Beatles News
Yoko Ono gave the handwritten lyrics of a song from The Beatles' 'Rubber Soul' to a composer. The piece later fell into different hands.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon put so much extra work into their music sometimes that it’s remarkable. For example, they once turned the handwritten lyrics of a song from The Beatles’ Rubber Soul into a work of art. The piece soon fell into the possession of a famous musician.
On the surface, The Beatles’ “The Word” isn’t much of a psychedelic song. It has more in common with the Motown music of the 1960s than Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Despite this, “The Word” has hippie vibes. It proclaims the importance of love, which The Beatles would later do in their most popular psychedelic song, “All You Need Is Love.” “The Word” also paved the way for John’s high-minded solo songs like “Imagine” and “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).”
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul recalled creating a psychedelic manuscript of the tune’s lyrics with John. “We smoked a bit of pot, then we wrote out a multi-colored lyric sheet, the first time we’d ever done that,” he said. “We normally didn’t smoke when we were working. It got in the way of songwriting because it would just cloud your mind up ‘Oh, s***, what are we doing?’ It’s better to be straight. But we did this multi-color thing.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
After debuting last year at London's National Portrait Gallery, Paul McCartney's unseen photos of The Beatles as they became international icons will be shown in New York. Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm takes us into the frenzy that was Beatlemania as the Fab Four toured six cities and touched down in America for the first time. On view at the Brooklyn Museum from May 3, 2024, the exhibition will present a fascinating look at this special moment in music history.
Taken on McCartney's 35 mm camera, the mostly black and white photos follow the band in Liverpool, London, and Paris before they hop stateside to tour. It was also during this time that they gave their iconic performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which skyrocketed them to fame. Given McCartney's place in the group, he was uniquely positioned to take these images, which serve both as a historical archive and as an affectionate photo album of four close friends.
“Since first arriving in New York in February 1964, Paul McCartney has built a strong, everlasting connection to the city. His vibrant photographs from The Beatles’ first visit capture the energy of the city, the excitement of the American fans, and the frenzy of the band’s status as celebrities. Yet the images also record The Beatles’ fun and delight with each other. Through McCartney’s lens, we feel the intensity of being at the center of such extraordinary events,” says Catherine Futter, director of curatorial affairs and senior curator of decorative arts.
Source: Jessica Stewart/mymodernmet.com
Paul McCartney said The Beatles' "Drive My Car" contains a joke derived from a common theme in blues music. John Lennon barely had anything to say about the song.
The Beatles were just full of surprises. Paul McCartney said The Beatles’ “Drive My Car” (1965) contains a joke derived from a common theme in blues music. On the other hand, John Lennon barely had anything to say about the song.
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul recalled the writing of “Drive My Car.” “It was wonderful because this nice tongue-in-cheek idea came and suddenly there was a girl there, the heroine of the story, and the story developed and had a little sting in the tail like ‘Norwegian Wood’ had, which was ‘I actually haven’t got a car, but when I get one you’ll be a terrific chauffeur,'” he said. “So to me, it was LA chicks, ‘You can be my chauffeur,’ and it also meant ‘You can be my lover.’
“‘Drive my car’ was an old blues euphemism for sex, so in the end all is revealed,” he continued. “Black humor crept in and saved the day. It wrote itself then. I find that very often, once you get the good idea, things write themselves. So that was my idea and John and I wrote the words, so I’d go 70-30 on that to me.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
Previously unseen footage from the iconic 1965 Beatles movie Help!, is to go up for auction.
This footage was captured on 8mm film, and shows a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the band during filming for this movie.
On the item itself, RR Auction have said that it came from a Dublin based collector, who purchased it via eBay. The auction house also believe that the film could fetch for “7.8k ($10k) or more”.
The film also captures the Beatles in a number of authentic off-camera moments, chatting with the movie’s cast and crew, playing with instruments, and sharing some wholesome moments.
Speaking about this film, RR Auction had this to say.
“The original black-and-white silent film, captured on May 3, 1965, during the filming of ‘Help!’, is a treasure trove from the personal archive of a member of the production crew or a possible friend of the Beatles”, they said.
“The original black-and-white silent film, captured on May 3, 1965,
during the filming of ‘Help!’, is a treasure trove from the personal archive of a member of the production crew or a possible friend of the Beatles”.
Source: Dalton Mac Namee/nova.ie
A Hard Day’s Night began a new era for The Beatles. They were evolving into a whole new band. In the early days, they covered Chuck Berry and Little Richard songs. The gigantic success of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” shook up the world. The soundtrack of their first feature-length movie called for new material from John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This was when the band was evolving past “yeah, yeah, yeah,” but not yet moving into the experimental directions they would travel. This acoustic phase produced “If I Fell,” “No Reply,” and “I’ll Follow The Sun.” They still covered early rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm ‘n’ blues, and rockabilly songs but were finding their footing. Let’s look at the meaning behind the crushingly beautiful “And I Love Her” by The Beatles.
