SORUM: 'AXL SHOULD USE ANOTHER NAME'

Rocker MATT SORUM has blasted AXL ROSE for touring under the name GUNS N' ROSES, insisting he should follow STING and PAUL MCCARTNEY's leads and rename the group or go solo. A former Guns N' Roses drummer, Sorum feels the rock group's name should only feature on tour tickets and albums when Rose is surrounded by his original members, including his Velvet Revolver bandmates Duff MCKagan and Slash. He tells ThePulseofRadio.com, "I'm not saying I'm an original member, but I understand the core of the band is Slash and Duff and probably Izzy (Stradlin). "This goes back to a Paul MCCartney thing. Does he call himself The Beatles? I'm not saying we were as big as The Beatles, but... Does Sting call himself The Police? No. Does Jimmy Page and Robert Plant go out there calling themselves Led Zeppelin? Nope." SOURCE

Mind over brain matter

Guess what two Beatles, a surrealist movie director, and a hip-hop entrepreneur all have in common? Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, David Lynch, and Russell Simmons all practice transcendental meditation. You might be asking yourself:what is transcendental meditation? Well, to my understanding, the basic technique involves sitting quietly with one's eyes closed for twenty minutes twice a day, and repeating a thought-sound called a mantra. It is stated to involve neither concentration nor contemplation. Like many of you are feeling right now, when I first heard of this technique, it sounded like some hippy spirituality that ventures into lunacy. However, I think there is something to it. I can explain what the "it" is, but maybe you can understand from my experience. These past two years, I have developed an almost daily headache. Some days it is completely absent; however, on other days, I find myself puking my guts out by nightfall. Normally, the pain is not severe enough during the day to inhibit me, but the pain gets worse by the end of the day, making me nauseous. [more]

Colin works it out for Beatles’ landmark

A BEATLES fan from Royton has taken it upon himself to repaint the gates of the Salvation Army home immortalised in the song Strawberry Fields Forever. Colin Unwin, of Thornham Lane, Summit, travelled to Liverpool last weekend with a pot of paint and overwhelming sense of anger about years of neglect at the iconic site. He said the paint on the gates had faded to pink and been damaged by vandals – and he was determined to restore them to their original splendour in pillar-box red. The 61-year-old rolled up and cleaned off all the graffiti ready for new visitors to write their names, and also removed weeds from the entrance and path. [more]

Yoko Ono, Roots To Play London's Meltdown Festival

The first acts confirmed for London's Meltdown Festival, which runs June 13 to June 21 at the Southbank Centre, include Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band, Sean Lennon, Cornelius, Patti Smith, Robert Wyatt, Yo La Tengo, Baaba Maal and Moby. The Roots will open the event at the Royal Festival Hall on June 13. Jazz musician Ornette Coleman is the artistic director for this 16th annual Meltdown Festival. As director, Coleman acts as curator of the event and chooses the performers. Coleman is also tipped to join Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band onstage; he last appeared with Ono at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1968 to perform "AOS." Ono is also expected to preview material from her new album, due later this year. [more]

Legendary Roy Orbison Saluted By Artists From Around The World

Today marks the birthday of the legendary Roy Orbison and musicians around the world are celebrating his life and music at a concert and CD release launch. The songs will be available worldwide on iTunes on April 27. Orbison died in 1988. The event will be hosted by Roy’s family, Barbara, Roy and Alex Orbison and is supported by Epiphone Gibson in celebration of the upcoming launch the new Epiphone 12 String ‘Pretty Woman’ acoustic guitar – the Epiphone acoustic guitar was originally used by Roy when he penned that song. A rock and roll pioneer with an unforgettable dynamic voice, Roy Orbison is being honored by some 30 new signed and unsigned artists who have recorded their rendition of Orbison classics and other songs. [more]

BUY: The Soul of Rock and Roll


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West House donation from makers of John Lennon film Nowhere Boy

A PINNER restoration project has been given a welcome boost by generous film makers. The West House restoration project will move a step closer to completion thanks to a £1,000 donation from Ecosse Films, based in south London. The company recently shot scenes for a John Lennon biopic in the streets of Pinner, and were won over by the generosity of local residents. The money will go towards the next stage of restoring West House, which stands in Pinner Memorial Park and is a former home of the grandson of Admiral Lord Nelson. It was bought by the people of Pinner after World War Two to be held in trust as a war memorial to those killed. [more]

Dhani Harrison in British ‘dhani list’

Dhani Harrison, the only son of the late Beatle George Harrison, is the second richest youngster in Britain, according to the country’s most authoritative wealth list. Dhani, whose name means ‘wealthy’ in Hindi and is also a play on the Indian musical notations of ‘Dha’ and ‘Ni’, has been valued by the Sunday Times Rich List as worth 140 million pounds. Dhani, who appears with his mother Olivia on the list, leads the rock band thenewno2, which has released its debut album ‘You Are Here’ to critical acclaim. (IANS)

Lennon's iconic look with grandpa-style specs 'happened by accident'

According to expert Adolfo Iglesias, the Beatle adopted the image during his six-week stay in the city of Almeria, Spain in 1966. Iglesias said the singer stumbled upon the image when he was hired to star as Private Gripweed in the movie How I Won The War. "Lennon normally wore contact lenses but in the film they wanted him to use glasses," the Daily Express quoted Iglesias as saying. "However, because he wasn't used to wearing them he kept leaving them lying around between takes and losing them. In the end he just decided to keep them on permanently," Iglesias added. ANI

40 years later, the secret is out

"I don't have the heart to tell Bill or the others, but most of the stuff recorded in the suite was unusable," Perry fesses up. "I transferred the recording from the original four to eight-track in my studio later that night. Mostly all that remained from the original were some voices, John and Yoko's, of course, and the guitar. John knew and was happy with what was re-recorded. But to this day, I don't think Yoko is aware that it was redubbed with other effects. I had no choice, though. It was like a circus in that room - so many nutty noises. It was out of control." Though obviously elated to have collaborated on the disc, Perry was hardly a neophyte. He had established himself recording the likes of Robert Charlebois and Jean-Pierre Ferland. A few years later, Perry opened his famed studio in Morin Heights, where he recorded David Bowie, Cat Stevens, Keith Richards, Tina Turner, Chicago and the Bee-Gees (Saturday Night Live). I hooked up with John in New York a few years later and he apologized for not recording with me there, but he said it was because of U.S. immigration problems. What he did do, though, which was unheard of then and now, is put my name and my studio's address on the Give Peace a Chance record." [more]

Is the album dead? No -- and yes

In the not-too-distant rock 'n' roll past, artists spent months and sometimes years piecing together 10 or 12 like-minded tracks underneath the umbrella of a full-length album. The album was thematically coherent and methodically thought out. It represented a carefully sequenced idea or character or philosophy. The album was an art form. Think Pink Floyd's "The Wall," Buffalo Springfield's self-titled classic, and the Beatles' sprawling yet hugged together "white album." But those albums, classics indeed, are relics in a contemporary music business obsessed with the almighty single. Albums barely register these days. Can anyone name more than three tracks off Beyonc?'s latest record? Does anyone even know the album's title? [more]

Sgt Pepper designer Sir Peter Blake snubbed by Tate’s arts snob band

for the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper album, has been excluded from a blockbuster exhibition about the movement’s legacy amid claims that he has fallen victim to “snobbery”. Blake feels he has been repeatedly “sidelined” by the Tate galleries, a snub that his supporters put down to his populist appeal. Opening in October, a new Tate Modern show in London will examine how artists in the 1980s and 1990s promoted their work with marketing techniques and the mass media. It will argue that Andy Warhol, who came to prominence by depicting consumer goods such as Campbell’s soup and with silkscreen portraits of the famous, is the pop artist with the greatest influence on later generations. [more]

Brother, Can You Spare A Mil?

