13 Reasons To Respect Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr, the luckiest no-talent on earth. All he had to do was smile and bob his head. Oh yes, and keep a beat for three of the most talented musicians/songwriters of this century. What other impression could one have when judging the role that Ringo played in the success of the Beatles? Did Ringo really make a difference? Upon listening to the latest release by The Beatles, Anthology 1, you get a chance to listen to Pete Best and two other drummers play on over twenty songs. Was Ringo simply in the right place at the right time? The following items may help in going beyond the image [more]

Yoko Ono launches exhibition at MMFA

Conceptual artist Yoko Ono helped launch the multidisciplinary exhibition Imagine: The Peace Ballad of John & Yoko with a press conference this morning at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where the event will open Thursday and run until June 21. The exhibition features some 140 works, including photos, film, books, recordings, art and other memorabilia. Chronicling Ono and John Lennon’s artistic life, peace crusades and watershed career moments, the works and visual documents are grouped into different themes, including The Bed-In 1969, Imagine 1971 and Some Time In New York City 1971-1972. [more]

Beatles Story challenge the Eggmen

The Beatles Story is to hold and Easter events programe with an "I Am The Eggman" trail running throughout the Easter holiday period from 4th to the 19th April. Visitors to the Beatles Story can complete a fun quiz based around the exhibition with a chance for all the family to win prizes. There is said to be something for everyone with the questions being split into "soft boiled (ages 5-11), "medium boiled" (aged 11+) and "hard boiled" (adults and Beatles experts!). The Beatles Story will also be running an exciting series of children's weekend workshops which will take place throughout the holiday period. [more]

Peace initiative

Forty years ago, between the profound success of Expo ’67 and the stunning ineptness of the ’76 Olympics, the eyes of the world fell again upon the city of Montreal. It was 1969, and at the height of their fame as the planet’s most famous couple, Beatles member John Lennon and performance artist Yoko Ono stunned the world with the announcement of their honeymoon plans. To draw attention to the ongoing war in Vietnam, the pyjama-clad couple holed themselves up for a week at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in downtown Montreal. Between May 26 and June 2, the newlyweds opened their room to the likes of journalists, detractors and even LSD guru Timothy Leary as a means to advance the cause of peace. “We’re all responsible for war. We must all do something, no matter what — by growing our hair long, standing on one leg, talking to the press, having bed-ins — to change attitudes,” quipped Lennon to the omnipresent press corps. “The people must be aware that it’s up to them.” [more]

Pete Best: 'I want to meet with Paul McCartney'

"There have been many people kicked out of bands," Best explained to Rhythm. "But it just happens that I got kicked out of the band that went on to become the biggest bloody icons in the music industry!" When asked the age-old question 'why were you sacked?', Best was honest: "I have no idea. It's not that I know and keep it secret. There was so much subterfuge at the time, like the initial press release that stated I'd left the band. Why would I leave a band that just got a deal?" Although Best admitted that finding out doesn't worry him "one iota anymore", he still wants to meet up with last-surviving band mate Paul McCartney. And has, in fact, tried many times to make it happen: "I phoned every night and they didn't want to talk to me." [more]

Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell at Forces of Nature benefit

Sir Paul McCartney and girlfriend Nancy Shevell looked cosy together as they walked the red carpet at "Forces of Nature" Benefit at 583 Park Avenue, New York City, on Monday, March 30. The event honored Paul's daughter, Stella McCartney, with an award for her commitment to animal welfare. Stella, a Vegan, got the award for her pledge not to use leather and fur in her collections. Nancy, 48, wore a pink ensemble designed by Stella, comprising a mini dress and sparkling sheer leggings, under a nude trench coat. She accessorized with nude heels and a black sequined clutch. Her dark shoulder length layered cut hair framed her petit face. [more]

Students Learn Music Lesson Through Lennon

Students at Kearny Mesa High School are learning about the philosophy of the late John Lennon by making some music of their own. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more. About a dozen Kearny High students hopped onto the John Lennon Education Tour bus -- a high-tech recording and production studio. The tour's mission is to tap into the musical talent of teenagers to promote Lennon's vision of peace through music. Students inside strum on guitars, bang on drums and play the piano. The end result is a polished music single and video. Freshman Audie Roeseler's favorite band is Iron Maiden and he calls this a once in lifetime gig. “When I first walked in I was like, wow, there's all these screens and cameras,” Roesler said. “This is what I want to do with my life. So it’s amazing just to be in this experience. The teens say its even more special as more schools cut their music programs. The Kearny High students had to audition for a spot on the bus. Its next stop is El Cajon Valley High School. Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News

The bridge between 'Revolution' 1 and 9

This news is over a month old, but somehow I missed it until the intrepid Penn Jillette tweeted about it Sunday (never say Twitter's useless). Here's the scene: Beatles. 1968. That'd be the long-hair bearded Beatles. "White Album" recording session. John's recording a slowed-down version of their recent hit single "Revolution," the B-side to the umpteen-million selling "Hey Jude." Being in a particular state of mind, he stretches it out for 10 minutes, then adds some scary horror music plus Yoko spoken-word weirdness at the end. Later, John or the rest of the band or George Martin or other mysterious powers decide that they'll add some overdubs to John's take and cut it off after about four minutes and record a new ending. (I believe the weird triple hit after the last chorus--every other time, it's a double hit--signals the beginning of the new end.) [more]

