Beatles News
Noel Gallaher has revealed what happens when two of the biggest names in rock and roll history meet back stage at a gig – they end up talking about flowers.
The 53-year-old Brit Pop star has peeled back the curtains on the first time he ever met rock royalty, Sir Ringo Starr, of the Beatles fame.
Noel and his brother Liam were gobsmacked when the 80-year-old world famous drummer dropped backstage following a performance in their Oasis heyday.
Noel has explained that he was taken by surprise when Sir Ringo started to discuss the power of flowers when they engaged in a conversation.
The Sun quote Noel stating: “He was the only man to ever walk into an Oasis dressing room and get a standing ovation. We said, ‘What are you doing in London?’.
“And he said, ‘I’ve come to the Chelsea Flower Show’.”
Source: Seamus Duff/mirror.co.uk
Multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer Sananda Maitreya joined host Kenneth Womack to talk about his new album "Pandora's PlayHouse," how the Beatles were "ordained by God" and much more on "Everything Fab Four," a podcast co-produced by me and Womack (a music scholar who also writes about pop music for Salon) and distributed by Salon.
Maitreya (formerly known by the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby) had a string of hits in the late '80s from his album "Introducing the Hardline," including "Sign Your Name" and "Wishing Well." But as he tells Ken Womack, his musical journey actually began much earlier. As the son of singer Frances Howard, he was initially only allowed to listen to gospel music — that is, until the Beatles arrived in the U.S. in 1964.
"Songs like 'She Loves You' and 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' were so ubiquitous," he says. "I was spiritually awakened. I wanted to be a Beatle." He also explains to Womack that one of the reasons he wanted to guest on "Everything Fab Four" was to "unburden my great debt to them. I'm very, very grateful they showed up."
Source: salon.com
One of modern music history’s best-known accounts of what could have been, Pete Best was The Beatles‘ first drummer.
Best was dropped from the band by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison on the cusp of their spectacular fame in 1962. Once they hit it big, he remained firmly in their rear-view mirror, never sharing in or receiving any of the fortune The Beatles amassed from their music or merchandising.
That changed at the release of a recording by the band, when Best was awarded royalties many believe he had coming for years.
Lennon’s take on why Best was fired
Lennon, the band’s rhythm guitarist and founder, wasn’t one to mince words regardless of occasion or possible offense.
According to Starr biographer Michael Seth Starr (no relation) in Ringo Starr: With a Little Help, Lennon firmly made clear why Best was let go — and it had nothing to do with his looks.
Source: cheatsheet.com
When The Beatles were just starting out they were extremely popular. Although their fame had only taken hold of Great Britain during the early 1960s, they were still being chased down by their rabid fans. This meant that when the likes of Paul McCartney and John Lennon checked into hotels they were forced to use fake names to avoid any unwanted notice. It was one of these names that brought about one of the first punk rock bands of all time, the Ramones.
Each of the Ramones' members adopted the surname Ramone as a tribute to Paul.
One of the band's founding members, drummer Marky Ramone, recalled the story years later in an interview.
He said the inspiration came from the band's bassist, Dee Dee Ramone.
He revealed: "The Beatles used to tour … before they were The Beatles, they were called The Silver Beatles, and all the girls running after them, even the guys."
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
Sir Ringo Starr says The Beatles were the best band in the world because of their "psychic" connection.
The iconic Liverpool group's drummer has insisted no other act can top the 'Hey Jude' hitmakers - which was also made up of Sir Paul McCartney and the late John Lennon and George Harrison - because they shared a telepathic bond when performing live.
Speaking on SiriusXM, he said: "When we were playing together as a band, we were the best band in the land.
"I don't care what anyone says. We knew each other and it was like psychic.
"I would be playing drums with my eyes closed and the headphones on and would know John was going to go somewhere.
"I'd drum in that and hold it together while they went mad and then bring it back."
Ringo previously revealed he nearly missed out on being one of The Beatles because he'd planned to move to America.
Source: crowrivermedia.com
In the book titled Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, written by Kenneth Womack, the author reveals a strategy behind Beatles records.
