Beatles live on through Imagine

Tom Coburn and Dan Burt had been incorporating Beatles covers into their gigs for years, and thought they did it pretty well. That is until they got serious about covering the Fab Four, and really dissected the music. Coburn plays the role of John Lennon and Burt of Ringo Starr in the Beatles tribute band Imagine. “When we started pulling apart the music we realized what complex harmonies they put together,” Coburn said. “I consider that one of our strongest points, that we cover the parts verbatim. If people close their eyes they swear they are listening to a CD.” Coburn and Burt started the band in the early ‘90s auditioning for the roles of George Harrison and Paul McCartney. As luck would have it, the musician they wanted for Paul was a lefty. ...more...

Lennon glasses attract worldwide bids

The round rimmed spectacles - minus the lenses - have attracted bids from excited potential buyers in Russia, US, Japan and the UK. The frames are expected to go for £1 million and the winning bid will be announced on Wednesday. The rare memorabilia is said to be from one of The Beatles last concerts together. Lennon gave them to his Japanese interpreter in Tokyo in 1966, and the translator took out the lenses as a mark of respect when the Beatle was shot dead outside his New York apartment on December 8, 1980. ...more...

NEWS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED TO HONOUR EPSTEIN

A campaign has been launched to have former BEATLES manager BRIAN EPSTEIN inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Music producer Martin Lewis has set up a petition on website brianepstein.com to have the star posthumously honoured by the institution as it is a "travesty" Epstein has not received the honour before now. Lewis says, "The Hall Of Fame rightly includes the Beatles as a band, plus two knights of the British realm - (Beatles producer) Sir George Martin and Sir Paul McCartney. "And one belated day they will induct George Harrison and Ringo Starr for their solo work too. But there is another who belongs: Brian Epstein. He has never been included on the list of non-performers selected by the Hall's nominating committee. Such a grave oversight should be brought to the attention of those who have the power to remedy this travesty." Epstein died in 1967, aged 32, after suffering a drug overdose. Beatles producer Sir George Martin and Epstein's nephew Harry have already lent their names to the petition.

Press Release

We don't want you any more, baby boomers

I LIKE baby boomers. I'm not sucking up. I actually do like them. Not all of them. They weren't all a Germaine Greer, a Richard Branson or a John Lennon in their day. Some of them were uptight stiffs who were anti-abortion, pro-war, racist, sexist, homophobic conservatives. And still are with their "that's not music, that's just noise", "a woman's place is in the kitchen" and "gay people need to be cured". Those social freaks should be put into some kind of Sovereign Hill for anachronisms called The People The '60s Forgot. Detain asylum seekers? Nah. Detain narrow-minded, shortsighted bigots I say. But I would say that, wouldn't I? I'm deeply grateful to the boomers who did embrace social change: who burnt their bras, grew their hair, bought the Kama Sutra and ate dhal. We gen Xers, in particular, have directly benefited enormously from their contribution to positive social change, increased awareness, greater acceptance and a broader definition of what's "normal". But society isn't "finished" by any means. ...more...

Make Some Noise: Save Darfur

"You buy an album of Lennon songs and somehow you go home like you've helped starving kids. It does seem too easy," said The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne recently about his contribution to the Amnesty International project. But that didn't stop him and 23 other artists heeding Yoko Ono's call to contribute a cover from John Lennon's back catalogue to raise awareness for the war-ravaged African nation. At times it's a bit Spinal Tap - Aerosmith join in with the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars for a rock-ragga version of Give Peace a Chance, while U2 just couldn't break from the obvious and had to record Instant Karma. ...more...

Heather's mission to drive out the herds (cows and paparazzi)

Most vegetarians would prefer to avoid the sight or smell of a juicy steak. Heather Mills is a little stricter in her approach - and can't even look at meat while it's still mooing. At least, that is the reason she gave for trying to buy the fields adjoining her new £3 million home. Miss Mills, a spokesman for animal rights, told the farmer who owns the land that she couldn't bear to look out over fields filled with cows destined for slaughter. John and Barbara Smith have been approached twice in the last month by the former model's aides. ...more...

Beatles pics display in Liverpool

Pictures of the Beatles during their heyday are to go on display for the first time in Liverpool's National Conservation Centre. The shots of the Fab Four were taken during the filming of the Beatles film Help in 1965. Entitled Now These Days Are Gone, the exhibition contains black and white pictures of the band in a number of settings – in the studio, at home and relaxing between takes. The photographs were taken by Michael Peto, a 20th century photojournalist who left 130,000 photographs to the University of Dundee when he died in 1970. These were then archived and forgotten until their rediscovery in 2004. Fiona Philpott, director of exhibition at National Museums Liverpool, said: "We are delighted at having this opportunity to bring some rarely seen images of the Beatles to Liverpool. "For fans of the Fab Four there is the chance to see the stars in a relaxed and informal setting while those interested in photography can admire the work of Michael Peto, one of the great photojournalists of the 60s."

The exhibition runs from August 18th to March 2nd 2008.

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Stella McCartney is rewriting her edgy, feminine design signature for the bedroom

TO the delight of lingerie lovers everywhere, Stella McCartney is putting her stamp on a range of underwear. The silk, organic cotton and georgette silk chiffon collection - which will launch for spring/summer 2008 - aims to fill the niche below high-end brands such as La Perla, with prices ranging from £35 to £220. "This is a natural progression for me," McCartney told WWD. "Lingerie is an obsession of mine. I have been inspired by it for many, many years. Ever since my degree collection at Saint Martins, I have always used it in my work." The lingerie line will be created under license with Bendon, the manufactor who has produced Elle Macpherson's Intimates line for the past 17 years. (July 30 2007, AM)

Leisa Barnett Source:

Crossroads Guitar Festival: Clapton, B.B. King, Jeff Beck Tear Through Six-String Salutes to Friends and Idols

“I do this for fun,” Eric Clapton confessed in an interview the day before he hosted and headlined the second Crossroads Guitar Festival, an eleven-hour marathon of solos and joy, on July 28th for 28,000 people at Toyota Park in Chicago. The sold-out event was held to benefit the Crossroads Centre, the drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility Clapton founded on the Caribbean island of Antigua in 1997. (Sales of the two-DVD set filmed at the inaugural Crossroads, a three-day affair in Dallas in 2004, have raised about seven million dollars for the Centre.) But the true theme of the day was Friends and Idols. The heart of Clapton’s hour-and-a-half set was a dynamic reunion with singer-organist-guitarist Steve Winwood. Together, they revived four songs from their 1969 album as Blind Faith. Clapton also paid tribute to a lifelong friend who couldn’t be there, George Harrison, with an electrifying version of “Isn’t It a Pity” from Harrison’s 1970 masterpiece All Things Must Pass. ...more...

Mods And Rockers Festival: Lennon-Instigated Film Finally Reaches USA (40 years later!)

The 8th annual Mods & Rockers Film Festival will come to a grand conclusion on Wednesday with the (very belated) US Premiere of a film instigated in 1967 by John Lennon. The controversial film -- presenting the Beatles, Hendrix, Who, Cream, Pink Floyd and Frank Zappa juxtaposed with incendiary footage of the Vietnam War -- created outrage in the British establishment when it was first seen in 1968. The film was then rejected by every American network and distributor because of its volatile mixture of rock music and politics. The Who's Pete Townshend recently described the film as "one of our Great Treasures ..." Acclaimed filmmaker and writer Tony Palmer is flying to Los Angeles from London specially to present the US Premiere of his film. In this blog -- written exclusively for Huffington Post -- Palmer recounts how John Lennon personally challenged him to make this film when he was a 25-year-old nascent filmmaker -- and the long and winding 40-year road to its US Premiere ...It began, inevitably, with John Lennon. ...more...

Paul Simon, America's Greatest Living Composer

It's time to appreciate Paul Simon with everything I've got in my quiver. Really, I shouldn't even need all those caveats up there. In fact, you could pull any one of those words out and still have the effect I am going for. I threw 'America' in there because Paul McCartney is so good that an argument could be made for him. In a songwriting death match between the two, I would still take Simon. Why? Paul Simon has been producing phenomenal music for over 40 years. 40 fuckin' years, man! Some might say his best music was done before I was born (1972), yet... look at Graceland. I was just watching a side by side DVD session today of Live in Central Park (1981) and Old Friends (2004). The set list is nearly the same, as you can imagine. Now, while Artie can no longer hit those highs, I swear to you Paul Simon sings better than he did in 1981. ...more...

Hearing aid market booms

Growing up in the 1960s, loud music was a social staple for Ruthann Cage. Highlights of her youth included coveted tickets to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in 1964 in Chicago. At college parties, Cage occasionally joined a band on stage, “banging a tambourine with the other sorority girls. Decades later, Cage found herself straining to hear conversations. She could no longer distinguish consonants. Names such as “Harry” became “fairy.” “My co-workers would have to speak up. I found I was reading lips,” said Cage, now 59 and interim director of the economic development partnership at North Carolina State University. ...more...

