Beatles News
The Beatles have a complicated history. Their time together was plagued by turmoil, which dampened their legacy. However, there are tender moments in the band’s collective history that remind us that they were once kids who forged a friendship with music as the groundwork. One such moment is Paul McCartney‘s “Little Willow.”
Several decades after the Beatles broke up, McCartney decided to pen a song in honor of Ringo Starr’s late wife, Maureen Starkey. Attempting to comfort her children, “Little Willow” is a sonic explanation of life’s unpreparable changes. Wind’s going to blow you hard and cold tonight / Life, as it happens / Nobody warns you, willow, hold on tight, the lyrics read.
Though the band had been broken up (and ended on a sour note), McCartney thought a lot of Starkey and didn’t think twice about honoring her in this way.
“I wanted to somehow convey how much I thought of her,” McCartney once said. “For her and her kids…It certainly is heartfelt, and I hope it will help a bit.”
Even though Starkey inspired this song, McCartney did what he does best and “conjured” up a larger-than-life story to help him tell this emotional tale.
“I was very affected by Maureen’s death, and I remember just going into a room and putting those sentiments into that song,” he added elsewhere. “The sort of fragility of life is in that song. But it wasn’t called ‘Maureen,’ it was called ‘Little Willow.’ I always prefer to conjure up some story or tale or some bit of imagination around something, because then I can get my emotions out, but it’s not quite as raw.”
Source: americansongwriter.com/Alex Hopper
Starr, who celebrated his 85th birthday on Monday, July 7, was in a reflective mood as he looked back on his 37 years of sobriety.
The former Beatle was speaking to reporters at his annual “Peace & Love” birthday celebration in Beverly Hills when he made the announcement and shared how his life changed after giving up alcohol.
Surrounded by his musician friends, including Jackson Browne, John Desmond of The Doors and Colin Hay (Men At Work), Starr shared his sobriety journey.
“Well, I ended up in a rehab because I was not treating myself or anyone around me with any respect,” he said, as reported in People magazine.
“It was all about me, and I came out, and I haven’t had a drink since. Thank the Lord.”
In 1986 both he and his second wife, former Bond girl and actress Barbara Bach, entered treatment together to deal with their substance and alcohol addictions.
Starr has previously discussed his difficulties with addiction before, and in 2015 told the Times of London, he could not remember much of the 1970s or 1980s.
“I look in the mirror and I’m 24. I never got older than 24.”
The Liverpool-born drummer continues to keep a tour schedule that would exhaust musicians half his age and will take his live act, Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, on tour through the United States later this year.
Source: startsat60.com/Nicole Keramos
Yoko Ono was not a factor in the break-up of The Beatles despite being blamed for decades, a historian claims. Martin Lewis points to Apple TV’s recent Get Back series as evidence her presence in the Beatles studio did not cause the tension between John Lennon and his bandmates many insist was behind the demise.
Yoko being at the 1969 Let it Be album recordings has gone down in music folklore as the beginning of the end for the Fab Four. But Martin, who has worked with both her and Paul McCartney in recent years, said: “The fans wanted a villain. The media likes a villain. We all do. That’s natural, but not reality.”
Speaking about the Apple TV series, he added: “They are in the studio. Yoko’s there, which was unusual. They didn’t normally have wives or girlfriends in the studio. Who does John relate to through the whole eight hours? He looks at Yoko once in a blue moon. His eyes are on Paul. He’s with his buddy of the last 13 years. It’s all about John and Paul.
“Yoko was there, she wants to be there. He’s not rude. He’s just not interested. He’s working with his mate and having fun. The whole film gives the lie to that nonsense. It’s John and Paul, but bonding, writing, having fun, reminiscing. He’s polite to Yoko.
"She didn’t break up the Beatles. John and Paul have been together since July 57, when they were 17 and 16 respectively. They were nearly 30. That’s a long time. So they were growing apart. She’s not the villain.”
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Martin also claimed racism played its part in the treatment of Yoko and her public perception. Speaking at the LA Jewish Film Festival’s opening night film Midas Man, about Beatles manager Brian Epstein, he said: “A lot of it was racist because John was dumping his English rose wife and going off with a Japanese and an Asian woman. John made a very interesting point… up until Yoko, he was [called in the media] John.
Source: mirror.co.uk/Tom Bryant
I never really was familiar with the original Beatles US album releases. I just knew they were different. I had seen some of the covers and just assumed they were some weird compilation albums.
I started getting into music as a teen from junior high through college 1979-1989 and my first Beatles pruchases were the so called red and blue compilation albums. A great introduction that covered the big hits across their entire history. Later I got 1 and Past Masters and Anthology even later. But I never bothered with the original albums much.
Then I got streaming and just assumed the albums as presented on apple music was what everyone knew. It was only later that I found out that those were the UK versions of those albums (with the exception of Magical Mystery Tour). But anyway I learned what their catalogue was from those albums.
So this is kind of a shock to me to see graphically how those albums were compiled and I did a deep dive into some of why.
