Beatles News
Paul McCartney shows no signs of slowing down. He appears ready to head back out on the road once again, and it’s rare that too long a stretch goes by without news of some musical endeavor that he’s undertaking, whether it’s new music or some kind of reissue of older stuff. The guy is not one to stop too long to contemplate his legacy or influence. That’s for the music writers to do, and we’ll be glad to take that on.
Paul didn’t exactly innovate the idea of using the bass guitar as more than just a rhythmic tool. When Music Radar interviewed him in 2017 and cited the way he popularized the bass, he was quick to share the credit: “Yeah, it became a bit more skillful. I wouldn’t personally credit myself, but thanks for that. But I think James Jamerson, him, and me, I’d share the credit there. I was nicking a lot off him.”
Jamerson was the main bassist for The Funk Brothers, the unofficial collective that played on Motown hits. You can hear the similarity between McCartney’s bass on many early Beatles smashes and those early Motown gems with Jamerson providing the bottom end. But McCartney would expand upon that. Listen to his playing on a song like “Something,” how he finds the pocket around Ringo Starr’s drums but also creates a melodic counterpoint to George Harrison’s lead guitar and vocals. McCartney basically gave rock bassists the license to do more than just sit back and plunk away, forever changing the sound of the genre in the process.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are undoubtedly two of the most iconic and accomplished musicians in the history of the music industry. With their unparalleled contributions to the world of music, it seems they have achieved nearly everything an artist could aspire to. Yet, even after decades of reigning as stars, these legends continue to break records, reach new milestones and etch their names in the annals of music history.
This week, both former members of the iconic band The Beatles achieve a new feat by making their debut appearance on a Billboard chart they have never graced before.
McCartney and Starr earn a noticeable debut on this week's Hot Trending Songs chart, hitting the tally for the first time. They reach the list with their latest rendition of the timeless classic "Let It Be," one of the most cherished songs in the Beatles' repertoire.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
A famous producer wanted The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to catch listeners off guard. He discussed what he thought of the final song.
A famous producer wanted The Beatles‘ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to catch listeners off guard. He discussed what he thought of the final song. In addition, he revealed what he thought of three of The Beatles as people.
George Martin was The Beatles’ regular producer. During a 1995 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, Martin recalled The Beatles introducing him to the music of American rockers such as Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Their music sounded different from the British music of the era because of the technology they used.
Martin was asked if he could recreate that American sound by importing foreign technology. “No, because it’s not just technology,” he opined. “It’s a combination of the type of song, the type of arrangement, the type of singing, the type of playing, the instruments in the studio, and above all knowing how to use the technology to put it on a disc.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney wanted The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" to start with a certain lyric. The band's producer didn't think that line was impactful.
Paul McCartney wanted The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” to start with a certain lyric.
The band’s producer, George Martin, didn’t think that line was impactful.
The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” was a hit once in the United States and twice in the United Kingdom.
George Martin said Paul McCartney‘s original version of The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” lacked a proper hook. He discussed how a simple musical change made the track more interesting. Subsequently, he revealed what he thought about Paul as a solo artist.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
John Lennon said that one of The Beatles' final albums wasn't fully realized. He shared how he thought this impacted the album's quality.
John Lennon had a problem with more than one Beatles album. He discussed it openly in the studio and, when the band broke up, in interviews. While he didn’t have as much of a problem with Let It Be, he admitted that the album wasn’t quite finished. He didn’t think this was a detriment to the album, though.
By the time The Beatles broke up, their dynamic had chilled considerably. Lennon said that working together was painful.
“It’s torture every time we have to produce anything,” he said, per the book Lennon On Lennon: Conversations With John Lennon. “Any artist, poet, anything, whatever you call yourselves, listening know what it’s like. Well, the Beatles haven’t got any magic you haven’t got. We suffer like hell every time we make anything … And we’ve got each other to contend with. Imagine working with the Beatles, man. It’s a tough scene.”
