Beatles News
Music fans around the world mourned the loss of George Harrison upon his death in November 2001 at 58 years old. A year later, they received a wonderful farewell gift in the form of Brainwashed, his final studio album.
Not only was it his last album, but Brainwashed turned out to be one of his best. How did it all come together? And who helped carry the project forward in Harrison’s absence? It’s an amazing story befitting an amazing album.
When he released his surprising comeback album Cloud Nine in 1987, it looked like George Harrison had re-energized his solo career in such a way that we could expect more material coming from him in a hurry. But the follow-up album never quite materialized.
Harrison still wasn’t all that keen on the promotional and touring duties that were expected of a rock artist. He also got caught up in other events. There were two albums with his buddies in the Traveling Wilburys, as well as the time spent helping fellow Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr complete the Anthology project.
That’s not to say that he stopped thinking about releasing his own music. In fact, as the ’90s wore on, he started to assemble songs that seemed like they could work on a solo album. When he overcame a throat cancer scare in 1997, it seemed he would have the time to work on this record. Fate intervened, however, and made Brainwashed, by necessity, a team effort.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
The final bow is set for July 6th at The Mirage, Las Vegas. Come and celebrate the last shows of The Beatles LOVE.
The groundbreaking production celebrating the music and legacy of The Beatles through the artistry of Cirque du Soleil, will conclude its historic Las Vegas run at The Mirage on July 6, 2024 as the resort begins its transformation into The Hard Rock Las Vegas. Tickets to performances are on sale at cirquedusoleil.com/beatles-love.
Celebrating its 18th anniversary this year, The Beatles LOVE is a vibrant and thrilling production, driven by its GRAMMY®-winning soundtrack and breathtaking aerial artistry, colorful visuals and high-energy choreography on a 360-degree stage.
“The Beatles LOVE has been seen by more than 11.5 million guests since opening in 2006,” said Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group CEO Stéphane Lefebvre. “It’s been an honor for all of us at Cirque du Soleil to collaborate with The Beatles and Apple Corps Ltd. on what can only be described as a masterpiece. We are grateful to the creators, cast, crew and all involved in bringing this show to life and we know The Beatles LOVE will live on long after the final bow.”
Source: thebeatles.com
A new feature documentary about John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s life in New York in the early 1970s has been announced. One to One: John & Yoko features newly transferred and restored 16mm film footage including Lennon’s only full-length concert performances after The Beatles, as well as previously unseen and unheard personal archives, including phone calls and home movies recorded and filmed by the couple themselves.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, One to One: John & Yoko comes over 50 years after The Beatles broke up, and Lennon was fatally shot in 1980 as he and Ono returned to their home in the Dakota building overlooking New York’s Central Park. The film is described as “a moving look at the couple’s life upon their entry into a transformative 1970’s New York, exploring their musical, personal, artistic, social, and political world.” At the core of the story are the One to One Concerts at Madison Square Garden, where Lennon was accompanied by Yoko Ono, The Plastic Ono Band, Elephant’s Memory and Special Guests. The remixed concert audio was produced by Sean Ono Lennon, who shared: “Kevin’s documentary brings completely fresh insight into my parents’ lives during their Bank Street and early New York years, showing first hand their unwavering dedication to promoting peace and non-violence during a turbulent era of unrest, corruption and unnecessary war.”
Source: klbjfm.com
If you listened to John Lennon’s 1975 album Rock ‘n’ Roll and knew nothing else about it, you’d probably hear it as a bit of a lark that allowed the ex-Beatle to pay homage to the music he grew up idolizing. And it is that, to an extent. But when you know why and how the record was made (and how it almost wasn’t), you’ll appreciate that Lennon was able to hold this thing together at all.
With lawsuits upon lawsuits, gunplay, and stolen tapes involved, the album at times felt more like international espionage than simple Rock ‘n’ Roll. And, oddly, the whole saga started with a Beatles song. The opening song off Abbey Road, the final album The Beatles recorded together before their breakup, was “Come Together,” credited to Lennon/McCartney but pretty much 100% written by John Lennon. That’s why Morris Levy came after Lennon, claiming the song sounded a bit too much like the Chuck Berry song “You Can’t Catch Me,” for which Levy owned the publishing.
These claims took place a few years after The Beatles had broken up and Lennon was in the middle of his solo career. He didn’t want to be sued, so he agreed with Levy to record and release a few songs from Levy’s publishing catalog of golden oldies as a kind of goodwill gesture. Studio time in Los Angeles was squared away in late 1973.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
A former member of the Beatles is bringing his drum kit to the Valley Dale Ballroom next month.
No, it's not Ringo Starr — original Beatles drummer Pete Best is coming to town.
Flashback: Best played alongside Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison for two years, until the band replaced him with Starr in 1962.
The band went on to enjoy Beatlemania, while Best later left the music industry for two decades. He now tours with a band playing Beatles hits and original songs.
The intrigue: The Cyrkle, a classic rock band that toured with the Beatles in 1966, will be the opening act.
