Beatles News
Directed by Pixar alumnus Dave Mullins with help from Jackson's WetaFX, the short, 'War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,' has had an Oscar-qualifying run and is seeking distribution. The song "just felt like it deserved some kind of piece to help get it out there for another generation," Lennon says.In 2021, Sean Ono Lennon was looking for a way to make a music video for one of his parents’ signature songs and feeling creatively stuck—until he had a meeting with former Pixar animator Dave Mullins. The song, 1971’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over), is probably the most popular piece of music John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote as a couple. But beyond appearing reliably on playlists around the world every Christmas, Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is also a peace anthem, and Sean wanted to reintroduce the song’s message. The song “just felt like it deserved some kind of piece to help get it out there for another generation,” Lennon says. The only problem was that every music video idea seemed to trivialize it. “It almost felt goofy,” Lennon says. “Like a Hallmark kind of thing. What are we going to show, a family sitting around a fire? It needed an actual narrative.”
Source: Rebecca Keegan/hollywoodreporter.com
The Beatles thrived on four different personalities. At their peak, they were truly unified, making music cheek-to-cheek, spending long hours – and long nights – in the studio together. Often thought of as being a caustic, rebellious rocker, John Lennon had a tender side – and he gifted one lullaby to Ringo Starr.
Initially penned for his son Julian, ‘Good Night’ shows a different aspect to his personality. Tender and true, initial demos featured Ringo Starr on drums, George Harrison on guitar, and John himself on vocals.
When it came to recording the song, however, ‘Good Night’ had shifted. Inviting producer George Martin to create a lush orchestral part, John Lennon felt the track had evolved into something different entirely.
The final song on ‘The White Album’, ‘Good Night’ became a showcase for Ringo Starr’s vocals – simple and unaffected, he’s the only Beatle that appears on the final released version.
Speaking in 1968, Ringo commented: “Everybody thinks Paul wrote ‘Goodnight’ for me to sing, but it was John who wrote it for me. He’s got a lot of soul, John has.”
Paul McCartney once mused on the track, discussing it with author Barry Miles in Many Years From Now: “I think John felt it might not be good for his image for him to sing it, but it was fabulous to hear him do it, he sang it great…”
Source: Robin Murray/clashmusic.com
While it's one of the most innovative songs of the 1960s, Ringo Starr declined to play The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" for years. He discussed performing the track with Paul McCartney.
While it’s one of the most innovative songs of the 1960s, Ringo Starr declined to play The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” for a shockingly long amount of time. He discussed performing the track live with Paul McCartney in the 2010s. The song “Helter Skelter” has a disturbing history. John Lennon had a dismissive attitude toward that history.
Ringo played “Helter Skelter” with Paul McCartney in July 2019. During a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Ringo was asked if he played the song since she came out in 1968. “No, I did listen to it once before [the performance], but why would I play it?” he said.
“I love playing with Paul,” Ringo continued. “And he’s great. You know, if he’s in L.A., and I’m making a record, he’s on a track. He’s still for me, the finest, most melodic bass player in the world, and I love what he does. But, you see, this is when you realize I’ve said that for 40 years. I’m still saying the same line!”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Ringo Starr is opening up about being a Beatle.
During a recent interview with AARP, The Magazine, Starr looked back on his time as a member of The Beatles, and what he's been up to since. While Beatlemania was in full swing in England, the band was virtually unknown in America until their performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February 1964. The appearance drew in 73 million viewers and sent them into a new stratosphere of fame.
"We all went mad at different times. You can’t imagine what it was like, being in the Beatles. It got bigger and crazier," he told AARP. "We were playing clubs, and then we made a record, ‘Love Me Do.’ My God, there’s nothing bigger than that, our first vinyl
Source: Lori Bashian/foxnews.com
Denny Laine, co-founder of Wings with Paul McCartney, died Tuesday after battling lung disease, his wife, Elizabeth Hines, confirmed to Fox News Digital. He was 79.
Laine was involved in the formation of two of the biggest rock bands of all time — The Moody Blues and McCartney's Wings.
"My darling husband passed away peacefully early this morning. I was at his bedside, holding his hand as I played his favorite Christmas songs for him," Elizabeth Hines shared on social media. "He’s been singing Christmas songs the past few weeks and I continued to play Christmas songs while he’s been in ICU on a ventilator this past week.
Source: Tracy Wright/Fox News
December 5 marks 50 years of Paul McCartney & Wings’ classic album Band on the Run, and McCartney is celebrating the occasion with a new 50th anniversary expanded edition of the album.
In addition to the release of a half-speed remastered single LP vinyl, the milestone celebration will be marked with a special two-LP vinyl set compromising the half-speed remastered original album and an additional LP, Underdubbed Mixes Edition, featuring the album’s nine songs without any orchestral overdubs.
