Beatles News

A little bit of Hollywood flair came to Cayuga County on Saturday when the actors, writers and producers of the upcoming feature film "The Lennon Report" descended on the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in true celebrity fashion.

Arriving in limousines and walking the red carpet that led into the theater, each celebrity stopped for photos and to chat with eagerly awaiting fans. "Auburn is such a kind and generous community," said actress Karen Tsen Lee, who has appeared in "Law and Order SVU" and "House of Cards." "I just love the lakes and the gorgeous scenery."

Lee plays the part of Yoko Ono in the film that portrays the real and unedited version of the events that happened the night John Lennon was murdered. "It's such an honor to be a part of the film that will correct history and tell the real version of what happened that fateful evening," she said. "It's about the first responders who were on the scene. The real first responders that have been overlooked for all these years."

The movie focuses on the events that occurred the night Lennon was killed as seen through the eyes of the people who who were there. The people who desperately tried to save the life of one of popular music's beloved icons. "This is details

At the grand old age of 74, Sir Paul McCartney is a national treasure, and rightly lauded after writing some of the most memorable pop hits of all time. But as he embarks on yet another gruelling tour, some fans are beginning to question whether he needs help – with hitting the high notes. Scathing posts on internet forums have accused the star of ruining Beatles classics during his current One On One tour of the US.

Sources on the tour have also told The Mail on Sunday that McCartney’s weakening voice now has to be concealed by his backing group and other band members in the sound mix – and he has been urged to sing in a lower key. 

On one forum, a fan asks: ‘Would you rather have him touring all the time or saving his voice and making records more regularly?’ Another writes: ‘Yes, touring is ruining his voice (along with ageing) and, selfishly, I personally wish he’d take more care of it, rest up and save it for future recordings.’ A third says: ‘I think age and all those years of smoking… did more damage to his voice than anything else.’ Another suggests: ‘What I find distracting in his voice is his shortness of breath.’ A sou details

What if we told you someone recently paid nearly $15,000 for a handwritten letter? Sounds insane, right? But what if you we told you it was penned by Sir Paul McCartney and addressed to the late, great Prince?

According to Rolling Stone, someone purchased such an item for $14,822 at Boston’s RR Auction. Which is a hefty sum, no doubt, but not too shocking when you consider just how legendary both McCartney and Prince are.

So what did the letter say exactly? Well, McCartney begins with “Dear Princely person,” and then goes on to ask the Purple One for his help in making the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts a reality. Though the letter is undated, it’s likely this letter was written in the early- to mid-‘80s, as McCartney refers to the 1981 Toxeth riots as an event that only took place “a few years ago.” He writes about his mission to bring a Fame-type institute to his hometown, but would need to secure donations in order to make it happen. He also invites Prince to teach at the school once it was up and running.

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts opened its doors about 20 years ago; however, it’s unclear if Prince contributed to its launch. details

After The Beatles had broken up in the 1970s the former bandmates all went on to release solo music. While some of their solo offerings have become iconic such as “Imagine” by John Lennon, “Live and Let Die” by Paul McCartney, and “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” by George Harrison, it is Ringo’s solo work that is grossly overlooked.

Back Off Boogaloo was Ringo’s follow up to his 1971 hit It Don’t Come Easy. It was released as a single only until he re-recorded the track for his 1981 album Stop and Smell the Roses. Back off Boogaloo is a tribute song to Ringo’s long-time friend Marc Bolan, who was the lead singer and guitarist for the glam rock back T. Rex. Ringo explained on the program VH1 Storytellers that Marc “was an energised guy. He used to speak: ‘Back off boogaloo … ooh you, boogaloo.’ ‘Do you want some potatoes?’ ‘Ooh you, boogaloo!'”

Many critics and music commenters think that there are darker meanings to Back Off Boogaloo and that the track was a targeted attack on his former bandmate Paul McCartney. This theory stems from Ringo’s public criticism of Paul’s solo albums. The details

The son of the late Beatles producer Sir George Martin has said he is "open" to working on new music with the band's surviving members.

Giles Martin joined Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in Las Vegas to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Cirque Du Soleil show based on the Fab Four's music. John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and their son Sean Lennon were also guests at the Mirage hotel, while George Harrison's widow Olivia was expected to attend.

Martin, the musical director of The Beatles Love by Cirque Du Soleil, said he would consider working with Sir Paul and Starr if they decided to reunite but "it wouldn't be The Beatles". He told the Press Association: "I think the reason you ask that is because 'would it be like The Beatles?' And no, it wouldn't be. The Beatles were four of them. "I love them both and they're hugely kind to me." He said: "What can I say, it wouldn't be The Beatles," before adding: " I mean I'm open to anything." Sir George, often described as "The Fifth Beatle", died in March aged 90 and his son produced a number of tracks on Sir Paul's 2013 album New.