London’s Sunday Times publishes its annual “Rich List” this weekend, and the new rankings show more than a few stars’ bank accounts hit by the worldwide financial downturn many are calling the worst since the Great Depression. How bad? Elton John might have to cut back on the tiaras. The music legend’s wealth dropped 26 percent and Tom Jones saw his fortune shrink by 24 percent. Even Simon Fuller, creator of the “Idol” talent show franchise and mastermind behind the Spice Girls’ rise to fame, has a thinner piggy bank than last year, with his wealth shrinking 33 percent. McCartney also experienced an economic decrease, losing an estimated £60 million ($88.4 million U.S.). [more]

MCCARTNEY URGES EUROPE TO BAN SEAL HUNTING

Animal rights advocate SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY has called on the European Parliament to implement a ban on the sale of all seal products - branding it a "trade in animal cruelty". The Beatle legend has added his name to a growing petition urging the Members of European Parliament (MEPs) to make the trading of goods made from seals illegal, in order to stop hunters from brutally beating the creatures for their meat and skin. In a statement, MCCartney says, "The fate of millions of seal pups is in the hands of elected members of the European Parliament. "In the next few weeks they will have a historic opportunity to stop the cruel trade in seal products throughout the European Union." MEPs will vote on a complete ban in Strasbourg next week (begs26Apr09). MCCartney's call mirrors that of fellow animal lover Pamela Anderson, who recently wrote a personal plea to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to ask the politician to help her ban the slaughter of baby seals in her native Canada - where hunters will be allowed to kill approximately 338,200 seals this year (09). SOURCE

Ringo Starr's drum auction

Ringo Starr's drum skin is expected to fetch £100,000 at auction. The musical accessory, which bears The Beatles logo, was given to a Pink Floyd fan at London's famous Abbey Road Studios by the band's road manager Mal Evans. Now it is the star attraction at the Rock 'n' Roll Art and Soul Fame Bureau auction, to be held in London next Tuesday (28.04.09). Fame Bureau Managing Director Ted Owen said: "The enduring fascination with The Beatles will forever pass between music fans and down through generations." The drum skin is not the only Beatles memorabilia on sale. [more]

Which Beatles song can you hear Paul McCartney swear in?

Having read a huge amount about The Beatles, I thought I pretty much knew all the quirks in their recordings. How wrong I was. I have just been enjoying Here, There and Everywhere by Geoff Emerick, the man who was the engineer on Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road, along with many other Beatles tracks. For aficionados it is an unmissable book, a superb account of their work in the studio. This morning I read Emerick's account of the recording of Hey Jude. Emerick wasn't the engineer on the track - the recording didn't begin at Abbey Road - but he was called in to fix problems caused by technical deficiencies at Trident Studios. [more]

Off the Beaten Path: Beatle Stalking

I was heartbroken; even though I have seen Ringo live before, I had never seen Paul, and the idea of seeing them together was phenomenal for a Beatles fan. So what was I to do? I decided to take advantage of this wonderful city and go down to Radio City Music Hall, just to see what it was like. The whole subway ride was bittersweet. I thought how cool it was that even though I did not have a ticket, I can just hop on a train and be there in half an hour. But there was still that lingering depression of not having the tickets. When I made it to Radio City, the air was buzzing. There were seas of excited people wearing Beatles tee shirts all flocking into the relatively small concert hall. Once all of the actual ticket holders were inside there was still a crowd of about a hundred people outside. Most of them had signs saying '1' or '2', signifying the amount of tickets they needed. One interesting fellow was asking for 17. [more]

How Procol Harum's soundtrack to the summer of love led to one of the most vicious feuds in pop history

John Lennon loved it so much he played it over and over a hundred times in a darkened limousine. Sir Paul and the late Linda McCartney declared it 'their song' after they danced to it on their first date. Ringo Starr listed it as his all-time favourite. Jimi Hendrix jumped up on stage to jam along to it on his guitar. Newlyweds Neil and Glenys Kinnock did their washing-up to it. And millions more were captivated by its floaty organ music, beautiful melody and incomprehensible lyrics about light fandangos, cartwheels, playing cards, millers and vestal virgins. The year was 1967, the group were Procol Harum and the song - a bizarre mix of classical, pop and poetry - was A Whiter Shade Of Pale. It became the soundtrack to the Summer of Love, sold more than 10million copies, topped the charts everywhere from Australia to Venezuela, and propelled the two-month-old band - named after a friend's Burmese cat - into the spotlight. [more]

Donald Sutherland shooting movie in Hamilton this week

It’s an eye-catching name for a film — The Love Child of Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono. And it has attracted an eye-catching international star. Canadian movie legend Donald Sutherland is in Hamilton this week shooting the feature film for Love Child Productions Inc. Sutherland is well-known for roles in iconic films such as MASH (1970), JFK (1991), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Klute (1971) and Ordinary People (1980). His current film is a comedy that centres on a recently paroled ex-con who re-enters society and finds himself at a crossroads: to fall back into a life of crime or try to forge a career in the “equally outrageous world” as a sculptor. Filming takes place this month and next month in Hamilton and Toronto. [more]

At 89, Ravi Shankar still spreading musical message

One of the world's most recognizable musicians will be paying a visit to Charlottesville's Paramount Theater on Friday evening. It isn't a rock or pop star, but rather Ravi Shankar, who will be accompanied by his daughter, Anoushka. Shankar, oft described as a "musical ambassador," continues to compose and perform, even though he just turned 89. The octogenarian is committed to continuing his work of spreading Indian classical music forms to virtually every corner of the Earth. Shankar's haunting and intricate work on the sitar were long known internationally before the Beatles' George Harrison met him in 1966, but this friendship coincided with the turbulent youth movement of the period and gave Shankar a much larger and younger audience than before. [more]

Creative songs for the music fan

There are many artists and bands that come out with exceptionally creative and intricate songs, instrumentally and lyrically. This is a top five countdown of the most creative songs to be sure to listen to. "God" by John Lennon - "God is a concept by which we measure our pain. I'll say it again: god is a concept by which we measure our pain. I don't believe in magic. I don't believe in I-ching. I don't believe in Bible. I don't believe in tarot. I don't believe in Hitler. I don't believe in Jesus." The list of what Lennon doesn't believe in makes the listener gather his or her own conclusion to what Lennon is singing about, until he reveals it at the end. "I just believe in me, Yoko and me, and that's reality." The message shows that fame, money and idols are not what should be controlling anyone's world. Only you and people you love surrounding you are what truly matters. This song gets number five for its lyrical content and the inspiring, meaningful concept buried within those lyrics. [more]

Klaus Voormann Records at Ardent Studios

At the suggestion of Don Nix, celebrated artist, musician and record producer Klaus Voormann traveled to Ardent Studios to track and mix his debut album, "A Sideman's Journey." German-born Voormann is known for his long association with The Beatles, for whom he designed the cover of their album Revolver. He was also bassist with the British Invasion group Manfred Mann and later a respected session player and record producer. He recorded extensively with John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Carly Simon, among numerous others. In 1996 Klaus was asked by Apple Records to design the covers for the Beatles Anthology albums. He painted the covers along with his friend, fellow artist Alfons Kiefer. [more]

Murder hunt as body of Lennon model found

The body of a British former model feared murdered in Hungary has been discovered, it emerged today (wednesday). Local police are said to have yesterday (Tuesday) arrested one man in connection with the murder of animal rights campaigner Eva Rhodes, who once appeared in a John Lennon and Yoko Ono film. Her body was discovered following her disappearance from her remote animal sanctuary in Bony seven months ago, reports Hungarian daily newspaper Nepszabadsag. [more]

World's Biggest Beatles Festival Launches; 'They're Gonna Make a Big Star Out of Me' $10,000 Singing Competition

The Courier-Journal.com Abbey Road on the River is launching the world's biggest Beatles song singing competition, sponsored by the Hard Days Night Hotel (Liverpool), named after Ringo Starr's Act Naturally lyric "They're Gonna Make a Big Star Out of Me." With shows like American Idol and Britain's Got Talent capturing the world's attention, it's time Abbey Road on the River proves that Louisville's got talent too. The grand prize winner will perform on the world famous stage where the Beatles launched their career, The Cavern Club in Liverpool. The competition is limited to 250 contestants, and is open to any Abbey Road on the River ticket holder, with a $20 fee to enter. For complete competition rules and entry details, visit http://www.abbeyroadontheriver.com/singingcontest.php. [more]