Hendrix home tape for sale, shows softer side

A home recording by Jimi Hendrix, which its owners said showed the 1960s rock icon's softer side, will be auctioned next month and is expected to fetch between 50,000 and 100,000 pounds ($70-140,000). According to co-owner Mark Sutherland, the tape was recorded by Hendrix in New York in 1968 and then taken to Britain. Carl Niekirk worked in a photography studio below Hendrix's central London residence where, because there was only one entrance to the building, he often doubled as doorman for his famous neighbor, letting in guests including George Harrison. [more]

Kate Nash discusses musicians rights with Paul McCartney

Kate Nash has revealed she recently debated the merits and shortcomings of the music industry over a cup of tea with Paul McCartney. Nash met the legend while working for the newly established Featured Artists' Coalition, of which she is a board member alongside the likes of Radiohead's Ed O'Brien and Blur's Dave Rowntree. The coalition, which was launched earlier this month, is run by musicians, for musicians. Nash said it aims to "protect artists' rights and to give them (us) a seat at the table...to have relationships with governments". [more]

Heather Mills: Loathed By Man and Beast

They say dogs can smell fear -- but who exactly is able to detect worry in puppies? Pretty much everyone, judging from this photo of Marley (of "Marley & Me") at this weekend's Genesis Awards, where the Humane Society honors the media presentations of animal protection issues. Typically the glint in Marley's eye is usually saved for trips to be spayed, neutered or put down. But clearly even our four-legged friends recognize the danger in having Heather Mills wrap her claws around your neck. It's the same look Paul McCartney had in his eyes from 2006 - 2008. [more]

Top 5 best tracks in hiding

Today, hidden songs embedded in listed tracks mimic the effect of a hidden track. Bands will often precede these hidden songs with silence on the same MP3 as a listed track that has ended. For instance, Radiohead’s Kid A has an unlisted instrumental at the end of “Motion Picture Soundtrack” that is preceded and followed by silence. On Beach House’s eponymous debut, the listener will hear a new hidden song start five minutes and 31 seconds into the track “Heart and Lungs.” This phenomenon dates back to the Beatles record Abbey Road. Just as the Beatles inadvertently popularized the use of feedback on recorded music, they were the first to include a hidden track on a record ­­— by accident. The song “Her Majesty,” written by Paul McCartney, was originally intended as a buffer between “Mean Mr. Mustard” and “Polythene Pam,” two tracks sung by John Lennon. The result didn’t satisfy McCartney, who told sound engineer John Kurlander to remove it. Instead, it was spliced onto the end of the master, and the rest is history. Here are my picks for best hidden tracks. [more]

Pictures of Beatles' India visit on display

Rare pictures clicked during British musical group Beatles' visit to India's holy city Hrishikesh will be on display at an exhibition in Tel Aviv next month. The exhibition titled as 'Imagine Liverpool', a joint venture of The Beatles Story and the Liverpool Soccer Club, tries to encash upon the two greatest symbols of Liverpool — Beatles and the football club. The exhibition will display photos of the legendary musical group taken during their stay at Maharishi Yogi's ashram in Hrishikesh that have been discovered quite recently, news portal 'Ynetnews' reported. The band members — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star — went to the ashram in order to mend the rift that had arisen between them. And the experience led to a creative boom resulting in the writing of 48 new songs. [more]

Ludwig’s Liverpool Four Drum Kit

February 9, 1964 might not be a date typically memorized in U.S. history classes, yet in terms of American cultural chronology, it was one of the most revolutionary days of the 20th century. It was on this date that the CBS auditorium erupted in the shrill screams of star-struck girls at the utterance of the phrase, “Ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles!” While the Fab Four was already a sensation in Europe, neither they nor their entourage were expecting such a reaction across the pond – their trip to the States was to consist merely of the Ed Sullivan show appearance and a rather short concert tour. Instead, the performance sparked a whole new wave of Beatlemania. Nearly half of the country tuned in to watch the bands, making this episode of Ed Sullivan one of the most-watched television programs to this day. [more]

Phil Spector's fate is in jury's hands

The fate of Phil Spector, who gained fame working with John Lennon, Tina Turner and other pop music stars in a recording studio, now rests in the hands of an East Los Angeles bus driver, a San Gabriel social worker, a Whittier postal clerk and nine other citizens. After listening to five months of testimony, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury began deliberating Spector's role in the fatal shooting of actress Lana Clarkson at his home six years ago. The panel is to decide what another jury two years ago could not: whether Clarkson's death was suicide, as the defense contends, or murder, as the prosecution alleges. A third choice unavailable to the panel in the first proceeding, involuntary manslaughter, is required by law, but embraced by neither side. [more]