I give her all my love
That’s all I do
And if you saw my love
You’d love her too
I love her
A Love Song
The Title Says it All
The verses are all just a set-up to deliver the big payoff. And I Love Her is almost an aside, an “oh, by the way” kind of thing. But that line does all of the heavy lifting in the song. McCartney was inspired by girlfriend Jane Asher, whose house he lived in. In 1997’s Many Years From Now, he remembered, “I can actually see Margaret Asher’s upstairs drawing room. I remember playing it there, not writing it necessarily.”
Source: Jay McDowell/americansongwriter.com
An unfinished novel about The Beatles' John Lennon written by his close friend and former bandmate Stuart Sutcliffe is among a treasured archive of poems, photos and artwork being put up for sale.
According to Artnet, the late artist's estate is seeking a buyer for Sutcliffe's complete art and artefact collection, which it describes as "an exceptional collectors opportunity."
In a detailed listing of the collection, the estate says, "This comprehensive archive comprises over 400 poetic artworks, several amid prior exhibits in prestigious galleries and museums. Complimenting the art includes 200 documents: letters, poems, essays, and an incomplete novel about John Lennon. It weaves a captivating visual narrative, featuring 37 original photographs chronicling the band’s formative days in England and Germany. Within these treasures lie poignant letters exchanged between Sutcliffe, Lennon, and their inner circle, unveiling the depth of their relationships and the fervent creativity igniting their iconic artistic journey."
Sutcliffe met John Lennon when the two were students at the Liverpool College of Art, and he is credited, alongside Lennon, for coming up with the name The Beatles for their new band with Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Sutcliffe played with the band in Hamburg, where he fell in love with photographer Astrid Kirchherr: he later opted to leave band to focus on his art, and remained in Germany with Kirchherr. Tragically, Sutcliffe died of a brain haemorrhage in April 1962, aged just 21.
Source: Paul Brannigan/loudersound.com
Not long after Ringo Starr joined The Beatles, the band skyrocketed to success. By 1964, they were the biggest band in the world. Starr said that many celebrities and musicians were among their fans. At least one public figure had no interest in the band, though. He shared how the band handled the negative feedback.
Ringo Starr recalled 1 person who disliked The Beatles
By the mid-1960s, The Beatles were the most sought-after band in the world. Even other celebrities wanted to be close to them.
“A lot of established stars loved us; they really did,” Starr said in The Beatles Anthology. “Shirley Bassey was a big star in those days and she was always at the gigs. Alma Cogan was always throwing parties and inviting us.”
He said that the only celebrity he could remember disliking them was playwright, actor, and singer Noel Coward. He reportedly told a friend that...
Source: imdb.com
The story of The Beatles begins in Liverpool, England, in the late 1950s. Four young musicians – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr – came together to form a band that would not only change the landscape of popular and rock music but the culture of the 20th century.
The Fab Four’s journey from humble beginnings to global stardom is a fascinating tale of talent, innovation, and cultural revolution.
So let’s dive in …
From The Quarrymen to The Beatles
The roots of The Beatles trace back to a skiffle group called The Quarrymen, formed by John Lennon in 1956. The inclusion of McCartney on rhythm guitar (later bass) in 1957 and Harrison on lead guitar in 1958 marked the formation of the core trio. Their performances at local venues showcased their musical chemistry, laying the foundation for what would become The Beatles.
Stuart Sutcliffe joined as bass guitarist in January 1960. It was Sutcliff who inspired the name The Beatles as a tribute to Buddy Holly’s band, The Crickets. Buddy Holly was just one of The Beatles’ influences.
Late the same year, the band underwent further transformation with the addition of Pete Best on drums. Now a group of five, the band headed to Hamburg, Germany to take up residency at Bruno Koschmider’s nightclubs.
Source: Marie Gagne/rock95.com
The Beatles are, well, what can we really say that isn’t obvious? They are probably the biggest band ever. The Fab Four remain icons of music. Throughout their time together, the Beatles created a litany of indelible songs and massive hits. In fact, 20 different Beatles songs hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. And yet, that isn’t the end of the Beatles’ quality output. In fact, these are 30 great songs from the Fab Four that were never chart-toppers in the United States.
1 of 30. “All My Loving” Reg Lewis/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images. ...
2 of 30. “Twist and Shout” ...
3 of 30. “And I Love Her” ...
4 of 30. “No Reply” ...
5 of 30. “I'll Follow the Sun” ...
6 of 30. “Nowhere Man” ...
7 of 30. “Eleanor Rigby” ...
8 of 30. “Yellow Submarine”
Sometimes less is more.
At least that's the thought behind Paul McCartney and Wings' “Band on the Run (Underdubbed)."
Fifty years after its debut, the beloved album gets yet another rerelease, this time with a version that doesn't include bonus tracks but instead pulls back some of the layers that were added after the original rough mixes. Hence, “underdubbed” in the title.
This isn't the first time McCartney has revisited an album to strip off some of the bells and whistles to get closer to the original recording. He did it with the unfortunately titled “Let It Be Naked” back in 2003.
The “underdubbed” version of “Band on the Run” is notable for a slightly different song order from the U.S. release that will be jarring for those with the original sequencing committed to memory after decades of listening. The new order mirrors how the original tapes were discovered in McCartney's archives and omits “Helen Wheels,” which McCartney didn't intend to include on the album but did after it was a hit single.
Source: abcnews.go.com
