Beatles News

Number 1 record held by Beatles for almost 50 years finally toppled.

The Beatles nearly five decade old record has finally been broken. It’s been a long time coming but The Beatles have been defeated after almost five decades for the fastest accumulation of 12 chart topping albums in the UK.

It took John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr 14 years to land 12 number one albums, completing the feat in 1977 with a live album.

This had secured a record lasting 47 years which had a reputation for being unbeatable – until now.

Unsurprisingly, megastar Taylor Swift, 34, has achieved the same incredible feat in just 11 years and six months with The Tortured Poets Department.

This makes the ME! hitmaker the only artist to have 12 consecutive albums reach the coveted top spot in as many years.

Her latest album has truly caused a stir and while everyone paternity tested her song lyrics, TTPD broke records left right and centre.

Source: Danni Scott/metro.co.uk

Read More<<<

The Beatles' greatest b-side was ahead of its time, but it also exposed a difference of perspective between Lennon and McCartney.

Day Tripper, I Feel Fine, Revolution, Lady Madonna, Hey Jude, We Can Work It Out, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Don't Let Me Down… just some of The Beatles' classics that never made a studio album. That's how good the Paul, John, George and Ringo were in their seven years, seven months and 24 days together as a band. But there's a true Beatles b-side that fascinates even more than those songs, and it found them and their studio geniuses at the point of accelerated evolution.

“This is a song I wrote about people who are always moaning about the weather all the time,” John Lennon once said of the Revolver-era Rain. The word 'I' there suggesting the Lennon / McCartney credit the song carries needn't apply.

This is in contrast to Lennon's memory of the genesis of Rain's A-side, Paperback Writer's. "I think I might have helped with some of the lyrics," he told Hit Parader Magazine in 1972. "Yes, I did. But it was mainly Paul's tune." But he clearly saw Rain as his song. Indeed, in the same interview, it was one of a number of Beatles songs he listed details

Packed cinemas, sky-high record sales, and screaming hordes of teenage girls seem to be the collective memories of the peak of mid-sixties Beatlemania. The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night and its accompanying feature film, which celebrate their 60th anniversary this year, are an embodiment of the British Invasion of the 1960s. Featuring effortlessly crafted melodies with charming, albeit simplistic, lyrics, this album is packed with abundant charm and has contributed vastly to the band’s impact on modern pop. It seems that this album has always been in the background of my life – whether it be the opening track as a demo on our old Yamaha keyboard or the countless showings of the film on TV, Sunday after Sunday. Having reached number one in the UK and USA upon its release, there is no doubt that this album is truly beloved and deserves to be celebrated.

The opening track of the album has one of the most iconic opening bars of all time. George Harrison’s signature 12-string Rickenbacker punches the album open with its striking dissonance. This track works perfectly as the opening of this iconic album, and you’d be hard pressed to find a single person who doesn’t at least recognise th details

Ringo Starr was very proud of one Beatles song. He liked it so much that he borrowed from it while working on a solo hit.

In 1969, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr recorded The Beatles song “Get Back.” In 1972, Ringo Starr released a solo song that had some strikingly similar elements to The Beatles’ hit. He admitted he copied part of the song.
Ringo Starr took inspiration from a Beatles song in his career as a solo artist

Much of The Beatles’ experience recording Let It Be was agonizing. Beatles producer George Martin said the album was such an “unhappy” one that he was surprised the band reunited to record Abbey Road (per The Beatles Anthology). Still, there were some bright spots in the recording process. Starr said they enjoyed working together when they felt they were recording a good track.

“‘Get Back’ was a good track. I felt, ‘This is a kick-a** track.’ ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ also,” Starr said. “They were two fine tracks. Quite simple and raw — back to basics.”

He liked “Get Back” so much that he borrowed part of it for his own 1972 song, & details

A rare Cartier silver engraved box commissioned by John Lennon and Yoko Ono for their close friends is set to go on sale as a piece of music history.

The pair’s “Double Fantasy” box was crafted as a Christmas gift which Ono personally gave to the Beatles star’s bank manager at the Bank of Tokyo shortly after his death in December 1980. The cedar-encased box includes original accessories such as a blue pouch, outer case and paper wrapping, and reads inside “Double Fantasy Christmas 1980, NYC, John & Yoko”.

It is believed that only 12 of these exclusive boxes were ever made, making this piece an exceedingly rare find

The piece is to be auctioned at Catherine Southon Auctioneers & Valuers, in Kent, on May 15, with an estimated value of £3,000 to £5,000.

A spokesperson said: “It is believed that only 12 of these exclusive boxes were ever made, making this piece an exceedingly rare find. “Despite Lennon’s untimely demise, Yoko Ono fulfilled his wishes by distributing the gifts after Christmas, ensuring that his spirit of generosity and love continued to resonate.

“This unique example, bestowed upon the bank manager details

John Lennon could have made it easy on himself with his first solo album by sticking close to what he had done with The Beatles. Instead, he delivered a searing opus called John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band that stunned fans with its confessional intimacy and unpretty musical presentation.

