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Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono's relationship was notoriously strained even before The Beatles split up, but it was what she later said about the legendary musician that hurt him the most

The legendary Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono, widow of fellow Beatle John Lennon, had a tumultuous relationship that persisted long after the iconic band went their separate ways.‌ The friction between them started when Lennon began inviting Ono into the studio, granting her an up-close view of The Beatles' creative sessions during the recording of their final albums. McCartney, in particular, was peeved by her presence, feeling his bond and musical collaboration with Lennon diminished as Ono became more involved.

‌After Lennon's tragic passing in 1980, McCartney often found himself the target of Ono's sharp words in media interviews, where she made some rather bold accusations and didn't shy away from expressing harsh criticisms about the Jet singer.

In the Peter Jackson-directed docuseries, The Beatles: Get Back, viewers witness a candid McCartney expressing his genuine sentiments regarding the impact of Lennon and Ono's partnership on the band.  Paul McCartney revealed Yoko Ono's harsh words about him

McCartney is captured saying to others in the studio, "See, but their point is that they're trying to like be as near together as they can," referring to Lennon and Ono's desire to remain inseparable. "They wanna stay together, those two. So, it's alright. Let the young lovers stay together. But it's not that bad, you know. We got a lot out of The Beatles, so that if I think John's thing now, if it came to a push between Yoko and The Beatles, it's Yoko."

Source: irishstar.com/Hannah Furnell

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In the early days of The Beatles, the Fab Four often modeled their work and their look after Elvis Presley. They covered several of his songs early on and didn’t hide their appreciation for him. However, after The Beatles broke up and Presley’s act had changed, John Lennon once expressed his dislike for The King.

Over a couple of decades, Lennon had seemingly changed his mind about Elvis Presley. Much of it came down to Presley’s theatrical movements, his over-the-top stage acts, and even the music itself. Lennon explained the lack of love to Rolling Stone in 1971.

“This is interesting: in the early days in England, all the groups were like Elvis and a backing group, and The Beatles deliberately didn’t move like Elvis,” said Lennon. Although The Beatles admired Presley, they apparently didn’t like his dance moves. “That was our policy because we found it stupid and bulls–t.”  John Lennon Once Explained Why He Fell Out of Love With Elvis Presley

The Beatles’ stoic stage act worked for them. At least, for a time. When The Rolling Stones burst onto the scene, Elvis-like movements became the big new thing. “Then Mick Jagger came out and resurrected ‘bulls–t movement,’ wiggling your arse,” John Lennon continued. “So then people began to say The Beatles were passé because they don’t move. But we did it as a conscious move.”

Lennon mentioned that in their early days, The Beatles used to move around the stage much more. “When we were younger, we used to move, we used to jump around and do all the things they’re doing now,” he said. But they quickly decided that wasn’t the look they were going for.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Lauren Boisvert

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Everybody, well, mainly everybody, seemingly knows the name George Harrison. He is one of the most famous guitar players of all time, and a former member of the most famous band of all time, The Beatles. Harrison was an innovator, a trailblazer, and a musician who extensively experimented with a plethora of different sounds. One decade of music that isn’t known for this type of musical experimentation—The 1980s.

By the time the 1980s rolled around, Harrison was well underway in his solo career. Specifically, Harrison had released acclaimed albums, All Things Must Pass, Living in the Material World, Dark Horse, as well as three others. Harrison was cranking out music, but in the 80s, he cut that number in half, as he only released three solo albums during the decade. Matter of fact, Harrison took a five-year hiatus between the albums Gone Troppo and Cloud Nine.

There is no definitive reason as to why Harrison’s musical production slowed down, and we aren’t here to assume. However, in a 1980s interview with Guitar Player Magazine, Harrison divulged his displeasure with the business antics and redundant musical tropes of the decade.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Peter Burditt

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Sometimes when you go to the record store and flip through an artist’s section, you’ll find some odd albums that aren’t typically included in their discography. Whether it’s an alternative version of a record or a compilation (official or otherwise), there is often a larger story at play in a musician’s catalog than a simple list of their studio albums. The Beatles’ catalog is one that is far more extensive than it may appear.

