Beatles News
George Harrison shares his favorite albums that he can’t live without. Here, The Beatles’s guitarist George Harrison reveals his 5 albums of all time.
In mainstream media, George Harrison is known as “The Quiet Beatle.” Harrison, born in Liverpool in 1943, became famous as the band’s leading guitarist. Over the course of The Beatles‘ last years, Harrison’s songwriting skills were increasingly apparent, with songs like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Something,” and “Here Comes the Sun” displaying his ability to construct enduring melodies and heartfelt lyrics. In particular, His song “Something” has been hailed as a masterpiece of romantic music and serves as a testament to his skill as a songwriter.
In addition to his work with The Beatles, Harrison enjoyed a fruitful solo career, highlighted by the release of the triple album “All Things Must Pass” in 1970. The album, highlighted by the global smash song “My Sweet Lord,” showed Harrison’s spiritual inclinations and was a financial and important success.
He was also unique because he was interested in faith and Indian culture, mainly because he knew Ravi Shankar. There are signs of his impact in how The Beatles and his solo records use Eastern music styles and that he supports good causes.
Source: Yunus Emre/metalshout.com
As any Beatles student knows, the four made no secret of their love for R&B. Before they conquered the world, they cut their teeth on tracks by Little Richard, Arthur Alexander, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Larry Williams and numerous Motown acts. Throughout their careers, The Beatles (as a group and as solo artists) interpreted soul and blues in a unique fashion, adding that pounding Ringo Starr backbeat and John Lennon’s slightly raspy vocals to lend them an edge. “All I’ve Got to Do,” a standout track from their second album, blends rock and soul in a particularly sophisticated yet catchy way.
In 1980, primary composer Lennon labeled “All I’ve Got to Do” as “me trying to do Smokey Robinson again.” While Lennon lacks Robinson’s patented falsetto, he does turn in a memorable vocal on this song. In fact, his emotion-packed singing ranks as one of his finest performances, both in his Beatles and solo years. “And the same goes for me, whenever you want me at all – I’ll be there, yes I will, whenever you call,” he cries, his voice rising in pitch and volume.
Source: Kit O'Toole/somethingelsereviews.com
Sir Paul McCartney had doubts all the way through finishing The Beatles’ last song Now And Then - but knowing the late John Lennon would have “loved it” kept him going.
From a demo Lennon recorded, they used groundbreaking audio technology to beautifully restore his vocals and “reunite” the group - which also included the late George Harrison and drummer Sir Ringo Starr, 83 - one last time.
However, McCartney, 81, admits he questioned himself throughout the process about whether or not they should be doing it.
He told MOJO magazine: “It’s strange when you think about it. There’s him in his little apartment in New York City banging away at his piano doing a little demo, and... our team has restored it so now it’s a crystal clear, beautiful vocal. How much would John have liked that?! He would have loved that.”
McCartney asked himself: “Is it a bit inferior? Is it something we shouldn’t do? Am I pushing the envelope too far? But every time I thought like that, I thought, ‘wait a minute, let’s say I had a chance to ask John. Hey John, would you like us to finish this last song of yours?’ I’m telling you, I know the answer would have been: ‘Yeah.’”
Source: nzherald.co.nz
The Beatles’ “last song ever,” released 61 years after their first single, was bound to be significant.
But how did John Lennon’s lo-fi, 40-something-year-old cassette recording of Now and Then — deemed “fucking rubbish” by George Harrison during the failed 1995 attempt to revive the song — become an instant No. 1 chart hit and worthy addition to the Beatles’ catalogue in 2023?
Beyond the AI-assisted salvage of Lennon’s voice from the noisy cassette, it is worth examining Lennon’s raw materials, and the strategies that made the unfinished late-1970s musical sketch a Beatles’ song.
Had Harrison told Lennon himself that the song was rubbish, Lennon might have responded, “Well I’m not finished with it yet, am I mate?”
Lennon’s original “demo tape” was not made for formal presentation (to a music publisher, for instance).
It was a personal memorandum to capture basic song ideas — something musicians do all the time. If they stopped there, Yesterday would be Scrambled Eggs, and the Rolling Stones’ Satisfaction would be one minute of Keith Richards’s signature riff and 45 minutes of snoring.
Source: Steven Baur/theconversation.com
Sir Paul McCartney had doubts all the way through finishing The Beatles' last song 'Now And Then' - but knowing the late John Lennon would have "loved it" kept him going.
From a demo late frontman John Lennon recorded, they used groundbreaking audio technology to beautifully restore his vocals and ‘reunite’ the group - which also included the late George Harrison and drummer Sir Ringo Starr, 83, one last time.
However, McCartney, 81, admits he questioned himself throughout the process about whether or not they should be doing it.
He told MOJO magazine: "It’s strange when you think about it. There’s him in his little apartment in New York City banging away at his piano doing a little demo, and ... our team has restored it so now it's a crystal clear, beautiful vocal. How much would John have liked that?! He would have loved that."
