If the fundamental measure of a documentary series is how many first-hand witnesses it can recruit, John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial is unimpeachable. This three-parter has almost everyone you could ask for, apart from Yoko Ono, as it reviews the day Lennon was shot dead by Mark Chapman, in New York on 8 December 1980, and the legal investigation that followed. What it can’t control is how much of interest those people have to say – because, however much we might expect the killing of a Beatle to be a fascinating story with a hive of secrets beneath the surface, this is a sad but simple tale.

By far the strongest episode of the three is the first, concerning the killing itself. Chapman shot Lennon after watching him leave the apartment block where he lived, the Dakota building overlooking Central Park, then waiting for him to return after a trip to the recording studio. Murder Without a Trial talks to the Dakota’s security guard, who speaks for the first time, and the building’s porter. It also talks to a taxi driver who witnessed the attack, the radio journalist who conducted Lennon’s last interview earlier in the day, the producer who had overseen Lennon’s last work, the NYPD’s first and second responders and to two nurses and a doctor who failed to revive Lennon in hospital.

Source: Jack Seale/theguardian.com

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Ringo Starr loved an Al Green song because of its incredible drumming. That tune appeared on an album that had an unusual impact on the American pop chart.

The Beatles were primarily a rock and pop band, but they still showed appreciation for soul music. Ringo Starr revealed he was a big fan of an Al Green song because of its incredible drumming. That tune appeared on an album that had an unusual impact on the American pop chart. On the other hand, the album was completely ignored by the public in the United Kingdom.

During a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, a reporter asked Ringo if “What’d I Say” by Ray Charles was an influence on his drumming style. “No, I know the song really well,” he said. “I listened to the records, but I wasn’t, like, big on listening to the drums.” Ringo’s comments are surprising since Paul McCartney praised him for being able to recreate the feel of “What’d I Say.”

Ringo named some songs with percussion that impressed him. “You know, in Al Green’s ‘I’m a Ram,’ the drummer uses the hi-hat as a part,” he said. “Well, it blew me away. I love that. And the only drum solo I talk about is Cozy Cole’s ‘Topsy’ from all those years ago. That’s the only one I liked. But John Bonham did quite a good one one time.” Ringo didn’t get specific about which of Bonham’s drum solos he admired.

Source: Matthew Trzcinski/Read More<<<

The Beatles' final song "Now and Then" was released in November 2023. George Harrison disliked and stopped working on "Now and Then" in 1995. The completion and release of "Now and Then" was made possible by Peter Jackson's collaboration with The Beatles and innovative AI software.

Music legends The Beatles released their final song, "Now and Then", in November 2023 to critical and commercial success. Marketed as the last project that all four Beatles contributed to, "Now and Then" evoked a range of emotions among fans both young and old.

Originally a demo John Lennon recorded in the late 1970s, surviving Beatles members first came together to work on the track in 1995 for their Anthology series of albums. During the sessions, George Harrison took a particular dislike to the track for a unique reason. Harrison's influence caused the remaining Beatles to stop working on it.
Why Did George Harrison Dislike And Stop "Now And Then" From Getting Released In 1995?

Source: Michael Connor/thethings.com

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The Beatles may be perhaps the most successful musical act in the history of the Billboard charts, but there are still new heights for the band to reach, even after all they’ve done. This week, the band hits No. 1 on a ranking for the first time, and in doing so, they earn their first leader on a specific type of tally in half a century.

This week, The Beatles reach the No. 1 spot on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, Billboard’s ranking of the top-performing tracks at radio stations that focus on this specific style of rock music. Typically, adult alternative outlets cater to older, more mature audiences, so it makes sense that the band would perform especially well on this list.

The Beatles see their new single “Now and Then” rise to the peak spot, stepping up from No. 2. The tune was released in November to much fanfare, as it marked the first new offering from the group in decades. Now, it’s become a massive radio hit in the rock world and brought the Fab Four back to the peak position on one of these important lists.

Amazingly, it’s been more than 50 years since The Beatles last hit No. 1 on any of Billboard’s radio charts. The company notes that the last time they ruled over one of the many radio-focused lists was back in 1970. That year, “Let It Be” controlled the Adult Contemporary ranking.

Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com

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My friend Michael is a musicologist whose speciality is Johann Sebastian Bach. An author and lecturer, he speaks to erudite groups in many countries about, for example, Bach’s Mass in B minor.

Michael doesn’t think much of most popular music.

But last weekend he walked into a Manhattan dinner party where the early Beatles played on the sound system. As Can’t Buy Me Love began, Michael was nodding along.

“It’s just,” he said with a smile, “so good.”

That same weekend, across New York state in a Buffalo suburb, my friend Lauri overheard some kids of middle-school age chattering about music they were discovering on TikTok: “Did you hear that one, ‘I heard some news today oh boy’?”

The Beatles endure. They transcend time, geography, demographics and personal taste.

That will be proven once again on Friday, yet another anniversary of John Lennon’s murder outside his home at the Dakota apartments on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Forty-three years have passed, but that won’t discourage the crowd that I am certain will be gathering about a quarter of a mile away in Central Park.

Source: Margaret Sullivan/The Guardian

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Paul McCartney has issued a statement paying tribute to Denny Laine, the co-founder of Wings, who died today (Dec. 5) at age 79.

McCartney began his statement, “I am very saddened to hear that my ex-bandmate, Denny Laine, has died. I have many fond memories of my time with Denny: from the early days when The Beatles toured with the Moody Blues. Our two bands had a lot of respect for each other and a lot of fun together.”

Macca continued, “Denny joined Wings at the outset. He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player. His most famous performance is probably ‘Go Now’ an old Bessie Banks song, which he would sing brilliantly. He and I wrote some songs together the most successful being ‘Mull of Kintyre,’ which was a big hit in the Seventies. We had drifted apart but, in recent years, managed to reestablish our friendship and share memories of our times together.”

Source: Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter/wmmr.com

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