Beatles News
Ringo’s rhythm and voice have provided the soundtrack for multiple generations. From his groundbreaking work with The Beatles to a remarkable solo career featuring 20 studio albums between 1970 and 2023, plus a recent string of popular EPs, Ringo brings an unparalleled musical legacy to every stage, making each concert on his tour a historic event.
Ringo's creativity shines beyond the music. He's an accomplished actor with over 15 film credits and an Academy Award®, an author of eight books, a visual artist with multiple global exhibitions, and even a photographer. His annual July 7th Peace and Love initiative has blossomed into a worldwide movement, and in recent years, Ringo was knighted, received an honorary degree as a Doctor of Music from Berklee College of Music, and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame with the Joe Chambers Musicians Legacy Award.
In January of this year, Ringo released Look Upopens in a new tab, his first country album in more than 50 years, which earned him his first top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, as well as landing him on multiple other Billboard charts. In the UK, the album secured Starr his first solo #1 album on the Official Country Chart, overtaking Taylor Swift and leading to him making his Grand Ole Opry debut. And now he brings his musical talent back to Las Vegas for a run of shows at The Venetian Theatre from September 17th through the 27th.
Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at any box office at The Venetian Resort or by calling 702.414.9000 or 866.641.7469.
Source: venetianlasvegas.com
A tour to help heal the rifts between members of The Beatles had been suggested by Paul McCartney, but amounted to nothing, the veteran songwriter has claimed.
McCartney, who would leave the band in the late 1960s, had hoped that getting back on stage with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, might help the band work through the problems laid bare in documentaries Let It Be and Get Back. But it appeared the tensions were too much for the Fab Four, with Lennon confirming his departure from the group privately to his bandmates. McCartney, who would go on to form Wings and later enjoyed a successful solo career, commented on his hopes of getting The Beatles back on the road and why it never came to pass.
In response to criticism from Philip Norman in his book, Shout!, the Blackbird songwriter says he tried his best to keep the band together in the late ’60s.
He said: “What the book says, about me being the great manipulator simply isn’t true. Nothing happened in The Beatles unless everyone wanted it to happen. But when there was a decision to be made, somebody had to say it out loud — and that usually turned out to be my job. I accepted it.
“I certainly wasn’t responsible for splitting up the Beatles, as some people think — in fact, I was the last one to come to that view. I’d wanted us to tour, to bring us closer together again.
“It all gets absorbed into the myth, your image builds up, it gets into plays and books, and it becomes the truth. Except that it wasn’t. There’s a story that I used to straighten John’s tie before we went on stage. That seems to have become a symbol of what my attitude was supposed to have been. I’ve never straightened anyone’s tie in my life, except perhaps affectionately.”
Source: cultfollowing.co.uk/Ewan Gleadow
By the late 1960s, the Beatles were driving much of pop culture’s direction, from electric guitars to psychedelia to Indian music and meditation. But their influence also became entangled in the era’s more controversial shifts — including widespread experimentation with drugs. That tension surfaced directly when George Harrison appeared on The Dick Cavett Show in November 1971. The host asked whether the Beatles bore responsibility for America’s growing drug culture.
“You had this tremendous influence on young people,” Cavett said. “Everyone knows you went through a drug phase. Did it ever occur to you that the fact that was known, and the fact that you were the Beatles, might have caused thousands of people to have drug problems that might not have otherwise?”
The audience bristled at the question, but Harrison responded without hesitation, beginning with a story that reframed the premise entirely.
So we had it; we went out to a club, and it was incredible.” “First of all, when we took the notorious wonder drug LSD, we didn’t know we were having it,” he said. “John and I had the drug when we were having dinner with our dentist. He put it in our coffee and never told us.”
The doctor, John Riley, had invited the two Beatles to dinner in spring 1965, where he spiked their coffee. At the time, Harrison said, neither he nor John Lennon knew much about LSD at all.
“It’s a good job we hadn’t heard of it,” he said, “because there’s been so much paranoia now created around the drug that people, if they take it, they’re already on a bad trip before they start.”
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox! “So we had it; we went out to a club, and it was incredible.”
