Beatles News
Ever wondered who your favorite guitarist’s favorite guitarist is? Many of the greats have been tight-lipped about their personal inspirations, while others have been pretty forthright about the musicians they love.
Kurt Cobain loved The Stooges, David Bowie loved Arcade Fire (not the other way around; though we imagine the feeling is mutual), and Chris Martin loves Radiohead. Not surprisingly, former Beatles multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Paul McCartney has expressed his love for his favorite guitarist, Jimi Hendrix.
Paul McCartney Has Said in the Past That His Favorite Guitarist Is Jimi Hendrix
Paul McCartney wasn’t solely a guitarist for The Beatles. He was more well-known as the band’s bassist, as well as (more or less) one-half of the songwriting talent behind the legendary rock band. Still, he knows his way around the guitar, among other instruments.
McCartney and Hendrix ran in similar circles during their heydays in the late 1960s. McCartney said that he saw Hendrix perform in London at the Saville Theatre shortly after The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Hendrix even covered that album’s title track once he heard that McCartney was in attendance.
“Brian Epstein used to rent it when it was usually dark on the Sunday,” McCartney once said in an interview with Stephen Colbert. “Jimi opened, the curtains flew back and he came walking forward, playing ‘Sgt. Pepper’. And it had only been released on the Thursday so that was like the ultimate compliment.”
Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com
No musician is immune to the occasional beef with another musician. Though, we’d have to say George Harrison of The Beatles’s “beef” with the brothers behind Oasis was a little bit one-sided.
Many musicians out there have voiced their distaste for the Manchester, England rock band Oasis. Blur, Radiohead, Mick Jagger, and the actual members of Oasis are a few examples. And not surprisingly, George Harrison also had a few cross words for the band, as well.
In a way, it’s quite sad. Noel and Liam Gallagher have said that Oasis took a lot of inspiration from The Beatles. It was well-known that they were the Gallaghers’ favorite band. Never meet your heroes, kids.
“The music lacks depth,” Harrison said of Oasis’ music back in 1996. “And the singer Liam is a pain, the rest of the band don’t need him.”
It was a pretty shocking jab at the band, particularly Liam. And he didn’t take it sitting down. In an interview with MTV shortly after, Liam went as far as to threaten the former Beatle.“If any of them old farts have got a problem with me, then they should leave their Zimmer frames at home, and I’ll hold them up with a good right hook,” Liam Gallagher said on MTV.
Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com
It was in August of 1964 when the British invasion first came to Colorado with the group that started it all…the Beatles. If you love the Beatles, you won’t want to miss the most unique, fun and affordable concert event of this summer at Red Rocks with The #1 Beatles Show in the World, “1964” The Tribute.
This group is hailed by critics and fans alike as the most authentic and enduring Beatles tribute in the world. Choosing songs from the pre-Sgt. Pepper era, “1964” recreates an early 60s live Beatles concert with period instruments, vintage costumes, hairstyles, onstage mannerisms, speaking voices, and unmistakable harmonies of the lads from Liverpool. Over forty years of researching and performing at major concert venues on four different continents has made the “1964” group masters of their craft in capturing the essence of the Beatles live on stage.
This 60th Anniversary celebrates Red Rocks Amphitheatre as one of four original concert sites still remaining from the Beatles first American tour in 1964. In celebration of this historic event, “1964” will include the 10 songs The Beatles performed at Red Rocks in 1964. Come experience the magic and see what it was like at the beginning.
Source: myprimetimenews.com
The Beatles are one of the most respected and celebrated groups in music history. That said, they are actually somewhat under-awarded, compared to the place they hold in the minds and hearts of millions–and especially when their commercial impact is taken into consideration.
The band holds the record for the most nominations in the Record of the Year category at the Grammys. The Beatles have been in the running for what many consider to be the top prize at the ceremony four times.
Somehow, despite releasing dozens of tunes that have stood the test of time, and earning four nods, they’ve never won Record of the Year. The Beatles are one of several legendary figures who have had a shot at claiming the honor, but who have lost each and every time they’ve competed.