Penny Lane not cashing in on Fab 4

It was John Lennon’s street, but Paul McCartney’s song. “Penny Lane” was released as a single 40 years ago, and it heralded a new level of musical creativity for the Beatles, especially for the song-writing combination of Lennon and McCartney. A few months later the world would hear “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” and popular music would never be quite the same. The song’s first two verses “practically wrote themselves,” McCartney once told an interviewer. “The lyrics were all based on real things.” ...more...

Memory Almost Full

SIR Paul McCartney has really been through a lot in his 65 years. From the formation of the Beatles to the death of his wife Linda and now a bitter divorce from Heather Mills, McCartney has lived many lives! Perhaps that’s what he was thinking of when he came up with the title for his new album, Memory Almost Full. A new album with 13 songs, I can’t help but have mixed feelings about it. It was as if McCartney was feeling unsure of being able to produce another hit. Worse, it was as if he was trying a tad too hard to be accepted by a new generation of listeners. ...more...

Patti Smith looks under the covers

Patti Smith says she was first attracted to several of the dozen cover songs that make up her latest disc, ''Twelve,'' because they have both a social and spiritual component. But it becomes evident even during a brief phone conversation from New York that the veteran musician and newly minted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (she was inducted in March) is uncovering other reasons for recording the songs by Hendrix, Dylan, Kurt Cobain, Neil Young, Paul Simon and Jim Morrison, among others. For example, Smith suggests another link between such seemingly well-known but disparate material as ''Within You Without You,'' George Harrison's spiritual, sitar-driven meditation on the Beatles' ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,'' and the Rolling Stones' incendiary warning of an apocalypse-in-the-offing, ''Gimme Shelter.'' ...more...

It's 2007 And The Beatles Still Matter

This summer Paul McCartney turned 65 and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" turned 40. Both events got a lot of media attention. The Beatles broke up in 1970 and two of the Fab Four have passed away — and yet Beatlemania never completely subsides. Cirque du Soleil's big hit "The Beatles Love" just celebrated its first anniversary in Las Vegas. Paul and Ringo attended, paying tribute to George and John, and the fans went wild. The acclaimed director Julie Tamor has a new film coming in September called "Across The Universe," which uses Beatles songs to tell the story of the '60s through the eyes of an English boy named — guess — Jude. ...more...

Unseen portrait of Andy Warhol as a children's artist

His celebrity silkscreens and the colourful stories surrounding his work at his famous studio, The Factory, infused the New York arts scene with an edgy glamour. But there is another side to Andy Warhol that is rarely acknowledged by the critics. The Pop Art innovator had such a soft spot for children that he produced a show in Switzerland of miniature paintings hung at children's-eye level and displays of modern and antique toys which he had amassed through his life. The children's exhibition is a collection of vividly coloured paintings produced in Warhol's distinctively flat style, including images of robots and moon explorers, speedboats and a wind-up furry monkey, all created to appeal to a child's imagination. ...more...

Scaling the family tree

To conscientious students of rock 'n' roll history, there should be something vaguely familiar about the way New York-based group Ollabelle recorded its second album. In 2004, the five-piece, U.S.-Canadian act holed up in a house in Woodstock, N.Y. for months -- living communally and working democratically to produce the tunes that would eventually become Riverside Battle Songs. It all sounds suspiciously similar to the fabled modus operandi of rock legends, the Band. In 1967, the five-piece Canadian-U.S. act holed up in a house in Woodstock, N.Y. for months, living communally and working democratically to produce the tunes that would eventually become Music from Big Pink. ...more...

Paul McCartney to VSD: “Retirement, No way!”

In a recent interview to the French magazine VSD, the everlasting young sir Paul McCartney, answers jovially to the questions amid personal sentimental turmoil following his divorce with Heather. The “young” icon still amazes with his extraordinary shape and quick mindedness, and accepted to meet the journalist in his posh Londoners office. To a question in relation to his song “the end of the end”, in which he described the way he wanted his funerals to be, he said “It sounds like request ain’t ? Actually, I wanted to talk about the matter that’s all. Generally speaking, we sing about dance or love, this time I wanted to see whether I could find a way to treat the theme of death through music , so I imagined my funerals, I’m not quite sure that my family would appreciate to fulfill all my wishes”. ...more...

Are marketers soiling the Beatles' image?

Help! Some Beatles fans are feeling down about the latest use of a Fab Four song in a commercial -- the 1967 peace anthem "All You Need Is Love" highlights a new disposable diaper campaign. "I just cannot see a Beatles song being used for trivial things ... not Beatles songs!!!!" fan Andy Bonnell said by e-mail from Liverpool, England, the Beatles' home base. Such sentiments represent something of a lost cause. A version of their song "Help!" was used in a car commercial in 1985, and the many appearances since then include the late John Lennon's son Julian's 2002 cover of "When I'm Sixty-Four" for insurer Allstate Corp. and current Target Corp. store commercials that use a version of "Hello Goodbye" -- "Goodbuy" in the ads ...more...

McCartney leads fame graduation celebrations

Paul McCartney today led the graduation celebrations at the Fame school he set up in his home city. Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (Lipa) opened in 1996 after a long campaign by the former Beatle. Alongside the graduating students, celebrities Ben Elton and Anita Dobson were being made honorary Companions of the Institute. Other Companions this year included Culture Club producer Steve Levine and Olivier Award-winning stage producer David Pugh. Paul, aged 65, who remains lead patron of Lipa, gave a speech to the graduates before they were presented with their certificates. Lipa offers degree qualifications in acting, dance, music and theatre studies.

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The Beatles "Hey Bulldog"

In February, 1968, before departing for an ill-fated trip to India for an extended course in transcendental meditation, the Beatles convened at the Abbey Road studios to cut a single that would keep them in the public eye while they were away. That single eventually became John Lennon & Paul McCartney's "Lady Madonna" with George Harrison's "The Inner Light" on the flip side. It was originally intended for Lennon's "Across The Universe" to make it onto the single, but the group couldn't decide how to record it. Lennon, however, did bring one more tune to the mini-sessions: "Hey Bulldog." ...more...

Top 10 Beatles Songs

Before anybody starts foaming at the mouth, we're quite aware of the utterly ridiculous undertaking that a Top 10 Beatles Songs list ultimately is. I mean how do you even set about coming up with a mere 10 songs that represent the best that one of the most seminal rock bands of all time ever penned? Without question it's the sort of endeavor that heated barroom debates are made over, pints flying in the air amidst flurries of verbal sparring as you throttle the bloke next to you over whether or not Paul was really the walrus and why Ringo didn't get to write more tunes. ...more...

Clapton fronts 'Crossroads' concert tour

Louie Perez's first encounter with Eric Clapton was decidedly brief. Chances are, he'll have the opportunity for a bit more conversation when his band, Los Lobos, arrives in Chicago to perform as part of Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival on Saturday. It will take some doing for this opportunity to hang with Clapton, though, to be any more memorable than Perez's first meeting. It was around 1991, while Los Lobos was touring Japan. The group was offered tickets and backstage passes for a concert by George Harrison, whose band included his good friend Clapton. That evening, Perez and his bandmates found themselves trying to find their way through a maze of corridors at the arena where the show took place to find Harrison and Clapton. ...more...

Billy and the Beatles

On Feb. 9, 1964, eyes transfixed to their small black-and-white TV sets, 73 million people had prioritized their evening to savor the sexy phenomenon and trademark shaggy haircuts of the Beatles’ British Invasion on the “Ed Sullivan Show.” Even crime in many major cities was reported to be at an all-time low. Lawbreaking could wait. The Beatles were the coolest cats on the planet and America was passionately prepared to be swept away by Beatlemania. Superstardom for these Liverpool lads could be attributed to many factors but chief among them would be one matchless commonality shared by all musical superstars: innovative song-styling. Unfortunately many of the bands they’ve influenced have basically been duplicating the Beatles’ style, especially when performing the Beatles’ own compositions. ...more...

Joni Mitchell Takes Shine to Starbucks

The folksinger has followed in Paul McCartney's footsteps and signed with Hear Music, the label formed by Starbucks and Concord Music Group. Her upcoming album, Shine, featuring her first collection of new material since 1998, will be released on Sept. 25. It will be the second release for the fledgling label, following McCartney's Memory Almost Full. "I am thrilled to be able to work with the Hear Music label on my new CD," Mitchell said in a statement. "Starbucks and Concord Music Group are joining me in releasing a project which has enabled me to appreciate what I loved about making music in the first place. I am very grateful to them." ...more...