Macca asked himself: "Is it a bit inferior? Is it something we shouldn't do? Am I pushing the envelope too far? But every time I thought like that, I thought, Wait a minute, let's say I had a chance to ask John, 'Hey John, would you like us to finish this last song of yours?' I'm telling you, I know the answer would have been... "Yeah.'"
Source: BANG Showbiz/uk.news.yahoo.com
Much has been made of the fact that The Beatles have a new song out. The band used AI technology to finish a John Lennon demo titled “Now and Then,” and the two remaining members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, were able to complete the tune and put it out in the world. This week, it gives the band another major hit, and it helps them make history in a very specific manner.
“Now and Then” opens at No. 7 on this week’s Hot 100. The chart tracks the most-consumed songs in the U.S. using a methodology that combines sales, streams, and radio play. The latest from The Beatles succeeds across all those metrics, and it may just be getting started.
With their latest top 10 hit, The Beatles have become just the second band in U.S. history to reach the highest tier on the Hot 100 in four distinct decades, according to Billboard. They join Aerosmith in this odd bit of chart history.
The Beatles first reached the Hot 100 in the 1960s. That decade would turn out to be their most productive, and it saw them reach the top 10 with dozens of songs. They returned again in the ‘70s, but that decade was when they officially split. They found their way back to the top 10 in the ‘90s with “Free as a Bird,” which followed a similar trajectory to completion as “Now and Then.”
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
The Beatles' "Don't Pass Me By" is one of two Fab Four songs Ringo Starr is credited with writing himself. "Don't Pass Me By" set Ringo on a country-fried path.
The Beatles‘ “Don’t Pass Me By” is one of only two Fab Four songs Ringo Starr is credited with writing himself. The second one is a lot more famous. Regardless, “Don’t Pass Me By” set Ringo on a country-fried path.
Only two Beatles songs have Ringo as their sole credited writer: “Don’t Pass Me By” from The White Album and “Octopus’s Garden” from Abbey Road. During a 2008 interview with Goldmine, Ringo discussed the former. “Well, ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ was the first song I’d written that we recorded,” he said. “I’d written other songs, but they were always other people’s song; I just rewrote the words. I used to say that I was rewriting Jerry Lee Lewis B-sides.
“It was just a thrill,” he added. “I remember writing it at the piano at this home in England that we were living in at the time. Then for me and ’til this day, it’s still magic when I write a song and get together with other musicians, and we record it, and it turns into the track.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
In a new podcast McCartney: A Life in Lyrics, Sir Paul McCartney talks about his most famous songs with the poet Paul Muldoon. The podcast is aimed at “dissecting the people, experiences, and art that inspired McCartney’s songwriting.” A recent episode explored the meaning of the lyrics of the title song of the Beatles’ last album, “Let it Be.”
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
The song arose in times of trouble. War raged in Vietnam, riots rocked the Chicago Democratic convention, and students protested all over the world. Rev. Martin Luther King, as well as presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, both died by the bullets of assassins. It was a time of trouble for McCartney personally, as the Beatles were fighting over finances and heading for their breakup at the end of what he called “the crazy sixties.”
Source: Dr. Christopher Kaczor/wordonfire.org
A ROLLS-ROYCE "invention" made by Beatles legend Ringo Starr has hit auction for a bargain price - but don't expect to drive it.
Ringo recycled two original Rolls-Royce radiators to make a stylish wood and metal table. He was inspired to design the table after passing a car showroom near his home in Highgate, north London. Appearing on Blue Peter to discuss the table in 1971, Ringo said that it had been tricky finding authentic Rolls-Royce radiators for the table.
Rolls-Royce would only sell radiator parts to customers with a chassis number - which Ringo did not have. Ringo ended up buying the radiators from a dodgy dealer - who delivered them on foot in a plain bag and would not say where he got them.
The table was produced by Ringo or Robin Ltd, a firm founded by the Beatles star and his craftsman friend Robin Cruickshank. The company's office was on the top floor of the Beatles' Apple Corps HQ on Savile Row.
Cruickshank also designed much of the furniture for Ringo's house in Highgate, north London. The table is 168cm long, 66cm high and 60cm high, with its middle section made from Amboyna wood.
Source: Harry Goodwin/thesun.ie
The Beatles' Ringo Starr covered a sentimental song after the Fab Four's breakup. Quincy Jones had some negative things to say about Ringo's cover.
The Beatles’ Ringo Starr covered sentimental songs after the Fab Four’s breakup. On his solo debut record. he recorded a quaint 1950s hit that he liked as a child. Quincy Jones had some negative things to say about Ringo’s cover.
During a 2015 interview with Goldmine, Ringo was asked if he wore out any of his records as a child. “You know, as a kid, I didn’t really wear out any records,” he recalled. “I did buy The Four Aces’ ‘Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.’ I mean, that’s a memory I have of early days.” Ringo covered “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” for his debut solo album, Sentimental Journey. The record features covers of many pre-rock ‘n’ roll musical standards.
However, Ringo wasn’t only interested in the musical stylings of The Four Aces. “But then when rock ‘n’ roll came in, I’d play records by Little Richard,” he added. “But I had country music as well, people like Patsy Cline, Ernest Tubb, and Kitty West was my heroine.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