Martin and the band decided to have Ringo sing one song on every Beatles album. And it wasn't just to be nice to Ringo. In the first wave of Beatlemania, Ringo was the most popular Beatle.
Years ago, comedian Mitzi McCall and her husband Charlie Brill were a comedy team called McCall & Brill. They were a nightclub act that finally got a big break to be on the Ed Sullivan Show. But that big break happened on February 9th, 1964 - the historic night the Beatles also appeared.
The comedy team came on right before the Fab Four's second set that night, but they couldn't hear each other while performing their sketch because the 14-year-old fans were screaming for the Beatles.
Seventy-three million people watched that night. It was their big opportunity - and no one remembered McCall & Brill. Their agent didn't call them again for six months after that. They say they never watch the video of that night.
Source: CBC Radio
Legendary musician Paul McCartney has had an incredible career, and he's still writing and performing at the age of 78. That doesn't come naturally: There's a lot that goes into maintaining a healthy lifestyle that promotes longevity. Recently, McCartney discussed a strange exercise that he's been doing for years. Both Paul and his daughter, Mary McCartney, say this one technique has helped keep a key body part healthy over the years. There's even a video of Paul demonstrating the exercise on YouTube. Read on to find out what routine this music icon swears by.
Source: Allie Hogan/bestlifeonline.com
The Beatles influenced a lot of classic rock musicians. However, one took this influence even further. A famous rock star admitted to Rolling Stone that he “stole” a number of Beatles’ riffs. Here’s what he said about The Beatles — and here’s a look at his collaborations with Paul McCartney.
Rolling Stone released their list of the 100 greatest Beatles songs. It includes a lot of famous songs like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “A Day in the Life” as well as less prominent songs like “I’ve Got a Feeling.” In addition, it begins with an introductory essay that reveals something very notable about a talented rock star.
Elvis Costello wrote the essay, in which he discusses The Beatles’ influence on other groups. “The word ‘Beatlesque’ has been in the dictionary for quite a while now,” he noted. “You hear them in Harry Nilsson’s melodies; in Prince’s Around the World in a Day; in the hits of ELO and Crowded House and in Ron
Source: cheatsheet.com
Fans of John Lennon and Yoko Ono over in the US will be pleased to hear that the documentary 24 Hours: The World of John and Yoko is now available on Amazon Prime Video US.
The mini-documentary first aired on the BBC back in 1969 and this will be the first time that it has been made available online via Amazon’s Coda Collection.
Perhaps one of the most remarkable things about the documentary is simply that it is now over half a century old, a fact that the official logline was quick to state: “Last seen more than 50 years ago, and having aired just once on TV, this intimate documentary – captured over a five-day period – shows a day in the life of John and Yoko while Lennon was still a member of The Beatles, controversies raged and activism became a central concern in the couple’s everyday reality.”
Source: Tom Taylor/faroutmagazine.co.uk
It’s rare these days to come across any Beatles-related content that can be described as “new.” More than 50 years after they broke up, it can feel like every video clip, photo and interview connected to the Fab Four has already been unearthed and dissected. But while 24 Hours: The World of John and Yoko, streaming now via The Coda Collection, isn’t exactly brand new, it’s pretty damn close — the half-hour BBC special only aired once, on Dec. 15, 1969, and it’s now available to watch online for the first time.
Directed by Paul Morrison, the cinéma vérité-style documentary actually spans five days (despite its name), following John Lennon and Yoko Ono at Lennon’s Tittenhurst Park estate, Abbey Road Studios and the Apple Records offices in London as they work on their campaign to promote peace. We’re gifted with behind-the-scenes glimpses of the couple, whether they’re intimate moments (like when we see them waking up and drinking tea in bed) or more mundane business decisions (trying to decide how many “War Is Over” posters and billboards is enough).
The one thing that 24 Hours: The World of John and Yoko really hammers home is how savvy Lennon was with the press. (How could he not be after nearly a decade of being in the most popular band in the world?) In his mind, he was selling the concept of peace. “The campaign hasn’t been going as long as Coca-Cola’s or Shell, and the identification symbols aren’t as well known,” he says at one point. “It’s going to take us a few years for them to know when we say ‘peace’ what it means.”
Source: Bonnie Stiernberg /insidehook.com
