Beatles News
The Sedona International Film Festival is the official host of the new season of “Deconstructing the Beatles,” joining hundreds of theatres around the country for this special series.
The first in the new season — “Deconstructing The Beatles: Abbey Road, Side 1” will show in Sedona on Monday, June 24 at 7 p.m. at the festival’s Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
The Beatles’ Abbey Road is a masterpiece filled with classic Beatles songs, such as “Come Together,” “Something,” and “Here Comes the Sun.” Producer George Martin told the Beatles to think “symphonically,” and they responded by creating the remarkable side two song suite.
Abbey Road was the last time that the Beatles recorded together at EMI Studios — soon-to-be-christened Abbey Road Studios after the album’s release. Despite the bittersweet atmosphere that surrounded the recording sessions, The Beatles’ outstanding songs and performances together with George Martin’s orchestrations produced an album that continues to be regarded as one of the best albums ever created.
Source: verdenews.com
What is the greatest Paul McCartney song from his time in The Beatles? There are many to choose from, but one consensus pick has been “Yesterday.” Chuck Berry admired it, more than 3,000 musicians have covered it, and Paul himself said it was probably his best work.
When the band released it in 1965, it quickly became the most listened-to song of the year — and the year after, and so on until well into the ’70s. By the end of the 20th century, it had become the third most-played song on American radio. That’s well beyond what we’d call a smash hit.
It was a landmark song for The Beatles as well. For the first time, Paul played and sang on the record without his bandmates. Behind him, fans heard a string quartet arranged by Paul and producer George Martin.
Source: cheatsheet.com
Paul McCartney has launched a viral campaign to mark 10 years of his Meat Free Monday movement.
Fellow Beatle Ringo Starr, actor Tom Hanks and actress Rita Wilson are among the list of stars to have pledged support for Count Me In.
Sir Paul, who is vegetarian, launched Meat Free Monday, which encourages people to go without meat once a week, with his daughters Mary and Stella in 2009.
Since then the charity has worked in schools, universities, restaurants and businesses, made an appeal at the EU Parliament and published a cookbook.
The new campaign aims to celebrate the meat-free movement while encouraging more people to reduce their meat consumption.
Source: breakingnews.ie
While Sir Paul McCartney’s links to Kintyre are well-documented, his fellow Beatle John Lennon also loved Scotland after spending many blissful summers north of the Border as a child. From the age of nine Lennon spent his summer holidays with his Aunt ‘Mater’ who had remarried and moved to Edinburgh. He would travel alone by bus to visit his aunt and his cousin Stanley Parkes in the capital and also at their family croft in Durness, Sutherland.
While in the wilderness the aspiring singer-songwriter hunted, hiked, fished and played tricks on the locals by tying seaweed on shop doors to prevent workers from leaving.
He also drew and wrote poetry in the tranquility of the hills.
But the Scottish breaks ended when Lennon was around 15 after he formed his first band, The Quarrymen, and music took over.
Source: Paula Murray/express.co.uk
Liverpool’s tourism industry seems to thrive on the city’s most famous sons: John, Paul, George and Ringo.
If you look past the souvenir shops, pubs named for band members and rampant urban redevelopment, a visitor on a Beatles pilgrimage can encounter plenty of sites that contributed to the beloved group’s musical heritage. All you need is love … plus a little imagination and a decent pair of walking shoes for this tour of the Beatles’ Liverpool.
For a city that's inextricably tied to the most famous band in music history, Liverpool has a spotty record when it comes to preserving its Beatles-related history. Ringo Starr’s childhood home barely escaped the wrecking ball. The same can’t be said for a handful of other buildings that had a massive impact on pop music in one way or another. When it comes to Beatles locations in Liverpool, some are gone and some remain … and at least one had to be totally rebuilt due to shortsighted city planning decisions.
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com
Yes, the Packers have another insanely famous name to add to their ranks. According to Kendra Meinert of the Green Bay Press Gazette, Paul McCartney is now a shareholder.
That’s right, a Beatle is part of the Green Bay Packers family.
McCartney is on his “Freshen Up” tour, and playing at Lambeau Field for the first time ever. Before the concert started on Saturday, he was presented with a game ball and a stock certificate.
This doesn’t really mean anything when compared to other sports teams. It’s not like McCartney’s going to suddenly be involved in team meetings or be making any major decisions. It simply means he’s with the countless others that are part of the Packers family.
Source: Hunter Noll /clutchpoints.com
John’s first wife has been written off as a mere support act. Now a new play recognises her importance in the story of the Beatles
The true identity of the “fifth Beatle” is a contentious matter for fans of the Fab Four. The name of Stuart Sutcliffe, John Lennon’s close friend, is often put forward, as is the ousted drummer, Pete Best. Others claim the title for manager Brian Epstein or record producer George Martin. Yet Cynthia Lennon, the artist by the young Lennon’s side for a decade, is never even considered.
Now a new play about the powerful influence of the first Mrs Lennon is to make the case that she held the band together during the years of their greatest success. “I want to get across how important she was in John’s life, and not just because of their son Julian,” said playwright Mike Howl. “John used to write to her every single day while he was out in Hamburg, playing in the night clubs of the Reeperbahn. Her friends told me they saw some of these letters. I do think that without Cynthia’s love, John would have gone completely off the rails.”
Source: Vanessa Thorpe/theguardian.com
There’s no denying that 1965’s Rubber Soul was a breakthrough for The Beatles. With that record, the band had moved far beyond the “Love Me Do” and “From Me to You” tunes that defined their early records. In their place, you found tracks like “Girl” and “I’m Looking Through You.”
Marijuana and the music of Bob Dylan influenced the Fab Four’s songwriting heavily during this time. You could hear it clearly in John Lennon songs like “In My Life” and “Nowhere Man.” The subject matter was richer, and John was ready to explore new themes.
Looking back on this period before he died, John seemed especially proud of “In My Life.” With that track, he resolved to look into his own past for the first time and translate his experiences into song lyrics. The result was an unqualified success, but he needed a little help.
Source: cheatsheet.com
With all the Beatles brouhaha, it’s easy to forget that Yoko Ono was a boundary-pushing and successful conceptual artist long before a certain Mr Lennon entered the picture.
In fact, he met her thanks to her artwork; cheekily taking a bite from an apple that was actually one of her installation pieces.
Born in Tokyo, Ono studied philosophy before moving to New York in 1953 and soon become a key figure in the city’s avant-garde scene. In 1960, she opened her Chambers Street loft and presented a series of radical works with composer and artist La Monte Young.
One of her most famous works, Cut Piece, was first performed in 1964 and saw the artist sit alone on a stage in her best suit, with a pair of scissors in front of her. The audience had been instructed that they could take turns approaching her and use the scissors to cut off a small piece of her clothing, which was theirs to keep.
Source: creativeboom.com
The Beatles’ first contract with manager Brian Epstein – marking the start of their transformation into world-conquering pop band – is going under the hammer.
Epstein signed up Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Best – the band’s first drummer – on January 24 1962, just two months after he first heard them play.
The paperwork, from “before any of the music that we know and love”, could fetch £300,000 at Sotheby’s.
Later dubbed the “fifth Beatle”, Epstein had no experience of band management and was running a record shop when he took up the Liverpool band.
Sotheby’s Books And Manuscripts specialist Gabriel Heaton described the contract as “an important piece of our cultural history” and a “transformative document”.
Source: irishnews.com