The Beatles have many alternative versions of their records, albums that excluded songs that weren’t accepted in specific markets, and several compilations. Their discography is usually boiled down to 17 studio albums (in the U.S.), but there is a wealth of material awaiting any fans who are willing to dig deeper.

If you dig long enough, you might come across the Beatles’ rarest (and weirdest) album, Yesterday… And Today. Learn more about this hidden Beatles record below.  Yesterday… And Today was released in 1966. The record is a hodgepodge of songs that are more famously featured on other projects. “Nowhere Man,” “Yesterday,” “Drive My Car,” and “Day Tripper” are all featured on this Beatles album. As the title suggests, the project was intended to serve as a bridge between one stage of their career and the next. It was also an effort to introduce certain songs to an American audience. Though it technically served a purpose, it still feels very random in the grand scheme of their time as a band.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Alex Hopper

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Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney is heading out on the “Got Back” tour this year, but before the trek even kicks-off, fans are calling-out the star over exorbitant ticket prices.

Tickets for the run went on sale via Ticketmaster on Tuesday, July 15. During the presale, fans reported headaches while waiting in the virtual queue — which included over 200,000 people — with wait times exceeding 90 minutes. Fans began to compare the sale to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour debacle, dubbed the “Beatlemania version.”

When fans did finally make it through the online queue, they reported egregious ticket prices. “Platinum” fan presale tickets were up-for-grabs for a whopping $1,258. Others found tickets in the nosebleeds for $622.

It’s wild. I hear Americans are in more debt than ever and nobody has any money. Then I sign up for the Paul McCartney presale, log into Ticketmaster, and see this.

There are 210K people in front of me buying $300+ tickets. M

Source: ticketnews.com/Olivia Perreault

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Ringo Starr achieved international fame as the drummer of The Beatles - but not many fans may know how his nickname, which he still uses professionally today, was born

Fans of The Beatles are only just realizing how Ringo Starr got his name - and it's an interesting story.‌

The musician, whose birth name is Richard Starkey, achieved international fame as the iconic band's drummer. Now 85 and touring with his All-Starr Band, which has scheduled shows in various US cities including Las Vegas and Chicago, he is still widely referred to as Ringo Starr.  ‌

But not many fans may know that his nickname was actually linked to his passion for wearing jewelry. This meant that instead of being called Ritchie, he started being referred to as Rings, which quickly transformed into the more Western-sounding name, Ringo.

And his surname, Starkey, became shortened to Starr as it fit better with Ringo. Another reason for this was that his solo shows could then be billed as Starr Time. A fan wrote on Reddit, "I was just watching the Lindsay Ellis thing on the Beatles' breakup and there's a scene where (I think) George greets Ringo as "Rich" and I was like, who the f--k is Rich? And only then remembered that I actually knew that Ringo Starr wasn't the dude's birth name, but it was super unfamiliar knowledge."

Source: themirror.com/Chiara Fiorillo

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 Director Sam Mendes thought he was all set with the script for his massive biopic The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event, until he got a bunch of “corrections” from Ringo Starr, 85, who — along with Paul McCartney, 83 — are the only two surviving members of the Fab Four.

The demanding drummer reportedly spent two days pelting the director of the James Bond flicks Skyfall and Spectre with “extensive notes” insisting on script changes.

Most of the “Yellow Submarine” stickman’s gripes had to do with him and first wife Maureen Starkey Tigrett, mom of their three kids, including drummer Zak Starkey. “He had a writer — very good writer, great reputation — and he wrote it great, but it had nothing to do with Maureen and I,” Ringo insists to The New York Times. “That’s not how we were. I’d say, ‘We would never do that.’ ”

The epic stars Barry Keoghan as Ringo, Paul Mescal as Paul, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and is due out in 2028.

Ringo says he accepts that bossman Mendes “will do what he’s doing” and in the end, “I’ll send him peace and love.”

Source: Doug Montero/yahoo.com

 

John Lennon was profoundly shaped by one person whose influence and sudden loss would alter the course of his life.

John Lennon was at the start of his music journey when a devastating tragedy struck, leaving a lasting impact on the young man he was and the music legend he would become. The future Beatles founder was profoundly shaped by one person whose influence and sudden loss would alter the course of his life and help define his path to global superstardom.