The set also comes with two Linda McCartney Polaroid posters and a two-CD version of the release, featuring the original album and Underdubbed.
“This is Band on the Run in a way you’ve never heard before,” McCartney shares. “When you are making a song and putting on additional parts, like an extra guitar, that’s an overdub. Well, this version of the album is the opposite, underdubbed.”
Underdubbed will also be released digitally, while Band on the Run will get its first digital release in Dolby Atmos, newly mixed by Giles Martin and Steve Orchard.
Source: kslx.com
Ringo Starr's wife, Barbara Bach, revealed she preferred two iconic soul singers to The Beatles. One of those soul singers put out a fantastic cover of a Fab Four ballad.
Ringo Starr‘s wife, Barbara Bach, was not a huge music fan. She revealed she preferred two iconic soul singers to The Beatles. One of those soul singers put out a fantastic cover of a Fab Four ballad. Her rendition of the song became a pop hit in the United States.
Bach is an actor most known for appearing in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. During a 1981 interview with Rolling Stone, Bach discussed her feelings about Ringo. “To me, Ringo is definitely Richie,” she said. “Ringo is the public figure, and Richie is the man I live with. You see, I really knew very little about The Beatles.”
She was no Beatlemaniac. “I didn’t follow them,” she revealed. “My favorite musicians were Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, but music just wasn’t my thing.”
Later in the interview, Bach explained her comments to Ringo. “Darling, we were just discussing how I didn’t follow The Beatles,” she said. In a deadpan tone, Ringo said Bach was more interested in Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Ringo Starr didn’t have much of a role in crafting The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour' than he did. However, Ringo did help create a memorable scene.
In an interview, Ringo Starr said John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison had more of a role in crafting The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour than he did. However, Ringo did help create a great scene in the film. During an interview, Ringo discussed what it was like constantly being portrayed as the clown of the group.
During a 1981 interview with Rolling Stone, Ringo discussed the creation of Magical Mystery Tour. “Magical Mystery Tour is not my movie,” he said. “John, Paul, and George wrote more of it than I did, but I shot a lot of it.”
Ringo took responsibility for an interesting visual moment from the film. “There’s a scene with George where I put him in my living room and projected slides on him. It’s nothing new. It was done back in 1926 or so.
“But I happened to be a camera buff, and I had all these funny lenses, and I think it came out fine,” he added. “Naiveté isn’t so bad, really.” It appears Ringo was talking about the scene of the film in which George performs “Blue Jay Way.” In it, the “My Sweet Lord” star has an image of a cat projected onto his face.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Less than a month ago, The Beatles stormed back onto the Hot 100 with their highly-anticipated single “Now and Then.” The tune, their first new release in decades, became a fast hit...but now, just a short time later, it’s already gone from Billboard’s most important songs chart.
As of this week, “Now and Then” can no longer be found on the Hot 100. The latest from The Beatles has fallen off the ranking of the most-consumed tracks in the U.S. That’s surprising, as its time on the tally didn’t wind up being very long.
“Now and Then” debuted at No. 7 on the Hot 100 in mid-November. At the time, it made history in multiple ways, bringing The Beatles back to the top 10 on the competitive chart for the first time in many years. It was clear that interest in the cut was extremely high, but it didn’t last.
In its second week on the Hot 100, “Now and Then” fell precipitously down the ranking. The tune descended from No. 7 to No. 76. That’s a sizable drop, and it didn’t have another 69 spaces to fall.
“Now and Then” may have been pushed off the Hot 100 in part due to an influx of new and returning tunes. This week’s chart includes nine tracks that are brand new to the list. Half a dozen of those come from Drake alone, who recently added six new tracks to his recent album For All The Dogs.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
Ringo Starr was often the butt of jokes about The Beatles. Paul McCartney said this began to wear on the celebrated drummer.
Paul McCartney has long praised Ringo Starr’s skill as a drummer, but he didn’t think Starr always felt confident in himself. Starr was often the butt of jokes in the press; a rumor that John Lennon said Starr wasn’t even the best drummer in The Beatles circulated. McCartney eventually spoke about why he thought Starr was paranoid about his abilities.
For years, members of The Beatles and countless other drummers have spoken about Starr’s skill. McCartney thought Starr doubted his abilities because he didn’t do drum solos, though.
“I think Ringo was always paranoid that he wasn’t a great drummer because he never used to solo,” McCartney said in The Beatles Anthology. “He hated those guys who went on and on, incessantly banging while the band goes off and has a cup of tea or something. Until Abbey Road, there was never a drum solo in The Beatles’ act, and consequently other drummers would say that although they liked his style, Ringo wasn’t technically a very good drummer.”
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
