Beatles News
Sir Paul McCartney is said to have been addicted to playing classic arcade shoot-’em-up games before he recorded his hits.
The 81-year-old Beatles icon’s love of being a joystick warrior ahead of studio sessions has been revealed by Echo and the Bunnymen guitarist Will Sergeant.
Paul’s fellow Liverpudlian Will, 65, said in his new book ‘Echoes: A Memoir Continued’ about meeting Sir Paul at London’s Air Studios: “While we’re hanging around in the games room, Paul McCartney pops in and says, ‘So you are the Bunnymen from Liverpool, are ya? Nice to meet you.
“We look on with broad smiles. ‘My God, Paul knows our name and seems to know who we are.’”
Will added: “He sticks around for a brew ands I play a video game with him. It’s either ‘Asteroids’ or ‘Tank Commander’, one of the latest video game crazes.
“Paul was a lovely fellow, still down to earth and quite prepared to be friendly to us young upstarts.”
Source: By Celebretainment/independentnews.com
Despite their legendary rivalry, The Beatles helped The Rolling Stones break into the mainstream by writing them a hit single in 1963.
It's one of the all-time great rivalries.
Pepsi versus Coca-Cola, Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier, Tom versus Jerry, Mods versus Rockers, Sherlock Holmes versus Professor Moriarty, Bette Davis versus Joan Crawford, Elton John versus, well everyone else.
Above is just a small handful of some of the most notorious rivalries within the pantheon of popular culture. Pick your side.
One of the most famous conflicts throughout the past century, however, has undoubtedly been between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
Both era-defining bands spearheaded the British Invasion during the 1960s and dominated charts around the world.
Source: Thomas Curtis-Horsfall/goldradiouk.com
There is one song from The Beatles that is as beautiful as it is lucrative.
The Beatles' iconic songs are a major part of their legacy and have been the driving force behind their success. One song alone has made the group tens of millions of dollars.
The Beatles are the most iconic music act in history, with record-breaking album sales and an indelible mark on the industry. Their innovative approach to music revolutionized the music industry.
The Beatles' catalog is extremely valuable, potentially worth $2 billion. Their music continues to generate significant royalties, showcasing the lasting power and influence of the band.
The Beatles are as big and as good as it gets in the music world, and they're still relevant decades after disbanding. Though they had their problems, some of which were recently brought to light in a documentary, the band went down as legends, and even forged great solo careers.
Source: Anthony Spencer/thethings.com
A Beatles engineer thought Ringo Starr shone in 'A Hard Day's Night.' He didn't think Starr came off this way in real life.
In 1964, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr starred in the Beatles’ movie A Hard Day’s Night. They enjoyed the experience, and their fans loved the film. The people who knew The Beatles also enjoyed their viewing experiences. Audio engineer Geoff Emerick, who worked extensively with the band, said it showed him a different side of the musicians. In particular, he appreciated the fact that the typically reserved Starr came across well.
When Emerick saw A Hard Day’s Night, he had some issues with the music but no complaints about The Beatles’ performances. He also appreciated the fact that he had the insider knowledge to recognize that their onscreen personas did not match their real personalities.
“The Beatles themselves were portrayed as four stereotypes in the movie, and I remember sitting there thinking to myself, ‘They’re not really like that’ — though I was probably the only one in the theater who knew that,” he wrote in his book Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles. “They were playing their roles very much tongue in cheek, especially Lennon.”
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
The Beatles rolled their eyes at news Brian Epstein thought would thrill them. Here's how he reacted to their lack of interest.
In 1967, Brian Epstein rushed into the studio to give The Beatles what he saw as thrilling news. He’d booked them a spot on a television program that would reach televisions around the world. Epstein saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; for the first time ever, a satellite would transmit a program worldwide. The Beatles didn’t think this was nearly as monumental as Epstein did. Their lack of interest nearly drove him to tears.
