Beatles News
19th May 1967: The Beatles celebrate the completion of their new album, 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts ... [+] Club Band', at a press conference held at the west London home of their manager Brian Epstein. The LP is released on June 1st.
The Beatles never have a hard time selling albums in the U.S. They didn’t when they were first starting out and taking over the world, and they still don’t to this day, even though they’ve largely been broken up for many decades. Two of the most popular releases from the pioneering rock band are climbing again on the Billboard charts this week, as Americans aren’t tired of listening to their biggest smashes.
Both of the band’s greatest hits albums released in 1973, just a few years after they split, are on the uptick once again. The titles focus on two chapters of the group’s time together, with the first highlighting the singles from 1962-1966 (sometimes called the Red album), and the second from 1967-1970 (known as the Blue album).
Of the two compilations, 1962-1966 (Red) is doing the best. It seems that fans in the U.S. prefer their older singles–the ones that made them a household name in the first place. That title appears on three lists, while its later counterpart is found on a pair.
This week, 1962-1966 (Red) rises to No. 88 on the Billboard 200. It’s up 10 spaces, as it barely appeared inside the upper half of the 200-space tally last period. This past tracking frame, the compilation moved another 11,527 equivalent units in the U.S., according to Luminate. That’s up just 2.8% from the timeframe prior, but that’s enough for it to improve its standing.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
Paul McCartney the solo artist has done quite well for himself over the years. But it’s easy to forget there was a time when he hadn’t fully ventured out on his own, considering he almost immediately followed up his time with The Beatles by forming Wings. The 1982 album Tug of War proved a major turning point in his transformation from band member to fully fledged solo entity.
The album proved a triumph for McCartney, albeit a bittersweet one, as he was still reeling from the death of John Lennon when he made it. Let’s look back at how Macca ventured into a new portion of his career, which required him jettisoning an old one.
The history books show that the experimental 1980 solo album McCartney II was followed up by Tug of War in the McCartney catalog. That might lead you to believe that Wings were done by the end of the ’70s. But McCartney intended McCartney II as a one-off and was ready to jump back in with his backing band to start the new decade.
He decided he would work with Beatles producer George Martin for his new album. Martin agreed, but insisted that he would only helm an album of high-quality material, meaning McCartney would have to prune until he was left with the cream of his songwriting crop. Macca began to run through rehearsals of the new songs with Wings throughout 1980.
However, these sessions proved fruitless. McCartney decided that he would pick whichever players he wanted for the album. Although Denny Laine, the only member of Wings beside Linda McCartney to last the entire run of the group, played on a few songs on the Tug of War album, the band was essentially kaput. There was never any formal announcement, but Wings never recorded or played live again.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
John Lennon's son Sean Ono Lennon had a sweet message for his mother Yoko Ono as he won his first Oscar in L.A on Sunday night, thanks to War Is Over nabbing the award for best animated short film.
Fans of The Beatles got emotional on Sunday night as one of John Lennon's son's collected an Oscar on stage inside the Dolby Theatre in L.A.
The Oscar for animated short film was presented to War Is Over! Inspired By The Music of John & Yoko during the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday night. Sean Ono Lennon, who wrote the anti-war story featuring tracks from his parents Beatles star John Lennon and his artist wife Yoko Ono, was among those accepting the prize along with Dave Mullins and Brad Booker.
As he accepted the award, Sean, 48 gave a shout out to his mother Ono, who he said was in the UK and asked the audience to join him in saying "Happy Mother’s Day" as British people celebrated Mother’s Day on Sunday. "I just want to very quickly say my mother turned 91 this February and today is Mother's Day in the UK, so could everyone say happy Mother's Day Yoko?" Sean asked.
Source: Zoe Delaney/mirror.co.uk
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/john-lennons-son-sean-wins-32321820
An all-star tribute to Jimmy Buffett in April will feature Paul McCartney, Kenny Chesney, the Eagles, Brandi Carlile and more, Variety has reported.
According to Variety.com, the show will take place April 11 at the Hollywood Bowl. It’s titled, “Keep the Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett.” Other performers include Jon Bon Jovi, Pitbull, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne, Zac Brown, Mac McAnally and the Coral Reefer Band.
Variety said ticket pre-sale offers will begin at noon Central time on Wednesday, with a general on-sale starting at noon Friday through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster listed six pre-sales, with two starting at noon Wednesday and four starting at noon Thursday. Ticket prices were not immediately available.
Many of the featured artists have performed with Buffett or have performed his songs. At least one, Carlile, knew him through a shared enthusiasm for fishing, according to Variety.
In other Buffett news, the video recently was released for “University of Bourbon Street,” a song from his posthumously released album “Equal Strain on All Parts.” Like several other songs on the album, it was co-written by Mobile native Will Kimbrough. It also features the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Buffett, who died Sept. 1, also recently had a cameo in the Hulu series “Life and Beth,” in an episode set in New Orleans.
Source: al.com
The early days of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles career was explored in the first volume of the book The McCartney Legacy, and now the second volume is on its way.
In celebration of National Book Day, a post on The McCartney Legacy social media account announced that Volume 2 of the series will be released on December 10, 2024.
