Beatles News
The new music releases year ends with a Beatle, as well as a second drop from Drive-By Truckers and some archival material for last-minute stocking stuffing...
Album of the Week: It’s been 40 years, but Paul McCartney follows 1970′s “McCartney” and 1980′s “McCartney II” with “McCartney III” (Capitol), another entirely solo effort recorded in quarantine at his studio in Sussex, England, using gear that dates back as far as 1971. One track, “When Winter Comes,” hails from the early 90s and was co-produced by the late George Martin.
Album Title of the Week: Meg Myers, “Thank U 4 Taking Me 2 the Disco. I’d Like to Go Home Now” (Sumerian)
Did Ya Know: The self-released “Muscle Memory” is the first solo album ever by 10cc co-founder and Godley & Creme’s Kevin Godley, also known for his music video directing. The crowd-funded set was built from ideas contributed via an online solicitation.
Source: Gary Graff/cleveland.com
Paul McCartney has a tendency to conjure up self-named albums at moments of pressure, like a release valve. The first McCartney came out in 1970 when The Beatles were in their death throes. His soon-to-be ex-bandmates were angry at its timing: they believed McCartney was using the break-up to promote his solo debut. They were also dismissive of the songs. “He’s a good PR man, Paul,” John Lennon jibed.
McCartney II came out a decade later in 1980, after he had been jolted by the anxious experience of 10 days in jail in Japan for cannabis possession. Disillusionment with his band Wings was another spur for making the album. Its quirky experiments with synthesisers and drum machines foretold Wings’ end the following year. Its reception was unfavourable, although it has since acquired a cult following.
Now comes McCartney III. Like its predecessors, it is literally a solo record: McCartney plays all the instruments and does all the vocals. Unlike McCartney or McCartney II, it arrives without any obvious personal or professional drama in his life. This time the pressure lies outside. McCartney made it during the spring lockdown in his East Sussex farmhouse as coronavirus ripped through the world.
Source: ft.com
On December 15, 1969 John Lennon made what would be his final appearance on a UK stage, when the Plastic Ono Band performed their only European show at a Unicef benefit Peace For Christmas concert at the The Lyceum in London.
On the night, which also featured appearances by Desmond Dekker and The Aces, the Young Rascals and more, Lennon and Yoko Ono were backed by an all-star band including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Keith Moon, keyboard players Billy Preston (The Beatles/The Rolling Stones) and Nicky Hopkins (Led Zeppelin/The Rolling Stones) and sax player Bobby Keyes (The Rolling Stones). The group played just two songs - a seven-minute version of Cold Turkey, Lennon’s dark depiction of heroin withdrawal, introduced by the singer with the words “This song’s about pain”, and a mammoth, intense, hard-riffing 40-minute version of Don’t Worry Kyoko, which, according to legend, caused half the Lyceum audience to walk out of the venue, much to Lennon’s amusement.
The singer later described the performance of Don’t Worry Kyoko as “the most fantastic music I’ve ever heard… 20 years ahead of its time”.
Source: Paul Brannigan
The Fab Four had nicknames: the cute one, the quiet one, the smart one, the funny one. The brainy Beatle was also dizzyingly complex, as demonstrated in “The Search for John Lennon: The Life, Loves, and Death of a Rock Star,” which arrives as fans mark the 40th anniversary of his murder in New York on Dec. 8, 1980. Monitor correspondent Randy Dotinga spoke with the book’s author, British rock historian Lesley-Ann Jones, about her deeply perceptive portrait of this brilliant, troubled, not-always-admirable musician.
Q: What surprised you about John Lennon’s life?
I didn’t realize quite how much his songwriting was a blatant cry for help. He’s always trying to claw his way back to his mother. I’ve interviewed many rock stars, and it’s struck me how much these guys tend to have in common. They almost always come to music as an escape. They’ve mostly had dysfunctional childhoods with abuse or abandonment, and there’s a massive void that they’re looking to fill in some way. For the book, I wanted to approach it from a woman’s and a mother’s point of view – bring the small boy John back, see [the world] through a child’s eyes, and try to bring him along with me and understand him at every stage.
Source: Randy Dotinga/csmonitor.com
In a rarely known interview, the late lead guitarist and occasional vocalist of The Beatles, George Harrison opened up about the rumor that he’s the person who turned his bandmates to LSD as he shed a light on the unknown side of the band.