Entwistle's death saved The Who

The Who would be no more if bass player John Entwistle hadn't died in 2002 - because Pete Townshend only agreed to hit the road to help his pal out of debt. Band leader Townshend reveals he planned to bow out of performing with the rock group after that year's hits tour, but when Entwistle died in Las Vegas on the eve of the trek, the guitarist was forced to forget his past differences with frontman Roger Daltrey, and get on with the shows. The tour brought the two existing The Who stars closer - and led to bigger plans. [more]

Google Street View and Paul McCartney's hugely high wall

I’ve always wondered what was over Paul McCartney’s fence. It is an open secret in the neighbourhood which is his house. He has the sort of gates that bring a little bit of the Home Counties to London and a wall so high you can’t walk past and cast a casual glance into the front window. Now, thanks to Google Street View, not only have I hurdled the barricades to peek, I have also read the number plates of the cars parked behind his forbidding gates. This is typical of Google: launch first and let people complain after. Already privacy campaigners have made a formal complaint about the controversial new mapping service. I have to admit that it’s more than a little addictive. [more]

John Lennon's security blanket: Creative Loafing interviews Yoko Ono

The Beatles' founding genius was a voracious sketcher, and according to Yoko Ono he drew his best stuff when he was bummed out. He worked in rapid succession, using pen, pencil and Japanese sumi ink, drawing himself, his toddler son Sean, joggers in Central Park and, most often, Ono. Rendered in loopy minimalist lines, the drawings contain many obvious Lennon themes: peace, irony, meditation, love. Yet the mood of the sketches, many of which have been colored in by Ono over the years, are oddly whimsical for a man in a purported funk. [more]

LENNON'S SISTER FACING LAWSUIT OVER FILM

A film about the early life of BEATLES legend JOHN LENNON has been thrown into jeopardy - the star's sister is facing legal action over the book on which the movie is based. Lennon's sister Julia Baird collaborated with Geoffrey Giuliano on John Lennon, My Brother, which was published in the late 1980s. Baird went on to pen her own book, 2007's Imagine This: Growing Up With My Brother John Lennon. But Giuliano has accused Baird of basing her biography on his previous research into Lennon's life. And now he is set to launch a legal battle over new movie Nowhere Boy - which is based on Baird's book - claiming he is entitled to 50 per cent of her earnings from the picture. He says, "In doing my own research, I filled in a lot of blanks for her. More than half the material in the book is a result of my research. "Additional information in Imagine This was uncovered by me in my original research. I was the person who conceptualised the original book." The movie will star Kristin Scott Thomas and Anne-Marie Duff and is set for release in 2010. [more]

Michael Archer explains the significance of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's bed-in

In the piece I wrote here recently, the talk was of things that happened 40 years ago. Maybe we could stay there for a little, since today is the 40th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's infamous bed-in, a performance "peace" staged for the world's media. Now, I'm maybe not the best person to talk about this, having remained thoroughly immune to the charms of Imagine all these years. Nonetheless, there is something here I think well worth a revisit. After their wedding ceremony in Gibraltar, Lennon and Ono travelled to Amsterdam, where, between 25 March and 31 March 1969, they staged what they called Bed-In for Peace. Each day, for a week, the couple invited the press into their hotel room. [more]

Live And Let Die is best Bond song ever

Penned by Liverpool legend Sir Paul McCartney, the song Live And Let Die has been voted the best James Bond song ever. A poll conducted by music giants HMV and social networking site getcloser.com, found the 70's hit received nearly a quarter of the votes open to fans of the movie series. Composed specially for the film by Sir Paul and wife Linda, the song became the first Bond theme to be nominated for an Academy Award. [more]

HARD DAYS NIGHT HOTEL RECREATES ICONIC BED-IN

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous Amsterdam bed-in, Hard Days Night Hotel has recreated the event in the Lennon Suite using two professional lookalikes. This is one of two penthouse suites in the 110 room four-star boutique hotel located just a stones throw from the Cavern Club where the Beatles first rose to fame. Following their marriage on 20th March 1969, John and Yoko used the hype of publicity to promote world peace. They invited the world’s press into their honeymoon suite at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel where they staged a week-long bed-in protesting against war. In celebration of Liverpool ’s Beatles heritage, Hard Days Night Hotel is paying tribute to one of the most iconic events in the life of the famous Beatle.

Mike Dewey, general manager, Hard Days Night Hotel, commented: “John and Yoko’s bed-in was a key moment in Beatles history. Our Lennon Suite is a tribute to John and what better way to mark the 40th anniversary than to recreate it? This shows our commitment as a hotel to Beatles fans across the globe. Thanks to a little help from our friends, it certainly won’t be a hard day’s night for our very own Beatles day trippers.” Beatlesnumber9.com

Paul McCartney mad for Nancy

Sir Paul McCartney and his girlfriend acted like "besotted teenagers" during a night out this week. The 66-year-old musician and his 48-year-old partner Nancy Shevell stunned fellow guests at the London after-party for 'The Boat That Rocked' movie premiere on Monday (23.03.09) with their public displays of affection and frequent outings to the dancefloor. At one point the couple gyrated to Rolling Stones classic 'Satisfaction'. A source said: "Paul was having a great time. He was on brilliant form, mingling with party goers. "Fans were asking for pictures and he was happily obliging and Nancy looked so loved-up and content." [more]

Best of the Beatles?

