By the time the Beatles called it a day in late 1969, they’d recorded and released more than 200 songs — most of them originals — and left dozens more in the vault. While the bulk of those unissued tracks ranged from rough demos to jams, several were completed recordings that, for one reason or another, they rejected.

Among them was a song that was the first ever written expressly for drummer Ringo Starr: “If You’ve Got Trouble.” Composed by John Lennon for inclusion on 1965’s Help!, the song was a riff-driven rocker built around the I-IV-V chords common to blues and rock. In many respects it bears similarity to a few other Beatles tracks from this period, including “She’s a Woman,” “I’m Down” and “I Feel Fine,” another Lennon-composed riff rocker, albeit one with a great deal more sophistication than “If You’ve Got Trouble.”

From the start of the Beatles’ recording career, Starr was given a vocal spot on each of their albums (except for 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night) in order to please his rabid fan base. It may be hard to fathom today, but for at least the first year of Beatlemania, Starr was the most popular Beatle, certainly in America, where his friendly, down-to-earth demeanor made him a favorite. It’s little wonder he got his own sizable scene in the Beatles’ debut film, A Hard Day’s Night, and was the main focus of its followup, 1965’s Help!

Because Starr wasn’t a songwriter, he sang either covers — “Boys,” on 1963’s Please Please Me, and “Honey Don’t” on 1964’s Beatles for Sale — or inferior cast-offs composed by Lennon and McCartney, such as “I Wanna Be Your Man,” a throwaway from 1963’s With the Beatles, and “What Goes On,” from 1965’s Rubber Soul.

Source: guitarplayer.com/Christopher Scapelliti

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As he approaches 85 next month, Ringo Starr remains spry on the mic and the drums when he and his All Starr Band performed a sold-out date at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Friday evening. It was a positive sign given that the former Beatle had to cancel the last two showas of his summer tour last year, including a date in the Big Apple, due to illness.

The Radio City show more than certainly made up for that cancellation as he and the band — guitarist/singer Steve Lukather (Toto), bassist/singer Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), guitarist/singer Colin Hay (Men at Work), woodwinds player/multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham, drummer Gregg Bissonette and keyboardist Buck Johnson — played a set of Starr’s solo material and Beatles songs that featured him on lead vocals.

The concert kicked off with a rollicking cover of Carl Perkins’ rockabilly classic Honey Don’t (which the Fab Four covered on 1964’s Beatles for Sale). From there, Starr alternated between standing in front of the stage with a mic in his hand and playing behind his drum kit as he ran through other beloved Beatles classics: “Yellow Submarine,” “Boys,” “Octopus’s Garden,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” and a cover of Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally.”

Additionally, Starr unveiled his popularly known solo songs such as “It Don’t Come Easy,” “I’m the Greatest,” “No No Song” and the sublime “Photograph,” which he co-wrote with his former Beatles’ bandmate George Harrison. He also performed his recent single “Look Up” from the country album (produced by T Bone Burnett) of the same name released earlier this year.

Source: forbes.com/David Chiu

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There are a lot of caveats to success, and one band that is certainly no stranger to them is The Beatles. While success brought The Beatles everything they wanted and more, it also brought them unexpected plights. Other than some of the more obvious issues, another issue The Beatles’ success entailed was the illegal use of their likeness and music. Consequently, George Harrison once divulged that The Beatles had the grounds to sue a lot of people.

Thanks to The Beatles’ success and notoriety, parties have used their likeness and music in a plethora of different ways. Folks have printed their faces on mugs, t-shirts. and other random pieces of memorabilia. Furthermore, offshoot cover bands and shows have used their music quite extensively. Well, according to George Harrison, most of it was illegal.
Why George Harrison Thought The Beatles Had the Grounds To Sue

Concerning the intellectual property and copyright crimes against The Beatles, George Harrison sat down with Rolling Stone and briefly disclosed his thoughts on the matter. He told the publication, “There’s not much more we [the Beatles] can be sued for, but we can sue a lot of other people.”

“Being split and diversified over the years has made it difficult to consolidate certain Beatles interests,” he continued. “For example, all those naughty Broadway shows and stupid movies that have been made about the Beatles, using Beatles names and ideas, are all illegal.”

Harrison attributed some of this illegal action to The Beatles’ negligence of the situation brought on by their internal turmoil. “But because we’ve been arguing among ourselves all these years, people have had a free-for-all,” said Harrison. However, at the time of the interview, The Beatles had seemingly figured out a solution to the issue.

