Beatles News
George Harrison once drew a simple frame around the Beatles' musical origin story, highlighting the impact of the blues.
"If there was no Lead Belly, there would have been no Lonnie Donegan; no Lonnie Donegan, no Beatles," friend John Reynolds remembered Harrison saying in the Legend of Lead Belly documentary. "Therefore no Lead Belly, no Beatles."
But Donegan's brand of local rockabilly, called skiffle, also drew from country music, old-timey songs and bluegrass. In fact, Liverpool had a bustling country scene, led by Phil Brady, among others. Brady's earliest fame coincided with the Merseybeat fad that played a more celebrated role in shaping the Beatles' sound.
Ringo Starr had long been a fan of country music, but John Lennon was responsible for bringing this influence into the group's songwriting core.
"I grew up with blues music [and] country and western music, which is also a big thing in Liverpool," Lennon subsequently recalled. "One of the first visions I had was one of a fully dressed cowboy in the middle of Liverpool with his Hawaiian guitar, you know? That's the first time I ever saw a guitar in my life. He had the full gear on."
Lennon would favor a similar style with his pre-Beatles band, the Quarrymen, who wore the same string ties made famous by James Garner as a witty Old West card sharp on TV's Maverick in the late '50s. The Quarrymen's business cards, drawn up by manager Nigel Walley, promised a slate of "Country, Western, Rock 'n' Roll, Skiffle."
After the Quarrymen morphed into the Beatles, early visionary Brian Epstein quickly arranged for an audition to appear on BBC Radio. They'd perform for producer Peter Pilbeam in March 1962 at the Playhouse Theatre in London. His comments on the audition report were telling.
Source: Nick DeRiso/ultimateclassicrock.com
The Beatles transformed pop culture during the 1960s and had so many incredible songs that even some of their most obscure compositions could be classified as masterpieces. While there are very few people on planet Earth who wouldn’t recognize hits like “Yesterday,” “Here Comes the Sun,” or “Let It Be,” there are just as many incredible underrated Beatles tracks that deserve way more love. For every “A Hard Day's Night” or “Eleanor Rigby,” there’s another hidden gem that long-time lovers of the Fab Four will point to as a forgotten classic in need of more attention.
What started with two teenagers named John Lennon and Paul McCartney bonding over their love of R&B and skiffle music eventually led to these Liverpudlians becoming some of the most recognizable names on the planet. After they were joined by George Harrison and Ringo Starr, the world was fully introduced to the most trailblazing band pop music had ever seen as Beatlemania went into full swing, and audiences couldn’t get enough of these musical icons. With 213 songs released between 1962 and 1970, it’s shocking just how prolific the Beatles were, as even their most underrated songs remain timeless.
15 “The Fool On The Hill”
It can sometimes feel like songs from the Beatles' EPs, such as Magical Mystery Tour, are unfairly overlooked, which was certainly the case for the beautiful story song “The Fool on the Hill.” With enchanting flutes and an ethereal, otherworldly feel, the slow musical accompaniment of “The Fool on the Hill” complemented its story about a lonesome man, misunderstood by others, who was actually incredibly wise. With hints of the Beatles' more introspective and mindful tendencies, this track was primarily written by Paul McCartney and likely related to the band’s guru and meditation teacher, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Source: Stephen Holland/screenrant.com
The Beatles landed at JFK Airport on February 7, 1964, greeted by 3,000 of the fans that had sent “I Want To Hold Your Hand” to the top of the Hot 100, and America’s love affair with the Fab Four hasn’t abated in the six decades since. George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr spent just over seven years assembling the most beloved catalog in popular music. While solo careers, films, covers, and archival releases have kept the Beatles brand profitable, it’s really those original albums that have remained durable objects of fascination that still reveal new depths.
Over the years, popular opinion has evolved about the Beatles’ albums, although the second half of their career looms large over those early Beatlemania years. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was for many years their consensus masterpiece, and in subsequent decades, The Beatles (“The White Album”) and Revolver have enjoyed reappraisals. Abbey Road has emerged as their most popular record in the streaming era, and while Let It Be has never surged to the top, documentaries and its prominence on classic rock radio have elevated the divisive album’s stature.
Beatles ‘64, director David Tedeschi’s documentary about the Beatles’ first visit to America in 1964, was released on Disney+ in November. One of the albums the band released that year, Beatles for Sale, turns 60 on December 4, but where does it rank in their towering discography?
Source: Al Shipley/yahoo.com
Sean Ono Lennon has recently opened up about John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s relationship, and how it continues to impact his mother today.
Lennon sat down for an interview with BBC Radio 6 Music recently to discuss the release of Mind Games: The Ultimate Collection. Lennon produced the special edition box set release of his late father’s album Mind Games. The collection also includes a wealth of additional material, from footage to a book to reproductions of advertisements for the album from the 1970s.
