe, maybe humming a tune, maybe lighting something up. If nirvana/enlightenment has a location, it might just be that patch of grass under an Oklahoma bridge with Sir Paul smiling at the clouds. It's brought on some great comments as well....

Source: Robbie Fox

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The Fab Four released a ton of music while they were together in the 1960s. And they continued to release deep cuts, first takes, demos, and more after the band called it quits. There’s a lot to pick through when it comes to Beatles deep cuts. Personally, I’m a fan of the following three tunes. Let’s take a look!

“Free As A Bird”

Can a song be a deep cut if it made it all the way to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 2 on the UK Singles chart? Considering this band has a laundry list of memorable hits and “Free As A Bird” rarely seems to make it to anyone’s list, I’ll go ahead and include this standout track from Anthology 1.

Released decades after the band broke up in 1995, “Free As A Bird” was a fast hit for fans of The Beatles in the mid-1990s. It’s a lovely John Lennon composition with a soft rock vibe to it. To be honest, I’m really not sure why so many people forgot about it.

“Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)”

The album version of “Tomorrow Never Knows” is obviously not a deep cut, but this first take certainly is. This is one of my all-time favorite Beatles deep cuts, details

The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr and the band's producer, George Martin, agreed that one album was a mistake.

Shortly after meeting in 1957, the group's chief songwriters, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, began writing songs together. Soon, their songwriting partnership became one of the most successful in music as they crafted hit after hit.

However, as the Fab Four began to drift apart and explore other interests, most of the tension between Lennon and McCartney stemmed from their differing approaches to songwriting. While McCartney wanted to make catchy hits, Lennon strived to experiment with thought-provoking tunes. What resulted was a messy double-album called The White Album.

While some of The Beatles' biggest hits arrived on the 30-track record, including Blackbird and Happiness Is A Warm Gun, The White Album is considered one of the Fab Four's most chaotic endeavors.

George Martin, often referred to as the Fifth Beatle, had a significant issue with the project. "I thought we should probably have made a very, very good single album rather than a double," he admitted, according to the Anthology book.

However, Martin knew Lennon and McCartney didn't want to break up the tracks. He add details

After the break-up of the biggest band in the world, what comes next? Man on the Run, the new documentary featuring rare unreleased music and footage from Paul McCartney, premieres 25th February on Prime Video.

Man on the Run takes viewers on an intimate journey through Paul McCartney's extraordinary life following the break-up of The Beatles and the formation of Wings with his wife, Linda. From Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville, the film chronicles the arc of Paul's solo career as he faces down a myriad of challenges while creating new music to define a new decade. Through unprecedented access to previously unseen footage and rare archival materials, the documentary captures Paul’s transformative post-Beatles era through a uniquely vulnerable lens.

Man on the Run, presented by Amazon MGM Studios, is produced by Tremolo, in association with MPL and Polygram Entertainment, will be released in select theaters and subsequently available on Prime Video February 25 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Producers include Morgan Neville, Chloe Simmons, and Meghan Walsh for Tremolo; Scott Rodger and Ben Chappell for MPL; and Michele Anthony and David Blackman for Polygram Entertainment. details

Ringo Starr’s solo career proved that he could write some excellent songs. But while he was with The Beatles, he lacked the confidence in that department to stack up against the work of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. Lennon and McCartney made sure that Ringo’s voice was still heard. These three songs, written by the pair, proved tailor-made for Ringo Starr as a vocalist.

“Yellow Submarine” from ‘Revolver’ (1966)

The early drafts of the song that would become “Yellow Submarine” read much darker than the finished version. A demo that was unearthed for a reissue of Revolver found John Lennon singing, in hushed tones, these lyrics: “In the place where I was born, no one cared, no one cared.” Nothing like the happy-go-lucky sea captain narrator who would eventually populate the song. That’s probably because there was no water vehicle involved in the beginning. Somewhere along the line, The Beatles decided to make it into a kids’ song. Rock bands rarely attempted such a thing. Paul McCartney came up with the concept of the “Yellow Submarine”. He and Lennon clearly had a blast making up the seaworthy sound effects in details

This weekend, music fans gathered for a unique and intimate event inside one of Britain’s most significant musical landmarks — George Harrison’s childhood home at 25 Upton Green, Speke.

