Leo Sayer is celebrating his 50th anniversary as a recording artist with a new album and a live performing schedule in 2022. The new recording, Northern Songs: Leo Sayer Sings the Beatles, was released on January 28. Listen to many of the tracks and watch the official trailer below.
Sayer self-produced the new album, giving his own signature spin to 19 iconic songs written and composed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison.
Of Northern Songs, Sayer says, “[It] started life in 2011. I was fooling around in my new studio and found an interesting way to arrange ‘Eleanor Rigby’ by mashing it up with Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean.’ It worked surprisingly well, feeling like a great groove.”
Source: Best Classic Bands Staff/bestclassicbands.com
detailsThe cast of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil made a tribute video in honor of a very important day in Beatles history. (Photo: Cirque de Soleil on Youtube)
Las Vegas (KSNV) — The cast of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil is celebrating the anniversary of The Beatle's last concert by sharing a special tribute video featuring their own rooftop performance.
The performance was filmed atop The Mirage Hotel & Casino, home of The Beatles LOVE show, with 27 performers participating in the dance tribute.
Using two drones and four cameras, the group performed the tribute video using 'Get Back' (LOVE Version), one of the songs performed during The Beatles rooftop concert. The whole shoot was completed in two and a half hours.
Source: Martha Cruz/news3lv.com
detailsThe Beatles‘ “Something” has been covered by numerous artists, including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and James Brown. During an interview, George Harrison said he was disappointed with Ray Charles’ version of “Something.” The quiet Beatle said Brown’s cover of the song made up for Charles’.
George revealed he only enjoyed one part of Charles’ “Something.” “Actually, when I was writing that song, in my mind I was thinking of Ray Charles singing it,” George recalled. “As it happened, the song ended up with over 150 cover versions, but when Ray Charles did it, I was really disappointed, except for the middle, the bridge to it, he sings great. But it was a bit of a corny sort of way he did it.”
Source: cheatsheet.com
detailsBeatles fans have been loving the renewed focus on the Fab Four's legendary January 1969 rehearsals, studio sessions and rooftop concert that became the band’s final live performance.
Fans can dig deeper into those groundbreaking moments once The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opens its newest exhibition, "The Beatles: Get Back to Let It Be," on March 18.
The exhibition, curated by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, is an immersive complement to Peter Jackson's docuseries, “The Beatles: Get Back.” which has been a sensation streaming on Disney+.
“The Beatles have had a massive, global impact across generations," Greg Harris, president & CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, said in a press release.
"We are excited to welcome a diverse mix of fans from around the world to experience this exhibit and are grateful for the support of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison, Apple Corps Ltd., and Peter Jackson for helping us tell this important story."
Source: timesonline.com
George Harrison was always quite a blunt person, but he really didn’t hide his feelings about a fellow musician, Neil Young. All musicians are critical about certain things, but George didn’t enjoy Young’s music even a little bit. Here’s what George had to say about the “Heart of Gold” musician.
In a piece of rare footage from 1992, George works in the studio with Dave Stewart, Bob Geldof, and Chucho Merchán. While they work, Geldof asks the ex-Beatle what he thinks of Young’s “Around The World.”
According to Far Out, George replies, “I’m not a Neil Young fan.” Geldof continues to say that he thinks Young is a good guitar player, but George interjects with: “I hate it, yeah I can’t stand it.”
Source: cheatsheet.com
detailsThe audition is finally here. The Beatles’ famous farewell rooftop concert is finally getting its digital audio release.
Get Back: The Rooftop Performance will have the complete 40-minute gig, with new mixes in stereo & Dolby Atmos by Giles Martin and Sam Okell. It’s available for streaming at midnight ET on Friday, January 28 from Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. This marks the first-ever release for the January 1969 roof show, in the wake of the Peter Jackson docuseries Get Back and the expanded Special Edition box of Let It Be.
“We wanted to put it on the box set,” Giles Martin tells Rolling Stone in an exclusive interview. “But it just took up too much real estate. It’s 40 minutes, so it didn’t make any sense. But the response to Get Back has been so extraordinary.”
Get Back: The Rooftop Performance debuts just in time for the show’s anniversary on January 30th, 1969, at the end of the sessions. The Beatles went up on the roof of their Apple headquarters in London, as crowds gathered in the streets below, until the show got shut down by the police. Three of the roof performances made it on to the finished Let It Be album: “I’ve Got a details
George Harrison wrote “See Yourself” with some interesting inspiration in mind. He wrote it around the time Paul McCartney first told the press that he took LSD. The song was George’s way of telling his bandmate to be careful of his actions. “‘See Yourself’ is directly related to taking the drug LSD and Paul’s experience with the press,” George wrote. “John and I had taken it for about two years before it was publicised. After having had that experience we (John and I) wanted the others to know about it because suddenly there seemed to be a big space between us and the other two.“Ringo then had some but Paul would not take it. After about two years he finally did, and somehow then it all came out in the papers.”
Source: cheatsheet.com
detailsA Hard Day’s Night was released at the height of Beatlemania in 1964 and fans flocked to theaters to see John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr in their first film. Directed by Richard Lester, who would also do their 1965 follow-up Help!, the comedy would go on to influence British television and cinema. Now it’s available in 4K as one of this month’s The Criterion Collection offerings.
