Beatles News
The Beatles are back inside the highest tier on the Hot 100 this week with their “last” single “Now and Then.” The tune opens at No. 7 on the ranking of the most-consumed songs in the nation. As the Fab Four arrives once again, they break a number of records, including one held by perhaps the most famous piano star of all time.
As “Now and Then” debuts inside the top 10 on the Hot 100, it extends The Beatles’ time between their first win and their latest on the chart. According to Billboard, the band now claims the longest span between a debut top 10 and the last to hit the uppermost region on the tally.
The Beatles first reached the top 10 on the Hot 100 back in January of 1964. The band’s “I Want to Hold Your Hand” reached the competitive region, eventually climbing to the No. 1 spot. With their brand new smash, the band’s span of top 10 wins is now more than 59 years long.
Before “Now and Then” hit the top 10, Elton John claimed this bit of history. His span was more than 51 years long. John reached the top 10 on the Hot 100 for the first time in January 1971 with “Your Song.” He returned to the arena many times, most recently alongside Britney Spears on “Hold Me Closer.” That tune, which also helped Spears find her way back to the top tier, reached the region in September 2022.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
“Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans” — the new biography of the Fab Four’s roadie and personal assistant in their innermost circle — was titled “Living the Beatles Legend, Or: 200 Miles to Go” when it was Evans’ own manuscript, the publishing of which was tabled after his untimely death in 1976.
And the tale behind that is just one of many magical mysteries unraveled in the book.
“The story comes from January 1963,” “Living the Beatles Legend” author Kenneth Womack told The Post. “‛Please Please Me’ was about to be their first No. 1 single [in the UK]. This is do or die time. You gotta get down to London, be on all big shows. You know, it’s now or never.”
And when his fellow Beatles roadie Neil Aspinall got the flu, it was up to Evans to literally take them on the road from Liverpool to London during a snowstorm in the midst of the UK’s historic Big Freeze.
“So England was essentially cut off by ice, and Mal drove them down — and Liverpool is 200 miles from London,” said Womack. “On the way back, the windshield cracked and basically exploded. Mal knocked out all the pieces of it, as snow and cold air is flying into the van.
Source: Chuck Arnold/nypost.com
Edward Veale (left) was in the studio with Phil Spector (centre) and Yoko Ono (right) as they recorded Imagine
In 1969, The Beatles were preparing for their rooftop concert in London when John Lennon asked an engineer if it was possible to build him a home studio.
Edward Veale, from Hertfordshire, was a regular at the Saville Row studios as the band recorded songs such as Get Back and Let it Be.
Often he would be called from his offices down the road to make repairs to The Beatles' basement studio.
Mr Veale would build studios for three Beatles, but Lennon's was the first.
As the Beatles return to the top of the UK singles chart for the first time since 1969 with Now and Then, Mr Veale has been remembering his connections with Liverpool's favourite sons.
"They were still together at that time, but John was clearly thinking about other things," said the engineer who would often fix monitors and other problems for the group as they recorded what would be their final studio album to be released.
Source: By Danny Fullbrook/bbc.com
Paul McCartney, the legendary musician and co-founder of Meat-Free Monday, has a special surprise in store for his fans. McCartney recently announced a unique opportunity for one lucky fan and a friend to join him on the final show of his Got Back Tour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Fans from around the world are likely eagerly awaiting the chance to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. But this is no ordinary giveaway—it is a fundraising initiative to support Meat-Free Monday, a cause close to McCartney’s heart.
“I’m heading back on tour with a very special announcement just for you,” McCartney says on the campaign page. “I’m adding one fan and a friend to my VIP guest list on the final show of my Got Back Tour in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. I’ll set you up with VIP tickets, access to the soundcheck, and to the meet-and-greet. It’s going to be great.”
Source: Nicole Axworthy/vegnews.com
The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" includes some of Ringo Starr's most inventive drumming. The singer explained what he was thinking when he made his contribution to the track.
The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” includes some of Ringo Starr‘s most inventive drumming. The “Back Off Boogaloo” singer explained what he was thinking when he made his contribution to the track. Interestingly, “Strawberry Fields Forever” was a bigger hit in the United Kingdom than it was in the United States. While the tune became famous, Ringo said fame was not the motivating factor for the Fab Four.
During a 2015 interview with Goldmine, Ringo was asked about the drum pattern at the end of “Strawberry Fields Forever.” “You know, what you’re talking about just happens,” he said. “There was no plan for that. I can play basic patterns and the freedom is the fills.
“To move it to where you can put it in a different space as a drummer, especially with The Beatles, only came at the end because the songs were so set up that there was two verses, a chorus, a verse, a middle eight and a chorus and something like that,” he added. “Then at the end we’d all be allowed to blow our tops, which we did. And we still did that under three minutes.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Giles Martin, the co-producer of the Beatles’ new song Now And Then, has shed some light on George Harrison’s lack of love for the track when they recorded it in the ’90s.