Hosted by local Beatles tour guide and storyteller Dale Roberts (@DaleLiverpool), “An Afternoon at George’s” offered visitors a chance to step inside the house where George grew up, long before the world knew his name. The event featured performances from The Paperback Writers, a band celebrated for their authentic renditions of The Beatles’ early rock ’n’ roll sound, and a tour from the owners (Dale Roberts and Ken Lambert) connecting George’s early life to the wider story of Liverpool and The Beatles’ rise.

Guests experienced an afternoon of live music and nostalgia — with the performance taking place in the house where George once strummed his first chords. The weather stayed bright, the atmosphere was warm, and visitors described it as “one of the most special Beatles experiences they’ve ever had.”  ‘An Afternoon for George’ Draws Fans to George Harrison’s Childhood Home
Dale said:

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Many Beatles fans anxiously awaiting the four scripted biopics Sam Mendes is directing about each member of the Fab Four that are scheduled to premiere in April 2028. Now, in a recent interview with the syndicated ABC show On the Red Carpet, Ringo Starr admitted that he’s also pretty excited about the movies.

As previously reported, the project is titled, collectively, The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event. Starring in the movies will be Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Starr.

“The whole thing is mad,” Ringo told On the Red Carpet’s George Pennacchio. “Mendes is] making four movies at the same time. And there’s got to be a lot of interwoven [segments]. Like John will be in mine and I’ll be in Paul’s, and George and John will be in another scene in mine. Whatever. I don’t know how he’s gonna do it, but I loved the idea.”

Starr also revealed that he spent time with Keoghan, who has been learning how to play drums for the role. The 33-year-old Irish actor received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the 2023 film The Banshees o details

What genre would you call The Beatles? Would you call them pop, rock, psychedelic, or doo-wop? Or, would you say they encompassed all of those genres? Personally, I believe they encompass all of those genres, but some famous musicians view The Beatles merely as a pop group, and one of those musicians is The Who’s Pete Townshend.

One cannot argue that The Beatles didn’t make pop music. In their earlier years, The Beatles notched enormous No. 1 pop hits with singles such as “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “She Loves You”, and “Love Me Do”. However, by 1965, The Beatles had significantly altered their sound, leaning toward experimental rock ‘n’ roll with the release of Rubber Soul. And after that, they continued to push the limits of rock ‘n’ roll with albums such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, and Let It Be.

Despite The Beatles’ invaluable contributions to rock ‘n’ roll and its subgenres, Pete Townshend didn’t consider them a true rock band. Rather, he viewed them “as a big pop phenomenon.”
The Rolling Stones Were Rock and Roll, Not Th details

"Abbey Road" album sales surged 200%, returning to four major Billboard charts. Vinyl purchases largely fueled the resurgence, highlighting ongoing interest in physical formats. The album nears 500 weeks on Billboard 200, proving The Beatles’ enduring appeal.

More than 55 years after its release, The Beatles‘ iconic “Abbey Road” is proving that great music never goes out of style. The legendary 1969 album just experienced a remarkable surge in popularity, with sales jumping nearly 200% in a single week and landing back on four different Billboard charts.

According to Luminate data, “Abbey Road” sold just over 4,800 copies in the most recent tracking period—a dramatic increase from fewer than 1,700 copies the week before. The surge sent the album soaring back onto multiple rankings, reminding music lovers everywhere why The Beatles remain one of the most influential bands in history.

The album’s comeback was largely fueled by vinyl purchases, with “Abbey Road” reentering at No. 7 on the Vinyl Albums chart and No. 18 on the Top Album Sales chart. The resurgence shows that physical music formats, especially vinyl records, continue details

When it comes to Sir Paul McCartney, who packed in just shy of 45,000 fans of all ages to his Alamodome concert on Saturday, the numbers and Father Time don’t lie.

It’s been nearly 70 years since he befriended John Lennon.
Big screens give fans throughout the 'dome a close-up look at what was happening onstage.

Big screens give fans throughout the 'dome a close-up look at what was happening onstage.
Marvin Pfeiffer/San Antonio Express-News

It’s been 60 years since the Beatles released the albums “Help!” and “Rubber Soul.” The following year, the Fab Four stop touring.

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It’s been nearly 50 years since his “Wings Over America” tour launched in Texas and marked the first time McCartney had performed in the U.S. since 1966 with the Beatles.

