Beatles News
"I didn't know what to do with myself, and trying something new was really risky," said the legendary singer. Paul McCartney is opening up about life after The Beatles.
The 80-year-old icon was a member of the 7-time Grammy-winning group with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr until it disbanded in 1970. McCartney then ventured out into a successful solo career.
On his website, the "Coming Up" singer answered a question that a fan asked via Twitter on the biggest risk he's taken in his decades-long career.
"The main question I had was whether to keep going after The Beatles," he wrote in the post published on Tuesday, "because it was a hard act — some might say, an impossible act — to follow."
Praising the group's talent, McCartney added, "The ingredients in the Beatles were so unique. You had John right there, who could have made any group brilliant. Then you had George's talent, and Ringo's, and then me."
McCartney confessed that once the members went their separate ways, "I didn't know what to do with myself, and trying something new was really risky."
Source: Charmaine Patterson/ca.news.yahoo.com
In the late 1950s, John Lennon formed a skiffle group called the Quarrymen, named after his school. The line-up featured John on guitar with Paul McCartney and George Harrison, John 'Duff' Lowe on piano, and Colin Hanton on drums.
After rehearsing at McCartney's house, they booked a recording session at Percy Phillips' studio at 38 Kensington, Liverpool, in July 1958 and recorded In Spite Of All The Danger, a song credited to McCartney and Harrison. They could afford only one copy of the 10in disc, so they agreed to share it, with each member keeping it for a week. Lowe ended up keeping it for 23 years.
When he rediscovered it in 1981, he contacted McCartney, who bought it from him for an undisclosed fee. It was eventually released on The Beatles Anthology 1 in 1995.
After several changes in their line-up, the Quarrymen evolved into The Beatles. Over recent years, McCartney has played In Spite Of All The Danger on concert dates, much to the delight of his fans.
Source: MSN
The Beatles have nothing left to prove as a musical entity. They have ranked as one of the most commercially successful and impactful names in the industry since they first broke out in the early ‘60s. Decades later–and long after they split–the band is still hitting new highs and improving their legacy.
This week, The Beatles’ 1 reaches a very special milestone. The compilation has now lived on the Billboard 200 for 550 weeks.
1 is The Beatles’ longest-charting title on the Billboard 200, Billboard’s weekly ranking of the most-consumed albums in the U.S. It’s their first release to make it to 550 frames on the tally, and it likely won’t be matched for some time.
The Beatles’ second-longest-running win on the Billboard 200 remains Abbey Road. That album is nearing 500 weeks on the list, as it’s already up to 491 stays on the roster. While it may be close to that sizable figure, Abbey Road doesn’t often appear on the Billboard 200–unlike 1.
The compilation rises just two spots this frame. Last week, it sat at No. 197; now it’s up to No. 195. The singles collection is barely hanging on, as the roster only features 200 spaces, but it’s performing just well enough to continue to add to its historic total.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
Every day Curt Gunther, drawing deeply on a cigarette, his wise and cunning eyes boring into mine, would say: "Derek, we gotta have some special pictures, something original."' - Derek Taylor
Although Brian Epstein had decided that no journalists would travel with The Beatles on the tour, Derek Taylor, Press Officer and friend to The Beatles, persuaded Epstein to allow Curt Gunther to join the tour party. With unparalleled access, Gunther's lens reveals candid moments, electric performances, and the whirlwind of Beatlemania that swept across North America.
From the excitement of their arrival in San Francisco to the fervent crowds at their concerts across the United States and Canada, each photograph encapsulates the essence of a cultural phenomenon. Mania Days features over 350 images, many of which have never been seen before, showcasing The Beatles both on and off stage. Readers are treated to behind-the-scenes glimpses of John, Paul, George, and Ringo's camaraderie, their interactions with fans, and their responses to the burgeoning fame that defined an era.
Source: genesis-publications.com
Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy looked serene and care-free on Monday as they headed home from a day at the beach in the Hamptons.
The Beatles legend, 82, put on a casual display for their outing, sporting a plain T-shirt and swimming trunks with a boat pattern.
But Paul showed he's kept up to date with fashion, as he added a pair of black sliders, resembling the trendy Yeezy style shoes.
The singer-songwriter also made sure to keep himself shielded from the sun with a baseball cap and dark shades.
Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy looked serene and care-free on Monday as they headed home from a day at the beach in the Hamptons. The Beatles legend, 82, put on a casual display for their outing, sporting a plain T-shirt and swimming trunks with a boat pattern
But Paul showed he's kept up to date with fashion, as he added a pair of black sliders, resembling the trendy Yeezy style shoes. Showing off her impeccable sense of style, she teamed it with a pair of woven sliders and a cream bucket hat. The mother-of-one added a couple of layered necklaces and a pair of oversized sunglasses, while toting a small striped bag.
The couple have been married for almost 13 years, having tied the knot in October 2011 in a small civil ceremony at Marylebone Town Hall.
Source: Milly Veitch/dailymail.co.uk
John Lennon, born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, was a legendary singer, songwriter, and peace activist who co-founded the iconic rock band, The Beatles. He was a pivotal figure in the music industry and became one of the most influential and celebrated musicians of the 20th century.
In the early 1960s, along with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, John Lennon formed The Beatles, a band that would revolutionize popular music and become a cultural phenomenon. As the primary songwriter and co-lead vocalist of the group, Lennon’s creative contributions were instrumental in shaping their sound and style.
The Beatles’ massive success and unprecedented fame brought Beatlemania to the world, influencing an entire generation and changing the landscape of popular music forever. Some of Lennon’s most iconic compositions for The Beatles include “Imagine,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “A Day in the Life,” and “Let It Be.”
