Beatles News
On May 23, 2024, Paul McCartney presented an Ivor Novello award to Bruce Springsteen. There, he took the opportunity to engage in some good-natured ribbing. Springsteen was being awarded with an Academy Fellowship, and was the first international artist to earn the award.
“I couldn’t think of a more fitting recipient,” McCartney began in his introduction. He playfully continued, “Except maybe Bob Dylan. Or Paul Simon, or Billy Joel, or Beyoncé, or Taylor Swift. The list goes on,” according to a report from The Guardian.
McCartney then added, “He’s known as the American working man, but he admits he’s never worked a day in his life.” He switched gears after that, instead reminiscing about Glastonbury 2022 when he and Springsteen performed together. McCartney concluded by calling Springsteen “a lovely boy.”
When Paul McCartney teases you on stage, you take it in stride, because he’s probably right. Bruce Springsteen, for his part, accepted the award and the good-natured ribbing with ease and humor. During his acceptance speech, he made a comment about the typical English weather.
Springsteen and the E Street Band had played in Sunderland the previous night and were faced with intense weather. However, Springsteen revealed that seeing the crowd sparked something in him that made him forget about the rain.
“We came out last night, and I was like: what is this weather? Driving rain, wind roaring,” he said. For the English, that’s just a Tuesday. “But,” Springsteen continued, “standing in front of me, in the rain, I realized: these are my people.”
Bruce Springsteen was the first international artist to receive the Academy Fellowship from the Ivor Academy. He joined artists such as U2, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, and Annie Lennox. The fellowship recognizes craft, artistry, and impact in music creation. Members include rock and rollers, pop stars, composers, conductors, and singer-songwriters.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Lauren Boisvert
Yes, we know that The Beatles were never actually part of Motown – either as a band or as individuals.
After that infamous failed audition at Decca ("guitar groups are on their way out"), George Martin signed the band for EMI subsidiary Parlophone in 1962
That's where they stayed until they formed Apple Records in 1968, with EMI still dealing with distribution.
Over in the US things started off in messy fashion with the band bouncing form Vee-Jay and then to Swan Records, before Capitol took the band on in 1964. Again, Apple Records took over from The Beatles on.
So where on earth do we get off with calling The Beatles the ultimate Motown band?
Well, despite not actually being signed to the band, their two-way links to the whole sound of Motown is absolutely vital to the story of The Beatles.
While they're rightly credited for mashing up the influence of early rock 'n' roll and skiffle with their own songwriting, you could hear the influence of Motown on the sound of the Beatles from the very beginning.
What was it that bound these two geographically diverse movements of Motown and Merseybeat?
British label Oriole Records represented Tamla Motown on these shores and with its busy docks, Merseyside was the biggest source of Motown records in the UK.
Mersey Beat magazine founder Bill Harry spoke to Record Collector in 2009 about the links between these two centres of early 1960s pop.
"The Tamla Motown numbers were included in the repertoire of the Liverpool bands," he explained.
"They adapted the songs to fit in with the developing Liverpool sound, the basic three guitars/drums/harmony lineup which produced a hybrid sound which I was to call 'the Mersey Motown sound'."
And The Beatles made that Motown connection explicit with a number of covers of Motown originals during their early live shows. They recorded a few for their radio sessions.
They recorded a few for their radio sessions and even laid down a trio for one of their albums.
The Beatles — Please Mr. Postman
While six of the 14 songs on The Beatles debut Please Please Me were covers, none were Motown originals. It was on the follow-up With The Beatles that they really showed off that side of their sound.
Source: Mayer Nissim/goldradio.com
The Beatles boast an official catalogue of 213 songs released between 1962 until their split in 1970, including 188 originals and 25 covers, making them the most successful band in music history.
The iconic Liverpool quartet, consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, were all the rage during their eight-year stint thanks to a series of songs written by Lennon and McCartney, though of course Harrison and Starr also contributed classics including 'Here Comes The Sun' and 'Octopus's Garden' respectively.
Even today, The Beatles' songs resonate as strongly as they did during the height of 60s Beatlemania. Devoted followers of the Fab Four have recently taken to Reddit to discuss tracks that featured no involvement from Lennon, who was tragically shot and killed at the age of 40 by Mark David Chapman in New York City in 1980.
A curious fan of the Fab Four on TheBeatles subreddit sparked the conversation by asking: "Which Beatles songs did John Lennon NOT perform on?" In the ensuing discussion, several users pointed out that two of McCartney's legendary singles, 'Blackbird' and 'Yesterday', were created without any contribution from Lennon.