“Now we’ve gotten to the point where everybody’s agreed, and we’ve allocated a company to go out and sue them all,” Harrison said. “It’s terrible, really. People think we’re giving all these producers and people permission to do it and that we’re making money out of it, but we don’t make a nickel.”

Source: americansongwriter.com/Peter Burditt

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The Beatles legend Ringo Starr has a defiant remark when he was asked about approaching a major milestone.

The drummer will mark his 85th birthday next month. However, Ringo appears to take exception whenever someone mentions his age, reports the Daily Mail.  “It’s another birthday. No one does anything these days without mentioning your age,” the former Fab Four member said. 

In recent months fans have commented on Ringo’s “unbelievable” energy during recent live shows. It came as the Yellow Submarine creator impressed them with his onstage antics, reports the Express. Commenting on his performances on social media, one fan wrote: "Ringo Starr at 84-years-old. Unbelievable."

Another expressed their joy that both Ringo and fellow former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney are still performing over 65 years after forming the band. They wrote: “Ringo Starr at 84 is unbelievable. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info 

“I love that he and Paul McCartney are still out there touring, performing and rocking and rolling. I'm happy for them, but it makes me miss John Lennon and George Harrison."  Ringo, whose real name is Richard Starkey, has had a successful solo career, toured with the All-Starr Band, and branched out into the world of film and TV after the Beatles. He even narrated two series of Thomas & Friends.

 He has often attributed his spritely performances to the fact he likes to his healthy lifestyle and diet. Previously, he said: “I tend to work out and keep as busy as I can. I'm a vegetarian, I eat lots of berries, lots of fruit and lots of vegetables and salad."

Source: themirror.com/Matt Jackson

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The Beatles' legendary status is undisputed, but there are ongoing debates about their best live performance. Even though they stopped touring in 1966 due to the strain of performing for audiences, Ringo Starr, the band's drummer, and their fans can't seem to agree on the group's top concert.‌

After a brief reunion for an impromptu gig on the roof of Abbey Road studios, The Beatles never returned to a stadium or concert hall following their last tour in 1966. During their controversial US tour, marked by John Lennon's statement that they were "bigger than Jesus," many believe The Beatles gave their most outstanding live performance.

This show is not only considered possibly The Beatles' greatest live spectacle, but it also stands out as one of the first major arena stadium concerts. 

One fan posted online: "I was just thinking about how 'The Beatles at Shea Stadium' was the first ever major concert in an arena stadium. Has anyone seen the film?" On August 11, 1966, The Beatles performed a short setlist of 11 songs at New York's Shea Stadium.

However, these 11 songs have made a significant mark in music history, with many fans declaring them the peak of The Beatles' live performances. Released on this day [May 1] in 1966, the Shea Stadium show continues to be hailed as one of the most extraordinary concerts to date, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Source: themirror.com/Ewan Gleadow, Hollie Beale

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By the time the Beatles called it a day in late 1969, they’d recorded and released more than 200 songs — most of them originals — and left dozens more in the vault. While the bulk of those unissued tracks ranged from rough demos to jams, several were completed recordings that, for one reason or another, they rejected.

Among them was a song that was the first ever written expressly for drummer Ringo Starr: “If You’ve Got Trouble.” Composed by John Lennon for inclusion on 1965’s Help!, the song was a riff-driven rocker built around the I-IV-V chords common to blues and rock. In many respects it bears similarity to a few other Beatles tracks from this period, including “She’s a Woman,” “I’m Down” and “I Feel Fine,” another Lennon-composed riff rocker, albeit one with a great deal more sophistication than “If You’ve Got Trouble.”

From the start of the Beatles’ recording career, Starr was given a vocal spot on each of their albums (except for 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night) in order to please his rabid fan base. It may be hard to fathom today, but for at least the first year of Beatlemania, Starr was the most popular Beatle, certainly in America, where his friendly, down-to-earth demeanor made him a favorite. It’s little wonder he got his own sizable scene in the Beatles’ debut film, A Hard Day’s Night, and was the main focus of its followup, 1965’s Help!

Because Starr wasn’t a songwriter, he sang either covers — “Boys,” on 1963’s Please Please Me, and “Honey Don’t” on 1964’s Beatles for Sale — or inferior cast-offs composed by Lennon and McCartney, such as “I Wanna Be Your Man,” a throwaway from 1963’s With the Beatles, and “What Goes On,” from 1965’s Rubber Soul.

Source: guitarplayer.com/Christopher Scapelliti

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