While The Beatles were putting the finishing touches on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Epstein rushed into the studio with exciting news. He didn’t often visit them during recording sessions, so everyone in the room eagerly awaited his announcement.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
Dhani Harrison, son of The Beatles’ star George Harrison, tells a wonderful story in the Martin Scorsese documentary, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," that speaks to the modesty of his famous father. Dhani said he couldn’t understand why kids at school chased after him singing "Yellow Submarine." "It just seemed surreal. Why are they singing that song to me?" he wondered. Then, he discovered the answer. "I came home, and I freaked out on my dad: ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were in The Beatles?' And he said, ‘Oh, sorry. Probably should have told you that.’
While many rock stars—like many business leaders—can be arrogant, self-centered and full of themselves, Harrison was renowned for being sincere, humble, kind and collaborative. These attributes are often exhibited by the best corporative executives, which defies the conventional wisdom that top leaders need to be forceful, charismatic individuals who thrive in the limelight. It’s something I’ve observed working with companies across the country, and it’s an observation that’s backed by several university studies.
Source: Jason Richmond/forbes.com
Every band has a unique story behind their name, and the Beatles are no exception. Before they became the iconic rock and roll sensation we know today, they were just a group of musicians striving for success. Just like any other band, the Beatles also tried to find the perfect name for their act.
One theory surrounding the origin of the band’s name takes us back to a moment in their early days, when Stuart Sutcliffe, a close friend of John Lennon from their art school days, entered the picture. Stuart, who had recently sold one of his paintings and acquired a bass guitar with the proceeds, became a member of the act in January 1960.
It was during this time that Sutcliffe proposed changing the band’s name to ‘Beatals,’ drawing inspiration from his admiration for Buddy Holly and the Crickets. While ‘Beatals’ was a step in the right direction, it wasn’t the final iteration of their name.
Source: Bihter Sevinc/rockcelebrities.net
We have more than covered the Beatles’ vast catalog, including their top hits and their deep cuts. While it’s their music that ultimately made them the legends we know them as today, there were many aspects to their monumental rise to fame that cannot be overlooked–namely, their movies.
While their music got people grooving, their movies gave fans access to who they were as people. The Fab Four were goofy, buoyant, and jokesters. Each of their feature films helped to highlight that fact.
In the list below, we’re looking at the four main feature films from the Beatles’ career. We’ve ranked them from worst to best, taking into account their status in the fandom and their critical reception. See what movie we placed at No. 1 below.
Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com
“Carnival of Light” is one Beatles song that’s unlikely to see the light of day. Recorded on January 5, 1967, during the band’s sessions for “Penny Lane”—initially intended for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band—the 14-minute, avant-garde “Carnival of Light” was commissioned for The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave. The event was held at the Roundhouse Theatre in London from January 28 through February 4, 1967.
An early progenitor of noise rock, and one of the more experimental pieces by the Beatles, “Carnival of Light” was written by McCartney and recorded by the Beatles at Abbey Road Studios. Filled with gargled sounds and vocals, including random bursts of Are you all right? and Barcelona, the track is pressed by heavy organs, echos, and distorted guitars.
“I said all I want you to do is just wander around all the stuff, bang it, shout, play it, it doesn’t need to make any sense,” said McCartney of his instructions to the band while recording the song. “Hit a drum, then wander on to the piano, hit a few notes. Just wander around. So that’s what we did and then put a bit of an echo on it. It’s very free.”
Source: Tina Benitez-Eves/americansongwriter.com
We take a historical look into times when the record industry gave birth to the most expensive albums ever. Will we ever see recording budgets like these again?
As online audience retention has become the new metric for success in entertainment, recording budgets these days are only a fraction of what they once were.
We’re taking a look back at some of the extravagant album productions of all time and uncovering some of the reasons the recording process took so long.
Terms like “Suffering for your art” and “Labour of love” do come to mind, but we’ll let you decide whether these gargantuan recording budgets were justified or not.
5. The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Even though The Beatles didn’t live the most exulted lifestyles during recording when compared with their modern pop equivalents, Sgt Pepper’s was still an indulgent production in time and money.
The Fab Four and George Martin used over 700 hours of studio time to create what is commonly referred to as a masterpiece of recorded music.
Source: Stefan Wyeth/gearnews.com