During his little-known conversation with the Creem editors, J. Kordosh and Bill Holdship, the late Beatles legend, George Harrison, clarified the matter about his band’s addiction history. When asked if he had ever felt guilty about being the one who got them used to it, Harrison revealed the fact that it’s not him.
He recalled the time when his dentist invited him, John Lennon, and their ex-wives to a dinner. On that night, Harrison told, the dentist put the acid called, LSD, in their coffee. Got off the drugs from the man who ran Playboy in London, Tim Leary, Harrison’s friend didn’t let the bandmates go without finishing their coffee according to The Beatles icon.
Source: Dilara Onen/metalheadzone.com
A curated collection of instrumentals will make schoolwork just a little more enjoyable, thanks to The Beatles’ enduring hits.
Available now across streaming platforms, The Beatles: Study Songs Vol 1 includes six tracks – all featuring the band’s original instrumental takes. The collection not only offers a soothing backdrop for studying but also introduces a new generation to The Beatles’ unparalleled catalog of music.
The collection opens with “Because,” from 1969’s Abbey Road. The instrumental track features an arpeggiated guitar riff played by John Lennon, backed by Paul McCartney on bass and producer George Martin on harpsichord. Ringo Starr can be heard in the background, guiding the musicians with a faint but steady beat. Missing from this version, in addition to multi-tracked vocals, are distinctly woozy Moog synthesizer lines, as played by George Harrison.
Source: Sophie Smith/udiscovermusic.com
John Lennon didn’t just take influence from Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, he released a No. 1 single inspired by the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and other 1950s artists. In an interview, John explained why he went back to the music of an earlier era for one of his songs. Here’s a look at why this song stands apart from all of John’s other No. 1 hits. Firstly, a little background. The Beatles started as a band obviously influenced by Elvis and other American rock ‘n’ roll artists, however, they evolved into a much more eclectic group. When John left the Fab Four to pursue a solo career, he often went in more avant-garde directions. However, he returned to the world of old-school rock ‘n’ roll for the appropriately-titled album Rock ‘n’ Roll. The album was composed of covers of songs from the 1950s and 1960s.
Source: cheatsheet.com
Disney's animated The Jungle Book movie almost included The Beatles, but the popular band opted out of the planned song. During the 1960s, Walt Disney Animation began work on an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's 1894 book of the same name. The movie ultimately became the final one from Disney that Walt Disney personally worked on prior to his death. Once The Jungle Book was released in theaters in 1967, it became a massive success.
The Jungle Book follows the story of a young boy named Mowgli who was raised in the wilderness by a pack of wolves. Once he is a bit older, Mowgli becomes a possible target of the tiger Shere Khan and is forced to leave the jungle behind to keep everyone else safe. With the help of a bear named Baloo and a black panther named Bagheera, Mowgli begins a journey to a nearby man-village before turning back to save the jungle from Shere Khan. The Jungle Book is regarded as one of many Disney animated classics and includes another popular musical number from Disney's library in "The Bare Necessities." However, The Jungle Book could've included a song from The Beatles.
Source: Cooper Hood/screenrant.com
ERIC CLAPTON married model Pattie Boyd not long after her divorce from The Beatles guitarist George Harrison - but is his song Layla about her?
Eric Clapton was a good friend of The Beatles, especially George Harrison. One person in George’s life also grew close to Eric, his wife Pattie Boyd, who eventually married Eric for a short while. Their relationship was tumultuous, but did Eric write his famous song Layla about Pattie?
It has been suggested one of Eric Clapton’s most famous songs, Layla, is about Pattie, as were many of the love songs he composed after meeting her.
However, Eric has himself spoken about the song, suggesting it is a little less personal.
Eric was given a book by Ian Dallas called The Story of Layla and Majnun, written by Nizami Ganjavi.
Source: Jenny Desborough/express.co.uk
THE BEATLES wrote a massive amount of songs over the years, with the Lennon-McCartney partnership penning a great deal of them. Despite how many iconic tracks Paul McCartney wrote, he once explained which song he wished he had written.
The Beatles have gone down in history with their unbelievable back catalogue of music. The Fab Four sold over 500 million records during their time, with a collection of unforgettable hits such as Strawberry Fields, Come Together, Don’t Let Me Down, and Let It Be. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were responsible for writing a massive amount of the biggest Beatles hits, but one of Sting’s songs stood out to McCartney.
McCartney has been quite open in the past about what songs he enjoys listening to from other artists.
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
