Beatles News
Fifty years back, on January 30, 1969, George Harrison stepped on to the roof of his group's Apple headquarters in London and plugged in a Fender Telecaster. Famously, it would be The Beatles' last ever public performance. Not quite so famously, his guitar was an unusual model, a new Rosewood Telecaster that he'd recently received from Fender.
In fact, it was the fourth Fender guitar that The Beatles had acquired. During their early years, the group hadn't owned any Fenders, although George had written to a friend in 1960 that the guitar he "might manage" was a Strat. Instead, he decided to indulge his passion for Gretsch guitars—the brand used by one of his six-string heroes, Chet Atkins—and bought a secondhand Duo Jet, and, later, a couple of Country Gents and a Tennessean. The Beatles - "Don't Let Me Down," live on the Apple rooftop.
But George didn't have to wait too long to get his Fender: in 1965, he and John Lennon each acquired a secondhand Strat for studio use. Two years later, Paul McCartney bought an Esquire. Paul was becoming increasingly confident with six rather than four strings. After all, he'd started in the group as a guitarist. He soon put the new Esquire to good use, for example playing it for his soaring, concise solo on "Good Morning, Good Morning" during the Sgt Pepper's sessions at Abbey Road.
Source: Tony Bacon Gear History/reverb.com
Eric Clapton has revisited a track on which he featured from his friend George Harrison’s classic All Things Must Pass album. Clapton collaborates on Sheryl Crow’s new version of the enduring ‘Beware Of Darkness’ from her upcoming, all-star Threads album. The new interpretation also features in-demand Grammy-winner Brandi Carlile, who as reported is also the co-producer of the upcoming album by country star Tanya Tucker.
Threads features several other tracks that have been unveiled in recent weeks, including the most recent, ‘Still The Good Old Days,’ featuring Joe Walsh. In addition to other notables whose involvement we’ve already observed, such as Keith Richards, Vince Gill, St. Vincent and Maren Morris, the album will include contributions from James Taylor, Kris Kristofferson, Chuck D, Gary Clark Jr and Andra Day.
Source: By Paul Sexton/udiscovermusic.com
After the Beatles’ breakup, fans learned in detail how much John Lennon resented Paul McCartney (and vice versa). In an interview with Rolling Stone, John skewered his old bandmate, describing his first album as “rubbish” and otherwise treating him with condescension.
But those were the ugly days of the early ’70s. At the start of the ’60s, the pair were incredibly tight. They hung out together, wrote hits like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” side-by-side, and generally behaved like brothers toward one another.
After John’s son Julian was born in ’63, Paul became (in John’s words) “like an uncle to him.” Even as their relationship began to deteriorate in the late ’60s, the old songwriting duo didn’t lose that connection. Paul helping John record “The Ballad of John and Yoko” in ’69 offers a great example.
Source: cheatsheet.com
In an exclusive Screen Rant interview, Yesterday director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Richard Curtis discuss why Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr don’t have cameos. The British romantic comedy features an alternate universe where The Beatles never existed, allowing the protagonist to become famous by performing the band’s catalog of hits.
Yesterday stars Himish Patel as Jack Malik, a Suffolk musician who struggles to pay the bills. He receives support from long-time friend and manager Ellie Appleton (Lily James), whose primary job is teaching children. After an international power outage, a near-tragedy leaves Jack in the hospital and he soon learns that McCartney, Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon never became famous as The Beatles. Incidentally, Jack creates a master plan to perform The Beatles’ music and takes full credit as the creative genius behind the work. Produced for $26 million, Yesterday has earned just over $6 million at the box office since releasing on June 28 in the United Kingdom, and includes supporting performances from Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live), Lamorne Morris (Game Night), and English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran as himself.
Source: Q.V. Hough/Movie News
I was more than halfway through a recent “London Rocks” tour—a jaunt which promises to lead its customers through the landmarks of British popular music—when I noticed that our guide had pointed out many more things that no longer exist than ones that still do. We’d peaked through the windows of the former Musicland record shop where a young Elton John worked in the late ’60s (now, it’s a store that sells pricey wedding gowns). We strolled the alley where Marianne Faithfull languished as a homeless heroin addict in the mid-’70s (currently, it’s headquarters to the Good Housekeeping Institute), then breezed by the studio where Queen recorded key parts of “Bohemian Rhapsody” (a locale since privatized into a $10 million single family home), before gazing at the vestigial entrance to the Marquee Club, where everyone from Hendrix to the Sex Pistols wailed. (It’s now—what else?—luxury lofts).
