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Beatles News
‘Oh f*** off, it’s just a rock album’: What John Lennon said when he was told people would be listening to Imagine '10 years later' is revealed in a new behind-the-scenes documentary
In the summer of 1969, John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono moved to Tittenhurst Park in Ascot, England – away from London and Lennon’s bandmates
The Beatles were on the precipice of breaking up and would have their last photo shoot at Tittenhurst, which was where Lennon started to record Imagine in 1971
A new Biography documentary, ‘John and Yoko: Above Us Only Sky,’ which premieres on A&E Network on March 11, looks at the making of the famous album
Source: dailymail.co.uk
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The story of groundbreaking British film studio HandMade Films, which was founded by former Beatle George Harrison and made such films as “Monty Python’s Life of Brian,” will be told in “An Accidental Studio,” a feature documentary from AMC U.K. for its international networks.
The film will be the first original from AMC U.K. and bow on the British channel on May 4 and on AMC channels internationally later in the year. It has never-before-seen interviews with key players, and sets out to capture an extraordinary moment in film history through the eyes of the filmmakers and actors involved, as well as the man who started it all, music legend Harrison, who features in archive interview footage.
HandMade dominated the British movie scene with its ethos of making and releasing maverick films that everyone else had rejected, including “The Long Good Friday,” “Time Bandits,” and “Withnail and I.”
Source: Stewart Clarke/variety.com
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The band officially parted ways in 1970 and rumors still abound regarding Yoko Ono’s influence on the split.
In Beatles lore, no person is as divisive or controversial as Yoko Ono, the lover and eventual bride of John Lennon, who arrived on the scene as the band was facing its toughest hardships. It was a time of deep loss, psychological questioning and bitter in-fighting over leadership and business that would ultimately end in the band’s split.
But was Ono to blame for the breakup of The Beatles?
The Beatles were already 'breaking up' before Ono came around
Regardless of public record in the intervening decades since the group went their separate ways, many fans still lay the blame at Ono’s feet. Addressing the rumor directly in 2012, Paul McCartney told British interviewer David Frost that Ono "certainly didn’t break the group up, the group was breaking up."
Source: biography.com
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A sketch of a UFO by John Lennon is up for auction, along with his sci-fi magazines and a lock of his hair.
The Beatles singer-songwriter was reportedly fascinated by alien life, even writing about them, and was believed to have had 'UFO experiences'.
He drew the rarely seen sketch of a flying saucer in the 1950s or 1960s, then years later saw a UFO outside his apartment window traveling over New York's East River on August 23, 1974.
According to his lover May Pang, who was Yoko Ono's secretary, the star spotted a flying saucer - screaming at the window 'wait, take me with you' to what he believed was a UFO.
Source: Daily Mail
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Every musician borrows, and The Beatles were no different. They were the first to acknowledge that to anyone who asked.
Paul McCartney once said the band would simply “pinch as much from other people as they would pinch from us.” However, few no bands were ever as successful as The Beatles.
In other words, if you had a legitimate copyright claim against the Fab Four, you had had thousands of reasons to lawyer up and try to sue. That’s how George Harrison got caught “pinching” another song on “My Sweet Lord,” a solo track he recorded later.
Since that song was one of Harrison’s No. 1 hits, he ended up paying out a six-figure settlement. By then, John Lennon had run into his own share of legal trouble over a Chuck Berry song. Lawyers for The Beatles realized right away that Berry’s publisher had a case.
Source: cheatsheet.com
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The National Trust was accused of 'turning its back' on an important part of Beatles history yesterday after refusing to adopt Ringo Starr's childhood home.
The humble two-up, two-down terraced house in Liverpool attracts thousands of fans every year.
Along with other properties in the street it was being renovated and the hope was it would be turned into a heritage attraction, like the former homes of other Fab Four members.
But social housing company PlaceFirst has revealed its offer to lease Ringo's birthplace to the National Trust was turned down.
Now the Victorian property will be kept locked up because of concerns no one would want to live in a house subjected to constant attention from visitors.
Save Madryn Street campaign founder Steve Barnes accused the trust of shunning a 'golden opportunity' to preserve a vital part of Beatles heritage.
'We had expected that the National Trust or some other body would take it over and operate the house as a destination, with carefully controlled access,' he said.
Source: Daily Mail
When The Beatles began their historic run in 1963, no one could guess that millions of people would know their songs by heart 56 years later. But here we are.
Whether you drop The White Album on your turntable or dial up Revolver on your phone, you’re going to be able to sing along to at least half the tunes. Maybe you even know every word.
Either way, you can attribute this to the genius of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. While George and Ringo were obviously no slouches, the Lennon-McCartney songbook endures like few have in rock history.
However, by the time The Beatles had released their earliest albums, Lennon and McCartney had lost majority control of their own publishing rights. It’s a crazy story that ended decades later with Michael Jackson owning the rights instead.
Source: cheatsheet.com
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Last week Paul announced the reissue of the iconic Professor Longhair’s album Live On The Queen Mary, set for release on 5th April. The recording took place on 24th March 1975 aboard the Queen Mary [a British ocean liner docked in Long Beach harbour, Los Angeles] at an exclusive – and by the sounds of it terrifically fun – party put on by Paul and Linda to celebrate the end of recording the Wings album Venus and Mars.