Film-maker Ron Howard also attended the Cirque Du Soleil show after directing a new documentary, The Beatles: Eight Days A Week details

The show unfurled on a specially designed stage at the Mirage Hotel and Casino and maintained much of the sophisticated staging of the acclaimed original 2006 production, but with several meaningful adjustments in performance, design and effects. The music has also been remixed and re-edited by musical director Giles Martin, son of the late Beatles producer George Martin. Father and son collaborated on the music for the original Love.

Despite excited reviews for that first production, for Dominic Champagne, the show's writer and director, it only represented to him about "40 percent of the potential," he said. "I remember Paul and Ringo feeling that 'We were quite a good band, don't you think?' They felt like that 10 years ago on the opening night. We wanted to reach that level. Now I have a feeling this is the best achievement I can probably do. Now I have a certain level of satisfaction."

When McCartney and Starr arrived at the show Thursday, they spent only a brief time on the red carpet. Starr responded to a lightning storm of camera flashes by joking with the photographers: "Everybody send me copies!"

Fans inside the Beatles gift shop scored a great vantage point, pressing against the windows as the details

Pattie Boyd is set to visit the Beatles Story next week to meet fans and sign copies of her autobiography. The photographer and former model, who was famously married to both George Harrison and Eric Clapton, will be at the attraction’s Mann Island venue which is currently staging her photography exhibition George, Eric and Me. The show features intimate portraits of both music icons Harrison and Clapton, as well as candid photographs of their rock and roll star friends such as The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, and the other Beatles.

The 72-year-old first met George Harrison on the set of A Hard Day’s Night in 1964 when she played a schoolgirl in the film. They married in 1966 and were together for 11 years, with the model inspiring Something, a composition Frank Sinatra described as “the greatest love song of the past 50 years”. She also inspired Clapton, whom she married in 1979, to write Wonderful Tonight

Pattie Boyd said: “I’m very excited about visiting The Beatles Story. It will be a real privilege for me to meet the people of Liverpool, who I know are renowned for both their music and fashion sense.

By: Catherine Jones

Source: The details

When Gerald “Gabe” McCarty first started playing the bass guitar in 1958, people called him “One String Gabe.” That’s because his bass parts were so simple that he generally just stuck to one string. But the Benton native, who died July 3 at the age of 83, eventually shed the moniker and became widely known as a skilled player with an impressive musical résumé.

He’d befriended George Harrison just months before the Beatles exploded into international fame. “George Harrison once referred to Gabe, (speaking) to the other Beatles, as his ‘American friend,’” said Jim Kirkpatrick, author of “Before He Was Fab: George Harrison’s First Visit to America.”

It all began in September 1963, four months before the Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” turned them into a household name in the United States. Harrison was visiting his sister, Louise Caldwell, who lived in Benton with her husband. “At the time when he came over here, nobody really knew who George was,” Kirkpatrick said.

In those days, McCarty was the leader of a band called The Four Vests, a rock ’n’ roll outfit th details

Ticket stubs for a Beatles concert in Nottingham and a scrap of paper featuring the Fab Four's signatures are going up for sale.

They belong to Keyworth grandmother Josephine Yates but she has put them up for auction as she wants to see better use made of them - and they could fetch up at least £4,000 when they go under the hammer.

The 71-year-old says the gig, at the Elizabethan Ballroom above the old Co-op House in Upper Parliament Street on March 7, 1963, turned out to be "one of the best nights of her life".

The band were just on the cusp of mega-stardom, so auctioneers are convinced that these are genuine signatures - and not signed by their roadies as they would have done after they shot to fame.

Mrs Yates, a former worker at the WH Smith wholesalers, went to the concert with her sister Janet Parkes, now of West Bridgford, and their friends Sonia and Angela. 

She said Janet and Angela had wanted to go along to the event, but as they were only 14 and 15, their fathers wouldn't allow them, so they talked Josephine and Sonia in to going with them as they were 18 at the time. "So off we went - little did we know it would be one of the best nights of our lives," said Mrs Yates details

Sean Lennon says Revolver is one of his favourite Beatles albums as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. Sean – the son of late Beatles icon John Lennon – says the band's seventh album ranks up there with their best work.

Speaking to Classic Rock for a feature on the 50th anniversary of Revolver, Lennon says: "Revolver’s one of my favourite Beatles records, up there with Sgt Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and the White Album. "Those records have influenced me more than any other music on the planet. Beside the fact it’s my dad and I grew up listening to them, they’re just ingrained in my psyche."

Lennon says Revolver is "hipper" than other records, putting the listener "in a trance." He adds: "Revolver appeals to me more than Abbey Road or my dad’s solo stuff, which I love in a different way, because psychedelic music seems more magical. "It’s like a kid likes reading Lord Of The Rings instead of Bonfire Of The Vanities – it’s exciting, it’s the promise of a supernatural world. "A song like Tomorrow Never Knows puts you almost in a trance. Not in the way techno music or monks chanting would. It’s hipper than that."

