Beatles News
Few songs from The Beatles are objectively bad. They’re known as one of the greatest rock bands of all time for a reason, after all. That being said, the Fab Four put out quite a few B-sides back in the day that were so good that they should have been front and center as A-sides instead. Let’s look at four Beatles B-sides that were good enough to be A-sides!
Keep in mind that this list is simply a matter of opinion. The beauty of being a Beatles fan is that you can find a piece of yourself in one song while having no taste whatsoever for another song. The Fab Four really knew how to make music for everyone!
1. “I Am The Walrus”
Some people love it, some people don’t. But one can’t deny that “I Am The Walrus” is one of The Beatles’ most memorable songs. This song was the B-side to “Hello, Goodbye”, and it’s tough to pit these two iconic tracks together. “I Am The Walrus” is, at the very least, a much more experimental and creative effort than “Hello, Goodbye”.
2. “P.S. I Love You”
This track was the B-side to the 1963 single “Love Me Do”. This one’s tough; both songs are incredible pieces of work and must-haves in any self-respecting Beatles fan’s collection. However, it’s worth noting that “P.S. I Love You” was supposed to be a single before the thought was shot down by Please Please Me’s producer.
“And I was originally a music publishing man, a plugger, so I knew that someone had already done a record with that title,” producer Ron Richards once said in reference to “P.S. I Love You”.
The song he was referring to was a ditty by Gordon Jenkins and Johnny Mercer.
3. “Rain”
“Rain” is one of our favorite Beatles B-sides ever. This Revolver track was released in 1966 as the B-side to “Paperback Writer”. It’s a delightful song and one of the band’s best tracks. And a big part of what makes this song so darn good is Ringo Starr’s drumming. According to the Beatle himself, he was “possessed” on the track and felt “as though that was someone else playing.”
4. “Don’t Let Me Down”
Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com
Singer-songwriter-keyboardist Billy Preston rubbed shoulders with musical royalty during his many decades as a working musician, including the Beatles on their final two albums as a group, 1969's Abbey Road and 1970's Let It Be.
It was love at first note when Preston started playing the electric piano during the 1969 Let It Be sessions, which led John Lennon to deem him "like a fifth Beatle." But Preston had an especially close bond with the quiet Beatle that continued long after the group disbanded in 1970.
Preston's relationship with George Harrison is discussed by one of the people who knew Harrison best — his widow Olivia Harrison — in the new documentary Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It, premiering Nov. 17 at the DOC NYC festival. The film is directed by Paris Barclay, whose credits include Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and produced by Stephanie Allain, Jeanne Elfant Festa, Nigel Sinclair and Cheo Hodari Coker.
Olivia Harrison, along with former Beatle Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Sam and Dave's Sam Moore are all featured in the documentary, sharing memories of the man they called a colleague and friend.
George Harrison and Olivia Harrison in 1981. AP Photo
“I think George and Billy connected in a way the others didn’t," Olivia, 76, says in the film. "He was certain of Billy the moment he laid eyes on him. He saw him, and I think Billy saw George, and somehow, they recognized each other, and they really saw who they were. And I think that’s what kept them together.”
Preston played the Hammond organ on "Something," the No. 1 single from the Abbey Road album that was written and sung by Harrison. In return, Harrison produced Preston's 1969 single "That's the Way God Planned It," which gives the documentary its title.
Source: Jeremy Helligar/people.com
Ringo Starr recently took part in a video interview with music journalist Katherine Yeske Taylor for American Songwriter and the Drummerworld website. During the conversation, the 84-year-old ex-Beatles legend was asked if he there was one Fab Four song on which he’d played drums differently.
“I don’t wish I’d played differently on any of them,” Starr explained. He then pointed out a rare Beatles on which he purposely approached playing drums in a different way.
“‘Rain’ I played differently,” Ringo noted. “I was trying to be the rain.” He then demonstrated how he plays a series of drum rolls that he intended to represent rain.
Starr added, “I don’t do that sort of drumming, but I did for ‘Rain.’ But I think, you know, you got what I could give you then.”
“Rain” was a psychedelic pop-rock tune first released in May 1966 as the B-side of The Beatles’ single “Paperback Writer.” “Paperback Writer” topped the Billboard Hot 100, while “Rain” reached No. 23 on the chart.
The song later was included on The Beatles’ 1970 compilation Hey Jude, and on the 1988 comp Past Masters, Volume Two.
Source: Matt Friedlander/americansongwriter.com
The Fab Four released countless hits throughout the 1960s, but each individual member’s solo works are nothing to sneeze at. A few of those solo tracks would have been perfect under The Beatles’ name, had another album came to be. Let’s take a gander at four solo songs from Beatles members that could have easily been on a Fab Four record!
