The rock legend in the autumn of their years who chooses to release a new album is well advised to get themselves an angle. If the music that made you legendary was written and recorded long ago – and is highly unlikely to be displaced in the public’s affections by anything you do now – it’s good to have something that suggests a sense of purpose, beyond just adding to an already vast back catalogue for the sake of it.

We’ve recently seen it with Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways, rooted in its jawdropping 17-minute survey of American political history, Murder Most Foul; and with Bruce Springsteen’s Only the Strong Survive, with its canny covers of soul and R&B classics. And an angle is clearly something that has occurred to Paul McCartney, too. From its title referencing a road in the suburb of Liverpool where McCartney spent his early childhood, to the circumstances of its launch – the first single Days We Left Behind was premiered not on YouTube or Spotify but BBC Radio Merseyside – his 27th studio album has been presented as a nostalgic look back at what you might call his pre-Fab years.

The idea has certainly generated excitement and not a little emotion on the part of fans. McCartney seems to have spent the last few years crossing the Ts and dotting the Is on various aspects of his past: reworking the footage of the Let It Be recording sessions to cast it in a more positive light than the 1970 film of the same name; completing the one song left unfinished during the mid-90s reunion of the surviving Beatles; releasing a documentary designed to remind the public that, for all the critical opprobrium thrown their way, Wings were absolutely huge in the 1970s. A burst of sentimental autobiographical reminiscence adds to the faint but detectable sense that his career is drawing to a close.

Source: theguardian.com/Alexis Petridis

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The Beatles’ 1969 magnum opus, Abbey Road, has the same sort of “love it or hate it” legacy as other mega albums like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Diehard fans will accuse people of choosing the “sell-out” option when they list these albums as their personal favorites, and in some cases, these fans will even argue that the album’s no good.

As silly and subjective as this mindset is, it’s easy to see why albums that have been elevated to such high regard also have an immense amount of pressure to be absolutely perfect. Abbey Road is no exception, with many fans criticizing some tracks for being less-than-ideal offerings from the Fab Four.

That includes these four tracks—although, personally speaking, I can’t get enough of them.
“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”

Not even the rest of The Beatles liked “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”, but that’s where I disagree with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. This Paul McCartney number is catchy, morbidly funny, and a great example of how effective groove switches can really be. My personal favorite part of the song is when you can hear McCartney snicker through the line “writing 50 times,” as if even he knew how absurd the song was.
“Octopus’s Garden”

Ringo Starr gets a lot of hate for his songwriting contributions to The Beatles, but “Octopus’s Garden” is downright sweet when you think about it. Starr learned about octopi making “gardens” in their homes under the sea while he was on vacation. Then, he writes a song about wanting to be “warm below the storm” with all of his friends. What whimsy! What tender thoughts! Cranky Beatles fans can pry this one out of my cold, dead hands.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Melanie Davis

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Earlier this week, model, photographer, and ex-wife of George Harrison, Pattie Boyd, appeared on the inaugural episode of Miss O'Dell: Abbey Road To Tulsa Time, a new podcast hosted by music industry icon Chris O'Dell, who worked with everyone from the Beatles to the Stones to Bob Dylan. Around the 33-minute mark, O'Dell asks Boyd about the ambitious Beatles biopic project from Sam Mendes that’s currently in the works. Aimee Lou Wood was cast to play Boyd in the upcoming film, which Boyd learned about not because Mendes, or anyone working on the project, reached out to her. And, she does not seem happy about it.

“Now, I might be completely wrong, but I would have thought it would be polite to mention it to me or let me know that they got someone who’s going to be playing me. Don’t you think they’d let me know? Well, I haven’t been contacted by anyone,” she said. “I could have really told them great stories. But I don’t think they want to know. I think they want to create something that’s completely different, like a different story.”

Boyd added that the forthcoming biopics seem to have “nothing to do with the truth. Nothing to do with what really happened because they don’t want to talk to anyone who was there.” Instead, it’s “the filmmaker’s creation of what they think happened.”

