Beatles News
John Lennon was very open about his feelings towards other artists’ music. He once revealed The Beatles would listen to certain artists who made them feel very hip because they were so obscure. Here’s a look into those artists’ careers — and whether they truly were obscure or not.
In a 1970s interview with Rolling Stone, Jann S. Wenner asked John about his feelings towards America. John had some kind things to say about the country, but he said The Beatles’ looked down on the nation in their early days. “You tend to get nationalistic, and we would really laugh at America, except for its music.” He then praised two American artists.
“[We] felt very exclusive and underground in Liverpool, listening to Richie Barrett and Barrett Strong, and all those old-time records,” John revealed. “Nobody was listening to any of them except Eric Burdon in Newcastle and Mick Jagger in London. It was that lonely, it was fantastic. When we came over here and it was the same – nobody was listening to rock ‘n’ roll or to Black music in America – we felt as though we were coming to the land of its origin but nobody wanted to know about it.”
Source: cheatsheet.com
For this reader, when Brown tells one of the Beatle stories I’ve heard many times and now adds information I didn’t know — or the telling detail that was missing for 50 years — the book is an utter delight. I knew the Beatles were introduced to LSD by their dentist, but now I know exactly who that guy was and how that night unfolded (if you can trust a 55-year-old account from people who were tripping for the first time). The Dylan-turns-them-on-to-pot-for-the-first-time scene, which all Beatlephiles know, also comes to life now in a way it never had before. As does George’s visit to Haight-Ashbury in ’67, which I’d always seen rendered as disillusioning, but according to Brown was life-threatening. I knew the Beatles had their sexual awakening in seamy postwar Hamburg, but I didn’t know that John and Paul actually watched George lose his virginity. This band was tight!
According to Brown, John hit on both Jane Asher before she was with Paul, and on Pattie Boyd while she was with George. Wow. And how fascinating to find out that the famous picture of the Beatles in Miami with the not-yet-champ Muhammad Ali is kind of a lie: It’s not a photo-preserved moment of the rebellious youths of their day recognizing kindred spirits in each other. The Beatles didn’t like Ali (then Clay) at all, and had wanted to pose with the champ, Sonny Liston — and Ali didn’t like them either.
Source: leafypage.com
The Beatles came to an end in 1970. After just over ten years of working together, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison split somewhat acrimoniously, kickstarting the beginning of their own separate solo albums. A decade later, on December 8, 1980, John was murdered in New York by Mark David Chapman.
This weekend saw various celebrations on radio and TV marking the anniversary of the Beatle star’s anniversary.
To commemorate the life and legacy of the exceptional talent, John’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, sat down to listen to some of his best music, and discuss some of the behind-the-scenes stories of the star.
During his chat with Apple Music’s George Stroumboulopoulos – Strombo – Sean explained how one album in particular was difficult for him to listen to even today.
Double Fantasy was the fifth and final album released by John and Yoko Ono.
Source: True Hollywood Talk/truehollywoodtalk.com
Some of John Lennon's most memorable songs are being made available to creators on the app TikTok.
The Lennon estate partnered with TikTok to bring Lennon's music to the platform in celebration of what would've been his 80th birthday. Lennon was born on October 9, 1940.
TikTok put together a dedicated playlist of some of his best solo songs: "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)," "Imagine," "Mind Games," "Beautiful Boy," "Woman," "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," "Give Peace a Chance," "Stand By Me," "Nobody Told Me," "Remember" and "Gimme Some Truth."
The company also launched a global challenge with the hashtag #GimmeSomeTruth, which was a protest song released in 1971 featuring former Beatles bandmate George Harrison on guitar.
"We're super excited to launch my dad's official TikTok account and cannot wait to see what his fans all over the world create using his music and his message of peace and love," Sean Ono Lennon said of his father's music launching on TikTok in a statement.
Source: cbs58.com
Mustaches have gone in and out of style for centuries. Some consider them powerful and masculine, while others consider them downright silly. Today we even have a fake mustache trend where people joke about the look by holding up paper cutouts of a mustache or draw a mustache shape on their inner finger to hold up to their face.
We love to laugh about a character twisting his mustache “handlebars,” but this isn’t a new phenomenon.
At one time the Beatles wore mustaches and even made it into a joke by providing mustache cutouts to their fans. However, the 60s trend almost didn’t happen. Here’s the story of the accidental reason the Beatles decided to grow a mustache.
