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After The Beatles went their separate ways, some bad blood lingered among the former bandmates. And you saw it quickly get heated between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. On top of trading barbs in the music press, the old pals took some cracks at one another on their solo albums.

Paul took the first shot in his Ram (1971) album with a track titled “Too Many People.” With the line, “You took your lucky break and broke it in too,” he was making a clear reference to John’s relationship with Yoko Ono. And Paul did the same with the line “too many people preaching practices.”

John wasn’t going to let those statements go unanswered. And when writing songs for Imagine (1971) he saved a few haymakers for his lifelong friend. John put them all into “How Do You Sleep?,” a track which featured none other than George Harrison on slide guitar.

Source: cheatsheet.com

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Ringo Starr’s 80th birthday is coming up on July 7th, and we’re celebrating with an in-depth conversation on the latest episode of the Rolling Stone Interview: Special Edition video series. “Man, I’m only 24 in here,” Starr says, pointing to his head. “And I’m still doing what I love to do. I’m still in the music business.”

In the interview, Starr talks about his longevity (one secret: “broccoli with everything and blueberries in the morning”); life in isolation (“I haven’t left the house in 11 weeks now”); hanging out with Keith Moon and John Bonham (“that’s two handfuls”); the early years of his solo career; Peter Jackson’s upcoming Let It Be-era Beatles documentary; missing George Harrison and John Lennon; and playing “Helter Skelter” on stage with Paul McCartney last year for the first time since he recorded it.

Starr also discussed Ringo’s Big Birthday Show, a virtual charity concert that will hit YouTube at 8 p.m. EST July 7th. The show will include a mix of at-home performances and unseen concert footage from Paul McCartney,

Source: Brian Hiatt/rollingstone.com

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In our recent Happy Birthday Paul McCartney series, we did a story on his song “Two Of Us,” which is not celebrated as much as many of his songs. Despite its greatness.

So we posed the question: Do you have a favorite McCartney song you feel has been uncelebrated compared to the rest? What follows are answers we received. A wide and wonderful selection. Thank you.

But first my personal nomination to start this, “Save Us,” produced by Paul Epworth from New, 2013. Is this not great?

Paul McCartney, “Save Us”

Earl Grey
Favorite non-celebrated Macca song has to be “Beware My Love.”

“Beware My Love.”

Rich Ulloa
My favorite Paul song is “Two of Us” and my favorite “non-celebrated song would be “Goodbye,” recorded by Mary Hopkin.

Source: Paul Zollo/americansongwriter.com

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Sir Paul McCartney’s first wife Linda was one who joined him in a huge number of endeavours. She was a member of the band Wings, and also joined him in his vegetarianism. Beatles fans were united against John Lennon’s partner, Yoko Ono – but did Linda get the same treatment?

Sir Paul met Linda Eastman, a music photographer, in 1967 at a Georgie Fame concert, where her “pushiness” worked a treat.

In Harry’s book, Linda was quoted as saying: “I was quite shameless really. I was with somebody else... and I saw Paul at the other side of the room.

“He looked so beautiful that I made up my mind I would have to pick him up.”

The pair were married in 1969, but the wedding was almost derailed according to Sir Paul.

Source: Jenny Desborough/express.co.uk

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When you wade into debates pitting The Beatles against The Rolling Stones, the first order of business isn’t usually the guitar players. Though both Keith Richards and George Harrison rank among the best on their instrument, they worked perfectly within the confines of their respective bands.

In other words, you didn’t listen to The Beatles just to hear George play guitar, and the same went for Richards and the Stones. But it’s hard to imagine either band without these essential players on lead guitar.

Looking back on the work of George in The Beatles (and beyond), Richards spoke of how George’s style differed from that of guitar gods like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Richards loved George’s understated, exacting approach most of all.

