Beatles News
Some 240 rediscovered drawings by John Lennon are being revealed to the public for the first time in Liverpool. The rare gems were made in the 1960s for an animated Beatles music video.
The trove of colorful drawings were produced in collaboration with artist Stephen Verona, and each feature a word from the Beatles’ 1964 hit “I Feel Fine.” Sequenced together, these cells were used to make a short, two-minute lyric video called “She Said So.” It has been described as the very first music video.
The drawings recently surfaced at auction in London, where they were discovered by Joseph Robert O’Donnell, a pop culture memorabilia expert who immediately grasped their significance. Today, they are unveiled as part of a temporary, three-month display at the Liverpool Beatles Museum.
Some six decades ago, the artworks emerged almost by accident. “We started doodling,” Verona once recalled, of the time he met Lennon in a London club and the pair spontaneously began drawing together, straight onto the paper tablecloth.
“I suggested making a film from them,” Verona recalled. Lennon later met the artist in New York, where they sat in his kitchen, smoked, and colored in cartoon images designed by Verona.
The resulting film would have a huge cultural impact, being screened at international film festivals and at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. It won several awards, including the CINE Golden Eagle. The original film reel is kept at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., but Verona held on to the drawings themselves.
Source: news.artnet.com/Jo Lawson-Tancred European News Reporter
Sir Paul McCartney has been EVERYWHERE recently.
The 83 year old rock legend has been on a massive press run recently promoting his much anticipated album, “The Boys of Dungeon Lane,” which released on May 29th. The press run has seen McCartney all over the place, including SNL, The Late Show, various online interviews, and now a spot on the Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music.
In a brand new clip from his interview on the show, McCartney was taking some heated (and not very serious) shots at legendary musician and producer Brian Eno.
For those uninitiated, Eno is one of the most influential producers and musicians in music. I first became acquainted with Eno with his work on David Bowie’s album “Low,” which features some incredibly ahead of its time material that spawned post-rock. It was during these sessions that Eno would create one of his most important albums, “Ambient 1: Music for Airports,” wherein he coined the term “ambient music,” and pioneered the genre.
His impact on electronic music is similar to McCartney’s impact on rock and pop. He is a titan of music in his own regard, which is what makes this playful scuffle so amusing.
Source:Rylan Fischer/parade.com
If George Harrison isn’t your favorite Beatle, you’ll likely want to rethink that after hearing the three songs below. These stunning Harrison offerings rival anything his bandmates have written. Moreover, they stand singular in classic rock history. If you want to be more acquainted with what Harrison had to offer, revisit these compelling tracks. They will make you fall in love with the “quietest” Beatle.
“For You Blue”
When many of us think of George Harrison, we think of solemn, often mystical, slow songs, but that’s not all that his songwriting encompassed. For a taste of his more playful side, check out “For You Blue.” This upbeat song, taken from Let It Be, isn’t something many would attribute to Harrison. Nevertheless, this is an offering from the “quiet” Beatle.
“I want you in the morning, girl, I love you / I want you at the moment, I feel blue / I’m living every moment, girl, for you,” the lyrics read. This is not only one of Harrison’s most fun tracks, but one of The Beatles’ most touching love songs.
“If I Needed Someone”
“If I Needed Someone” speaks to Harrison’s development as a songwriter. This track is largely recognized as one of his first, fully fledged album cuts. This song stood tall against anything John Lennon or Paul McCartney delivered on this album.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Alex Hopper
Celebrated annually on 25th June! Marking the anniversary of The Beatles’ BBC Our World performance of “All You Need Is Love”
Colourised video of the iconic performance set to be released online for the first time. Fans across the globe invited to take part in Global Beatles Day online or at in person events. Spreading The Beatles’ message of love and unity.
On 25th June, 1967, The Beatles walked into Studio One at Abbey Road Studios in London and sent a message to the world. Broadcast live as part of the BBC’s Our World, the first international satellite television broadcast of their song, “All You Need Is Love” reached an estimated 400 million people around the globe. For a few extraordinary minutes, the world was watching together.
Decades later in 2009 lifelong fan Faith Cohen decided this day deserved to be commemorated. From that belief, Global Beatles Day was born. A fan-made, fan-run celebration dedicated to the band, their music, and a message that continues to resonate across generations and around the world: love is all you need.
From tribute concerts in Tokyo to Beatles-themed exhibitions in New York City, singalongs in Buenos Aires, and fan gatherings in Liverpool, Global Beatles Day has continued to grow organically. Its growth has been built on an enduring love for John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr and their message, and evolved into an annual event embraced by fans spanning generations and continents.
Now, in a major milestone for the celebration, Apple Corps Ltd, the company founded by The Beatles to manage their creative and business ventures, has formally acknowledged Global Beatles Day.
