Beatles News
As the quiet Beatle, there’s no secret that George Harrison’s talent took some time to shine. But, as The Beatles came to an end, the time for Harrison to shine had arrived. And that was especially obvious by the time of ‘Abbey Road‘. A former Beatles Engineer confirms that by the end, Harrison had grown ‘ultra-confident’.
The other Beatles always ignored George
Despite growing as a musician, George Harrison had a hard time convincing John Lennon and Paul McCartney to include more of his tracks in their LPs. In the initial albums, he barely got one song, but as his talents blossomed, he was no longer content with just one or two songs in the album.
It was so tough for Harrison that even while recording Let It Be, he only got 4 minutes’ worth of material. George recorded songs like “All Things Must Pass,” “Let It Down,” and “Hear Me Lord“, but McCartney and Lennon ignored all three of them. Of course, these songs ended up becoming famous hits when Harrison released them in his solo albums.
Source:Ali Arslan Ahmed/ dankanator.com
If you played guitar in The Beatles, you had competition. George Harrison, the lead guitarist throughout the Fab Four’s run, didn’t always get to take the solos on the group’s records. At times, the very skilled Paul McCartney would step in and drop a solo.
Paul showcased his guitar chops on tracks such as “Taxman” and “Drive My Car.” Then there was rhythm guitarist John Lennon. John took his share of solos over the years too, including a memorable one on the hit “Get Back” single.
But like his fellow Beatles George had other interests besides guitar playing. By late ’65, George had developed his songwriting craft to the point where he was getting two Harrison tracks (minimum) per album. And he began his deep exploration into Indian music around this same period.
During that time, George devoted so much time to the sitar that he mostly set his guitar aside. It wasn’t until about three years later that he picked up a guitar again seriously. And at that point he gravitated toward slide work.
Source: cheatsheet.com
If you played guitar in The Beatles, you had competition. George Harrison, the lead guitarist throughout the Fab Four’s run, didn’t always get to take the solos on the group’s records. At times, the very skilled Paul McCartney would step in and drop a solo.
Paul showcased his guitar chops on tracks such as “Taxman” and “Drive My Car.” Then there was rhythm guitarist John Lennon. John took his share of solos over the years too, including a memorable one on the hit “Get Back” single.
But like his fellow Beatles George had other interests besides guitar playing. By late ’65, George had developed his songwriting craft to the point where he was getting two Harrison tracks (minimum) per album. And he began his deep exploration into Indian music around this same period.
During that time, George devoted so much time to the sitar that he mostly set his guitar aside. It wasn’t until about three years later that he picked up a guitar again seriously. And at that point he gravitated toward slide work.
Source: cheatsheet.com
The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is considering one of the greatest albums of all time. But did you know that one track by Paul McCartney was specifically written for Frank Sinatra? Well it turns out it was When I’m Sixty-Four.
According to The Beatles’ Anthology, Paul said: “When I wrote When I’m Sixty Four I thought I was writing a song for Sinatra.
“I wrote [that] when I was sixteen. It was rather tongue-in-cheek and I never forgot it.
“I wrote When I’m Sixty Four vaguely thinking it would come in handy in a musical comedy or something.”
While Sinatra never sang When I’m Sixty Four, he did cover McCartney’s famous track Yesterday.
Source: George Simpson/express.co.uk
It was Paul McCartney's 22nd birthday. Sydney Stadium was the venue. About 20, 000 wildly ecstatic fans made it his night - and turned the Beatles' performance into a deafening celebration.
Birthday presents rained on Paul McCartney throughout the Beatles' two Sydney Stadium concerts last night. About 20, 000 wildly ecstatic fans made it Paul's night – yesterday was his 22nd birthday – and turned the performances into a deafening celebration.As the stadium filled with the pulsing sound of Beatles music and a fanatical chorus of teenage squeals, young girls ran down aisles to toss birthday gifts at Paul's feet. Jelly baby sweets rained from the ringside. A bouquet of roses and several single flowers joined the presents, which included a toy koala, a boomerang and a large wrapped box.
Source: smh.com.au
While Paul McCartney will no longer be performing in Italy this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, he’s using his voice to speak out and ensure that ticketholders will receive refunds.
Originally, McCartney was scheduled to perform in Naples and Lucca this week, however, last month, the gigs were called-off due to safety concerns. Although the gigs were cancelled, promoter Assomusica only offered ticketholders vouchers, rather than refunds. This sparked outrage online, as fans called on the promoter – as well as McCartney – to do something.
According to Variety, McCartney released a statement in Italian on his Facebook page, noting that it is “outrageous that those who have paid for their tickets are not getting their money back.”
Source: Olivia Perreault/ticketnews.com
A road sign for Penny Lane, made famous by The Beatles, after it was vandalized following perceived links with slave trader James Penny, in Liverpool, England.Peter Byrne/PA via AP
The UK street that inspired The Beatles hit “Penny Lane” may be forced to change its name — over fears it was a tribute to a notorious slave trader, local officials admitted Monday.
Protesters had already vandalized signs for the Liverpool street — changing it to “Racist Lane” — over unproven theories that it was named after 18th-century slave merchant James Penny, Sky News says.
Source: Lee Brown/nypost.com
The family of legendary sound engineer Geoff Emerick is going to court with Universal Music Group over ownership of a recording of one of The Beatles' first-ever studio sessions.
The early "Love Me Do" session from June 6, 1962, predates drummer Ringo Starr's inclusion in the band. The recording, however, was deemed by record company EMI to not be good enough.
Emerick — a teenager at the time he engineered the session — was ordered to destroy the tape. Instead, he kept it up until his death in 2018.
The tape is believed to be worth over $6 million.
UMG, which took over EMI in 2012, want the tape returned to their possession. Arguments are set to begin on Tuesday, reports The Sun.
Source: hauraki.co.nz
Eric Clapton was married to Pattie Boyd for some time, though their marriage was filled with Clapton’s infidelities and abuse, both of which he has admitted. Before their time together, however, Boyd was with another famous guitarist – George Harrison of the Beatles.
George Harrison met young model Pattie Boyd in 1964 when Boyd was cast as a schoolgirl, aged 19, in the movie A Hard Day’s Night, one of the Beatles films.
The pair married on January 21, 1966, with Sir Paul McCartney serving as best man.
Boyd accompanied Harrison on his early trips to India, as the guests of Ravi Shankar, and soon the couple made regular returns to India as Harrison became interested in Transcendental Meditation.
Source: Jenny Desborough/express.co.uk
If you tried to rank every album by The Beatles, you’d find the most agreement at the top of the list. When fans, critics, musicians, and Paul McCartney himself weighed in on the Fab Four’s best work in the past, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) has often claimed the top spot.
That choice makes sense for a number of reasons. For starters, it’s the album with “A Day in the Life,” a consensus pick for greatest Beatles song. Meanwhile, Sgt. Pepper’s topped the list of “500 Greatest Albums” when Rolling Stone polled musicians, experts, and industry types on the subject.
But in 2011 Rolling Stone tried it a different way: They simply asked readers to name their favorite Beatles album. And in that poll Sgt. Pepper’s didn’t make the same splash. (It landed in fourth place.) Both Abbey Road (1969) and The White Album (1968) came in ahead of Pepper.
Source: cheatsheet.com