Source: Jim Farber/thedailybeast.com
The Beatles icon Paul McCartney recently performed in Phoenix, and he called out the audience for becoming a ‘black hole’ when he performs new material off his latest album Egypt Station. Paul McCartney’s official website recently made a surprising Greta Van Fleet claim.
He said after performing “Lady Madonna” and “Eleanor Rigby” that fans are far kinder when he plays old classics.
“One thing is, we know which songs you like,” he said. “Because what happens is when we do an old Beatles song? The place lights up with your phones. And it’s like a galaxy of stars. And then when we do a new one, it’s like a black hole. But we don’t care. We’re gonna do ’em anyway.”
McCartney and his band then performed “Fuh You” which led to the ‘black hole.’
Source: Brett Buchanan/alternativenation.net
Danny Boyle’s film Yesterday asks a provocative question – how would the world be different if the Beatles had never existed for anyone else around you? Would playing them these songs elicit the same emotional response these tunes have had for decades, or would they be considered merely a bunch of twee melodies suitable for background enjoyment? Thankfully we don’t have to live the nightmare scenario of a world without these songs from Macca, Johnny, George and Ringo, graced with music that’s been the world’s shared soundtrack since the early 1960s.
Yesterday has some strong cover versions of the Fab’s tunes, with the performance of these “lost” songs central to Richard Curtis’ screenplay. Many other films have used reinterpretations of Beatles tunes in various ways, providing through reinterpretation a different look at what these songs fundamentally represent, using these themes and variation to celebrate the classical canon of Western pop music while making the works unique.
A few years ago, director Danny Boyle sat at his desk and wrote several letters by hand. One he sent to Paul McCartney, another to Ringo Starr. The final two missives wended their way to Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, widows of John Lennon and George Harrison respectively.
Boyle was a huge Beatles fan. But that wasn’t his motive for putting pen to paper. He and Richard Curtis, the romantic comedy doyen behind Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, were in the early stages of collaborating on what would eventually become the film Yesterday.
The movie is a love letter to the songs of John, Paul, Ringo and George. It asks us to imagine a world in which just one person – portrayed by former EastEnders actor Himesh Patel – remembers their music (with gooey, cheek-dampening results).
Source: Ed Power/telegraph.co.uk
It’s a film about stealing The Beatles’ songs, so it’s not surprising moviegoers are asking if the surviving members of the band show up in “Yesterday.” Sadly, it doesn’t look like Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr play themselves in the film. They are, however, definitely aware of the movie.
“Yesterday” follows a struggling singer-songwriter (Himesh Patel) who wakes up and discovers that he is seemingly the only one who remembers The Beatles. By passing off their hits as his own, his career skyrockets.
While there’s a chance for a surprise in the movie, McCartney and Starr are nowhere to be found in the official cast credits. However, Ringo is listed as an uncredited role on IMDb, played by David Lautman. If they appear, it doesn’t look like the real men will play themselves.
The Beatles are very much aware of the movie, though. “Yesterday” director Danny Boyle was worried about upsetting the men and the widows of George Harrison and John Lennon. He wrote them letters to tell them his plan.
Source: Nicole Massabrook /ibtimes.com
Quick Facts
- Richard Starkey Jr. is born in his parents' house on July 7, 1940.
- Ringo referred to his Harry Graves, his stepfather, as his "step ladder."
- Ringo has dark brown hair and blue eyes.
- He is 5' 8" tall and weighs about 145.
- His favourite color is red.
- He likes to read science fiction.
- Ringo has had a number of serious health problems throughout his life, including peritonitis, pleurisy, and tonsilitis.
- Ringo first played with the group, Rory and The Hurricanes.
- On August 18, 1962, Ringo replaced Pete Best as the drummer for The Beatles.
- Ringo married his childhood sweetheart, Maureen Cox.
- On September 13, 1965, Ringo's first child, Zak, was born.
- On August 19, 1967, Ringo's second child, Jason, was born.
- On November 11, 1970, Ringo's third child, daugfhter Lee Parkin, was born.
- It was Ringo who coined the name for the movie A Hard Day's Night. Originally the movie was to be called Beatlemania. The expression came one evening after a long and particularly arduous recording session.
- In July, 1975, Ringo and Maureen were divorced.
- In April, 1981, Ringo and Barabra Bach were married in London.
- Ringo once had a severe problem with alcoholism, and entered an Arizona clinic to finally beome sober for life.
- Ringo remained friendly with all the other members of The Beatles throughout the years, and he has worked on a number of projects with each of them.
- When John was shot in 1980, Ringo was the first to come to comfort Yoko.
- Today Ringo and Barbara live in Monte Carlo, but also maintain houses in Los Angeles and Colorado.
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