During the interview, the subject of his parents’ relationship was brought up, as it naturally would. Chris Hawkins asked Lennon if he learned any new information about his parents while putting together this very intimate project.
“Well one thing I noticed was that my mum was on some of the tapes, you could tell she was in the control room,” said Lennon. “So a lot of people said like, ‘Yoko wasn’t around for this record, why are they featuring her in the booklet’ or something. And I think there’s a lot of history. There’s a lot of assumptions made about that time period because they were sort of on their way towards that famous separation.” Sean Ono Lennon Says Yoko Was A Big Part of ‘Mind Games’ Despite Not Being Physically Present.
The period Lennon spoke about occurred from 1973 to 1974. Yoko Ono and John Lennon separated for a number of months during this time. The period is often referred to as “The Lost Weekend”. Ono and Lennon rekindled their relationship in 1974. Sean Lennon was born the following year.
Lennon went on to say that “even when they were apart they were always talking.” He was also told that all of his father’s belongings were still at his mother’s apartment during the separation. And one can’t deny that it was very obvious that John Lennon was thinking about Ono while working on Mind Games.
Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com
John Lennon wasn’t known as a religious man during much of his life. He even pondered what the world would be like without religion in one of his most famous songs, “Imagine.” His apparent lack of enthusiasm about Christianity didn’t stop him from producing one of the biggest Christmas hits of all time.
“Happy Xmas (War is Over)” is a classic by this point, one that returns to prominence every December. The tune reappears on several charts in the United Kingdom as the big day nears.
Lennon is back on both the Official Streaming chart and the main ranking of the most-consumed songs in the U.K. with his tune. “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” blasts back onto the streaming roster at No. 67. It comes in much lower–at No. 92–on the general songs tally.
“Happy Xmas (War is Over)” has now spent at least one year on both of those charts throughout its lifetime. The tune reaches that milestone on the streaming ranking, as it’s now lived on the list for 52 turns–though not all in a row. The cut is up to 61 stints on the songs chart.
Lennon fronts “Happy Xmas (War is Over),” but the tune isn’t credited to the former Beatle alone. He’s joined on the cut by his then-wife, Yoko Ono. Their backing group, the Plastic Ono Band, is also named, so all three acts are back on the charts.
“Happy Xmas (War is Over)” is likely just beginning its jolly return, as Christmas cuts are on the way up. Throughout December, famous tracks, such as Lennon’s, enjoy huge gains in streams and sales, as well as radio airplay, as the world celebrates the happiest time of the year for so many. In the coming weeks, it’s likely that Lennon and company will ascend even higher.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
Beatles '64 promises a fan-pleasing look at the titular band's maiden trip to American shores, but the Disney+ documentary doesn't quite come together. Produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by David Tedeschi, Beatles '64 follows John, Paul, Ringo, and George from their United States touchdown in early 1964 to their triumphant return back home in Britain. Like great music documentaries of yore, Beatles '64 combines an awesome soundtrack with behind-the-scenes footage, all manner of live performances, talking head interviews, and unquestionably fascinating views of the legendary "British Invasion."
Reactions to Beatles '64 have been largely positive, albeit with some division. At the time of writing, the Disney+ documentary holds a 94% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and plenty of reviews have been effusive in their praise. The Guardian hails the film as a "sublime snapshot," while Rolling Stone calls it a "a tribute to the fans as well as the band." On the other end of the spectrum, The Telegraph accuses Beatles '64 of achieving the impossible by making The Beatles "boring," whereas The Glass Onion takes the slightly more nuanced view of "compelling but slightly confused." Certainly, it is easy to see why opinion is conflicted.
Beatles '64 Is A Hyper-Specific Look Into A Short Period Of The Beatles' Timeline
The strangest aspect of Beatles '64 is how zoomed-in upon one specific point of the band's career the documentary really is, to the point where it really should have been called "Beatles February 7-22 '64." Any Beatles newcomer would be forgiven for thinking "She Loves You" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" were the Fab Four's only two hits of note. The documentary, of course, made no secret of its missive to focus on The Beatles' debut U.S. visit, and covering the group's existence in its entirety would be far too big a job for any single sub-two-hour film.
Source: Craig Elvy/screenrant.com
I realize that what I’m about to say could have very easily been a trending story in 1965 (if they’d had blogs or, indeed, embraced the concept of “trending” back then), but I soldier on regardless: Amid all the commotion about the casting for Sam Mendes’s upcoming Beatles biopic, I worry that the most serious and least vapid issue of all—which Beatle was the hottest?—is getting lost. Yes, this is definitely something Mad Men’s Sally Draper and her friends could have argued about six decades ago, but what can I say? Crush-worthiness is eternal.
