Beatles News
A woman who met the Beatles as a child at the Bradford Odeon 55 years ago has gone back to the venue to share her memories of the experience.
In 1964, The Beatles were appearing at the Bradford Odeon and held a press conference in their dressing room to launch the start of their new tour.
Karen Spence, who was five at the time, went to the press conference with her father, who was a journalist.
She was given a memorable invitation to sing Happy Birthday to John Lennon to mark his 24th birthday.
The dressing room where the Beatles held their press conference back in 1964 was uncovered during a refurbishment of the Bradford venue. The room has been inaccessible for fifty years.
Karen Spence took a trip down memory lane and to the theatre on Thursday, March 28, where she revisited the original room and reminisced about her special time with John Lennon and The Beatles.
Source: itv.com
Michael Palin is just one of the many actors who have honoured the late George Harrison’s film legacy in a new documentary, An Accidental Studio.
The 75-year-old English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter was one of the members of the legendary Monty Python comedy troupe.
Many of the movies he starred in and wrote throughout the 1970s and 80s - including Life of Brian and The Missionary - wouldn’t have reached the big screen without the contribution of Harrison’s filmmaking and distribution company, Handmade Films.
Ahead of the launch of the one-off AMC documentary film, Palin opened up to Sanjeev Bhaskar at London’s Curzon Mayfair cinema about the impact Handmade Films has had on his life.
Source: Sophia Moir/tv.bt.com
Songs can change radically from demo to final version. Nothing demonstrates this fact more than “Child of Nature,” the John Lennon-penned track originally intended for the Beatles’ White Album. Instead, it resurfaced in 1971 not as an ode to transcendentalism, but as a painful confessional.
During time studying under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968, the Beatles not only learned about spirituality, but were inspired to write the bulk of what became the White Album. A particular lecture by the Maharishi not only compelled Paul McCartney to write “Mother Nature’s Son,” but Lennon to pen “Child of Nature.”
Paul’s song “was from a lecture of Maharishi where he was talking about nature, and I had a piece called ‘I’m Just a Child of Nature,’ which turned into ‘Jealous Guy’ years later,” Lennon told Playboy in 1980. “Both inspired from the same lecture of Maharishi.” Lennon brought the composition to the Beatles for consideration, recording a demo during the Esher sessions at George Harrison’s home.
Source: somethingelsereviews.com
It's been 40 years since model Pattie Boyd married musician Eric Clapton.
The two had met in the late 1960s, when Boyd was married to Clapton's close friend, George Harrison. Clapton fell in love with Boyd, but at the time, she wouldn't leave Harrison to be with him.
Clapton penned the song "Layla" about his feelings for Boyd. According to author Barry Hill, Clapton was inspired by a poem called "The Story of Layla and Majnun," which portrayed the poet as a man driven to madness by his unattainable love.
Julien’s Auctions and The Beatles Story present a spectacular Beatlemania memorabilia auction on Friday, May 9-10th. The two-day event, Music Icons: The Beatles In Liverpool, held for the first time at The Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool, UK, the birthplace of The Beatles, as well as online at juliensauctions.com, will feature items from John Lennon’s guitar strap and the Yesterday and Today ‘butcher’ album prototype, and a baseball signed by The Beatles.
John Lennon, signed Yesterday and Today ‘butcher’ sleeve, image courtesy of Julien’s Auctions
In addition Julien’s Auctions will partner once again with The Beatles Story to bring their Beatles and Merseybeat “Memorabilia Day” back home to Liverpool on Friday, May 10th 2019 (12-8 p.m. GMT) for a spectacular two-day Beatlemania event.
Source: Chris Jenkins/artsandcollections.com
The Beatles legend Paul McCartney admits that he had no idea about Michael Jackson’s dark side before watching his latest documentary, Leaving Neverland.