5 of the Beatles’ Least Popular Songs
1. “Isn’t It A Pity” by George Harrison
George Harrison emerged from The Beatles’ breakup a little wet behind the ears as a songwriter, though he did have some experience. However, without the shadow of the two main songwriters of the Fab Four hiding him, he was really able to flourish as a solo musician. “Isn’t It A Pity” would have made an excellent Beatles single; Harrison’s vocals are on another level here.
2. “Gimme Some Truth” by John Lennon
This wouldn’t be a proper list without at least one solo John Lennon track. There are plenty to choose from that would have done well on a Beatles record. However, we’re particularly fond of “Gimme Some Truth”.
This is one of Lennon’s catchiest solo efforts, with enough of a pop vibe that would have made it a standout track on a Beatles album. “Gimme Some Truth” is packed with controversial lyrics and some of Lennon’s best vocals. McCartney allegedly helped write this tune, too, so it’s basically a Beatles song already.
Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com
When you think of Rubber Soul, the iconic sixth studio album (in just two years!) from The Beatles, you likely envision its groundbreaking blend of folk, soul, and pop. But beneath its polished veneer are hidden gems of trivia and fascinating tidbits that shaped this masterpiece. Here are five little-known facts about the album that changed the game for rock and roll forever.
1. The Title Was Inspired By a Compliment (and a Slight Jab)
Paul McCartney was inspired to name the album Rubber Soul after overhearing an American musician describe Mick Jagger’s singing style as “plastic soul.” McCartney turned the phrase into a cheeky nod to The Beatles’ own attempts at soul music, adding a dose of self-deprecating humor to their groundbreaking LP.
2. “Norwegian Wood” Introduced the Sitar to Rock Music
George Harrison’s use of the sitar on “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” marked the first time the instrument was featured prominently in a rock song. Inspired by Ravi Shankar and introduced to the instrument during the filming of Help!, Harrison’s sitar work sparked a fascination with Indian music that would deeply influence the band’s later works.
3. A Marathon Recording Schedule
The Beatles recorded Rubber Soul in just over a month, an unusually tight schedule by today’s standards. Working long nights and early mornings, they completed the album with just hours to spare before the release deadline. Despite the pressure, the sessions yielded some of their most innovative work, showcasing their growing studio prowess.
4. The Hidden Bach Influence on “In My Life”
The iconic piano solo in “In My Life” isn’t actually played in real time. Producer George Martin recorded the solo at half speed, then sped it up during playback to give it the intricate, harpsichord-like quality fans adore. Lennon had requested something “Bach-like,” and Martin delivered a timeless classical touch to the track.
5. The Album’s Cover Was a Happy Accident
Source: thatericalper.com
A watch that Yoko Ono gifted to John Lennon, later stolen after his death, rightfully belongs to his widow and not a collector who bought it from an auction house decades later, Switzerland’s highest court has ruled.
Ono bought the Patek Phillippe watch from Tiffany for around $25,000 and gave it to her rockstar husband as a 40th birthday present on October 9, 1980. On the back, she had engraved the text “(Just Like) Starting Over Love Yoko 10-9-1980 N.Y.C.”
The timepiece, which was described as the “El Dorado of lost watches” in a profile by The New Yorker documenting its storied history, appears to be the only wristwatch the Beatle owned and is estimated to now be worth some $4.5 million. Lennon, famously, was photographed by Bob Gruen wearing the watch at the Hit Factory recording studio—an image that would spark discussions about its whereabouts in the early 2000s among online horological circles.
After his murder that December, the watch was kept in a locked room of the couple’s apartment in the Dakota building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was allegedly stolen in 2005 by Ono’s chauffeur, and later discovered to have changed hands several times before an Italian collector bought it from a German auction house in 2014.
Ono was purportedly unaware that the watch was missing until the unnamed collector submitted the watch for an appraisal at another auction house in Geneva. Ultimately, the collector filed a lawsuit to legally establish ownership of the watch in 2018.
“I’m more of a Rolling Stones man,” the collector said in an email reply to The New Yorker ahead of the recent ruling by Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court, noting that he remained hopeful he could wear the watch as soon as possible.
Source: Adam Schrader News Reporter/news.artnet.com
While nothing is confirmed, rumors of Gladiator II star Paul Mescal playing Paul McCartney in the upcoming Beatles biopics from Sam Mendes have surfaced.
During an interview with Mescal about Gladiator II, I asked him what he would ask McCartney if he met him in preparation for playing him in the biopics. “Oh god,” Mescal said, stammering. “How long is a piece of string?”
The somewhat sarcastic answer was followed up with, “I don't know specifically off the top of my head what I'd ask him — [it] depends on how much time you'd have.” As for his status in the Beatles biopics, Mescal kept it close to the vest. “I mean, I would love to be involved wholeheartedly,” he said. “You could pick any moment from any of those characters' lives, and you would have a very, very interesting film.”