Paul McCartney's neighbor selling Amagansett home

It's not such a long and winding road from this home to music superstar Sir Paul McCartney's summer place in Amagansett. This newly constructed English country-style dwelling on Fresh Pond Road has six bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths, a formal dining room and a master suite with marble bath, fireplace and two walk-in closets. The bluestone patio and heated gunite pool are accessible from almost every room. Bryan Midlam of Prudential Douglas Elliman is listing the 5,500-square-foot, 2.4-acre spread for $3.495 million.

McCartney is known to vacation every August at his nearby estate.
...more...

Artists bang cash registers steadily with vintage discs

Buying the albums of '60s and '70s acts like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley is akin to a rite of passage for any young music fan. These are the artists baby boomers love to keep buying, and with whom seemingly every teenager at some point experiments. (Remember A.J. hearing Bob Dylan for the first time in the ''Sopranos'' finale?) But now that the '80s and '90s are ancient history, what albums are people still buying from those decades? The short answer is that, above all, people are buying vintage Metallica, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Guns 'N Roses and, well, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. AC/DC's ''Back in Black'' (1980) last year sold 440,000 copies and has thus far sold 156,000 this year, according to the Nielsen SoundScan catalog charts, which measure how well physical albums older than 2 years old are selling. ...more...

Big Music’s UK defeat

EMI (Britain), Vivendi Universal (France), Sony BMG (Japan and Germany) and Warner Music (US) have suffered a major upset in the UK. The Big 4 organise music cartel effort to browbeat the British government into extending copyright laws beyond 50 years has failed. “The government would have had to push the European Commission for a change in the law but said such a move did not seem appropriate as it would not benefit the majority of performers and could lead to increased costs,” says Reuters. That wasn’t how a crew of very rich rockers saw things. Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, U2, Yoko Ono [Yoko Ono?], Barry Gibb, Petula Clark and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa [?] were among 4,500 artists who signed a newspaper advertisement demanding that the government extend the copyright in sound recordings to 95 years. It’s, “frustrating that on the issue of copyright term the government has shown scant respect for British artists and the UK recording industry,” laments John Kennedy, the man who runs the Big 4’s IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry). ...more...

The Traveling Wilburys Collection (Album Review)

As preposterous as it might seem, the two albums that the Traveling Wilburys released between 1988 and 1990 — Traveling Wilburys, Volume 1 and Traveling Wilburys, Volume 3 — have been out of print for a decade. Equally difficult to fathom is the fact that at the time that the ensemble was born, each of its members — Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty — was struggling to escape from a creative slump. By the time that their final outing was issued, however, their rebirths were complete: Harrison had Cloud Nine, Orbison had Mystery Girl, Dylan had Oh Mercy, Petty had Full Moon Fever, and Lynne’s career as a producer had gone into overdrive. Still, these comebacks weren’t exactly sparked by the genesis of the Traveling Wilburys. Instead, the outfit came together at what arguably was the only time during which this particular assemblage of talent possibly could have worked. Humbled by their failures but bolstered by their friendship, these five iconic figures refreshingly set aside their egos, let down their guard, and just let things happen. It is, then, rather fascinating to view the process through the prism of The Traveling Wilburys Collection, a two-CD/one-DVD set that culls together both endeavors, a quartet of bonus tracks, a documentary about the band’s formation, and the quintet of music videos that it made in its lifetime. ...more...

The US v John Lennon (PG)

THIS compelling documentary shows how John and Yoko fought to end the American involvement in the Vietnam war - including inviting the press to take photographs of them in bed on their honeymoon because they knew the media could not resist. This is compulsive viewing full of original footage from the 1970s, including interviews with John, who at one time the Americans tried to deport, seizing on an old conviction for possessing cannabis, which he claimed was planted on him in the UK. He was up against J Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI and the (later disgraced) President Richard Nixon. Lennon wanted to do more than write songs. He wanted to use his fame to change the world.

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John Lennon & Yoko Ono Were Monitored By Canadian Police

John Lennon and Yoko Ono were monitored by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (rcmp) at the height of the couple's peace protests in the early 1970s, according to newly-released reports. According to a heavily censored document, obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act, the Rcmp Security Service spied on the couple prior to a planned three-day peace festival that was to have taken place in Ontario in 1970. The Mounties also claim in the report that Lennon was planning on inviting the Beatles as well as Elvis Presley to participate in the festival. The authorities alleged that Lennon had plans to take the event to Russia if it was a success. Lennon and Ono eventually abandoned the festival. (c) WENN

Joni Mitchell joins McCartney on Hear Music roster

Joni Mitchell, who had been largely retired from the music business since 2002, has joined Paul McCartney on the roster of Starbucks Entertainment's Hear Music label. Mitchell's new album, "Shine," will be released September 25 through the coffee retailer's stores as well as traditional outlets. Mitchell angrily threatened to quit recording after the release of 2002's "Travelogue," but her work with Starbucks on a 2005 "Artists Choice" compilation helped encourage her to not throw in the towel just yet. ...more...

WIDOW: 'I OWN MILLS' HOME'

An elderly woman has blasted reports SIR PAUL McCARTNEY's estranged wife HEATHER MILLS has bought a home in Slovenia, insisting she still owns the mountain lodge. Dana Stankovic, 84, insists the wooden building overlooking Lake Bohinj belongs to her, despite reports Mills paid $800,000 (£400,000) for the retreat. Stankovic insists she owns the home, which was built by her father in 1937. She says, "We had to abandon the house when the Second World War broke out. Then it was appropriated by the Nazis, the communists and the Slovenian government. We never sold it and now we want it back."

PRESS RELEASE

Strawberry Fields Forever

He once confided in one of the orphans at the home, “One day, I’ll have a band as well !” Well, John Lennon did –- The Beatles — and in 1967 he went on to add an “s” to the correct name of the place and write his famous song, “Strawberry Fields Forever” which is still considered to be one of the groups best recordings. I recently visited Strawberry Field and can report that it is now a lively Salvation Army Prayer Center and Church. It had been closed for a while when the Salvation Army closed down the orphanage there. But now it has opened again and is humming with activities with Christians coming from around the world to pray and worship the Lord there. ...more...

LENNON DENIES COPYING FATHER

JOHN LENNON' son JULIAN has denied trying to follow in his father's footsteps by making a movie about the environment. Lennon junior produced documentary The Gathering: Return of the Whale Dreamers which premiered at this year's (07) Cannes Festival. But the 44-year-old denies he is trying to imitate his father's political protests. He says, "I admire what he did enormously. But we are not jumping on the bandwagon. "We never did it to make money, we started ten years ago so we were before Al Gore and 9/11."


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A New "King George"

THIS IS NOT BEATLES RELATED AT ALL. I JUST CAN'T HOLD IT IN ANY LONGER OR I'LL EXPLODE. THIS IS STRICTLY INFORMATIVE. PLEASE SUPPORT THE IMPEACHMENT OF BUSH/CHENEY. IMAGINE JOHN LENNON ~ George W. Bush is the imperial president that James Madison and other founders of this great republic warned us about. He lied the nation into precisely the "foreign entanglements" that George Washington feared would destroy the experiment in representative government, and he has championed a spurious notion of security over individual liberty, thus eschewing the alarms of Thomas Jefferson as to the deprivation of the inalienable rights of free citizens. But most important, he has used the sledgehammer of war to obliterate the separation of powers that James Madison enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. ...more...

McCartney 'will pay £70 million to silence Heather'

Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are understood to have thrashed out a divorce deal in which she will receive almost £70 million ($144 million). Miss Mills, who split from the former Beatle in May last year after four years of marriage, is believed to be in line for a lump sum of £15 million. If the deal goes through she will get another £3.5million every year until their daughter Beatrice, who will be four in October, reaches her 18th birthday. The divorce settlement - which would be the largest in British legal history - will include a clause ensuring that neither party ever speaks publicly about what led to the breakdown of their marriage, the Daily Mail has learned. ...more...

Beatles tribute at Festival of Lights a stroll down Penny Lane

It was a stroll down Penny Lane Saturday night, as the Festival of Lights welcomed Jim Witter and his Tribute to Lennon and McCartney. Best known for his Pianomen show, which he has performed at the festival for the last three years in a row, Witter and his band tackled the music of The Beatles and did not disappoint their local following. It was a show inspired in the Festival of Lights trailer last July. As heavy rain threatened their show last summer, the band took shelter and the idea for the show was tossed around, Witter said. "I asked them, I really want to do a Beatles show, are you up for the challenge," Witter said. "We sat in that trailer last year and came up with this exact lineup of songs.
If it weren’t for the rain, we wouldn’t be here doing this show." ...more...

RCMP spies kept watch on John Lennon in 1969

Spies from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police kept close watch on Beatle John Lennon's ill -starred plans for a massive peace festival near Toronto, newly declassified records show. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press reveal the RCMP Security Service monitored efforts by the iconic musician and wife Yoko Ono to stage the three-day concert in early July 1970 at Ontario's Mosport Park. A heavily censored Dec. 30, 1969, report by the Mounties notes the organizers planned to invite other members of the Beatles as well as rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley. "Lennon hoped that if the festival would turn out to be a success, there would be a good chance they might take this festival to Russia," says the secret memo, portions of which were released under the Access to Information Act. ...more...