It began with "Meet the Beatles" and ended with "Let It Be." In the span of about six years, the Beatles released albums that changed music history. From 1964 to 1970, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr evolved from teen-idols to introspective artists whose musical legacy still shapes pop culture. More than selling records, the Beatles defined their time - the '60s, an era punctuated by assassination, war, rebellion, drugs and youth culture gone wild. It was also a time, as the Beatles reminded us, for peace and love. The '60s are long gone, but the Beatles music remains timeless. You can judge for yourself at 7:30 tonight when a professional ensemble performs The Beatles' "Abbey Road" - song for song, note for note - at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Gainesville. It's part of the Classic Albums Live series. [more]

Paul McCartney Pledges Support to OneVoice Movement

The OneVoice Movement today announced that Sir Paul McCartney has officially joined its International Board of Advisors, which includes other celebrities such as Danny DeVito and Jason Alexander, as well as international dignitaries and political figures like Dennis Ross. McCartney first spoke with Israeli and Palestinian representatives of the group, which seeks to empower the moderate majorities of Israel, Palestine, and citizens internationally to work toward a two state solution to the conflict, during his visit to Israel at the end of September 2008. He met with OneVoice Israel Chairwoman, Irit Admoni Perlman, in addition to staff members and youth activists from the movement. At the meeting, he expressed his support for OneVoice's activities on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides. Speaking to Nisreen Shahin, OneVoice Palestine's Executive Director, Sir Paul reaffirmed his commitment to OneVoice's moderate, grassroots approach to ending the conflict. [more]

New guide to Beatles sites in and around London

If you can't make it to Liverpool on your next trip to England but you're a Beatles fan, there are plenty of places in and around London where you can pick up the trail of the Fab Four.
A new book called "The Beatles' London: A Guide to 467 Beatles Sites in and around London," published by the Northampton-based Interlink Publishing Group, shows you where they performed and recorded, where they lived, where they filmed movies, press pictures and album covers, and even where they ate, partied and married. The band members lived and worked in the city beginning in 1963. [more]

MILLS SIGNS LUCRATIVE FAST FOOD DEAL

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's ex-wife HEATHER MILLS has reportedly signed a $4.3 million (£3 million) deal to promote vegetarian food for fast food chain Burger King. The former model - who last week invested in a seaside cafe which she plans to turn into a vegetarian eaterie - has agreed to launch a new meat-free burger at the company's 11,350 outlets throughout the world, according to U.K. newspaper The People. A source tells the publication, "Heather is ecstatic. She believes she can change the eating habits of millions. She's also being paid a lot of money and the deal will help boost her standing." Mills was reportedly chosen for the role after she gave $1 million (£700,000) worth of free veggie burgers to poor kids in New York last year (08). SOURCE

Reggae band covers Beatles' album `Sgt. Peppers'

Could the Beatles have been Rastafarians at heart? It's easy to wonder while listening to the Easy Star All-Stars reggae re-imagining of the Beatles' classic "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." After all, the Beatles did sing the famous lyric: "I get high with a little help from my friends." The Easy Star All-Stars, a collective of reggae musicians, will release their third album cover of a concept classic on April 14 with their "Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band." It follows their versions of Radiohead's "OK Computer" ("Radiodread") and Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" ("Dub Side of the Moon"). [more]

Beatles to launch download site

George Harrison's son Dhani is launching a Beatles-only download site. Harrison says the Beatles estate has created its own "online delivery system" instead of making the group's songs available on iTunes. He claims the iconic British pop group is losing money because Apple's famed downloading program doesn't charge enough for songs. Harrison told Blender magazine: "We're losing money every day. So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree." Fans will be able to download songs from the site in "the near future". [more]

Beatles Day

The 10th July 2009 has been officially rechristened as the first ever BEATLES DAY – 24 hours when the people of Liverpool will show their love for the Fab Four and raise money for the ALDER HEY IMAGINE APPEAL and the MARINA DALGLISH APPEAL. Over 20,000 specially made Beatles-style mop-top wigs will be sold around Merseyside in the days leading up to 10th July. Following a day of celebrations all over the region, the spectacular climax will come in the shape of IMAGINE – THE CONCERT at the Summer Pops, hosted by RICKY TOMLINSON. He will be joined by a host of artists, young and old, from around the country, all performing Beatles favourites at a packed Liverpool Arena! [more]

Where Are the Beatles Reissues? Enterprising Fans Take Matters Into Their Own Hands

