Paul McCartney wrote quite a few songs about John Lennon and vice-versa. It makes sense why. The famed Beatles songwriters had a complicated relationship that teetered between brotherly and contentious all the way until Lennon’s death in 1980. McCartney wrote more than three songs about Lennon, but we think these three specific tracks are worth revisiting.

1. “Here Today”

Out of all the songs that Paul McCartney wrote about John Lennon, “Here Today” has to be the most painfully obvious. Luckily, this one isn’t a negative song or a diss track; McCartney actually puts his admiration for Lennon front and center on “Here Today”.

McCartney penned this track after the death of Lennon as a tribute. It’s a pretty heartbreaking song when you really listen to it. McCartney poses a number of questions and answers them as if Lennon were the one speaking. This has got to be one of McCartney’s most painful songs, but one can’t deny that it’s a beautiful tribute.

2. “Man We Was Lonely”

The Beatles’ ultimate breakup wasn’t exactly a friendly one. By the time the band called it quits, each member of the Fab Four had their share of issues with one another. McCartney had quite famously become a bit controlling after the death of the band’s manager in order to keep the band functioning, and that control caused some serious riffs with the other band members.

McCartney wrote “Man We Was Lonely” while still with The Beatles but didn’t release it until his solo career took off with McCartney. This track sounds like McCartney’s personal diary as he revisits the tension and stress of being in The Beatles and the difficulties he had with Lennon, in particular.

Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com

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The 50th anniversary of George Harrison’s solo album Living in the Material World is being celebrated with a series of new reissues, including a super deluxe edition featuring 12 previously unreleased recordings. Released in May 1973, Living in the Material World was Harrison’s second solo album of original material, and his second solo album to hit #1.

Harrison’s wife, Olivia, and son, Dhani, oversaw the project, with Olivia sharing, “I hope you revisit Living in the Material World or discover it for the first time, and as you listen, share George’s wish for himself and mankind.”

The first preview of those recordings is “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (Take 18),” an early acoustic version of Harrison’s second solo #1, available now via digital outlets. Other unearthed songs include a recording of “Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond),” featuring the Band’s Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and Rick Danko, as well as Ringo Starr. That comes on a separate 7″ single in the super deluxe edition.

The super deluxe edition will be limited to only 5,000 copies, and will include two LPs and two CDs, featuring the newly remixed album, plus a separate disc with previously unreleased early editions of each song on the album. In addition to the super deluxe edition, there will be two-LP and two-CD deluxe editions that include the session outtakes. It will also be released as a single CD and LP, with limited-edition color vinyl variants available at various retailers, including a purple color vinyl from the Harrison online store.

Source: steamboatradio.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, Paul McCartney’s son James posted a photo of himsef and his sister Stella McCartney with Dhani Harrison, the son of late Beatles guitarist George Harrison, after watching him perform in London.

“Great gig last night in London watching @DhaniHarrison!” James, 47, wrote in the caption to the photo posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“Please support his music here https://dhaniharrison.com/musici 🎶❤️,” he added.  In the snap, which appeared to have been taken

Dhani is the only son of late Beatles member George and his second wife Olivia Harrison. The musician died at age 58 of lung cancer on Nov. 29, 2001.

The McCartneys have remained supportive friends of Dhani’s over the years. In August 2016, Dhani performed at Stella’s collection showcase in Los Angeles and he has also been seen cheering her on in the front row at her fashion shows.

Dhani told Daily Mail in 2012, “Of all of them, I think I’m most similar to Stella and Mary [McCartney],” speaking of all the Beatles children. “I really relate to the way they’ve dealt with their circumstances — they’re like big sisters to me."

In 2009, Dhani and his mother Olivia, 76, were also supported by former Beatles member Paul, 82, as George was honored with a star at The Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.  Eric Idol, Paul McCartney, Olivia Harrison, Tom Hanks and Dhani at the ceremony honoring the late George Harrison with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009.