Lego Rock Band

Man, iHarmonix has been squeezing all the life they can out of the RockBand franchise. After a recent announcement of the Beatles version, the company is now teaming with MTV, Warner Brothers Interactive, to create Lego Rock Band. That’s right, someone wants to make version of Rock Band with Legos. All I have to say to that is: why not? I mean, Rock Band already allows you select characters to be the drummer, singer, and guitarist, so why not build them from a Lego minifig model? I have heard that players will play at “local venues, stadiums, and other fantasy locations”, but I say that players should be allowed to build their own stadiums from Lego bricks. Lego Rock Band » Coolest Gadgets

Beauties chase Beatle

Sir Paul McCartney was chased by 50 Miss USA finalists. The throng of beauties - including Miss Michigan, Miss Nevada and Miss Connecticut - booked in for dinner at the 66-year-old rocker's hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday night in the hope of meeting him. "One girl heard Paul was in town and hunted him down. The girls were staying at Planet Hollywood, where the Miss USA contest was being staged, and discovered Paul's hotel was across the road," a source said. "No one could stop them from looking for him, they were screeching with excitement." [more]

MCCARTNEY BACKTRACKS ON INTERNET PIRACY

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY has changed his stance on illegal downloading on the internet - condemning the practise just months after insisting he "doesn't mind" fans obtaining music for free. In November (08) the Beatles legend aired his views on illegal downloads, admitting he was not bothered by music fans who use illicit methods to stock their digital music collections. He explained, "It's weird for me (the concept of downloading). I'm not from that. I'm from going into a shop and buying a 45. We've come through vinyl, tapes and CDs - it's all the same, except people don't pay for it (now). I don't mind. It works out." But the veteran musician has now reversed his opinion on the subject in a new interview, suggesting he is opposed to the practise because it deprives new artists of their income. He says, "If you get on a bus you've got to pay. And I think it's fair, you should pay your ticket. The problem is you get a lot of young bands coming up and some of them aren't going to last forever. So if they have a massive hit that's going to pay their mortgage forever, they're going to feed the children on that and if they don't get that money, if they don't see that money, I think it's a bit of a pity." SOURCE

Pete Best reveals John Lennon had footy dreams before Beatle stardom

Beatles legend John Lennon was a talented footballer with dreams of playing for Liverpool before the band shot to stardom. The band's original drummer and Evertonian Pete Best has told how John always used to always have a ball at his feet, before they went to Hamburg. Stickman Best was only with the group for two years, before being sacked and replaced by Ringo Starr in 1962, but fondly remembers having a kick-a-bout with John. [more]

MCCARTNEY ASKED DJ TO SET THE STAGE FOR HIM AT COACHELLA

DJ CHRIS HOLMES was personally asked to perform ahead of SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY at the Coachella festival on Friday night (17Apr09) - by the BEATLES legend himself. Holmes met MCCartney at Radiohead's Grammy Awards party in Los Angeles in February (09), and the two hit it off over their fondness for dance music duo Daft Punk. He says, "The next day he called up (producer) Nigel Godrich and asked if he could get my phone number." Holmes' 20-minute pre-MACca set featured a selection of soul versions of Beatles songs. MCCartney opened his set with Wings classic Jet and followed it up with Drive My Car and Only Mama Knows. SOURCE

MILLS' DIVORCE RANT

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's former wife HEATHER MILLS is still seething over the $33.6 million (£24 million) divorce settlement she received from the former Beatle. MCCartney divorced Mills in March last year (08) and the former model used a speech at a London show for vegetarian charity Viva to complain the sum she received wasn't high enough. Mills says, "I got five per cent of what we earned together in seven years. And we earned it together, I worked my butt off doing the tours and everything." Outspoken Mills, who charges up to $102,000 (£75,000) a time as an after-dinner speaker, also complained she has become unpopular: "Everyone thinks I'm nuts because I speak the truth and I'm very outspoken. The meat industry hate me, the dairy industry hate me, the Beatle industry hate me, the landmine industry. So I have a lot of enemies out there. But I also have a lot of support." SOURCE

Musical Memories

As a young girl growing up in Brooklyn, Shelly Heber spent much of her free time hanging out at the neighborhood record stores. ”I did a ridiculous thing,” she said. “The radio stations had the Top 100 (list) every week and I memorized it.” By the time she was 9, Heber was managing her own street corner band. She began buying music trade magazines such as Record World at age 10 to keep track of new releases from her music idols. As a teenager, Heber was an avid Beatles fan. She exchanged letters with a host of other fans from around the world, wrote poetry about Paul McCartney and even corresponded for a time with George Harrison's mother in England. Once, she unexpectedly talked to John Lennon on the telephone. [more]

Paul McCartney enthralls Coachella crowd

A playful and passionate Paul McCartney riffed on "Foxy Lady," led an after-midnight "Hey Jude" singalong and dedicated songs to his former bandmates at the Coachella music festival that kicked off Friday. McCartney took off his black jacket five songs in and didn't put it back on for the next 29, strutting the stage in boots, black pants, a white shirt and suspenders that he tugged at wryly. "It's going to be a good weekend, dear," he told the thousands gathered for the three-day Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio. At 66, he is old enough to be the grandfather of most members of the festival's target demographic. [more]

It`s Ravi Shankar`s Birthday and George Harrison`s Star Shines on

Susan Boyle is an over-night sensation; that`s surely a miracle, but she has a incredible voice and deserves it. For some odd reason, this brought back to mind when The Beatle George Harrison discovered Ravi Shankar (at least for the Youth Culture) in 1966, and became a student of the sitar to this Master. This brought Indian music to the West and the youth of the world began to listen to Ravi Shankar with keen interest. "We were talking-about the space between us all, and the people-who hide themselves behind wall of illusion." [more]

FANS CAUGHT STEALING MCCARTNEY MEMORABILIA MAGAZINES

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's forthcoming Las Vegas gig has whipped fans into a frenzy - three devotees have been caught stealing memorabilia magazines from the concert venue. The former Beatle is set to open the Hard Rock Hotel's renovated venue The Joint on Sunday night (19Apr09), but three eager fans couldn't wait for the main event, and were snatched by hotel staff stealing boxes of hotel magazines with MCCartney on the cover. According to TMZ.com the three unnamed thieves were all in their 50s. SOURCE

At Coachella, Paul McCartney, Ever the Uniter

The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival began in 1999, and it built its reputation with smart, cutting-edge rock taste, booking Bjork, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and the reunions of the Pixies and the Stooges. But its most daring lineups have come in the last couple of years, as it has looked beyond fashionable alt-rock circles to bring in mainstream, old-line stars like Prince and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. And on Friday, the opening night of its 10th year, Coachella got about as close to rock orthodoxy as possible with a headlining performance by Paul McCartney. At 66, he is old enough to be the grandfather of most members of the festival’s target demographic. But if any grandfather could unite a crowd of thousands under the banner of rock ’n’ roll, it would be Mr. McCartney. For almost two and a half hours, he had the attention of what seemed to be the entire multigenerational festival — although throbbing bass from a dance tent across the field shattered that illusion more than once — for a zesty and sentimental run through more than 30 Beatles and solo songs. [more]

MCCARTNEY PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE WIFE AT COACHELLA

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY used his appearance at California's Coachella music festival on Friday (17Apr09) to pay tribute to his late wife LINDA - who died 11 years ago to the day. The Beatles legend took to the stage to headline the first night of the legendary music event in Indio, California, which runs until Sunday (19Apr09). Friday's date had extra significance to the star as his beloved first wife lost her battle with cancer on 17 April 1998. And MCCartney used the opportunity to pay tribute to his late partner, dedicating his song Foxy Lady to her memory and telling the crowd, "It's an emotional day for me. That's good, that's OK. Lot of heart, lot of emotion." SOURCE

Lennon's 1969 Toronto Show On DVD

John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band played Toronto's Rock 'N' Roll Revival Festival in 1969 on the eve of the release of the last album The Beatles recorded, Abbey Road. The set was the only John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band performance captured on film, and it will be released on DVD through Shout! Factory Records on June 23. John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band Live In Toronto '69 was shot by Academy Award-nominated director D.A. Pennebaker (The War Room, Don't Look Back). It includes covers of rock'n'roll classics, performances of The Beatles' "Yer Blues," Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance," Yoko Ono's "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)" and "John John (Let's Hope For Peace)," and the first public performance of Lennon's "Cold Turkey." The DVD also features a 1988 interview with Ono. [more]