One enthusiast remarked, "Yesterday was the song Lennon always wished he had written," adding an anecdote about Lennon's reaction to his own hit 'Imagine': "Apparently, right after he [Lennon] came up with 'Imagine', he asked someone if it was as good as 'Yesterday'. The response was that the two were impossible to compare. Lennon responded 'you'll see, it's just as good as Yesterday'."
Several fans pointed to 'Mother Nature's Son', from The White Album in 1968, as another song McCartney penned and recorded solo, despite Lennon being co-credited. Meanwhile, a handful of other tracks from The White Album also lacked Lennon's musical touch - 'Good Night', 'Wild Honey Pie', 'Martha My Dear' and 'I Will'.
Source: express.co.uk/Alan Johnson
Paul McCartney opened up about working with Barbra Streisand on the new duet "My Valentine"
The former Beatle said he found it "nerve-wracking" to perform with the star: "I was pretty terrified". The song will appear on Streisand's new album The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two
It may be hard to believe, but even Paul McCartney gets stage fright. The legendary rocker recently recorded a duet of his song “My Valentine” with Barbra Streisand — and admitted that he found the process “nerve-wracking” and “nail-biting!”
In a blog post shared to his website on Tuesday, May 20, McCartney, 82, opened up about working with Streisand, 83, on the track, which will appear on her upcoming record The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two, out June 27.
“I did the session with her in LA and I was pretty terrified. I think the session was about three hours, you know, a normal kind of session, and it was produced by my friend Peter Asher,” McCartney wrote. “But it started off with a big 40-piece orchestra on the Sony lot… and we were on ‘The Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage,’ so no pressure there!”
The studio stage, named after the EGOT-winning star, is a famous one on the Sony lot, as it’s where the soundtracks for films like Gone with the Wind, Forrest Gump and Toy Story were all recorded. The song McCartney and Streisand sang together, “My Valentine,” was written for the former Beatle’s wife, Nancy Shevell, whom he married in 2011.
“I thought, ‘Well, this will be easy because it’s my song, it’s ‘My Valentine.’ What can go wrong?’ But what I’d forgotten was that they’d arranged it so that it had to go in Barbra’s key and then in my key,” he explained. “So, to get from Barbra’s key into mine was kind of difficult, and I had to launch in not knowing what key I was in. Mine was lower, hers was higher. It wasn’t easy at all!”
The “Band on the Run” singer did, however, express pleasure at the idea of the song becoming something of a modern standard, as it’s also been recorded by Michael Bublé.
“That was another reason I did it; I thought if Barbra is going to do my song, I’ve got to encourage that,” he wrote. “And she was great. I didn’t realize how rounded she is, creatively.”
McCartney noted that the recording session was filmed, and at first, he was alarmed by all of the cameras and lights. Before long, however, he remembered that Streisand is an accomplished director (She was the first woman to win Best Director at the Golden Globes, for her 1983 film Yentl). “I thought, ‘Wow, you’re directing it!’ But then I suddenly remembered she’s directed three big movies. She’s a smart cookie,” he wrote.
Upon the song’s release on May 16, Streisand praised McCartney in an Instagram post that featured a photo of the two of them recording together.
“What a joy it was to record ‘My Valentine’ with @paulmccartney. To share time with him in the studio was truly special!” she wrote.
The Funny Girl star announced her new album in April. It serves as a follow-up to 2014’s Partners, and includes duets with McCartney, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Sting, Hozier, Sam Smith, Seal, Josh Groban, Tim McGraw, Laufey, and Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande.
Source: people.comRachel DeSantis
An Antiques Roadshow visitor was utterly astounded by the jaw-dropping appraisal of a guitar that once belonged to George Harrison of The Beatles fame.
On the beloved UK version of the beloved PBS show, expert Jon Baddeley was visibly thrilled as he examined the remarkable piece, with an eager audience gathered to hear its tale.
Baddeley began his conversation with the guitar's current keeper and music aficionado Paul, remarking: "Now you've brought me in an exceptionally rare guitar with an even more interesting story behind it. But let's focus on the make first. It's a make I have rarely ever seen."
Paul shared that the guitar was a product of Bartell of California from the 1960s, describing it as a "very rare" fretless prototype.
He then unveiled the lore: "And the story goes that the company owner has always said he gave one to John Lennon and he gave one to Jimi Hendrix. This is the Lennon one." The spotlight then shifted to another guest, Ray, who recounted how this unique instrument came into his life.
Ray reminisced about his days as a session guitarist in the '70s and '80s, particularly his work for Handmade Films, the company founded by George Harrison. He recalled, "I was asked to play guitar, which was great, had lots of laughs and at the end of the session, George said 'I'm not sure what to do with this. You have a go.'
