Beatles News

While The Beatles did their best to perform their most-loved songs while they were still touring, quite a few tracks have never been performed live by the Fab Four. The group retired (officially) from touring in 1966, and quite a bit of music never got to see a proper live performance. It’s sad, but understandable.

However, there is one song that had about a year of life before the band retired to be played in front of audiences. Regardless, the Fab Four never played it live; and many fans wonder why, considering it’s a great song. The track happens to be George Harrison’s second songwriting credit for the band, and it’s also considered by many to be Harrison’s very first “big” track contribution to the band’s discography.

The song in question is “I Need You” from the 1965 Beatles album Help! Why The Beatles Never Performed “I Need You” Live

It’s a little puzzling why The Beatles (or George Harrison alone) never performed “I Need You” live. Harrison went on two substantial tours while he was alive, in 1974 and 1991, respectively. He also put on a number of one-night-only shows throughout his career, notably with the details

In 1964, The Beatles were already the biggest band on the planet. But after meeting Bob Dylan one night after a show in New York, something would happen that would change the foursome forever!

It was August 28, 1964, and The Beatles just finished playing a show at Forest Hills Stadium in New York. After the show, they headed over to a hotel to meet with some friends.

Among those friends was none other than Bob Dylan. It was like a match made in heaven, They all had a tremendous amount of respect for each other. Bob, who loved The Beatles music, had a small misunderstanding about the Fab Four though...

See, Bob had misheard some lyrics in the song "I Want to Hold Your Hand". He thought he heard them say "I get high" instead of "I can't hide" and thought the band was into smoking weed.

The funny part about this is that until that night, The Beatles had never smoked weed. So Bob decided to offer them some from his personal stash! And the band decided to give it a shot.

Source: Matt Miller/rock95.com

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A man's Beatles toy figure was spotted by Paul McCartney - and has now become official merch.

Figure-maker David McGurk created a mini George Martin – The Beatles’ producer who passed away in 2016 – and posted a photo of it on his social media.

The 46-year-old, who is a huge fan of the iconic band, was surprised to be contacted by Martin’s son Giles – also a talented record producer.

Giles asked for one which David sent to Abbey Road recording studio and it was spotted by Macca - who insisted it sit on a mixing desk during a session.

Stunned Giles was then asked to make 100 more - to go on sale at the Abbey Road Studios shop.

Giles, from Clydebank, Scotland, said: ''Giles he told me ‘I really like the figure of my dad, if you make any more, I’d like one’ so I thought right away ‘I’m going to do it’.

“I made a new George Martin figure, and I made one of Giles as well because I thought ‘I’ll put this in as a wee surprise’.

“I sent it down to Abbey Road which was crazy in itself.

“‘Can you just send it down and I’ll give you the address; it’s Abbey R details

Dr. Arthur Janov believed the repressed pain of childhood trauma led to neurosis and felt the resolution could be achieved by re-experiencing specific incidents and expressing the resulting pain through therapy. He called it primal therapy, and it was developed to elicit the repressed pain in a way traditional talking therapy does not. John Lennon, actor James Earl Jones, and pianist Roger Williams all advocated primal therapy. It was in 1970 that Janov published his first book The Primal Scream. In March of that year, he started treating both John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Mother” by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

Mother, you had me
But I never had you
I, I wanted you
You didn’t want me
So, I
I just got to tell you
Goodbye
Goodbye
Julia

Lennon’s father Alf was a merchant seaman who was away from home the majority of the time. When Lennon was 5 years old, his father returned and planned to take the youngster to New Zealand. Lennon’s mother Julia objected and convinced her estranged husband to leave the boy. She gave custody to her sister Mimi, who lived close by. Lennon couldn’t help but feel abando details

On Aug. 7, a vandal spray-painted obscene graffiti over the iconic John Lennon mural at 1020 Garnet Ave. in Pacific Beach. The popular mural, painted in 2006, based on a famous photograph of the musician, was damaged beyond repair.

Haseeb Akbarzada, the owner of the business where it happened, 365 Reloaded Smoke Shop on Garnet near Cass, decided to paint over the entire wall with the intent of reviving the mural.

Now, that’s happening, as muralist Jon Hamrick (@Just_Jon1), from Pacific Beach, has started painting a new John Lennon mural.
vandal
San Diego Police hopes that someone will recognize the person from the surveillance video and turn them in before other murals are damaged.

There has been a public outcry in the aftermath of the destruction of the original artwork. “The members of beautifulPB are deeply saddened by the defacing of this beloved mural,” said Ryan Stock, beautifulPB’s new president. “We believe that fostering vibrant, shared spaces — where people of all backgrounds come together, living life in peace — is key to preventing such acts. As great urbanist Jane Jacobs wisely said, ‘Eyes on the street’ are vital to the healt details

When The Beatles needed a bassist after Stuart Sutcliffe left the band, Paul McCartney took the job because nobody else wanted to volunteer. After all, it wasn’t exactly the glory spot in the lineup at that time.

