Beatles News

After an introduction by Jann Wenner — during which it was revealed that, unsurprisingly, the Brooklyn, New York Barclays Center is full of E Street Band and Kiss fans — the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony kicked off with the induction of legendary Beatles manager Brian Epstein and Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham.

“Brian loved, protected and respected the Beatles,” said Peter Asher (of Peter & Gordon, and went on to produce James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt), who inducted the late manager. “He took his responsibilities extremely seriously…. His biggest fear was letting the Beatles down in any way, whatsoever.” Asher fondly remembered the times he spent with the band socially, but noted that the Beatles lamented they had to wear suits onstage — and the Stones could wear “whatever they wanted.” That sartorial difference was due to Loog Oldham, who &ldquo details

The time is near: as Wayne Coyne just reported on Instagram, The Flaming Lips and Miley Cyrus’ cover of  The Beatles cover is almost ready for release. Coyne wrote: “Woke up ..fell out of bed.. dragged a comb across my head.. Yep!!!! @mileycyrus singing the Paul McCartney bit on A Day In The Life!!!!! Yesss!! Thanks 

 Almost done mixin !! Gon beeee rad!!!!! If ya love The Beatles and John Lennon you gonna love this!!! #freaks #floyd #beatles #srgtpeppers #theflaminglips #lovemoneyparty #dogsmusicfriends #drugmusicthatdestroyshate” Coyne also shared a short video teasing their tripped out version of “A Day in the Life”, a.k.a. the fifth best song ever written. The psych-rock vets first joined forces with the pop starlet during their concert in Los Angeles in February, which coincided with the Lips’ 30th anniversary with the band. Since then, the Lips have announced plans for a full covers album details

It was a dark time for the group. The Beatles lost their manager and good friend Brian Epstein to a barbiturate overdose in the fall of 1967. To forget their sorrows, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr along with their wives flew out of London to Rishikesh, India for a retreat with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for three months (Harrison and Lennon stayed the longest) starting in February 1968.

In this period the four Beatles wrote the bulk of their final compositions for the White Album, Let It Be, and Abbey Road. By late 1968, the group recorded their double album The White Album which had seen a number of arguments and a temporary walk out from Ringo. Paul McCartney felt that the group’s cohesiveness was lost in individual recording sessions, overdubs, and complex compositions. It was as if The White Album was a compilation of songs by solo acts rather than an ensemble band details

What do you do when there’s a singular talent in your field that is SO demonstrably superlative that no one can EVER hope to compete with it? This is “the Mozart problem,” according to Boston Globecolumnist Alex Beam, who describes it as “the presence of a market-clearing talent in one’s chosen profession.”

The reference of course is to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the child prodigy whose musical genius eclipsed that of all other classical composers of his time, leaving jealous rivals such as Antonio Salieri—according to the movie Amadeus at least—in despair of ever approaching Mozart’s creative endowment. Beam gives examples of other “market-clearing talents” who spent careers psyching out rivals—such as Bobby Fischer in chess or Michael Jordan in basketball—but leaves out my favorite example: a rock & roll band that has cast a long shadow on popular music for half a century. The Beatles—by nearly any measurement of artistic or commercial suc details

Harlem Records announces its first full-length album release. The Harlem-based independent record label that previously released the Cissy Houston EP "Walk on By Faith" in May 2012, and the Gospel for Teens Choir extended CD-single "Yes, We Can" in November 2012, will release the "HEY JUDE," a full-length collection of never-before released gospel versions of classic pop songs. 

"HEY JUDE" will be available for download on iTunes beginning Tuesday, April 29, 2014. Founded in 2012 by Vy Higginsen (President & CEO), Harlem Records also announces that Knoelle Higginson-Wydro, who has officially joined the burgeoning label as Vice President, will oversee the release of several full-length gospel albums via iTunes throughout the year. Produced by Ms. Higginsen, "HEY JUDE" features gospel versions of hit pop songs from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. "HEY JUDE" features covers of three Beatles hits, a John Lennon classic, and songs originally made famous by artists such as Ben E. King, Carole details

Filming for the new three-part ITV drama about Cilla Black, starring Sheridan Smith (Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) is well underway in Liverpool. The ‘60s-set drama will tell the story of how the singer and Blind Date star met Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and how she got the attention of Beatles manager Brian Epstein and producer George Martin.

ITV's Cilla also follows Black's friendship with John, Paul, Ringo and George, how it shaped her career and resulted in two men fighting for her love. The shoot will take approximately six weeks to complete, and will include scenes from around the city – and a young Priscilla at the famous Cavern Club, where the Beatles played; the Zodiac Club, Blue Angel Club; and the Iron Door Club, where she chased her dream of becoming famous. So far, Sheridan is enjoying the city. “I've always wanted to work in Liverpool,” she said to ITV during filming, “it's the friendliest city in the world.” details

Music has always been one of the most important aspects of AMC's "Mad Men." Which is why, when creator Matthew Weiner wanted to use a Beatles song in season 5's "Lady Lazarus" episode, he refused to settle for anything but the real deal.

Instead of using a cover of the band's "Tomorrow Never Knows," Weiner insisted they use a master recording that cost the production upward of $250,000. As we head into the Season 7 (Part 1) premiere this Sunday, here's the behind-the-scenes story of how one pricey "Mad Men" episode came to be. From the real-life ad campaigns to the fashions, most everything on "Mad Men" is authentically 1960s. But for Weiner, there was always one glaring inauthenticity on the show. “It was always my feeling that the show lacked a certain authenticity because we never could have an actual master recording of the Beatles performing," Weiner told The New York Times. "It always felt to me like a flaw. Because they are the band, probably, of the 20th century.” That isn't to say that the series has neve details

WHILE most people remember Joe Brown as one of Britain's first pop stars, my early memories of the original chirpy Cockney are slightly different. Throughout my '80s childhood, the 72-year-old was the star of my home town's pantomime, appearing every Christmas as Buttons alongside various dames and damsels.

Joe laughs when I remind him of his days at the Theatre Royal in Windsor: "I did eight consecutive years there but I'm too old to go through the mangle these days and anyway you can't even throw the sweets out any more in case you hit the little bleeders in the eye!" While he might have left pantomime behind, Joe is still on the road more than 50 years since he first backed the likes of Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran as a jobbing musician and next week he returns to Southport where one of the UK's original rock guitar pioneers will remind audiences why a generation of musicians still regard him as the best.  "I've been on tour since I was 18 mate," he chuckles. "I usually do two 60-d details

He was just a small record store owner who went to hear a popular little local band and decided he could make them stars. They had no record deal and no real prospects. He had no experience as a manager…but Brian Epstein convinced the Beatles to sign with him, and you know the rest of the story.

That was Brian Epstein's life work from the time he signed the Beatles in 1962. Until his death just 5 years later, he was guiding the Beatles from obscurity through the cultural explosion we all refer to as "Beatlemania." The Beatles went into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame the third year it was open in 1986. Their legendary producer George Martin got in 13 years later, but there had been no such honor for Epstein until tonight. He will then be inducted along with the rest of the class on 2014. Getting Epstein into the Hall Of Fame, has been a 15 year battle for our friend Martin Lewis.

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Source: KTTV, Los Angeles details