In an era of declining music sales and rapid technological advancement, it’s still hard to fathom the sorry lot of the Beatles canon. Not only is the catalog of rock music’s most successful and influential act still not available for legal digital download, for the most part it hasn’t received even the basic remastering afforded pop music acts with a fraction of the Fab Four’s historical importance and consumer clout. Thus the Beatles catalog continues to be represented by thin-sounding, now two-decade-old digital mastering accomplished at the dawn of the CD era. [more]

Yoko Ono mural at UN to call attention to autism

Yoko Ono will unveil an original mural titled "Promise" at UN headquarters next month in honor of World Autism Awareness Day, an advocacy group said Monday. The mural by the 76-year-old widow of slain former Beatle John Lennon, who also is an avant-garde artist, is to be auctioned off in support of the advocacy group Autism Speaks. The event marks the 2nd Annual World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) on April 2, Autism Speaks said in a statement. WAAD was created by a UN General Assembly resolution in December 2007 to increase public awareness about autism and to stress the importance of early diagnosis and intervention. The mural unveiling will be sponsored by Chile's UN mission, said Autism Speaks, which also is backing the event. The group was founded in 2005 by US philanthropists Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. [more]

Dhani Harrison Added to Lollapalooza Festival

Dhani Harrison has been roped in to perform at American rock festival Lollapalooza this summer. The son of Beatle George Harrison will perform at the August bash with his band Thenewno2. Harrison told Contactmusic.com that he is thrilled to be a part of the festival that his dad banned him from partying there as a teen as he feared "he'd go wild on drink and drugs. My dad never let me go to Lollapalooza. He thought I was going to end up with a shaved head, tattoos on my face and p**sed out of my head," the 30-year-old told the website. [more]

George Harrison’s son feared being overshadowed by dad’s success

George Harrison’s son Dhani has said that he feared being under his famous father’s shadow, and was thus determined to forge a career on his own. The 30-year-old musician never wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, and become a musician, because he didn’t want to be compared to the late rocker. Thus, he went to U.S. and studied design at Ivy League university Brown. However, he returned to his musical roots later, and now performs in band Thenewno2. He is happy that he took the time to master another trade. ‘I watched what happened to a lot of the other kids,” Contactmusic quoted him as telling Blender magazine. [more]

Struggling Penny Lane businesses call for help from Beatles tourism

Small businesses are calling on tourism chiefs to improve the struggling Liverpool suburb of Penny Lane, made world-famous by The Beatles. Despite its history and signature song, independent businesses have been left counting the pennies as the economic downturn hits trade hard. Lennon and McCartney's famous anthem immortalises bustling scenes from their youth, the 'barber showing photographs' and the 'shelter in the middle of the roundabout.' [more/video]

Mills drops offer for seaside fish cafe

Heather Mills has apparently managed to secure a seaside fish cafe for £140,000 rather than her original offer of £255,000. The Sunday Mirror reports that Mills reduced the amount she was willing to pay following the crash in property prices. Mills, who divorced Sir Paul McCartney last May, now owns the seafront Big Fish Cafe in Hove, East Sussex. However, fish and all other animal products will be replaced as the cafe turns vegan. The restaurant's current staff have also been laid off while refurbishment is carried out. Former owner Nick Short said he had been "worked" by Mills, explaining: "I went to see her at her home and we made a verbal agreement for £255,000. That was later agreed in writing. The arrangement changed in November. "I got a letter from her lawyer saying the price had dropped to £140,000. It blamed the credit crunch and the 'current economic climate'." [more]

Music exec who signed Beatles dies at 91

Alan Livingston, an entertainment industry executive who brought "Beatlemania" to the US, has died at the age of 91, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. Livingston, who signed the Beatles in the 1960s while president of Capitol Records and also created the popular children's character Bozo the Clown in the 1940s, died of age-related causes at his Beverly Hills home, his stepdaughter Jennifer Lerner told the Times. Initially wary of signing a contract with the "Fab Four" out of concern that a British band would not be successful in the United States, Livingston eventually agreed in 1963. After their appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February 1964, The Beatles took the United States by storm, unleashing hysteria at each appearance. During his tenure at Capitol, Livingston also signed the Beach Boys, The Band and Steve Miller, and helped relaunch Frank Sinatra's career. [more]

Dhani Harrison’s thenewno2 Live at Rolling Stone

“It was a relief to be able to do my own band, because I was very responsible for all this amazing music I didn’t want to mess up before,” thenewno2’s Dhani Harrison (son of Beatles great George), tells Rolling Stone of playing with his late father. “But now we can mess it up as much as we want.” Thenewno2, Harrison’s psychedelic project with pal Oli Hecks, recently performed an intimate acoustic set in our Rolling Stone studio, and Harrison talked what it was like growing up with a Beatle as a father. (Watch the band’s “Shelter,” live from RS, above). [more/video]