Source: cheatsheet.com
The Beatles set in motion a major change in the music world when fans became utterly obsessed with the group. Beatlemania really did take over the world, making it seem shocking the group was not signed straight away. In fact, they were rejected more than once, as was revealed in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk.
According to Paul Endacott, the head of Music Heritage London, George Harrison helped The Rolling Stones get signed by Decca, despite them having their own difficult time with the record label.
In fact, in what Paul called a “little known story,” he revealed The Beatles had tried a number of times to get signed, even to the extent they were turned down by EMI, the label which eventually signed them.
Paul revealed The Beatles manager Brian Epstein tried with EMI and Decca Records to sign his band, but they were turned down until he tried once more with EMI.
Source: Jenny Desborough/express.co.uk
John Lennon pulled no punches when he talked about other members of The Beatles. John revealed his favorite song by George Harrison. In addition, John had some harsh words for George’s talents. Here’s a look at whether the public agreed with his assessment of George’s best work.
Perhaps the most comprehensive look into John’s mind is Jann S. Wenner’s 1971 book Lennon Remembers. The lengthy interview sees John talking about his life, his worldview, and his contemporaries — include the other former Beatles. John had quite a bit to say after Wenner asked him to evaluate George as an artist.
“I don’t want to assess him,” John admitted. “George has not done his best work yet. His talents have developed over the years and he was working with two f*cking brilliant songwriters, and he learned a lot from us.
Source: cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, are sending birthday wishes to their late band mate John Lennon, who would've turned 80 today.
McCartney tweeted a photo of him and John in the late 1960s smiling together as they collaborated in the studio, along with a note that reads, "I love this picture, it reminds me of the bond between us. Happy 80th John. Love Paul."
As for Starr, he posted an image of a photo and him and his wife, Barbara, propped up on a shelf with some Lennon memorabilia. The accompanying message to John and his family members reads: "Let's celebrate John's 80th birthday with come together Friday, 9 October I still miss you man peace and love to Yoko Sean and Julian."
A variety of other tributes are being shared throughout the day at JohnLennon.com, including messages from Yoko Ono, Julian Lennon, Olivia and Dhani Harrison, Yes drummer Alan White, Klaus Voormann and more.
Source: ABC Audio/933thedrive.com
During his all-too-short lifetime, Lennon reinvented popular music with the Beatles and later as a solo artist. His genius was behind such songs as "Come Together", "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Imagine". At times, he was a controversial figure: Off-handedly saying his band was "More popular than Jesus" in 1966 and protesting war by staging a pair of weeklong Bed-Ins for Peace in 1969 with wife Yoko Ono. He's remembered as one of the most influential figures of pop culture.
In honor of what would have been Lennon's 80th birthday, we've compiled 80 quotes and lyrics attributed to the late rock icon.
Enjoy, and remember.
On the Beatles
"We're not Beatles to each other, you know. It's a joke to us. If we're going out the door of the hotel, we say, 'Right! Beatle John! Beatle George now! Come on, let's go!' We don't put on a false front or anything." — Look, 1966
"Paul (McCartney) and I made a deal when we were 15. There was never a legal deal between us, just a deal we made when we decided to write together that we put both our names on it, no matter what." — Playboy, published in 1981
"I said we were more popular than Jesus, which is a fact." — Look, 1966
Source: usatoday.com
During his all-too-short lifetime, Lennon reinvented popular music with the Beatles and later as a solo artist. His genius was behind such songs as "Come Together", "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Imagine". At times, he was a controversial figure: Off-handedly saying his band was "More popular than Jesus" in 1966 and protesting war by staging a pair of weeklong Bed-Ins for Peace in 1969 with wife Yoko Ono. He's remembered as one of the most influential figures of pop culture.
In honor of what would have been Lennon's 80th birthday, we've compiled 80 quotes and lyrics attributed to the late rock icon.
Enjoy, and remember.
On the Beatles
"We're not Beatles to each other, you know. It's a joke to us. If we're going out the door of the hotel, we say, 'Right! Beatle John! Beatle George now! Come on, let's go!' We don't put on a false front or anything." — Look, 1966
"Paul (McCartney) and I made a deal when we were 15. There was never a legal deal between us, just a deal we made when we decided to write together that we put both our names on it, no matter what." — Playboy, published in 1981
"I said we were more popular than Jesus, which is a fact." — Look, 1966
Source: usatoday.com
