Beatles News

In a touching tribute to mark their 13th wedding anniversary, Sir Paul McCartney has shared a rare and intimate photo of his wife, Nancy Shevell.

Known for keeping much of their personal life private, the 82-year-old Beatles star delighted fans by offering a glimpse into the couple's lives with the photo, which captured a tender moment between them.

Paul accompanied the post with a heartfelt caption, expressing his gratitude for their time together: "Wishing a fabulous anniversary to my beautiful missus [heart emoji]…

Hollywood actress and friend Rita Wilson was quick to reply, writing: "Happy happy anniversary love birds!." Leslie Mann added: "Cutest couple, Happy anniversary!" Kate Hudson stated: "Love you guys!!! Happy Anniversary."

The pair first met in 2007 and quickly became inseparable, with Paul finding love again after the loss of his first wife, Linda McCartney, and the end of his second marriage with Heather Mills.  Their wedding took place in an intimate ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London on 9 October 2011.

Last year, Paul revealed how he keeps the romance alive with the businesswoman in a post on his website. Opening up, Sir Paul explained how he tries details

Who, exactly, is the ‘Fifth Beatle’? Many have had that title bestowed upon them, deemed the essential but just-out-of-frame counterpart to Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. There’s producer George Martin, who worked extensively with the band in the studio, or road manager Neil Aspinall, and press officer Derek Taylor. But one of the top contenders for that title has always been Brian Epstein – the man who discovered the Fab Four in Liverpool, helped usher them into the spotlight, and died at the tender age of 32. Now, his story – and a slice of music history – is being told in biopic Midas Man, starring The Queen’s Gambit’s Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Epstein.

Empire has been working eight days a week to bring you an exclusive first-look clip from the film – featuring not just one but two ‘Fifth Beatles’, depicting a pivotal point in Beatles history: the moment in which Epstein fires original drummer Pete Best (played here by Adam Lawrence), who would go on to be replaced by Ringo Starr. Watch it here:

Here’s the official Midas Man synopsis: “Meet Brian Epstein, a man who lived a thousand lives in a few short ye details

BBC One show Fake Or Fortune? is appealing for help to prove a piano owned by 1990s pop star Chesney Hawkes once belonged to John Lennon.

In Thursday night’s episode presenters Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate the baby grand piano, which was acquired by Hawkes’ father Len Hawkes, who played in 1960s group The Tremeloes, when he was recording at Tittenhurst Park, a Grade II-listed country house Lennon once owned in the early 1970s.  Lennon and Yoko Ono left the house for New York in 1971 and sold the property and its recording studio to Ringo Starr, who moved in in 1973.  During the show the Fake Or Fortune? team were unable to prove the piano belonged to Lennon.

During the episode Hawkes explains that his family story goes that the Broadwood piano had been left on the lawn and that “it was John’s and Ringo didn’t want it”, so Starr gave it to his father.  Although the show’s team make a number of discoveries during the episode, they cannot prove it belonged to the Beatles star.

Without provenance it is estimated to be worth a few thousand pounds, but with evidence it was once Lennon’s, the piano could be worth hundreds of thousands.&n details

The Beatles’ Abbey Road, released on September 26, 1969, is one of the most iconic albums in music history. Its influence has made generations continue to pick up (or stream) the album, so here are five intriguing tidbits about Abbey Road that you may not have known!
1. The Iconic Zebra Crossing Almost Didn’t Happen

The famous album cover, showing the Beatles walking across a zebra crossing outside of Abbey Road Studios, is one of the most recognizable images in pop culture. However, the concept for the cover came about rather spontaneously. Paul McCartney sketched out the idea, and photographer Iain Macmillan had just ten minutes to capture the image. The Beatles were almost photographed at Mount Everest, but due to time constraints, they opted for the nearby zebra crossing outside their studio instead.
2. The Moog Synthesizer Made Its Debut

Abbey Road was the first Beatles album to prominently feature the Moog synthesizer, which added an innovative and futuristic sound to tracks like “Here Comes the Sun” and “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” George Harrison, fascinated by new technologies, had purchased the Moog in 1968 and used it creatively throughout the album. T details

When you write as many songs as Paul McCartney has, it’s understandable if you might have forgotten a few of them. It’s even more understandable if they’re Beatles’ songs, since he was often collaborating with John Lennon on them.

In the case of “What You’re Doing,” a hidden gem from The Beatles‘ 1964 UK album Beatles for Sale, McCartney has said that he didn’t really remember too much about its creation. But all evidence points toward it being one of his, and a sneakily great one at that, even if he didn’t think too much of it.

Beatles for Sale, the second album released by the Fab Four in the UK in 1964 and their fourth overall, found the band scrambling for material. Their schedule, always intense, reached a fever pitch in 1964, what with their usual recording and touring augmented by the creation of their first movie, A Hard Day’s Night.

