Warning: The below list of the Top 10 Ringo Starr Songs Written by the Other Beatles does not include his two most widely known anthems.
Put simply, 1966's "Yellow Submarine" and 1967's "With a Little Help From My Friends," nostalgic through they may be, aren't the best examples of how his bandmates helped animate Starr's quirky personality. There was – and, of course, still is – something sweetly romantic about Starr but also something a little sad.
No one talks about peace and love, then or now, with as much consistency and upbeat charm. And no one can be more sing-songy fun. But John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison knew there was more to their bandmate, who endured a string of hardships throughout his early life – some because of the fates (childhood illness, being overlooked because he was surrounded by such dizzying talent), some made worse by his lifestyle (lingering bouts with addiction).
Their best joint efforts, both in the band's heyday and later on various solo projects, played off that complexity. Starr's interpretations ended up sounding like ideas of his own.
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com
In case you didn’t know, The Beatles released their eighth studio album, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, on this day way back in 1967. At the time, the album was like nothing anyone had heard before.
The album spent 15 weeks at number one on the Billboard Top LPs chart. The combination of innovative songwriting, fabulous production and an iconic cover that marked a real step-change in the music world and was a springboard for so many of the great albums that followed in the 1970s.
Sgt Pepper was defining moment in the pop culture of the 1960s and was the overture for the Summer of Love that followed and all that came after. It seems only right that someone should celebrate the release of such an iconic album that’s now 54 years old!
Pro-Ject is an Austrian company that’s been making some great turntables for vinyl records since 1991. It decided that its latest model should celebrate Sgt Pepper with the launch of a limited edition commemorative turntables – the Essential III – Sgt. Pepper and the 2Xperience SB.
This special edition collaboration between Pro-Ject Audio Systems and The Beatles was inspired by Sgt Pepper, offering fans the opportunity to show details
In its over 32 years, "The Simpsons" has remained a renowned show known for addressing current events and hot button issues, its pop culture prowess and celebrity guest stars.
One of its standout episodes features Sir Paul and Linda McCartney as guest stars, and recently, a cast member revealed a unique stipulation to the famed couple’s appearance.
Appearing on a recent episode of the Allrecipes podcast to discuss her cooking series, actress Yeardley Smith, who has voiced Lisa Simpson since 1989, discussed the McCartneys’ cameos.
In “Lisa the Vegetarian,” Season 7 Episode 5, Lisa decides to stop eating meat after visiting a petting zoo, resulting in most of the other locals mocking her. Questioning her own decision after the ridicule, Lisa finds she can remain a vegetarian without being critical of those who aren’t after learning that the owner of Kwik-E-Mart, Apu, and his close friends Paul and Linda McCartney are also vegetarians.
Source: Jenna Romaine/thehill.com
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The Beatles’ songwriters were John Lennon and Paul McCartney in the Lennon-McCartney partnership. This is well known, yet George Harrison and Ringo Starr also wanted some of the action as the band’s popularity grew. Sadly, it did not come, especially in the case of Sir Ringo, who barely had any tunes on The Beatles’ records.
One of the reasons, as Sir Paul McCartney has admitted to, is that the group did not take Sir Ringo’s songs very ‘seriously.’
Sir Paul and George Harrison grew up together, then joined up with John Lennon as teenagers, so there was a tight bond with them.
Sir Ringo joined the band later and has spoken of how he felt like an ‘outsider’ in the group.
He even left the band temporarily because of this feeling, later recalling in Anthology: “I left because I felt two things: I felt I wasn’t playing great, and I also felt that the other three were really happy and I was an outsider.
Source: Jenny Desborough/Jenny Desborough
detailsThe new issue of Uncut includes a candid interview with Klaus Voormann about his encounter with a 17-year-old George Harrison, during The Beatles’ formative residencies in Hamburg. The German artist and Plastic Ono Band member tells Graeme Thomson tales involving fish finger diets, late-night phone calls from “Herr Schnitzel”, and the making of George’s very own masterpiece…The thing to remember about George Harrison is that he was a Gemini. The twin sign. Yin and yang. On Revolver you have “Love You To” and “Taxman”. Two sides. He could be really living this spiritual life – into meditation and getting up at 5am to see the sun come up – and doing it very extensively. Then suddenly he would go crazy! He could swap from the one extreme to the other, and he could find ways to make himself believe that it was the good thing to do. He would talk himself into it. This is why he was always searching for something – because he knew himself well enough to know that he needed something to hold onto.
