Beatles News

THE sharpest of Liverpudlian wit, live music and perhaps the odd reference to a somewhat well known older relative will all feature as Mike McGear McCartney brings his first solo tour in 42 years to Torrington at the end of this month.

What do you do when your big brother Sir Paul – or ‘our kid’ as Mike calls him – has taken over the world with The Beatles? Faced with such a dilemma back in the 60s, the younger McCartney sibling changed his name to Mike McGear, formed his own band The Scaffold with Roger McGough and John Gorman, and moved into the satire and comedy field. Hit records and television series followed before Mike turned his back on showbiz to return to his first love photography, with his work acclaimed by exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institute in the US and Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. But now Mike is back on the road with a new hilarious and nostalgic one man show Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll (I Wish!), told through his photographs, lively anecdotes and live music too. He is coming to The Plough Arts Centre at details

A former children's home in Liverpool made famous by the Beatles is set to be opened to the public. The Salvation Army, which owns the Strawberry Field site in Woolton, plan to reopen it as a training centre for people with learning difficulties.

The proposals would also see the site opened to Beatles fans, if the plans are approved by the city council. John Lennon immortalised the home, which closed in 2005, when he wrote Strawberry Fields Forever in 1967. Drew McCombe from the Salvation Army said he hoped the £6m project would include retrieving the original Victorian Strawberry Field gates which were put into storage in 2011. He said the scheme was in the "early consultation stage" but the charity hopes to submit an application to Liverpool City Council next month. As well as the training centre, the building will have a cafe where young people will be able to train in catering and hospitality. It will also have a heritage exhibition featuring the history of the Salvation Army and Strawberry Fie details

“Would I have liked to have been a Beatle?” Jeff Lynne pauses for thought before slowly shaking his head. “I don’t know. It wasn’t all beer and skittles being a Beatle. “To have been under so much pressure, to not have been able to walk down the street? I’m a very private person. I would have found that very tough. So maybe no.

“But to share the studio with George, Paul and Ringo, and to hear all those wonderful stories, that was very special. It was a privilege, beyond a privilege. The stuff of dreams.” The 66-year-old Shard End kid-turned Hollywood A-lister, who will take his place on Broad Street’s Walk of Stars on Thursaday, famously brought John Lennon back to life.  Not literally, of course, but in the recording studio during the 1994 sessions for The Beatles Anthology albums, which collected together classics, rarities and two new songs based on unfinished Lennon demos. Called in by close friend Harrison, it was up to Jeff to use his production wizardry to help revive Free As A B details

Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner discussed his love of the Beatles' Abbey Road and even used it in a metaphor for the end of his series, which begins its seventh and final season April 13th, in an interview with Buzzfeed.

"I just always loved that the album actually ends, almost like The Sopranos did, in the middle of a song. It's just, 'Cut!' – you know, that last note of 'Her Majesty'?" he said. "So I just admire it in artistic expressionism, looking at wrapping up the show. I'm writing an ending, and it will – whether I like it or not – frame the entire 92-hour experience of the show in some way. So I was impressed with how the Beatles dealt with that responsibility." Weiner also revealed that, unlike the Beatles, the show's storyline won't make it to 1970. He would not disclose at what point in time the show would wrap things up, but he was adamant that the series was meant to be a Sixties period piece. "The intention of the show starting in 19 details

As celebrations continue marking the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' American debut, Cunard Line will help commemorate the group’s first crossing of the Atlantic with The Beatles Experience. The premiere tribute band and Queen Mary 2 will come together during one of the ship’s Transatlantic Crossings, departing from New York on October 28, 2014.

Passengers on board the eight-day October sailing will have the exclusive opportunity to enjoy a concert by The Beatles Experience in the Royal Court Theatre. Audiences will also be treated to Q&A's during the voyage. The Beatles Experience will also perform on Queen Mary 2's April 2, 2014, Hong Kong to Dubai sailing, Queen Victoria's April 1, 2014 San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale sailing and Queen Elizabeth's March 29, 2014 Hong Kong to Dubai sailing. Entertainers such as Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Cary Grant and Clark Gable have also frequently crossed the Atlantic on Cunard’s earlier Queens,Queen Mary details

A DERELICT complex of buildings in west London, where the records of Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix were pressed, is ready to rediscover its historical role as a centre for advanced manufacturing.

The Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes, Middlesex, was once the home of music companies EMI and HMV, employing 22,000 people in its 1960s heyday. As the headquarters of industrial group Thorn EMI, it also became a hub of British engineering innovation, spawning the development of broadcasting systems, stereo, airborne radar and the CAT scanner. Now a joint venture between developers Cathedral Group and Development Securities — backed by London mayor Boris Johnson — is moving to revitalise the windswept 6.8ha site as London’s first "soup-to-nuts" incubator for hi-tech manufacturing entrepreneurs. Advances in rapid prototyping through the use of 3D printers are revolutionising product development by allowing individual entrepreneurs and researchers to make complex components quickly and at low cost.

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BEATLES memorabilia and a handbag signed by astronaut Neil Armstrong are to go on auction in Croydon. The sale includes a 1964 NEMS record player, which is one of the earliest pieces of Beatles merchandise. Only 5,000 were made and, while they rarely come up for sale, one has been listed for Catherine Southon’s next auction at The Chateau in Shirley Hills on March 26.

The record player features a print of the Fab Four as well as facsimile autographs. Though it is not in mint condition, it is estimated the record player will fetch between £1,000 and £2,000. A boxed set of car mascot ‘Bobbin Head’ Beatles dolls is expected to sell for up to £400. The set is in its original, slightly damaged box, and the dolls, which are around eight inches tall, are popular with collectors. The third and final piece of Beatles merchandise is a 1964 Dutch polka dot mini dress in beige and white with the faces of John, Paul, George and Ringo printed on it. It is in very good condition and could sell for £250.

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Filmmaker Josh Wakely’s production company, Grace, has acquired the worldwide rights to the Beatles’ music catalog in an agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Grace will have the rights to the group’s song catalog for an animated children’s series called “Beat Bugs.”  The series will be based on the original characters and world created by Wakely.

While Grace has acquired rights to Beatles’ songs, however, it has not acquired rights to the recordings. Other artists will have to perform the songs. “Josh’s ingenuity and creative exploration of these iconic songs in a wholly imaginative world was too good to pass up and the idea of opening up the single greatest music catalog of the 20th century to the next generation is something we are particularly excited about. We are thrilled to be working with Josh and the team at Grace,” said Damian Trotter, managing director of Sony/ATV. “Beat Bugs” is aimed at children and uses original narratives intertwined with the Beatles songs to tell the details

Former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney was treated like royalty recently while dining at Hollywood restaurant, Il Piccolino. The chef made a special meal just for him. McCartney was having dinner with his wife, Nancy Shevell, and his former Beatles bandmate, Ringo Starr and his wife, Barbara Bach.

When McCartney wasn’t sure what to eat, he headed to the kitchen. According to a source, ”The owner, a friend, escorted the ex-Beatle into the kitchen where Paul – who loves to cook – watched intently as the chef prepared veggies chosen by the star.” Not only was his meal made to order, but McCartney’s customized dish also came with the recipe, delivered alongside his plate. Vegan options abound when you’re Sir Paul McCartney!

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A new theatrical film based on two famous interviews that John Lennon gave a decade apart is set to get its world premiere this week at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas.  Rubber Soul examines Lennon’s dynamic personality and changing beliefs by contrasting recreated conversations that the late Beatles legend and his wife, Yoko Ono, had with Rolling Stone magazine in December 1970 and with Playboy in September 1980.

The movie was written and directed by Jon Lefkowitz, who used transcripts and available audio of the interviews to create the script.  Lennon and Ono’s Rolling Stone interview was conducted by the magazine’s editor and founder Jan Wenner just before the couple’s Plastic Ono Band solo albums were released.  ThePlayboy interview took place while John and Yoko were recording 1980′s Double Fantasy, just a few months be details

Yoko Ono has penned an open letter to Elbow after they name-checked her in their new song ‘New York Morning’. The Elbow lyric goes “Oh, my giddy aunt, New York can talk / It’s the modern Rome and folk are nice to Yoko”. The line has motivated Yoko to ponder about the relationship she and the late John Lennon has and had with NYC.

