When the official trailer for The Beatles: Get Back was released in October, commentary across social media often referenced how harmonious and collegial the band looked in the footage. Undoubtedly, much of the anticipation surrounding Peter Jackson's docu-series was its suggestion that the Beatles' final years were much less acrimonious than previously believed.
In tandem with this, another set of comments focused on Yoko Ono’s inclusion in the jovial preview. After all, the 1970 Beatles documentary Let It Be, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg – which was created from the same 60-plus hours of footage – has not only served as supposed evidence of the group’s disintegration, but as “proof” that artist Ono, John Lennon’s then girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, played a major role in the world’s greatest rock band splintering apart.
Source: Christine Feldman-Barrett/news24.com
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Mary McCartney has shared her fondest memories of mother Linda with her father, Paul McCartney, in a new interview.
Speaking to The Times, Mary and Paul reflected on family Christmases and how Linda helped raise awareness of vegetarianism.
Mary argued that many of Paul’s fans disliked Linda because she “didn’t fit the mould of the woman they wanted” him to marry.
“Being a vegetarian family in the late 1970s marked you out as different,” she said. “Everybody said it was all Mum’s idea and she’d forced Dad to stop eating meat, but they did it as a team. I remember them discussing recipes and Dad saying he still wanted something he could slice for his Sunday roast. Mum was always excited about cooking and she inspired me.
“Dad’s pretty good in the kitchen — he’d make a great sous-chef,” she added. “If you ask him to sort out the mashed potato, it’ll be the best you’ve ever tasted. He’s meticulous, just like he is in the studio.”
Source: independent.co.uk
PAUL MCCARTNEY has spoken out about how he and John Lennon wrote a song about their friend after their death, but the song was later banned from radio.
In 1967 John Lennon and Paul McCartney worked together to write a new batch of songs for The Beatles' eighth studio album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. During their writing sessions, the pair heard some tragic news about one of their friends, prompting them to write candidly about losing one of their pals.In McCartney's new book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, he delved into the secrets of how he and Lennon wrote A Day In The Life. The song was a joint effort between the two pals mourning the loss of their friend, Tara Browne.
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
detailsIn life, I think, there are only three ways that we can relate to the Beatles, which is fewer than you could say for any other band. (Yes, okay, there are probably people—probably millions of people, on this planet—who simply don’t know them, but this is Paste and you know what I mean.)
The overwhelming majority of us fall into the three basic camps. First, the obsessed devotees, of which there are many. Second, the iconoclasts who delight in blowing our minds with radical takes like, “actually, the Beatles suck.” And third, my group: the “casuals” who appreciate the music but aren’t diehards. That’s most of us, I think, but the sheer status of the Beatles means that even casuals aren’t truly casual… which is why even for people like me, it’s such a thrill to watch the most famous band in human history interact in the Get Back docuseries.
Source: By Paste Staff/pastemagazine.com
detailsPeter Jackson's Get Back is a musical documentary unlike any other. Rather than featuring interviews with those involved, Get Back is styled with a more "fly on the wall" approach. The cameras are simply pointed at The Beatles and capture their every move, whether it's arguing amongst each other, goofing around, smoking cigarettes, or making music.
The latter is perhaps the most interesting thing about the entire documentary. The magic of Get Back is in watching some of the most iconic pop songs of all time take shape. Many songs can be seen getting crafted, and it makes for fascinating viewing.
Source: Nathan Sharp/screenrant.com
detailsKeith Richards and George Harrison knew a thing or two about being a lead guitarist in a world-famous rock band.
As The Rolling Stones’ lead guitarist, Richards was the mastermind behind famous guitar riffs in songs like “Brown Sugar” and “Honky Tonk Women.” Meanwhile, George always knew how to fill out Beatles’ songs like “Day Tripper” and “If I Needed Someone.”
Knowing what it took to make each other their bands dominate the charts bonded them in a way. Without them, there wouldn’t be The Beatles or The Rolling Stones.
In the special edition of Rolling Stone, “Remembering George,” published months after George died in 2001, Richards spoke about his relationship with his guitar-playing counterpart. He said that he thought he and George had a “bond.”
“George and I kind of formed-without talking too much about it, although we did have a laugh here and there-a bond, in that we felt we were kind of fulfilling the same role within our respective bands,” Richards said. “It was a nod and a wink to say, ‘Well, they’d be nowhere without us.’
Source: cheatsheet.com
‘The Beatles: Get Back': How Peter Jackson Found 60 Hours of Unseen Fab Four Footage
The ”Lord of the Rings“ director spun a meeting with The Beatles’ business managers into a documentary pitch
“The Beatles: Get Back” director Peter Jackson’s gargantuan feat of compiling 60 hours of never-before-seen footage of the Fab Four’s “Let It Be” recording sessions — as well as new interviews with Paul McCartney and others who were at the scene 52 years ago — actually began as a different project altogether.
Source: Harper Lambert/thewrap.com
detailsA record shop in Newcastle is just one of fifty charities or businesses across the country to receive an early Christmas gift courtesy of musical Royalty.
Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon - the wife and son, respectively, of John Lennon - sent out the extremely rare copies of the song Happy Xmas (War Is Over) to 'spread Xmas cheer.'
Through a letter, recipients are advised to do whatever they choose with the vinyl, be it "sell, auction, raise money to help your business or your favourite charity."