Want to go? The July 28 show at 1590 Sunbury Road will feature a pre-concert lecture at 2:30pm ($59-79) with Best and his brother, Roger, followed by a 4pm meet and greet ($65).
The concert starts at 6pm ($59-99).
Source:Axios
On June 12, 1965, the British government announced that The Beatles would each be made an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace later in the year; the selection sparked criticism, with some MBEs returning their medals in protest.
"We were at Twickenham Film Studios one afternoon when Brian (Epstein) showed up and took us to the dressing room rather secretively. We wondered what it was all about. He said, 'I've got some news for you - the Prime Minister and the Queen have awarded you an MBE,' and we said, 'What's that?' - 'It's a medal!'"
Paul
"(Brian) said, 'What do you think, boys?' I had no problem with it - none of us had any problems with it in the beginning. We all thought it was really thrilling: We're going to meet the Queen and she's going to give us a badge. I thought, 'This is cool.'"
Source: thebeatles.com
The Beatles helped revolutionise the way pop acts utilised the studio. The band’s quick-fire debut album ‘Please Please Me’ was famously completed in a matter of hours – by the time of ‘A Day In The Life’, the Fab Four would spend entire weeks on a single tracks. One song, however, went further – and spanned entire eras of their creative lives.
Released as the B-side of ‘Let It Be’ – their final UK single, and penultimate American single – ‘You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)’ is a jaunty music hall pastiche that epitomises The Beatles’ offbeat, surrealist sense of humour. It also stands as evidence both of their fastidious nature in the studio, and the ruptures during their final years together, taking some four years to perfect.
John Lennon initially sketched out the song during writing sessions in the Spring of 1967 – a hugely productive time for the songwriter, with LSD helping to unblock his pen. In one interview, he recalled how the title came to him after glancing through a nearby phonebook.
That was a piece of unfinished music that I turned into a comedy record with Paul. I was waiting for him in his house, and I saw the phone book was on the piano with ‘You know the name, look up the number.’ That was like a logo, and I just changed it.
Source: Robin Murray/clashmusic.com
Revolver features some of the most iconic songs in The Beatles’ catalog, including classics like “Eleanor Rigby,” “Tomorrow Never Knows,” and “Here, There and Everywhere.” But where it really gains separation from other rock albums is in the depth of its lineup of songs. That includes “And Your Bird Can Sing,” which is somehow catchy and elusive all at once.
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What is the song about? What did its main writer, John Lennon, think about it? And what unique instrumental touch did The Beatles add to the song to help it stand out? All the answers and more ahead as we explore “And Your Bird Can Sing.”
Lennon’s Throwaway
Songwriters can often be harshest on their own material. This was especially true of John Lennon, who often denigrated work from his past that many fans absolutely loved. “And Your Bird Can Sing” was one of those songs. In interviews discussing his Beatles work, he quickly dismissed it as nothing more than a throwaway.
Many have speculated that Lennon did so because he didn’t want to reveal the target of the song. Over the years, folks have hazarded various guesses about whom Lennon was addressing and who their “bird” was supposed to be. Since Lennon didn’t specify, there’s no way to verify it.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
It was like squashing a cockroach, they said.
Put your toe down in one spot, rotate your hips and your ankle, shimmy them shoulders and snap your fingers to the beat. That's how you kill a bug, and it's how you do The Twist – but beware. In the new book “Shake It Up, Baby” by Ken McNab, there are some Beatles you really want around.
The first day of 1963 was remarkable for one thing: Great Britain was in the midst of “an extraordinary polar plunge that would last three long, depressing months.” Also on that day, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr arrived on a plane home from Hamburg, “just four nameless faces in the crowd.”
They had no idea that this would be the year “when everything changed.”
They were still getting used to one another, jostling for control. Their manager, Brian Epstein, was toiling to make the four men famous: constantly calling record companies, landing gigs, booking recording studios – one at which the Beatles would record an entire album in a single day. They toured constantly, dozens and dozens of concerts with one reward: their song “Please Please Me” started to rise on the British music charts.
Source: Terri Schlichenmeyer | For The Guam Daily Post
They say it's his birthday and, in this case, the collective "they" gets one right: Paul McCartney will turn 82 on June 18.
The living legend keeps making music at the place where his eternal Beatle boyishness and august, aging revelations meet. To celebrate Sir Paul, I dug deep into his solo catalog, surfacing with 23 favorite tracks. No Beatles and, here, no Wings. Just cuts from albums that bear McCartney's name alone.
Any favorites list is up for debate, and no doubt readers could draw their own map through Macca's work. Mine reveals a very distinct history: as a middle-schooler, I chased my dad's love of Beatles records into McCartney's latest solo offering, 1993's "Off the Ground."
Not exactly beloved by critics, that album still sounds like long car rides and late-night listening sessions, and will show up often as my list narrows toward the top.
That's an expression of my relationship to McCartney. But maybe this tally will introduce a new-to-you gem, reacquaint you with a personal classic or just offer up an excuse to celebrate the man and his music. Here are 23 tracks, in very particular order:
Source: columbiatribune.com