Beatles Rock Band bundle ignores John and George

Videogame fans thrilled by the prospect of strumming and drumming along to the upcoming Beatles-themed edition of Rock Band might just explode with anticipatory delight today following news that the game will come with a large-scale replica guitar controller resembling Macca’s iconic Höfner Bass. However, while popping on a shaggy wig, wobbling your head from side to side, and giving the thumbs-up between each song might add a touch more pop-deity authenticity to the Höfner Bass experience, the rest of the game bundle is somewhat disappointing. Specifically, The Beatles: Rock Band ‘Premium Bundle’ will come with a special pearl-finished Ludwig drum set and Beatles kick pedal, a microphone and also a microphone stand – but no swanky guitar replicas for players to use while fulfilling their John Lennon and George Harrison fantasies. [more]

Paul McCartney's long and winding road

A chilly morning wind was blowing down Sixth Avenue, but it was warm inside Radio City Music Hall even though the grand old palace was hushed and its balconies deserted. A production team was busy preparing for the night’s concert, an all-star charity event, and a few dozen lucky VIPs were loitering in the back and craning their necks to see the stage. There, loose-limbed and cheery in the spotlight, stood Paul McCartney, a performer who has been in the ear of the world so famously and for so long that it’s a bit startling to see him in a quiet moment and realize that he is in fact an actual human being, not just a songbook with a voice and a name. [more]

The Beatles' 45th Anniversary

When Dick Clark first debuted The Beatles' "She Loves You" for Rate-A-Record on American Bandstand back in 1963, it was given a 73. The kids on the show took one look at them from a photo, they laughed. But little did everyone know that John, Paul, George, and Ringo -- four young men from Liverpool, England -- would become the biggest band in the world. As soon as the Fab Four stepped out of the airplane in America, and performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, Beatlemania was born. In April 1964, they ruled the Top 5 and held that record until the late 1970s by the Bee Gees and the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. The next week, the Beatles had over a dozen songs on the Top 100, and six of them went straight to number one. The Beatles paved the way for the "British Invasion" that included the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and the Who, bands influenced by American pop and R&B music. [more]

Change ringing: will John Lennon drop a clanger?

Change ringing — as bell ringing is officially known — couldn’t be more of a misnomer. Since its origins in the 17th century, this proudly peculiar English tradition has resisted change. Even though about 300 brand new peals are rung in England’s churches every year, these remain firmly within the traditional style, conforming to conventions laid down 400 years ago. Next week, however, Leeds Parish Church will give the premieres of two very unconventional peals on its 13 bells, one by the English composer Gavin Bryars, the other by a French instrumentalist, Colleen, for the fuseleeds festival. More populist still, in May Liverpool Cathedral has agreed to an idea by the artist Cleo Evans to ring John Lennon’s Imagine on its 12 bells. Can either newcomer dent tradition — and even attract new worshippers? [more]

John Lennon biopic could be scrapped in legal row with Beatles author

Liverpool is set to star in the new John Lennon biopic in Nowhere Boy, but the big screen adaptation of the Beatles legend's childhood could be scrapped before it is even in the can. Shooting on the movie has already begun on location in Crosby and Ealing in London with Aaron Johnson as the young musician. But director Sam Taylor-Wood's work may be halted if Beatleologist Geoffrey Giuliano gets his way. The angry author not only wants the flick to never see the light of a projector, but also wants book on which it has been based to be impounded and pulped. In 1986, while promoting one of his many books about the Fab Four, Giuliano met Lennon's maternal half-sister, Julia Baird, at a convention at the Adelphi Hotel. [more]

Montreal Museum Celebrates Peace Ballad Of John, Yoko

In 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous Bed-in, held from May 26 to June 2 in Suite 1742 of Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel, made headlines around the world. Forty years later, through June 21, 2009, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will celebrate this legendary event with Imagine: The Peace Ballad of John & Yoko, organized in collaboration with Yoko Ono. This multidisciplinary exhibition, designed and mounted by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts under the direction of Nathalie Bondil, will be presented exclusively in Montreal. Rekindling the philosophy behind John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s commitment for today’s world, this comprehensive exhibition will provide a picture of the historical and political context in 1969 that formed the backdrop to the Bed-in, as well as explore the wide-ranging artistic and musical dialogue in the name of peace conducted by the pop icon and the conceptual artist with ties to the Fluxus group. [more]

Video:Tina Sugandh Teaches Ringo Starr on the Tabla

Tina Sugandh is one of the hottest and most talented Desi artists from the U.S. today. She's spent a lot of time learning and refining her amazing skills. That's why it was truly cool to see the beat maker kick back with a rock music icon like Ringo Starr and teach him a thing or two about one of the greatest instruments in the world: the tabla. The Desi diva and the former Beatles drummer hung out together in what looked like someone's living room for a quick lesson on the tabla. The Beatles are one of the most recognizable bands in the world and their music is still circulated to this day. Tina Sugandh is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with as she not only sings and dances, but also plays many instruments. She was probably honored to be able to teach someone who is so well known in the music world. [more/video]

New George Harrison album to be released

A new collection of some of George Harrison's best-loved songs is to be released this June. 'Let It Roll: Songs By George Harrison' will feature music from throughout Harrison's solo recording career, with tracks including 'My Sweet Lord', 'Isn't It A Pity', 'Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)' and 'Got My Mind Set On You'. Three Harrison-penned Beatle tracks, recorded live at his 1971 Concert For Bangladesh, will also appear on the album, which is released on June 16. [more]

Bringing the Beatles to life

As a youngster, Danielle Palmer, 21, was listening to Beatles tunes on her headphones while her friends were jamming to more contemporary music of the period. Palmer, who grew up near Modesto, said she inherited her love of the Beatles from her parents, Michael, 56, and Lori, 53,who grew up during the Beatles' era. She said her mother is still a huge Paul McCartney fan. "I love the Beatles' music," she said. "I think it influenced music so much." That deep-rooted love of the Fab Four is one reason Palmer earned a job as director for the La Habra Depot Theatre's production of "Ticket To Ride", a show that follows the Beatles, through song and acting, during their storied career as pop music icons. [more]

Son of a Beatle hits the circuit

Being the son of someone famous carries a lot of baggage. Sure, one might be on easy street financially and for gatherings at famous clubs, restaurants, galleries, etc., yet scrutiny is always around the block, waiting for that certain someone to live up to the impossible. So how does the son of someone famous (let alone a Beatle) get a fair share in this comparison-driven industry of music? By forging your own identity on a treacherous gravel road toward respect and success. That’s why Dhani (pronounced Danny) Harrison, son of the masterful Beatle George Harrison, decided to leave his last name out of his company band, thenewno2. As one of the many acts this Saturday at Coachella, thenewno2 made a first-time appearance in San Diego Monday night at the always-interesting The Casbah. [more]

The Mammoth Book of The Beatles

Called The Mammoth Book Of The Beatles, it’s a 600-page collection of writing both old and new, laudatory and critical, on the Fab Four. Wriiten by Sean Egan (author of previous books on The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Animals and others.) It features articles by – amongst others – Maureen Cleave, Charlie Gillett, William Mann, Hunter Davies, Don Short, John Tobler & Stuart Grundy, Paul Johnson, Lester Bangs, Kenneth Tynan and Paul Gambaccini. It contains some famous articles on the group, such as ‘What Songs The Beatles Sang’ by William Mann (the “Aeolian cadences” article), ‘How Does a Beatle Live?’ (the Beatles-Bigger-Than-Christ feature) and the Atticus column on Paul/Eleanor Rigby which confirmed their gravitas to the establishment. It also, however, features some lesser-known but very worthy Beatles articles, such as revealing interviews with George Martin and Glyn Johns from the long out-of-print book The Record Producers, ‘Dandelions In Still Air: The Withering Away Of The Beatles’ – a critical hammering by Lester Bangs – an extract from Mitch Axelrod’s book about The Beatles cartoon TV Series (which is an overlooked part of the Fabs’ story) and an excellent précis of the Beatles’ career by DJ and rock historian Paul Gambaccini from his now unavailable book Masters of Rock.

