Beatles News
Fossilizing a part of his body for the ages, Ringo Starr is selling a limited-edition life-size replica of his hand, starting at $2,000.
In partnership with Julien’s Auctions, the signed hand cast figures are available in bronze for $2,000 and stainless steel for $5,000. Stored in a case with a certificate of authenticity, only 250 of each edition will be made available and feature Starr’s longtime adage “Peace & Love” across the base.
Proceeds from the sale of each hand replica will benefit Starr’s Lotus Foundation, which the former Beatle founded with his wife Barbara. The organization supports charitable endeavors around substance abuse, cancer, cerebral palsy, domestic violence, animal welfare, homelessness, and more.
Source: Tina Benitez-Eves/americansongwriter.com
George Harrison fell in love with rock ‘n’ roll as a young teenager. It was like a shock to his system. Then, all he wanted to do with his life was play music. Thankfully, his parents supported him, and he started playing guitar. He joined The Beatles, and the rest is history.
Into the late 1970s, though, George saw a change come over rock ‘n’ roll. Despite believing most music in the 1980s all sounded the same, George said he thought the genre had lasted through the years.
In Here Comes The Sun: The Spiritual And Musical Journey Of George Harrison, Joshua M. Greene wrote, “The music sent shivers down his spine and fueled a desire to join a band. In those days anybody could put a band together. One kid drummed on a washboard, another plunked a broom-handle bass, a third faked chords on guitar, another blew into a gob iron (which was what they called a harmonica), and they dubbed themselves a band.”
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
By 1974, George Harrison was so entrenched in his spiritual journey that he had no choice but to detach himself from friends who weren’t on a similar path. They weren’t the only ones that George separated himself from. He also distanced himself from his first wife, Pattie Boyd.
A few things catapulted George into spirituality. First, he took LSD, which opened his mind up to God-consciousness. Then, he heard Indian music on the set of The Beatles’ Help! Next, he bought a sitar and discovered Ravi Shankar’s music, which he felt sounded familiar.
In 1965, George met Shankar, who immediately wanted to teach George everything he knew. The most important lesson he taught George was that God is sound and that by playing the right notes, one can connect to God.
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
When we look back at The Beatles’ career, it’s only natural that we trace their progress through the groundbreaking albums they made between 1963 and 1969. But that only tells part of the story. The Beatles may have helped shift the focus from singles to long-playing albums, but at the start of their career they were, first and foremost, a band that made phenomenal singles, many of which didn’t actually appear on their albums. With pop music still primarily a singles market in the mid-60s, The Beatles’ singles, then, offer something of a parallel discography: a different lens through which to trace their artistic trajectory.
Source: Paul McGuinness/yahoo.com
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler covered The Beatles’ “Come Together” for a jukebox musical. He met a major musician while recording the cover. Tyler said he transformed into another rock star while recording “Come Together.”
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler covered The Beatles‘ “Come Together” for a musical. He said he met a major celebrity while recording the song. In addition, he called the celebrity “beautiful.”In his 2011 book Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir, Tyler discussed appearing in a movie. “The movie was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” he said. “To be involved in anything that was slightly related to The Beatles was a dream come true.” For context, the film is a jukebox musical based on the Fab Four’s songs. Tyler said the movie was like a new Hindenburg at the box office.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Linda eventually died on April 17, 1998 at the McCartney family ranch in Tucson, Arizona. She was surrounded by McCartney and their four children, Mary, Stella, James and Heather.
Shortly thereafter, Linda was cremated and taken back to England. McCartney spread her ashes on the McCartney family farm in Sussex.
A grief-stricken McCartney released a statement where he revealed his final words to his wife. He told Linda on her deathbed: "You’re up on your beautiful Appaloosa stallion. It’s a fine spring day. We’re riding through the woods. The bluebells are all out, and the sky is a clear blue." He added: "I had barely got to the end of the sentence when she closed her eyes and gently slipped away." McCartney continued: "Our family is so close that her passing has left a huge hole in our lives. We will never get over it, but I think we will come to accept it, total heartbreak."
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
George Harrison, who died 21 years ago from cancer, was a huge supporter of the comedy industry. The Beatles star co-founded HandMade Films which produced classics like Monty Python’s Life of Brian and Withnail and I. It’s hardly surprising then, that he struck up a close friendship with comedians like Sir Billy Connolly. The 80-year-old Scot has some amusing and at times revelatory private conversations with the music legend back in the day.Speaking previously with The Adam Buxton Podcast, Billy said he never had a chance to meet John Lennon, but admitted: “I’m friendly with all the other Beatles. I like George Harrison. He’s not my favourite, none of them is my favourite. I treasure my friendship with them. George was a lovely man. I spent a lot of time with him. A lot more than the other ones. I remember we went for Chinese food in the East End of London and a waiter came out and served us.”
Source: George Simpson/express.co.uk
After The Beatles split in 1970, George Harrison became less conscious of what people thought of his music. He had more confidence in his songs, and consequently, they came across better for him.
In the early days of The Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney appointed themselves the chief songwriters. Neither George nor Ringo Starr ever showed interest. However, that changed.
In 1992, George told Guitar World that he didn’t initially think about writing songs. “To get it straight, if I hadn’t been with John and Paul I probably wouldn’t have thought about writing a song, at least not until much later,” George explained. “They were writing all these songs, many of which I thought were great. Some were just average, but, obviously, a high percentage were quality material. I thought to myself, ‘If they can do it, I’m going to have a go.'”
Source: Hannah Wigandt/cheatsheet.com
John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote a majority of The Beatles’ songs. The two admired each other’s songwriting talents, and they could be envious of one another when one wrote a great track. Lennon revealed one song McCartney wrote that he believes he “should have written.”
The Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo is credited with many of The Beatles’ greatest hits. The two artists collaborated on many iconic songs, including “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Eight Days a Week,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Paperback Writer,” and “Yellow Submarine.” However, the credit could often be misleading as it makes it seem that both contributed equally to the song.
For many songs, Lennon would write the majority of the lyrics and melody, and vice versa for others. Songs like “Yesterday” or “In My Life” featured little contribution from either Lennon or McCartney, despite them being credited as writers. This often led to Lennon and McCartney having to clear up who deserved more credit.
Source: Ross Tanenbaum/cheatsheet.com
Taken from George Harrison’s towering All Things Must Pass album, this beautiful song has the distinction of being the first No.1 single in the UK and America by a former Beatle, as well as being the UK’s biggest selling single of 1971. George wrote the song, but did you know that he was not the first to record “My Sweet Lord”? George gave the song to Billy Preston to include on his September 1970 album, Encouraging Words.Billy’s album included many of the musicians that were bound up in George’s musical world during this period, appearing on All Things Must Pass, including Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle, and Jim Gordon who soon after formed Derek and the Dominos. Bobby Keys and Jim Price play horns, and on Billy’s version of “My Sweet Lord” it’s the distinctive sounds of the Edwin Hawkins singers that provide the backing vocals.
Source: Richard Havers/yahoo.com