Later in 2024, the band could extend their record for the most nominations among non-soloists. They may even be able to end their losing streak, which has loomed over them for decades.
In late 2023, The Beatles returned and released a comeback single. “Now and Then” arrived on November 2, which makes it eligible for the forthcoming Grammys. The tune has a good chance of being nominated for at least one or two trophies, as voters love the band too much to pass up a chance to reward them again. Will that desire extend to Record of the Year?
It’s easier than (almost) ever for any tune to be nominated for Record of the Year, though that doesn’t mean it’s actually simple. There are now eight slots that must be filled, which is more than the five that was customary for decades. Each time The Beatles were nominated, they were one of the five. Now, their chances are better, and as nostalgia for the Fab Four is greater than ever, “Now and Then” may be too tantalizing to voters to forget.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
In 1964, John Lennon and Paul McCartney collaborated on a song which was released and became part of the album Beatles ’65. The song was titled, I’m a Loser.
Throughout my longevity on this earth, I’ve often been my greatest critic. As a teacher, I’d self-evaluate what I did in planning, presenting, and following up. I’d constantly look at how I might have done something good and make it better, and how I’d take something with positive direction and intention that may not have been done the best way it could’ve been done, and do it better. I did the same thing as a coach, a fundraiser, a Director of a Summer Tutoring Program which I was part of for multiple years, as Director and Presenter of numerous Baseball Player and Coaching Clinics/Camps of which I was a part, and as a baseball official for many years too.
I was always aware I’d have others critiquing (terms like bum, idiot, and loser come to mind) what I was doing as well as myself, including supervisors and outsiders. Regarding many of the latter, I heeded the words of Theodore Roosevelt when he said,
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
I knew what came with the roles I chose for myself, and accepted it. I didn’t always like it, but took what was directed toward me because it came with the job.
Source: J. Paul Lombardo/post-journal.com
As every Beatles fan knows, the songwriting power in the band came from John Lennon and Paul McCartney. That’s not to say the other two members didn’t pen a few stellar songs themselves. But it was Lennon and McCartney that got the most cuts and they didn’t often differ to George Harrison or Ringo Starr for songwriting sessions.
In fact, it wasn’t until after the Beatles called it quits that McCartney and Starr ever hopped in the writers room together as a pair. Learn more about the only song this duo ever wrote together, below.
As McCartney was gearing up to work on his solo album Flaming Pie, he decided to tap Starr for some help in the songwriting department. Their collaboration started as little more than a jam session. Starr played on one of McCartney’s other songs from the project. After that was completed, McCartney wanted to keep his old bandmate around a little while longer.
Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com
George Harrison had already written a surplus of songs to get him started on his first solo album following the breakup of The Beatles. As the enduring classic rock chestnut “What Is Life” proved, not all of those leftover songs were intended for the Fab Four.
Meaning Behind “You’re in My Heart' by Rod Stewart and the Famous Girl Who Inspired It
What is the song about? How did Harrison end up releasing it, after initially intending it for another artist? And how did Harrison eventually land on the finished version of the song? Read on as we explore George Harrison’s “What Is Life,” an anthemic song that asks the questions and yields the answers all at once.
A Beatle’s Backlog
The commonly told tale is George Harrison was only given one or two songs to write on each Beatles album because his writing wasn’t up to par with what John Lennon and Paul McCartney delivered. But that doesn’t accurately tell the whole story. Harrison’s songs were often judged harshly by Lennon and McCartney in spite of their quality.
Evidence of that is many of the songs that appeared on Harrison’s breakout 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass had been introduced during the Fab Four years, but had received a cold shoulder from the band. Classic songs from that record like “Isn’t It a Pity” and the title track were among those songs that could potentially have been Beatles hits.