There’s also lots of previously unpublished material, including summaries of all the Beatles records by myself – leisurely articles whose length allows me to go into stuff that is not commonly remarked on by journalists – an intriguing article on meeting the Beatles before they had a recording contract by ex-Steampacket/Animals member Vic Briggs, verbatim transcripts of interviews with Paul McCartney and Pete Best previously only published in edited form and a brand new interview with Mersey Beat editor Bill Harry. To round things off, there is the superb Beatles and Solo Beatles UK discography by Graham Calkin, adapted from his jpgr website.

There’s also lots of previously unpublished material, including summaries of all the Beatles records by THE EDITOR – leisurely articles whose length allows him to go into stuff that is not commonly remarked on by journalists.

PURCHASE:
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mammoth-Book-Beatles-Sean-Egan/dp/1845299434

USA: http://www.amazon.com/Mammoth-Book-Beatles-Sean-Egan/dp/0762436271

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STARS COME OUT FOR HARRISON

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY joined GEORGE HARRISON's widow OLIVIA and the late star's son DHANI to unveil his former BEATLES bandmate's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday (14Apr09). Harrison's star - the city's 2,382nd sidewalk plaque - was revealed in front of the Capitol Records building as MCCartney, Hollywood couple Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson and his one-time Traveling Wilburys bandmates Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne and hundreds of music fans looked on. Harrison, who lost his battle with cancer in 2001, already shares a star with the Fab Four, but is only the second individual Beatle after John Lennon to earn the solo memorial.
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Harrison honoured with a star

George Harrison has been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. It's an achievement the late Beatle would have viewed as "a load of old b******s", friend Eric Idle joked. The Monty Python star was among those present as the singer-songwriter became the 2,382nd name to be commemorated on the streets of Los Angeles, near to where fellow Beatle John Lennon's plaque lies. Sir Paul McCartney, currently performing in the US, also attended, joining guests including Harrison's widow Olivia and son Dhani outside the Capitol Records building. [more]

I Saw Him Standing There: My Encounter with a Beatle

So I hung out with Paul McCartney for part of today. Okay, it was really only for about a minute, but I'll take it. The occasion was the unveiling of George Harrison's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame outside of Capitol Records earlier today. Something amazing happens when McCartney is in the vicinity. It's a little like all the air flows in his direction. Even if you want to look elsewhere, you can't help but check back and see where he is and what he's doing. And it's likely that he's smiling. He came bounding out of the Capitol Tower onto Vine to huge cheers, but he did a masterful job of acknowledging the crowd (several hundred people strong) while never taking away from Olivia, Harrison's widow, and Harrison's son, Dhani. He didn't speak at the unveiling, but in a terribly sweet moment, after Olivia and Dhani had kissed their finger tips and gently rubbed them over Harrison's name on the star, McCartney took out a hankie and lovingly polished the star. It was touching, caretaking and funny at the same time. [more]

Oh Yoko! In Montreal

Yoko Ono has made her first visit to Montreal since the 1969 Bed-In For Peace with John Lennon in Suite 1742 of Fairmont/The Queen Eiizabeth. Ono appeared at a weird press conference Tuesday morning to talk up the exhibit "Imagine: The Peace Ballad of John & Yoko" opening Thursday at The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The Fairmont suite is also being opened to the public and later tonight I'll be having drinks in 1742. The late Timothy Leary was part of the "Bed-In," where John and Yoko recorded "Give Peace a Chance." I suspect he will be hovering around the room. The Fairmont has even created a martini in Yoko's name.....[more]

JOHN LENNON: THE NEW YORK CITY YEARS EXHIBIT

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC is honored to present JOHN LENNON: THE NEW YORK CITY YEARS to open in May 2009. This extraordinary exhibit presents exclusive artifacts from the life and work of John Lennon – a true legend of music and one of the greatest artists and activists of the twentieth century. The exhibit will feature never-before-seen items that uniquely commemorate Lennon’s life in New York City. “John would have been so pleased that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex in New York is honoring his life and work. It was a city we called home for many years and I so hope it will be a true gift to New York City’s residents and visitors that have been such supportive fans,” said Yoko Ono.

This special feature exhibit is created by Yoko Ono and curated by Jim Henke, Vice President of Exhibitions and Curatorial Affairs, for the New York City Annex. The exhibit will include a selection of rare artifacts, films and photos as well as exclusive New York-centric additions provided by the generosity of Yoko Ono. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC exhibit in SoHo is expected to make a big impact on the millions of fans who adore John Lennon, telling the story of his time in New York, a place he dearly loved. Additional details about JOHN LENNON: THE NEW YORK CITY YEARS will be unveiled in coming weeks.

"Yoko Ono has been very generous to the Hall of Fame over the years, and we are delighted to be able to work with her on this new exhibit," Henke said. "John Lennon spent the last nine years of his life in New York, and he loved the city. This exhibit will examine those years and the many things John accomplished while in New York."

“We’re ecstatic to bring this John Lennon exhibit to the Annex. New York is an integral part of our music history and holds major significance to John and Yoko. It’s an honor to showcase the life and work of such an extraordinary rock and roll legend,” said Michael Cohl of S2BN Entertainment, one of the producing partners. A portion of the cost of each ticket to the exhibition will be donated to Spirit Foundations, a charitable foundation set up by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, to further John and Yoko's philanthropic initiatives.

“As a pivotal figure in the history of Rock and Roll, the extraordinary legacy of John Lennon will receive a well-deserved spotlight with this new exhibit. This will be the must-see event for music fans in New York and around the world,” said Arny Granat of Jam Exhibitions, one of the producing partners. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame NYC opened its doors in November 2008 to an overwhelming response from visitors and critics alike. As a technologically advanced exhibition that focuses on the greatest moments in rock history, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC takes visitors beyond the typical museum experience and engages people in a dynamic and immersive music journey that recalls some of the defining moments in rock and roll history through the artists that changed our world. The exhibits highlight rock and roll’s impact on music, where visitors can discover, or rediscover, their connection to it all.

Tickets on sale now - $24.50 (Adult), $16.50 (Child 4-12), $22.50 (Senior 65+). For tickets call (866) 9-ROCKNY or (866) 976-2569, buy online at www.rockannex.com or visit the box office located at 76 Mercer Street (between Spring & Broome Sts.), New York, NY 10012.

The Beatles: Rock Band detailed! Mic stand, Höfner included

GameStop has detailed exactly what will come in the package. There are no images yet, but if you're on the company's e-mail list you should have already received the information. It may be $250, but it's sure sounding pretty swank so far. I'll let GameStop tell the story itself: "We've just learned that the Limited Edition Premium Bundle will include The Beatles: Rock Band software; a Höfner Bass controller; The Beatles-inspired and Ludwig-branded Rock Band drums with classic pearl finish, a metal kick pedal and a vintage replica drumhead; plus a microphone with stand, as well as additional special content." The microphone stand is great news; playing Rock Band with a mic stand so you can sing and play guitar is great fun. The bass controller is also a great addition, although we were hoping for a guitar and bass controller to be included for that price. [more]

A Fantasy Beatles Compilation: "Beatles Deep Cuts"

Beatlemania is making a comeback with the upcoming release of the Beatles edition of Rock Band and the welcome announcement that the band's remastered catalog (CDs only) set to hit store shelves in the fall. The digitally remastered CDs will enable fans to gain new appreciation for not only the most well-known singles, but some buried album tracks as well. What would a fantasy “deep Beatles cuts” compilation look like? The following list highlights just some of many Beatles songs that deserve more attention. Note that I'm including only original, officially released songs, as their many covers and bootlegs would merit separate columns. [more]

Richard Williams on the other side of Phil Spector

So it was big news when The Beatles brought him back. To Lennon and George Harrison, working with Spector was like washing themselves in the stream of pure pop music. Like Lennon and Harrison, Spector had grown up with his ears full of Eddie Cochran and the Del-Vikings. He was one of them. Watching Lennon and Spector work together, it was fascinating to see how readily The Beatle ceded control to pop music's ultimate control freak. Spector's authority was absolute and his precision unyielding. When he heard something he liked, his enthusiasm blazed. "More echo on the piano," he would shout to the engineer, leaping to his feet, his arms windmilling. "More echo. More ... more ... more! That's it. Beautiful." His mind running at a different speed from that of anyone else in the room, Spector took a minute to transform the happy hootenanny-style strumming into a brilliant wash of colour. As the engineers played it back, Lennon and Spector danced round the control room, arms around each other's shoulders. [more]

