Beatles News

Former Beatles legend Ringo Starr has announced that he will perform in Israel next June as part of his 2018 European tour.

The former Beatles drummer’s band, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, includes fellow rock legends Steve Lukather of Toto, Greg Rollie of Journey and Graham Gouldman of 10cc as the “All-Starrs.” The group will perform two shows in Israel at Tel Aviv’s Menorath Mivtahim Arena from June 23-24, according to Ringo Starr’s website.

Starr’s concerts come more than 50 years after the Israeli government barred The Beatles from performing in Israel in 1966 over concerns that the band would negatively influence the Jewish state’s youths. The government later apologized for the decision. Former Beatle Paul McCartney performed in Israel in 2008.

Source: breakingisraelnews.com

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Jane Bown (1925-2014) worked for the Observer for 65 years, taking unforgettable images of hundreds of subjects. She used basic equipment and often relied solely on available light and is known for her iconic black and white photographs. She honed a deceptively simple technique to produce her highly distinctive photographs. The GNM Archive holds an extensive collection of her work.

Observer photographer Jane Bown and her beloved OM-1 cameras are the focus of this month's resource

In the 1960s Jane was asked to shoot in colour for the Observer’s colour magazine but was never comfortable using it and abandoned it after three years. She told Luke Dodd, her archivist, in an interview for the Unknown Bown book and exhibition in 2007 that: “In those days, colour was very inflexible - I had to learn to bracket them. With black and white it’s usually possible to salvage something in the darkroom however bad the shoot might have been. And with colour, editors tended to want photo essays and I was always best at the single shot. I’m a one-shot girl, always have been!”
In January 1967 Jane was walking the dog with her young nephew in Knole Park near her Sevenoaks home. They came across a details

The vinyl revival continued in 2017 — and people clearly needed more Beatles records for their turntables, because the band took the top two spots on the year-end sales chart for the resurgent format.

Citing Nielsen data, Billboard reports that vinyl sales hit another peak in 2017, moving 14.32 million units and edging up 9 percent over last year’s previous high. That total represents the largest number of vinyl albums that’s been purchased in a year since 1991 — the year the company’s SoundScan sales data was incorporated into Billboard’s chart methodology, starting a new era in the process.

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5 Non-Beatles Songs Produced By George Martin

Legendary producer Sir George Martin would’ve turned 91 today (January 3), and while he is best known for his work with The Beatles, Martin worked with countless other artists in his incredible career. Here’s a five non-Beatles track sampling of from his astounding career.
“Say Say Say” – Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson

Okay…this one involves a Beatles, but it still counts, especially since MJ is included and the track was a massive hit off of Sir Paul’s 1983 album Pipes Of Peace.
“Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” – Gerry and the Pacemakers

One of the very few acts that received Martin’s producing touch during the time of Beatlemania, Gerry and the Pacemakers’s scored their biggest U.S. hit with “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” in 1964.
“Tin Man” – America

Once The Beatles called it quits in 1970, this opened up more time for Martin to work with other acts, and one of the most notable were America, whose biggest Martin-produced hit came in 1974 with “Tin Man,” which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at details

John Lennon's monkey bike is set to go up for sale later this year.

The rare item was bought by the Beatles icon in the late 60s, and features in a number of iconic photographs.

The motorbike - pictured above - was used by John Lennon for getting around his Tittenhurst Park estate in Surrey, where he lived from 1969 to 1971.

The Honda Monkey/Trail Bike XUC 91H will go up for sale through H&H Classics on March 4th, and is valued at around £30,000.

Mark Bryan, Head of Sales for H&H Classics Motorcycle Department, says: “Naturally we are thrilled to be entrusted with the marketing and sale of this bike, given its extraordinary provenance.”

The Honda Monkey/Trail Bike XUC 91H will be sold through H&H Classics at the National Motorbikes Museum on March 4th.

Everybody's got something to hide except for John and his monkey bike...