It’s been more than 30 years since he became the first act to play the Alamodome in May 1993.

And it’s been almost 20 years since Bob Dylan told Rolling Stone that he was in awe of Paul McCartney.

No need to stop counting: The 83-year-old McCartney is still awesome.

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The humility that Ringo Starr has always promoted in his public persona belies the fact that this guy is a hitmaker. For a while in the early to mid-70s, Starr proved more reliable than his Beatle bandmates when it came to denting the charts.

His biggest hits are contained within a relatively short period of time. Here are the five songs released by Ringo that did the best on the US pop charts.
5. “Oh My My” – No. 5 in 1974

Ringo Starr grabbed the world’s collective ear and held it tight on his 1973 album Ringo. The LP was notable for having the other three Beatles all contributing to it. Even beyond that, a slew of top session men eagerly helped. It’s a testament to the goodwill Ringo had fostered among musicians. On “Oh My My”, that included Billy Preston and Klaus Voorman, both members of the Fab 4 extended family, as well as Jim Keltner doubling up the drums with Starr. Vini Poncia, who’d go on to collaborate with Starr often throughout the years, co-wrote the boisterous track.
4. “It Don’t Come Easy” – No. 4 in 1971

Instead of jumping right into the pop music wars in the wake of The Beatles’ breakup, Ringo Starr details

The Beatles legend Ringo Starr is looking back on his incredible career in a new episode of "On The Red Carpet: ICONS."

"Every generation listens to our music," he said.  The 85-year-old drummer and singer has been a superstar since the 1960s, when he and bandmates John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison became one of the most successful and influential bands of all time.

This year, 55 years after The Beatles broke up, they won their latest Grammy for the song, "Now and Then." "We have sold records and streams now, a billion streams a week or whatever, forever!" Ringo told On The Red Carpet. "It still carries on."

All of his success is even more amazing when you consider Ringo had to overcome childhood illnesses that nearly killed him. "Three times they told me, I'll be dead in the morning," Ringo explained. "So, I think the universe had some sort of plan for me."

Recently, that plan has included an ongoing tour with his popular supergroup, "Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band," and this year, a number one country album, "Look Up."  "I love the atmosphere of 'Look Up,'" Ringo said. "We're not looking down all the time. Let's look up. It's much better for you. details

Sam Mendes’s quartet of Beatles biopics are the cinematic equivalent of a distant asteroid headed steadily towards Earth. They’re a few years from impact—a 2028 release date is pencilled in—but when they hit, they’ll be big. Legendary playwright Jez Butterworth and Adolescence creator Jack Thorne are among the writers. Mendes, who is directing all four films, each told from the point of view of one of the Fab Four, has full rights to their life stories and the all-important song catalog. And he has a crack team of young stars playing the leads: Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

What about everyone else in the Beatles Cinematic Universe—the friends, lovers and collaborators? The band’s story has loomed over pop culture from the 1960s to the present; read any Beatles biography, and you’ll see they have Kevin Bacon-like powers of ubiquity.

Some of the supporting roles have been confirmed, or almost confirmed. As per reporting from Variety, Saoirse Ronan is playing Linda McCartney, Macca’s first wife; How to Have Sex’s Mia McKenna-Bruce will be Starr’s fir details

There’s eating crow, and then there’s the Swedish music critic who once claimed The Beatles were a band of “no musical importance whatsoever” in 1963. A pop reviewer for Karlstad newspaper, Nya Wemlands Tidning, attended an early Fab Four concert in a secondary school hall in 1963. This show predated the band’s historic television debut in the States by several months. The young quartet was still cutting their teeth around Europe, hardly at the level of fame they would come to enjoy in the next several years. And as they learned the day after their Karlstad show, part of cutting one’s teeth in the entertainment industry is getting a lousy review.

And the Nya Wemlands Tidning review was lousy. According to Mark Lewisohn’s Complete Beatles Chronicle, the reviewer “thought the Beatles terrible, their music corny, and their playing out of rhythm, adding that the group should have been grateful the fans’ screams helped drown out their awful performance, and then he concluded by stating that The Beatles were of no musical importance whatsoever and that their local support group, The Phantoms, decidedly outshone them.”

Of course, Beatlemanic Swedes would have details