Beatles News
Las Vegas may have taken the idea of the British Invasion a bit too literally.
Ahead of The Beatles’ concerts here on Aug. 20, 1964, during what was just the second stop on the band’s first North American tour, the Review-Journal warned of “swarms of frenzied teenage girls armed with ballpoint pens and sharp fingernails” as well as “thousands of adolescent females ready to tear down brick walls with their bare hands to get a look at the furry foursome.”
Officers surround the stage. They'd gone through riot training two days before the concerts.
Two days before the shows, sheriff’s deputies went through riot training where they were split into two groups: “one the good guys,” we wrote, “and the other the Beatlemaniacs.” We described this instruction as “an hourlong slugfest” during which “the good guys brandished their clubs and waded right in.”
Juvenile authorities refused to waive the local curfew and vowed to send all their officers to the 9 p.m. show to enforce it. Anyone younger than 18 caught after 10 p.m. without a parent or guardian risked being booked.
Source: Christopher Lawrence/reviewjournal.com
The hits that The Beatles recorded more than half a century ago still have plenty of life left in them. It’s incredible to see audiences continue to stream, and especially buy, tunes that have been available for decades, but which never seem to fade from public consciousness, no matter how much time passes.
This week, The Beatles nearly returned to the top 10 on one of the songs charts in their home country. They miss out on doing so by just a few spaces, but the fact that they came so close—and with a song that millions have already purchased—is another show of popularity from the biggest band in history.
“From Us To You - 2 March 1964” shoots up the Official Vinyl Singles chart in the U.K. this frame. The single release—which is actually more like an EP, considering the fact that it contains more than half a dozen tracks—bolts from No. 22 to No. 12 on the list of the bestselling songs on vinyl in the country.
The collection is centered around a song—“From Me to You”—which was released in 1963 as a single. The new EP also includes a number of other cuts, rounding it out and making it a must-own for fans. Released earlier this month, the title debuted at No. 6, and has been living inside the top 10 on the Official Vinyl Singles chart for three frames now.
The same project also climbs on the similar Official Physical Singles tally. On that list, it bolts from No. 29 to No. 18. In doing so, it approaches its previously-set No. 12 peak.
The Beatles actually manage to fill a pair of spaces on the latter ranking this week. In addition to “From Us To You - 2 March 1964,” the latest single from the band is still present. “Now and Then,” which was released in late 2023, gains quite a bit of ground this frame, lifting from No. 62 to No. 32.
Source: forbes.com
Where were you on the night of Wednesday, Aug 19, 1964? I had just turned 9, and quite likely was at home watching my favorite shows: “The Ozzie and Harriet Show,” “The Patty Duke Show,” then my favorite show of the week, “Shindig.”
However, some 40 miles away at the Cow Palace in Daly City, 17,130 mostly young people were gathered to witness history. That night, The Beatles opened their first tour of the United States.
Sixty years ago this coming Thursday, the Fab Four headlined a show that also had The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, The Righteous Brothers and Jackie DeShannon on the bill.
When the Beatles finally took the stage at about 9:20 p.m., the assembled crowd, overwhelmingly young and primarily female, went nuts, out of their minds nuts. Nuts like a crowd had never been nuts before.
The band played a very short set by today’s standards, but it was stopped twice by the police as they need to restore order in the hall after the stage was pelted by jelly beans, a rumored favorite treat of George Harrison. The delays extended the band’s on stage time to 38 minutes.
They played 12 songs:”Twist and Shout,” “You Can’t Do That,” “All My Loving,” ”She Loves You,” “Things We Said Today,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “If I Fell,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Boys,” “A Hard Day’s Night” and“Long Tall Sally.” Short and oh, so sweet.
Source: TIM CURLEY/sonomanews.com
A new documentary exploring the time John Lennon and Yoko Ono became daytime talk show hosts is set to hit theaters this fall.
Deadline reports that Daytime Revolution, directed by Erik Nelson, will debut in theaters across the country on Oct. 9, which would have been Lennon’s 84th birthday. It focuses on the week in February 1972 when Lennon and Ono produced and co-hosted the popular daytime talk show The Mike Douglas Show.
According to the description, the film “takes us back in time, as we observe John and Yoko interacting with a transfixed studio audience in revealing Q and A sessions where John Lennon was astonishingly candid about his life after the Beatles.”
Guests during their hosting gig were picked by the pair and included activist Jerry Rubin, Black Panther Bobby Seale and Ralph Nader. There were also musical performances, with Lennon performing a duet with guest Chuck Berry and also performing his classic tune “Imagine.”
Source: wdrv.com
George Harrison didn’t get a plethora of cuts while with the Beatles. Paul McCartney and John Lennon pretty much had a monopoly on the songwriting. However, the cuts he did get proved to be timeless classics. There was one Harrison-penned song in particular that nearly didn’t receive a wide release. Find out which titular Beatles song fans almost missed out on, below.
Meaning Behind “You’re in My Heart' by Rod Stewart and the Famous Girl Who Inspired It
The Beatles Hit George Harrison Almost Didn’t Release: “That’s Too Easy”
“Something” was one of Harrison’s shining moments in the Beatles. It has fascinated guitar players for decades and remains a Beatles staple. Nevertheless, Harrison didn’t believe in the song when it first came to him.
“I just put it on ice for six months because I thought, ‘That’s too easy’,” Harrison once said.
Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way she woos me
I don’t want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
This ballad is a little black and white. It has little surprises in its simplistic melody. However, sometimes there doesn’t need to be anything flashy to make a song great. Sometimes all that is required are some well crafted lyrics and a memorable chord progression. Harrison certainly achieved that here.
Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com
London-born Angeleno and prominent Beatles expert Martin Lewis will speak on his favorite subject on Friday, 8/23—60 years to the day after the Fabs’ landmark performance at the Hollywood Bowl.
He describes “The Greatest Beatles Story NEVER Told!”—which will take place at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz—as a TED Talk-style event that will recount The Beatles’ conquest of North America, including the band’s breakthrough hit, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and their pivotal appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which drew a massive audience of 73 million.
Part of the discussion will focus on Brian Epstein, their late manager, “who was both Jewish and gay in England at a time when it was no picnic to be either,” Lewis noted in an email. “I was only one of those two minorities—and that was hard enough.”
“They went viral before there was viral,” Lewis said in an interview with the Jewish Journal. “And this was all thanks to Epstein. No Brian, no Beatles. They said so themselves in different ways while they were together. Without him, they wouldn’t have gotten out of Liverpool. Paul even referred to him as the fifth Beatle.”
Source: hitsdailydouble.com
Paul McCartney is set to play Costa Rica for the first time in more than a decade.
The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just added a Costa Rica date to his Got Back tour. He will be playing Estadio Nacional in San Jose on Nov. 5.
A ticket presale kicks off Aug. 19 at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public Aug. 24 at 10 a.m.
The last time McCartney performed in San Jose was in May 2014 during his Out There tour, with the show also happening at Estadio Nacional.
The 2024 leg of McCartney’s Got Back tour will kick off Oct. 10 in Uruguay, with confirmed dates in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Europe and the U.K. It wraps with a two-night stand at London’s O2 Arena, Dec. 18 and 19. A complete list of dates can be found at paulmccartney.com.
Source: Real Rock News
The Beatles were more than a rock band. They were a cultural phenomenon. As their music evolved, each individual Beatle began contributing material, and musical differences became inevitable. During the sessions for the White Album, drummer Ringo Starr left the band for two weeks. Shortly thereafter, during the “Get Back” rehearsals, guitarist George Harrison quit the group for five days before he was lured back into the fold. The following year, the band argued about who should handle their business affairs. Paul McCartney urged his bandmates to hire entertainment lawyers Lee and John Eastman, but was outvoted in favor of Allen Klein, who had also represented Sam Cooke and The Rolling Stones.
After recording Abbey Road, John Lennon informed the rest of the group he was leaving The Beatles, but it was unclear if it was permanent. He had already released two albums with Yoko Ono. On April 9, 1970, McCartney put out a press release to announce his first solo album. He stated he was no longer working with the group, and the media jumped on the story with headlines of “Paul Breaks Up The Beatles.” Lawsuits followed, but McCartney had already turned his attention to his solo career. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney.
Meaning Behind “You’re in My Heart' by Rod Stewart and the Famous Girl Who Inspired It
Maybe I’m amazed at the way you love me all the time
Maybe I’m afraid of the way I love you
Maybe I’m amazed at the way you pulled me out of time
You hung me on a line
Maybe I’m amazed at the way I really need you
Linda McCartney
Source: Jay McDowell/americansongwriter.com
New documentaries about Elton John and The Beatles are part of the New York Film Festival’s Spotlight section, which showcases the most notable fall releases.
Elton John: Never Too Late, co-directed by R.J. Cutler and Elton’s husband, David Furnish, follows Elton during his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, with the description noting it “offers keen insight into a life and career marked by soaring highs and crushing lows, and contemplates a legacy defined equally by advocacy and artistry.” Elton, Furnish and Cutler are expected to attend the premiere.
Also premiering at the festival is TWST / Things We Said Today, from Romanian director Andrei Ujica, about The Beatles’ 1965 trip to New York to headline Shea Stadium, and Pavements, a “rule-flouting sorta-documentary” about Stephen Malkmus and the band Pavement.
Elton’s doc is getting its U.S. premiere at the festival; it’s already set to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 5 to Sept. 15. Meanwhile, TWST / Things We Said Today and Pavements are getting their North American premieres, with both set to debut at the Venice Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7.
The New York Film Festival takes place Sept 27. to Oct. 14.
Source: mikeeves@wxhc.com
When it comes to The Beatles, it was often Paul McCartney and John Lennon who got the most shine. After that duo, George Harrison was considered the next best artist and songwriter. And then there was Ringo Starr, the comic relief, the peace sign-waving, smiling drummer, who often felt like he was put over on the side on a riser and left to his own devices.
But once the former mop tops split up, music fans got to see more of Ringo as a bandleader, songwriter, recording artist, and performer, and much of what he put out into the world was appreciated on a new level. Here below, we wanted to explore three such songs. A trio of tracks from Starr that have since stood the test of time.
When they were with The Beatles, Ringo and George Harrison were known to write songs together, including the hit “Octopus’s Garden.” But here the two collaborated on this single from Starr’s self-titled 1973 LP Ringo. The Gold-selling track, which the two began writing in France in 1971, is about the value of a photograph and how it can sometimes be the last remaining element from an otherwise cherished relationship. Love is beautiful but is also fleeting. And Ringo sings of this fact on the track, offering,
Ev’ry time I see your face,
It reminds me of the places we used to go.
But all I got is a photograph
And I realize you’re not coming back anymore.
I thought I’d make it the day you went away,
But I can’t make it
Till you come home again to stay.
I can’t get used to living here,
While my heart is broke, my tears I cried for you.
I want you here to have and hold,
As the years go by and we grow old and grey.
“It Don’t Come Easy” from Ringo (1971)
Source: Jacob Uitti/americansongwriter.com