On this day, July 15, 1958, John's mother, JuliaLennon, was struck and killed by an off-duty police officer named Eric Clague. Lennon was just 17 at the time of the tragedy, and his mother was 44.

John was born on Oct. 9, 1940, to Julia and Alfred Lennon. He was their only child together.

When he was four, the future musician was taken in by his aunt, Mimi Smith, and uncle, George Smith, to provide the young boy with a stable home life. John would live with the couple throughout his childhood and adolescence.

Although John resided with Mimi, he maintained a strong and affectionate bond with his mother, Julia. She nurtured his early love of music, buying him his first guitar and teaching him basic chords on the banjo and ukulele.

John's childhood friend Nigel Walley shared his memories of the tragedy per The Beatles Bible. He said, "I went to call for John that evening, but his Aunt Mimi told me he was out. Mimi was at the gate with John’s mum, who was about to leave."

Walley continued, "We stood chatting and John’s mum said 'Well, you have the privilege of escorting me to the bus stop!' I said 'That will do me fine. I’ll be happy to do that.'"

"We walked down Menlove Avenue and I turned off to go up Vale Road, where I lived. I must have been about 15 yards up the road when I heard a car skidding. I turned round to see John’s mum going through the air. I rushed over but she had been killed instantly."

Julia’s death deeply traumatized John, who would later refer to her in the songs "Julia," "Mother," and "My Mummy’s Dead." His first son, Julian, with wife Cynthia Lennon, was named for her.

Source: parade.com/Lucille Barilla

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"I immediately gravitated toward the concept of an all-AI video," he tells Billboard of the visual.

“We are all just characters in each other’s lives,” Corey Feldman sings in his new song “Characters,” which arrived June 22. And in his new music video for the track, which Billboard is premiering on the actor-singer’s birthday on Wednesday (July 16), the former child star takes viewers through various characters he’s portrayed throughout his decades-long career.

“This new music video … serves as a creative time capsule that highlights many of the most memorable characters I’ve played in my over 50-year career in both film and music,” Feldman, who directed the visual, tells Billboard.

The video begins with a young boy resembling Feldman walking to the center of a stage to sit down on a stool highlighted by a stage light. As he begins singing, the little boy morphs, and his appearance changes from some of the actor’s younger roles (the cherubic blond child from his first acting gig in a McDonald’s ad, to little Regi with his baseball cap in Bad News Bears) to his famous tween and teen parts (The Goonies, Stand By Me, The Lost Boys) and roles in his adult years (Queeny in Corbin Nash and channeling late friend Michael Jackson in his own music video for “The Joke”).

The star shares that when he was first conceptualizing the idea for the “Characters” visual, his first thought was, “I could never afford it!” And then it hit him that he could do it. “Rather than trying to film myself in different costumes and makeup, I immediately gravitated toward the concept of an all-AI video. I loved the artistic statement in that contrast between old and new,” he explains. “I also thought about starting the video with the imagery of myself as a kid, like in that McDonald’s commercial from way back.”

Source: billboard.com/Anna Chan

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If you grew up as a teenager or young adult in the 1960s, you had the privilege of experiencing a band that changed the course of popular music more than any other. It was, of course, The Beatles.

In this article, we're ranking The Beatles' songs based on how they redefined music through experimentation and innovation, and how each song broke new ground technically, artistically, or culturally, including "Strawberry Fields Forever" and many other revolutionary hits.
Understanding Musical Innovation in The Beatles' Era

In the early 1960s, studios primarily served as venues to capture live performances on film. The Beatles, however, took a completely different approach from other artists. With their first album, Please Please Me (1963), they set out to replicate their energetic live nightclub performance and went on to record the full release in under 12 hours.

They were at a turning point when recording studios became creative laboratories, where, thanks to multitrack recording technology, musicians could now add, remove, and manipulate musical elements. The Beatles, alongside producer George Martin and engineers such as Geoff Emerick, took full advantage of this and transformed Abbey Road Studios into a place destined to create masterpieces.

From songwriting to microphone placement, they innovated at every step, making writing original material a creative expectation, not an exception. As a result of their innovations and unique music style, the band held the No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 for a total of 59 weeks.

Source: wmgk.com/Rob Baird

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