Join us on Vero, as we get under the skin of global cultural happenings. Follow Clash Magazine as we skip merrily between clubs, concerts, interviews and photo shoots. Get backstage sneak peeks and a true view into our world as the fun and games unfold.

Source: Clash/Robin Murray

Ringo Starr‘s selection for knighthood in late 2017 made him the most recent Beatle to earn the honor — but fans who don’t pay close attention to the ins and outs of the British monarchy may be surprised to learn two of Starr’s former bandmates still haven’t been knighted.

Starr was the second former Beatle to become a Sir, following Paul McCartney in 1997. George Harrison and John Lennon, meanwhile, remain among the un-knighted — and they’re likely to stay that way, thanks to the current rules for knighthood, which state that a recipient must be alive to accept the honor.

Both Harrison and Lennon were more than qualified to be knighted alongside their bandmates during their lifetimes, but the crown didn’t start knighting pop stars until 1995, when Cliff Richard was selected for the honor. Bob Geldof was granted an honorary knighthood nearly a decade before, but it was for his charity work, not his musical accomplishments — and both men were acknowledged years after Lennon’s death. Since knighthoods aren’t granted posthumously, it’s always been out of the question for Lennon to be selected — and as fans are well aware, his playfully co details

Yoko Ono thinks it's fab that the British royal family is finally recognizing former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr for his "services to music." The widow of late Beatle John Lennon tweeted out her kind thoughts to Starr on Tuesday morning (Jan. 2), following Friday's (Dec. 29) official announcement that Starr, 77 (born Richard Starkey) would be knighted in the 2018 New Year's Honors.

"Dear Sir Ringo," Ono wrote. "I am very happy that you have received this honour from the Queen. It's about time! Huge congratulations! I am delighted for you and your family. It is an honour for everyone in the Beatles family and I love you very much."

Source: Gil Kaufman

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THE Beatles and Rolling Stones are still fighting it out to be the biggest live act in the world.

Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger’s bands are the music industry’s biggest earners

Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Mick Jagger’s bands are the music industry’s biggest earners.

Figures for 2017 show the veterans out-performed singers less than half their age including Ed Sheeran.

Jagger, 74, and his band raked in £116 for every person at their 14 sold-out stadium shows.

And Beatles legend Macca, 75, is only just behind them, pocketing £108 per seat for 36 performances.

But despite starring on an 111-gig tour, Sheeran, 26, bagged an average fee of just £60.
The list was published by Pollstar, which compiles figures for box office gig earnings. Jeff Kelly, of US entertainment PR firm JDMC, said: “The Stones and Sir Paul are the biggest draws still after over 50 years of touring, which is an astonishing feat.”

Source: Cetusnews.com

In a move that will prompt many to say "About bloody time," The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr and Bee Gees' lead singer Barry Gibb received their knighthoods this week from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as part of her annual New Year honors list.

For Starr, who was awarded his MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) as part of The Beatles back in 1965 (which, at the time, prompted many previous honorees to return their awards in disgust), this honor was a long time coming, given that fellow Beatle Paul McCartney received his knighthood in 1997. Macca has even admitted to lobbying for Ringo to become a 'Sir.' In an interview with The Telegraph, McCartney said, " The last time I went by [Queen Elizabeth] was out. Otherwise, I would have popped in and said 'Look, love, Sir Richard Starkey,"

As for finally receiving his knighthood, Starr seemed completely chuffed by the honor. In a statement, Starr announced "It's great! It's an honor and a pleasure to be considered and acknowledged for my music and my charity work, both of which I love. Peace and love."

Source: axs.com

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Ringo Starr, the ex-drummer of The Beatles has been selected for knighthood as part of Queen Elizabeth’s New Year’s honors list. Starr is now 77. He became a member of the Beatles as a replacement drummer for Pete Best in 1962. USA TODAY

Ringo Starr is among the celebrated citizens selected for knighthood and other awards given in the name of Britain's monarch — and his former Beatles bandmate is singing his praises.

