The two remaining members of The Beatles may not be recording any new music, but Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have performed together multiple times over the last few years. There was a set at the 30th annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in 2015, plus a 2018 performance at the O2 in England. Starr recently sat down with The Irish News, and he talked about how much he enjoys playing with his old bandmate.
“I love that, getting up with him,” he said. After their O2 performance, Starr said McCartney called him up to do a few numbers at Dodger Stadium. “And it’s magic for the audience as well as us. I love playing with him.” Starr also talked about that the audience’s reaction to seeing them both on stage. “The audience is like, ‘Oh, there’s two of them! Wow.’ It lifts everything, in a joyous way. So, yeah, I had a great time.”
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detailsQuick, name the most avant-garde member of The Beatles. If you said Ringo, you and I should have a serious discussion. Certainly, George Harrison brought Eastern music to the group, so that was unique. And John Lennon did contribute one of the oddest tunes to the official Beatles catalog with “Revolution 9” on The Beatles (White Album). That over-eight-minute cacophony includes random noises, clips from radio shows, babies crying, and so on. It confused some and amused others, but generally became the talk of the music community.
However, in reality, the first band member to toe the cutting edge was Paul McCartney who enlisted his bandmates in what would be called “Carnival of Light.”
In 1967, The Beatles were just beginning sessions for songs, many of which would appear on Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. During a break from recording “Penny Lane,” Paul asked the group to “indulge him for ten minutes.
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details“Love, love me do/ You know I love you/ I’ll always be true/ So please love me do.”
Do you hear a young man’s earnest appeal against a trilling harmonica? This plea, first made by The Beatles to American audiences in 1964, proved to be an effective one.
On this day, Jan. 10, 1964, the British band’s first full-length album was released in the United States by Vee-Jay Records. America immediately loved The Beatles back, purchasing over one million copies of the debut album “Introducing… The Beatles” in mere months.
The Beatles’ popularity reached icon status with their live performance on The Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 9, 1964. According to Nielsen records at the time, nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population — about 73 million people — tuned in. The screams of the live audience at that Sullivan taping even drown out the voices of John Lennon and Paul McCartney at times.
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detailsPaul McCartney joins Nile Rodgers for a fascinating masterclass discussion on songwriting in a new episode of Apple Music 1’s Deep Hidden Meaning Radio with Nile Rodgers.
Situated in his home recording studio where he recorded his latest album McCartney III, the former Beatle takes listeners back into the songwriter’s room with John Lennon as the two wrote “A Day In The Life” before bringing it to the recording studio with George Martin.
He also recalls how he wrote the Wings hit “Jet,” his thoughts on how people interpret his songs, and a prized possession of his- the original double bass used by Bill Black on early Elvis Presley recordings. Rodgers in turn reveals how one of Paul’s songs altered the course of his life and the life-changing moment many teenagers experienced in February 1964- seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Source: americansongwriter.com
detailsDavid Bowie and John Lennon first met in scenes more reminiscent of an awkward children’s playdate than a summit of two of rock’s greatest ever stars, according to a new interview with music producer Tony Visconti.
Speaking on the programme Bowie: Dancing Out in Space, airing on BBC Radio 4 and 6Music on 10 January to mark five years since Bowie’s death, Visconti, who produced 11 of Bowie’s studio albums, tells the story of how the pair met in a New York hotel room, ahead of their collaborations on Bowie’s 1975 song Fame and his cover of the Lennon-penned Beatles song Across the Universe.
“He was terrified of meeting John Lennon,” says Visconti, who was asked by Bowie to accompany him and “buffer the situation”.
About one in the morning I knocked on the door and for about the next two hours, John Lennon and David weren’t speaking to each other. Instead, David was sitting on the floor with an art pad and a charcoal and he was sketching things and he was completely ignoring Lennon. So, after about two hours of that, he [John] finally said to David, ‘Rip that pad in half and give me a few sheets. I want to draw you.’ So David said, ‘
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Paul McCartney joins Nile Rodgers for a fascinating masterclass discussion on songwriting in a new episode of Apple Music 1’s Deep Hidden Meaning Radio with Nile Rodgers.