Basement Jaxx To Collaborate With Yoko Ono On New Album

Yoko Ono is set to appear on the new Basement Jaxx album which is due for release in the spring of 2008. The dance duo have been writing new material for the record recently and drafted in Ono after working with her on one of her own projects. Felix Buxton told 6Music: "We ended up doing a couple of things, once I started listening to her stuff, I think she was miles ahead, she should be on the new album. I mean we haven't finished any tracks at the moment, but we are working on new things." Buxton also said that the pair would love to work with Grace Jones but are finding it hard to make it happen. "We have been trying to work with her for years, but she keeps disappearing, her manager said she was up for it before," he said. The album could end up being a two disc affair with a according to Buxton one album being "sound scapes" and the other "pure tracks".

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Give us our house back Heather

It is early spring, and Heather Mills, the estranged wife of Sir Paul McCartney, falls in love with a timber mountain lodge overlooking a serene and beautiful blue-green lake in Slovenia. She decides to add it to her ever-expanding property portfolio, and her £400,000 offer is readily accepted. The sale runs smoothly, unimpeded by the usual obstacles that beset buying property abroad, probably because the previous occupant is the country's president. Sensing a tourism-boosting coup, a senior Slovenian government official even goes on TV to announce details of the deal. Everyone, it seems, is happy. Not quite. ...more...

Their own private 'Pepper'

BEATLES TRIBUTES: HOW redundant they are, how irresistible, how tantalizing. Redundant because the ongoing appeal of the band's music is surely its own best tribute; irresistible because musicians still can't deny the impulse to redefine what the Beatles defined; and tantalizing because you never know when an artist will crack the combination, get inside the song, and come away with a prize no one suspected was there. A lot of hip young safecrackers are taking on the Beatles these days. We're well into the time-frame encompassing the 40th anniversaries of the band's classic studio albums: "Rubber Soul" was commemorated by 2005's "This Bird Has Flown," an engaging if erratic effort featuring the Fiery Furnaces, the Donnas, Cowboy Junkies, and others; and last year's "Revolver Reloaded," a warm, witty rustication of the 1966 masterpiece, featured alt-folk artists like Thea Gilmore, Catfish Heaven, and The Handsome Family. ...more...

Groundbreaking Beatles performance drew sharp criticism, new documents show

Beamed around the world in a broadcasting landmark, a 1967 Beatles performance for the first live trans-Atlantic satellite transmission was regarded as a defining cultural moment in Britain — except by the viewers. The Fab Four — Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — played to an estimated audience of 300 million who watched the Liverpool band during the broadcast, which included contributions from across Europe and the United States. But newly released documents revealed some viewers considered the Beatles unworthy of representing Britain in the show, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported Sunday. The band, who wrote the song "All You Need Is Love" for the broadcast, appeared alongside opera singer Maria Callas and artist Pablo Picasso on the "Our World" broadcast in June 1967. A log of viewer comments to the British Broadcasting Corp., which screened the program in Britain, released under Freedom of Information laws, shows Britain's segment was heavily criticized. ...more...

SECRET LIFE OF 'ROCK WIVES'

IF you want to be a rock star's wife, the path is clear: Sing, fling, bling and ring with a stopover at "Who are you again?" Today's 90-minute "Rock Star Wives: The E! True Hollywood Story" follows the everyday lives of several rock stars and their wives - almost all of whom somehow convinced these incredibly famous guys when they met them that they really had no idea who they were. And I am a six-foot-tall cellulite-free blond. ...more...

Bono plays Dr Robert in Beatles-themed film

Bono plays ‘Dr Robert’ in ‘Across The Universe’, a film based on music by The Beatles. It combines live action, animation and puppetry. ‘Across The Universe’, directed by Julie Taymor, is the story of a Liverpool doc worker (played by Jim Sturgess), who travels to America to find his long lost father. On his way, he meets an American girl (Evan Rachel Wood) and joins the anti-war movement. All of the musical film’s main characters are named after Beatles songs. Bono’s character is called Dr Robert. Eddie Izzard and Salma Hayek are also in the film. The film is set for a UK and Ireland release on September 28.

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McCartney divorce talks deadlocked

SIR Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are in a new deadlock over their divorce settlement. It emerged last night that they have been unable to reach a figure that both are happy with. Ms Mills is said to have hoped for an offer of up to £50million – which would be the largest in British legal history. But insiders say talks have not moved forward in two months. “I have no comment on this private matter,” said 65-year-old Sir Paul’s ­official spokesman last night. “These figures which have been appearing are pure speculation.” ...more...

Yoko Wants a Smoko?!?

Could that woman in the dark specs, Panama hat, and slightly tortured expression be Yoko? Oh yes! We're not entirely sure what she's demonstrating here, but the two fellas at her table sure are rapt. Imagine all the possibilities! We spotted the former Mrs. Lennon at celebriteria Cipriani Downtown with three other guests, enjoying the same Bellinis and other delights that Greasy Bear enjoyed just a few days ago. Only in New York can one possibly run into rock greatness or a fabulous celeb in a club ... or Yoko and Greasy Bear.

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Fans Trash Beatles Tune Use in Diaper Ad

Help! Some Beatles fans are feeling down about the latest use of a Fab Four song in a commercial - the 1967 peace anthem "All You Need Is Love" highlights a new disposable diaper campaign. "I just cannot see a Beatles song being used for trivial things ... not Beatles songs!!!!" fan Andy Bonnell said by e-mail from Liverpool, England, the Beatles' home base. Such sentiments represent something of a lost cause. A version of their song "Help!" was used in a car commercial in 1985, and the many appearances since then include the late John Lennon's son Julian's 2002 cover of "When I'm Sixty-Four" for insurer Allstate Corp. and current Target Corp. store commercials that use a version of "Hello Goodbye" - "Goodbuy" in the ads. ...more...

Macca brother shows photos in village

Sir Paul McCartney's brother is to stage a rare show of his rock photographs in a remote Scottish village. Mike McCartney will put on an exhibition of pictures he took at the London Live 8 concert. Durness in Sutherland is hosting the John Lennon Northern Lights festival between September 28 and 30. It celebrates the murdered ex-Beatle's long-running links with the area. Mike, 63, agreed to bring his collection up a few days before the festival for a special exhibition. ...more...

Cheap Trick to recreate the Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper' album in historic concert

Veteran powerpop band Cheap Trick, who have famously cover the Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" and John Lennon's "Cold Turkey" in the past, are now set to perform the entire Sgt. Pepper album from start to finish at L.A.'s world-famous Hollywood Bowl. The performance will accompanied by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, as well as special guests Aimee Mann, Joan Osborne, Ian Ball, and Rob Laufer. For the George Harrison-penned "Within You Without You," an Indian instrumental ensemble will also participate. The recreation of the Sgt. Pepper album will be performed during the second half of the concert, while the first half will features Beatles classics including:

"Magical Mystery Tour" (with orchestra)
"Strawberry Fields Forever" (with Ian Ball, orchestra)
"Norwegian Wood" (with Rob Laufer, orchestra)
"Blackbird" (with Aimee Mann)
"Eleanor Rigby" (with orchestra)
"The Long And Winding Road" (with Joan Osborne, orchestra)
"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/End" (with orchestra)

Cheap Trick's two-night Sgt. Pepper concert stint takes place at the Hollywood Bowl on on August 10 and 11.

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Beatles Butchering Not Allowed

The producers of hit new TV karaoke contest THE SINGING BEE have been banned from using THE BEATLES and THE FOUR SEASONS hits on the show. The fun show, hosted by former 'N Sync star Joey Fatone, gives audience members the chance to croon hit songs, and fill in the words when the karaoke screen goes blank. The show has become a big hit in America, but some music industry executives are far from impressed - and they've refused to clear the classics for use on the programme. Producer Phil Gurin says, "There are certain artists who just don't clear for these kinds of shows - The Beatles being the number one. [ah, but they can misuse Beatles songs to sell crap on TV?] (Contact Music)

Historic Document Uncovered: Reveals The Beatles Were Originally Named The "Beatals"

Before they were the Beatles, the Fab Four went through numerous name changes. A very little known fact is that the first time the band ever referred to themselves as The Beatles, the band spelled it "Beatals." A copy of a historic letter written by original fifth Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe in March 1960 is now available as part of a new limited edition fine art reproduction entitled "Meet the Beatals." "Meet the Beatals" is a watercolor painting (circa 1957 - 1960) featuring the early Beatles in their "Skiffle" days taken from Stuart Sutcliffe's personal sketchbook. The historic letter is superimposed over the bottom of the painting. In the letter from late March 1960, Sutcliffe who refers to himself as the manager of the band, writes, "This is a promising group of young musicians who play music for all tastes, preferably rock and roll." Sutcliffe begins to refer to the band as the Quarrymen, then crosses it out and writes "The Beatals" - the first time the band ever called themselves by that name! The artwork is hand signed by Pauline Sutcliffe, who is executor of the Stuart Sutcliffe estate and Stuart's sister. This is the first limited edition art piece ever released by the Sutcliffe estate and only 175 numbered and signed copies will be produced. The work was officially released on June 23 on what would have been Stuart's 67th birthday and is currently available at http://www.rockartshow.com/zip/stu-sutcliffe-meet-the-beatals.html .