Holly's influence will not fade away

One sequence in the acclaimed film "The Real Buddy Holly Story" - not to be confused with the 1978 film "The Buddy Holly Story," starring Gary Busey - present day Cricket Sonny Curtis plays two versions of "Peggy Sue," one of the hits released by Buddy Holly & The Crickets. At first, he plays the guitar in up-and-down strokes, a method comfortably adopted by most guitar players. Holly, however, played guitar only with down strokes, said rock historian and Buddy Holly expert Bill Griggs. And when Curtis played the song both ways, especially illustrating how Holly would play the G chord only as a down stroke, more musicians understood why they had found it so difficult to duplicate Holly's sound, said Griggs. The most flabbergasting fact concerning the late Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holly's career may be that he accomplished so much in such a short time. [more]

BEATLES CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE TO ITUNES

THE BEATLES are considering ditching a deal with iTunes to release their huge back catalogue of music using their own website. Surviving bandmembers Sir Paul MCCartney and Ringo Starr and the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison have long resisted releasing their music for digital download. It was recently announced they have begun negotiations with Apple about making their music available on iTunes, but Harrison's musician son Dhani reveals The Beatles are unhappy with Apple's offer - and may take their tunes elsewhere. He tells Blender magazine, "We're losing money every day. So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with (Apple boss) Steve Jobs. But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree." SOURCE

George Harrison’s son won surviving Beatles approval for rock band game

George Harrison’s son Dhani has revealed that he helped convinced the surviving The Beatles members to give the green light to a new game inspired by the band. Sir Paul MCCartney and Ringo Starr are generally against the use of their music for commercial projects. They were, however, won over by a mock-up Harrison Jr. put together using his fathers solo music. The project finally got the go-ahead from McCartney, Starr and John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono. [more]

Van Morrison disses The Beatles

Hey, listen, we love Van Morrison. Put on Astral Weeks and we're there. But when Van the Man takes to knocking The Beatles, well, it's enough to get our fur up a little. During a recent sitdown with The New Yorker, Morrison waxed nostaglic on the music he grew up on. When skiffle pioneer Lonnie Donegan and 'other practioners of pre-Beatles rock 'n' roll' came up, Morrison took issue with the term. [more]

McCartney & Starr concert bosses apologise over botched ticket sales

Organisers of a New York concert featuring BEATLES [SIR PAUL McCARTNEY] and [RINGO STARR] have apologised to outraged fans after a popular website declined early ticket sales. The stars are both booked to perform at Manhattan's iconic Radio City Music Hall on 4 April (09) at a bash to aid The David Lynch Foundation - formed by the director to promote meditation in schools. The booking has sparked rumours the pair will take to the stage together and wow fans with a Beatles reunion duet, prompting an overwhelming demand for tickets. But fans were left fuming after Ticketmaster.com began declining requests just nine seconds into Monday's (09Mar09) launch, while tickets appeared onsale online for upto $9,000 (£6,520). [more]

Rare images of The Beatles on display in London

Images of the legendary Beatles spanning from 1963 to 1970 including candid behind-the-scenes pictures of the 'Fab Four' on tour are on display at a four-month-long exhibition here. The launch of the Getty Images Gallery's collection at the Movieum of London in County Hall on Thursday marks the 40th Anniversary since The Beatles played their last live performance on the rooftop of the Apple Building at 3 Savile Row. The images span from 1963 to 1970 and include shots from the filming of 'Help' and 'A Hard Day's Night'. The exhibition features rare and unseen images of the 'Fab Four' from famous photographers including Robert Whitaker, who accompanied John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr on their 1966 Far Eastern Tour. [more]

Filming of new John Lennon bio-pic Nowhere Boy begins in Liverpool

JOHN LENNON’S “complicated” relationships with the two dominant women of his childhood are central to a new movie about his early life, the team behind the project said last night. Sam Taylor-Wood, internationally-renowned photographer and Nowhere Boy’s director, was joined by the film’s stars at a press conference in Liverpool last night. Filming started on location in the city this week, with newcomer Aaron Johnson as the teenage Lennon and former Shameless actress Anne-Marie Duff as his cherished mother, Julia. Just four days into shooting, they refused to give much away about the script, but said Julia’s death would form a key scene in the film [more]

A British Invasion Amasses, March 1964

Like explorers returning with tales of American discoveries and treasures, the Beatles returned to the UK where a legion of would be rock and pop stars began marshaling for a British Invasion. In March 1964, long before Homeland Security and at a time when Americans feared a Russian invasion, the American Federation of Musicians in consultation with the Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services began constructing their defenses. In anticipation of hoards of longhaired beat groups massing at London Heathrow, the AF of M planned to restrict US visits by British musicians to those artists who were part of exchange agreements. In other words, for every British act to enter the States, Britain had to accept the same number of American musicians. [more]

Dhani Harrison preps for band's debut release

Dhani Harrison could have started releasing records well before he was 30, but the small matter of being a Beatle's son made him cautious about the musical career path. Now, with the upcoming debut release from his band thenewno2, he has embraced the inevitable. "I did everything I could to not be a musician," Harrison told Billboard.com. "I went to university (Brown), I worked as a designer, I competed in Olympic sport (rowing) ... and I ended up being a musician. It's in the DNA, I guess." [more]