If you’re a diehard fan of the Beatles then this set is a no-brainer purchase. The 4K digital restoration looks great and the classic tunes that play throughout sound great in the 5.1 surround mix. The film was shot in black and white, which gives it an interesting documentary feel, but it’s incredible seeing the fresh-faced “Fab Four” in high definition. It’s a wonderful time capsule of British culture that winds up being entertaining no matter if you adore the band or not.
Source: Tyler Treese/comingsoon.net
detailsPaul McCartney’s Son, 44, Is The SpittingImage of His Famous Dad While Shopping InLondon
No need to ‘work it out’ – it’s obvious who James McCartney’s father is because the man looked like the exact clone of Paul McCartney while out and about in London.
Sir Paul McCartney once sang, “I’ve just seen a face / I can’t forget the time or place,” and that was a feeling many Beatles fans felt when they saw his son, James McCartney, out and about on Monday (Jan. 24). In the photos taken of him, James, 44, was the spitting image of his famous father. He has the same eyes, forehead, and bushy beard as Paul, 79, during the late 1960s. James wasn’t on his way to play the rooftop of the Apple Corps building in Saville Row. Instead, he was doing a bit of shopping in London. James braved the British winter with a giant green puffer jacket but wore black slacks and a pair of open sandals.
Source: Jason Brow/hollywoodlife.com
detailsThe first song that George Harrison wrote for The Beatles was “Don’t Bother Me.” Initially, when George joined the band, he wasn’t a songwriter. He left that duty to John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Since they seemed capable of writing The Beatles’ hits, George didn’t even think about writing songs.
However, George was still curious to see if he could. The result was 1963’s “Don’t Bother Me,” but George was its harshest critic.
“To get it straight, if I hadn’t been with John and Paul I probably wouldn’t have thought about writing a song, at least not until much later,” George explained. “They were writing all these songs, many of which I thought were great. Some were just average, but, obviously, a high percentage were quality material. I thought to myself, ‘If they can do it, I’m going to have a go.'”
So, George set to work writing his first song, although not in the best of circumstances.
Source: cheatsheet.com
They're four of the most famous musicians in history, regarded as one of the most influential bands of all time.
But outside of their careers as rockstars, all four of The Beatles were fathers - with the fab four sharing 11 children between them.
Yesterday, photos went viral showing James McCartney - who is also a musician - looking just like his rocker father Paul.
But what happened to the rest of the Beatles' children?
From household name Stella McCartney - who has designed royal wedding dresses and Olympic outfits - to the lesser known Jason Starkey who has followed in his father Ringo's drummer footsteps, all the the band's offspring have paved their way in creative fields.
Source: Bridie Pearson-jones, Jessica Green/dailymail.co.uk
detailsOn this day in 1958, Paul McCartney and John Lennon performed together for the first time at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.
Billed as The Quarry Men Skiffle Group, the group supported the Merseysippi Jazz Band at the historical venue, which opened its doors just one year prior to the performance and caught the emergence of the Merseybeat scene. The club quickly became world-famous, most notably due to the volume of Beatles performances that took place there between 1961 and 1963, and is now synonymous with the band. McCartney most recently visited the venue in 2018, when he played a surprise show for 250 fans.
Source: genesis-publications.com
detailsJohn Lennon’s coat from the “Magical Mystery Tour” film, his cape from “Help!,” three guitars, and Paul McCartney’s handwritten arrangement notes for “Hey Jude” — all from John’s son Julian’s private collection — are going up for NFT auction on Feb. 7, the first in a series to be rolled out over the coming months. “Lennon Connection: The NFT Collection” is presented by NFT marketplace YellowHeart and Julien’s Auctions.
The auction, the first all-NFT effort mounted by Julien’s Auctions, will open for bidding January 24 and commence in real time and in lot order for live bidding at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 7, 2022, live in Beverly Hills and online at juliensauctions.com.
Each item will be offered as an audio/visual collectible, with a personal narration from Julian. Descriptions and videos of the items appear below; the items themselves are not up for auction.
Source: Jem Aswad/variety.com
detailsSIR PAUL McCartney wrote his famous 1970s protest song Give Ireland Back To The Irish after seeing footage of Bloody Sunday.
The former Beatle was in the US at the time when on January 30, 1972, British Paratroopers opened fire at a civil rights march in Derry killing 14 people dead.
The 79-year-old musician said it was "deeply troubling" to see footage of a perfectly peaceful demonstration go wrong.
The song, which was banned by the BBC, went on to be a number one in the Republic.
Sunday Life reported the details from his new book, The Lyrics, written in collaboration with acclaimed Northern Ireland poet Paul Muldoon.
Source: irishnews.com
detailsMerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the next round of artist additions for MerleFest 2022, which will be held April 28-May 1, 2022.
Trampled By Turtles, Colin Hay, and The Steel Wheels will join an already outstanding lineup which includes performances by Emmylou Harris, Greensky Bluegrass, Rissi Palmer, Old Crow Medicine Show, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Steep Canyon Rangers, Allison Russell, We Banjo 3, and more. MerleFest is the annual homecoming of musicians and music fans held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Hogslop String Band will be hosting this year's late night jam. Jam guest artists will be announced in the coming weeks. Additional fan favorites announced today include Barbaro, Big Daddy Love, The Contenders, Damn Tall Buildings, David Childers and The Serpents, Desure, Eli Yacinthe, Jake Blount, Kaia Kater, Nat Myers, Shannon McNally, Shay Martin Lovette, Sister Sadie, Tenille Townes, Time Sawyer, and Tray Wellington.
Source: Michael Major/broadwayworld.com