On the A Hard Day’s Night album, John Lennon and Paul McCartney had written every song, marking the first time the band would release an album without any covers. They weren’t quite able to pull that off on Beatles for Sale. And maybe the busy nature of the time explains why McCartney didn details

To celebrate what would have been John Lennon’s 84th birthday, a box set has been shared containing “meditation mixes” of his 1973 song ‘Mind Games’.

Details of the box set were first shared back in August, when the late musician’s son Sean Ono Lennon announced the project. Initially, the mindful remixes of the hit were shared on the app Lumeate, before being confirmed as being given both a digital and limited-edition physical release.

Today’s release of the digital version (October 9) coincides with both John’s and Sean’s birthdays. The 3LP physical edition is set to arrive on Friday (October 11) via Capitol/UMe. Stream the digital version below, and pre-order the vinyl here.

The mixes feature nine reworkings of ‘Mind Games’ which were created in a bid to help listeners relax and guide them into deeper states of consciousness. Titled ‘Mind Games – The Meditation Mixes’, numerous sound design techniques and processes to the original multitrack recordings, and it was mixed and engineered by Sam Gannon.

In some cases, the tracks have been enhanced with additional instrumentation from Sean, and additional recording e details

Sir Paul McCartney made a big statement at a gig in Argentina this week as he dropped a huge part of his show amid renewed tensions over the future of the Falkland Islands. The legendary Beatle is currently traveling the world for his Got Back tour, playing hits from his incredible 60-year career.

'Macca', as he is affectionately known, is currently on the South American leg and played two shows at the River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires. However, he ditched a segment where he would fly a Union Flag, presumably amid fears it would offend the crowd, reports the Daily Mail.

Sir Paul, 82, usually flies three flags at the end of his shows. As well as the nation he is playing in, he will also wave a Union Flag and LGBTQ flag.

But the red, white and blue was noticeably absent in the Argentine capital on October 5 and 6. According to reports, it had been flown as usual at his gig in Uruguay on October 1. The tour will continue in Chile on October 11 after a break.

Sir Paul's representatives refused to comment, according to the Mail, but the gig came days after Argentina vowed to 'recapture' the Falklands. The South American country claims sovereignty over the island chain, which it calls Malvinas.

He catapulted into fame following his role as Eddie Munson in the fourth season of Stranger Things.

And now, Joseph Quinn is reportedly set to take to screens as George Harrison in a series of Beatles biopics.

The actor, 30, will be undertaking a role that is worlds away from the eccentric Hawkins High School student, as he steps into the shoes of the legendary guitarist for four films.

According to The Sun, the quartet of films will tell the story of the Liverpool-based band from each member's perspective - and Joseph has been handpicked by director Sam Mendes to appear in all of them.   A source told the publication: 'Joe is an incredible actor. It's a massive role, but Sam is delighted to have him on board.'   Joseph Quinn is reportedly set to take to screens as George Harrison in a series of Beatles biopics.

The monumental film series will be the first time Apple Corps Ltd, The Beatles, and the families of John Lennon and George, have all agreed to hand over full life-story and music rights for a scripted movie.  George died in November 2001 at the age of 58 following a battle with cancer.

It comes after another source said: 'Sam has a mammoth task on his hand details

Of all the members of the Fab Four, drummer Ringo Starr seemed to be the most easygoing of the bunch. But Starr had an interesting vantage point from his place behind the kit. Indeed, just because he was the least forward-facing Beatle doesn’t mean he didn’t have strong opinions, including which Beatles album was his favorite.

In a 1977 appearance on the Inner-view radio show, Starr revealed what he believed to be the best Beatles album of all-time—and the album he never really cared for.

During Ringo Starr’s appearance on the Inner-view radio show, the Beatle and show host Elliot Mintz discussed which Fab Four album had sold the most copies at the time of their August 1977 interview at Starr’s Hollywood Hills home. “Well, if there’s any sense in the world, it’d be Abbey Road,” Starr mused. (By the time he and Mintz sat down to chat, the Beatles had sold over five million copies of the iconic record.)

“It should be [the best-selling album],” Starr continued. “The second side of Abbey Road is my favorite. I love it. “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window” and all those bits that weren’t songs. I mean, they were ju details

Many of George Harrison‘s songs were famously denied by his fellow Beatles. Harrison felt their consistent denial of his songwriting caustic enough for him to consider leaving the band. In the end, he got the last word. He released many of the songs the Beatles passed on during his solo career. Find four of the best, below.

1. “All Things Must Pass”

The odd, warbly instrumentation in “All Things Must Pass” would’ve fit perfectly in the Beatles’ catalog. Nevertheless, it never ended up on a Beatles album. The song was too good to completely fall by the wayside. He ended up recording it for a 1970 album of the same name.