The 30-minute plus conversation is available now on-demand for Apple Music subscribers. American Songwriter is premiering exclusive excerpts here today. Tune in and listen to the conversation in full for free this Saturday (Jan. 9) at 8am LA / 11am NY / 4pm London at https://music.apple.com/us/curator/1481637462
Situated in his home recording studio where he recorded his latest album McCartney III, the former Beatle takes listeners back into the songwriter’s room with John Lennon as the two wrote “A Day In The Life” before bringing it to the recording studio with George Martin.
Source: americansongwriter.com
details“This is very difficult for me,” said Starr in a statement on his website in March, “in 30 years I think I’ve only missed 2 or 3 gigs nevermind a whole tour. But this is how things are for all of us now, I have to stay in just like you have to stay in, and we all know it’s the peace and loving thing we do for each other. So we have moved the Spring tour to 2021. My fans know I love them, and I love to play for them and I can’t wait to see you all as soon as possible. In the meantime stay safe. Peace and Love to you all.”
The tour is set to kick off in Asbury Park, N.J. on June 1 and travel through the United States until June 27, when the tour ends in Clearwater, Fla.. As of now, there is one stop scheduled in Mexico on October 20.
Check out the list below to see if the “Photograph” singer is coming to your area.
detailsSir Ringo Starr had no plans to slow down before the coronavirus pandemic intervened. His youthful appearance and fizzing energy bely his 80 years – and had it not been for Covid-19, the man born Richard Starkey in a working-class area of Liverpool would have been on the road in 2020.
But it turns out even a former Beatle cannot escape the consequences of a global health crisis. As it stands, Sir Ringo’s All Starr Band is set to return to the stage in June, though he admits the plans are far from set in stone due to the continued disruption caused by the virus.
The pause in performing gave him a chance to look back on three decades with the group, putting together the book Ringo Rocks: 30 Years Of The All Starrs. Reflecting proved to be an emotional experience, Starr explains from his home in Los Angeles.
"The first band was like everything else – it’s brand new. And, ‘Oh, wow, it’s working’. And actually, people are coming to see it. That’s the good news. And I had a lot of great players." Musicians who have been part of the ever-evolving line-up include Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, rocker Peter Frampton, New Orleans musician Dr. John and R&B star Billy details
This week in 1962, The Beatles travelled in a van from Liverpool to a London audition with inauspicious results.
The band, dressed in leather and scruffy to boot - according to the website On This Day - travelled 220 miles for the famous recording audition.
A&R man Dick Rowe was ready and waiting at the Decca studios. His assistant, Mike Smith, had been to see the Beatles perform in Liverpool at what was to become the Cavern Club and had suggested the audition to their manager, Brian Epstein.
The session lasted approximately an hour and the Beatles - John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and the group's first drummer Pete Best - performed 15 songs.
The boys were nervous, according to Ray Setterfield writing in On This Day. The session was not as good as it might have been. Smith, however, told the Liverpudlian lads that he "saw no problems" and they would hear what Decca would decide "in a few weeks."
Source: rte.ie
detailsLast month, Sir Paul McCartney released his new album McCartney III, in which he once again sings and plays all the instruments by himself. During the promotion of the new solo record, the 78-year-old took part in a Reddit AMA and fans were asking The Beatles legend who he wished he could collaborate with. A fan wrote: “Hey Sir Paul! If you could collab[orate] with any musician in the future, who would it be?”
Sir Paul replied: “I've always had a sneaky feeling to collaborate with Bob Dylan, but it's never happened. It's intriguing, but…”
The 78-year-old has always been a big fan of his almost 80-year-old contemporary and has been saying for over a decade he’s like to work with him.
Another fan asked: “Paul, if you could choose one artist from any point in history to make an album with, who would it be?”
He replied: “There's an awful lot of them. John Lennon, he's pretty good.”
