Beatles News
I arrived at the modest townhouse, opened my suitcase and carefully placed “Revolver” on the turntable – the vinyl had miraculously survived the trip from Boston. I listened to the Harrison written “Collector” in the living room where teenager George once stuck with Paul McCartney and John Lennon as the Quarrymen and then as the Beatles from 1960. legend has it Louise Harrison used to bring some whiskey to the boys when they rehearsed, so I had a drink in her honor while listening to records. Did I have misty eyes? Only the shot of young George on the coat knows for sure.
Source: Judy J. Beasley/apartmentsapart.com
THE BEATLES star George Harrison was forced to step in and make John Lennon change the lyrics of one raunchy song when he realised it would insult a friend of theirs. Lennon later publicly addressed the change, while Harrison claimed its lyrics were "ridiculous".
It was recently announced that The Beatles' seventh album, Revolver, will be getting a reissue in the coming months. Although the record is iconic, one of the band's most popular albums was one that followed: The White Album.
The band's 1968 record was their ninth album and included a collection of incredible tracks mainly written in India while the Fab Four were a Transcendental Meditation course.
One track left George Harrison frustrated, however.
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
Last year, The Beatles: Get Back arrived on Disney+ with eight hours of mostly unseen footage of the Fab Four in their 1969 Let It Be sessions. Peter Jackson cleaned up a ton of behind-the-scenes moments of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, who were clearly having the time of their lives.
Almost a year on and McCartney has had a chance to see The Beatles: Get Back and recently gave a Q&A for fans on his official website.
One fan, also called Paul, said: “I just wanted to say thank you. Just like lockdown re-ignited my love of football, Get Back has re-ignited my love of The Beatles. Can I ask what part of the documentary bought the biggest smile to your face? Mine was you and Ringo playing piano together.”
McCartney, who turned 80 this year, replied: “There were quite a few smiles: me and John goofing around on ‘Two of Us’ acting like ventriloquists and singing through our teeth; me and John goofing around on ‘Bathroom Window’ where we start ringing Tuesday - “Hello Tuesday!” - that was nice. But the one that immediately comes to mind is John dancing - just seeing him dancing. It’s very cute, and he was actually a really good mover!”
Source: George Simpson/express.co.uk
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A 1958 Gibson Les Paul guitar that George Harrison purchased specifically to help secure the return of his prized 1957 Les Paul guitar, known as “Lucy,” after it had been stolen, is going up for bid as part of an auction scheduled for September 24.
Harrison was gifted “Lucy” by his friend Eric Clapton in 1967 and used it frequently during the last years of The Beatles. The guitar was stolen from George’s Beverly Hills home in 1973 and eventually purchased by a Los Angeles guitar shop, which in turn sold it to a Mexican musician named Michael Ochoa.
After Ochoa returned home with “Lucy,” Harrison tracked down the instrument. After some negotiating, George agreed to trade a sought-after 1958 Les Paul with a sunburst finish and a Fender Precision bass for his beloved guitar. Harrison purchased the ’58 Les Paul, now nicknamed the “Ransom” guitar, from Norman Harris, of L.A.’s Norman’s Rare Guitars shop.
Source: wdrv.com
George Harrison became spiritual after hitting a wall in the mid-1960s. Nothing impressed him, and he’d become disenchanted with fame. Taking LSD had opened a door to God-consciousness, but the Beatle didn’t know what to do next. Thankfully, he met his musical guru, Ravi Shankar, who taught him sitar and Hinduism.
George became more and more spiritual with every meditation and chanting session. Although, those weren’t the only techniques he used to remain close to God. Shankar taught him that “God is sound,” so every time he played a note, he communicated with his maker. George even got a direct experience with God through gardening.
As George traveled on his spiritual path, he ensured his family’s spiritual aim remained true. He didn’t want them to get lost along the way.In the mid-1960s, George had become disenchanted with many things, including fame. Being a Beatle had essentially extinguished the light inside him. He was bored but had recently taken LSD with John Lennon too. The hallucinogen had opened a door to an unknown place.