I'l follow up with more but basically:
- the Beatles first couple of singles flopped in the US and EMI licensed away the Beatles rights to the songs on their first UK record to Vee-Jay records which was struggling financially, faced bankruptcy and had their own internal fraud to deal with. Thus the first album never got released in mid 1963 like it was supposed to.
- instead following a surprising hit in December of 1963 Vee-Jay decided to rush out the album in January despite legal proceedings and restraints from EMI for their breech of contract.
- what resulted (not show here) was Introducing... the Beatles which had most of those tracks from the UK Please Please Me release. It had various packaging from different pressings as Vee-Jay rushed to get out any product they could so there are many versions with different audio quality and back covers (one blank, one with ads for other Vee-Jay records, and one with the track listing). Between injunctions they would print anything they could and rush it out.
- but the Beatles were about to release their second UK album called With The Beatles and EMI the parent company of Parlaphone who had the UK rights retained the rights to everything else and their US division Capitol records released Meet The Beatles 10 days later with most of the songs from this second album. This album went to #1 for 11 straight weeks and the Vee-Jay record was #2 for 9 of those weeks.
Source: texags.com
The Beatles' vast back catalogue of songs came together in many different ways. The vast majority were written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon and in the early days they would sit together at Paul's childhood home on Forthlin Road in Allerton and write in tandem.
However, as artistic differences within the band emerged in the later years, John and Paul would increasingly do their own thing - writing alone before bringing a piece of work to the other for tweaks and changes. Every song the two wrote for the band had a joint writing composition credit - even through sometimes they were completely independent efforts.
And in some cases, the two would write their own full sections and combine them into one song. This was the case with 'A Day in the Life', which featured on the seminal 1967 album 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'.
John wrote the first half of the track in January 1967, inspired by a number of articles he had read in newspapers. He then played Paul the song and Paul then added the middle-eight section, which drew on his Liverpool upbringing.
Lyrically, John drew on the news of the death of the Guinness brewery heir Tara Brown and a Daily Mail report about potholes in Blackburn. Paul's section sees the narrator waking up, having a smoke and running for the bus - said to be inspired by taking the 82 bus to school from Speke.
A similar writing approach from Paul and John resulted in the song 'Baby, You're a Rich Man' - also released in 1967. The track was the B-side to the non-album single 'All You Need Is Love', which hit shelves on July 7, 1967.
Source: liverpoolecho.co.uk/Dan Haygarth
A book of Beatles -era photographs taken by George Harrison, many of them never published, will be released next year.
Random House announced Thursday that ''The Third Eye,'' which includes more than 250 black and white and color images, is scheduled for Fall 2026. Harrison's widow, Olivia Harrison, compiled and curated the book, which covers the years 1963-69 and includes photos of the Beatles everywhere from their native Liverpool to India to Shea Stadium.
''I want to show people, from George's unique photographic perspective during the Beatles' early years, the moments when the whole of your life is ahead of you with unknowable possibilities," Olivia Harrison said of her late husband, who died in 2001, in a statement released by Random House.
"His images in ‘The Third Eye' capture that spirit.''
The Harrison book features essays by Olivia Harrison and by two celebrated literary authors: Irish novelist Colm Tóibín (a former chancellor of the University of Liverpool) wrote the introduction, and American short story writer George Saunders contributed an epilogue. ''The Third Eye'' also includes George Harrison's words alongside his pictures.
Fellow Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr also have released photo books. Starr's ''Photograph,'' also the title of a hit song written by Starr and Harrison, came out in 2015. In 2023, McCartney published ''1964: Eyes of the Storm.''
Source: startribune.com/HILLEL ITALIE
While giving an interview to Playboy in 1980, John Lennon shut down criticisms that Yoko Ono was “controlling” him. It had been a long-standing rumor from critics who felt that Ono’s influence had broken up The Beatles, and Lennon and Ono were often frustrated with the negativity and insult.
Lennon began by sharing his disdain for how they were portrayed in the media. They had stopped giving interviews for a period of time, but he found that they were still constantly reported on.
“The gossip items never stopped,” he said. “We never stopped being in the press, but there seemed to be more written about us when we weren’t talking to the press than when we were.”
Some of that publicity centered on Ono’s influence over Lennon. However, the two rejected the gossip, finding it insulting, hurtful, and just plain ridiculous. When asked about the negative press, John Lennon shared some vulnerable truths.
“We are both sensitive people and we were hurt a lot by it,” he admitted. “I mean, we couldn’t understand it. When you’re in love, when somebody says something like, ‘How can you be with that woman?’ you say, ‘What do you mean? I am with this goddess of love, the fulfillment of my whole life. Why are you saying this? Why do you want to throw a rock at her or punish me for being in love with her?’”
John Lennon on Negative Press and the Insult of People Assuming Yoko Ono Had Controlled Him
John Lennon and Yoko Ono had their share of rough patches, but ultimately, their relationship was strong. It most likely would have lasted, if Lennon hadn’t been killed. Still, in the 1980 interview, Lennon revealed the cost of the negativity surrounding his marriage, and how he and Ono stayed strong through the gossip.