I mean, she has a point here. It would make sense that someone would reach out to her, not only to get her perspective, but also because Wood is literally portraying her in the film. In an interview from this March, Wood gave some vague quotes about how intimidating this biopic project is. “I am going to have to really prep, and I am going to have to really be detailed about that, because she is someone who is so recognisable, and obviously not do an impression," she said.

Well, duh. And again, I am confused about why not actually contacting Boyd would be part of the prep. But hey, I know nada about this Hollywood business stuff.

Source: stereogum.com/Margaret Farrell

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It’s no secret that President Donald Trump has gotten some intense backlash from notable figures in pop culture, and this even includes the one and only Paul McCartney.

The Beatles icon recently talked about American politics during a podcast interview, where he began making some comments on the current presidential administration. During the interview, he spoke about how he felt Americans were only getting more violent, angry, and more, especially in “Trump’s America.” Though he didn’t dwell on the current state of the country’s politics for long, what he said struck a nerve with some social media users, who weren’t into his comments. Read more about the situation below.

Paul McCartney Calls Out 'Trump's America' & Says Americans Are 'At Each Other's Throats'

Easily one of the most influential musicians in the world is Paul McCartney, whose music, both during his years with the Beatles and afterward, has brought people from all walks of life together for decades.

In addition to his music, Paul has also built a reputation for being more outspoken politically, especially these days, with the controversial Apprentice star as president. Recently, he was a guest on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, where he talked about a variety of topics as he answered questions from some members of his loyal fanbase. At one point, he began talking about the unifying power of his music, especially the infamous Beatles song, "Hey Jude."

Source: yahoo.com/Abigail Connolly

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You might think it would be a thrill to inspire a Beatles song. Well, only if it were a complimentary track. If you landed on their bad side, especially John Lennon’s, you might end up immortalized for all the wrong reasons.

In 1968, Lennon wrote a stinging rebuke that wound up on The White Album later that year. Ironically, it targeted a person who had only recently been the subject of Lennon’s sincere admiration.
A Fateful Retreat

The Beatles headed to India in 1968, intent on studying meditation from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. After the death of their manager Brian Epstein the previous year, the band was seeking new challenges and inspirational guidance.

John Lennon was all-in with the project when he arrived. He felt that the Maharishi, who seemed to always be smiling, was as good a guru as any to follow. Lennon and the other Beatles received their mantras and did their meditating. They spent the idle hours writing dozens of songs, many of which appeared on The White Album later that year.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia

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George Harrison was known as the "Quiet Beatle," but his songwriting spoke volumes.

The Beatles icon, who passed away in 2001, wrote 22 tracks for the Fab Four, a few of which remain among their most memorable. Unlike many of his peers, Harrison was more reserved and introspective. He wasn’t drawn to the glitz and glamour of fame; instead, he thrived on genuine connection and spirituality. Some of his Beatles songs show this side of him, while others might catch you off guard.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon handled most of the group’s songwriting, with many tracks credited as McCartney-Lennon originals. Ringo Starr, the band's drummer, contributed just two songs.

In an interview, commenting on Harrison as a singer and a songwriter, Lennon once said, "George didn’t even use to sing when we brought him into the group; he was a guitarist. He wasn’t in the same league for a long time. That’s not putting him down, he just hadn’t had the practice at writing that we had.”

A decade later, Harrison was the first Beatle to hit No. 1 as a solo artist following the band's breakup in 1970 with "My Sweet Lord." If that's not proof of his exceptional creativity and lyrical mastery, what is?

Let's drop the needle on five of the 22 tracks Harrison wrote for The Beatles.
"HERE COMES THE SUN"

One of the most well-known Beatles' songs of all time came from the brilliant mind of Harrison. He wrote "Here Comes The Sun" during a stressful time for the Fab Four, escaping business meetings to relax at Eric Clapton's garden estate. That burst of sunshine became one of the band's warmest songs, fusing acoustic guitar with an early Moog synthesizer.

Source: mentalfloss.com/Logan DeLoye

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