John Lennon’s ‘Help!’ Guitar , Auctioned for Nearly $2.9 Million. Lennon's Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar has been sold by Julien's Auctions for $2,857,500. According to 'Rolling Stone,' that is "a new record for the highest-selling guitar at auction in the Beatles‘ history.". Lennon's Gibson J160E, which was sold for $2.4 million in 2015, previously held the record. We are absolutely thrilled and honored to have set a new world record with the sale of John Lennon’s lost Hootenanny guitar, David Goodman, chief executive at Julien’s Auctions, via statement. This guitar is not only a piece of music history but a symbol of John Lennon’s enduring legacy. , David Goodman, chief executive at Julien’s Auctions, via statement. Today’s unprecedented sale is a testament to the timeless appeal and reverence of the Beatles’ music and John Lennon, David Goodman, chief executive at Julien’s Auctions, via statement. The Hootenanny acoustic guitar was played by both Lennon and George Harrison while making 'Help!' and 'Rubber Soul.'. It later fell into the hands of Scottish singer-songwriter Gordon Waller who gifted it to one of his road managers. 50 years later, the guitar was found in an attic in Britain, and the original guitar case was rescued from the trash.

Darren Julien, co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, referred to the discovery as "the greatest find of a Beatles guitar since Paul McCartney’s lost 1961 Höfner bass guitar." . Finding this remarkable instrument is like finding a lost Rembrandt or Picasso, and it still looks and plays like a dream after having been preserved in an attic for more than 50 years. , Darren Julien, co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, via statement. To awaken this sleeping beauty is a sacred honor, Darren Julien, co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, via statement.

Source: centraloregondaily.com

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Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello’s dozen songwriting collaborations were sprinkled throughout several of the men’s albums over half a decade or so. The last of those songs appeared on McCartney’s 1993 album Off the Ground, including the piercing character sketch “Mistress and Maid.”

What is the song about? How did it differ from other songs on Off the Ground? And what did a painting have to do with its creation? Let’s find all about “Mistress and Maid,” an underrated gem from ‘90s-era Paul McCartney.
Ground Control

Paul McCartney kept up a busy pace in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. His 1989 LP Flowers in the Dirt, boosted by some songs written with Elvis Costello, earned him his best notices since the early part of the ‘80s. He also found a touring band with which he shared great chemistry, and he didn’t want to waste that.

As a result, McCartney headed back into the studio for his next original album using many of the same musicians with which he toured. He hadn’t really done a whole album with a steady band since the days of Wings. Off the Ground was an album that was primarily the result of that touring band and McCartney banging away together in the studio.

But “Mistress and Maid” offered a pretty stark exception to that approach. The waltzing number, which had been written years earlier by McCartney and Costello, was adorned with a circus-like atmosphere. All manner of brass instruments are pumping away along with a coterie of violins, colorful musical backing for what’s actually a somber song.

Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com

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Sir Paul McCartney has said John Mayall was a personal mentor and “great” blues pioneer who educated him on the music genre.

The musician died aged 90 at his home in California on Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement on his Instagram page.

Beatles star Sir Paul said he received “a great education” from Mayall and found it easy to relate to him as they were both from the north of England. In a post to Instagram, Sir Paul said: “John Mayall, the great British blues pioneer, has died aged 90 and I thought a couple of words from me would be appropriate.”

The 82-year-old said the pair would meet at music clubs in the 1960s before heading back to Mayall’s house “where he had a huge and glorious collection of records”.  “During these moments he became a mentor and would educate me on a lot of the blues guitarists playing at the time”, he said.

“I would lounge back in the armchair and he would play tracks by people like BB King, Buddy Guy, Albert King and many other great players.”  Mayall was apart of influential blues rock band The Bluesbreakers, which became a launching pad for stars including Eric Clapton and Mick Fleetwood.

Source: alloaadvertiser.com

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Even if you know hardly anything about the frenzied years of Beatlemania, you probably have at least a vague image in your head of tens of thousands of screaming fans – overwhelming the sound of the Fab Four's live performances.

Technology, in every facet of life, has obviously advanced light years in the six decades since, and the world of onstage guitar amplification is no exception.

There was no such thing as an arena or stadium touring circuit when the Beatles took over America in the mid-'60s, and the band's onstage guitar amp rig was laughably inadequate in the face of the sheer volume of the hysteria that greeted them wherever they played.

In a 1997 interview with Guitar World, George Harrison reflected wryly on the band's live situation, remarking, “We used 30-watt [Vox] amps until we got those really big 100-watt amps at Shea Stadium. And nothing was even mic'd up through the P.A. – they just had to listen to our amps and the two vocal mics. Sometimes we'd just play rubbish.

Source: Guitar World

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 Recently, director Sam Mendes served as a guest lecturer at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA), and he let out one very interesting nugget about his upcoming Beatles movies.

Apparently, Mendes told the crowd that his plan is to release all four Beatles movies on the same date (via TheInSneider). Is this a good idea? Obviously, most people will first and foremost pay to see the John Lennon and Paul McCartney movies, then George Harrison and finally Ringo Starr. That’s just how it’ll go down.

If Sony does end up releasing all four films at once, then it would save them plenty on marketing costs. Mendes is directing all four, and although no casting has been formally announced, Jeff Sneider has put it out there that Harris Dickinson (John Lennon), Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney), Barry Keoghan (Ringo Starr), and Charlie Rowe (George Harrison) are being eyed for roles.

For the first time ever, Apple Corps. and The Beatles have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film. Sony chief Tom Rothman stated Mendes was eyeing a mid-2025 shoot in the UK, with all four films released in 2027. There’s also been a rumor that Mendes regular Roger Deakins was asked to lens all of the films.

Source: Jordan Ruimy/worldofreel.com

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English singer, songwriter and guitarist John Lennon (1940-1980), English singer, ... [+] songwriter and bassist Paul McCartney, English musician, singer and drummer Ringo Starr and English musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist George Harrison (1943-2001) of the Beatles attend a press party at the home of manager Brian Epstein supporting the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, May 19, 1967, in London, United Kingdom. The Beatles's 1 compilation is their first release to hit 450 weeks on the U.K. albums chart—a milestone it reaches this frame.(Photo by Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images)

The Beatles almost always claim at least one space on the U.K. albums chart. They are simply too popular to fall away from the ranking of the most-consumed full-lengths in their home country for very long.

The band’s 1 compilation is typically representative of The Beatles’ ongoing commercial success. The project features many of their most beloved songs, so all the streams of those tunes usually feed into keeping the title on the list (though not always).

This frame, 1 celebrates hitting 450 weeks on the U.K. albums chart. It’s the first release from The Beatles to make it to that number, and it is far and away the Fab Four’s longest-running win.

1 doesn’t face any competition for the title of The Beatles’ full-length with the most weeks spent on the ranking of the top-performing albums in the U.K. Their second-longest-charting title, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, has thus far held on for 277 frames. That’s only a little more than half as long as 1.

Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com

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