Beatles News
In The Beatles' early career, George Harrison didn't think about writing songs. His bandmates Paul McCartney and John Lennon had that covered. However, eventually, George felt he could write hits that were just as good. He didn't get much encouragement from his bandmates, but once he started writing tunes, he couldn't stop. Whether George could get his songs on The Beatles' albums was a different story.
22. 'Don't Bother Me' – With The Beatles
After realizing he could write songs like John and Paul, George wrote "Don't Bother Me" as an experiment to see if he actually could. It was his first song, so it wasn't the best. George even said it wasn't, but at least he proved he could be just as good as his bandmates.
21. 'You Like Me Too Much' – Help!
"You Like Me Too Much" is one of George's most forgotten Beatles songs. The verses seem like one long run-on sentence and sound as if it's a mouthful to sing. It's melodyless until the brief chorus, which sounds much like the first verse of "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party."
20. 'I Need You' – Help!
"I Need You" is an unimaginative love song. In the mountain of Beatles love songs, it's indistinguishable and unoriginal. George wrote it for his then-girlfriend, Pattie Boyd. It has a catchy melody, but in terms of lyrics and subject, it's pretty simple.
Source: msn.com
The Beatles have a back catalogue like no other. Their biggest hits have become part of our collective DNA, while many of their lesser-known have influenced countless musicians from every genre down the decades.
Yet even The Beatles have songs that have been overlooked, dismissed or just overshadowed by their more famous counterparts. Some of those date from their earlier days, when the speed of their rise tended to obscure the majesty of some of the tracks that only appeared on their album. Others date from the period after they stopped touring to pour every ounce of their creative energy into the studio.
These under-appreciated gems range from bristling rockers to downbeat ballads, shapeshifting rock operas to pure pop gems. Here they are, the 20 Beatles songs that deserve way more love than they get.
Source: Rob Hughes/loudersound.com
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are four of the most famous musicians to ever live. But how did these Beatles members ever come together in the first place?
The Beatles were one of the most iconic rock bands of all time. They created chaos at their shows because their fans were so obsessed. They sold millions of records, quickly becoming the most famous band in the world during their decade-long stint in the 1960s. And, like many other rock stars, they had their share of falling outs with one another.
These days, only two Beatles remain alive: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. But the legacy the The Beatles as a group have left behind is one that modern music will never forget. With that said, how did these ultra-famous Beatles members ever come together in the first place?
Source: Julia Mullaney/cheatsheet.com
The latest title in a notable series on The Beatles’ recorded output is coming from author Bruce Spizer. The Beatles Please Please Me to With The Beatles, the author’s 15th title on the band, arrives October 17, 2023, via 498 Productions. The 9″ x 9″ hardcover book, matching the other books in Spizer’s acclaimed Beatles album series, is 272 pages and contains over 290 color and original black and white images. It’s available to pre-order in the U.S. here and the U.K. here, or via the Amazon links below.
From the announcement: Please Please Me and With The Beatles, along with their associated singles, introduced the Beatles first to England and then to several countries across the world, including Canada and the United States. Although often overlooked due to the excellence of the group’s later albums, these early albums contain the exciting songs that fueled Beatlemania. These albums showcased the songwriting talents of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, as well as incredible cover versions of songs from the group’s stage show. Had the Beatles not evolved and matured, the group would still be well respected for the quality of the recordings on these two albums. In addition to the usual chapters on the British, American and Canadian perspectives, the book contains chapters on the Decca audition and the EMI artists test session. There are also chapters on the recording sessions and album covers, as well as on the news, music and films of the era to place these albums in their proper context.
Source: Best Classic Bands Staff/bestclassicbands.com
Paul McCartney and John Lennon held a great deal of respect for one another. This didn't extend to everyone else who worked with The Beatles.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon worked closely together for years. While they had two other bandmates, multiple sound engineers, a manager, and a producer to assist them, they primarily relied on one another. While producer George Martin had a say over how their albums sounded, they reportedly never treated him with the same respect they showed one another. According to a Beatles audio engineer.
In the early 1960s, Lennon and McCartney had a close working relationship. As the decade wore on, they wrote songs separately, but they were one another’s primary ally for years.
“During playbacks, John and Paul would often huddle together and discuss whether a take was good enough; they’d talk about what they were hearing and what they wanted to fix or do differently,” engineer Geoff Emerick recalled in his book Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles. “John wasn’t casual about making records, not in the early years, anyway. Still, it was Paul who was always striving to get things the best that they could possibly be.”