Ray ended up with the guitar, noting its peculiar nature: "And I just got handed the guitar. It's a strange old thing to play, because there are no frets. "But I played a few notes and he said 'You're definitely getting more out of it than I am.
"'It's doing better for you, why don't you have it.' Baddeley remarked: "Well that's not a bad accolade that you can play better than George Harrison!". The guest humbly responded: "At the time, this was quite rock n'roll as this. It's not the greatest of rock n'roll guitars unless you're going to play slide or something like that."
Turning his attention to a photo brought in by the guest, Baddeley called it the "icing on the cake".
"Because this is George Harrison in his house in Friar Park, and here's George standing at the back and just down here on the left hand side, is the guitar in question.
Source: the-express.com/Hayley Anderson, Hollie Beale
In a striking statement, George Harrison stood firm: he'd only play if John Lennon was there. He saw Lennon as The Beatles' big brother, making it plain he clicked better with John than Paul McCartney.
"I'd join a band with John Lennon any day, but I couldn't join a band with Paul McCartney, but that's nothing personal. It's just from a musical point of view," Harrison told The Mirror. Despite their differences, Harrison, Lennon, and McCartney collaborated to create many hits.
As kids, Lennon and McCartney faced hard times. Paul's mom died when he turned 14. Three years later, John lost his mother in a crash. This shared pain brought them close.
Writer Ian Leslie, who studied their work, said, "When they met, they were teenagers, both of them very emotionally intense and both of them had had difficult childhoods in different ways, but in one particular way. They both lost their mothers at a young age," he told The Mirror. He also said that music was a vital outlet for Lennon and McCartney, and it let them channel pain, loneliness, and joy into their songwriting.
The band split in 1970 after McCartney walked away. John wrote the biting "How Do You Sleep?," and Paul shot back with "Too Many People."
Back then, men kept quiet about their feelings, Leslie added. Neither star ever tried therapy or counseling to work through their issues.
Harrison's words hint at deep splits in the group's musical vision. "John has gone through his scene, but it feels to me like he's come around, and we're all at the point," he said of Lennon's direction.
Source: wmgk.com/Laura Adkins
If you were to make a list of the easiest Beatles’ songs for an amateur drummer to play, “Love Me Do”, the A-side to the band’s first single, would have to rank high on the list. It lopes along at a leisurely pace and doesn’t require too many fancy fills.
Why then did The Beatles use three different drummers on the three official studio versions of the song? It had nothing to do with difficulty. Instead, the somewhat chaotic circumstances surrounding The Beatles’ earliest recording sessions caused the rotating drummers.
The Beatles first took a crack at recording “Love Me Do” during their audition for EMI in June 1962. At that point, Pete Best was still their drummer, a role that he’d served for the previous couple of years. He joined the band during their time in Germany as they honed their live skills. And he helped them as they built a rabid following at The Cavern Club in Liverpool.
Unfortunately, George Martin didn’t think much of Best’s drumming skills. He agreed to sign The Beatles to the Parlophone label of EMI on one condition. Best would have to go. The Beatles had a choice to make if they wanted a record deal.
It might have been a tougher decision if the other three members of the group hadn’t been questioning Best’s ability for a while before that. On top of that, he was a bit of an outsider in the group. Luckily, the band had another option in mind once Best was sacked, a fellow by the name of Ringo Starr. Uh-Oh Ringo
Starr checked a lot of the boxes that Best didn’t. The Beatles knew him from occasions where he had filled in for an absent Best, so they realized how skillful he was. He also proved to be a good fit chemistry-wise. When the group headed back into EMI on September 4, they did so with Starr in tow.
The only problem was that nobody had notified George Martin of the switch. Already a bit wary following his experience with Best, he didn’t think Starr set the world on fire when the group ran through a version of “Love Me Do” that day.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia
As a result, when The Beatles returned a week later to record again, a session drummer named Andy White was waiting to greet them. Martin had hired White as an insurance policy. That meant that Starr was relegated to playing the tambourine on the song that day, an insult that bugged him for years after the fact.
These days, like so many other legacy acts, The Beatles usually perform best on music charts around the world with albums, not singles. This is typically because the millions of people who continue to listen to the group focus on either classic full-lengths or compilations built around some of the band’s most famous tunes. The Beatles do occasionally collect a hit or two, especially in the U.K., where the act’s fame remains particularly impressive. This frame is a big one for the rockers on song rankings, as British listeners appear to be interested in both albums and singles at the moment.
The Beatles fill a trio of spaces on one songs tally in the U.K. this week thanks to a pair of holdovers and one returning smash. "From Me to You" reenters the Official Physical Singles chart at No. 93. It joins both "Now and Then" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand," which dip to Nos. 70 and 84, respectively.