Paul McCartney took to Twitter Saturday to share a photo of the pair along with a congratulatory message.

"Huge congrats Sir Ringo! Sir Richard Starkey has a nice ring to it. Best drummer best pal!" McCartney wrote.

Britain's Cabinet Office publishes a list of the people receiving honors for merit, service or bravery twice a year: just before New Year's Eve, and on the Saturday in June when Queen Elizabeth II's birthday is officially observed.

Source: Sara M Moniuszko, USA TODAY

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With 2018 just a few days away, Paul McCartney has shared what he’s hoping to achieve in the New Year… and it involves the release of a brand new album.

In a Q&A conducted by his official website, McCartney reveals, “I’ll probably be putting out a new album. So, I’d like that to be something I really love and then hopefully the fans will love it too!”

Sir Paul reports that he’s “putting the finishing touches [on the project] now and at the beginning of next year,” and would “like to achieve making that a really great album. Fingers crossed!”

He adds, humorously, “That’s not what it’s called, but fingers crossed!” He then declares, following a pause, “It could be… it COULD be the new album title!”

McCartney has previously reported that he’s been working on the album with Greg Kurstin, who produced and co-wrote three songs on Adele‘s Grammy-winning album 25, including her smash hit “Hello.”

Back in June, the ex-Beatles star revealed that he’d written a song about President Donald Trump that will appear on the record.

Source: krvn.com

George Harrison is attacked at his Friar Park home
Thursday 30 December 1999 George Harrison

George Harrison was seriously injured after being stabbed multiple times by an intruder in his home, Friar Park near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

Michael (Mick) Abram, a mentally ill man born in 1966 in Huyton, Liverpool, had scaled a perimeter wall and walked up the drive to the mock-Gothic mansion. Although security cameras were positioned by the main gates and the back entrance, the boundary fence in parts of the grounds was in a state of such disrepair that it was easy for an intruder to gain access.

At around 3.30am in the morning of 30 December 1999, Abram threw a statue of George and the Dragon through a window to gain access. Harrison's wife Olivia awoke first, initially thinking a chandelier had fallen before realising an intruder was in their house.

Source: Beatles Bible

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"When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me/Speaking words of wisdom: Let it be."

Dreams have always been good to Paul McCartney. One morning in 1965 he famously awoke with the tune for “Yesterday” fully formed, its melancholy melody belaying his ultra sunny reputation as the Cute Beatle. His troubles had seemed so far away during these heady days of mop-topped mania, but three years later the dream shared with his band mates had transformed into a nightmare of creative disagreements, business squabbles, and personality clashes. “I was going through a really difficult time around the autumn of 1968,” McCartney later recalled in Marlo Thomas’ book, The Right Words at the Right Time. “It was late in the Beatles’ career and we had begun making a new album, a follow-up to the ‘White Album.’ As a group we were starting to have problems. I think I was sensing the Beatles were breaking up, so I was staying up late at night, drinking, doing drugs, clubbing, the way a lot of people were at the time. I was really living and playing hard.”

Source: Zelda Caldwell

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He returned to his favourite winter sun spot for his annual New Year's break just four months after Hurricane Irma ravaged the luxury destination.

But Sir Paul McCartney, 75, made island life look idyllic again on Thursday, when he was seen enjoying quality time with family on the beach in St Barts.

The Beatles rocker was far from kicking back because he was instead spending an energetic day with his glamorous wife Nancy Shevell, 58, and stylish daughters Stella, 46, and Mary, 48.

He's been enjoying a relaxing holiday with his wife and grandchildren ever since Boxing Day.

And Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney was still seen to be enjoying the idyllic surroundings of St. Barts on Wednesday, just three months since Hurricane Irma threatened to destroy the holiday hotspot.

The 75-year-old singer was enjoying a festive break with his American heiress wife Nancy Shevell, 58.

Source: Katie Pilbeam For Mailonline

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