Of course, there’s a valid case to be made for each individual Beatle. George Harrison was probably the most empirically handsome (and arguably the best dressed); John Lennon was ephemerally sexy in a way I can’t really define (although I did recently learn he was kind of ripped, albeit in a skinny-Englishman way? Maybe that’s how he pulled Yoko Ono…); and Paul McCartney had that sweet moon face and big doe eyes. But there’s really only one Beatle that makes my tragic bisexual heart skip a beat, and it’s Ringo Starr. Was he traditionally attractive? No. Was he as symmetrically featured as his bandmates? No. But was he in possession of what the kids today might call undeniable, inexplicable rizz? Absolutely.
Source: Emma Specter/avogue.com
Long-lost notes relating to the acrimonious break-up of The Beatles will go under the hammer next week.
More than 300 pages of typed documents, compiled by the Fab Four's various advisors and legal representatives, were found in a cupboard where they had lain untouched since the 1970s.
Denise Kelly, from auctioneers Dawsons, said the "fascinating" papers were used by lawyers during an acrimonious High Court legal battle which resulted in the band's official split in 1974.
The papers will be auctioned on 12 December in Maidenhead and are expected to fetch between £5,000 and £8,000. Online bidders will be able to participate. Dawsons did not reveal where the notes had been found, only that they had been discovered within the last year.
"I just couldn’t put them down until I had read every page," said Ms Kelly. "As I read the minutes of meetings - notes which included discussions between the legal teams and accountants - I wondered how on earth they were going to sort everything out, and at times I could sense panic in the room as more and more complexities came to light.
"One of the lawyers even suggested during one meeting when they had gone round and round and round in circles: ‘Would it be easier if The Beatles just retired?’" She added: "It has crossed my mind that if I were a script writer, these documents would be all I'd need to tell the real story of what led to one of the best-selling bands in history splitting up and going their separate ways."
'We had to pretend' In 2021, Sir Paul McCartney told the BBC why he had felt compelled to "sue my mates".
Despite stepping away from The Beatles in early 1970, the band's final legal separation was not confirmed until December 1974.
McCartney said confusion over the break-up had festered because the band's new manager Allen Klein - with whom he refused to align - said he had needed time to tie up some financial loose ends.
Source: Paul Burnell/bbc.com
George Harrison was always known as the “quiet Beatle,” as he was the least gregarious and outgoing of the bunch. That nickname stuck even after the band broke up and all four men pursued solo careers. While he may have been fairly soft-spoken, his music did a lot of the talking for him, and it was plenty loud enough.
One of Harrison’s most famous albums, Living in the Material World, returns to the Billboard charts this week. The decades-old collection was recently re-released as a collectible vinyl, and fans of the late rocker and former Beatle musician bought the title in large numbers—ones that become especially impressive when compared to how the title was performing before it was reissued.
In the past tracking week, Living in the Material World sold another 6,800 copies throughout the U.S., according to Luminate. That’s up massively from the period before, when there were very few people in America who wanted to buy the classic.
Before it was re-released, Living in the Material World sold a little more than 50 copies in the United States in the prior tracking week. From one frame to the next, the title soared 12,550% in pure purchases.
Several versions of Living in the Material World were made available to celebrate the title’s fiftieth anniversary, and they were offered in limited quantities, which likely spurred the buying frenzy. All editions included the original full-length, as well as various other extras, like a book, a seven-inch vinyl of one single, and even previously unreleased tracks—the kind that would surely intrigue longtime lovers of Harrison’s work.
All those purchases help Living in the Material World debut on two Billboard charts. While the project was a quick top 10 smash on the Billboard 200 when it was first released in the ‘70s, it now lands on a pair of tallies that weren’t around at the time.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
In early 2024, it was announced that Sam Mendes would be producing four films about worldwide musical phenomenon The Beatles with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Mendes’s Neal Street Productions. At the time, Ringo Starr himself tweeted that the films were fully supported by himself and the families of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison.
This is the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted a scripted film expansive life story and music rights, so it’s a pretty big deal. Here’s what we know about the movie quartet so far.
What are The Beatles movies about?
Mendes hasn’t been too specific—the details of the band’s life and history together is pretty well-covered in myriad movies and documentaries anyway, so it is really a matter of style over substance. The Oscar-winning director indicated that the films will be interwoven and include one band member’s point of view per movie.
Mendes is directing all four films and producing with Pippa Harris and Julie Pastor, but they’re supposedly still searching for their screenwriters. Who is in the cast for the four movies?
Ringo Starr was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight and seemed to confirm that Irish actor Barry Keoghan had been cast as his youthful doppelgänger. When asked about Keoghan possibly being a match, Starr replied, “Well, I think he’s great, and I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons.”
Source: Aimée Lutkin/elle.com