Stuart Sutcliffe's influence on the Beatles was extraordinary. Stuart was coaxed into joining the band by his roommate, art school classmate and closest friend John Lennon. Stuart, an accomplished artist at a young age, sold one of his paintings and used the money to purchase a bass guitar. During Sutcliffe's time with the band, he gave them their name (Beatals), designed their collarless jackets and with his fiancée Astrid Kirrchher, created the "Beatles Mop Top" haircut. He quit the band while in Hamburg, Germany to pursue his art career and stay with Astrid. Tragically, Stuart died in 1962 at the age of 21 from a brain hemorrhage. In 1994, the film "Backbeat" was produced dramatizing Stuart's short life. In 2006, BBC commissioned a new documentary about Stuart's life and art, entitled, "Stuart Sutcliffe, The Lost Beatle." It received the "Creative Excellence" award at the US International Film and Video Festival.

"Meet the Beatals" is proudly published by Celebrity Arts, publishers of Ringo Starr's artwork and distributors of Paul McCartney's artwork in conjunction with Right Brain Revenue, Inc. presenters of "The Rock Art Show", (www.rockartshow.com) the largest touring rock and roll art show in the world.

PRESS RELEASE

Tom Cruise plans to visit the Abbey Road studios

Tom Cruise is reportedly planning to visit the studios originally made famous by The Beatles, Abbey Road. The actor is said-to-be a massive fan of the legendary foursome, and will take time off from shooting his latest film ‘Valkyrie’ in Germany to visit the north London studios, in which the band recorded many of their most famous hits. Scientologist Cruise, 45, is said to be particularly keen to visit the pedestrian crossing where John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr posed for their iconic ‘Abbey Road’ album cover. ...more...

THE BEATLES BAN BEE BOSSES FROM KARAOKE COVERS

The producers of hit new TV karaoke contest THE SINGING BEE have been banned from using THE BEATLES and THE FOUR SEASONS hits on the show. The fun show, hosted by former 'N Sync star Joey Fatone, gives audience members the chance to croon hit songs, and fill in the words when the karaoke screen goes blank. The show has become a big hit in America, but some music industry executives are far from impressed - and they've refused to clear the classics for use on the programme. Producer Phil Gurin says, "There are certain artists who just don't clear for these kinds of shows - The Beatles being the number one. "We do have Paul MCCartney songs and John Lennon songs. We have George Harrison and Ringo (Starr) songs. We have (MCCartney band) Wings. But we don't have The Beatles. "And then there are those who fear the show will interfere with their business - right now, we don't have any of The Four Seasons because there's an embargo on that while (stage show) Jersey Boys is touring. "Others have been awkward - we finally got ABBA, but, at first, it was very, very difficult because they wanted to protect the songs for the Broadway show Mamma Mia."

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Bash is all about 'being around Beatles people'

Like anybody else growing up in the '60s, Bob Bartel was a Beatles fan. But Bartel has taken being a Beatles fan to another level. He not only owns one of the largest collections of Beatles memorabilia anywhere, he also was instrumental in saving the house in Benton, Ill., where George Harrison visited his sister Louise in 1963 -- before the Beatles became famous in America. "They're the Beethovens and Mozarts of our lives," Bartel, 58, said of the Beatles. "They're what's happening still." ...more...

In the Name of Inspiration

How many of you read JD Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” when you were in high school? I remember the novel as if it were yesterday. I became enamored with the writer and went on to read his other novels. I remember his use of language. I remember the story of protagonist Holden Caulfield who finds the hypocrisy, phoniness and ugliness of the world around him almost unbearable, and through his cynicism he tries to protect himself from the pain and disappointment of the world. I remember not wanting the story to end, I even remember that I used the book as a way to procrastinate and not write my college essays. I remember all of this. Yet, funnily enough, I don’t remember the urge to shoot a cultural icon. In fact I never had the urge to shoot anyone. ...more...

BUY: The Catcher in the Rye



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'Linda McCartney's Sixties'

Fifty-one photographs capture the iconic musical greats of the '60s in an exhibit opening today at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel. Linda Eastman McCartney's photography career spanned 25 years, breaking through with 1966 photographs of The Rolling Stones aboard a yacht sailing Manhattan's Hudson River and then pioneering with the start-up mag Rolling Stone. She met The Beatles on assignment in London in 1967 to document the Sgt. Pepper tour and married Paul McCartney two years later. ...more...

Linda McCartney's Sixties: Portrait of an Era (Linda McCartney's Sixties)



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READY TO DEAL

HEATHER Mills has rejected Paul McCartney's $41 million proposed divorce settlement, but says she'll graciously hop away for a paltry $102 million, the Times of London reports. When the duo called their four-year marriage quits last May, Mills allegedly sought more than $300 million of McCartney's $1.6 billion empire. An $8 million Georgian mansion in London's tony St. John Wood was reportedly high on her wish list. Now it appears Mills is willing to let it be for much less. If they don't reach a settlement, there will be an answer after a trial set for February.

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Just press repeat

Much of the rock 'n' roll and pop canon is ell-established. Buying the albums of '60s and '70s acts like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley is akin to a rite of passage for any young music fan. These are the artists baby boomers love to keep buying, and with whom seemingly every teenager at some point experiments. (Remember A.J. hearing Bob Dylan for the first time in the "Sopranos" finale?) Now that the '80s and '90s are ancient history, what albums are people still buying from those decades? Do critical favorites like Radiohead and the Pixies grow more popular with time? Or do the Backstreet Boys and Madonna still rule the charts? ...more...

The Beatles come together for John and George

Marking the one-year anniversary of Cirque du Soleil’s stunning production of The Beatles LOVE at The Mirage in Las Vegas, the two remaining Beatles—Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr—reunited on stage on Tuesday, June 26 before that night’s performance for a dedication in honor of John Lennon and George Harrison. The two other principles joining in the ceremony were John and George’s widows, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison. As a throng of fans amassed outside the stanchioned entrance of the LOVE Theater to catch a brief glimpse of The Fabs, Larry King was inside the theater’s lobby hosting the ceremony, where in an apparent aging moment he announced at the outset, “We’re celebrating LOVE’s one-year anniversary honoring John Lennon and George Hamilton.” After a few chuckles broke out from the attending media King asked, “Did I say something funny?” before correcting himself. It didn’t help that when he introduced Cirque founder Guy Laliberté he also mispronounced his name as well. ...more...

McCARTNEY HAILED FOR BOYCOTTING ANIMAL-TESTING CHARITIES

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY has been praised by animal rights group PETA after announcing plans to boycott cancer charities who test on animals. The multi-millionaire former Beatle has supported cancer charities since his first wife Linda died of the disease in 1998. But on Monday (16Jul07) he revealed plans to refuse funding to organisations that practice vivisection, after discovering a number of charities close to his heart advocate the practice. The vegan rocker said, "When Linda died I said I would support cancer charities. Animal rights groups wrote to me pointing out that many were heavily into vivisection - and it's true. A doctor we knew out in America just admitted it as a matter of fact, innocently, like 'Well, sure we do.' "What he doesn't realise is that he won't get a donation out of me for that very fact. There are better alternatives but you're not allowed to challenge the status quo." His decision has been applauded by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Alistair Currie - Senior Research and Campaigns Co-ordinator - says, “Animal testing charities don't just miss out on big money; they miss out on medical progress. Animals are not furry little humans and their bodies cannot reliably predict results for human conditions. While we know a great deal about cancer in mice, we don't know anywhere near enough about cancer in humans. Thankfully, there are plenty of charities that go for the triple win: they don't cause animal suffering; they do support modern non-animal research that increases the chance of finding cures for humans; and they get the money of smart, compassionate donors.”