Touted as the fab four’s “last”, Now And Then features sonic contributions from all four Beatles: George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The song arrived earlier this month and is part of the newly remastered The Beatles 1962-66 (aka The Red Album) released last week along with The Beatles 1967-1970 (aka The Blue Album).
In addition to the cleaned-up audio sourced from a John Lennon demo tape dating back to the late 1970s, the song features guitar contributions from the late Harrison, who made no secret of his dislike of the song.
Asked if there were concerns about Harrison’s wishes being posthumously overruled with the release of Now and Then, Martin told MOJO magazine: “No, because of course this wouldn’t happen without [George’s widow] Olivia and [son] Dhani’s approval.”
“It wasn’t that George didn’t like the track,” the producer explains.
“It was that they’d done the other two and the quality [of the Now And Then demo] was so bad, I wouldn’t be surprised if George wanted to get back to his garden in all honesty.”
Source: musictech.com
The Beatles, in the year 2023, have a hit song.
In the first chart week following the release of the song “Now And Then,” the track topped the U.K. singles chart. Official Charts notes it’s the band’s 18th No. 1 single in their native country. It’s also their first No. 1 single in 54 years since “The Ballad of John and Yoko” topped the charts in 1969.
“Now And Then” is also the most-streamed Beatles song in one week ever in the U.K. The new single netted over 5.03 million streams in one week of release. The next highest streaming figure in one week came in 2021 when “Here Comes the Sun” was streamed 1.05 million times.
Meanwhile, in the United States, “Now And Then” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 7, which is The Beatles’ 35th top 10 single. This is The Beatles’ first top 10 song on the Hot 100 since the release of “Free as a Bird” from Anthology in 1996.
Citing Luminate, Billboard notes “Now And Then” had “11 million streams, 2.1 million in radio reach and 73,000 physical and digital singles sold.”
Source: Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter/rock929rocks.com
Joni Mitchell and John Lennon famously wrote beautiful songs but their feud got surprisingly ugly.
Joni Mitchell was mad at John Lennon due to unwanted advice he gave her about her music.
Mitchell resented Lennon's comments.
Elvis Presley also reportedly hated Lennon.
Similar to influential bands like Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell is an icon who has changed the course of music history. Given everything that Mitchell accomplished, it certainly seems like her peers like John Lennon should have praised her.
Even though the two celebrated artists seemed to have a lot in common, however, Lennon made remarks that insulted Mitchell. In response, the beloved folk singer seemed to be extremely angry with the former member of The Beatles.
Source: Matthew Thomas/thethings.com
Even though it's received reverent reviews, Ringo Starr has issues with The Beatles' "Rain." "Rain" was a hit in the United States, but it didn't chart in the United Kingdom.Even though it’s received reverent reviews from music critics, Ringo Starr criticized The Beatles’ “Rain.” He compared it to other songs that feature his drumming. While “Rain” was a hit in the United States, it didn’t even chart in the United Kingdom.
During a 2015 interview with Goldmine, Ringo discussed his drumming on “Rain.” “It’s not my best playing; it’s just different,” he said. “I played ‘Rain’ and I’ve never played like it since or before it. It’s very busy for me.”
“I always tend to take the fill half-time whereas with that song it was full-on [smacks his hands] fast!” he added. “If anyone asks me about my strangest drumming, it’s ‘Rain.’ I don’t think it’s the best I ever played and I don’t think it’s the most inventive I’ve ever played but it’s certainly different than 99% of everything else I’ve played.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Ringo Starr revealed “Back Off Boogaloo” was an accident that came about when he was working with George Harrison. Ringo explained how "Back Off Boogaloo" fits into his songwriting discography.
Ringo Starr‘s “Back Off Boogaloo” is so good that one listen should be enough to give any of the former Beatle’s detractors pause. During an interview, Ringo revealed that the song was a happy accident that came about when he was working with George Harrison. The “It Don’t Come Easy” singer explained how “Back Off Boogaloo” fits into his discography as a songwriter.
During a 2015 interview with Goldmine, Ringo discussed the origin of “Back Off Boogaloo.” “‘Back Off Boogaloo’ is an incredible example of how accidents are sometimes fabulous when coming up with a song,” he said.
“You see, George wanted me to play that pattern on the bass drum but the problem is I’m not that efficient as a drummer,” he added. “I can’t go [imitates a beat] and play regular. So I started doing it on the snare and it worked a treat. You know, it was just out of the blue.” George and Ringo were credited as co-writers on “Back Off Boogaloo.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
