Beatles News
THE BEATLES were devastated in 1967 when their boss and mentor, Brian Epstein, was found dead in his home. His personal assistant has now spoken out about the day he died, noting that George Harrison began consoling those affected by the loss. She attributed the star's caring nature to his meditation sessions.
The Beatles were first discovered by Brian Epstein in 1961. On a lunch break, he walked down the stairs of Liverpool's Cavern Club and saw them playing. He arranged to sign a contract with them as soon as he could.
Epstein fixed the band's image by making them wear suits and get uniform haircuts. Instead of swearing and smoking on stage, he urged them to become polite young men. Before long, they had become the biggest band in the UK.
Disaster struck in 1967 when Epstein was found dead at his home in Belgravia, Central London.
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John Lennon said The Beatles’ The White Album took a long time to complete. John didn’t really like to listen to The Beatles’ classic albums. He didn’t like listening to other artists’ albums, even if they were good.
John Lennon said The Beatles‘ The White Album took a long time to finish. For example, he said he spent eight hours to mix one of the songs on the album. In addition, John revealed why he didn’t listen to his albums for pleasure.
“Are you kidding?” he said. “For pleasure, I would never listen to them.”
John discussed what he thought when he listened to his old albums. “When I hear them, I just think of the session — the 48 hours Paul and I sat up putting The White Album in order until we were going crazy; the eight hours of mixing ‘Revolution 9‘ — whatever. Jesus, we were sitting hours doing the bloody guitars. I remember every detail of the work.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Imagine all the people living in John Lennon’s former family home.
The Liverpool property is up for grabs, headed to a virtual auction, the BBC reported. The three-bedroom house on Blomfield Road is being sold to the highest bidder by Omega Auctions.
Lennon’s mother, Julia, was the main inhabitant of the home, living there from 1950 until her accidental death in 1958. Other residents at the so-called “House of Sin” — dubbed by Lennon’s aunt — included Julia’s husband, John Dykins, and Lennon’s sisters, Julia Baird and Jacqueline Dykins.
Lennon visited the home often, but mostly lived at his aunt’s home on Menlove Avenue. Nevertheless, Lennon and future Beatles member Paul McCartney often rehearsed at the Lennon home with The Quarrymen, the group that spawned the Beatles.
Source: therealdeal.com
George Harrison said he didn’t care if his 1987 album, Cloud Nine, bombed. The former Beatle didn’t release music solely for the fans. He made and released music because he liked doing it. If fans liked it, that was a bonus.
Before starting work on Cloud Nine, George decided he wanted ELO frontman, Jeff Lynne, to help him as co-producer. It was a little ironic, considering George had once called Lynne a Beatles copycat. However, George felt Lynne was perfect for that reason. He wanted someone who knew his music style well.
He invited Lynne over to his home, Friar Park, and then invited him to vacation with him in Australia. George needed to be sure Lynne would be a good songwriting partner. They had to get along, and Lynne passed the test. George then asked Lynne to work with him
on Cloud Nine.
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney and George Harrison met as teenagers and would go on to perform in one of the biggest bands in the world together. McCartney encouraged John Lennon to accept Harrison into his band, The Quarrymen. Harrison looked up to McCartney, but the latter said it was difficult to view his younger bandmate as an adult, even as they aged. This would later create tension in The Beatles.McCartney and Harrison met as students at the Liverpool Institute. Though McCartney was in the grade above Harrison, they rode the bus together as they lived near one another. During the lengthy trips to school, they bonded over their mutual love of music.
Source: Emma McKee
George Harrison said he wasn’t “brilliant” at taking care of his career. Maybe that was because he never considered himself in one his whole life. George never pursued a solo career.
He released All Things Must Pass as a reaction to leaving The Beatles. He had so many songs stockpiled that he had to release them just to move forward. When the triple album did well, he continued making music on his schedule. He didn’t like making music just because the record companies and fans wanted him to.
However, after releasing several albums through the years, George couldn’t deny that he had somewhat of a career and realized he wasn’t good at keeping it afloat.
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
If you’re a fan of a particular era of British rock ’n’ roll, this is the right year to be at the Telluride Film Festival. The festival’s opening day brought onetime photographer Anton Corbijn’s “Squaring the Circle,” which looked at the rock design company Hipgnosis through memories from Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Roger Waters, Noah Gallagher and many others. And it was followed the next afternoon by onetime photographer Mary McCartney’s “If These Walls Could Sing,” which looks at London’s Abbey Road recording studio through memories from, oh, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Roger Waters, Noah Gallagher and many others.
Source: Steve Pond
John Lennon felt one of The Beatles‘ songs was an early heavy metal record. Paul McCartney felt the song was groundbreaking as well, although for different reasons. Notably, the song became a hit twice in the United Kingdom.
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed The Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride.” “It was pretty much a work job that turned out quite well,” he said. “I think the interesting thing was a crazy ending: instead of ending like the previous verse, we changed the tempo. We picked up one of the lines, ‘My baby don’t care,’ but completely altered the melody.”
In Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul said “Ticket to Ride” was innovative. However, he did not claim it was an early heavy metal song.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
The first person who really got George Harrison interested in guitar wasn’t a rock musician. After hearing their music, George begged his mother, Louise, for a beginner’s guitar. Thankfully, she obliged.
After school every day, George turned on the radio. He listened to tunes from Jimmie Rodgers, Big Bill Broonzy, Slim Whitman, and various English music-hall numbers. However, Rodgers made George interested in guitar.
“And my father had some records, and he used to go away to sea, and he brought back this big wind-up gramophone and Jimmie Rodgers records. ‘Waiting for a Train,’ it was called, and ‘Blue Yodel.’ And so I always remember that from when I was a little kid of about eight or seven.
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
George Harrison often discussed his spiritual beliefs.
George Harrison said that political and spiritual leaders hadn’t impressed him.
Ravi Shankar was the first person who impressed George Harrison.
George Harrison had a reputation as the Quiet Beatle, but he wasn’t afraid to share his opinion, even if it was a bit harsh. During a photoshoot that Harrison clearly wasn’t happy to be a part of, he spoke about how difficult he was to impress. He said that being on the cover of a magazine didn’t mean much to him. He also shared that of all the musicians, politicians, and religious leaders he’d met in his life, only one had ever impressed him.
George Harrison often discussed his religious and spiritual beliefs
Harrison rose to global fame as a teenager, and by the time he was in his twenties, he felt weary of his popularity. For him, the antidote to this was spirituality.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