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
John Lennon said working with The Beatles was torturous. He shared what it was like to be a member of the famous band.
John Lennon was vocally frustrated with The Beatles, decrying his bandmates and the albums they made together. At the start of the 1960s, they worked closely and excitedly together. By the second half of the decade, though, the four Beatles were no longer as eager to collaborate. According to Lennon, working on albums became torturous.
Shortly after The Beatles finished recording Let It Be, Lennon spoke about the slog of working with his bandmates.
“We were going through hell,” he told The Village Voice (via Gold Radio UK). “We often do. It’s torture every time we produce anything.”
While they were the most popular band of the era, Lennon said that there was no magic in what they did. It was all hard, painful work, particularly as they worked on their final albums.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
What Did John Lennon Play in the Beatles?
The Beatles, undoubtedly one of the most influential bands in the history of music, comprised four exceptionally talented musicians. John Lennon, the co-founder and lead vocalist of the band, played a crucial role in shaping their unique sound. While primarily known for his incredible songwriting and singing abilities, Lennon also played a variety of instruments during his time with the Beatles. Let’s explore the instruments he contributed to the iconic band’s music.
1. Rhythm Guitar: Lennon was the mastermind behind the band’s signature rhythm guitar parts. His playing style, characterized by a mix of chords and innovative strumming techniques, added depth and texture to the Beatles’ sound.
2. Lead Guitar: Though George Harrison was primarily responsible for lead guitar duties, Lennon also played lead guitar on occasion. His contributions can be heard in songs like “Ticket to Ride,” “Helter Skelter,” and “Get Back.”
Source: jstationx.com
Producer George Martin hated The Beatles' "Love Me Do." In addition, he wasn't a big fan of some of the band's early covers of classic songs.
Producer George Martin hated The Beatles‘ “Love Me Do.” In addition, he wasn’t a big fan of some of the band’s early covers. Notably, John Lennon had quite a bit to say about “Love Me Do.”
During a 1995 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, Martin discussed hearing The Beatles’ demo tape. It included covers of “Over the Rainbow” and “Your Feet’s Too Big,” as well as the original compositions “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You.” “Pretty rotten songs, really and they still are,” he opined. “You could hear a certain vitality there, but it was pretty rough. Most people who [first] heard The Beatles thought they weren’t much use.”
Martin’s take on “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You” is all wrong. Neither of the songs are among The Beatles’ best or most revolutionary songs. However, as bubblegum pop songs, they accomplish everything they set out to do. “Love Me Do” is especially appealing because it combines elements of bubblegum pop, rock ‘n’ roll, and country music into one great song. The tune’s eclecticism is a predecessor to the genre-hopping of the Fab Four’s later work.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Not all rock stars get along, and that's definitely the case with Phils Collins and Paul McCartney. The Genesis frontman never forgot how the Beatle treated him when they first met and has often talked about it publicly. But what does Paul think of his fellow musician's comments toward him?
In 2016, Collins told the Sunday Times that he met Paul when the pair performed at Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. Paul came to the event with his then-wife, Heather Mills.
Collins had a first edition of The Beatles by Hunter Davis, an authorized biography, and asked Paul to autograph it. The "Band on the Run" singer replied, "Oh, Heather, our little Phil's a bit of a Beatles fan." Hearing that, Collins said he thought, "You f**k, you f**k." He never forgot it.
Paul might not have meant to sting or act condescendingly toward Collins with his quip. Maybe he meant to poke fun at the drummer harmlessly. However, Paul was one of Collins' heroes. So, the encounter hurt.
Source: msn.com
John Lennon said The Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" features a "fantastic machine” that George Harrison could have taken a lifetime to master. John Lennon said The Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” features an instrument he couldn’t “face.”
He was asked about the band’s post-Abbey Road musical direction. Abbey Road was a hit in the United Kingdom during the 1960s and again during the 1980s.
John Lennon said The Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” features a “fantastic machine.” In addition, the instrument appears on other songs from Abbey Road. John felt George Harrison could have taken a lifetime to master the machine.
The Moog synthesizer is an early synthesizer invented by engineer Robert Moog. The Beatles helped popularize the instrument by using it on Abbey Road. The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations With John Lennon features an interview from 1969. In it, John explained why the band used a Moog.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