Behind the Meaning of “Purple Rain” by Prince

This was not in any way some kind of premeditated move by Lennon, but rather a case of him releasing this music because he had to do it if he wanted to retain his sanity. Let’s take a look back at the circumstances surrounding this fierce, brave LP.

The rest of the world knew about The Beatles’ breakup in spring of 1970, but the group themselves found out in late ’69 when John Lennon announced at a meeting he was flying the coop. When that reality started to set in during the early part of 1970, Lennon was in a somewhat raw state. He was still struggling to kick his addictions, while also processing what his life would be outside the cocoon of the Fab Four.

Around that time, he was sent a book by Dr. Arthur Janov, who was gaining notoriety for a new kind of therapy known as “primal scream.” It intrigued Lennon and wife Yoko Ono s details

When it comes to popular music, there is one fact more than any other that is universally agreed upon and that’s that the British-born band The Beatles is rock music’s best ever. Pop stars, innovators, masterful songwriters—the Mop Tops, Fab Four or whatever else you want to call them are just the cream of the musical crop.

Behind the Meaning of “Purple Rain” by Prince

One of the reasons why this is so is because the band, despite being together for just a decade, boast some of the most memorable musical compositions of all time. While not every song garnered them an A+ grade, many do. And some songs from the band can even be thought of as eternal. Here below, are three songs from the Beatles that fit the criteria, three that are simply forever.

“Hey Jude”

Released in 1968, this standalone single was written by frontman Paul McCartney, inspired by John Lennon’s son Julian in the wake of the split between Lennon and Julian’s mother when Lennon then began dating Yoko Ono. The Billboard 100 No. 1 hit was the first single released on the band’s Apple Records label. It’s a song of encouragement, to see the silver lining, to let the bad details

In the latest episode of iHeartPodcast series McCartney: A Life In Lyrics, The Beatles' grand finale to the Abbey Road album is under the microscope with the songwriter and host, poet Paul Muldoon. The closing medley of the 1969 album's mini-suite with Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End of captured the ambition and inventiveness of the band, but Paul McCartney's songwriting is its centre. And he explained the roots of Golden Slumbers especially actually go back to discovering a piece of sheet music his step-sister Ruth had.

"I always look in a piano bench seat because people always have sheet music in there – they always used to, definitely," remembered McCartney in the podcast interview. "Now, sometimes they can be empty, but I always look to see. This time it was either in the piano seat or it might have been up on the music stand, it was this song Golden Slumbers."

The original Golden Slumbers is a Victorian lullaby by Peter Warlock in 1918, written to accompany a 17th poem called Cradle Song by Thomas Dekker from the 1603 comedy Patient Grissel. Dekker's poem would directly inspire McCartney.

"Golden slumbers fill your eyes / Smiles await you when you rise / Sleep, pretty baby, do n details

A Japanese tea service bought by George Harrison when Beatlemania confined him to a hotel room has gone on display. It is one of three bought by Harrison when the band was on tour in Japan in 1966.

Roag Best, who runs the Liverpool Beatles Museum, said: "Beatlemania had truly hit Japan [and] they couldn't go out." The tea service is on display at the museum, in Liverpool's Mathew Street. Mr Best, the half-brother of the band's original drummer Pete Best, and son of tour manager Neil Aspinall, said: "The Beatles had gone to play the Budokan.

"They played five shows in a three-day period and were playing to in excess of 10,000 people a show." He said his and John Lennon had had to leave their Tokyo hotel in disguise, and Paul McCartney had done the same. But Ringo Starr and Harrison stayed confined to their rooms.

"They liked buying stuff when they were touring but because they couldn't go out they were having people bringing their wares up to their rooms to sell," Mr Best said."George bought three really ornate Japanese tea services, which he then had shipped back to England."He kept one and gave my dad the choice of the other two, then the third he gave to his mother."

The crockery made its way b details

The rest of the world may have moved onto the eight-generation Chevrolet Corvette, but don’t tell that to Paul McCartney.

The Beatles founder was recently spotted out and about in Southern California in his trusted C5 ‘Vette. It’s no shock that the rock legend drives a sports car, but it is surprising to learn that he’s still driving one that is over 20 years old.

Video of the moment was posted to TikTok late last week by an account named truecelebritypop (via Road & Track). In the clip, McCartney can be seen exiting the parking lot of a recording studio in Hollywood while driving his C5 convertible. Ever the crowd pleaser, the rocker pauses briefly to wave to the gathered crowd before looking both ways, taking a right, and speeding off on his way.