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Ex-Wings Guitarist Laine Spills Paul McCartney Secrets In New Book

Sir Paul McCartney's former Wings bandmate Denny Laine is set to spill the secrets behind their turbulent friendship in a new book. McCartney formed the group with guitarist Laine in 1971, but the pair fell out in January 1980 after the former Beatle was taken into police custody for marijuana possession at Japan's Tokyo airport. The arrest forced the group to cancel international tour dates, and Laine reportedly never forgave McCartney for what he saw as an act of betrayal. Laine has since teamed up with a professional ghostwriter to work on his autobiography, which is expected to shed light on his fractured relationship with the Let It Be hitmaker. A source close to Laine says, "Denny has been approached by one of music's most reputable authors about a much-anticipated biography. In the past, questionable motives. Denny would have none of it. "But this time, the project will be done on Denny's terms." (c) WENN

Warners say no to EMI takeover

Warner Music Group has said it won't bid for The Beatles' record label EMI. The label confirmed this, despite recent claims that it was considering making an offer. However Warner, whose artists include Madonna and REM, believes it can still bid or participate in a proposal for London-based EMI in the next six months, the New York based music company said today (July 18) in a statement. Warner is looking for additional revenue as illegal file-swapping of digital recording reduces sales of compact discs. Also album sales have been falling, particularly in the US, where they fell 15 percent in the first half of 2007 from the same period last year. EMI recommended a ...more...

Liverpool artist reunites the Beatles!

The print shows the Beatles reunited for one last gig at the Cavern, joining the hundreds of thousands of people who make the pilgrimage annually to Liverpool. Depicting the Beatles as they were in the '60s, it combines Corina's famous 'Mona Lisa' design and frames the four lads from Liverpool in a classical pose as if featuring in a masterpiece. Born in 1950, Alex Corina studied at the Regional College of Art in Bradford before moving to Liverpool 20 years ago. Alex is best known for his picture 'The Mona Lennon' which originated when Corina was commissioned by the North West Development Agency to produce a work to support Liverpool's bid to become European Capital of Culture. 'The Mona Lennon' was unveiled at the House of Commons reception to promote Liverpool's bid before it was printed 80ft by 50ft to adorn St Georges Hall in Liverpool City Centre. Corina states his aim is "to capture the spirit and humour of the City in the run up to the Capital of Culture." ...more...

Gibson Guitar Custom Shop Announces The Limited Edition John Lennon Inspired By Les Paul Guitar

Gibson Guitar has announced the new Gibson Custom John Lennon-Inspired By Les Paul guitar. The guitar will boast the renowned Charlie Christian pickup that Lennon's modified 1950s Gibson single-cutaway Les Paul Junior is famous for. Only 300 of these special limited-edition guitars will be produced by Gibson's Custom Shop. Lennon, a worldwide musical and cultural icon, owned many equally well known guitars in his time including his Gibson J-160E and his Epiphone Casino. Like many great musicians, the guitars Lennon chose to play often seemed to reflect his ideas, beliefs, and lifestyle. In particular, the image of Lennon playing his modified 1950s Les Paul Junior at his famous live performance at New York's Madison Square Garden on August 30, 1972 is an unforgettable one—one that guitar luthier Ron DeMarino helped to shape through the assistance he provided to Lennon in modifying the well-known guitar in the early 1970s. ...more...

McCartney Divorce Could Be Year Away, Heather Denies Deal Imminent, Says It's All Up To Paul

(CBS) Heather Mills McCartney, the estranged wife of Paul McCartney, says she has no idea when their bitter divorce battle will end. One thing's for sure, she told CBS News correspondent Liz Palmer, "There is no settlement, so we'll clear that now, full stop." That seems to dash recent reports to the contrary. Asked when the dispute will conclude, Mills McCartney replied, "Ask Paul. It's up to him. I've got no idea. It could be another year." ...more...

Pitchfork Music Festival review

Given the fact that Yoko Ono opened her headlining set at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park with a taped rendition of "Give Peace a Chance," it might appear as though nostalgia was going to be her sole focus. Along with that flashback to the hippie-era anthem came the burst of several thousand flash lights to symbolize love and unity, which event staffers handed out to fans at the gates upon entry. And as Ono emerged from the shadows clad in a hat, sunglasses and scarf, she quickly fast forwarded the time period to present tense and generally remained in that frame for the next 80 minutes. "I just wrote this song and we're going to perform it for the first time right now," she told throngs of adoring appreciators ...more...

David Bowie - Young Americans Special Edition

Young Americans isn't David Bowie's most heralded album, but time has proven the 1975 disc to be a near-classic interpretation of white man's soul. Bowie was a huge fan of black soul music, and gathered together a crew (including a then-unknown backup singer named Luther Vandross) to help him reimagine his "plastic soul." It was a real curve ball for glammed-out rocker Ziggy Stardust to suddenly abandon the makeup and start singing soul songs. Virgin/EMI has now released a new special edition CD/DVD package of Young Americans with plentiful bonus features, including video footage, new audio mixes and more. It's an excellent chance to revisit Young Americans in the Bowie canon, although admittedly if you already own the album there may not be enough here to merit buying it again. (And this is the fourth time the album has been released on CD, after all.) ...more...

BUY: Young Americans-Special Edition



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Beatles Plus Metallica Equals Beatallica

What happens if you combine The Beatles and Metallica? Beatallica, of course. Beatallica have just released their debut album, "Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band," a collection of songs that combine Beatles songs with Metallica ones. "For Horsemen" was the first song they created, which combines The Beatles' "For No One" with Metallica's "Four Horsemen."
"Sandman" combines "Taxman" with "Enter Sandman." It took two years for the album to come out. As bassist Kliff McBurtney puts it, "You're dealing with two not only of the most influential bands of the last century but also two of the most litigious bands of the last century." McBurtney said Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich likes Beatallica and has been influential in getting the album out. What inspired the idea of Beatallica? McBurtney said an April Fools' Day performance and a bunch of beers.

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Indie oasis

Ono has become an icon to underground music fans who couldn't care less about whether she helped break up the Beatles; they love her because she's an unapologetic hell-raiser and musical innovator. Backed by an accomplished band and joined for a cameo by Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore, Ono made clear her pre-John Lennon roots in the classical avant-garde (with John Cage and La Monte Young) and free jazz (with Ornette Coleman), as well as conjuring the underrated noise-rock of the Plastic Ono Band in the early '70s, all the while sounding utterly fresh and of the moment. By no means is Ono's voice easy on the ears, but she's a great singer nonetheless for the way her shrieks, squeals and howls twist around the grooves and melodies in the manner of a brilliant improvisational horn player. She played with as much energy as any musician who took the stage, and she took more chances than most, closing Saturday's lineup with an inspiring and historic experience as the crowd joined her in repeatedly screaming, "War is over if you want it," while the park was illuminated by thousands of flashlights distributed before her show. ...more...

LENNON GLASSES EXPECTED TO FETCH TWO MILLION DOLLARS

Spectacles belonging to late rocker JOHN LENNON are expected to fetch $2 million (GBP1 million) at an online auction. The prized items went on sale on Thursday (12Jul07) on music memorabilia website www.991.com. The last pair of Lennon's glasses sold in 2002 are insured for $2 million. The former Beatle gave a pair of gold rimmed glasses to Japanese translator Junishi Yore during the band's 1966 tour of Japan. The glasses come without the lenses as Yore took them out as a sign of respect when he heard of Lennon's murder in 1980 - as tradition dictates in Japan. The glasses come with a note from Yore, which reads, "He (Lennon) gave me this ... very nice man. Lenses removed when he die." The auction closes at the end of the month (Jul07).


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PS This price has doubled since first being reported.

Yoko Ono Blasts Claims She Influenced John Lennon: 'He Led Me'

John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono has blasted claims she was a powerful influence on the former Beatle - insisting it was he who led her. The Japanese performer was widely blamed for splitting up The Beatles, but she insists she had a limited control over the star throughout his career. Ono tells Mojo magazine, "Despite what people always say, I don't think I influenced John much. "But through him I discovered an incredible world. He was always dealing with the people of the world. That's a pretty interesting thing to do." (c) WENN

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Imagine owning John Lennon's glasses; online bids hit $1.6M

Bids at an online auction for a pair of John Lennon's trademark round granny glasses could hit the $2 million mark. The gold-rimmed glasses, worn by the former Beatle on the band's Japan tour in 1966, were placed on the block Friday by auction house 991.com, which says bidding hit £750,000 ($1.6 million Cdn) in the first 24 hours. "Our phones have been in meltdown," sales director John Warner told BBC News. "It's almost impossible to put a value on them. They're the rarest of the rare." ...more...

20 you should know: Rock and Pop

With rock 'n' roll, to declare the first, best or worst song or record is impossible. Many people call Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats the "first rock 'n' roll song." Yet the idea, as Nick Tosches writes in Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll, "is certainly not the case -- there being no first rock 'n' roll record any more than there is any first modern novel." Rocket 88, of course, didn't fall out of the sky in 1951. Before any recording was described as "rock 'n' roll," the listening public had heard scores of blues, jazz, country, gospel and rhythm-and-blues characters. ...more...