By: Stef Lach

Sourc details

Even before the legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin died in March, his son Giles found himself the recipient of a staggering family inheritance. For years, the 46-year-old, a producer in his own right, has acted as a custodian of the music of the Beatles.

In recent months, he has been in charge of several major Beatles-related assignments: new high-definition mixes for the DVD compilation Beatles 1+; restoration of audio from early Beatles concerts for an upcoming Ron Howard documentary about the band’s touring years; and preparing the Beatles’ catalogue for streaming beginning last Christmas.

Martin is well aware that Beatles devotees the world over are placing his efforts under an extraordinary amount of scrutiny. “I do a mix, or change something, and I’m analyzed and criticized by everyone,” he says, speaking from northern Spain where, he says only half-jokingly, he is “escaping the Beatlemaniacs”.

Martin has non-Beatles assignments too, in film (he worked on Kingsman: The Secret Service) and as “Sound Experience Leader” for Sonos, the wireless speaker specialists. But he acknowledges that he and the music of the Beatles are by now inextri details

The Beatles clearly had a fondness for the “girl group” sound, and no song better exemplifies that fact than “Please Mr. Postman,” the final entry in Deep Beatles’ look at the band’s best covers. Originally recorded by Motown act the Marvelettes, “Please Mister Postman” allowed the Beatles to demonstrate how they could interpret numerous genres, transforming them into their own sound. In addition, their enthusiasm and raw energy foreshadowed a change in pop culture, a musical revolution that the Beatles would lead.

Before examining the Beatles’ energetic take on “Please Mister Postman,” let’s rewind further back to 1961. That year five young women called the Casinyets entered Detroit’s Motown Studios, hoping to audition for label head Berry Gordy and songwriter/producer/singer Smokey Robinson. The two subsequently called in the group for another audition, but there was one problem: the group needed to perform an original tune. Under pressure, Georgia Dobbins and friend William Garrett penned “Please Mister Postman,” a bluesy number featuring only a few lyrics.

Dobbins departed the group after the second audition, but her so details

1. My first musical memory is riding around in my dad’s car listening to cassette tapes. In a reflection of the times and my parents’ effort to keep things kid-friendly, most of them were contemporary Christian pop albums like this or this or even this. But there was also Abbey Road. I remember “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” in particular because children always gravitate toward the goofiest music, and because I found it shocking that such a cheery little ditty was actually the story of a blunt-object serial killer. My dad and I have watched our tastes diverge and intersect many times in the ensuing years, but the Beatles and Paul McCartney in particular were always our common ground. (Ours and billions of other people’s, but still.) So it was special to see McCartney together Sunday night in Cincinnati, especially from the kind of incredible seats you imagine when you begin dreaming of yourself as a professional music critic. My dad’s smile when we rolled up to floor seats about 10 rows back was thrill enough for the night.

2. You will not be surprised to learn that a Paul McCartney concert was great, but let me emphasize the greatness: Before this night, I cannot remember attending details

LAST month Paul McCartney turned 74 and to mark the occasion he has released a compilation of his post-Beatles records called Pure McCartney.

It’s been a while since Beatle Paul has been cool. Not since the Fab Four broke up and John Lennon dismissed his former partner’s stuff as “as Muzak to my ears”, you could argue.

When I was a kid, Wings were considered sort of OK if a bit daggy. For every gem Macca produced, like Band on the Run, there was a lot of dross and some truly cringe-worthy moments: The Girl is Mine, anyone?

But a couple of years ago a friend persuaded me to listen to Ram, McCartney’s second solo record. I don’t know why I’d never heard it before. It’s the record that prompted Lennon’s Muzak insult and dismissed by one critic at the time of its release in 1971 as “pop for potheads”. Actually, thinking about it, that’s probably the reason I’d never tracked down a copy.

More fool me. It’s a brilliant inventive record, brimming with great tunes. And unlike like Lennon’s solo records, which have dated badly, it still sounds fresh. The Beatles produced so much great music of such diversity, it&rsqu details

An image appeared of John Lennon wearing Adidas trainers in 1967

Liverpool and Adidas have had a ‘special bond’ for over 40 years because of the casual movement of the 1970s created by football fans. It all began in the late 70s when fans would travel around Europe and bring back rare trainers from the continent, usually Adidas being the choice of the fashionista.

At the end the decade Adidas Samba trainers were worn by many on the terraces of Anfield and Goodison Park, and also around the streets of the city. Adidas Stan Smiths shortly followed and wearing trainers as everyday footwear was now a trend. In 1981, Wade Smith opened and it became the heart of casual fashion in the city.

With the terrace culture taking over the city, 21-year-old Robert Wade Smith, a former Adidas worker spotted a gap in the market. Trainers that football fans had purchased in Europe could now be bought on our doorstep. The rarer the import, the better. It all began on Merseyside and it quickly became a national trend.

But, does a rare photograph of the Beatles actually show that the John Lennon started the movement in 1967?

By: Paul Philbin

Source: Liverpool Echo

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