Fab One

George Harrison's legacy as a guitarist, singer-songwriter and film producer is renowned. He was the first former Beatle to score a No. 1 single ("My Sweet Lord") on the Billboard charts and found multiplatinum success again as a member of the singing supergroup Traveling Wilburys. He also was co-founder of HandMade Films, the British production company behind many movies including Monty Python's "Life of Brian" (1979). Now, for the totality of his artistic contributions, Harrison, who passed away in 2001, is being posthumously recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Simultaneously, Capitol/EMI plans to announce details for a new Harrison music project. (A Martin Scorsese-directed documentary about Harrison is in the works as well.) Located in front of the Capitol Records building, his star will be near John Lennon's, making Harrison the only other former Beatle to be so honored. (As a group, the Beatles were given a star in 1994, which was removed mere weeks after its installation, only to be replaced in 1998). [more]

Phil Spector Found Guilty In Murder Retrial, Faces 18 Years In Prison

The jury hearing Phil Spector’s murder retrial found the music producer guilty today of charges of second-degree murder in the death of actress Lana Clarkson. Clarkson died of a gunshot wound at Spector’s Los Angeles mansion in February 2003. Spector’s first trial began in April 2007 and concluded in September 2007 when the jury failed to reach a verdict. Deliberations for Spector’s second murder trial stretched 32 hours over nine days. The 69-year-old Spector faces a minimum of 18 years of prison; he’ll be sentenced on May 29th. [more]

FIRST BEATLE AMERICAN PRESS CONFERENCE BEING RE-ENACTED

Internationally renowned Beatle tribute band “A Hard Day’s Night” will be holding a re-enactment of the Beatles’ first American press conference that took place on Feb. 7, 1964 at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the La Habra Depot Theatre, 311 South Euclid Street. The press conference comes just in time as “A Hard Day’s Night” will be starring in the theatre’s production of “Ticket to Ride,” which will run from April 17 through May 3, and will show actually footage of the Fab Four’s arrival at JFK Airport in New York as they were introduced to the American press by manager Brian Epstein. Members of “A Hard Day’s Night” will come out and field the actual questions from that day as you will be amazed at how much they act and sound like the original Beatles.

“It was tremendous fun to see and hear – again- these ‘cheeky’ young lads as they introduced themselves to America ,” said “Ticket To Ride” author P.M. Howard, who played “George” in the ori ginal Broadway Beatlemania in 1977. “We believe this is the first time the Beatles’ first American press conference has been re-enacted.”

On that February day in 1964, the Beatles landed in New York for their first American tour, officially sparking the British Invasion that changed the face of rock and roll music. America first witnessed the charm, wit and self-deprecating humor that endeared the Beatles to the media during the chaotic press conference held at JFK . The musical’s press conference scene consists of direct quotes such as:

Question: How many of you are bald, that you have to wear those wigs?
Paul: All of us.

Question: Are you going to get a haircut at all while you’re here?
George: I had one yesterday
Although Georg e Harrison would fall ill with the flu, the Beatles would perform on American network television two days later for their historic first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.

More than a basic Beatles tribute concert, “Ticket To Ride” takes the audience back to the pivotal moments and locales of the Beatles’ career. The band’s custom-tailored costumes, vintage instruments, Liverpudlian dialect and precise attention to every detail recreate the magic, music and wisdom of the total Beatle phenomenon. The four band members capture the unique personality, physicality and charm of the Beatle they portray, including the Fab Four’s familiar head bobs, toe taps and patter between songs.

“As a director, this is a very exciting opportunity to direct the world premiere of a show,” said director Danielle Palmer. “There have been so many different Beatle band concert shows over the years, but in ‘Ticket to Ride’ we get a chance to see the Beatles, up close and personal, at crucial moments in their career and hopefully gain a deeper insight into who they really were.”

Since 1997, “A Hard Day’s Night” has been thrilling audiences with tight harmonies and flawless note for note instrumental renditions of Beatle hits. With more than 1,000 performances, “A Hard Day’s Night” has honed their show to become one of the most musically and visually satisfying Beatle tribute acts in the world. Managed by Tom Maher who represents “Guns and Roses” and “Slash” and currently represents other world class bands, “A Hard Day’s Night,” whose members are Southern California natives, plays 200 dates per year in North America and Europe . The band’s website is www.harddaysnightband.com

The show is a fundraiser to support the La Habra Depot Theatre’s summer youth program, with the “A Hard Day’s Night” band playing the three-week run for a nominal fee. The Depot is the one of the lone community theatres in Southern California that does not charge children to participate in youth shows. Some Orange County theatres charge children up to $850 per child to join a youth show.

“The Depot gives kids from economically disadvantaged families a chance to perform in children’s theatre,” said Whittier native Gilbert Bonilla, who plays John Lennon in the band, founding it 12 years ago. “We are glad we can help out the program.”

Performances are Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 and beer and wine will be available. Audience members may participate in Beatle karaoke after the show. Group rates are available. Phone for reservations at (562) 905-9625 or visit www.lhdepottheatre.org.

We believe in yesterday....why the Beatles still rule the world

WHEN Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr appeared on stage together for a charity gig in New York the other day, it was the first time they had done so in seven years. Some of the sell-out 6,000 crowd at the Radio City Music Hall had paid £1,350 to see the last surviving Beatles. Having patiently listened to the warm-up acts, including Sheryl Crowe and Donovan, the place erupted when they walked on stage and threw their arms around each other. Together they played a couple of Beatles numbers including Lady Madonna and With a Little Help From My Friends. When McCartney then sat at the piano to sing Let It Be there weren't many dry eyes left in the house. The poignancy of the occasion was brought home when he said "John loved New York. A song for John," and began playing Here Today, the tribute he wrote after Lennon's death. [more]

History and Information on the Beatles song I Need You

As only his second song composed and performed on an official Beatles album, "I Need You," simple love ballad that it was, proved to be an important step forward in the recognition of Harrison as a songwriting talent. Written in late 1964 for his girlfriend and future wife Pattie Boyd, and finished off with some unknown help from John, this song was deemed good enough for use in the film Help! (in the same Salisbury Plain setting that featured "The Night Before"). This song is most notable for its use of the primitive "tone pedal," later known as the "wah-wah," on George's guitar, producing a four-chord pattern that continues on and off throughout the song. It is sometimes reported as the first such pedal use in rock; though it isn't the first, it is a very early example, and definitely the first in the Beatles' canon. [more]

Heather Mills gives Macca's new love her 'blessings'

The 41-year-old, who bagged 24.3 million pounds from the ex-Beatle in one of the most bitter court battles in the industry, was allegedly "glad" that her ex partner was happy with heiress Nancy Shevell. She was said to have accepted that 47-year-old Nancy seemed to be on her way to become 65-year-old Sir Paul's third wife. "Macca doesn't care dippity about what Heather thinks on any subject under the sun - who does? [more]

John and Yoko to be remembered at Bethel Woods

The Museum at Bethel Woods will mark the 40th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's famous "Bed-In For Peace" with an exhibit of photographs, many of which have never been seen before. “Give Peace A Chance: John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-In For Peace,” will run June 12-Sept. 7, at the museum, which is part of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, built on the original Woodstock site in Bethel, Sullivan County. “Give Peace A Chance” uses stories and photographs to explore the second of John and Yoko’s famous "bed-ins." This protest and call for world peace was held for eight days at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel in 1969. John and Yoko stayed in bed for eight days while the international press and a steady stream of celebrities came and went from their hotel room The couple, from their bed, on June 1, 1969, recorded the anthem, “Give Peace A Chance.” [more]