McCartney to go on holiday with Mills

Sir Paul McCartney has decided to go on a family holiday with his estranged wife Heather Mills. The former Beatle agreed to a suggestion from Heather that they should visit New York for "family bonding time" with their three-year-old daughter Bea. McCartney and Mills are believed to have called a truce in May, following months of bitterness over their divorce. One recent report even suggested that they had agreed to be neighbours for the sake of their child. A source told the News of the World: "Incredible as it may seem the idea looks like a goer. It won't be a conventional family holiday, there's still tension. But if they go to Macca's Hamptons mansion in New York, as they're thinking, they'll be away from prying eyes and pretty much on neutral ground."

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Life of snap judgments

“A GREAT Dane? Oh, bloody hell, I thought we said no animals, love,” laughs Clive Arrowsmith, Wales’ world famous snapper to the stars. Surrounded by umpteen piles of glossy prints, photo scrapbooks and contact sheets which fill his South London flat – the result of a life spent in pictures – Clive is on the phone to his agent. And he’s just been told that the next day’s shoot for the Russian version of FHM might feature more than just models of the two-legged variety – all of which brings back bad memories of a particularly hairy moment he once had. ...more...

Bidding war over Lennon's glasses

A pair of glasses worn by former Beatle John Lennon have sparked a bidding war after being offered for sale online. The trademark circular sunglasses were worn by Lennon during the Beatles' 1966 tour of Japan, where the band played some of their last ever live dates. Anonymous rival bidders have already pushed the price as high as £750,000 at online auction house 991.com. "The interest has been phenomenal," said sales director John Warner. "Our phones have been in meltdown." ...more...

Photographer guilty of assaulting Heather Mills

A photographer has been found guilty of assaulting Heather Mills-McCartney in a subway as he tried to take her picture. Jay Kaycappa, 32, grabbed the estranged wife of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney by her right shoulder in order to swing her round and take her photograph. Brighton Magistrates Court heard during a three-day trial that the incident took place in a subway near her seafront home in Hove, East Sussex on July 5 last year. She had become separated from her group of friends while on abicycle ride and ended up in the pedestrian subway. ...more...

GUINNESS WANTS ALONE TIME WITH McCARTNEY

Heiress SABRINA GUINNESS is furious media reports she was having a relationship with former Beatle SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY have ruined her chances of another date with the star. The socialite was linked to MCCartney in March (07) following the breakdown of his marriage to Heather Mills last year (06). The pair sparked a press frenzy when they were spotted hugging outside her London home, even though the clinch was perfectly innocent. Now Guinness fears the intense interest in her relationship with MCCartney has scuppered any chance of meeting him again. She says, "If I could, I would, but I haven't. "I met him a number of times and he seems to be a really nice person. We were actually going out to dinner at the time we were photographed, because I wanted to talk to him about the David Attenborough (charity) project I was working on, but we didn't even get to have dinner. "Suddenly the press were on our tail and the whole idea had to be abandoned. I've always been a huge fan of the Beatles and as I say I have a great respect for Paul and his music, he's a great songwriter and seems to be a very good man."


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Laine to reveal reasons for McCartney feud in autobiography

Multi-instrumentalist Denny Laine will reveal the secrets behind his turbulent friendship with his former 'Wings' bandmate Sir Paul McCartney in his autobiography. Laine and McCartney joined hands to form the band in 1971, but their team split in January 1980 after the former 'Beatle' was arrested at Tokyo airport for possessing marijuana. The band had to cancel a number of international tour dates due to McCartney's arrest. Laine never forgave McCartney because he considers his act betrayal. Sources now say that Laine is taking the services of a professional ghost-writer to complete his autobiography, wherein he may talk about his ...more...

Love Is Real: John Lennon Northern Lights Festival Brings Allison Crowe Home To Scotland

Internationally-acclaimed singer-songwriter Allison Crowe has been invited to perform at the 'John Lennon Northern Lights Festival' this September 28 - 30, 2007 in Durness, located in the Scottish Highlands. Summer's here. Temperature's rising. Happily, Allison Crowe is joining a magical mystery tour that promises to be one of the coolest cultural events of this, or any, year. The internationally-acclaimed singer-songwriter will perform at the 'John Lennon Northern Lights Festival' this September 28 - 30 in the Scottish Highlands. This unique happening has been endorsed by Yoko Ono Lennon along with several members of the ex-Beatle John's family, including his sister, Julia Baird. Some of Britain's greatest artists, and, now, a Canadian, too, will travel to a tiny highland village to pay homage to John Lennon. The three-day festival in Durness (pop. 356), the most north-westerly and remote village on mainland Britain, is being called "one of the most extraordinary festivals ever to be staged in the country".

"John really loved Durness and would be very pleased that his influence was being celebrated with this festival," said Julia Baird on the launch. "I am delighted to be involved in what is a high quality event which has taste and respect at its core. We are all looking forward very much to coming again to a place that meant so much to my brother."

Allison Crowe and Julia Baird met last Summer, at a Beatles celebration organized by Hal Bruce, "The Cavern's very best friend", in Halifax, Nova Scotia - at which Julia, a teacher in Cheshire, was Guest of Honour. On that occasion Allison received a standing ovation for her solo performances of the Beatles' "Let It Be" and "In My Life" (which has roots in Durness) and John's "Imagine". The opportunity to meet again, and to share inspiration is exciting says Allison: "John Lennon was an amazing, artistic, peaceful, spirit. He made a huge impact on society." And, she notes, "I love Scotland!" (Both grandparents on her Mother's side are Scottish.)

As a boy, John Lennon would be packed off on the bus from Liverpool to a croft in Durness owned by relatives. His cousin Stanley Parkes, says: "The festival is not remembering John Lennon the pop star, but John the person, the writer and the poet." During a break from recording the Abbey Road album in 1969, the then-Beatle returned to the Highlands with Yoko, son Julian, and Yoko's daughter Kyoko.

"I have a very sweet memory of Durness," Yoko said last month, in giving her blessing to festival organizer Mike Merritt's team. "I would most certainly love to lend my co-operation to this splendid venture to bring the world's attention to Scotland, the most beautiful and magical country, with John's name, his memory and a lovely one of mine, as well."

Allison Crowe, a French reviewer has observed, creates music for people who love the '60s and '70s sound ~ even if they'd not yet been born. It's a spirit of freedom and fun. Of uncompromised artistry. Honesty and innocence. She's in perfect harmony with a wildly eclectic festival line-up that includes: the original Quarrymen, (John's skiffle group which evolved into The Beatles); poet and playwright Carol Ann Duffy; punk poet John Cooper Clarke; the Queen's Master of Music, composer/conductor Sir Peter Maxwell Davies; jazz singer Todd Gordon and his combo; actor/playwright Gary Bleasdale; contemporary UK chart toppers Nizlopi; and a wide palette of artists in all sorts of disciplines. Music, painting, drama, Beatles' films (on Britain's only
mobile cinema, Screen Machine), Fab Four memorabilia, an on-site astronomer, and festivities in Smoo Cave, (Britain's biggest sea cave), are among the attractions.

As are the Northern Lights... which shine on the festival's celestial banner alongside John Lennon. The whole brings to mind the truth and beauty of such songs from John's Plastic Ono Band album as "Look at Me" and "Love".

Allison Crowe has recorded, naturally, one of her newest songs, "Northern Lights": http://www.allisoncrowe.com/NorthernLights.mp3 "And, yes, I stood on the other side of the world, but I took the Northern Lights home to you."

Here's the official Festival website link:
http://www.northhighlandsscotland.com/festival

Peace.


PRESS RELEASE

Calling all fans of the 'Fab Four'

The Beatles are coming to London. Well, okay, so it's not really the flesh and blood 'Fab Four' but an exhibition celebrating the life and music of John, Paul, Ringo and George. The Beatles Roadshow Exhibit is for fans of all ages showcasing the life and times of the four lads from Liverpool through photos, music, and other items of interest. The day-long, museum quality exhibit runs July 28 from 11 a.m., to 5 p.m., in the Victoria Room of the Holiday Inn Express, 374 Dundas St. ...more...

Heather Mills May Give "Dancing on Ice" a Whirl

Heather Mills has already been called an "Ice Queen" and worse by many of her detractors, especially Paul McCartney fans in the UK and here in America. But now a report claims that Heather Mills McCartney wants to be on the next series of "Dancing On Ice." The ex-model, 39, is in talks to appear on the ITV1 show next year, The Sun UK reports. Heather Mills May Give "Dancing on Ice" a Whirl. Entertainment Wise UK notes that she is currently in a sometimes bitter divorce with Paul where Mills has been painted as a money-grabbing villain, but her appearance on the "Dancing With the Stars" in the United States snagged her some fans stateside. The Sun reports a source saying: “Heather changed her image in America — and she knows it. She now wants to try the same thing over here and Dancing On Ice would be perfect.” ...more...