The new edition will pick up where Volume 1 left off, covering McCartney’s life and career between 1974 and 1980, a time when he was enjoying huge success with his band Wings.
The McCartney Legacy Volume 1, written by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair, was released in December 2022. It covered the years between 1969 to 1974, delving into McCartney’s creative life right after The Beatles broke up. It featured interviews with fellow musicians, tour managers, producers and more.
Of course, McCartney has released his own book about his life, although it focused more on his music. The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present was released in November 2021.
Source: ABC News/everettpost.com
In an oddball metaphor, John Lennon compared The Beatles to flags on top of a boat. However, he said that the Fab Four weren’t the ones getting the boat to move. In other words, he felt the band were products of their society as much as they were trendsetters. Paul McCartney made some similar remarks about his own musical legacy.
John Lennon said ‘Maybe The Beatles were in the crow’s nest shouting ‘Land Ho!”
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, the “Imagine” singer was asked what “moved The Beatles.” “Whatever wind was blowing at the time moved The Beatles, too,” he replied. “I’m not saying we weren’t flags on the top of the ship. But the whole boat was moving.
“Maybe The Beatles were in the crow’s nest shouting ‘Land Ho!
Source: imdb.com
John Lennon wrote a number of songs that radio stations banned. He said censors completely misinterpreted the point of one banned song.
Though The Beatles were the biggest band in the world in the 1960s, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr still faced censure. Several Beatles songs were banned around the world. One song Lennon wrote did not receive playtime on the radio because some believed it referenced drugs. Lennon rolled his eyes at this interpretation and called the song beautiful.
John Lennon admired a banned Beatles song
In 1968, The Beatles released “Happiness is a Warm Gun.” Every member of the band was incredibly proud of the song, but some censors were not. The BBC banned the song, believing it referenced heroin use.
“‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’ was another one which was banned on the radio — they said it was about shooting up drugs. But they were advertising guns and I thought it was so crazy that I made a song out of it,” Lennon said in The Beatles Anthology. “It wasn’t about ‘H’ at all. George Martin showed me the cover of a magazine that said: ‘Happiness is a warm gun.’ I thought it was a fantastic, insane thing to say. A warm gun means you’ve just shot something!”
Though the BBC banned the song, it was one of Lennon’s favorites. He said he loved it.
“I think it’s a beautiful song,” he said, adding, “I like all the different things that are happening in it. I had put together three sections of different songs, it seemed to run through all the different kinds of rock music.”
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
All you need is love – but not an autograph from Sir Paul McCartney.
The Beatle has gotten quite persnickety when it comes to fans seeking his signature. But at age 79, he has earned the right to be.
In a new interview, McCartney shared that while he’s happy to have a conversation with fans, he will not participate in scribbling his John Hancock or posing for selfies.
“[It] always struck me as a bit strange,” the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter told Reader’s Digest UK for a November 2021 cover story. “‘Here, can I write your name down on the back of this till receipt please?’ Why? We both know who I am.”
McCartney has found that stopping those kinds of interactions are better in the long run. “What you’ve usually got is a ropey photo with a poor backdrop and me looking a bit miserable,” he said. “Let’s chat, let’s exchange stories.”
The beloved Beatles musician is following suit from his former bandmate, Ringo Starr, who’s also not a fan of the fanatical practice. In 2008, Starr warned fans to stop sending him fan mail or presenting him with objects to autograph.
“I’m warning you with peace and love. I have too much to do, so no more fan mail!” the beloved drummer said in a video message. “And no objects to be signed. Nothing! Anyway, peace and love, peace and love.”
Source: Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News
Ringo Starr was lazing around his house when he wrote his first solo Beatles song. Here's what he said about the writing process.
Ringo Starr rarely wrote or sang Beatles songs. He preferred to play the drums and support his bandmates. Even after The Beatles broke up, his bandmates often wrote him songs for his solo albums. Still, he had several writing credits with the band. John Lennon insinuated that Starr got his first solo writing credit with the band because he was bored.
In 1968, Starr received his first solo writing credit with The Beatles with “Don’t Pass Me By.” The song appeared on the White Album. Starr said he wrote it while lazing around his house.
“I wrote ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ when I was sitting round at home,” Starr said in The Beatles Anthology. “I only play three chords on the guitar and three on the piano. I was fiddling with the piano — I just bang away — and then if a melody comes and some words, I just have to keep going. That’s how it happened: I was just sitting at home alone and ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ arrived. We played it with a country attitude.”
Lennon was blunt when he described Starr’s writing process.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
It is the most famous love triangle in music history: George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd, the quintessential face of the 1960s, who was married to Harrison while being courted by Clapton. Over half a century after Clapton uttered to Harrison the immortal words “I have to tell you, man, I’m in love with your wife” after the Beatle confronted the couple in the garden of the Bee Gees’ manager Robert Stigwood in 1970, the former model is selling their love letters. Alongside photographs taken by Boyd, Christie’s is auctioning lyrics by Harrison and the original artwork for Derek and the Dominos’ 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs — a painting of a golden-haired girl that Clapton bought for its resemblance
Source: Will Hodgkinson/thetimes.co.uk