On 25th June, alongside online and in-person events around the world that celebrate the band, The Beatles will also release a colourised version of their BBC Our World performance of “All You Need Is Love” for free on YouTube. The first time the iconic performance has been made available online, it will celebrate the iconic performance’s anniversary, mark Global Beatles Day, and give fans around the world the chance to relive that spectacular, global moment from 1967 and share their reaction in the live chat.
Writing to Faith Cohen this week, Apple Corps CEO Tom Greene praised the fan-led initiative, writing: “More than ever, the message of The Beatles, and of ‘All You Need Is Love’ speaks to something vital for community, connection, and the power of bringing people together. That is what makes Global Beatles Day so special. It asks nothing more than for people, wherever they are, to stop, listen, and share a little joy.”
Source: thebeatles.com
In 1969, The Beatles were practically over. Especially after their disastrous sessions in January, which eventually became the album Let It Be. The sessions were filmed with the intent of making a TV show of their recording sessions. In a way, they were pioneering reality TV. But the addition of cameras, as evidenced by Peter Jackson's documentary, The Beatles: Get Back, only served to sour their already deteriorated relationship. John Lennon Asked for Paul McCartney's Help Despite Their Estrangement.
When John Lennon returned to England, newly married and with a new song, his fellow Beatles were scattered. Ringo Starr was on set filming The Magic Christian, and George Harrison was away on vacation. But his best friend and long-time songwriting partner was home, so, of course, Lennon took the song to Paul McCartney. The song was the retelling of his and Yoko Ono's complicated journey towards getting married and their unconventional honeymoon. He titled it "The Ballad of John and Yoko". "It’s a piece of journalism," Lennon described it. "It’s a folk song. That’s why I called it The Ballad Of."
Source: Collider/Val Barone
After his decade-long career as a member of the Beatles, George Harrison released several solo hits, like "Got My Mind Set on You," "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)," and "Ding Dong, Ding Dong."
According to Far Out magazine, Harrison jotted down "Ding Dong, Ding Dong," off his 1974 album Dark Horse, in record time. The publication reported that Harrison discussed coming up with the tune while writing his memoir, I, Me, Mine, published in 1980. He explained his inspiration for the track was the inscriptions near his Victorian estate's fireplace and shed.
“‘Ding Dong, Ding Dong’ was the quickest one I ever wrote. It took me three minutes, except it took me four years of looking at the thing, which was written on the wall at my home, ‘Ring out the old, ring in the new. Ring out the false, ring in the truth,’ before I realised it was a hit song. It makes me laugh because it’s so simple. That song evaded me for four years," wrote Harrison, who died in 2001 at the age of 58.
“Instead of getting stuck in a rut, everybody should try ringing out the old and ringing in the new… [People] sing about it, but they never apply it to their lives,” shared Harrison.
Harrison shared some insight into the technical aspects of writing a song in a 1975 interview with Dave Herman. According to Harrison, "some tunes need an intro to establish a certain mood before you start singing," while others "can come right in."
Source: aol.com/Nicole Moore
Have you heard the Beatles have split up? This distraught cry could be heard echoed by countless voices around the world following Paul McCartney's shocking disclosure via press release on April 10, 1970, that he would no longer be working with the group. In fact, although not known publicly, John Lennon had already informed his bandmates (McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison) back in September 1969 of his own decision to leave the band.
This wasn't automatically viewed by the others as the end of the road, however. Starr himself had previously quit for two weeks in 1968, and Harrison for five days in January 1969.
The Beatles taking New York City by storm during their groundbreaking North American tour in 1964. But what led to this increasing discontent and the true end of the Beatles? One important factor is pressure. There had been supergroups before, but the rise of the Beatles and resultant Beatlemania, not only in England and America, but around the globe, was unprecedented.
So ardent were the Beatles' fans that, as early as 1966, the group had decided to stop touring, due to a combination of exhaustion, a lack of being able to hear themselves onstage over the screams, and threats to their safety following Lennon's comment that the band had become more popular than Jesus.
"Granny Songs" and Growing Rifts
Another key reason for the Beatles' split lies in a widening gulf between individual members' artistic visions. By the time of McCartney's press statement, both he, John Lennon, and George Harrison had already issued solo albums away from the band. Within the Beatles, internal rifts had been growing for some time.
Source: mentalfloss.com/Chris Wheatley
WhenJohn Lennon wrote "Give Peace a Chance," the anti-war song was a cry for one thing only: "All we are saying is give peace a chance," the track echoed throughout its nearly five-minute runtime. Recorded 57 years ago today on June 1, 1969, it was released on July 4 in the U.K. and July 7 in the U.S., and became a historic peace anthem—without ever hitting No. 1 on the charts.