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
The Beatles‘ “When I’m Sixty-Four” appeared on a classic album. Subsequently, John Lennon was asked what he planned to do at age 64. In addition, John explained why he would never have written a song like “When I’m Sixty-Four.”
The book Lennon Remembers contains an article from 1970. In it, John was asked what he expected to do in the next three months. “I’d like to just vanish a bit,” he said. It wore me out, New York. I love it.
“I’m just sort of fascinated by it, like a f****** monster,” he added. “Doing the films was a nice way of meeting a lot of people. I think we’ve both said and done enough for a few months, especially with this article.”
Subsequently, John was asked about his plans for the next few years. “Oh, no, I couldn’t think of the next few years; it’s abysmal thinking of how many years there are to go, millions of them,” he said. “I just play it by the week. I don’t think much ahead of a week.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
John Lennon's Aug. 30, 1972, headlining benefit performance at Madison Square Garden would ultimately turn out to be the final full-length concert of his life.
The show arrived amid a tumultuous time. Lennon had come under harsh scrutiny from President Richard Nixon due largely to his outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War, as well as his support for various liberal causes. Nixon believed the former Beatles legend was hurting American youth and decided to use a 1968 marijuana-related arrest in the U.K. as his excuse to have Lennon deported.
Adding to the stress, Lennon’s most recent album, Some Time in New York City, wasn’t matching the sales numbers he’d previously enjoyed with the Beatles or even his earlier solo efforts. Lead single “Woman is the N----- of the World” had caused a stir, and for the first time in his career, Lennon’s star seemed to have lost some of its shine.
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com
John Lennon had strong feelings about Paul McCartney’s contributions to The Beatles’ “Lovely Rita.”
Paul said someone falsely said she inspired the track.
The individual in question was not named Rita.
A vinyl copy of The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
John Lennon was asked if The Beatles‘ “Lovely Rita” was about a real person. During a separate interview, Paul McCartney said someone incorrectly said she inspired the song. Notably, “Lovely Rita” appeared on one of The Beatles’ most famous albums.
John was asked if Rita was real. “Nah!” John replied. “He makes ’em up like a novelist. You hear lots of McCartney-influenced songs on the radio now. These stories about boring people doing boring things: being postmen and secretaries and writing home.”
John contrasted himself with Paul. “I’m not interested in writing third-party songs,” he revealed. “I like to write about me; ’cause I know me.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
George Harrison liked carrying a ukulele banjo around with him at all times because its sound made people laugh. The former Beatle was already so charismatic he didn’t need the instrument to make people feel good. Still, the ukulele banjo allowed him to jam with friends as well.
According to Ukulele magazine, George wouldn’t have fallen in love with the ukulele without George Formby, who popularized the instrument in England in the 1920s. At one point, Formby was the highest-paid performer in the country, and everyone knew about him.
In 1992, George told Timothy White (per George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters) that Formby wasn’t exactly a massive influence on him as a child. However, growing up, he couldn’t escape Formby’s music.
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
There are few things in this life that are permanent. If we were to get technical about our previous statement, we might make exceptions for the changing of seasons or the washing machine’s uncanny ability to hide a sock or two. But truly, what doesn’t pass eventually?
George Harrison believed, at least to some degree, that “All Things Must Pass.”
It’s a comforting and daunting sentiment believing that nothing lasts forever, and Harrison might’ve said it best. So, let’s find out more about Harrison’s famous post-Beatles song “All Things Must Pass.” Read below for the history and meaning of the song… quickly, before this article passes into oblivion.
At its core, the 1970 song is about moving on. For Harrison, this meant a few things, but most prominently it meant moving on from The Beatles after the band’s breakup in April 1970. In an interview with TV show host Dick Cavett in 1971, Harrison expressed his relief about The Beatles’ separating. “That’s what happened, and it was good, but it was also good to carry on [and] do something else. In fact, it was a relief,” he said.
Source: americansongwriter.com
