Beatles News
He is one of the most legendary musicians of all time, founder member of iconic band The Beatles, has sold more than 800m records and won 18 Grammy awards and an Oscar.
And after nearly six decades in the music industry, Sir Paul McCartney said he'd finally 'made it' as he was honoured with a Gold Blue Peter Badge.
The Hey Jude hitmaker, 76, received the glittering accessory before his performance at London's The O2 in December, with the presentation to be aired on Thursday's episode of the children's show.
Iconic: After nearly six decades in the music industry, Sir Paul McCartney said he'd finally 'made it' as he was honoured with a Gold Blue Peter BadgeFab Four: Paul is the founder member of iconic band The Beatles, has sold more than 800m records and won 18 Grammy awards and an Oscar (pictured with bandmates Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison in 1965)
Source: dailymail.co.uk
A pair of legal letters that foretold the eventual dissolution of the Beatles are now for sale.
Both letters, from January 1969 and April 1969, were sent to John Eastman and Lee Eastman, the father and brother of Linda Eastman, who would marry Paul McCartney in March 1969.
Moments in Time is selling both letters: The January 1969 letter is available for $225,000, while the April 1969 letter has an asking price of $325,000.
The January 1969 letter, signed by all four Beatles as well as Apple Corps head Neil Aspinall, is addressed to John Eastman informing him that “we retain you and authorise you to act on our behalf in negotiations in respect of all contracts proposed.”
However, three months later, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr sent a signed letter to Lee Eastman severing the professional relationship; the other three Beatles aligned with the Rolling Stones’ manager Allan Klein while McCartney remained with his father- and brother-in-law.
Source: Daniel Kreps/rollingstone.com
The news, earlier this week, that Peter Jackson was to direct a new documentary from Let It Be footage brings full circle one of the weirder footnotes in The Beatles’ career. In 1968, while The Beatles visited Rishikesh in northern India, Denis O’Dell – the head of Apple Films – was in the process of renegotiate The Beatles’ film contracts. Among the ideas discussed for a new Fabs’ film was… Tolkein’s epic. Here’s O’Dell, from an interview I conducted with him a couple of years ago to tell all…
"They were out in India. I declined to go. I got a telegram one day. Paul again. ‘Denis, come out right away.’ So I went out there. Before, while they were there, I’d had meetings in New York with David Picker, who was head of UA at the time. I was going there to renegotiate The Beatles contracts in the event they did a film. That was great but the weakness was, they didn’t have a film. Everything you suggested, you couldn’t get agreement. I was going up in the elevator to David’s office and I thought, ‘Christ. The Tolkein. Four little people, with Donovan as well.’ I said to David Picker, ‘Can I get ten minutes to make a few phone calls.’ I rang a good friend of mine, a lawyer, Jack Schwartzman, in Los Angeles. I said, ‘Jack, can you buy the rights to the Tolkein for Apple?’ Silence. I said, ‘What’s up?’
Source: uncut.co.uk
When The Beatles officially called it quits in 1970, there were several signs along the way the boys weren't getting along ... including a harsh letter to Paul's lawyer signed by John, George and Ringo.
Now that document can be yours ... if you have a big stack of cash to spare.
The letter, dated April 18, 1969, informs Lee Eastman that he's "not authorized to act or to hold yourself out as the attourney or legal representative of 'The Beatles.'" It goes on to acknowledge Eastman reps Paul McCartney personally ... but that's it.
This document's signed by John Lennon, Richard Starkey (aka Ringo) and George Harrison ... and it's currently on sale for $325k.
There's another letter up for grabs too -- signed by the entire Fab Four -- that's a little more friendly. It's from January 1969 and confirms that attorney John Eastman is authorized to handle the band's contract negotiations "in accordance with our instructions." This one's for sale for $225k.
Source: tmz.com
For years Andy Warhol’s preferred method of artistic documentation was the use of a Polaroid camera.
Whether shooting his subjects at his iconic factory studios or, in some instances, creating developing and depicting his ‘Warhol’s Queens’ a collection, the American artist quite regularly had a Polaroid within reach.
Now, a new exhibition is heading to London and collects Warhol’s most memorable photographs. The new show will open at London’s Bastian Gallery in Mayfair from February 2nd until April 13th. Armed with more than 60 portrait and self-portrait Polaroid pictures taken by Warhol himself, the exhibition will also boast some previously unseen shots.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the hotbed of activity his New York factory studio was during the height of his fame, numerous images include some extremely well known faces. “My idea of a good picture is one that’s in focus and of a famous person doing something unfamous. It’s being in the right place at the wrong time,” Warhol famously once said.
