Beatles News
Linda McCartney tragically died of breast cancer at the age of just 56.
After bravely battling breast cancer for two years, the American photographer and member of Wings sadly succumbed to the disease on 17th April 1998.
Naturally, her husband Paul McCartney was devastated having lost his beloved wife, his bandmate, the mother of his children, and his one true love.
After meeting during his time in The Beatles, Paul and Linda travelled the world together, started a family together, and were married for a total of 29 years.
When Linda was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995, Paul took a step back from his to help her overcome her illness, and didn't perform altogether in the final two years of her life.
Sadly, Linda McCartney wouldn't make it through, died at the McCartney ranch in Tucson, Arizona surrounded by her entire family.
To celebrate her life and activism, Linda's good friends Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders and television writer Carla Lane set up a tribute concert at London's Royal Albert Hall on 10th April 1999 called: Concert for Linda.
Source:Thomas Curtis-Horsfall/smoothradio.com
Ringo Starr didn’t write many songs for The Beatles, but Paul McCartney and John Lennon often wrote music that catered to his talents. The drummer had many fans, and The Beatles wanted to ensure his admirers could hear his contributions. Lennon and McCartney wrote one song with Starr’s talents in mind that Paul called a “job to order” for the famous drummer. “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” is from The Beatles’ 1964 album Beatles for Sale. Lennon primarily wrote it, but it is credited to Lennon-McCartney. The track contains themes of isolation and anxiety as the singer details being at a party and trying not to bring down the mood after their date stands them up.
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
By 1963, the first flames of Beatlemania were ablaze, and The Beatles were on tour with Roy Orbison. Initially, Orbison was going to be the final act of the tour because of his popularity. By the time they got on tour, though, The Beatles were so popular that it didn’t make sense for anyone to follow them. This meant that Orbison played before they took the stage, which Ringo Starr admitted the band hated. The Beatles formed in 1960, and by 1963, their popularity was soaring in the United Kingdom. They went on a tour of the UK with a number of artists, including Orbison. At this point, Orbison was already a successful, established artist with hits like “Crying” and “In Dreams.”
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
The Beatles had a squeaky-clean image compared to some of the other bands in the 1960s, but they were still arrested more than once. For the most part, they, like many other bands at the time, faced arrest for drug possession. While several members of The Beatles landed in legal trouble, one person was arrested far more times than the others. In the pre-Beatlemania days, the band played a residency in Hamburg, Germany. When authorities found out George Harrison wasn’t old enough to be working in the country, they deported him. That night, Paul McCartney and one-time Beatles drummer Pete Best decided to move their belongings out of the place where they were staying. Needing light and finding themselves without a flashlight, they decided that the best course of action was to light a condom on fire and nail it to the wall.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
Eric Clapton and George Harrison were two of the most influential guitarists and songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s. They met in 1964, when Clapton was playing with the Yardbirds and Harrison was a member of the Beatles. They bonded over their love of blues music and became close friends. They collaborated on several projects, such as the Beatles' song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", which featured Clapton's solo, and the supergroup Cream. They also shared a passion for Indian music and spirituality, and visited India together in 1968.
However, their friendship was tested by a complicated love triangle involving Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd. Boyd was a model and actress who had married Harrison in 1966. She was also the inspiration for some of his most famous songs, such as "Something" and "I Need You". Clapton fell in love with Boyd in 1969, after seeing her at a party. He confessed his feelings to her in a letter, but she rejected him, saying she loved Harrison. Clapton was devastated and turned to drugs and alcohol to cope. He wrote his own song for Boyd, called "Layla", which expressed his unrequited love and frustration.
Source: Mr.Mieppie/ultimate-guitar.com
Martin's list of credits grow by the day, and he's a high-profile champion of spatial audio.Giles Martin is a chip off the old block, a real rarity in the behind-closed-doors world that is the studio profession. The multiple Grammy Award-winning British producer, composer and arranger learned his way around the desk, initially as a sidekick to his late father, Sir George Martin, one of most famous producers of them all.