Source: guitarplayer.com/Phil Weller
While some popular songs aren't everyone's cup of tea, a handful of the top tunes are universally beloved. For instance, on May 20, Far Out magazine released a ranking of "10 songs that are too perfect to hate." According to the publication, a few songs "that are impossible to hate" include Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" (1975), "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman (1988), "Friday I’m in Love" by The Cure (1992), and "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers (2004).
Far Out named the Beatles' beloved 1969 song, "Here Comes the Sun," as the top tune simply "impossible to hate."
While "Here Comes the Sun," off of Abbey Road, has received constant praise from critics and fans alike, its songwriter, George Harrison, revealed he wasn't overly impressed with the tune. During a 1969 interview for Scene and Heard, Harrison described "Here Comes The Sun" and his song, "Something," also from Abbey Road, as "ok... maybe a bit more commercial but as songs not much better than the songs on the last album."
"But I've been writing for a couple of years now. And there's been lots of songs I've written which I haven't got 'round to recording. So, you know, in my own mind I don't see what the fuss is, because I've heard these songs before and I wrote them, you know quite a while back. And it's really nice that people like the songs, but," continued Harrison, who died in 2001 at the age of 58.
Source: yahoo.com/Nicole Moore
The flute that features on the Beatles' iconic song The Fool On The Hill is to go under the hammer.
Owned by leading British flautist Jack Ellory until his death in 2009, the flute will be sold at auction at Gardiner Houlgate in Wiltshire on 12 June – and is expected to fetch up to £20,000.
Ellory was a prolific session musician who played on classical and pop music records as well as soundtracks for the Sean Connery-period James Bond films, Pink Panther films, and the musical Oliver!
His son Brian Ellory said he hoped the restored instrument, which was held together by elastic bands when he inherited it, goes to someone "who can make music with it" and "appreciates its incredible history".
In 1967, Beatles producer George Martin asked Ellory to play flute for The Fool on the Hill, which was recorded for their Magical Mystery Tour project and topped the UK chart.
The flute was also used in numerous adverts of the period including the Cadbury's "fruit and nutcase" campaign featuring the Nutcracker Suite, which was later voted as one of the greatest adverts of the century.
Brian Ellory said: "I wanted to learn to play it but soon found I had no talent.
Source: Matty Edwards/bbc.com
The paths of rock legends George Harrison and Bob Dylan first crossed in 1964, sparking a friendship that would profoundly shape both their lives and music. This unexpected bond inspired a deeply personal co-written song that opened Harrison's iconic debut solo album, a poignant ballad celebrating loyalty and connection.
The Beatles, already global sensations, first encountered Bob Dylan in 1964 during their American tour. This meeting proved pivotal, with Dylan famously introducing the Fab Four to marijuana and influencing their shift towards more introspective songwriting. George Harrison, in particular, was drawn to Dylan's lyrical depth and unique artistic vision.
By late 1968, a frustrated George Harrison, feeling stifled within The Beatles, sought refuge at Bob Dylan’s home near Woodstock, New York. Dylan, recovering from a motorcycle accident, was at a quieter, more guarded period in his life. Harrison noticed Dylan's reticence, prompting a desire to connect.
Source: MSN/Jose Williams
By the end of their recording career, The Beatles had the benefit of three standout songwriters. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison all possessed the ability to spin out a classic at a moment’s notice.
But that wasn’t always the case. It took a while for Harrison to find his songwriting legs. His first song recorded with the band was a bit of an oddball that reflected George’s willingness to push against the norms, a characteristic that would remain a hallmark of his writing throughout his career.
When considering George Harrison’s late-bloomer status as a songwriter within The Beatles, it’s important to remember that he was the youngest member of the group. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were both writing songs at a very young age.
As a result, they had a massive head start in terms of honing their songwriting craft. Not only that, but Lennon and McCartney understood the financial edge that they possessed by cultivating a stronghold on the songwriting duties. While they might have encouraged Harrison to write, they didn’t exactly twist his arm.
For his part, Harrison didn’t force himself to write until he was ready. There were no Harrison originals on Please Please Me, the first Beatles album in the UK. But he had one on the follow-up, With The Beatles. A sick day provided the impetus for Harrison’s first-ever songwriting credit with The Fab Four.
No “Bother”
The Beatles were touring in the summer of 1963 when Harrison spent a day in bed under the weather in a hotel room. With nothing else to do, he decided he’d give songwriting a go. At the end of the day, he’d written “Don’t Bother Me”.
