Beatles News
Music historian Gary Wenstrup delivered an in-depth and nuanced portrait of the start, development, growth and breakup of the Beatles at the Tuesday, April 26 Levy Lecture to an online crowd of nearly 300 people. He bolstered his slides and narration with video clips of interviews with and about the band, in addition to excerpts of songs. It was a ’60s lovefest from start to finish.The Fab Four – Paul McCartney on bass guitar, John Lennon on rhythm guitar, George Harrison as lead guitar and Ringo Starr on drums – got their start in Liverpool, England, and their musical influences from American rhythm and blues bands. Wenstrup is an unabashed fan of the Beatles. He considers them to be total originals and cited some of the ways they were, and are, unique.
Source: Wendi Kromash/evanstonroundtable.com
Even though The Beatles are one of the world’s best-known rock bands, Ringo Starr confirmed that America and England were the group’s ‘biggest part’ of their world. Here’s what he said in the Disney+ special The Beatles: Get Back.
Even years after the “Get Back” group disbanded, fans got new Beatles content. Several hours of unseen footage was finally released thanks to the Disney+ original documentary series The Beatles: Get Back.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr wrote and rehearsed music for their upcoming live performance in this production. That included new tracks “Get Back,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “One After 909,” and “Dig a Pony.”
Source: cheatsheet.com
In the late 1980s, George Harrison put together The Traveling Wilburys, a band that included Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison. The famous artists wanted a chance to make music for fun. After recording their first album, Orbison died. The band mourned the loss, but Harrison also shared some dark words with Petty.
Petty became a musician because of The Beatles, so Harrison’s offer to play in The Traveling Wilburys thrilled him. To Petty’s surprise, the two men also became fast friends.
“I was surprised he liked me that much,” he told Rolling Stone in 2014. “He was immediately a hangout pal. That was awkward. I’d tell him, ‘How do we deal with this? You’re a Beatle.’ He’d be like, ‘Yeah, whatever. That was a long time ago.'”
Petty said that he hadn’t realized how much he needed a figure like Harrison in his life.
Source: cheatsheet.com
"I am thankful to Paul [McCartney] for writing it and putting some hope behind what was to come," Julian Lennon said of The Beatles' 1968 hit on a recent episode of the SiriusXM radio show Debatable
On a recent episode of the SiriusXM Volume radio show Debatable, the 59-year-old singer-songwriter spoke in-depth about The Beatles' 1970 hit — written for him at five years old by Paul McCartney amid his parents John and Cynthia Lennon's separation — and how it inspired his new album, Jude.
Source: Jack Irvin /people.com
In hindsight, it's incredible that Paul McCartney actually finished his third solo album, "Tug of War." He was in the middle of recording it at the George Martin-founded AIR Studios London in December 1980 when his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon was killed in New York City. After (understandably) taking a recording break, he finished "Tug of War" in 1981, moving locations to AIR Studios Montserrat for more privacy.
Surprisingly, McCartney ended up heading to the studio in London in the direct aftermath of the terrible news about Lennon's death. That day, he worked on "Rainclouds," which ended up as the b-side of "Ebony And Ivory." The December session wasn't necessarily productive, although it provided a refuge from press and offered familiarity at a time of great grief.
For McCartney, recording music had long represented solace in times of great turmoil.
Source: Annie Zaleski/salon.com
According to Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney was more than just a great songwriter. The Beatles’ drummer mentioned that he could watch McCartney play the piano for an hour, saying that his bandmate was “great” at the instrument.
As one of the biggest rock bands of all time, The Beatles were a four-piece band from England comprised of John Lennon, McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
McCartney appeared as a songwriter, vocalist, bass player, and even pianist for this band. His piano-playing skills were highlighted in behind-the-scenes footage released on Disney’s streaming platform.
Source: cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney recalled writing Beatles songs with John Lennon in his bedroom. At the time, Paul didn’t analyze the meaning of one of The Beatles’ songs. Subsequently, Paul wondered if John may have written the song about his mother.In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul said he and John used to spend time together in John’s bedroom. They used to listen to Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis songs together. Paul said these memories make him nostalgic.“It’s a lovely thought to think of a friend’s bedroom then,” Paul said. “A young boy’s bedroom is such a comfortable place, like my son’s bedroom is now; he’s got all his stuff that he needs: a candle, guitar, a book.”
Source: cheatsheet.com
John Lennon had an interesting time during The Beatles‘ trip to India in 1968, but he missed Yoko Ono. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement, invited the group to his annual retreat reserved for Westerners at his ashram in Rishikesh.
When John wasn’t meditating for days on end, writing countless songs, and taking helicopter rides with Maharishi, hoping he’d slip him “the answer,” John was constantly going to and from the post office hoping to find the latest letter from Yoko Ono.
It’s a good thing John decided not to bring his wife, Cynthia, and Yoko.
Source: cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney revealed John Lennon created the intro of The Beatles’ “I Feel Fine” by accident when he hit something with his guitar.
Paul explained why the guitar was named after The Everly Brothers.“I Feel Fine” became an international hit.
The Beatles‘ classic hit “I Feel Fine” opens with an unusual sound. In a book, Paul McCartney revealed John Lennon created that sound by accident when his guitar hit something. Subsequently, The Beatles had a strong reaction to the sound. In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul recalled John used a “semi-acoustic Gibson guitar.” “John and George both had them; we used to call them ‘Everly Brothers’ because they were very similar to the ones The Everly Brothers had used and we liked the Everlys a lot,” Paul recalled.
Source: cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney said Ringo Starr inspired the title of The Beatles’ movie A Hard Day’s Night.
The title of the film was chosen for a specific reason. The film’s title song became a huge hit.
Ringo Starr said something after a concert that blew Paul McCartney and John Lennon away. Subsequently, his words inspired The Beatles’ movie A Hard Day’s Night and its title song. The song became a chart phenomenon.In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed Ringo. “Ringo would do these little malapropisms, he would say things slightly wrong, like people do, but his were always wonderful, very lyrical, very Lewis Carroll, lovely,” Paul said. “They were sort of magic even though he was just getting it wrong.”
Source: cheatsheet.com
