Beatles News
George Harrison and Jeff Lynne of the Electric Light Orchestra became friends through their many collaborations. Lynne assisted Harrison with a few projects, like his album Cloud Nine, and both were part of the supergroup, Traveling Wilburys. One song Lynne helped Harrison with was “magical” for Lynne as it sounded like a throwback to The Beatles.
“When We Was Fab” is a song released by George Harrison in 1988 as the second single for the album Cloud Nine. Harrison wrote the song as a nostalgic reflection of the early days of The Beatles when they were known as the fab four. It also featured psychedelic sounds that The Beatles popularized in the 1960s.
Lynne isn’t the only famous musician who appeared on this song, as Harrison brought in his former bandmate Ringo Starr to play drums. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lynne said working on “When We Was Fab” was “magical” as it gave him the feeling that he was making a Beatles song.
“I decided to pack it in 1986. About six months later, George Harrison got in touch with me to ask me to work on his new album,” Lynne said. “A few days after he met me, he said, ‘Let’s go on holiday. I’m going to Australia for a while.’ He took me to the Grand Prix in Adelaide, which was amazing.”
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
Today, June 25, is Global Beatles Day - an annual celebration honouring the ideals of the Beatles.
Decades ago, four young lads from Liverpool - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr - changed music as we knew it and changed the world. Formed following a chance meeting between John Lennon and Paul McCartney at the Woolton Village Fete, in 1957, they released their first album, Please Please Me, in 1962.
The band went on to have 17 number ones in the UK as well as dominating the US charts and in later years solo careers and endeavours. To mark Global Beatles Day, we've delved into the archives to rediscover these brilliant photos of The Beatles in Liverpool in the 1964.
Source: Jess Molyneux/liverpoolecho.co.uk
George Harrison rarely performed live after The Beatles broke up, and he once explained to Tom Petty the main reason why he despised going on tourWhile The Beatles were the most famous band in the world during the 1960s, they stopped touring in 1966. George Harrison famously never liked going on tour, which extended to his solo career. His friend, Tom Petty, once explained why the former Beatle was against going on the road. George Harrison had an essential role with The Beatles, but John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the band’s prominent leaders. However, Harrison was a genius songwriter who only got his chance to shine with The Beatles on a few occasions, with songs like “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun”. When the band ended, he proved how gifted he was with his first album, All Things Must Pass, which featured his No. 1 hit “My Sweet Lord”.
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney spent decades feeling dissatisfied with The Beatles' album "Let It Be." He explained why it made him upset.The Beatles’ final album, Let It Be, came as a shock to Paul McCartney. He was upset with the way some of his songs sounded, and the album as a whole was frustrating to him. Producer Phil Spector had taken control of the record and, in the process, pulled it away from McCartney’s initial vision. McCartney was upset about this, but he had a chance to release his own version of the record several decades later.Let It Be came out in 1970, after The Beatles decided to break up. Tensions among the band members were at an all-time high, and the quality of Let It Be didn’t help things. Allen Klein, the band’s manager, had brought in Spector. Klein, John Lennon, and George Harrison were excited about Spector, but McCartney was less certain. When he heard the album, he was appalled.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
George Harrison made his way into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame despite not having much support from his Beatles bandmates or producer George Martin. The so-called quiet Beatle made it as a member of the Fab Four and a solo artist. George’s friend Jeff Lynne made it to the Rock Hall with his group Electric Light Orchestra, but he beat Harrison into another musical hall of fame.
George, of course, gained fame with The Beatles in the 1960s. Even though his songs didn’t appear on Fab Four records as frequently as Paul McCartney and John Lennon tunes, his were some of the band’s best. See, for example, “Taxman,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and “Something.”
Lynne co-founded ELO and was their chief songwriter throughout their career. Many of the band’s standout songs, such as “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Mr. Blue Sky,” and “Livin’ Thing,” were his tunes. Their string-heavy pop music was incredibly popular in the 1970s, but like most bands, ELO never gained the same notoriety as The Beatles.
Source: Jason Rossi/cheatsheet.com
Queen's Brian May cited The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" as one of the great masterpieces in the history of art.Queen’s Brian May is a huge fan of The Beatles‘ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” On the other hand, John Lennon wished he could have rerecorded the track. Both of them had an unbalanced view of the tune.
During a 2020 interview with Loudersound, May said John was the most talented member of The Beatles. He named some of his favorite songs that John wrote.
“There is not enough space here to come closes to chronicling all Lennon’s masterpieces, but check out ‘Tomorrow Never Knows,’ ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,’ and then ‘I Am the Walrus’ and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and tell me you do not gasp,” he said. “Never has anything been created like these works in the whole of history.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney gave 1 album a strange title. He explained that he got the idea from an insult John Lennon said to him.After The Beatles broke up, John Lennon and Paul McCartney couldn’t even get through a phone call without fighting. McCartney explained that Lennon’s vitriol was palpable. Even though he’d known his former bandmate for years, he felt frightened. On one phone call, though, McCartney walked away with some creative inspiration.Even though his bandmates were furious with him after The Beatles’ breakup, McCartney tried to maintain a relationship with them. He said he frequently called Lennon, but the calls didn’t often go well.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
Glastonbury fans believe they may have uncovered the identity of one of Sir Elton John’s four guest collaborators during his headlining act. John is set to perform his last ever UK show at the Worthy Farm festival on Sunday 25 June, which also marks his debut on the Pyramid Stage.
While the musical acts began on Friday 23 June, Glastonbury co-founder Emily Eavis opened the festival gates to attendees on Wednesday 21 June. This year’s hefty line-up includes performers such as Lana Del Ray, Lizzo, and Cat Stevens, with headlining acts by Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, and John.
During an interview with Sky News last week, John’s husband, the filmmaker David Furnish revealed the “Rocket Man” singer will bring on four special guests “of his choosing” during his landmark set.
When asked about the identity of these stars, Furnish said he was “sworn to secrecy” but hinted that John’s setlist for Sunday has “a lot of changes”. After fans spotted Sir Paul McCartney at Glastonbury, enjoying the Foo Fighters’s not-so-secret gig, they began speculating The Beatles star might be one of John’s surprise acts.
Source:Maanya Sachdeva/independent.co.uk
While Ringo Starr was sick, a new drummer stepped in for The Beatles. He was shocked that their public images didn't match what they were really like.The Beatles caused a bit of controversy when they first rose to prominence, but their public image was much cleaner than many of the bands that came after them. They wore neat suits and charmed the press with their humor. Behind the scenes, though, they lived a more rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle than some might expect. According to Ringo Starr’s temporary replacement drummer Jimmy Nicol, The Beatles spent many of their nights in a haze of women and alcohol. In order to appeal to a wide array of people, Beatles manager Brian Epstein wanted to make them seem friendly and approachable. The image fit them well, but certain details of their private lives might have surprised fans, according to Nicol. He joined the band on tour while Starr had tonsillitis.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
While getting five superstars together to form a group seems impossible, George Harrison had little trouble getting other music legends to join the Traveling WilburysWhile George Harrison had an incredible solo career after The Beatles, he briefly formed a supergroup called The Traveling Wilburys. While the group had a limited run, it was still a legendary collaboration that featured rock icons such as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison. While getting all five of those legends together seemed impossible, Harrison quickly formed the quintet.
Harrison was an icon worldwide just for being a part of The Beatles. Many artists wanted to work with him, not only because he was a Beatle, but also because he was a tremendous guitar player and songwriter. However, artists like Petty and Lynne were all busy with their own projects. Dylan almost exclusively worked by himself.
Source:Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