When you look at the Lennon/McCartney originals that The Beatles had recorded to that point, they generally fell into one of two categories. Mostly, they were upbeat songs of romance that doubled as fan service. Or they were songs of lost love.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia
The largest collection of Paul McCartney’s personal artifacts ever publicly displayed is part of a new exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame centering on his life after The Beatles.
“Paul McCartney and Wings,” which opened Friday in Cleveland, explores the musician’s reinvention after leaving the iconic British rock band through displays of instruments, handwritten songwriting notes and photographs taken by his wife, Linda McCartney, who was keyboardist and harmony vocalist for Wings during its decade-long run from 1971 to 1981, when the band produced hits including “Band on the Run,” “Silly Love Songs” and “Live and Let Die.”
After the breakup of The Beatles, Paul McCartney was no longer just the musician who had been known around the world since his teenage years, but a husband and father of a young family. What he built with Wings reflected that new stage of life, said Andy Leach, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s senior director of museum and archival collections.
Leach said the band’s embrace of domestic life — bringing children on tour, having a married couple perform together and writing songs inspired by his wife, who was also a member of the group — was “remarkable and unusual” for the era, when rock music remained overwhelmingly male-dominated and family life was rarely incorporated so visibly into a band’s public identity.
“What’s interesting about Wings is that they were formed around the idea of reinvention, renewal, risk-taking, experimentation, but collaboration,” Leach said. “And family was at the center of it, too.”
Leach traveled to London to work with McCartney and his team to prepare and transport guitars along with clothing worn during performances to Cleveland. The vast majority of the artifacts are from McCartney’s personal collection.
Source: seattletimes.com/PATRICK AFTOORA ORSAGOS
Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming John Lennon documentary film recently received an exciting update. Just days after unveiling its official title, the project seems to be gaining momentum ahead of its special screening at Cannes.
What’s the latest update on Steven Soderbergh’s John Lennon movie?
Steven Soderbergh’s movie, John Lennon: The Last Interview, has launched sales through 193, a Legendary-backed sales and production company founded by Patrick Wachsberger. With this movie, 193 has expanded into the category of premium nonfiction movies.
The documentary features exclusive access to the Beatles icon’s final, in-depth conversation, reports Variety.
Its official synopsis reads, “On December 8, 1980, Lennon and Yoko Ono sat down with a small radio crew in their New York apartment to promote the release of their album Double Fantasy. What followed was an unfiltered, wide-ranging discussion about music, politics, fatherhood, and life. Just hours later, Lennon was killed.”
Helmed by Soderbergh, the movie presents “the complete interview for the first time, framed by reflections from those who were present, revealing a man at the height of his creative and personal powers, openly looking toward the future he would never see.”
Source: yahoo.com/Evolve Editors
Geoff Emerick was just a teenager in June 1962, employed as an apprentice sound engineer at EMI Studios (later renamed Abbey Road), when a then-little-known English rock band recorded a demo in the studio.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and drummer Pete Best laid down four tracks that day — “Bésame Mucho,” “Love Me Do,” “PS, I Love You,” and “Ask Me Why” — on a magnetic recording tape, which was then shuttled over to record producer George Martin at EMI’s headquarters on Manchester Square.
You know the rest: After ditching Best for Ringo Starr, The Beatles broke out with “Love Me Do,” launched Beatlemania, and became the most famous band of all time. Emerick rose with them, serving as chief engineer on iconic records like Abbey Road and becoming what Variety once called the “behind-the-scenes brains that helped shape the Beatles sound.”
But here’s what you probably don’t know: Emerick held onto that demo tape, which had been sent to a nearby squash court where “tapes went to die.” He kept it in his possession for decades, all the way until his 2018 death, when it was discovered among his things. And now, six decades after it was first recorded, Universal Music Group (UMG) wants it back.
In a legal battle quietly raging in Los Angeles court, both the music giant and Emerick’s estate are asking a judge to rule them the rightful owner of the tape, which UMG has called the “first known Beatles recording.” The estate’s lawyers say it was essentially thrown away, and that only Emerick saved it from destruction. UMG’s attorneys say it was always company property — and that it wasn’t his to save.
Source: billboard.com/Bill Donahue