Despite never reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at No. 14, enjoying a nine-week tenure on the chart overall. It spent four weeks within the Top 20 and six weeks in the Top 40, records show.
Credited to the Plastic Ono Band, the track itself was created in the moment during one of Lennon's and wife, Yoko Ono's, famous "bed-in" protests, sparking a movement during the anti-Vietnam War era of the late 1960s/early 1970s.
"Lennon and Ono were well-known members of the anti-war movement. They even created the method of protest known as a “bed-in,” involving occupying a hotel room for a week at a time as they did on their honeymoon in Amsterdam. This song was actually recorded during one of their “bed-ins” in Montreal," according to Genius.
While the Montreal bed-in was in progress, the Beatles band member got the idea after inviting celebrities and media representatives into the hotel room to discuss the political climate. It is reported that Lennon kept repeating the phrase "give peace a chance" in various interviews, sparking what became the tune, which was recorded live by producer André Perry, per Song Facts. "Using four microphones and a portable 4-track cassette recorder he borrowed from a local studio," the song came together, featuring a chorus of contributors including Petula Clark, Allen Ginsberg, and Timothy Leary.
Source: yahoo.com/Yasmine Coleman
Paul McCartney has revealed to NME that he is unsure if he will ever retire from recording and touring.
The Beatles legend released his latest solo album ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’ last week (May 29), a poignantly nostalgic record that sees McCartney reflect on his years growing up in Liverpool. It includes a duet with Ringo Starr on ‘Home To Us’, as well as the tearjerker lead single ’Days We Left Behind’.
Ahead of the album’s release, McCartney sat down with NME to look forwards and back on his extraordinary career, and we asked him whether he can imagine ever walking away from being an active musician.
“I don’t know. I never know, y’know?” he replied. “I remember when I was 50 years old, my manager at the time said, ‘Well, are you thinking of retiring?’ I went, ‘Uh, I don’t think so.’ But he obviously thought, 50… which, I get it, because we thought 30 was really old [when] we were 20. So 30 was like that’d be unseemly, but it came, and it went, and people were still playing, and audiences like the music.”
He went on to explain that he is conscious of the fact that there are increasingly few opportunities for fans to hear the music from his era in person. “If the music is from that period, they don’t get to hear it live any other way, so you’ve got to hear Neil Young live to get the whole feel of Neil – the Neil feel. Same with a lot of bands – the Stones, The Eagles. There’s nothing like it.”
McCartney also said that he continues to be inspired by the process of songwriting itself.
Source: nme.com/Max Pilley
Ringo Starr is not slowing down.
The 85-year-old drum legend, who is adored by hundreds of millions of music lovers for his work in The Beatles, just released the brand new album “Long Long Road.”
It’s his second T-Bone Burnett country music album in as many years, following “Look Up” in early 2025.
Starr, who has more than 20 solo studio albums to his credit, also can found on his fellow Fab Four buddy Paul McCartney’s “The Boys of Dungeon Lane” record, which just hit stores last week.
The two Beatles greats team up for their first-ever vocal duet on “Home to Us,” which was released as the second single (following the equally nostalgic “Days We Left Behind”) off McCartney’s album.
Starr is also still heavily involved with His All-Starr Band — the current lineup of which features Steve Lukather (the brilliant guitarist and better-than-decent singer from Toto), Colin Hay (the fun frontman of Men at Work), Warren Ham (another Toto talent who shines on saxophone and vocals), Hamish Stuart (bassit/guitarist/vocalist from Average White Band), Gregg Bissonette (who has drummed for everyone from David Lee Roth to Pat Boone) and Buck Johnson (keyboardist who has worked with Aerosmith and Hollywood Vampires).
I recently had to chance to chat with the Beatles icon, who was just finishing up rehearsals for the concert tour by Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. That trek includes several stops in the Golden State — June 5 at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, June 6 at Vina Robles Ampitheatre in Paso Robles, June 11 at San Jose Civic and June 14 at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
Here’s our interview.
Q: Hey, Ringo, buddy. So cool to finally get the chance to speak with you. How are you doing?
A: I’m doing good, thank you. What’s happening, man?
Q: Just been looking forward to my chat with you. How are rehearsals going?
A: Rehearsals went great. We only do two days, a couple of hours a day, to get back into it.
Q: I was peering over your discography and, if my math is correct, you’ve now released 22 full-length solo albums. That’s an impressive tally for a guy who was really embarking on a second career, having already carved out his legend in stone with the Beatles. What’s kept you so motivated to record solo albums over the years?
Source: hanfordsentinel.com/Jim Harrington The Mercury News