Here is what Sir Paul McCartney said about Michael Jackson, and his ‘dark side’ to Radio Futuro in Chile:
“Obviously Michael was a great singer, a great artist and a great dancer. For years we’ve loved that. Nobody knew about the other side that’s shown in that movie.
When I knew him he was a really nice guy. I didn’t know about the dark side. It makes it very difficult to look back on the memories which were good memories, to think, oh boy, there was other stuff going on.
For me, I’m OK to just stay with the personal memories I had of him. The other side is the other side. I don’t know about that.
I can understand why people are very disappointed in him and angry that he had the dark side.”
Source: metalheadzone
Legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin will be inducted into the Music Business Hall of Fame during the 61st annual Music Business Association (Music Biz) conference on May 7 in Nashville. The late luminary, who produced a record 23 No. 1 hits on the Hot 100, will be inducted by his son, Giles Martin.
Music Biz launched its Hall of Fame last year, inducting Tower Records founder Russ Solomon. It aims to celebrate the achievements of industry executives, companies, media, venues, institutions and others who have made significant contributions to the music business.
In addition to Martin, this year’s Hall ceremony will recognize major labels Atlantic Records and Capitol Records; indie label Sub Pop; industry execs Ahmet Ertegun, Herb Abramson and Miriam Abramson; music industry landmarks the Apollo Theatre, CBGB, Hitsville U.S.A., Sun Studio, and the Troubadour; and Rolling Stone magazine.
Source: Billboard Staff/billboard.com
Still on the rise, the Fab Four and the Greatest goofed around before one of Ali's fights for a now-epic photo op.
There’s no denying that The Beatles and Muhammad Ali were all skilled at delivering powerful hits in their own rights. It wasn’t until February 18, 1964, however, that their paths eventually crossed at Miami Beach’s 5th Street Gym. New British rockers George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr — otherwise known as the Fab Four — were stateside for a live Ed Sullivan Show performance when they met a largely unknown 22-year-old underdog boxer named Cassius Clay. For his part, the fighter, who would, weeks later, change his name to Muhammad Ali, was in Miami to get in the ring for a bout with the heavily favored Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston.
To drum up publicity while in the United States, the boys from Liverpool actually first approached Liston to participate in a photo op ahead of the match. When Liston unequivocally refused — and even reportedly threw some metaphorical jabs at the band — the Beatles rolled with the punches and recruited his opponent instead. Photographer Harry Benson captured the meeting of the legends that day in a series of pictures worth far more than a thousand words.
Source: biography.com
One of Sir Paul McCartney's school books has sold at auction for £46,800 after a bidding war by two fans.
It was snapped up for nearly 10 times its estimate by a UK telephone bidder at an auction of Beatles memorabilia in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside.
Sir Paul, 76, used it for his English Literature lessons at Liverpool Institute High School for Boys.
A pair of John Lennon's glasses went for £9,600, but a cassette of George Harrison songs went unsold.
Sir Paul's school book was owned by a family, based in Liverpool, who said they have had it "for as long as they can remember".
It contained 22 pages of essays by the Beatle when he was a teenager including pieces about Thomas Hardy's novel The Return of the Native and John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost.
The book also featured a doodle of a man smoking, and critical comments by his teacher Alan "Dusty" Durband. But the Beatle got impressive grades for his work, B- to B++.
Source: bbc.com
George Harrison’s sitar was damaged in an “unfortunate accident” at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Olivia Harrison, widow of the late Beatle, loaned the complex instrument to the famous institution.
A spokeswoman for the museum said that the sitar was repaired following the incident.
“In 2016, during preparation for a temporary exhibition an unfortunate accident occurred causing partial damage to a sitar on loan from Olivia Harrison,” the V&A said.
“The care and protection of objects entrusted to us is of the utmost importance and we take these matters extremely seriously.
“Following conservation assessment, one of the sitar’s gourds was fully repaired in consultation with leading experts, and no permanent damage was sustained.
Source: irishexaminer.com