Sunrise doesn’t last all morning
A cloudburst doesn’t last all day
Seems my love is up
And has left you with no warning
It’s not always gonna be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away

2. “Isn’t It a Pity”

“Isn’t It a Pity” is a slow-burning ballad that erupts into an impressive trill of instrumentation. It’s one of Harrison’s most impressive bouts of songwriting. Harrison reminds the listener of the beauty all a details

Musical taste is subjective, as in subject to the whims and personal predilections of the individual listener. Since that’s the case, it stands to reason that two people can hear the same song quite differently, even if the two people are in the same band, and even if that band is The Beatles.

Such was the case with “Yes It Is,” a 1965 B-side by the band. John Lennon wrote it, but later dismissed it. His songwriting partner, Paul McCartney, has gone on record with his opinion that it’s a fine effort. We tend to agree with Paul, which is why we want to take a deeper dive into this unheralded track.  “That’s me trying a rewrite of ‘This Boy,’ but it didn’t work.”

That’s the succinct description of “Yes It Is” John Lennon gave to interviewer David Sheff in 1980. For those who might not know, Lennon had also been the chief writer of the song “This Boy,” and there are indeed plenty of similarities between the two songs. They include the plentiful vocal harmonies and the big vocal flourish by Lennon in the middle eight of each song.

When Paul McCartney assessed the same song in the book Paul McCartney: Many Years fro details

John Lennon’s ‘Walls and Bridges’ album clocked up its 50th anniversary this week. ‘Walls and Bridges’ was released on 4 October 1974 in the UK and a week earlier in the USA.

Work on ‘Walls and Bridges’ began in June 1974 at Record Plant East New York at 321 W 44th St. It was the same studio Bruce Springsteen recorded ‘Born To Run’, Eagles made ‘Hotel California’ and ‘Fleetwood Mac recorded ‘Rumours’.

The core players for ‘Walls and Bridges’ with John were included Jim Keltner on drums, Klaus Voormann on bass guitar, Jesse Ed Davison guitar and Arthur Jenkins on percussion.

The first single off the album was Lennon’s now classic ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’, featuring Elton John on piano and harmony vocals. The second and final single off the album ‘#9 Dream’ features John’s personal assistant and girlfriend during the 18 month break-up with Yoko called The Long Weekend, May Pang on backing vocals.

Harry Nilsson is credited as Backing Vocals and co-writers on ‘Old Dirt Road’.

There has not been an announcement of the anniversary release at t details

At the 2024 Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift made history—in more ways than one. The singer-songwriter’s single “Anti-Hero” competed for Song of the Year, and though it didn’t win, the nod was enough to make it a special bit of recognition for the superstar.

With one more chance to win the prize awarded to the “best” written song of the year, Swift broke out of a tie with several other musicians for the most nominations ever in that vertical. The chart-topper currently stands alone thanks to that feat, but that may not be the case for very long.

Before “Anti-Hero,” Swift was matched with both Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie for the most Song of the Year nominations, with six apiece. Both male songwriters have won the award once—McCartney for “Michelle” by the Beatles and Richie for “We Are the World”—while Swift is still waiting to earn the honor, even though she now claims the most nods of all time.

McCartney is a possible nominee once again this year. The Beatles’ comeback and “final” single “Now and Then” is eligible for prizes at the 2025 Grammys, including Song of the Year. While nothi details

The artist Yoko Ono, the widow of the late former Beatle John Lennon, was admitted to a New York City hospital on Friday after complaining of severe flu-like symptoms, her West Coast-based spokesman said.

Spokesman Elliot Mintz denied U.S. media reports that Ono, 83, had suffered a possible stroke or heart attack, and said he understood she would be released from the hospital on Saturday.

Ono had called her doctor, who said her symptoms sounded like the flu, and advised her to go to the hospital as a precaution, Mintz said. He did not know if she admitted herself or was taken by ambulance.

Her career as an artist has spanned more than five decades. Last year, the Museum of Modern Art in New York marked her achievements with an exhibition of her early works showing how her ideas influenced the development of art in the city in the 1960s.

Ono, also an experimental musician and film-maker, was once described by Lennon as "the world's most famous unknown artist: everybody knows her name but nobody knows what she does."

She and Lennon were married on March 20, 1969, and their son, Sean, was born in 1975. Lennon was shot to death on Dec. 8, 1980, outside the famed Dakota apartment building just details

One of Paul McCartney’s most enduring songs is “Hey Jude,” but he was never convinced that would be the case. McCartney wrote the song shortly after John Lennon’s divorce from his wife, Cynthia Lennon. He ultimately came to think fondly of the song, but he did not always feel this way. McCartney admitted he was quite nervous to release “Hey Jude” because he wasn’t sure it was good.

Paul McCartney said he worried about how people would react to ‘Hey Jude’. In 1970, The Beatles had recently split up, and McCartney prepared to release his first solo album, McCartney. A journalist for Rolling Stone asked the bassist if the new album would have any ballads that were as strong as “Let It Be” or “Hey Jude.”

“Yeah, I think so,” he responded. “I can never tell.”

McCartney explained that he had difficulty discerning which of his songs were good. 

Source: Emma McKee/Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Read More>>>