John Lennon: The Life

As a Stones fan in 1963, I was obliged to revile The Beatles. My sister took me to see A Hard Day’s Night. I cringed at the on- and off-screen screaming, yet was surprised at the Fab’s dour intellect and modal chord changes. After smoking hash, I was coerced into listening to Sgt. Pepper. I was converted. I re-discovered Lennon’s surreal psychedelia on Revolver, the aching melancholic entreaties of Rubber Soul, and the singles of the period—I became a songwriter. [more]

Software that lets you play piano just like the Beatles

Beatles fans can now play the band's Abbey Road pianos in their living room. Engineers have taken the original instruments, mixing desks and microphones used by the band and created a software version of the studio. The replica of studio two at Abbey Road allows fans to make music in the same way as in the Sixties. Dozens of microphones were used to record several versions of each note from a range of instruments used by the Beatles. This creates a "library" of sounds that can be replayed with the help of computer software. [more]

McCartney sells out Vegas in 7 seconds

Paul McCartney's one night stand April 19 at Las Vegas' New Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has already set a world record, moving all 4000 tickets in a mere seven seconds--a rate of nearly 600 seats a second. According to promoters Concerts West/AEG Live, the show may well set additional records, including the record for the planet's biggest "love-in" for Valentine couples: Tickets were deliberately put on sale on February 14th so that lovers could express their feelings with the ultimate Valentine's Day gift surprise. [more]

BILLY JOEL AMAZED BY SUPERGROUP JAM AT BON JOVI PARTY

BILLY JOEL fears he'll never be able to top one private performance at a JON BON JOVI party, where PAUL MCCARTNEY, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, ROGER WATERS and JIMMY BUFFETT joined him for an impromptu jam. The supergroup to end all supergroups came together at Bon Jovi's house last year (08) - and Joel still can't believe what happened. He recalls, "We all got up and played a Pink Floyd tune, Wish You Were Here, and I Saw Her Standing There and Long Tall Sally." SOURCE

Copywrongs: Artists need protection

"This song," Harrison sings, "has nothing tricky about it/This song, in black or white and as far as I know/Don't infringe on anyone's copyright so ..." Harrison wrote "This Song" during a protracted plagiarism lawsuit -- the publisher of the Chiffons' 1963 hit, "He's So Fine," sued Harrison claiming the tune of his "My Sweet Lord" was a ripoff. The lawsuit dragged on (as lawsuits will) for 20 years, long after a judge ruled the two songs "virtually identical" and ordered Harrison to pay $1.5 million while noting that he had not copied intentionally (being oblivious isn't a legal defense; if I rewrite the Harry Potter series in my sleep, I can't publish it under my own name and start collecting royalties). [more]

In Paris, Stella McCartney laughs off recession

Her father, Paul McCartney, was beaming proudly from the front row and bopping along to the upbeat soundtrack. "I thought it was fabulous -- very mature and chic, and inventive with those boots," he said, adding that his daughter sometimes designed his stage suits. Executives at the Gucci Group, which owns the Stella McCartney brand, are likely to be pleased with the wearable collection and accessories such as flat, black clutch bags, as the crisis is forcing buyers to take a hard look at price, quality and design. Many American buyers, usually a visible presence at the Milan and Paris shows, have stayed away from the autumn/winter shows, preferring to order online or over the phone. The Russians are also less noticeable -- not surprising, since Russia's economy is expected to shrink this year after a 10-year boom. [more]

Liverpool's Hard Day's Night Beatles hotel being sued for outstanding bills

Liverpool's five star Beatles-themed hotel is being sued for almost £90,000 by a cleaning contractor for oustanding bills. The Hard Day's Night Hotel in the city centre has just celebrated its first birthday and boasts Fab Four inspired rooms - including John Lennon and Paul McCartney suites. The company contracted to clean the £650 per night boutique hotel claims it has not received payment for two months' work. London-based cleaning firm WGC said it is chasing more than £87,000 in unpaid invoices, plus another £3,106 in late payment charges and interest. [more]

Beatles Rock Band Debut Set for September

It's official: The Beatles will come together digitally this September for their much anticipated Rock Band debut. MTV Games has announced a September 9 launch date for the worldwide release of the Fab Four's interactive adventure, to be titled The Beatles: Rock Band. Originally announced in October, the game will be offered for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii for about $60. With a little help from their friends at Harmonix--the company that created the Rock Band concept--the Liverpool quartet will let you sing and play your way through all eras of its career. You'll be able to take on the role of John, Paul, George or Ringo, using either your Rock Band instruments or special Beatles-like instruments that will be offered for an additional $100. Harmonix promises the game will be more than just [more]

Marc Sinden on John Lennon: We were in the presence of God

MARC SINDEN never knew the Beatles; he’s never even been to Liverpool. But the Fab Four, in one guise or another, crop up in his life with remarkable regularity, as Wikipedia notes. Under trivia, it says he was “Part of the La-La chorus on Hey Jude . . . “ If you’re famous, Wikipedia-ing yourself is the guilty pleasure that lesser mortals get from doing the same with Google. And, despite himself, Marc has become fascinated by a debate raging on one off-shoot site speculating on whether he did or did not appear in the only TV footage of the Beatles singing Hey Jude. This rare footage has been shown only a handful of times and recently became a YouTube hit. [more]