Of the three, "Now and Then" is the biggest hit by the band — at least on the Official Physical Singles chart — though the other tracks are much older. "Now and Then," which was released in 2023 as the final track by The Beatles, has reached No. 1 in the past. Both "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "From Me to You" have cracked the top 10, but neither has managed to rule the tally.
"Now and Then" has spent more time on the ranking than both of those tracks combined—twice over.
Somewhat surprisingly, The Beatles claim more hit songs in the U.K. this week than albums. That’s not usually the case – though this isn’t the first time the band has managed such a showing. Just two compilations by the group appear on the charts, and both manage to find space on a pair of tallies.
1967–1970 and 1962–1966 — two greatest-hits sets that were released at the same time decades ago — both find space on the Official Albums chart and the Official Albums Streaming ranking. Plays on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and other competitors of the band's most famous smashes are largely powering these two titles.
Source: forbes.com/Hugh McIntyre
The Beatles were over when Paul McCartney announced his decision to leave the band, but one expert has revealed there was more to their split.
Tensions had been rising between the bandmates long before Paul left and by April 1970, he decided he'd had enough and announced his decision to quit The Beatles. Fans were devastated, but author David Stark has explained it was actually John Lennon who sparked the end of the iconic group.
Stark, a lifelong Beatles fan, admitted he "wasn't surprised" when news of the split was made public. "It was obvious by the end of the 60s that things were changing," he told The Mirror US.
By this time, John was in a relationship with Yoko Ono and Paul had been working on his own things. The musician released his solo album in 1970 and went on to form the band Wings.
While it made headlines when Paul left the band, Stark told us, "In actuality, John had told them all that he was leaving in September 69 and he kept it quiet." However, there was one person John told his plans to.
"The only person he told from the press was a chap called Ray Connolly." John swore Ray to secrecy and Stark suggested a reason why the writer agreed. The expert said, "If Ray had published the story in 69, that would have been the end of his career."
Speaking about the end of The Beatles, Stark explained he chose to remain optimistic. "I was upset. But the on the upside was The Beatles splitting and they all made solo albums, so we had four times as many records to listen to," he joked.
Stark continued, "They all made some great records. And of course, all good things come to an end. And I'm still a fan today."
The Beatles have a lasting legacy and are still continuing to gain fans around the world. Stark tried to explain why the band has continued to achieve huge success as he told us, "The Beatles were so dominant.
"But every record they made, every single was different. Every album was a progression on the last." He concluded, "They put out these amazing songs and they're still mostly all stand up today."
Source: themirror.com/Scarlett O'Toole
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band just dropped new tour dates for this fall.
The Beatles drummer, 84, and his current bandmates, Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bassinet, and Buck Johnson, were already scheduled for their summer tour taking place from June 12 to June 25.
Now, Starr and company will also be performing 11 shows in September, including a six-show residency at The Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas.
Concert goers can expect the setlist to be a mixed bag of Starr’s solo hits, Beatles classics, and standout tunes from each All Starr member’s catalog. Performances in the past have included songs like “It Don’t Come Easy,” “Photograph,” “Yellow Submarine,” “With a Little Help From My Friends,” “Rosanna,” “Down Under,” and “Pick Up the Pieces.”
Related: Willie Nelson, 92, and Bob Dylan, 83, Reunite for Legendary Performance
See the full list of tour dates below:
June 12 – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, Bridgeport, Connecticut
June 13 – Radio City Music Hall, New York City, New York
June 15 – TD Pavilion at The Mann, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
June 17 – Wolf Trap, Vienna, Virginia
June 18 – Tanger Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
June 20 – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida
June 21 – The BayCare Sound, Clearwater, Florida
June 22 – The St. Augustine Amphitheater, St. Augustine, Florida
June 24 – Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
June 25 – Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, North Carolina
September 10 – The Chicago Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
September 12 – Miller High Life Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
September 13 – Bourbon & Beyond, Louisville, Kentucky
September 17 – The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada
September 18 – The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada
September 20 – The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada
September 21 – Ironstone Amphitheatre, Murphys, California
September 23 – To Be Announced
September 24 – The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada
September 26 – The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada
September 27 – The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada
Starr, born Richard Starkey, has been a staple of the music industry since joining the Beatles in August 1962. In 1970, the renowned drummer launched his successful solo career following the band's split.
To date, the father of three, who welcomed his children, Zak, Jason, and Lee, with his late ex-wife, Maureen Cox, has released over 20 studio albums.
Source: Melissa Copelton/parade.com
