It remains the most analysed break-up in rock history: the one that set the template. When the Beatles split more than 50 years ago and Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr went their separate ways, it was McCartney who shouldered most of the blame.
But now McCartney is setting the record straight for good. “I didn’t instigate the split. That was our Johnny,” he has insisted in a candid and detailed interview to be broadcast later this month.
Recalling what he sees as the “most difficult period of my life”, McCartney, who celebrates his 80th birthday next summer, reveals he wanted the group to go on, especially as after just eight years together, they were still creating “pretty good stuff”. “Abbey Road, Let It Be, not bad,” he will argue in an upcoming episode of the new BBC Radio 4 interview series This Cultural Life. “This was my band, this was my job, this was my life, so I wanted it to continue.”
Source: Vanessa Thorpe/theguardian.com
detailsPaul McCartney and his third wife Nancy Shevell celebrated ten years of marriage on Saturday, and the former Beatle marked the occasion by sharing a rare photo of the two of them together.n the snap, Paul, 79, could be seen smiling at the camera while Nancy, 61, rests her head on his shoulder. Posting the photo to Instagram, he captioned it: "10 beautiful years together. Happy Anniversary to my lovely wife. - Paul"The happy couple first met over 30 years ago when they shared neighbouring properties in the Hamptons on New York's Long Island. The pair recently returned to the States after spending most of the lockdown in the English countryside with Paul's daughter Mary and her children.
Source: Eve Crosbie/hellomagazine.com
detailsAs John & Yoko Ono Lennon's paean for peace, "Imagine," continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the iconic song has just been certified triple platinum by the RIAA for selling 3 million units in the U.S. The achievement comes on the eve of what would have been John's 81st birthday this Saturday, October 9th.
As John & Yoko Ono Lennon’s paean for peace, “Imagine,” continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the iconic song has just been certified triple platinum by the RIAA for selling 3 million units in the U.S. The achievement comes on the eve of what would have been John’s 81st birthday this Saturday, October 9th.
"John and I were both artists and we were living together, so we inspired each other. The song 'Imagine' embodied what we believed together at the time. John and I met – he comes from the West and I come from the East – and still we are together. We have this oneness and 'the whole world would eventually become one' is the sense that we will all be very happy together. All these instructions are for people for how to spend eternity, because we have lots of time."
Source: fox8live.com
BEATLES STAR JOHN Lennon would have turned 81 today.
Lennon formed part of the ‘Fab Four’, arguably the most influential band of all time. All four members contributed to the band in their own way.
Lennon’s songwriting collaboration with Paul McCartney is widely regarded as the most successful partnership music has seen.
Lennon was killed in 1980 with his bandmate George Harrison passing away in 2001 leaving only McCartney and Starr the surviving members of the group.
So today we’re asking: Who’s your favourite Beatle?
Source: The Journal
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A new documentary film called The Beatles and India explores the Fab Four’s relationship with the Asian country. Fans will know the band and their music was influenced in a number of ways by India, in particular George Harrison. And now in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, director Ajoy Bose has shared how John Lennon took to India and what he was hoping to get out of staying there in the late 1960s.
Ajoy said: “The four Beatles were completely different people. John was the most restless of them all. The most tormented by his inner demons.
“The sort of person who was constantly seeking something which would give him a higher plane of consciousness.
“And I think that to him, India as India meant not very much.”
Source: George Simpson/express.co.uk
detailsThe Beatles will forever be known as musicians first. But in a 1965 interview that was aired on KRLA Beat, George Harrison said that he, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr actually preferred making films over touring. Over their time together as a band, The Beatles made five films: A Hard Day’s Night (1964), Help! (1965), Magical Mystery Tour (1967), Yellow Submarine (1968) and Let It Be (1970). Here’s what Harrison said about his acting career in ’65, while he was filming Help! in the Bahamas.
In his interview with David Hull and Derek Taylor, Harrison was asked to detail The Beatles’ current schedule, before the band’s next trip to America.
“I think in the meantime we’ll have a new record out, doing TV and things in England,” he said, as recorded in the book George Harrison on George Harrison. “And then with a bit of luck the film will probably be out around about that time. So then we’ll have the film songs out to plug and we’ll have a premiere. And then I think it’ll be the American trip. Or maybe the premiere will be after the American trip, which is in August.”
Source: cheatsheet.com
Rock and roll reunions happen often now, such as for special occasions like an award or induction into a hall of fame. Other bands do it for sentimental reasons, anniversaries of hit albums, or — let’s be honest — money.
In 1974, the Beatles almost reunited in Syracuse, N.Y., and it all began with a much simpler reason: John Lennon’s birthday on Oct. 9, 1971.
The Fab Four broke up in 1970 after less than a decade together crafting some of the greatest songs in music history, from “Let It Be,” “In My Life” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to “Come Together,” “Help!” and “All You Need is Love.” Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr drew screaming fans everywhere, influenced multiple generations of musicians, and still remain popular today through music streaming services, artists covering their tunes, documentaries (like Peter Jackson’s upcoming Disney+ series “Get Back”) and multiple Beatles-inspired stories (including the 2007 movie “Across the Universe,” Netflix’s animated kids’ show “The Beat Bugs,” Cirque du Soleil’s “Love,” and details
Sir Paul McCartney, 79, has revealed how he “couldn’t deal” with the fall out of The Beatles' split in the early 1970s due to the intense scrutiny. Therefore he and his wife Linda McCartney decided to “escape” to a remote sheep farm in Scotland, where they both decided to embrace sustainability and vegetarianism.
