Beatles News
Following the Beatles’ grander opus “Come Together” opening their epic Abbey Road, “Something” left a softer sting of love and longing. The song presented George Harrison as more of a songwriting force within the group. Narrated by Amanda Mertz, American Songwriter goes behind the song of 'Redemption Song by Bob Marley, his final song before his untimely passing.Released as a double A-side single, along with “Come Together,” “Something” was the only song written by Harrison — among the deeper line of songs penned by John Lennon and Paul McCartney for the group — that was released as a single by the Beatles. Both songs spent a week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Source: Tina Benitez-Eves/americansongwriter.com
George Harrison’s “Got My Mind Set on You” came from his album Cloud Nine. The album Cloud Nine was originally going to feature covers of Bob Dylan songs.
“Got My Mind Set on You” was a No. 1 single in the United States but not in the United Kingdom.
George Harrison‘s “Got My Mind Set on You” was a cover of a song by another artist. Someone told George it sounded different from all of his other songs. George agreed and subsequently explained why this was the case.
The book George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters features an interview from 1987. In it, George discussed how his album Cloud Nine came together.
“I had a lot of demos,” he said. “I played them to [the Eclectic Light Orchestra’s] Jeff [Lynne]; he picked them out. I asked him to write me a song, too. Since I’ve been not making albums, I’ve done a lot of other people’s songs. Just as demos, some old tunes, I do a quick version. I like the idea of singing somebody else’s songs.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Often regarded as the greatest band of all time, The Beatles, despite their short-lived career as a band, have a long and varied history. Titans among pop culture icons, the group has been the inspiration for many works of art over the last 50 years. Among the countless records, movies, paintings or fashions that pay homage to the group, there is also a great mythos surrounding their lives and careers.
One of the best parts of being a Beatles fan is exchanging bits of information with people via word of mouth. As perhaps the most popular musical act of the last 50 years, there is potential to strike up a conversation about the group with just about anyone. To prepare for that venture, here are 10 great documentaries to advance your knowledge on The Beatles.
Source: Spencer Philip/movieweb.com
George Harrison was the youngest member of The Beatles and was dubbed the quiet one. Though a bit of a misnomer (Tom Petty said he wouldn’t shut up), George often let his music do the talking. He came into his own as a songwriter with the Fab Four and continued the trend in his solo career. Here are 10 essential George Harrison songs to listen to on his Feb. 25 birthday (presented in no particular order).
1. ‘Taxman’
George wrote the lead song from perhaps the best Beatles album with hardly any help. John Lennon refused to help George write “Taxman,” and that might have been a good thing.
The barbed guitar line, simple yet infectious melodies, and memorable lyrics culminated in his peak Beatles moment to that point. It’s not difficult to conceive George receiving a confidence boost knowing he penned a stellar song without any assistance.
Source: Jason Rossi/cheatsheet.com
The storied singer-songwriter has also inked a new deal with the label Harrison founded, Dark Horse RecordsYusuf (f.k.a Cat Stevens) is celebrating what would have been George Harrison’s 80th birthday this week with a new cover of the Beatles’ Abbey Road classic “Here Comes the Sun.”
The release marks the start of a new partnership between Yusuf and Dark Horse Records, the boutique record label Harrison founded, and his son Dhani continues to run with David Zonshine. Yusuf’s rendition of “Here Comes the Sun” also arrives with some suitably sunny cover art designed by the singer-songwriter’s eight-year-old granddaughter.
Source: Jon Blistein/rollingstone.com
A HOTEL that John Lennon and Yoko Ono once stayed in has been frozen in time for more than a decade.
The accommodation still has electricity and the TVs and lifts still work, providing a glimpse at how it used to look before it was closed down. Some of the rooms have been taken over by mould and grime.
The Corbett Arms hotel in Tywyn, Wales is a Georgian, Grade II listed building that has been left as it was in 2011, when its doors were closed to the public.
Tiktoker and urban explorer Adam Mark (@adam_mark_explores) entered the property and filmed himself having a look around, revealing what it looks like inside.
In a video shared on Tiktok, he showed how some of the rooms look the same as they did when the hotel would have been up and running, with beds still made.
The electricity in the property still works, with televisions still able to be turned on.
Source: thesun.co.uk/Ryan Gray
BMG has announced a deal to bring the solo recorded works of George Harrison to Dark Horse Records/BMG.
While Dark Horse Records/BMG already administers the music publishing of George Harrison, it will now also serve as his label home.
BMG notes that his music publishing catalog and recordings will now, for the first time ever, be under one roof, at BMG.
Variety reports that Harrison’s family retains the rights to the artist’s catalog.
Previously in 2022, BMG announced it had entered into a global publishing agreement with the George Harrison Estate to administer the Harrisongs catalog comprising more than 200 songs written with the Beatles, the Traveling Wilburys and Harrison’s solo career.
Source: Murray Stassen/musicbusinessworldwide.com
The Rolling Stones and The Beatles‘ two surviving members — Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr — have reportedly joined forces on a new album, according to multiple sources via Variety. McCartney has already recorded bass parts for the project, which is spearheaded by Andrew Watt, the 2021 Grammy winner for producer of the year, per reports.
The legendary performers attended recording sessions in Los Angeles in “recent weeks,” and the album is now entering its mixing phases. It is unknown whether McCartney and Starr’s parts will be included on the same track, or if their contributions will arrive separately.
In 2021, Rolling Stones lead vocalist Mick Jagger stated that the band had “a lot of tracks done” for the project. Last month, guitarist Keith Richards excited fans with an Instagram post confirming that “there’s some new music on its way.”
Source: Dylan Kelly/hypebeast.com
Most Beatles fans who play guitar obsess over the electric guitars and guitar amps that the band members played through various stages of their career.
However, with the exception of the Gibson J-160E acoustic-electrics that were seen throughout the entirety of the band’s existence, the acoustic guitars that they played don’t get as much attention, even though they played equally important roles in the acoustic songs they recorded, as well as those where acoustic and electric instruments were blended together.
George Harrison and John Lennon purchased a pair of brand-new Gibson J-160E guitars in 1962, and Lennon replaced his with a new 1964 model after his was stolen.
Although a J-160E doesn’t have the most stellar acoustic tone (the Beatles used theirs amplified as often as they recorded it acoustically), it managed to provide a good driving rhythm texture behind the band’s electric tones.
Source: Chris Gill/guitarworld.com
It wasn’t quite rags to riches, but the story of Welsh singer Mary Hopkin’s dizzy rise during 1968 takes some beating. In May of that year, just as she was turning 18, she appeared on the British TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. Improbably, it would lead her into the inner circle of The Beatles and to an international No.1.
Hopkin won that contest, and had the good fortune that the famous model Twiggy was watching the show. When she, in turn, was talking to Paul McCartney about potential artists for The Beatles’ new Apple label, Twiggy mentioned Mary. Soon afterwards, the singer received a message to call Peter Brown at Apple.
“So I rang up,” Hopkin remembered later, “and was put through to this guy with a Liverpool accent, who invited me to come up to London and sign a contract. Being a cautious young Welsh girl, I thought, ‘That's a bit sudden!’ and became a bit evasive, so this guy said, ‘Well, go and ask your mum then!’ I dragged my mother to the telephone and she proceeded to practically drop the thing because he said, ‘Oh, this is Paul McCartney, by the way’!”
Source: Paul Sexton/sports.yahoo.com