Beatles' Paul McCartney And Ringo Starr Set For New York Concert

Former Beatles stars Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will both perform at the same benefit concert in New York on April 4th. Sir Paul will headline the event at the Radio City Music Hall, which is in aid of the David Lynch Foundation. At present, it's not clear if Starr, who is named as one of nine “special guests”, will perform with his former bandmate. A spokesman for Sir Paul told the BBC that fans would “have to wait and see” whether the reunion would happen. [more]

VAN MORRISON SLAMS 'MEANINGLESS' BEATLES

Irish singer VAN MORRISON has criticised legendary band THE BEATLES - insisting the Fab Four were "peripheral" in the history of music. The veteran star is adamant the Hey Jude hitmakers should not be held up as the pioneers of pop, because there was great music before the band's 1960s heyday. He says, "You measure things in terms of the Beatles. We don't think music started there. The Beatles were peripheral. If you had more knowledge of music, it didn't really mean anything. To me, it was meaningless." [more]

A Monkees believer

It's been 30 years since the television show that made him a star went off the air, but Mickey Dolenz knows that when he takes the stage these days, there's only one thing the fans want to hear. The Monkees! Hits including I'm a Believer, Last Train to Clarksville and Pleasant Valley Sunday once were the backdrop of weekday afternoons for teens weened on reruns of a show that aired for only two seasons in the late 1960s. Playing the wise-cracking drummer for the fictional, down-on-its-luck rock group gave Dolenz a rare open door into pop culture's elite circles, once even scoring him an invitation to hang out with the Beatles during the Sgt. Pepper's recording sessions. [more]

John Lennon's Jesus Quote Explored in Film

We're bigger than Jesus now." John Lennon's words -- spoken 43 years ago Wednesday, in an interview with the Evening Standard -- about the Beatles are among the most controversial in rock 'n' roll history. "Christianity will go," he said. "It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first -- rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me." When the quote was taken out of context by an American teen magazine five months later, Lennon was crucified in America. A documentary, 'Inside John Lennon,' takes a look at the furor, recapturing the time with both news footage and interviews. [more]

Bob Bonis' never-before-seen Beatles, Rolling Stones photos

JOHN Lennon fools around with Paul McCartney. Keith Richards cuts Charlie Watts' hair. Ringo Starr holds a gun to his own head. Candid, brooding, intimate, they are never-before-seen images of the world's biggest bands, frozen in time, hidden and forgotten . . . until now. These behind-the-scenes photos have been unearthed after 45 years in a duffle bag of The Beatles and Rolling Stones' former manager. The collection of more than 50 pictures can be revealed to the public for the first time today after being unveiled at New York City's Not Fade Away Gallery on Broadway. [more/pics]

Now a masters degree on the Beatles

A university claimed on Tuesday that it is the first institute in the UK and "probably the world" to launch a Masters degree on The Beatles, popular music and society. The four-strong band from Liverpool shot to fame in the 1960s with hits including I Want To Hold Your Hand, Ticket To Ride and Help! The new course, which can be studied both full-time and part-time, has four 12-week modules and a dissertation covering the areas. Mike Brocken, course leader and senior lecturer in popular music at Liverpool Hope University, said: "There have been over 8,000 books about The Beatles but there has never been serious academic study and that is what we are going to address. "The Beatles influenced so much of society, not just with their music, but also with fashion from their collar-less jackets to their psychedelic clothes. [more]

HandMade Films secures financing for CGI comedy Planet 51

HandMade, the Aim-listed film company originally founded by the Beatle George Harrison in 1972, has signed up a major fast-food chain – thought to be one of the two big hamburger businesses – and the computer game group Sega as marketing partners for its forthcoming $40m (£28m) CGI-animated film, Planet 51. A global car business is also close to signing a product-placement deal for the film, the company's first production since new management took over in 2006. HandMade's chief executive, David Ravden, said the company had raised the finance for the film – which opens in the US on the key Thanksgiving weekend in November – on the back of signing distribution deals in all the major global markets. The distributors, including Sony in the US, paid 5-10% of their fees immediately, with the balance due when the film is delivered to them in June and July. [more]

25 Things You Did Not Know About Yoko Ono

There are 26 things you probably do not know about Yoko Ono. One is that she is a Facebook addict. The other 25 she wrote up for herself in the Facebook app ’25 Things You Do Not Know About Me’. Here’s what Yoko wants you now to know: From the Bottom Up: 1. I like to wiggle my toes when I'm waiting for something - like in the waiting room of my dentist. It makes me less nervous. 2. I like to be barefoot as much as possible. Places I'm definitely barefoot are: a) at home b) in bed c) in the shower. What's wrong? You guessed that much? Well, you never know, do you! [more]