But McCartney’s skill and imagination in devising his bass parts for Beatles songs helped to transform the way the instrument was utilized by rock bands. Here are five of those bass parts that emerged from the mix to make their presence known.
“I Saw Her Standing There” from Please Please Me (1962)

The very first song on the very first Beatles album (Please Please Me in 1962) established what McCartney could bring to the table as a bassist. Considering the blistering tempo of the song, he easily could have chosen to play a more minimal role, popping in occasionally with chosen notes. Instead, he charges headlong into the breach, giving the song an unstoppable rhythmic pulse. Listen to the way he smoothly interacts with Ringo Starr’s drums, even though Starr had only joined the band just a few months prior to this recording.
“Nowhere Man” from Rubber Soul (1965)

This is just one example of many where McCartney’s playing gives a Beatles son details

Beatlemania struck Cincinnati 60 years ago as fans got the chance of a lifetime to see The Beatles perform live at Cincinnati Gardens on Aug. 27, 1964.

Based on news reports of the day, Cincinnati didn’t quite know how to handle it all. The Enquirer reported that authorities were bracing for “teen-age massteria,” with the level of preparations usually reserved for presidential visits.

The frenzy had been building for months, since the Fab Four – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – made their American debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Feb. 9 before 73 million television viewers.

The lads from Liverpool, England, scored nine top-10 songs already that year, and in April had held the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. Their film “A Hard Day’s Night" just released in theaters. This was the height of Beatlemania, and The Beatles were coming to Cincinnati. Teenage fans hold up signs to grab The Beatles' attention outside Cincinnati Gardens before the concert on Aug. 27, 1964.

Source: cincinnati.com

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Sixty years ago, on Aug. 21, 1964, a young Beatles fan from North Dakota was staying at Seattle’s Edgewater Inn when she got to experience nearly every classic rock fan's dream: hanging out with The Beatles.

This week Nancy King, 76, revisited the place she called her "mecca," getting "back to where [she] once belonged."

"Oh, it’s good to be back!” said King, stepping out of her rental car.

She said her mind was instantly flooded with memories.

"They had the police boats just to make sure the teenagers weren’t trying to scale the wall to get in here," said King. "It was just packed."

On their first North American tour, The Beatles played the Seattle Center's Coliseum, and in the hours before their show, a photographer snapped a photo of them fishing out of their hospitality suite at the Edgewater.

Source: king5.com

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Let me take you down to Strawberry Fields— no, not the memorial in New York’s Central Park to the former Beatle John Lennon, who was slain in Manhattan in 1980, but to the place that inspired his song, where the Salvation Army is conducting an experiment in mixing tourism with faith and social action.

The original Strawberry Field was a children’s home in Liverpool, just around the corner from John Lennon’s childhood home. It inspired the Beatles’ 1966 track “Strawberry Fields Forever,” penned by Lennon (who added an “s” to its name), as well as what may be one of the most innovative projects undertaken by the Salvation Army, the Christian anti-poverty movement founded in mid-1800s London.

Strawberry Field is known for its red gates festooned with strawberry motifs, which are often thronged with tourists taking selfies and some adding to the graffiti on the gates’ stone pillars. But the army has now deployed the site’s connection to the Beatles to draw more visitors to fund its mission and encourage people who would never consider stepping inside a church to find out about Christianity.

The children’s home, closed in 2005, has been d details

You would think The Beatles, as successful as they were, would have enjoyed some sort of autonomy about what they did or didn’t want to do when they were at the height of their popularity. That wasn’t always the case. For example, they were forced to come up with new material for the soundtrack to Yellow Submarine, a 1968 animated movie based on their music.

The fact that they had zero to do with making the movie didn’t excuse them from having to contribute songs to the project. They obliged with some leftovers and throwaways. But, this being The Beatles, even those songs turned out to be pretty special. Here’s how it all went down.

The Beatles lucked out in that Yellow Submarine, a film over which they little control (not that they wanted to deal with it anyway) turned out as well as it did. Even though the actors hired to do the voices of the Fab Four didn’t always sound like them, the whimsical tale (beware those villainous Blue Meanies) and psychedelic animation charmed audiences.

Those audiences probably didn’t realize the group only agreed to the film because they were contractually obligated to do one more picture. While the animated film was being made in 1967, details

The site of The Beatles first ever performance is set to be honoured with a commemorative plaque.