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
Ringo Starr is treating fans to another EP. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is set to release his fourth EP, Rewind Forward, on October 13, with the title track dropping Friday, August 25.
“Rewind Forward was something I said out of the blue – it’s just one of those lines like a Hard Days Night. It just came to me. But it doesn’t really make sense,” Ringo says about the title. “I was trying to explain it to myself and the best I can tell you about what it means is: sometimes when you want to go forward you have to go back first.”
Ringo brought in some of his A-list friends to help him with the tracks on the EP, including former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney, who wrote “Feeling Sunlight.” The EP also features songs written by Toto’s Steve Lukather and Joe Williams, Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell, and Ian Hunter. The Eagles’ Joe Walsh, who is Ringo’s brother-in-law, also appears on the EP.
Source: ABC News/deltaplexnews.com
The world's largest and longest-running Beatles festival returns to Liverpool this month.
International Beatleweek will see Fab Four fans from around 40 countries worldwide, including Brazil, Russia, the US, Spain, and the Netherlands, converge on Merseyside for the seven-day event, organised by Cavern City Tours.
Live music will be on all day everyday at the historic Cavern Club and Cavern Pub with 70 bands from over 20 countries taking the stage. The festival will run from August 23 to 29.
International Beatleweek is an annual celebration in Liverpool of John, Paul, George, and Ringo and their rise to being the world's most commercially successful band. Events will be staged across the city including at the Philharmonic Hall, Adelphi Hotel, and the Yoko Ono Lennon Centre.
Highlights include the annual Beatles Convention which has taken place since 1981 and will be at the Adelphi Hotel Hotel on Sunday, August 27. On Monday, there will be an 80th birthday tribute to George Harrison and a celebration of fifty years of Paul McCartney's classic album, Band On The Run.
While you can buy individual tickets to events, packages are also available that include accommodation in hotels across the city. Packages range from £290 to £550 and include access to different concerts and shows. If you already have somewhere to stay in the city you can buy the 'Just the Tickets' package ranges from £135 to £245.
Source: James McNeill/liverpoolecho.co.uk
The Beatles are one of the biggest bands in the world, and whether you’re young or old, you’ve probably heard multiple songs of theirs such as Hey Jude. We’re going to test your knowledge and tell you some of The Beatles facts: do you really know the iconic band? When you think of The Beatles, you don’t think of failure or rejection, but they had quite a bit of that in the early days. In particular, Decca Records, a British label, had rejected them in 1962 saying that the guitars that they were using weren’t going to be popular for much longer. Decca passed on them and chose to sign Brian Poole featuring the Tremeloes instead.
Source: Florence Howard/musicgrotto.com
Frank Sinatra called 'Something, The Beatles' iconic ballad, "one of the best love songs I believe to be written in the past fifty or a hundred years.". It's widely regarded as one of The Beatles' most beautiful songs.
'Something' featured on The Beatles' 1969 penultimate album Abbey Road, and has captured the imaginations of listeners ever since.
Famously written by George Harrison, he usually had to tussle with John Lennon and Paul McCartney to get his songs included in the band's albums.
Outstanding songs like 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and 'Something' couldn't be ignored, because of their sheer quality, becoming fan favourites and instant classics.
Given its romantic nature, it was often thought that Harrison wrote the song about his then-wife Pattie Boyd.
Source: Thomas Curtis-Horsfall/goldradiouk.com
The Beatles sparked public outrage when they received MBEs. Here's what former recipients had to say about it when they sent theirs back.
In 1965, all four members of The Beatles received MBEs, or Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire medals. The honor surprised them, but it outraged some members of the public. People were sharply divided on whether The Beatles deserved the award. Former MBE recipients didn’t know what to make of it, either. Some were so upset that they sent their MBEs back in disgust.
When The Beatles received MBEs, people couldn’t believe the musicians got the honor. Papers and media outlets debated whether or not they deserved them, with many outlets covering the story with scorn. Many previous MBE recipients felt the same way. George Read, a member of the Coast Guard, wrote a letter to the palace.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
