Beatles News
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
He had no idea he was about to become part of an unprecedented global phenomenon, which perhaps explains his nonchalance. In a week before his new band’s first single was to be released, this young drummer wrote to a friend and told them: “I got a phone call asking me would I join the Beatles and I said yes”.
The letter from Ringo Starr is one of two lots in a sale at Christie’s which capture the Beatles in an era of pre-fame naivety. A banjo played by John Lennon, which was present on the day he met Paul McCartney, will make its first appearance at a major auction house on July 10.
Jack Blackburn/thetimes.com
Donovan is a folk/psychedelic rock singer who became famous for 1960s tunes such as “Atlantis,” “Hurdy Gurdy Man,” “Sunshine Superman,” “Mellow Yellow,” and “Season of the Witch.” He famously went on The Beatles’ trip to India to study meditation. Donovan’s personal website says that he taught George a descending chord pattern that the Beatle would later use on the ballad “Something.”
Gold reports that, during a 2024 interview with Record Collector Magazine, Donovan discussed his influence on the “My Sweet Lord” singer. “I became George’s mentor for songwriting,” the Hurdy Gurdy Man recalled. “He was in the shadow of John and Paul for so many years and I said, ‘Look, I’ll show you a few tricks, how to encourage the songs.’
“There’s a way to encourage the song to come,” he added. “You can tease it, like fishing. I told him how to play a chord then put your ear on the guitar, listen to the open chord and try a tempo. You can hear melodies, believe it or not. Melodies appear, but you’ve got to be quick to catch them.”
Source: MSN
We tend to think of the relationship between The Beatles and producer George Martin as one of support and mutual goodwill and, for the most part, it was. But in the earliest going, Martin tried to sneak a song past The Beatles and was rebuffed, not once, but twice.
This is a story about a song called “How Do You Do It?” that Martin tried to foist upon The Beatles as their first single and then, failing that, their second. The Fab Four had other ideas, which was a good thing, because who knows how music history might have been altered otherwise.
Before we get into the tale of “How Do You Do It?” it helps to know The Beatles weren’t exactly in demand as a group when they signed with EMI Records. They had been turned away by other labels before finally getting a deal in 1962. In other words, it’s not like they came into their relationship with the label in a position of strength.
Source:Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
Taylor Swift fans are convinced that she will bring out Sir Paul McCartney as a special guest in Anfield.
The American singer-songwriter is heading to Liverpool to for three nights from Thursday, June 13 to Saturday, June 15 for The Eras Tour. Swifties think that on her 100th show on Thursday, June 13, Taylor has a big surprise planned and it could be a Paul McCartney performance.
Speculation was already rife but was whipped up when Taylor was spotted hanging out with Paul's daughter Stella McCartney. The fashion designer posted a picture of the Reputation singer wearing one of her dresses backstage with their friend Cara Delevingne at her last Cabaret show in London.
Commenting underneath the post, one fan said: "Paul at Liverpool with Taylor? (eyes emoji)." At the Super Bowl 2024, Taylor was also pictured chatting with the Beatles star.
Posting to TikTok another fan said: "I don't know why no one's talking about this" and then shared a video added: "the 100th show of the Eras Tour is on the 13th of the 6th month of the year aka Taylor's half birthday and is in Paul McCartney's hometown."
Source: Ellen Kirwin/liverpoolecho.co.uk
Listen, I want my (okay, fine, Sabrina Carpenter’s) tiny, handsome boyfriend Barry Keoghan to stay booked and busy as much as the next Banshees of Inisherin stan. However, I think I have to draw a tenuous personal line in the sand at seeing him in filmmaker Sam Mendes’s series of four interconnected biopics following each member of the Beatles, the cast of which is alleged to include Harris Dickinson as John Lennon; Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney; Charlie Rowe as George Harrison, and Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
As a lifelong Ringo girl, I should be thrilled to see one of my favorite actors portraying the legendary drummer—not to mention the Paul Mescal of it all! (A surprisingly apt McCartney, IMO.) But loath as I am to sound like one of those old cranks who need you to know that they saw the Stones live in 1970-something—and also that pizza used to cost a dollar—I just can’t help feeling somewhat disheartened at the prospect of the real-life Beatles getting the full-on, glossy biopic treatment. (Beatles movie musicals, however, I’m strangely okay with; just ask me how many times I saw Across the Universe as a teen.)
