Beatles News

Cool new series taking place in New York this summer.  SOB's Concerts has announced the Summer Splash Concert Cruises, a season-long row of spectacular concerts and dance parties on the deck of a 4-level infinity luxury yacht. July 13th we set sail with Beatles cover band Fab Faux. 

With a commitment to the accurate reproduction of The Beatles’ repertoire, The Fab Faux treat the seminal music with unwavering respect, and are known for their painstaking recreations of the songs (with emphasis on the later works never performed live by the Beatles). Far beyond a cover band, they play the music of The Beatles so impeccably that one must experience it to believe it. Imagine hearing complex material like “Strawberry Fields Forever” or “I Am the Walrus” performed in complete part-perfect renditions; or suc details

from their first chart-topper to their final rooftop concert. 50 years ago this month, John Lennon was a panelist on the BBC show Juke Box Jury, where he rated every song a “miss.”

In 1960s Britain, they didn’t have American Idol or The Voice or The X Factor. But they did have Juke Box Jury. Not to be confused with the American version of the series, Jukebox Jury, Juke Box Jury featured a rotating panel of four showbiz personalities who would listen to a selection of the latest singles and rate them on a simple, binary scale: Each record was either a “hit” or a “miss.”

The show itself was undeniably a hit, attracting about 12 million viewers a week. For their part, The Beatles had scored only a couple No. 1s by June 1963, and so it was a major boon when John Lennon was asked to appear.

In fact, the extra publicity was so important to manager Brian Epstein that he chartered a helicopter to take Lennon from the taping to their next performan details

The Fifth Beatle, from M Press Books, a division of Dark Horse Comics, recounts the untold true story of Brian Epstein, the visionary manager who discovered and guided the Beatles to unprecedented international stardom—yet died painfully lonely at the young age of thirty-two. More than merely the story of “The Man Who Made the Beatles,” The Fifth Beatle is an uplifting, tragic, and ultimately inspirational human story about the desire to leave behind a legacy, amidst the struggle to overcome crushing personal obstacles and insurmountable odds.

This marks the first full-length graphic novel painted by fanboy favorite Andrew C. Robinson (Dusty Star, King Conan, Starman, Superman). The book also features a special section paying homage to the 1960s Beatles cartoons, lovingly drawn by multiple Eisner and Harvey Award–winning cartoonist Kyle Baker (Why I Hate Saturn, Plastic Man, Nat Turner).

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Jun. 4, 2013 - PENNSYLVANIA, Pa. -- Jude Southerland Kessler, host of weekly The John Lennon Hour radio show, is honored to announce that Beatles expert Larry Kane will be her guest on Sunday, June 7th at 8 p.m. (ET).  Mr. Kane will be discussing his soon to be released book, When They Were Boys, along with other exclusive stories about his accompanying The Beatles on their U.S. tour in 1964 and 1965.

Jude Kessler says of Kane’s newest book, "For years, my favorite Beatles book has overwhelmingly been Jim O'Donnell's The Day John Met Paul. It was the only book that I felt captured the true spirit of the Liverpool I know. But now, Larry Kane's When They Were Boyshas stepped up and equaled the essence of Merseyside in a volume of artistic writing that is in a class all by itself. Readers who have hundreds of Beatles books will not want to miss Larry Kane's new one. His other books are very, very good. This one is off-the-charts-great.”

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BENTON — The anniversary of George Harrison’s visit to Benton will be celebrated later this year.

Harrison, one of the fab four who made up The Beatles, spent several weeks in Benton at the home of his sister, Louise Harrison Caldwell, in 1963.

“2013 marks the 50th anniversary of George’s visit,” Robert Rea of the Franklin County Historic Preservation Society said. “He was the first Beatle to set foot on U.S. soil.”

While the band was busting the charts in England in September of that year, members Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr had yet to find fame in the United States.

In those pre-Beatlemania days, Harrison was able to walk the streets of Benton, jam with local musicians, visit record stores and camp in the Shawnee National Forest without the hysteria that accompanied his later visits to the United States, Illinois State His-torical Society Executive Director William Furry said.

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George Harrison’s withering indictment of Britain’s progressive tax system was chosen to open the Beatles’ most progressive musical effort to date.

Opening with a rasping cough and a droll count-in, “Taxman” kicks off Revolver in startling fashion, demonstrating both Harrison’s growing sophistication as a songwriter and Emerick’s budding talent for sculpting guitar tones.

Under Harrison’s slashes of distorted rhythm guitar, Paul McCartney’s propulsive bassline bubbles up in an ascending motif that has been copied by everyone from the Jam to Beck.

Recording of “Taxman” commenced on April 20 with four takes of the rhythm track, but the work was scrapped, and 10 new takes were made on the 21st; the song’s count-in was added on May 16.

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Source: Guitar World

Beatles Gear is a landmark book that details exactly which guitars, drums, amplifiers and keyboards The Beatles used at key points during their career.

The book was even used as the official technical reference book for Beatles Rock Band, and its author, musician Andy Babiuk, was the official technical consultant to the game.

The book follows the band, from a gear perspective, from the formation of the Quarry Men in the 1950s to the dissolution of the Beatles in 1970. It provides a fresh insight into Beatles history from a new viewpoint. Along the way, many myths are exploded and dozens of stories told for the first time.

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Source: Guitar World

At a young age, Mary McCartney was introduced to the world of vegetarianism by her mother, Linda McCartney. Her father is Paul McCartney (yes, that one) and according to her recently published cookbook, “Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking,” he played a role in spurring her love of vegetarian food in particular.

McCartney says she is a photographer, not a professional cook, and her book is filled with her beautiful photographs of the dishes she lovingly creates.

She spoke with us about vegetarian cooking.

When did you first fall in love with food? Growing up watching my mother cooking was a magical process. The smells that would drift in from the kitchen were tantalizing. I always loved it when my mum would bake banana bread. Yum.

Why is healthy, vegetarian food important to you? I love food that tastes satisfying but also has a sense of indulgence. I love creating meals that have great health values and are really tasty.

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