During their 29-year marriage, the McCartneys had four children: Mary, Stella and James, as well as Heather, who Linda shared with her first husband and who the musician later formally adopted.
They would regularly visit a farmhouse retreat in western Scotland, which Paul purchased before they met, a hidden place he used initially to "escape Beatlemania” and later to deal with the fall out of the musical split between him, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.
Source: Holly Fleet/express.co.uk
detailsIf you were lucky enough to ever see The Beatles play, and the band performed “If I Fell,” you might have noticed George Harrison switching between two guitars. During an interview with journalist Larry Kane (who toured with the band when they did their American tours in 1964 and 1965), Harrison explained the reason why he was “always swapping ’round.” He also spoke about staying true to The Beatles’ sound when performing live and his songwriting aspirations.
Kane traveled around with the band during their first two American tours. He rode in the same planes as them, stayed in the same hotels, and tried to get in questions whenever he could. During one of those interviews, he asked Harrison if The Beatles ever had any trouble replicating their sound onstage.
Source: cheatsheet.com
detailsA little more than one week after releasing their highly-anticipated collaboration “My Universe,” Coldplay and BTS debut the tune atop the Hot 100. The track is the second leader on Billboard’s all-encompassing ranking of the most popular songs in the U.S. for Coldplay and the sixth for BTS. With one more ruler to their credit, the South Korean boy band now ranks as one of the most successful groups of all time, and they’re in rarified company.
Half a dozen No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 means BTS are now tied for the fifth-most rulers in the chart’s history, when looking solely at groups, duos and bands. The K-pop favorites are now on the same level as Hall & Oates, according to Billboard.
Leading the way among all acts (not just groups) are The Beatles. During their time together, the Fab Four managed an incredible 20 No. 1s on the Hot 100, and they remain the only name in U.S. history to reach that make, though Mariah Carey is just one champion behind.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
Sometimes, things just fall apart. Flawed marriages, beloved cars, once-indomitable empires. We are shaken by unthinkable demises. These are serious matters. Nobody, by contrast, cares very much when a pop group falls apart, because they were never built to last. Even the greatest pop group of them all was always sharply aware of its own ephemerality. “Obviously we can’t keep playing the same sort of music until we are about 40,” said Paul McCartney in a 1963 television documentary when asked about the longevity of The Beatles. “I’ve always fancied having a ladies’ hairdressing salon,” added Ringo Starr, the funny one, as he looked deep into his own future. “Trotting around in me stripes and tails.”
Source: ft.com
detailsGeorge Harrison had a wicked sense of humor. He was buddies with the guys from Monty Python, after all. George knew how to have a good time, even during periods of his life that were especially grueling. His life was dark sometimes, but he always knew how to laugh, especially if it was at someone else’s expense. So it’s not surprising to hear that George pulled an elaborate prank on his fellow rocker, Phil Collins.
Collins was a huge The Beatles fan. So he signed up to be a session musician for George Harrison when he was recording his first solo album outside The Beatles, All Things Must Pass, in 1970. At only 19, Collins got to work with one of his heroes.
“Our manager got a call from Ringo Starr’s chauffeur, who said they needed a percussionist, and he suggested me,” Collins told Louder Sound. “So I went down to Abbey Road, and Harrison was there and Ringo and Billy Preston and Klaus Voormann and Phil Spector, and we started routing the song.
Source: cheatsheet.com
detailsRingo Starr is one of the best drummers in the world. However, when The Beatles disbanded in 1970, Ringo found himself in a bit of a pickle. He’d been The Beatles backbeat for years and rarely wrote the band’s songs. After The Beatles ended, Ringo didn’t have Lennon-McCartney to help him. Suddenly he had to do it all by himself or else face the prospect of becoming the least successful Beatle.
To make matters worse, he started his solo career off on a bad note. Ringo had a falling out with Paul McCartney, and his first solo album was a commercial flop. But Ringo was persistent. He was going to get by with a little help from his friends.
During an interview with Rolling Stone radio (per the Daily Mail) in 2020, Ringo admitted that he thought he “didn’t have the talent” to finish the songs on his debut solo album Sentimental Journey. So, he often turned to fellow Beatle George Harrison to help him.
Source: cheatsheet.com
detailsRingo Starr, Max Weinberg, Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron, and over 100 other musicians have united for a massive cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together” as part of a new campaign to help end world hunger.
The “Drum Together” clip was organized by WhyHunger, and along with Starr, Weinberg, and Cameron, it features drummers like Jim Keltner, Steve Gadd, Cindy Blackman Santana, and 11-year-old prodigy Nandi Bushell. While a massive coalition of percussionists (including an orchestra timpanist) create the base for this epic rendition of “Come Together,” the meticulously stitched-together performance also features an array of other musicians from guitarists and pianists to trombonists and trumpeters.
Source: Jon Blistein/rollingstone.com
detailsDoting father Paul McCartney made sure to support his designer daughter Stella at her eponymous label's Spring/Summer 2022 fashion show in Paris on Monday.
Sitting in the front row alongside French actress Isabelle Huppert, The Beatles frontman Paul, 79, cut a dapper figure in a tailored black blazer worn over a high-neck navy shirt.
Paul covered his nose and mouth with a black face mask and wore his greying hair neatly styled.
Once the show had come to an end, Stella, 50, made sure to walk the runway as the audience clapped and Paul was no doubt filled with pride.
Source: Aisha Nozari/dailymail.co.uk
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