If you’re a fan of Macca, chances are you know he’s a bit of a car buff. That’ll happen when you spend six-plus decades touring the world as one of its most successful (and well-renumerated) musicians of all time. At various times, his collection has included Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, and Rolls-Royces. It makes sense that he’d own a Corvette—it is the American sports car after all—but the C5 is details

The Beatles never have a hard time moving copies of their music. They still rank as one of the most successful and bestselling artists in U.S. history, even though they haven’t released a new album in decades. This frame, one of the group’s most successful compilations is back on a pair of Billboard charts, proving that the American masses are still in love with their work today, just as they were half a century ago.

1 by The Beatles returns to two Billboard rankings this frame. That title wasn’t present on any lists last week, so its comeback is a bit unexpected, but perfectly welcome.

On the Billboard 200, 1 reappears at No. 172. The compilation blasts back onto the list of the most-consumed albums of all styles, ages, and genres thanks to 8,644 equivalent units shifted. That sum includes 413 actual sales, according to Luminate.

The same title also manages to crack the Top Rock & Alternative Albums roster as well. That list ranks the most-consumed albums and EPs in the U.S. that Billboard classifies as rock or alternative, which of course The Beatles’ music fits.

1 lands at No. 41 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart this week, easily breaking back onto the details

Paul McCartney and Wings' long-bootlegged One Hand Clapping album will finally get an official release.

The sessions were recorded in August 1974 at Abbey Road Studios when the band went into the venue to lay down some music for a documentary and a possible live record. The 55-minute show aired later that year but has been rarely seen since then. The accompanying record, however, has remained a favorite bootleg album for decades. The official release will arrive on June 14.

Paul and Linda McCartney were joined by Wings members Danny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch and Geoff Britton.

The project was recorded in four days by McCartney and Wings, who performed live-in-the-studio versions of favorites such as "Jet," "Maybe I'm Amazed" and "Band on the Run." The upcoming album features the tracks recorded for the show plus several numbers made off-camera. What's on Paul McCartney and Wings' 'One Hand Clapping' Album?

The group was still at the top of the charts with the Band on the Run album when they started conceiving One Hand Clapping. While many of the songs they performed during the sessions come from that LP, they also dipped into the past.

In addition to some earlier McCartney material ("My Love details

The Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar used by the late John Lennon in making the Beatles' iconic 1965 Help! album is expected to sell for up to $800,000 (£650,000) in an upcoming auction slated for next month.

Julian's Auctions said Tuesday in a news conference at London's Hard Rock Cafe in Piccadilly Circus that the prized musical instrument will be for sale in its MUSIC ICONS auction slated for May 29-May 30.

The guitar - described by the auction house as 'one of the most historically important Beatles guitars in rock history' - will be sold in an auction stemming from the Hard Rock Cafe in New York and online at juliensauctions.com.

The guitar was 'long forgotten and believed to have been lost' until it was 'recently found in an attic in the UK after being unseen for over 50 years,' according to Julian's.

'The discovery of John Lennon's Help! guitar that was believed to be lost is considered the greatest find of a Beatles guitar since Paul McCartney's lost 1961 Höfner bass guitar,' said Darren Julien, Julien's executive director and co-founder.

The Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar used by the late John Lennon in making the Beatles ' iconic 1965 Help! alb details

Paul McCartney's son James McCartney and John Lennon's son Sean Ono Lennon came together for a surprise new single.

More than 60 years ago, the Beatles legends formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of all time, famously known as Lennon-McCartney. James, 46, recently revealed he had teamed up with Sean, 48, for a second-generation collaboration of Lennon-McCartney as he debuted a new song, "Primrose Hill," that the pair co-wrote.

"‘Primrose Hill’ is here! Today I am so very excited to share my latest song co-written by my good friend @sean_ono_lennon . With the release of this song it feels like we’re really getting the ball rolling and I am so excited to continue to share music with you," James captioned a photo of himself with Sean.

"Enjoy the song," James added, reminding his followers to enter his "Primrose Hill" music video contest. On April 2, James announced the contest on his official website. He invited fans to submit videos of couples capturing the "essence of love and romance" that might be included in the official music video for "Primrose Hill." Submissions for the contest have closed.

James also teased the release of "Primrose Hill" in an Instag details

By the time the Beatles got around to recording Get Back, it’s a wonder all four of them managed to be in the same room at the same time. As anyone who watched Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary about the album will know, the band was rife with in-fighting.

The main culprit behind the rift seemed to be Paul McCartney and his uncompromising vision. As the story goes, Macca would often shun anything that didn’t fit his personal goals for Let It Be. George Harrison certainly found it unbearable, causing him to hang up his Beatles hat on January 10, 1969.

Though he eventually tempered his emotions long enough to embark on that iconic rooftop concert (you know the one), it was one of the final nails in the coffin for the Fab Four.

Soon after announcing his temporary leave, Harrison took to his guitar to write one of his most enduring solo tracks, “Wah Wah.”

Wah-wah
You’ve given me a wah-wah
And I’m thinking of you
And all the things that we used to do
Wah-wah, wah-wah

While the lyrics above may not seem particularly cutting, they were aimed at his Beatles bandmates and their constant squabbling.

“That was the song, when details