In a posting on her website she writes: “Dear Guy, Craig, Mark, Pete and Richard, Yes. New York has been kind to me as your song says. Thank you. For John, he always wanted to come and live in this city, ever since he saw Bob Dylan on the famous album cover ['The Freewheelin Bob Dylan']. And I played the catalyst to make his dream come true”. She added: “But in sleepless nights, I am still living in the memory of my sweet husband, who was virtually kicked out of his own country that he loved so dearly and learned to live in this bleak port city just so his woman and he could live in peace. Two sides of the coin. Life is. Have a great time in New York. We loved it. Love, Yoko”.

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On Thursday Beatles Help! Piano To Be Auctioned was a top story. Here is the recap: (hennemusic) A piano that was used by John Lennon and Paul McCartney during the filming of The Beatles' 1965 film, "Help!", is going up for auction this month in Liverpool.

The 1907 Bechstein Concert Grand piano, which is expected to sell for over £50,000, is part of an auction of over 200 lots of rare Beatles memorabilia and vinyl records to be hosted by Omega Auctions on March 20 at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool; the event coincides with the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles number one hit, "Can't Buy Me Love". Currently owned by the film's director, Richard Lester, the piano was used by the songwriting legends to write the movie's title song. "When the film was being written under the imaginative working title 'Beatles Two', the writers and I wanted to call it 'Help'," explained Lester. "Unfortunately, we were informed by copyright lawyers that someone else had registered that title, so Ringo helpfully offered 'Eight Arms to Hold You' (relating to th details

It’s already been a jet-setting start to the year for Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy Shevell who have ticked off France and America as destinations. And on Thursday the couple added to their list of trips as they were spotted getting ready to board a flight from LA back to London.

Not surprisingly the pair have honed the skill of dressing for travelling, looking very sharp as they made their way through the airport. Paul, 71, looked much younger than his years wearing a well-fitted black suit with a white shirt – unbuttoned at the top. Keeping cosy she wore a gold padded jacket, while she wrapped a chiffon scarf around her neck. Her brunette locks, which were particularly shiny, fell loose around her shoulders and she wore simple make-up. On Sunday evening the couple raised eyebrows when they chose to shun the Oscars in favour of a double date with Dave Grohl and his pregnant wife Jordyn Blum. Paul and Dave, 45, had teamed up with Ringo Starr and the other surviving members of Nirvana, bassist Krist Novoselic and to details

A groovy Swinging Sixties exhibition is taking place at Lichfield Museum at St Mary’s in the Market Square. The exhibition features memorabilia from the 1960s – the decade associated with The Beatles, mini skirts and beehive hairstyles.

On show at the museum are records, a collection of psychedelic clothes and nostalgic photographs. The majority of objects that are on display have been loaned by people from Lichfield and are from various parts of the UK. There also some items of clothing from London – the focus of fashion at the time. Peter Griffiths, volunteer at Lichfield Museum said: “The 1960s was such an iconic decade and we are excited to launch this exhibition to show the designs and fashion of the swinging sixties.” The exhibition started on March 3 and will run through until June 30, Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 3.30pm. The display itself is free, but normal entry prices to the museum apply.

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It's 50 years since Australia was rocked by the music phenomenon that was Beatlemania. Now the Fab Four are being celebrated in a Melbourne exhibition, to celebrate the anniversary of their Australian tour.nIt's taken half a century but the spirit of the Beatles is back in all the mop-topped glory.

From newspaper clippings to old records and clothing, an exhibition at the Melbourne Arts Centre seeks to recapture the Beatles revolution, the Fab Four Fever of 1964 when the band spent 13 days touring Australia. At the time there was hysteria on city streets as people were swept away by Beatlemania. Virginia Boon was 16 when the band arrived in Melbourne. "It was an explosion in our lives when they first came, they were just so different to everything else that we'd seen." The boys from Liverpool captured her heart, and together with her older sister Patty, the pair attended a concert. "[It was] crazy, crazy, electric. All the girls screaming." "Everyone tried to rush up and give Paul a great big hug, or John a great big hug." Rock historian Glenn A. Baker says the Beatles u details