Montreal Jazz Fest Roundup: Sean Lennon

A festival built on second- and third-generation jazzmen paying respect to what's generally a musical genre living only in historical tribute wasn't the best venue for Sean Lennon to spread his wings and fly beyond the legacy left by everyone's favourite Liverpudlian musical hero. In the Montreal International Jazz Festival, where music fans fully expect the performers to glowingly show affection for the past (usually of the Miles Davis variety), young Lennon could have found himself in the awkward position of facing a crowd of 1,000 yuppies clamouring for something akin to the hit-and-miss (although thoroughly sycophantic) Paul Simon tribute of last year. Thankfully, not only is Lennon humble, but one can't help but root for him to succeed in spite of impossible odds. At 31 years old, this singer-songwriter has developed into an excellent, comfortable performer, so much so that by the end of his 90-minute performance, the polite and perhaps even slightly rambunctious Spectrum audience understood that this was no mere Julian. ...more...

Meet the Beatle

Pete Best dug my John Lennon T-shirt. Of course, it would have been a bigger deal if he had agreed to comb his hair forward or stopped being better looking than Paul McCartney, but it was a cool compliment nonetheless. After all, how many people can honestly say they've rubbed elbows with a Beatle, especially since there are only three left? I got my chance last week while on vacation. The main purpose of the trip was to visit my family and my in-laws, who live in upstate New York. On Friday, my dad's band was playing a club near Syracuse, N.Y., opening for The Pete Best Band, which, of course, features Best, the original drummer for The Beatles. ...more...

The B List: Underrated Macca

Paul McCartney recently released Memory Almost Full to virtual rimjobs from both his fans and the critics. The new album has also achieved serious commercial success, as it debuted at #3 on the U.S. charts. I grew up on McCartney’s music, and I’ve always been a huge fan of his solo catalog. When I was 15 years old I couldn’t get enough of the guy, and I persuaded my mom to bring me to Giants Stadium for a McCartney concert. Besides the weird look on both of our faces when everyone around us started smoking pot, that was one of the best concerts I ever saw, and I’ve seen him play twice since then. But enough about me, let’s get back to McCartney’s solo catalog. Everyone knows about Band On The Run, Maybe I’m Amazed, and Live and Let Die; but, McCartney had a number of minor hits that have kinda been forgotten about. This week’s B List takes a look at 10 underrated songs from Paul McCartney’s solo career. Read on after the jump for a full list and YouTube videos for each one ...more...

John Lennon granny glasses set to go for £1 million

A pair of John Lennon's iconic granny glasses are set to fetch more than £1 million when they are auctioned on an internet website. The gold-rimmed spectacles were presented to the musician's Japanese translator Junishi Yore more than 40 years ago during the Beatles 1966 tour. As well as being his trademark, they are a poignant reminder of Lennon's tragic death - Mr Yore pushed out the dark lenses as a traditional sign of respect when he heard the news of the singer's murder in 1980. ...more...

Following in Yoko's footsteps

I call it the Yoko factor. It's a wake-up call to red-blooded Kiwi women forced to catch trains to the hinterland to find rural husbands, because the pickings have become so lean. Actually, I've always rather admired that strange Yoko Ono, who took to conceptual art before anyone knew what it was. An old boyfriend and I fell out severely over her book, Grapefruit, which I found hilarious in a Dadaist sort of way, but which he – and everyone else – found infuriatingly inane. She recommended burying sewing machines and digging them up ten years later as an art event. She made an endless film of people's backsides. She was probably misunderstood. ...more...

Stella McCartney pregnant

Stella McCartney is pregnant again. The fashion designer - daughter of Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney - is expecting her third child with husband Alasdhair Willis, just seven months after her second child was born. A source told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: "Paul loves having family around him. It has been what has been getting him through his tough divorce from Heather Mills. ...more...

THE BEATLES LOVE

It is a tribute to, in this writer’s opinion, the best rock group that ever was, and The Beatles Love, as interpreted by Cirque du Soleil at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, is also a show that may never have happened without the late George Harrison. It was he who insisted on putting Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono (on behalf of the late John Lennon) together with Guy Laliberte, who created not only the innovative Montreal circus that has taken Sin City by storm, but The Beatles Love, along with the rest of the Cirque brain trust, Dominic Champagne and Gilles St.-Croix. Add to this heady mixture of talent the ingenious sound innovations of Beatles’ producer and engineer George Martin, whose remixes were aided by his son, Giles, and you have the makings of a show that dazzles, emotionally moves and sets the bar once again higher for Cirque du Soleil, which now moves into its second year of this production. ...more...

Let the Beatles be

missed one of the most unforgettable train wrecks in television history. Larry King did an incomprehensible interview on CNN last week with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison to promote the Las Vegas show Love, which features music from the Beatles. It was something that had to be seen to be truly believed. Watching it, one got the impression that it might have been a Dadaist farce or a deliberate put-on. But, unfortunately, it was not. King, looking like he needed a change of Depends, interviewed the haggard-looking ex-Beatles with seemingly no clue about who they were or what they once did, only that he had an hour of time to kill with them. ...more...

Yoko Ono Designs A Wine Bottle

What do Yoko Ono and Prince Charles have in common? They have both created a wine label. Prince Charles has a painting on a Mouton Rothschild bottle and now Yoko Ono is the 25th artist to create a label for the Nittardi winery. The label is for a Chianti made from 97 percent Sangiovese grape and three percent local Canaiolo grape. Ono's design is a a dotted ink drawing called "Imagine you," which depicts bottles and glasses.The wine sells for $29. At least Yoko appears to be a better designer than she is a singer.

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Queen Elizabeth salutes the Beatles

British royal Queen Elizabeth II saluted the Beatles on Sunday with a special personal message commemorating the 50th anniversary of the legendary band's beginnings. She noted the anniversary "with much pleasure" and sent "my best wishes to all concerned for a most enjoyable and successful occasion." The historic moment that led to the formation of the Beatles occurred on Saturday July 6 1957 when a 16-year-old John Lennon met a just- turned-15 Paul McCartney at a church garden fete in Liverpool. ...more...

Who is Yoko Ono?

Pop icons come and go, but there's still nobody quite like Yoko Ono. The musician, avant-garde artist and widow of John Lennon has been in the spotlight for half a century--and she's been name-checked in everything from episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Celebrity Death Match" to songs by Barenaked Ladies and Kenny Rogers. Still, many know her only from old rumors that she broke up the Beatles. That belief, Ono says, is merely veiled sexism and racism--and as a result, "it's sort of an allowed thing to hate Yoko Ono." Although she hasn't released an album of all-new material in more than a decade, she's stayed current with remix records like the recent "Open Your Box," featuring Basement Jaxx and Pet Shop Boys. But at the age of 74, Ono isn't looking to define herself. Asked what audiences can expect from her on stage, she answers, "Me. They can expect me." From New York, Ono talked to us about the rumors that follow her around and why she still feels like an up-and-coming artist. ...more...

McCARTNEYS ACCUSED PRINCE PHILIP OF HYPOCRISY

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY and his late wife LINDA branded British royal PRINCE PHILIP a hypocrite for enjoying hunting despite his role as president of the World Wildlife Fund. Prince Philip was president of the animal conservation organisation until 1996 - and Linda was less than happy about the Queen's husband's appointment. Paul recalls, "She was the ballsiest woman, a very strong lady and once took Prince Philip on and that was a nice little moment. "Because she was American, she talked to him just like he was a bloke, not all reverent like the British do. "She said, 'You're the head of a worldwide wildlife organisation, how can you go out shooting birds? 'Are you vegetarian,' he asked, trying to catch us out. "'Yeah' we both answered. President of a wildlife organisation shooting birds, that's hypocrisy." Linda died in 1998 after a long battle with cancer.


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QUEEN SALUTES THE BEATLES

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN saluted the BEATLES on Sunday (08Jul07) with a special personal message commemorating the 50th anniversary of the legendary band's beginnings. She noted the anniversary "with much pleasure" and sent "my best wishes to all concerned for a most enjoyable and successful occasion." The historic moment that led to the formation of the Beatles occurred on Saturday 6th July 1957 when a 16-year-old John Lennon met a just- turned-15 Paul MCCartney at a church garden fete in Liverpool. The message from Her Majesty the Queen was sent to the people of Liverpool who gathered at the site for a re-creation of the original event. Beatles scholar Martin Lewis, who received the message from Her Majesty, said: "This anniversary marks a momentous occasion in popular culture that literally changed the world. Without Lennon meeting MCCartney we would not have had the Beatles as we know them."


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Hamburg to get Beatles monument

A monument dedicated to The Beatles is to be erected in the German city of Hamburg, where the band launched their international career. Radio station Oldie 95 said work on the £310,000 monument will begin this year. The steel structure will represent John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and early Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe, who died in Hamburg in 1962. It will be built on a corner of the St Pauli district near clubs where the band played.

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