Source: Graeme Thomson/uncut.co.uk
On January 30, 1969, the iconic rock and roll outfit The Beatles took to the roof of Apple Records headquarters in London, England, and gave passersby a one-of-a-kind experience when they performed what would be their final live performance. What is now known as The Beatles’ Rooftop Concert has gone down as one of the most iconic moments of 20th Century pop culture more than 50 years later. This concert, however, is just a small part of the Peter Jackson documentary The Beatles: Get Back, a soon-to-be-released intimate look at the final days of the seminal rock and roll band.
But while there are countless diehard Beatles fans who have spent the past few years diving through everything related to to Get Back, others might not be entirely caught up to speed on what sounds like one of the most important rock and roll documentaries since release of The Last Waltz or Gimme Shelter. Here are quick things to know about The Beatles: Get Back.
Source: Philip Sledge/cinemablend.com
detailsNoel Gallaher has revealed what happens when two of the biggest names in rock and roll history meet back stage at a gig – they end up talking about flowers.
The 53-year-old Brit Pop star has peeled back the curtains on the first time he ever met rock royalty, Sir Ringo Starr, of the Beatles fame.
Noel and his brother Liam were gobsmacked when the 80-year-old world famous drummer dropped backstage following a performance in their Oasis heyday.
Noel has explained that he was taken by surprise when Sir Ringo started to discuss the power of flowers when they engaged in a conversation.
The Sun quote Noel stating: “He was the only man to ever walk into an Oasis dressing room and get a standing ovation. We said, ‘What are you doing in London?’.
“And he said, ‘I’ve come to the Chelsea Flower Show’.”
Source: Seamus Duff/mirror.co.uk
detailsMulti-instrumentalist, singer and composer Sananda Maitreya joined host Kenneth Womack to talk about his new album "Pandora's PlayHouse," how the Beatles were "ordained by God" and much more on "Everything Fab Four," a podcast co-produced by me and Womack (a music scholar who also writes about pop music for Salon) and distributed by Salon.
Maitreya (formerly known by the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby) had a string of hits in the late '80s from his album "Introducing the Hardline," including "Sign Your Name" and "Wishing Well." But as he tells Ken Womack, his musical journey actually began much earlier. As the son of singer Frances Howard, he was initially only allowed to listen to gospel music — that is, until the Beatles arrived in the U.S. in 1964.
"Songs like 'She Loves You' and 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' were so ubiquitous," he says. "I was spiritually awakened. I wanted to be a Beatle." He also explains to Womack that one of the reasons he wanted to guest on "Everything Fab Four" was to "unburden my great debt to them. I'm very, very grateful they showed up."
Source: salon.com
One of modern music history’s best-known accounts of what could have been, Pete Best was The Beatles‘ first drummer.
Best was dropped from the band by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison on the cusp of their spectacular fame in 1962. Once they hit it big, he remained firmly in their rear-view mirror, never sharing in or receiving any of the fortune The Beatles amassed from their music or merchandising.
That changed at the release of a recording by the band, when Best was awarded royalties many believe he had coming for years.
Lennon’s take on why Best was fired
Lennon, the band’s rhythm guitarist and founder, wasn’t one to mince words regardless of occasion or possible offense.
According to Starr biographer Michael Seth Starr (no relation) in Ringo Starr: With a Little Help, Lennon firmly made clear why Best was let go — and it had nothing to do with his looks.
Source: cheatsheet.com
detailsWhen The Beatles were just starting out they were extremely popular. Although their fame had only taken hold of Great Britain during the early 1960s, they were still being chased down by their rabid fans. This meant that when the likes of Paul McCartney and John Lennon checked into hotels they were forced to use fake names to avoid any unwanted notice. It was one of these names that brought about one of the first punk rock bands of all time, the Ramones.
