Beatles News
This week in February 1964, Beatlemania swept through Sydney and at least three North Shore schools cracked down on "moptop" haircuts. Our reporter met with local teens to discuss the "Beatle ban".
School students show off their Beatle haircuts in Gordon in Sydney's north on 25 February 1964, the year of The Beatles' Australian tour.
'Beatle war' is raging between the principals and teachers of Sydney schools and their pupils.
The main battlefront appears to be the North Shore, where Beatlemania is sweeping the schools.
Some pupils are even wearing Beatle haircuts in defiance of teacher warnings.
The picture above shows five teenage student "Beatles" at Gordon this week. They are, from left: Greg Cleary, 16, of St. Leo's, Wahroonga; Margot Manassen, 16, a former Ravenswood pupjl who now attends business college; Brett Thomas, 14, Chatswood High; Charlotte Watson, 14, Hornsby Girls' High; Bill Slater, 16, North Sydney High.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
A pop singer and British rock group, five decades apart in influence, now hold the same Billboard record as of earlier last week.
On April 25, 1964, The Beatles topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Can’t Buy Me Love,” at No. 1, “Twist and Shout” at No. 2, and “Do You Want to Know a Secret” at No. 3. The famous rock band was the only group to hold a No.1, No. 2, and No. 3 spot simultaneously --- that is, until Feb. 19.
Ariana Grande, one of the biggest pop stars in the game right now, just matched this record with “7 Rings” at No. 1, “Break up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” at No. 2, and “Thank U, Next” at No. 3.
Grande broke a record that hasn’t been broken in 55 years, and for that she should be extremely proud of herself. Along with that, The Beatles should feel the same for also holding this record and for all they have accomplished.
Source: Chelsea Kun/collegian.psu.edu
Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his late Beatles bandmate George Harrison on what would have been his 76th birthday.
Harrison died in 2001 at the age of 58 after developing cancer.
Marking his birthday on February 25, Sir Paul shared a black and white photograph on Twitter showing the pair performing together.
“Happy birthday forever George, we love ya!” said the 76-year-old singer-songwriter.
A series of snaps of Harrison during his career were posted on The Beatles’ Twitter page to mark the occasion.
Harrison’s son Dhani shared a photograph on Twitter of a man and a boy – presumably himself and his father – walking away from the camera.
“Hand in hand we walk away. #HappyBirthdayGeorge,” he captioned the shot.
Source: Press Association
Final copies of Songs by George Harrison Volume Two are coming soon. Originally published in 1992, the edition presented 59 songs by George Harrison, illustrated by Keith West.
With manuscript contributions from Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson and George Harrison, this highly popular edition also contains the classics, 'My Sweet Lord', 'Something' and 'All Things Must Pass'.
'Derek Taylor introduced me to George Harrison sometime during the late, great Sixties. And like a Harrison tune, the route was circuitous... Somewhere between the pages of this beautiful and cleverly illustrated book, you will find your own George Harrison.' - Harry Nilsson, Los Angeles, 1991.
Source: genesis-publications.com
A new report delves into the impact that Lennon's heroin addiction had on the iconic rock band.
John Lennon’s addiction to heroin during a time when it was poorly understood may have played a significant role in the breakup of the Beatles, according to an article published in Salon.
Fans have long speculated on just how much of the lyrics in the late Beatle's songs reference the powerful illicit opioid, but a look into Lennon’s own words and reports from those close to him paint a picture of someone who was deep into an addiction disorder before he was able to finally quit.
The Beatles were not shy about experimenting with drugs during their time in the spotlight. Early in their music careers, the members of the Beatles were “veteran pill-poppers,” using amphetamines regularly.
They were then introduced to cannabis by Bob Dylan, and a former housekeeper employed by Lennon wrote a letter claiming that she “began noticing drugs lying around in various parts of the house.”
Source: Lindsey Weedston/thefix.com
Sometimes, the Academy makes the right pick on Oscar night. In 2019, watching Alfonso Cuarón receive the Best Director made perfect sense. (Roma is that good.)
The same goes for Mahershala Ali winning his second Oscar in what has been an incredible career so far. Anyone who saw him in Green Book (or True Detective, or anything else) knows how talented Ali is.
In the Best Actress race, most would agree that a worthy nominee — Olivia Colman, for The Favourite — walked away with the trophy. However, it made many observers look back on the career of Glenn Close (nominated for The Wife) and wonder how she’s never won an Oscar.
With The Beatles having won their Oscar decades ago and Close still in the hunt, it seems like it’s time to take stock of the situation.
Source: cheatsheet.com
Whether you go by albums sales, No. 1 hits, or overall legend, you’ll always find The Beatles and Elvis Presley at the top of the list. However, if you want to start counting the times they topped the charts, you go by the combination of record sales and radio airplay that Billboard put in place.
Starting in 1958, this chart became known as the Hot 100. Prior to that, Billboard called it the Top 100, though the system of measurement was basically the same. Those dates matter when you start counting the chart-topping hits by the Fab Four and Elvis.
Obviously, both artists racked up a number of No. 1 hits in their time. However, in Elvis’s case, his career spanned from the Top 100 days through the Hot 100 era. As a result, Billboard only credits The King with seven No. 1 hits.
Yet Elvis topped the charts twice as often, and and spent more than 14 months as the No. 1 artist over the course of his career.
Source: cheatsheet.com
Walnut Ridge, Arkansas -- On September 20-21, Walnut Ridge will play host to the 7th Annual Beatles at the Ridge Symposium, this year celebrating "Beatles Memorabilia and Collectibles."
In the spirit of that theme Featured Author, Jim Berkenstadt (of the Amazon Best Seller The Beatle Who Vanished), Featured Artist, Ken Orth (creator and curator of the "Meet the Look-Alikes!" collection) and Primary Source Speaker, Art Schreiber (journalist from the Westinghouse Network who toured with The Beatles in 1964) will share rare collectibles and information on these pieces.
On Friday night, September 20, Jim Berkenstadt will talk about a guitar in his possession that was used by George Harrison in an LA studio to record a special version of "Got My Mind Set On You." Berkenstadt will explain how he was able to authenticate the guitar, its use by George, and Harrison's signature. He will also address other Beatles pieces, examining the mysteries and stories behind them.
Source:beatlesnews.com
February 25 is the birth anniversary of George Harrison, the popular British songwriter and musician known best as a member of the famous Beatles group.
It is now very well known that Harrison wrote a song especially for Dehradun during his stay at the ashram of Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh in the late 1960s. For the Beatles, their stay in India was their most creative period. When they were in Rishikesh for several weeks in February, March and April of 1968 (they stayed at Mahesh Yogi’s spiritual centre in Rishikesh), they wrote many songs, most of which were included in their “White Album”, one of their best known.
Born on February 25, 1943, in Liverpool, England, Harrison formed a band with schoolmates to play in clubs around Liverpool.
Source: The Pioneer/dailypioneer.com
Ted Nugent used to say: “If it’s too loud, you’re too old.”
So if, in fact, “rock n’ roll is a young man’s game” as many musicians have claimed, then why are there so many aging rockers still touring?
As Sammy Hagar, now 71, told a Toronto crowd in 2013: “What do you want me to do? Play golf?”
Or to Ringo Starr’s point at a 2013 press conference at Casino Rama about two hours north of Toronto: “It’s what I do. You know I’m not an electrician, I play drums.”
And isn’t it more than a little age-ist to say you have to pack it in as a rocker after a certain age if — big IF — you still have the energy and ability, songs that stand the test of time, and people are willing to pay money to see you in droves?
Source: Jane Stevenson/torontosun.com