Source: George Simpson/express.co.uk
detailsGerry Marsden died on Sunday, January 3 at the age of 78-years-old after being diagnosed with a blood infection in his heart. The Liverpool FC anthem singer was also the leader of Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers who were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin just like The Beatles. Now Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr have paid tribute to Marsden on Instagram, who Macca says was the Fab Four’s first big rival in the early days.
Sir Paul posted a picture from 1963’s Roy Orbison/Beatles UK tour, which also included Gerry and the Pacemakers.
The two bands and American singer are pictured in what looks like a dressing room.
The 78-year-old Beatle wrote: “Gerry was a mate from our early days in Liverpool. He and his group were our biggest rivals on the local scene.
“His unforgettable performances of You’ll Never Walk Alone and Ferry Cross the Mersey remain in many people’s hearts as reminders of a joyful time in British music. My sympathies go to his wife Pauline and family. See ya, Gerry. I’ll always remember you with a smile. - Paul.”
Source: George Simpson/express.co.uk
Gerry Marsden, lead singer of the 1960s British group Gerry and the Pacemakers that had such hits as “Ferry Cross the Mersey” and the song that became the anthem of Liverpool Football Club, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” has died. He was 78.
His family said that Marsden died Sunday “after a short illness in no way connected with COVID-19” and that his wife, daughters and grandchildren are “devastated.”
His friend Pete Price said on Instagram after speaking to Marsden’s family that the singer died after a short illness related to a heart infection.
“I’m sending all the love in the world to (his wife) Pauline and his family,” he said. “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Marsden was the lead singer of the band that found fame in the Merseybeat scene in the 1960s. Though another Liverpool band — The Beatles — reached superstardom, Gerry and the Pacemakers will always have a place in the city’s consciousness because of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Source: AP News
An Antiques Roadshow guest was completely stunned to learn the value of a helmet once worn by late Beatles legend John Lennon.
The BBC One series returned to screens on Sunday night with new coronavirus safety protocols in place.
One guest brought in a police helmet which belonged to her father but was worn by Lennon when he and his Beatles bandmates, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, visited the Birmingham Hippodrome in 1963 for a performance.
The woman’s father, Ivor Gordon Russell, was one of the officers escorting the Beatles in.
She explained: ‘They had to get them through the screaming girls and they didn’t know quite how they were going to do it. The sergeant had the wonderful idea of, why don’t you put helmets on them and make them look like policemen and we’ll get them through the girls.
Source: Alicia Adejobi/metro.co.uk
details“And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make,” right?
Or so goes the Beatles’ song The End, the final time the Fab Four recorded a tune together, in this case for 1969’s Abbey Road (which was recorded after but released before 1970’s Let It Be.)
Well, “the end” of the Liverpool-formed group began 50 years ago on Dec. 31, 1970 when Paul McCartney filed a lawsuit against his bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr for dissolution of the group’s contractual partnership.
“Paul just got fed up with it all and he was the one to initiate it,” said Toronto-based author Piers Hemmingsen, 65, who penned 2016’sThe Beatles in Canada: The Origins of Beatlemania. “The shot was fired Dec. 31, 1970.”
And that “shot” marked an iconic moment in rock’n roll history.
“Why didn’t we let go in 1970?” said Hemmingsen. “It carries on.”
Hemmingsen says the split can be traced back to when Lennon performed with the Plastic Ono Band at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival in September 1969.
Source: Jane Stevenson
The Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney has released his new solo album in McCartney III and recently took part in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session. During the fan Q&A, the 78-year-old was asked what his favourite George Harrison song and personal live performance was. Well, the answer to the first is probably not that surprising.
A fan asked: “Hello Sir Paul! I love your music! If I may ask, what’s your favourite song of George Harrison?
The star replied: “Here Comes The Sun. It is a brilliant song and the kind of song that’s really good in times like these.”
Harrison’s song features on The Beatles’ 1969 album Abbey Road and is the most streamed Fab Four track on Spotify globally, with over 350 million streams as of just over a year ago.
The Quiet Beatle sadly died in November 2001 at the age of 58-years-old after a battle with lung cancer.
Source: Amelia Podder/technocodex.com
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