The band had a great time putting together the guest-list and sending out customised invitation cards. Along with invitees George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and The Jackson 5, Paul also flew in a crew of his “N’arwlins” friends to provide the entertainment. This list of luminaries included Professor Longhair, The Meters and Allen Toussaint!
Source: Brett Buchanan/alternativenation.net
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During a recent interview made by PaulMcCartney.com editors, The Beatles bassist Paul McCartney has revealed the untold story of his very special performance with Professor Longhair.
He also revealed that why Professor Longhair was invited to play. Here’s the story:
“He had this great style, this kind of rolling piano style. And he was singing this song called ‘Tipitina’, which is like one of his hits. He’s got this very interesting vocal sound, it was almost like a yodel. A funny little break in his voice… [Impersonates Professor Longhair singing ‘Tipitina’]. That’s a very bad impression of it… “
Interviewer said:
“So you saw him play live?”
Paul responded:
“Yeah, we saw him live. We had been down to a club to see him. It was like, ‘Wow, great! Cool guy!’ So we just loved him and we invited him around the studio …because I was ripping him off! I just loved the style so much that I composed something called ‘My Carnival’ and it’s got the same riff, basically, that he plays… I just couldn’t play it as well!
Source: Feyyaz Ustaer/metalheadzo details
We've got a ticket to play!
Visitors to a Beatles-themed cafe in Liverpool will soon be able to play the world’s first and only official pinball machine dedicated to the Fab Four.
The Beatles and Stern Pinball have joined forces to create a series of US-made, limited-edition pinball machines, with the first of its kind debuting at The Beatles Story’s Fab4 Cafe.
Read more: The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’: 10 perfect moments that give you goosebumps
Only 1,964 of the games will be produced in recognition 1964: the year when Beatlemania kicked off, The Guide Liverpool reports.
Nine Beatles classics will feature on the machine in the cafe, which will be available to play for £1, including: ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘Ticket to Ride’, ‘All My Loving’, ‘Help’, ‘Drive My Car’, ‘It Won’t Be Long’, ‘I Should Have Known Better’, and ‘Taxman’.
Source: Charlotte Krol /nme.com
As 1969 dawned, The Beatles appeared to be riding high on the success of the ‘White Album’ and the ‘Hey Jude’/‘Revolution’ single, both huge hits for their new Apple Records label. In reality they were unravelling, as Apple haemorrhaged cash, John Lennon immersed himself in heroin with new love Yoko Ono and the band embarked miserably on a new, back-to-basics album. Amid weddings, bed-ins and drug busts, The Beatles eventually made two albums in 1969 – ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Abbey Road’ – but it was also the year they secretly split, torn apart by money, business strife – and Lennon’s decision to supplant Paul McCartney and make Yoko his creative collaborator...
Source: By Ken Mcnab/dailymail.co.uk
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Someone just couldn’t let it be. A Beatles fan cleared their conscience yesterday by returning a copy of Life magazine featuring the Fab Four – after a long and winding road of over 50 years.
Cuyahoga County Public Library representatives may be doing the twist and shout after they received the Life magazine from 1968, along with a money order for $100 and a letter that read:
“I stole this magazine from the Parma Ridge Road Library when I was a kid. I’m sorry I took it. I’ve enclosed a check for the late fee.”
In a Facebook post, library officials thanked the anonymous paperback burglar for returning the “borrowed” magazine that was able to get back to where it once belonged.
“It’s remembering that message that it’s never too late, number one, to pay an overdue fine, and two, really just to come back to the library,” said Hallie Rich with Cuyahoga County Public Library.
Source: fox6now.com
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We live in a cultural moment in which a large swathe of mass-market consumers, largely comprised of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, regularly flock to purchase new releases of reconfigured, remixed music from days gone by. I should know: I’m one of them.
When it comes to the 21st century, the Beatles are leading the way. The twentieth century’s most lucrative act has never really ebbed — which is saying something, given that two of the bandmates are deceased. From Ron Howard’s recent touring documentary through remixes of "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967) and "The Beatles" (The White Album, 1968) the Fab Four have successfully repackaged yesteryear’s gems to net fresh sales and satisfy what seems to be a nearly unquenchable appetite for “new” content.
Source: salon.com
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Whether you’ve read about the 1960s rock scene or lived through it, you couldn’t miss all the talk about the rivalry between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Obviously, you can chalk some of it up to the media and the aggressive rock press of the era.
In real-life, the two bands were very friendly with one another when they got their start in London in the early ’60s. Years later, John Lennon spoke about how he admired the Stones from the first time he saw them, and how much fun they had together in their salad days.
But something definitely changed by the end of the decade. Not only did The Beatles stop touring and eventually break up (in 1970); by then, there was a good deal of bad blood between Lennon and Stones singer Mick Jagger.
Source: cheatsheet.com
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The band all hail from the football-mad crazy city of Liverpool, but which teams did they support – and did they align with the Reds or Blues?
Few cities can boast about being a true hub for both football and music. Not only is the city of Liverpool home to the likes of Liverpool and Everton, but it is also the birthplace of all four of the Beatles.
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all originated from Merseyside and their fame was what first brought global attention to the city. The success brought by Liverpool FC would only come later on, beginning from the 1970s.
As famous and influential as the Beatles are, a topic that has been called into question over the decades is that of their football allegiance. Liverpool is so famed for their impassioned football culture - surely their four most well-known sons are mad for the sport as well?
Source: Cady Siregar/goal.com
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