Source: Lee Thomas-Mason/faroutmagazine.co.uk
During a recent interview with Express, The Beatles biographer Barry Miles has revealed little-known truth about the relationship between The Beatles members, John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
He said that “The songwriting relationship and friendship was so deep that it transcended any bickering over money or management“, and continued:
“Paul said that on a number of occasions they’d be in the middle of an argument and John would just pull his little granny glasses down the end of his nose, look over the top and say, ‘It’s only me’ and then go back to shouting and blinding and swearing.
You can’t go through something like Beatlemania without being totally close to the other members. For all those years they were in that strange bubble, just travelling around the world.”
Source: Feyyaz Ustaer/metalheadzone.com
Dublin will host a unique charity 24-hour Timed Online Auction of Elvis and The Beatles on Valentine's Day.
Wilsons Auctions will host the event, featuring over 200 Lots of Elvis and The Beatles music including vinyls, CDs and memorabilia.
All money raised by the auction will go to the owner of the collection to help fund his care with Motor Neuron Disease / ALS.
The auction is guaranteed to set hearts racing for fans of the King of Rock n Roll with the opportunity to purchase from a wide selection of Elvis LPs, CDs and boxsets.
Elvis vinyls include Graceland, Elvis Rocks and the Girls Roll, Aloha from Hawaii, Guitar Man, The Sound of Your Cry, Inspirations and This is Elvis.
Memorabilia on offer will include magazines, posters, trading cards, Elvis ties, cufflinks, paperweights and a framed Elvis Truth About Me vinyl.
The auction will also include a selection of vinyls and CDs from the Fab Four as well as solo material from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.
Source: Mark O'Brien/dublinlive.ie
If you’ve had “A Hard Day’s Night,” and “All You Need Is Love,” then give a “Shout” because “Help!” is on the way! The McCartney Project, America’s No. 1 live concert tribute to Paul McCartney, Wings and The Beatles, takes center stage at the Athens Theatre in DeLand, for one night only, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7.
The McCartney Project covers more than three decades of the most popular Beatles chart-toppers, through the monster hits of Wings, and more.
Each song replicates the authentic, iconic sound of Paul McCartney’s music. This is a fun, high-energy show, from the opening song through the closing encore. This family-friendly concert is a wonderful opportunity to introduce the kids or grandkids to Sir Paul’s unforgettable music.
Leading The McCartney Project is Tony Burlingame. He has been paying tribute to Paul McCartney for years, and bears an uncanny resemblance. His voice, mannerisms, and left-handed bass-playing, along with the very talented McCartney Project Band, deliver the ultimate McCartney experience.
Source: GLENN PINE/beacononlinenews.com
Entering the Parisian showroom where Stella McCartney recently presented her new men's collection, there’s no mistaking her inspirations for this season. A large-scale reproduction of the famous Beatles’ yellow submarine, a recurring motif in her latest Pre-Fall collection, dominated the room. Last summer, the animated film Yellow Submarine celebrated its 50th anniversary with a manually restored version, image by image, while the album of the same name, featuring the soundtrack from the film, was reissued. It had been remixed for the occasion at the well-known Abbey Road studio.
For Stella McCartney, it was the message of love and cohesion surrounding the universe of Yellow Submarine, with songs such as All together now or All you need is love, which inspired her, during a screening of the film which she attended with her father. "I think it’s so relevant to now, bringing the world together, the people together, breaking down barriers … [they were]modern, ahead of their time, these four young men,” she explained recently to Vogue.
Source: Alexandre Marain/vogue.fr
Apple Records partnering with Peter Jackson to direct a new Beatles documentary edited from the hours of footage recorded for the 1970 film, Let It Be is great news for the band's fans, but could this new edit of the Let It Be footage be rewriting the story of The Beatles' breakup?
Let It Be is a documentary about The Beatles rehearsing and recording the album of the same name. Filmed in the early part of 1969, the band would break up later that year before officially dissolving in 1970. It's notorious for including sequences that hint at the discord brewing between band members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, building off tensions that first surfaced while The Beatles were recording "The White Album."
Let It Be has since become an incredibly tough film to find, which makes the news of Jackson's restoration especially exciting. However, seeing as it's an officially sanctioned re-editing of the material, there's a real chance the film might soften just how badly the individual Beatles come across in the footage. In which case, might the purpose of Jackson's new documentary be to rewrite the history of The Beatles' breakup in the same way Bohemian Rhapsody changed the story of Queen?
Source: Stephen M. Colbert/screenrant.com