On top of that, Harrison was shopping his songs around to other artists, who were more than willing to take advantage of his unsung writing gifts. For example, “Badge,” a hit for Cream, was written in part by Harrison. Meanwhile, “What Is Life,” as Harrison explained in his autobiography I Me Mine, was originally intended for Billy Preston, who famously helped The Beatles on Let It Be:
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
John Lennon’s ‘Help!’ Guitar , Auctioned for Nearly $2.9 Million. Lennon's Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar has been sold by Julien's Auctions for $2,857,500. According to 'Rolling Stone,' that is "a new record for the highest-selling guitar at auction in the Beatles‘ history.". Lennon's Gibson J160E, which was sold for $2.4 million in 2015, previously held the record. We are absolutely thrilled and honored to have set a new world record with the sale of John Lennon’s lost Hootenanny guitar, David Goodman, chief executive at Julien’s Auctions, via statement. This guitar is not only a piece of music history but a symbol of John Lennon’s enduring legacy. , David Goodman, chief executive at Julien’s Auctions, via statement. Today’s unprecedented sale is a testament to the timeless appeal and reverence of the Beatles’ music and John Lennon, David Goodman, chief executive at Julien’s Auctions, via statement. The Hootenanny acoustic guitar was played by both Lennon and George Harrison while making 'Help!' and 'Rubber Soul.'. It later fell into the hands of Scottish singer-songwriter Gordon Waller who gifted it to one of his road managers. 50 years later, the guitar was found in an attic in Britain, and the original guitar case was rescued from the trash.
Darren Julien, co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, referred to the discovery as "the greatest find of a Beatles guitar since Paul McCartney’s lost 1961 Höfner bass guitar." . Finding this remarkable instrument is like finding a lost Rembrandt or Picasso, and it still looks and plays like a dream after having been preserved in an attic for more than 50 years. , Darren Julien, co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, via statement. To awaken this sleeping beauty is a sacred honor, Darren Julien, co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, via statement.
Source: centraloregondaily.com
Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello’s dozen songwriting collaborations were sprinkled throughout several of the men’s albums over half a decade or so. The last of those songs appeared on McCartney’s 1993 album Off the Ground, including the piercing character sketch “Mistress and Maid.”
What is the song about? How did it differ from other songs on Off the Ground? And what did a painting have to do with its creation? Let’s find all about “Mistress and Maid,” an underrated gem from ‘90s-era Paul McCartney.
Ground Control
Paul McCartney kept up a busy pace in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. His 1989 LP Flowers in the Dirt, boosted by some songs written with Elvis Costello, earned him his best notices since the early part of the ‘80s. He also found a touring band with which he shared great chemistry, and he didn’t want to waste that.
As a result, McCartney headed back into the studio for his next original album using many of the same musicians with which he toured. He hadn’t really done a whole album with a steady band since the days of Wings. Off the Ground was an album that was primarily the result of that touring band and McCartney banging away together in the studio.
But “Mistress and Maid” offered a pretty stark exception to that approach. The waltzing number, which had been written years earlier by McCartney and Costello, was adorned with a circus-like atmosphere. All manner of brass instruments are pumping away along with a coterie of violins, colorful musical backing for what’s actually a somber song.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
Sir Paul McCartney has said John Mayall was a personal mentor and “great” blues pioneer who educated him on the music genre.
The musician died aged 90 at his home in California on Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement on his Instagram page.
Beatles star Sir Paul said he received “a great education” from Mayall and found it easy to relate to him as they were both from the north of England. In a post to Instagram, Sir Paul said: “John Mayall, the great British blues pioneer, has died aged 90 and I thought a couple of words from me would be appropriate.”
The 82-year-old said the pair would meet at music clubs in the 1960s before heading back to Mayall’s house “where he had a huge and glorious collection of records”. “During these moments he became a mentor and would educate me on a lot of the blues guitarists playing at the time”, he said.
“I would lounge back in the armchair and he would play tracks by people like BB King, Buddy Guy, Albert King and many other great players.” Mayall was apart of influential blues rock band The Bluesbreakers, which became a launching pad for stars including Eric Clapton and Mick Fleetwood.
Source: alloaadvertiser.com