Each of the Ramones' members adopted the surname Ramone as a tribute to Paul.
One of the band's founding members, drummer Marky Ramone, recalled the story years later in an interview.
He said the inspiration came from the band's bassist, Dee Dee Ramone.
He revealed: "The Beatles used to tour … before they were The Beatles, they were called The Silver Beatles, and all the girls running after them, even the guys."
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
detailsSir Ringo Starr says The Beatles were the best band in the world because of their "psychic" connection.
The iconic Liverpool group's drummer has insisted no other act can top the 'Hey Jude' hitmakers - which was also made up of Sir Paul McCartney and the late John Lennon and George Harrison - because they shared a telepathic bond when performing live.
Speaking on SiriusXM, he said: "When we were playing together as a band, we were the best band in the land.
"I don't care what anyone says. We knew each other and it was like psychic.
"I would be playing drums with my eyes closed and the headphones on and would know John was going to go somewhere.
"I'd drum in that and hold it together while they went mad and then bring it back."
Ringo previously revealed he nearly missed out on being one of The Beatles because he'd planned to move to America.
Source: crowrivermedia.com
detailsIn the book titled Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, written by Kenneth Womack, the author reveals a strategy behind Beatles records.
Martin and the band decided to have Ringo sing one song on every Beatles album. And it wasn't just to be nice to Ringo. In the first wave of Beatlemania, Ringo was the most popular Beatle.
Years ago, comedian Mitzi McCall and her husband Charlie Brill were a comedy team called McCall & Brill. They were a nightclub act that finally got a big break to be on the Ed Sullivan Show. But that big break happened on February 9th, 1964 - the historic night the Beatles also appeared.
The comedy team came on right before the Fab Four's second set that night, but they couldn't hear each other while performing their sketch because the 14-year-old fans were screaming for the Beatles.
Seventy-three million people watched that night. It was their big opportunity - and no one remembered McCall & Brill. Their agent didn't call them again for six months after that. They say they never watch the video of that night.
Source: CBC Radio
Legendary musician Paul McCartney has had an incredible career, and he's still writing and performing at the age of 78. That doesn't come naturally: There's a lot that goes into maintaining a healthy lifestyle that promotes longevity. Recently, McCartney discussed a strange exercise that he's been doing for years. Both Paul and his daughter, Mary McCartney, say this one technique has helped keep a key body part healthy over the years. There's even a video of Paul demonstrating the exercise on YouTube. Read on to find out what routine this music icon swears by.
Source: Allie Hogan/bestlifeonline.com
detailsThe Beatles influenced a lot of classic rock musicians. However, one took this influence even further. A famous rock star admitted to Rolling Stone that he “stole” a number of Beatles’ riffs. Here’s what he said about The Beatles — and here’s a look at his collaborations with Paul McCartney.
Rolling Stone released their list of the 100 greatest Beatles songs. It includes a lot of famous songs like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “A Day in the Life” as well as less prominent songs like “I’ve Got a Feeling.” In addition, it begins with an introductory essay that reveals something very notable about a talented rock star.
Elvis Costello wrote the essay, in which he discusses The Beatles’ influence on other groups. “The word ‘Beatlesque’ has been in the dictionary for quite a while now,” he noted. “You hear them in Harry Nilsson’s melodies; in Prince’s Around the World in a Day; in the hits of ELO and Crowded House and in Ron
Source: cheatsheet.com
Fans of John Lennon and Yoko Ono over in the US will be pleased to hear that the documentary 24 Hours: The World of John and Yoko is now available on Amazon Prime Video US.
The mini-documentary first aired on the BBC back in 1969 and this will be the first time that it has been made available online via Amazon’s Coda Collection.
Perhaps one of the most remarkable things about the documentary is simply that it is now over half a century old, a fact that the official logline was quick to state: “Last seen more than 50 years ago, and having aired just once on TV, this intimate documentary – captured over a five-day period – shows a day in the life of John and Yoko while Lennon was still a member of The Beatles, controversies raged and activism became a central concern in the couple’s everyday reality.”
Source: Tom Taylor/faroutmagazine.co.uk
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