However, he did seem to slip up, saying he is “so curious to see who's going to be involved and what those scripts are going to look like” before adding “fundamentally” to the end of his sentence.
Maybe Mescal is not waiting on scripts, but it sure sounded like it. We will have to wait and see if the Aftersun star gets announced as a part of the cast. Whether or not Paul Mescal plays Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes' Beatles biopics, he is already an Oscar-nominated actor. He launched his career with his role in Normal People, which earned him an Emmy nomination.
His first movie role came in Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Lost Daughter. Mescal subsequently starred in Aftersun, which earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Since then, Mescal has starred in Carmen, All of Us Strangers, and Foe. He is now promoting Gladiator II, the long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott's 2000 movie Gladiator.
Source: Andrew Korpan/clutchpoints.com
The way that the three remaining Beatles got a handle on the strange vibe of being in a studio together again without John Lennon in 1994 was to pretend he was actually part of the session and had just nipped out. “We just pretended that he’d gone home on holiday,” Paul McCartney said in a press conference at the time, “as if he said, ‘Just finish it up, I trust you’.”
This was how McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – dubbed The Threetles – approached the making of Free As A Bird, which came out in early December, 1995. They weren’t strictly a trio making their first music as The Beatles since Lennon’s death, though. Working on a creaking old demo recorded onto a cassette by John Lennon – one of four that the remaining members were given by Yoko One – the band realised that they needed to bring in an outside influence to help them get the song to the finish line when they entered the studio in early 1994. That man was ELO’s Jeff Lynne.
“It was George who said we need a producer, it could be dangerous just to all go in the studio, it could get nasty cos you’ve got egos flying around, surprisingly,” recalled McCartney. “Jeff’s name came up and it was like, ‘Yeah, that’s good’,” said McCartney. “He’d worked with George and George was saying, ‘I think Jeff would be great’.”
“Jeff was a life-saver,” added Ringo Starr. “He put it together and had us all playing and the three of us felt comfortable with him.”
Despite being an international star and mega-selling artist in his own right, for lifelong Beatles fan Lynne, it was a daunting prospect. “It was really quite scary because I didn’t know Paul very well,” he said. “I’d only met him a couple of times before that. He was a bit worried about me because I was George’s pal and he wondered if it was going to be a little bit one-sided and not in the spirit of things, but he needn’t have worried because I was totally into the spirit of things.”
Source: Niall Doherty/yahoo.com
The Beatles have just revealed some new collectibles that fans are going to want to get their hands on.
The first is a new limited-edition solid silver submarine to celebrating the band’s iconic 1968 film Yellow Submarine. Only 4,000 will be available, made of almost 1 ounce of pure silver. More Yellow Submarine collectibles are expected in 2025, including a set celebrating the members of the band.
The silver Yellow Submarine collectible will be available for preorder starting in mid-December.
But that’s not all: As part of the continuing celebration of the 60th anniversary of The Beatles coming to America, a new collection of commemorative concert tickets is being released.
The set is made up of 25 tickets, one for each venue they played during their first tour of the U.S. and Canada in 1964. Each ticket is made from an ounce of pure silver and contains the date, venue and price of each show. The tickets also feature some unique details for each gig.
Only 1,964 copies of each ticket will be made available, with the first dropping on Feb. 7, which happens to be the day The Beatles landed in America.
Source: ruralradio.com
They may not have had quite as bountiful of a vault as for the All Things Must Pass anniversary edition, but the George Harrison estate and Dark Horse Records had no shortage of, well, material in putting together the new 50th anniversary edition of George Harrison’s fourth solo (and second post-Beatles) album, Living in a Material World.
The expanded two-disc set, which was curated by Harrison’s widow Olivia and son Dhani, is part of an expanded deal with BMG that Dark Horse signed last year. Out Friday (Nov. 15) with a new mix by Grammy Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks; in addition to the 11 original tracks that came out on May 30, 1973, a second disc (on LP and CD) includes an outtake of each song as well as two rarities, “Miss O’Dell” and, on CD only, the unreleased “Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond)” (which Harrison contributed to Ringo Starr’s 1973 album, Ringo, and recorded with Starr and members of The Band). The package also includes a 60-page hardcover book featuring previously unseen images and memorabilia from the period.
“We’re going in chronological order,” Dhani Harrison, Dark Horse’s CEO, tells Billboard about the estate and label’s approach to reissuing his father’s catalog. “There was obviously (The Concert For) Bangladesh in-between but that’s a full concert movie, so that doesn’t affect the order as we release his solo studio albums.”
Harrison adds that his father “really loved this album because of what it stood for. It was designed to help people living in the material world — it had a purpose. It always meant a lot to him. He named his charity after it, so it was also the beginning of the foundation, which still goes on today.” Royalties from the 50th anniversary edition will go to the Material World Foundation.
Source: Gary Graffyahoo.com