The record is an acetate, hand-cut at the famous Abbey Road studios to mark the 50th anniversary of the single's first release.
Source: ITV News
detailsFifty years ago, the breakup of the Beatles divided American music fans. Recently, the debate over why the best-selling group broke up has been revived by Peter Jackson's new documentary series The Beatles: Get Back, which documents the making of the band's final album, Let it Be.
While half of Americans say they lack an opinion on the issue, those who hold one are most likely to attribute the British rock band's dissolution to Yoko Ono, the wife and collaborator of the group’s founder, John Lennon.
Speculation regarding Ono’s role in the band’s split is not new. This narrative has been called into question in recent weeks, however, following an interview in which band member Paul McCartney attributed the band’s breakup to Lennon, rather than Ono. Lennon is the culprit for one in four Americans with an opinion on the breakup. Far fewer attribute the Beatles’ breakup to other members of the band, including Paul McCartney (5%), George Harrison (3%), and Ringo Starr (2%). About 10% say someone else is responsible for the dissolution.
Source: Taylor Orth/today.yougov.com
Paul McCartney might be one of the richest rock stars, but he still celebrates Christmas like the rest of us. He loves celebrating with his family and has traditions as we do. And, just like most of us, he absolutely hates taking down his Christmas tree at the end of the season.
In 2015, Paul answered fans’ questions about how he spends his holiday in a Q&A called You Gave Me The Answer. He revealed he used to chop down his own tree from somewhere on his property, and he loves decorating it.
“I have a real tree,” Paul explained. “I like a real tree! And I like the ones where the needles don’t drop! Because I used to always get them from my own woods, which was great. I would just go out and select a tree, chop it down, bring it in – which felt great – but the needles would go quite quickly and you’d bring them indoors and it’s a warm house.
Source: cheatsheet.com
detailsI sometimes feel like it wouldn't be Christmas if I hadn't spent at least a day or two on social media defending Paul McCartney against the latest round of seasonal attacks on the synth-driven holiday genius of "Wonderful Christmastime."
There's even a meme that's been making the rounds in 2021 that uses scenes from Peter Jackson's "Get Back" documentary to illustrate McCartney and his fellow Beatles discussing the prospect of learning the song for possible inclusion on the album.
"Can we try my song about simply having a wonderful Christmastime?" McCartney asks.
The next frame shows George Harrison and Ringo Starr both saying "No."
John Lennon shoots it down while underscoring his contempt by emphatically tossing an F-word in front of the "no."
Which brings us to a closeup of McCartney's face, thinking, "I need to break up the Beatles."
Source: Ed Masley/azcentral.com
details5 Lessons on Spirituality, Activism and Humility I Learned From George Harrison.
George Harrison stood as an example of modesty and humility, and his legacy is one that we can all learn from.
The Beatles need no introduction to anyone of any age. By every measure — artistically, culturally and commercially — they’re arguably one of the most significant rock bands of all time. Like every girl who came of age when they took the world by storm, I was a passionate fan and had a favorite: George Harrison. But I was lucky enough to get to know him and learn lifelong lessons from him that I use as an author, yoga therapist and wellness consultant for C-suite leaders.
Source: Bija Bennett/rollingstone.com
detailsRingo Starr releasing new book about The Beatles called Lifted... featuring photos and never-been-told stories from his time as one of the Fab Four
Ringo Starr is releasing a new book called Lifted: Fab Images and Memories in My Life with the Beatles from Across the Universe.
The Beatles legend's latest book will feature never before told tales as well as include a photographic journey back to the fab four era.
The limited edition hardcover book will be released on Valentine's day, with pre-sales starting Tuesday, December 21.
Coming soon: Ringo Starr is releasing a new book called Lifted: Fab Images and Memories in My Life with the Beatles from Across the Universe. The Beatles legend's latest book will feature never before told tales as well as include a photographic journey back to the fab four era
Source: Sarah Sotoodeh/dailymail.co.uk
detailsMicky Dolenz lent his voice to many of The Monkees‘ most famous classic rock songs. In addition, he performed many songs by The Beatles on tour. During one performance, he wanted to cry while singing a song from The Beatles’ The White Album.
According to njarts.net, Dolenz said it was impossible for him to choose a favorite Beatles album. He also said he was a massive fan of The White Album. He said he loved “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” but he couldn’t pick a favorite track from The White Album because there were too many good songs on it.
According to Westworld, Dolenz once went on tour with Christopher Cross, Todd Rundgren of Utopia, Jason Scheff of Chicago, and Joey Molland of Badfinger. They all performed songs from The White Album. In addition, Dolenz performed classic Monkees tracks such as “I’m a Believer” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday” on the tour.
Source: cheatsheet.com
detailsGeorge Harrison started the Traveling Wilburys by accident. The European record companies needed an extra song for Cloud Nine. So, he had to make a new one quickly. George enlisted the help of his friends Jeff Lynne and Bob Dylan to expedite the process, and his other pals, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison, came along to watch.
George and Lynne wrote the song, but they needed lyrics. After seeing a box in Dylan’s recording studio that said “Handle With Care,” they wrote the song around that. However, having his friends, each of them expert singer/songwriters themselves, in one place was ultra-rare. It would have been silly for George to pass up an opportunity for all of them to sing on the song. Thus, the Traveling Wilburys was born. Thank god for happy accidents.
Source: cheatsheet.com
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