Source: cheatsheet.com

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While some athletes and other celebrities have decided that they will "take a knee" while the national anthem is played at various events, now other activists, historians and journalists have actually suggested that the Star Spangled Banner be permanently replaced. The above is a copy of sheet music of :The Star-Spangled Banner" printed in 1815. Photo Credit: Library of Congress

It seems that the counter culturalists have now revved up their anti-American agenda but this time it takes a way different form than calling for the toppling of monuments and statues that offend certain folks.

While some athletes and other celebrities have decided that they will “take a knee” while the national anthem is played at various events, now other activists, historians and journalists have actually suggested that the Star Spangled Banner be permanently replaced. The reason, you ask? Because they claim that the author of the iconic anthem, Francis Scott Key was a slave owner. And therefore, the further assert, such an anthem will not resonate with black Americans and other minorities.

Source: thejewishvoice.com

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If you hoped The Beatles would maintain the optimism and love songs approaching Revolver (1966), you may need felt reassured by a couple of music titles. With “Good Day Sunshine,” you’d rightfully anticipate some old style Paul McCartney optimism. And “Love You To” needed to sound promising.

But there was one other title towards the tip that certainly would have caught your eye: “Got to Get You Into My Life.” That needed to be a love music, didn’t it?Well, it was, solely Paul was singing about marijuana, not a residing particular person. In reality, Paul later referred to the monitor as “an ode to pot.”

The odes to pot didn’t finish with Revolver. When followers picked up Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band the next yr, they heard Paul sing of getting “a smoke” earlier than he “went into a dream” (in “A Day in the Life“). And “I love to turn you on” sounded drug-inspired to these within the know.

Source: Jeremy Spirogis/sahiwal.tv

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The Beatles met in Liverpool but travelled the world together with their music. Of course, lots of time spent in close proximity can bring people together, or it can cause arguments and resentments. Certainly, there were public fall outs between members, including George Harrison and John Lennon.
Were George Harrison and John Lennon friends?

By the time of Lennon’s death, the performers were friends, according to most reports.

However, while their friendship seemed to heal over time, it certainly had its ups and downs.

One of the things which brought out arguments between them was the presence of Lennon’s second wife, Yoko Ono, in the Beatles' recording sessions.

In a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon said: “You can quote Paul, it’s probably in the papers, he said it many times at first he hated Yoko and then he got to like her.

Source: Jenny Desborough/express.co.uk

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John Lennon had lots to say about other people’s music. Sometimes he did his best to try to knock an artist off a pedestal. Other times, he drew attention to artists he liked who’d fallen off the radar.

Some Beatles fans get introduced to bands because John praised them. In some interviews, John strongly praised a group called Rosie and the Originals. He said they made one of his favorite songs.
John was inspired by 1950s rock ‘n’ roll. As a solo artist, he made a tribute album to that era of music simply called Rock ‘n’ Roll. According to Billboard, his girlfriend, May Pang, noted that the album included covers of songs by male icons like Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Holly. Subsequently, Pang asked John why the album didn’t include any songs by women and mentioned he could cover “Angel Baby” by Rosie and the Originals.

Source: cheatsheet.com

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The Beatles' September 1964 appearance at Jacksonville, Florida's Gator Bowl was historic in more ways than one. As Beatlemania rolled across the United States during the band's first American tour, Florida had been ravaged by Hurricane Dora, leaving many residents without electricity in the storm's wake. But the lasting story that month involved the Beatles' steadfast dismissal of the practices of systemic segregation that typified that era, particularly in the American South.

By that juncture, key forces were in play that would begin turning the tide on institutional racism. Only a few months earlier, as the landmark Civil Rights Act made its way through Congress, Martin Luther King, Jr., led nightly marches across St. Augustine, Florida, in protest against ongoing segregation in area schools. At the same time, there were hopeful signs of change in the offing. Later that year, King would earn a much-deserved Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent resistance to racism. A potent example of the era's sociopolitical shifts occurred in April 1965, when Houston's massive Astrodome opened as the first fully integrated facility of its kind in the southwest.

Source: Kenneth Womack/salon.com

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