Every career has its sliding doors moment. Martin, like many who make a career in music, had youthful dreams of playing in a rock band, and pursued rugby union (cracking reserve grade, just behind the sport’s elite league).
When health problems hit his father, and threatened to end his career prematurely, the son stepped up.
George Martin, so-often called the “fifth Beatle” for his extensive work with the Fab Four, endured debilitating hearing loss later on, a product of long-term exposure to loud noise.
Source: Lars Brandle/
billboard.com
Ringo Starr’s “Photograph” has some lyrical similarities to The Beatles’ “Yesterday.” The lyrics of “Photograph” could be interpreted as a lament over The Beatles’ breakup. “Photograph” hit No. 1 in the United States, becoming the only No. 1 song written by Ringo.
Ringo Starr‘s “Photograph” feels like it might be about The Beatles. After all, its lyrics are reminiscent of the former Beatles’ then-current situation. Notably, “Photograph” blew all Ringo’s other songs out of the water commercially.On the surface, “Photograph” is similar to The Beatles’ “Yesterday.” It’s another sting-laden soft rock song about a lost love. However, the two songs were born out of different contexts. “Yesterday” came out in 1965, a time when The Beatles were still going strong and they might have gone strong forever.
Source Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
George Harrison’s songwriting abilities were limited in his time with The Beatles. The primary reason was that John Lennon and Paul McCartney handled most songwriting duties. Due to this, Harrison became apprehensive about pitching his songs because he didn’t want to seem like he was competing for power.
The Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo was responsible for a majority of The Beatles’ most successful and iconic hits. Their early hits include “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Harrison had an interest in songwriting but wasn’t confident in his ability. His first song for The Beatles, “Don’t Bother Me”, debuted on 1963’s Meet The Beatles.
In his autobiography, I, Me, Mine, Harrison said he wrote “Don’t Bother Me” as an “exercise” to see if he could write a song. While he doesn’t look back fondly on the song, it did inspire him to keep writing until he could write something he liked.
“I don’t think it’s a particularly good song, it mightn’t even be a song at all but at least it showed me that all I needed to do was keep on writing and then maybe eventually I would write something good,” Harrison said. “I still feel now ‘I wish I could write something good.’ It’s relativity. It did, however, provide me with an occupation.”
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
The statue has returned to Stanley Street atop a new bench
A statue inspired by a Beatles song which had an "unfortunate accident" has been returned to public display after repairs, a council has said.
The Eleanor Rigby sculpture on Liverpool's Stanley Street, which depicts the titular heroine of the Fab Four's 1966 song, was unveiled in 1982.
The city council removed it in January after the bench it sat on was damaged.
The work, which was designed by entertainer Tommy Steele, has returned to the street complete with a new seat.
In January, the council said it was initially feared the statue was damaged on purpose, but "following a review of CCTV footage, we can see that the damage... was an unfortunate accident".
Source: BBC News
When Paul McCartney’s debut solo album, simply titled McCartney, was released on April 17, 1970, it was far from what many expected. Following Abbey Road’s polished perfection, McCartney chose to issue an album of songs, experiments, and sound doodles predominantly made on his own at home. It would launch a solo career spanning five decades – and counting. But first, he had to leave The Beatles.On April 9, 1970, McCartney phoned John Lennon to tell him that he was quitting the band. Lennon had told the group of his own intention to leave the group back in September 1969, though, by mutual agreement, no announcement was made. Now McCartney, too, had decided to up sticks.What McCartney failed to mention to Lennon was that he had just sent a “self-interview” to the nation’s press, all but informing them that The Beatles were over. In this press release, which was sent with promotional copies of his self-titled debut solo album, Paul answered questions he assumed he would have been asked had he done a press conference. As well as talking about the new album, he spoke about The Beatles’ future – or lack of it.
Source: Paul McGuinness/yahoo.com