In 1969, John Lennon married artist and musician Yoko Ono, and the couple became known for their activism and advocacy for peace. Their “Bed-In” events, peace protests, and iconic song “Give Peace a Chance” demonstrated Lennon’s commitment to promoting non-violence and social harmony.
In 1970, The Beatles disbanded, and John Lennon pursued a successful solo career. He released several acclaimed albums, including “Imagine,” which remains one of his most beloved and critically acclaimed works. His solo music often carried powerful messages of peace, love, and self-reflection.
Source: Edward Tomlin/singersroom.com
Ringo Starr never turned to The Beatles' assistant with his problems. Here's why the assistant wished Starr would have sometimes.
Due to the enormity of their success in The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr had an entire staff of people to support them. One of these people was Alistair Taylor, who worked as the assistant to Beatles manager Brian Epstein. The band began to refer to Taylor as “Mr. Fixit” because of his skill at finding solutions to their problems. According to Taylor, Starr was the only one who never bothered him with his problems.
Taylor grew accustomed to dealing with The Beatles’ problems. McCartney, for example, asked Taylor to track down a waitress he met and invite her on vacation with him. Taylor did jobs like this for Lennon and Harrison as well, but he said Starr never asked him for help.
“[T]he one person that never, ever bothered me was Ritchie [Ringo],” Taylor said in the book All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines. “He was always apologetic, and he never bothered me. I’d find he’d done something. And I used to say to him, ‘Look, why on earth didn’t you ask me to fix that for you?’ ‘Oh, no. I don’t want to bother you.’”
A black and white picture of Ringo Starr sitting in front of a microphone with his chin resting on his hand. He holds a cigarette between his fingers.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
The Polish state broadcaster on Saturday suspended a television journalist who, during the Olympic Games opening ceremony, reacted to a performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” by saying it was a “vision of communism.”
TVP, the broadcaster, issued a statement Saturday saying that the journalist and sports commentator, Przemyslaw Babiarz, would not be allowed to comment on air anymore during this summer’s Games.
Lennon’s song asks to imagine no heaven or hell, no countries, and no possessions.
“This is a vision of communism, unfortunately,” Babiarz said during the grand opening ceremony along the Seine River in Paris on Friday evening — comments that immediately triggered controversy for those watching in Poland.
TVP said in its statement announcing his suspension: “Mutual understanding, tolerance, reconciliation — these are not only the basic ideas of the Olympics, they are also the foundation of the standards that guide the new Polish Television. There is no consent to violate them.”
State media has been an ideological battleground in Poland for years. It was used as a mouthpiece by the right-wing populists who governed Poland from 2015-23. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a centrist politician whose broad coalition took power in December, acted quickly to remove their control of the airwaves.
Conservatives and their allies still reeling from their loss of control of state media denounced the decision, among them conservative President Andrzej Duda and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
“The truth will defend itself! Your actions will be remembered and censorship will fail,” Morawiecki wrote on X.
Some commentators on the political left said they felt the punishment was too harsh.
Source: VANESSA GERA/apnews.com
Ever wondered who your favorite guitarist’s favorite guitarist is? Many of the greats have been tight-lipped about their personal inspirations, while others have been pretty forthright about the musicians they love.
Kurt Cobain loved The Stooges, David Bowie loved Arcade Fire (not the other way around; though we imagine the feeling is mutual), and Chris Martin loves Radiohead. Not surprisingly, former Beatles multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Paul McCartney has expressed his love for his favorite guitarist, Jimi Hendrix.
Paul McCartney Has Said in the Past That His Favorite Guitarist Is Jimi Hendrix
Paul McCartney wasn’t solely a guitarist for The Beatles. He was more well-known as the band’s bassist, as well as (more or less) one-half of the songwriting talent behind the legendary rock band. Still, he knows his way around the guitar, among other instruments.
McCartney and Hendrix ran in similar circles during their heydays in the late 1960s. McCartney said that he saw Hendrix perform in London at the Saville Theatre shortly after The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Hendrix even covered that album’s title track once he heard that McCartney was in attendance.
“Brian Epstein used to rent it when it was usually dark on the Sunday,” McCartney once said in an interview with Stephen Colbert. “Jimi opened, the curtains flew back and he came walking forward, playing ‘Sgt. Pepper’. And it had only been released on the Thursday so that was like the ultimate compliment.”
Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com
No musician is immune to the occasional beef with another musician. Though, we’d have to say George Harrison of The Beatles’s “beef” with the brothers behind Oasis was a little bit one-sided.
Many musicians out there have voiced their distaste for the Manchester, England rock band Oasis. Blur, Radiohead, Mick Jagger, and the actual members of Oasis are a few examples. And not surprisingly, George Harrison also had a few cross words for the band, as well.
In a way, it’s quite sad. Noel and Liam Gallagher have said that Oasis took a lot of inspiration from The Beatles. It was well-known that they were the Gallaghers’ favorite band. Never meet your heroes, kids.
“The music lacks depth,” Harrison said of Oasis’ music back in 1996. “And the singer Liam is a pain, the rest of the band don’t need him.”
It was a pretty shocking jab at the band, particularly Liam. And he didn’t take it sitting down. In an interview with MTV shortly after, Liam went as far as to threaten the former Beatle.“If any of them old farts have got a problem with me, then they should leave their Zimmer frames at home, and I’ll hold them up with a good right hook,” Liam Gallagher said on MTV.
Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com
