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Beatles News
Paul McCartney has a tendency to conjure up self-named albums at moments of pressure, like a release valve. The first McCartney came out in 1970 when The Beatles were in their death throes. His soon-to-be ex-bandmates were angry at its timing: they believed McCartney was using the break-up to promote his solo debut. They were also dismissive of the songs. “He’s a good PR man, Paul,” John Lennon jibed.
McCartney II came out a decade later in 1980, after he had been jolted by the anxious experience of 10 days in jail in Japan for cannabis possession. Disillusionment with his band Wings was another spur for making the album. Its quirky experiments with synthesisers and drum machines foretold Wings’ end the following year. Its reception was unfavourable, although it has since acquired a cult following.
Now comes McCartney III. Like its predecessors, it is literally a solo record: McCartney plays all the instruments and does all the vocals. Unlike McCartney or McCartney II, it arrives without any obvious personal or professional drama in his life. This time the pressure lies outside. McCartney made it during the spring lockdown in his East Sussex farmhouse as coronavirus ripped through the wor details
On December 15, 1969 John Lennon made what would be his final appearance on a UK stage, when the Plastic Ono Band performed their only European show at a Unicef benefit Peace For Christmas concert at the The Lyceum in London.
On the night, which also featured appearances by Desmond Dekker and The Aces, the Young Rascals and more, Lennon and Yoko Ono were backed by an all-star band including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Keith Moon, keyboard players Billy Preston (The Beatles/The Rolling Stones) and Nicky Hopkins (Led Zeppelin/The Rolling Stones) and sax player Bobby Keyes (The Rolling Stones). The group played just two songs - a seven-minute version of Cold Turkey, Lennon’s dark depiction of heroin withdrawal, introduced by the singer with the words “This song’s about pain”, and a mammoth, intense, hard-riffing 40-minute version of Don’t Worry Kyoko, which, according to legend, caused half the Lyceum audience to walk out of the venue, much to Lennon’s amusement.
The singer later described the performance of Don’t Worry Kyoko as “the most fantastic music I’ve ever heard… 20 years ahead of its time”.
Source: Paul Brannigan
The Fab Four had nicknames: the cute one, the quiet one, the smart one, the funny one. The brainy Beatle was also dizzyingly complex, as demonstrated in “The Search for John Lennon: The Life, Loves, and Death of a Rock Star,” which arrives as fans mark the 40th anniversary of his murder in New York on Dec. 8, 1980. Monitor correspondent Randy Dotinga spoke with the book’s author, British rock historian Lesley-Ann Jones, about her deeply perceptive portrait of this brilliant, troubled, not-always-admirable musician.
Q: What surprised you about John Lennon’s life?
I didn’t realize quite how much his songwriting was a blatant cry for help. He’s always trying to claw his way back to his mother. I’ve interviewed many rock stars, and it’s struck me how much these guys tend to have in common. They almost always come to music as an escape. They’ve mostly had dysfunctional childhoods with abuse or abandonment, and there’s a massive void that they’re looking to fill in some way. For the book, I wanted to approach it from a woman’s and a mother’s point of view – bring the small boy John back, see [the world] through a child’s eyes, an details
In a rarely known interview, the late lead guitarist and occasional vocalist of The Beatles, George Harrison opened up about the rumor that he’s the person who turned his bandmates to LSD as he shed a light on the unknown side of the band.
During his little-known conversation with the Creem editors, J. Kordosh and Bill Holdship, the late Beatles legend, George Harrison, clarified the matter about his band’s addiction history. When asked if he had ever felt guilty about being the one who got them used to it, Harrison revealed the fact that it’s not him.
He recalled the time when his dentist invited him, John Lennon, and their ex-wives to a dinner. On that night, Harrison told, the dentist put the acid called, LSD, in their coffee. Got off the drugs from the man who ran Playboy in London, Tim Leary, Harrison’s friend didn’t let the bandmates go without finishing their coffee according to The Beatles icon.
Source: Dilara Onen/metalheadzone.com
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A curated collection of instrumentals will make schoolwork just a little more enjoyable, thanks to The Beatles’ enduring hits.