Dhani studied physics in college and worked as an aerodynamicist before he eventually decided to follow in his dad’s footsteps of pursuing a career in music in 2001.  “He taught me how to make records from an early age,” he told the Daily Mail. “I grew up in a recording studio.”

Source: Escher Walcott/people.com

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Raymond Schillinger of You Can’t Unhear This looked back at the history of “Here Comes the Sun”, a seminal song by The Beatles that was both perfect and unusual in so many different ways.

Here Comes The Sun has become one of the most popular and treasured Beatles songs, a gateway into their music for many new fans. This 3-minute gem of unforgettable songwriting is also packed with intriguing anomalies, production quirks and even a mystery.

The song was written entirely by George Harrison in 1969, rather than John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Harrison, who wasn’t yet known for his incredible song writing skills, took the reins that summer, both musically and lyrically, by adding new and innovative instruments like the Moog synthesizer, running his guitar through a rotating Leslie speaker made for keyboards, and adding vari-speed pitch control to the final song.

With just days to go before the album was set to be mixed, George felt that his song needed one final ingredient: the fabulous and otherworldly sounds created by a new electronic instrument called the Moog.…With all of the pieces finally in place on the packed 8-track tape, the beautifully layered recording of Here Comes the Sun was finally ready to be mixed…where of course the anomalies continued… This intentional adjustment, often called vari-speed, was occasionally used by The Beatles to lend a special texture to their studio recordings.

Source: MSN

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John Lennon and Yoko Ono visited "one of the best palm readers in Greece," where they received a grim warning – that the Beatle would be killed on an island.

The claim was made by their close friend Elliot Mintz. The former Los Angeles radio and TV announcer, who met the couple in the early ‘70s, has written a new memoir, "We All Shine On: John, Yoko, & Me," with the blessing of their son, Sean Lennon.

"The palm reader was very emphatic about the fact that John would be killed on an island," Mintz told Fox News Digital. "When I think of islands, I think of the obvious places surrounded by water, and I was raised in New York. I just never thought of it as an island."

"But Yoko had relationships with psychics, tarot readers, astrologers, and others in what I called the ‘paranormal world,’" he shared. "She consulted with these people for years on an almost daily basis… There were very few decisions Yoko made without first getting clearance or guidance from these people."

Despite the reader’s concerning message, the couple didn’t seem fazed. In his book, Mintz noted how Lennon felt he didn’t need bodyguards because "I’m just a rock ‘n’ roll singer."

"All [my] life, I’ve had guys around me who were supposed to be protecting me," said Lennon, as quoted in Mintz’s book. "When [the Beatles] toured, there were hundreds of police around us. But if they want to get to you, they’re gonna get you. They could get you in Disneyland. Look at all the people that Kennedy had around him. I don’t need bodyguards. I don’t want them… Even the thought of it makes me cringe."

Source: Stephanie Nolasco/foxnews.com

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The legendary recording console used on The Beatles' Abbey Road is going up for sale on gear marketplace Reverb.

Custom-built for Abbey Road Studios (then known as EMI Studios) in 1968, the EMI TG 12345 MK1 was installed in Abbey Road's Studio 2 control room and used by George Martin and Geoff Emerick to record The Beatles' final album the following year, before being utilized on solo projects from all four members of the band, including John Lennon's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Paul McCartney's McCartney.

The console was so beloved by the Fab Four that Harrison is said to have asked EMI if he could buy his own, a request that was denied out of fear that the console would be replicated and sold to competitors.

A team of engineers and technicians assembled by MJQ Ltd, who will be selling the console through their Reverb store, has spent four years restoring the desk under the watchful eye of former EMI engineer and Beatles collaborator Brian Gibson. The console now contains 70% of its original parts, with the remainder made up of painstakingly recreated replacements that have been custom-built to mirror the sound of the original unit, using the same materials and processes as the original components.

Source: Matt Mullen/musicradar.com

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