Software entrepreneur and music producer Scott Freiman put together a little show for friends in his living room in Irvington, New York, back in 2009, listening to some Beatles music. He’d been a fan of their work since childhood and enjoyed analyzing what made it so unique.

Before he was finished, his friends — composers and producers — were suggesting he was on to something. They told him he ought to develop his ideas into presentations others could enjoy as well. His background was perfect: an undergrad degree from Yale in computer science and music, and a master’s from New York University in music composition. He’d been in the business full time since 2001, opening his own studio in 2005, writing film scores, editing movie sound and music, and selling out Carnegie Hall with a concert of original music for orchestra and children’s choir.

Source: Joe Stinnett/newsadvance.com

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That December day in 1971 when John Lennon came to Ann Arbor was his own idea…he wasn’t invited, but took it upon himself to come and perform.

The reason? John had heard about the plight of John Sinclair. Sinclair was chairman of the Rainbow People’s Party of Ann Arbor and was serving an unjust ten years in Jackson State Prison for possession of two marijuana joints. The People’s Party did their best to bring attention to their cause by holding concerts, benefits, and rallies, and they even got a handful of celebrities involved, like actor Donald Sutherland, Jane Fonda, and others. After Yippie activist Jerry Rubin told Lennon about an upcoming December 10 rally for Sinclair, Lennon took the ball and ran. He wrote a song about Sinclair that can be found on his Sometime in New York City album.

The rally was to be held at UM’s Crisler Arena, and Lennon said he would donate his performance fee to the John Sinclair Freedom Fund.

Source: 99wfmk.com

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James Taylor is one of the most iconic folk singers of the 1960s, which is saying a lot. Although the Beatles occasionally dabbled in folk music, they largely stayed in a separate musical lane from Taylor. However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t socially interact with the Beatles now and then.

In fact, Taylor auditioned for the Beatles. Later, Taylor had a front-row seat to the later years of the Beatles. Surprisingly, he admitted to being a bad influence on the group.

Rolling Stone reports Taylor was signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records in 1968. He was able to secure an audition for the label after his friend gave his demo tape to Apple’s head of A&R, Peter Asher. On a 2015 episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, Taylor said scoring the audition was a great example of “being in the right place at the right time.”

Taylor was told he was going to audition for two Beatles an hour before the audition was going to happen. He recalled auditioning for Paul McCartney and George Harrison and being thoroughly intimidated by the experience, as most musicians would be. At the audition, he played “Something in the Way She Moves,” which was his favorite of the songs he’d written up to that point.

Source: cheatsheet.com

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Just days before his death, The Beatles founding member George Harrison wrote a letter to Austin Powers director Mike Myers expressing his admiration for his work.

The letter, which would go on record as the final note ever written by ‘The Quiet Beatle’, was never mailed out to Myers but was subsequently passed on to the filmmaker who, coincidentally, ended up receiving on the day Harrison passed away.

Myers, whose father was born in Liverpool, once said: “You don’t know what The Beatles were in my house,” in an interview with WENN news. “They were everything. Liverpool was poorish and it was rough and all of a sudden it was cool to come from this town, so my parents were eternally grateful.” 

Later, in a wide-ranging interview with GQ, Myers was asked: ‘Is it really true that the very last letter George Harrison wrote in his life was to you?’ and, remarkably, it was: “Yes. That’s mind-blowing, dude, for the son of a Liverpudlian, a person who worships the Beatles,” Myers replied.

Source: faroutmagazine.co.uk

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The National Trust is looking for a guide to work at the childhood homes of Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

The "once in a lifetime opportunity" has become available due to a long-serving member of staff retiring.

The Beatles composed and rehearsed many of their early hits at the houses in Liverpool.

The charity said it wanted someone with "accurate historical knowledge" to bring the "early years of two of the Beatles' story to life".

Paul McCartney lived at 20 Forthlin in Allerton from the age of 13 to 22 and about 100 Beatles songs were composed there.

Lennon lived at Mendips, a 1930s semi-detached house in Woolton, with his Aunt Mimi from the age of five to 22.

Source: bbc.com

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If you were looking for experimental music from The Beatles, you’d probably look to John Lennon first. After all, Lennon was behind the sound collage that was “Revolution 9” and another wild song the band rejected during the White Album (1968) sessions.

But Paul McCartney had gotten out in front of John in this regard. When Paul led the band through the free-form “Carnival of Light” in ’67, he’d long been experimenting with avant-garde music. (According to Ian MacDonald, Paul worked on tape loops and musique concrete as early as ’65.)

By the time The Beatles got near the end of the line, Paul felt ready to bring “prepared piano” to a Fab Four track. In this case, it involved altering strings to get a metallic effect. When George Harrison asked for a different piano sound on “For You Blue,” Paul got to work.

Source: Cheatsheet

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