Available now across streaming platforms, The Beatles: Study Songs Vol 1 includes six tracks – all featuring the band’s original instrumental takes. The collection not only offers a soothing backdrop for studying but also introduces a new generation to The Beatles’ unparalleled catalog of music.
The collection opens with “Because,” from 1969’s Abbey Road. The instrumental track features an arpeggiated guitar riff played by John Lennon, backed by Paul McCartney on bass and producer George Martin on harpsichord. Ringo Starr can be heard in the background, guiding the musicians with a faint but steady beat. Missing from this version, in addition to multi-tracked vocals, are distinctly woozy Moog synthesizer lines, as played by George Harrison.
Source: Sophie Smith/udiscovermusic.com
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John Lennon didn’t just take influence from Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, he released a No. 1 single inspired by the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and other 1950s artists. In an interview, John explained why he went back to the music of an earlier era for one of his songs. Here’s a look at why this song stands apart from all of John’s other No. 1 hits. Firstly, a little background. The Beatles started as a band obviously influenced by Elvis and other American rock ‘n’ roll artists, however, they evolved into a much more eclectic group. When John left the Fab Four to pursue a solo career, he often went in more avant-garde directions. However, he returned to the world of old-school rock ‘n’ roll for the appropriately-titled album Rock ‘n’ Roll. The album was composed of covers of songs from the 1950s and 1960s.
Source: cheatsheet.com
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Disney's animated The Jungle Book movie almost included The Beatles, but the popular band opted out of the planned song. During the 1960s, Walt Disney Animation began work on an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's 1894 book of the same name. The movie ultimately became the final one from Disney that Walt Disney personally worked on prior to his death. Once The Jungle Book was released in theaters in 1967, it became a massive success.
The Jungle Book follows the story of a young boy named Mowgli who was raised in the wilderness by a pack of wolves. Once he is a bit older, Mowgli becomes a possible target of the tiger Shere Khan and is forced to leave the jungle behind to keep everyone else safe. With the help of a bear named Baloo and a black panther named Bagheera, Mowgli begins a journey to a nearby man-village before turning back to save the jungle from Shere Khan. The Jungle Book is regarded as one of many Disney animated classics and includes another popular musical number from Disney's library in "The Bare Necessities." However, The Jungle Book could've included a song from The Beatles.
Source: Cooper Hood/screenrant.com
ERIC CLAPTON married model Pattie Boyd not long after her divorce from The Beatles guitarist George Harrison - but is his song Layla about her?
Eric Clapton was a good friend of The Beatles, especially George Harrison. One person in George’s life also grew close to Eric, his wife Pattie Boyd, who eventually married Eric for a short while. Their relationship was tumultuous, but did Eric write his famous song Layla about Pattie?
It has been suggested one of Eric Clapton’s most famous songs, Layla, is about Pattie, as were many of the love songs he composed after meeting her.
However, Eric has himself spoken about the song, suggesting it is a little less personal.
Eric was given a book by Ian Dallas called The Story of Layla and Majnun, written by Nizami Ganjavi.
Source: Jenny Desborough/express.co.uk
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THE BEATLES wrote a massive amount of songs over the years, with the Lennon-McCartney partnership penning a great deal of them. Despite how many iconic tracks Paul McCartney wrote, he once explained which song he wished he had written.
The Beatles have gone down in history with their unbelievable back catalogue of music. The Fab Four sold over 500 million records during their time, with a collection of unforgettable hits such as Strawberry Fields, Come Together, Don’t Let Me Down, and Let It Be. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were responsible for writing a massive amount of the biggest Beatles hits, but one of Sting’s songs stood out to McCartney.
McCartney has been quite open in the past about what songs he enjoys listening to from other artists.
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
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Paul McCartney is still writing songs all these years after he and the rest of the Fab Four, the Beatles, burst onto the scene. He has a new solo album, "McCartney III," which is why I sat down with him the other day - well, via Zoom. More on that next week when the album drops. It did occur to me that we were speaking just a couple of days after the 40th anniversary of John Lennon's murder. Lennon was shot by a fan on December 8, 1980, and I was curious how McCartney is marking 40 years since his collaborator, sparring partner and friend died.MCCARTNEY: ...And just going over memories. Now, mind you, I do that all the time. And I think as time goes on and that John is a distant memory, it becomes more and more special. And I often just sit there and think, wait a minute, did we go hitchhiking when we were kids? Yeah, we did. We went to Paris. Boy, we had a laugh there, you know?