“Our love helped us survive it, but some of it was pretty violent,” said Lennon. “There were a few times when we nearly went under, but we managed to survive and here we are.” As noted in the interview, Lennon glanced upwards and said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” as if praising an unseen deity or force that helped them keep it together.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Lauren Boisvert
Stranger Things actor Joseph Quinn has opened up about getting to play rock legend George Harrison in director Sam Mendes’ upcoming films about The Beatles.
According to The Standard, Quinn spoke to the PA news agency on the red carpet for the U.K. premiere of his film The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He said being in the Beatles film is something he never could have dreamed of.
“It feels exciting, it feels a little daunting,” Quinn shared. “I’m definitely inspired by the three men that I’m working with, and Sam, who’s directing it.”
Quinn’s co-stars include Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
“We’ve been doing a few weeks of rehearsals that I’ve really been enjoying,” he added. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams. I can’t believe I’m able to participate in a film and a project like this.”
Mendes’ Beatles films, titled The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, will be released in April 2028. Each film will be told from a different band member’s point of view.
The Sony films will mark the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted a studio the rights to the band members’ life stories and their legendary catalog of music.
Source: kshe95.com/ABC News
Some of the best stories, both fiction and non-fiction, often end abruptly on a cliffhanger and or in a big ball of fire. Endings such as these aren’t necessarily cathartic, as they are not fully fleshed out. However, what they are is mystical and mythical, as they incite the question of “What if?” This is the exact type of story The Beatles‘ breakup equates to, as their legendary legacy only grew with their razor-sharp split. They didn’t trickle into old age and maybe a mediocre career. No, they soared off into the sunset like a phoenix, and the myth surrounding them benefited from it, and John Lennon agrees.
Many of the finest bands have shot themself in the foot by holding on for too long. In reality, they should have called it quits in their prime, as their legacy has been tarnished by beating a dead horse for too long. The Beatles, seemingly not on purpose, did not do this in the slightest. Did they have a lot more years left in them upon their breakup? Certainly, however, what would they have become? Quite possibly an animatronic four-piece band regurgitating their biggest hits, as we’ve seen so many classic bands become. That being so, we Beatles fans should be grateful for their split, as we will always remember them as the biggest band in the world.
How The Beatles’ Breakup Supported Their “Myth”
There is no sure-fire way to know what The Beatles’ legacy would have looked like if they had stayed together. However, John Lennon thought some extra years together would have tainted it. Prior to his passing in 1980, John Lennon sat down with the Los Angeles Times and revealed why he thought The Beatles’ breakup was the best thing for their legacy.
“I don’t know, it would have probably gone down the tubes and then been resurrected like everything else [if we stayed together],” Lennon told the publication. ” I always thought it was best to go out when you’re flying high. The popularity was always ebbing and flowing. That’s what people forget. It was only during the initial rush where everything we did was right. After that, it was up or down depending on the single or the movie or whatever.”
Source: Peter Burditt/americansongwriter.com
Between November 1966 and March 1967 the Beatles recorded Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band at the Abbey Road studios. This album, which sold one and a half million copies in its first two weeks of release in the United States, became an electronic bible for the emerging drug generation, then the editor of International Times, London’s first underground newspaper, and currently the editor of London’s Time Out magazine, went to the recording sessions at the invitation of Paul McCartney. In the following behind-the-scenes account he tells you what it was like to be there.
I remember it well. “The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet,” the last track on the Mothers of Invention’s Freak Out album, came to an end and Paul McCartney strolled across his huge living room to take the record off. In one corner a BBC color-TV monitor was mistimed to give a flickering abstract pattern; two René Magritte paintings glowed on the wall in the pale afternoon winter sun; and Martha, Paul’s Old English sheepdog, lay content in front of a crackling log fire. I sat by the French windows enjoying a cup of tea. Paul returned and picked up the conversation where we’d left off. “This is going to be our Freak Out. Not like Zappa’s. But when people hear this they’ll really stop and think about what it’s all about!”
“Fantastic, man!” I said, in that dull flat voice you sometimes get after smoking too much dope. Paul was talking about an album the Beatles had just started recording at Abbey Road. It was January 1967. The album was Sergeant Pepper.
In those days I saw a lot of Paul. The London scene was very small, and if you smoked pot in the mid ’60s, you easily got to know every other head in town. When I first met him, Paul was living in a large townhouse in Wimpole Street, the parental home of his girlfriend, Jane Asher. I met him through Jane’s brother, Peter, who was then still a member of Peter and Gordon and also lived at home and who, much later, went on to become the successful manager and producer of Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor.
Paul lived in a small attic room on the top floor of the Asher household, originally part of the servants’ quarters, next door to Peter’s room. Peter had an L-shaped room done out in modern style with lots of Norwegian wooden shelves, gold records and various trophies and awards from his career with Gordon Waller in the hit parade. A pair of Brenell tape recorders sat just inside the door. These belonged to Paul and were the machines on which he devised and recorded many of the Beatles’ backwards tapes. “BreneÜs are the best even if the knobs do fall off.” He found that his own name came out as Ian Iachimoe when played backward on tape and suggested that we all write to him as that so he could distinguish letters from friends in amongst the sacks of fan mail. He published a short story under the same name.
Source: hightimes.com
