Beatles News
George Harrison‘s “My Sweet Lord” provoked controversy for its religious lyrics. Previously, Donovan included similar lyrics in one of his songs. In addition, Donovan explained how a quote about Zen Buddhism from a celebrity inspired his track.“My Sweet Lord” is one of the only hymns in the classic rock canon. In the song. George goes back and forth between using the Hindu phrase “Hare Krishna” and the Judeo-Christian term “Hallelujah.” The tune garnered both praise and criticism for using words from multiple religions. Some felt this fostered unity, while some religious people found it blasphemous.
Donovan did something similar in his tune “Wear Your Love Like Heaven.” In the song, he goes back and forth between calling God by the Arabic term “Allah” and the Judeo-Christian term “Lord.” The tune could also be interpreted as discouraging sectarianism in favor of a more generalized form of spirituality.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
All You Need Is Love: An Oral History of The Beatles is an upcoming biography chronicling the life and history of iconic British rock band The Beatles.
English rock band The Beatles has been an important part of the growth and legacy of music as an art form. The band, which consisted of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, is considered one of the most influential and iconic bands and musical acts in generations. Having inspired numerous, the Liverpool band still remains an enigma.
One of the most talked about and debated aspects of the band has been why they broke up in the 1970s. All You Need Is Love: An Oral History of The Beatles is an upcoming biography by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines that claims to reveal unknown details and never before heard secrets about the band, including why they broke up. Keep reading to know more.
Source: Meenal Chathli/pinkvilla.com
Only one copy of Frank Sinatra's song for Ringo Starr's wife ever existed and the master was destroyed, making it the rarest Beatles record of all time.Beatles merchandise was everywhere in the 1960s. Fans could buy pins, record racks, mop-top wigs, magnetic hair decorating games, and even locks of the Fab Four’s hair. The band’s first recording is one of the most valuable albums around, but one rare Beatles record (or at least one associated with the Fab Four) trumps it, and we might never see the one-of-a-kind item ever again.The Beatles climbed to the top in England before their popularity exploded in the United States in 1964. Older entertainers weren’t ready to get off the stage, though. Multi-talented singer and actor Kenny Lynch called Paul McCartney and John Lennon idiots. What was the offense? They just couldn’t figure out how to finish a song. He must have realized they were the wave of the future because he became the first musician to cover a Beatles song shortly after that. How dangerous were the Liverpudlians to the old guard? Even Frank Sinatra hoped to see them fail.
Source: Jason Rossi/cheatsheet.com
An artist who designed an early unused logo for The Fab Four in 1962 was shocked the learn the value of his sketches after not being paid by the band.
The designer of the first ever Beatles logo joked he'll "finally get paid" after having his sketches valued on the Antiques Roadshow.
The guest on the BBC show revealed the band asked him to design a logo for their drum when Ringo Starr joined The Beatles in 1962.
The band eventually dropped the design - featuring beetle antennae on the letter 'B' - choosing the now famous logo designed by Ivor Arbiter instead.
Source: Albertina Lloyd/news.yahoo.com
The renowned fashion designer experienced a “double celebration” as it was not only Father’s Day but also the 81st birthday of iconic musician and father figure, Sir Paul McCartney.
Expressing her gratitude on Instagram, she wrote: “My father has been by my side every step of the way, offering advice, support, and most importantly, love. While the world sees him as an icon, on this day of double celebration, I simply call him Dad.
“To me, he is my rock. My rock ‘n roll rock! I love you and will always love you. Thank you for making my life better each and every day.
“On this special day, let’s also celebrate all the brave and amazing fathers out there, including those in the Stella family. Stay kind and always show love… x Stella.”
Source: vigourtimes.com
Daniel Ellsberg performed many feats during his 92-year life: collecting the Pentagon Papers, fighting against nuclear proliferation and helping to bring down a president.
He also got three of the four Beatles to help pay his lawyers.
Ellsberg’s decision to leak the Pentagon Papers — 7,000 pages of secret documents that exposed the U.S. government’s knowing deception about the Vietnam War — led the government to indict him on espionage charges in 1971, a legal saga that led in part to revelations that undid Richard M. Nixon’s presidency.
As the trial progressed, Ellsberg, who died Friday, was running out of funds for his defense.
That’s where Barbra Streisand, the Beatles and other celebrities came in.
Streisand and activist Stanley K. Sheinbaum, who organized Ellsberg’s defense fund, decided to hold a fundraiser on Ellsberg’s 42nd birthday in April 1973. The singer invited scores of celebrities, including John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, who paid $250 each to attend, the Associated Press reported. The party marked the first public event featuring three of the four Beatles since the band’s 1969 breakup.
Source: Shera Avi-Yonah/washingtonpost.com
When The Beatles broke up, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon were on one side of the divide, while Paul McCartney was on the other. McCartney sued the band in order to wrest control from manager Allen Klein. The split and legal battle meant the dynamic between the former bandmates was a stormy one. Starr wanted to maintain a friendly working relationship with his former bandmates, though. While he trusted that Lennon and Harrison would continue collaborating with him, he didn’t know if McCartney would.
After the death of longtime Beatles manager Brian Epstein, the band hired Klein. McCartney wasn’t happy with this decision, though. He wanted to hire Lee Eastman, his father-in-law, something the rest of the band stood firmly against. These business dealings muddied their musical relationship, and by 1970, they had announced their breakup.
Afterward, McCartney sued the band to take control of their catalog from Klein. This did further damage to the relationship between the former bandmates. Despite all this, Starr wanted to maintain a musical relationship with each of the ex-Beatles. In the song “Early 1970,” he expressed this, as well as his worry that McCartney would want nothing to do with him.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney used his Pentax camera the same way he used his guitar: with total freedom. And in early 1964, the 21-year-old took his new camera on perhaps the most momentous musical journey of the 20th century: The Beatles' invasion of America.
Hundreds of photographs from that trip were recently rediscovered in McCartney's archive: "It was really nice," he said, "because I thought they were lost."
The images, collected in the new book, "1964: Eyes of the Storm," will be on view later this month at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
He offered a tour of the exhibit to correspondent Anthony Mason.
McCartney explained his process: "Taking photographs, I'd be just looking for a shot. And so, I'd aim the camera and just sort of see where I liked it, you know, oh, that's it. And invariably, you pretty much take one picture.
Source: Anthony Mason/cbsnews.com
The Beatles and The Beach Boys were rivals in the 1960s, but their competitive nature often led to the bands directly influencing each other1967’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is still The Beatles’ best-selling album. It was also their most experimental, as the band took on new personalities and dived deep into rock psychedelia. While the album saw the band at their highest peak creatively, it owes a lot to another project. According to producer Giles Martin, son of Beatles’ producer George Martin, Sgt. Pepper’s would not have happened without an album from The Beach Boys.
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
Ringo Starr held out hope that he would perform with his Beatles bandmates again. He wrote a song expressing this hope.In 1970, The Beatles publicly announced their break up, and Ringo Starr wrote a song about his former bandmates. In each verse, he sang about his bandmates and wondered about the likelihood of them playing music with him. By the end of the song, he expressed his earnest hope that they’d all collaborate again. The song functioned as an open letter to the ex-Beatles, but Starr never truly had much cause for concern.
began working on their solo careers. Starr’s first solo single, “It Don’t Come Easy,” came out in 1971. The B-side of this single was the song “Early 1970.” In it, Starr addressed each of his bandmates in turn.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