Source: npr.org
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A photograph taken by the late Iain Macmillan (below) from a stepladder in the middle of Abbey Road, London, on 8 August 1969 remains one of rock and roll’s most iconic images over half a century later. Using a Hasselblad 500C camera, with a Zeiss Distagon 50mm f/4 lens, Macmillan only took six shots of the Beatles as they walked across the crossing near EMI Studios, where the group usually recorded. The visual idea for the shoot came from Paul McCartney.In a 1989 interview with The Guardian newspaper, Macmillan recalled, ‘We hired a policeman to hold up traffic while I was up on the ladder. A few days before the shoot, he [Paul] drew a sketch of how he imagined the cover, which we executed almost exactly that day. ‘I took a couple of shots. We let some of the traffic go, then they walked across the road the other way, and I took a few more. The one chosen was number five of six. It was the only one that had their legs in a perfect ‘V’ formation.’
Source: amateurphotographer.co.uk
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Mourners sang and laid flowers Tuesday on Central Park’s candlelit memorial to John Lennon on the 40th anniversary of his murder in New York City, as his widow Yoko Ono marked the moment with a call for gun control.
“The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience,” tweeted the 87-year-old artist, who still lives in the Manhattan building where her husband was shot.
“After 40 years, Sean, Julian and I still miss him,” she added, before quoting the 1971 song she co-wrote with Lennon that became the best-selling single of his solo career.
“Imagine all the people living life in peace.”
Source: japantimes.co.jp
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The Beatles fans will never forget the day John Lennon was murdered. On December 8, 1980, 40 years ago this month, Lennon was shot in front of the Dakota hotel in New York City whilst walking with his wife, Yoko Ono. Lennon’s death sent shockwaves throughout the showbiz world, and indeed the music industry. One of the harder parts of Lennon’s death for his family was the constant hounding from the press for comment shortly thereafter.
Close friend of Lennon and his family, Elliot Mintz, recently spoke out about his experience at the time.
In a long discussion he revealed he flew out to be with Yoko and Sean Lennon - the star’s son - to help with anything he could.
During this interview Mintz explained: “I wouldn’t say I managed the press, but I interacted with it. At the time of John’s death he had no manager, no agent, no publicist, no spokesperson, just a very few people on staff - and there were 500 phone calls flying into the downstairs office.
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
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Tuesday marked the 40th anniversary of the fatal shooting of music legend John Lennon, and Patch editors in Hartford and Tolland counties asked readers to share their memories of the famed former Beatle.
Here is a sampling of some of the replies, as well as a video clip of Howard Cosell announcing Lennon's death during a Monday Night Football game between the Patriots and Dolphins.
"Friends of mine and I (attending seminary in NYC) had gone to the Rockefeller Center tree lighting and decided to walk back to 122nd street. As we passed 72nd someone point down toward the Dakota and remarked that Lennon's building was there. When we got to our dormitory 45 minutes later and flipped on the T.V. we were greeted by the news. How quickly a joyous event turned. The radio was playing "Imagine" and I can't hear it any more without being back in New York City." - Paul Goodman
Source: Patch.com
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Forty years this month after his tragic death, John Lennon‘s music, both with the Beatles and in his solo career, is fondly remembered by fans who were there at the time and has gained admiration with every new generation that has come along. In addition, Lennon’s writing and particularly his vocals have been held in high esteem by music critics around the world for decades. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, as part of the iconic band and for his solo career
While his work with the Beatles are most fondly remembered by pop music fans, following the break-up of the group, Lennon spun his career in an entirely new direction, both with fans and critics. His sound became far less pop and far more individualistic, as he balanced songs about politics with those about relationships. Though his life was cut short far too early, the work he left behind with resonate with fans long after our own lifetimes.
Source: Tom O'Brien/goldderby.com
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