Imagining with John Lennon's half-sister

Like the rest of us, Julia Baird has been listening to The Beatles all her life. It's just that she got an early start in her Beatles appreciation course. Back in the late 1950s, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Baird's half-brother John Lennon - then known as The Quarrymen - use to rehearse daily in her family's kitchen. Together with her mother - also named Julia - and her younger sister Jacqui, the pre-teen Baird would sit for hours listening to the young musicians cut their teeth on their guitar chords and search for a magic blend with their vocal harmonies. "They ended up in my house because my mother allowed it," said the 62-year-old Baird last week sitting in Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv. "She was a fun-loving free spirit - she definitely encouraged John, and really enjoyed it herself." [more]

MILLS ISSUES LEGAL THREAT TO LIARS

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's former wife HEATHER MILLS has vowed to fight publications and websites who print damaging lies about her - because she doesn't want her daughter to read them as she grows up. The former model admits she's sick of reading untruths about herself - and she has already given the world a taste of how far she's willing to go to right wrongs. And she'll continue to hand out lawsuits and legal threats to anyone who writes lies about her. Mills, who shares five year old Beatrice with MCCartney, says, "I stopped reading stories about myself a number of years ago...I just thought this is just a waste of time but recently I've been going through the internet, clearing up (rumours). "I've got five apologies so far from (the) British media and I've got many thousands to go. I plan to clear the internet so my daughter doesn't read all the lies when she's 12." SOURCE

NEW YORK OFFICIALS DEFEND MCCARTNEY'S GIRLFRIEND

New York City public officials are defending SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's girlfriend NANCY SHEVELL amid allegations she has abandoned her responsibilities as a transport boardmember to focus on her high-profile romance. Shevell is among 16 unpaid members appointed by the state governor to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the agency that oversees subways and buses for the city's eight million commuters. After missing a series of top-level meetings, she has sparked an outcry among city leaders, who fear she's spending more time with her Beatle boyfriend of 18 months than doing her job.[more]

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

From the book Give Peace a Chance: John and Yoko's Bed-in for Peace (Wiley, 120 pages, $29.95). In 1969, Gerry Deiter was assigned by Life magazine to photograph John Lennon and Yoko Ono's legendary bed-in for peace at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Deiter spend eight days with the couple, shooting more than 500 photos. The photos include the one above, showing the famous moment that Lennon and Ono got the crowd in the room to sing the anthem they wrote on the spot, Give Peace a Chance. Then Life decided not to run the pictures, and Deiter relocated to Vancouver Island, where he lived on a wooden boat. When he died suddenly in 2005, his close friend Joan Athey teamed up with Paul McGrath, a veteran music journalist, and selected 80 photos for Give Peace a Chance. Many of the shots in the book have never been seen before. SOURCE

BUY: Give Peace a Chance: John and Yoko's Bed-in for Peace

Beatle's girlfriend sometimes misses transit work

Nancy Shevell beamed for hundreds of cameras in London's Leicester Square, a green silk jacket on one arm and Paul McCartney on the other. The 49-year-old trucking heiress dazzled on the red carpet at a movie premiere with the ex-Beatle, her boyfriend of 18 months. Two days later, Shevell shielded herself behind a colleague, turning away from cameras recording a Metropolitan Transportation Authority meeting where she cast a vote to raise city subway fares 25 percent. Few who have seen Shevell photographed in Israel, Antigua and at the Grammy Awards with McCartney know of her other life as an executive at a New Jersey trucking company and board member of the nation's largest mass transit agency. But her public and behind-the-scene personas have collided more and more since the socialite began seeing McCartney in the Hamptons in late 2007. [more]

Destiny's child

After spending the first 30 years of his life avoiding the spotlight, singer-guitarist Dhani Harrison is finally ready to make his name known in music – provided, that is, he can avoid making his name known in music. If that sounds like a conundrum, it is, especially for someone who will perform here Monday at the Casbah and April 18 at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (coachella.com) in Indio (where, coincidentally, Paul McCartney headlines April 17). But when you're the only child of former Beatle George Harrison, who died in late 2001 from cancer and was notoriously publicity-shy during and after his Fab Four tenure, avoiding the spotlight comes naturally. And if you're a budding musician who wants to be judged on his own merits, not for his famous lineage, the incentive is all the greater. [more]

Fire a gun everybody pays attention

As I watched Paul McCartney’s tribute to John Lennon on YouTube, partly to distract myself from the Binghampton and other murders, as well as the approaching 10th Columbine anniversary, I realized the late singer also was a victim of America’s love affair with guns. Then I couldn’t help suppress a smile. Why? Because I couldn’t remember the killer’s name! I delighted in Lennon’s music, both before and after the Beatles. I still remember the photo of a tall New York City cop holding the mortally wounded singer in his arms, much like a rag doll. It reminded me of Bobby Kennedy’s body sprawling on the floor of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. [more]

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The day John Lennon proposed to me (pity I thought he was joking!)

Last month, filming began on a new movie charting the years when John Lennon was an aspiring musician in Liverpool. For one woman in particular, it will be a strange experience watching Nowhere Boy. Up to now, Patricia Inder has said little about her relationship with Lennon, so her role in his story has been forgotten - she was the stunning beauty with whom Lennon was having an affair while he seeing Cynthia Powell, who would become his first wife. [more]

Paul McCartney: "I'm A Proud Dad"

When your dad was in the most famous band in the history of the universe, it must be hard to step out of his shadow. But somehow Stella McCartney has managed to do that, by becoming one of the most successful and respected designers in fashion. And Sir Paul McCartney has told OK! he couldn't be more proud of her. "She's a very clever girl," the former Beatle said at a party honoring eco-conscious Stella for her environmental leadership. [more]

ORU Students Record Music Video On Lennon Bus

A late member of the Beatles is helping some ORU students create a music video. The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a mobile recording studio that gives students a chance to put training to work. Students from different departments have been working together to plan their video, and they must finish it in one day. Professors say it's a good lesson for working on a tight deadline. "We hope they can learn how to express their own imagination in creative ways through digital multimedia," Seamus Harte said. "So they get their hands on a little bit of everything to see from concept to delivery what it takes to put together a piece of their mind." See videos that have been made on the bus

My brother George Harrison: Beatle's sister shares family pictures for first time

The kid brother she had known since he was eight hours old had grown up to become a world-famous Beatle. But George Harrison’s big sister Louise today reveals the crucial part she played in the Fab Four’s big American break. The late George will next week be honoured with his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And nobody will be prouder than Louise, who had moved to the States with her mining engineer husband Gordon in 1963 just as Beatlemania was gripping Britain. Leafing through never-before-seen photographs in an intimate family album, Louise, now 78, says: “Back in 1963 no one had heard of The Beatles in America. It was all Elvis and do-wop music. “Their records were not being played on the radio by any stations, and without that exposure they would never sell any records.” [more]

Paul-and-Ringo duet thrills Beatles fans at benefit

In terms of teasing musical foreplay, this was downright frustrating. During Paul McCartney's show-closing set for David Lynch's "Change Begins Within" concert at Radio City, an empty drum kit sat tantalizingly behind him. As the ex-Beatle delivered rousing versions of such hits as "Jet," "Lady Madonna" and "Let It Be," among others, the entire audience waited breathlessly in anticipation. When would Ringo Starr, who had just finished his own solo set, be joining him? It wasn't until nearly the end of the marathon four-hour evening that McCartney announced that the presence of a special guest, one "Billy Shears." Sure enough, the ebullient Ringo bounced out, sharing a microphone with his former bandmate on "With a Little Help From My Friends" and thrilling the sold-out crowd with the closest thing now possible to a Beatles reunion. [more]

TOWNSHEND'S EX LAUNCHES CASH FIGHT

THE WHO rocker PETE TOWNSHEND is facing a $58 million (£40 million) court battle after his estranged wife hired SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's divorce lawyer to fight for a share of his fortune. The My Generation hitmaker split from Karen Astley in 1994 but they stayed married and remained good friends. But in a court hearing in London on Tuesday (07Apr09), the couple were granted the first stage of a divorce - with Astley stating she considers Townshend's behaviour "no longer tolerable". And there are now signs she intends to battle for a sizable cut of the guitarist's fortune after it emerged she has hired Fiona Shackleton, the lawyer who represented former Beatle MCCartney in his bitter divorce from Heather Mills. Reports in the U.K. speculate that Shackleton will build a case for Astley based on her supporting the rocker as his career took off, and sticking by him during his fight against drug addiction. Townshend married Astley in 1968 after meeting her at art college several years previously. He currently lives with musician Rachel Fuller. SOURCE