John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison played alongside Stuart Sutcliffe - the band's original bass guitarist - and Pete Best, the original drummer, at the Jacaranda on Slater Street in Liverpool in August 1960.

The World Origin Site plaque will acknowledge the "hidden gem where the band cut their teeth" before their breakthrough Hamburg tour.

The band, later made up of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Ringo Starr, had a string of classic albums such as Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. Their best known hits include Yesterday, Hey Jude, A Hard Day's Night and Let It Be.

Dave McCabe, the frontman of The Zutons, paid tribute to the venue, which still hosts live music every night, serving as a vital hub for grassroots performances and sustaining Liverpool's musical heritage and future.  "Grassroots music venues like the Jacaranda are so important because without them there’s no growth, there’s no education and there’s no real experience.

"They give you a chance to learn about what it is you love about music and find an ans details

Behind the Meaning of John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero”. 

Post-Beatles, John Lennon certainly couldn’t have been considered “working class.” He was lucky enough to be apart of one of the greatest bands of all time and his bank account certainly reflected it. Nevertheless, Lennon didn’t forget about the everyman. He used his voice to fight for those that struggled to rise to the top like he did. Uncover the meaning behind “Working Class Hero,” below.

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[RELATED: New Documentary About John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Wacky 1972 Stint Co-Hosting a Talk Show Premiering Soon]
Behind the Meaning of John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero”

Lennon released this caustic song in the early ’70s. His biting lyrics, at the same time, bolstered those in the working class and chided the folks on the hill. After having reached the upper echelon, Lennon turns back to tell those behind him, “Hey, this isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

As soon as you’re born, they make you feel small
By giving you no time instead of it all
Till details

When Todd Rundgren first released his song “Hello It’s Me” as a B-side with his band Nazz in 1968, it managed to peak at No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, then reentered the chart at No. 66 months later. After Nazz—which pulled it’s name from the Yardbirds’ 1966 song “The Nazz Are Blue”—disbanded in 1969, Rundgren revisited “Hello It’s Me” on his third solo album Something/Anything? in 1972 and took the more uptempo version to No. 5 on the chart.

Despite it’s chart history, when Rundgren joined Ringo Starr with his All-Starr Band, he performed “Hello It’s Me” a few times but eventually retired it on their tours.

“Originally, Ringo wanted me to do “Hello It’s Me,” and I just felt that the song, in the context of what the rest of the band was playing, didn’t represent the message I wanted to convey,” said Rundgren. “‘Hello It’s Me’ is a kind of a selfish song. It’s me, me, me. It’s all about me. I’m in charge, and all this other stuff.”

Hello, it’s me
I’ve thought about us for a long long time
Maybe I think t details

Original drummer Pete Best and his younger brother Roag have converted one of the earliest venues where the Beatles performed into a short-term rental property.

The Casbah Coffee Club hosted the early Beatles nearly 40 times, after John Lennon's previous Quarrymen band played there on seven nights. The venue at 8 Haymans Green in Liverpool opened in 1956 in the basement of Best's family home and was run by his mother Mona.

She'd initially tried to book a residency with the Les Stewart Quartet, which featured a young George Harrison, but they suddenly split up before opening night. "George basically turned 'round and said: 'I happen to know a couple of guys who aren't doing anything,'" Pete Best tells The Guardian. "They turned out to be John Lennon and Paul McCartney."

There are now five AirBnB units above the club, each named after the original members of the Beatles – Lennon, Best, McCartney, Harrison and doomed founding bassist Stuart Sutcliffe. Roag Best, later revealed to be the son of Beatles road manager Neil Aspinall, has been renovating the property with his sibling for more than three years.
How Much Is the Casbah Club AirBnB?

Rooms are roughly $200 a night and each has been details

As part of International Beatleweek, that celebrates The Beatles in Liverpool, we take a look at how the renowned pop band not only changed the landscape of music, but fashion too.

After an infamous trip to Hamburg, Germany, the band’s manager, Brian Epstein, decided to dress the band in matching made-to-measure suits.

“These suits, often in dark hues and paired with ties and crisp white shirts, were meticulously crafted to present a unified, polished image,” says London-based fashion expert Fausta Urte Geigaite, “this bespoke elegance set them apart, offering a fresh, accessible look that appealed to both the youth and the establishment.”

Although the suits were a way to tidy their appearance, the band themselves were quite mischievous, and in a way The Beatles were the perfect contradiction. Clean cut in their appearance but rebellious in their nature; the band’s fashion helped appeal to both parents and teens.

As the band grew – so did their styles. Psychedelia became a pool of inspiration for liberals and free thinkers of the decade. Influenced by fin de siècle Art Nouveau, Victoriana and circus imagery – psychedelia’s d details