No part of American life is too sacrosanct for the biopic treatment, but if I may pretentiously quote Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, “Our memories are getting more beautiful and less real every day.” The prevalent Hollywood attitude toward biopic casting, which seems to hold that everyone should be roughly eight times more attractive than the people in real life—albeit with a slightly more attainable-looking haircut—reflects that sentiment. (Remember Kristen Stewart and Joan Jett in the Runaways movie?) For the Beatles, though, who typified a kind of genuine, non-threatening-boy appeal from the start of their careers, this approach just breaks my heart. I mean, I’ll never be mad to see Keoghan and Mescal on the big screen, but…let men be a little ’70s-style weird with it, facial-architecture-wise!
Source: Emma Specter/vogue.com
Just a few days ago, Rihanna earned quite a few new honors from the RIAA, the organization that certifies songs and albums gold, platinum, and beyond. Included in her latest collection of wins was one of her most unlikely collaborations with a rock legend. While the Barbadian pop star celebrated the just-awarded plaques, the musicians who helped her reach the milestone don’t share in the wealth.
Included in Rihanna’s many new RIAA honors is her single “FourFiveSeconds,” which was released nearly a decade ago in 2015. The tune advances from four-times platinum to five-times, as it’s now shifted five million equivalent units in the U.S.
Oddly, Rihanna is the only musician credited on “FourFiveSeconds,” at least according to the RIAA. The song is a collaboration between RiRi and both Ye—previously known as Kanye West—and Paul McCartney. The three turned the laidback tune into a smash, but for some reason, she’s the only one who earns this honor.
Both Rihanna and Ye have plenty of hits that have advanced beyond five-times platinum status, but the same can’t be said for McCartney. He misses out on earning the biggest certification of his career this week as “FourFiveSeconds” moves up again and collects a new plaque.
Shockingly, despite his incredible success, McCartney has never seen any of his hits rise above platinum. He has thus far earned two platinum smashes—and both are with Michael Jackson. “The Girl is Mine” and “Say Say Say” have both officially moved one million equivalent units, according to the RIAA.
McCartney has also scored plenty of gold singles, which means all those tunes have shifted 500,000 copies, between sales and streaming equivalents. Nine songs connected to the former Beatle—including work he produced with his then-wife Linda McCartney and as the frontman for Wings—have all hit gold status, but not moved past it.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
The music mogul, who was also The Beatles' tour manager, died on June 2 after a short illness - with Sir Paul McCartney leading tributes.
Tony Bramwell, the legendary music mogul known for his pivotal role as The Beatles' tour manager and for discovering Queen, has passed away at the age of 78.
A childhood friend of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, Bramwell was integral to the Fab Four's journey, serving as their road manager before making his mark as a music industry titan. Hailing from Liverpool, Bramwell was close to the group even before they skyrocketed to global fame and changed music history. He died on June 2 following a brief illness.
Sir Paul McCartney paid heartfelt tribute to Bramwell, calling him a "good companion" throughout the Beatles' era. In his tribute, McCartney said: "Sad to hear of the passing of Tony Bramwell. He was a good companion to us through the Beatles journey. Always up for a laugh and I'm sorry to see him leave. Thanks Tony. Love ya! From Paul."
The Beatles' official Instagram also honored him, noting: "Tony worked on many NEMS and Apple projects, from music videos to photo shoots, PR and more and will be missed by many friends and colleagues." In his later years, Bramwell was a regular attendee at Liverpool's renowned International Beatleweek.
Source: Mia O'Hare/mirror.co.uk
John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono's New York City loft is on the market for the first time in more than 50 years.
The two-story loft-style building at 496 Broome St. was purchased by the duo in 1971, not long after The Beatles broke up and Lennon released one of the most influential songs of the 20th century, "Imagine."
At the time, Lennon was eager to break free from The Beatles and make a name for himself as a solo artist while creating a new identity with Ono – an artist and peace activist – by his side.
While the couple only lived there until 1973, the building has often been used as a workspace throughout the years.
"The building on Broome Street was sort of like a base for their artistic ventures," Philip Norman, the author of "John Lennon: The Life," said via the New York Times. At the time, the couple was also renting an apartment at 105 Bank St. in the West Village. "Bank Street was their salon, where people could just walk in," Norman added.
Located in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, the Broome Street loft features a gallery-like ground-floor space with 14.4-foot. ceilings, an open kitchen plus a bedroom loft in the rear.
The top floor has another large live-workspace and recording studio.
The property has 4,600 square feet of air rights and current zoning allows for three additional floors for a total gross floor area of roughly 7,500 square feet above grade, subject to Landmarks approval, according to the JLL’s Capital Markets Team, who has listed the property.
Source: fox5dc.com