Beatles Online? 100 Million Illegal Tracks Are Already Free As A Bird

Amid the speculation today about whether The Beatles’ digital remastering is a prelude, finally, to online retail, here are a couple of sobering data points worth considering - the Fab Four are already losing huge amounts to illegal downloading…. In fact, of the people who currently use P2P networks, 23 percent download one or more Beatles tracks, P2P monitor BigChampagne told paidContent.org. Since 62 million people worldwide use P2P, the firm estimates, that’s 14.26 million people already getting their Fab Four for free, an average 6.9 tracks per user - from cheap, relatively low-quality MP3 files, nevermind the high-quality new mixes. Over time, that’s amongst the highest proportion BigChampagne has recorded for an act, CEO Eric Garland told us, though a smash single from an artist like 50 Cent can prove more popular. [more]

Paul McCartney's website hacked to distribute malware

The official website for former Beatle Paul McCartney was compromised to infect users through drive-by downloads. The site was attacked by the LuckySploit toolkit, according to web security firm ScanSafe, which discovered the hack. The toolkit was recently updated to include a set of HTML files that contain obfuscated and malicious JavaScript code, according to NoVirusThanks.org, a computer security website. ScanSafe said in a statement that its researchers discovered the infection on Saturday, the same day McCartney reunited on stage with Ringo Starr for the first time in years. The toolkit was hidden behind an invisible frame on the site. When users visited, their machines were hit with an exploit that downloaded a rootkit. [more]

They'll get by with a little help from remastered friends

Nearly 40 years after they broke up, the Beatles are again coming to the rescue of their record label. And, incidentally, Michael Jackson. The troubled EMI group, struggling in the hands of private equity funds for the past three years, announced last night that the full Beatles catalogue would be released this year in digitally remastered form for the first time. Fans will be pleased - but not as much as the accountants. If all other reissues and repackagings of the Beatles are any indication, this announcement will be a huge financial boost for EMI in the final quarter of this year. [more]

BEATLES STARS SET FOR STUDIO REUNION

BEATLES legends SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY and RINGO STARR have reportedly hatched plans to head back to the studio together - their first collaboration in more than 10 years. The pair reunited on stage in New York on Saturday (04Apr09) for David Lynch's Change Begins Within concert in aid of Transcendental Meditation. The show marked the first time the pair had performed together since a tribute concert for late Beatles bandmate George Harrison in 2002. And the onstage reunion has sparked fresh rumours that the duo plan to record again, for the first time since MCCartney's guest appearance on Starr's 1998 Vertical Man album. A source tells British newspaper the Daily Express, "It's been a long time since Ringo played drums on any of Paul's songs, but they've decided they can work together again. They had a fantastic time in New York, and realise they still work well together. They're now getting together later in the year to work on some of Paul's new songs." SOURCE

The Beatles' Entire Original Recorded Catalogue Remastered

Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game. Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released. [more]

MCCARTNEY PAYS TRIBUTE TO LENNON

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY remembered late BEATLE JOHN LENNON at DAVID LYNCH's Foundation Benefit gala on Saturday (04Apr09) by revealing he wrote HERE TODAY as a tribute to his former bandmate and songwriting partner. MCCartney headlined the three-hour concert, held to raise funds for director Lynch's meditation charity, at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Dedicating Here Today to Lennon, he said, "I love New York and John Lennon loved New York. I wrote this song for John after he passed away. It was a one-sided conversation saying things to him I never said." There was a mini-Beatles reunion at the concert when Ringo Starr joined MCCartney on vocals for A Little Help With My Friends and then got behind the drums for the encore, I Saw Her Standing There. SOURCE

Lauding Beatles, Hindus urge celebrities to explore meditation

Hindus have applauded surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, for performing together Saturday at New York to raise money for promoting meditation. Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that other celebrities, who had benefited from Hindu practices, should also come out in support of charities promoting Hinduism concepts. Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, invited all entertainment celebrities to explore meditation to combat stress that their challenging jobs bring and to increase the powers of their minds. If any celebrity needed assistance in his/her exploration in meditation arena, he or other Hindu scholars would gladly provide, Rajan Zed added. SOURCE

Victor Spinetti tells how he saved Ringo Starr from drowning

THEY were the band that changed rock and roll forever. But as a new exhibition of unseen Beatles photos goes on display in London, one of their closest pals has revealed how it could have been over before it all began. Speaking at a huge Fab Four fan fest in New Jersey, Blaenau Gwent-born actor Victor Spinetti described the day he averted disaster and saved their drummer Ringo Starr from drowning. “It was the first scene we filmed for the movie Help! in 1965 and it was nearly the end for The Beatles,” said Spinetti, the flamboyant Cwm boy who was the only actor to star in all four of the band’s legendary films. I was in the Bahamas playing this mad scientist trying to steal a priceless ceremonial ring that Ringo’s wearing, and he was meant to escape by jumping from my yacht into the water. [more]

Ringo Starr did not like being in India

Starr, 68, and the other Beatles members had at the time been followers of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. 'There were lepers without fingers and noses,' the New York Post quoted the drummer as saying at a press conference promoting Radio City concert to benefit meditation training for kids. Starr said he left the ashram after 10 days because 'the food was too spicy'. Paul McCartney, who was flanked by fellow meditators Donovan, flutist Paul Horn and Mike Love of the Beach Boys, looked quizzical after Starr finished. 'I haven't much to say after that . . . leprosy?' McCartney said. --- ANI

Paul McCartney's flight nightmare

Frantic airport staff rushed Sir Paul McCartney away from check-in... as Heather Mills turned up in the queue behind him. Sir Paul, 66, was on his way to New York from Heathrow when his ex-wife arrived unexpectedly for a flight to Los Angeles. And the two BA jumbos were leaving within five minutes of each other from the new Terminal Five. BA staff escorting Macca realised "in the nick of time" that he was about to run into Heather, 41, who collected a £24.3million pay-off from him last year in one of most bitter divorces in showbiz history. [more]

John Farr: On Paul McCartney, and the Memories He Made

The other night was different for several reasons. First, hearing Paul speak in person, listening first-hand to that achingly familiar voice I've taken refuge in so often over the years. To me it sounded precisely the same as it always has; I could discern no age-related shifts to a lower register, and for some reason, this floored me. Second, Paul's tribute to his daughter was completely forthright and surprisingly personal, a one-two punch that also took me aback. What? No ego? No self-congratulation? Paul volunteered that Stella's name had certainly given her an entrée into the fashion business, but that if she hadn't the talent or work ethic to stand on her own, the industry would have used that same name as a "cudgel" (his word) to deter her progress. A trifle blunt perhaps, but absolutely true. [more]

John's Drunk Tape Fetches $30K

A 1973 tape of a boozy John Lennon slurring his way through Lloyd Price's Just Because fetched $30,000 at auction in Los Angeles yesterday, CNN reports. Because of Lennon's intoxication and raunchy, ad-libbed lyrics, “it's actually a fun song to listen to,” said a spokeswoman for the auction house. The buyer was not identified. SOURCE: Newser

Beatles Legends Come Together

Remaining Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr took a trip down memory lane at a press conference on Friday as they gear up for their highly anticipated reunion concert tonight! Of The Beatles' famous trip to India, Paul said his spiritual guru the Maharishi gave the band a "great gift" at a point in their lives "when we were looking for something to kind of stabilize us toward the end of the crazy 1960s," reports the Associated Press. [more]

John Lennon film sparks 'plagiarism' law suit

Mandrake can disclose that Nowhere Boy, which stars Aaron Johnson as John Lennon and Kristin Scott Thomas as his Aunt Mimi, faces a fight to reach the screen, however, as it is to be the subject of a legal action by a biographer who claims that it is based on his book and that he has not been paid or credited. Geoffrey Giuliano, who co-wrote John Lennon, My Brother with Julia Baird, the half-sister of the late Beatle, alleges that she used material from their book in another memoir, on which the screenplay of Nowhere Boy is based, without his permission. [more]

McCartney gets daring as The Fireman

Who the heck is the Fireman, you ask? Sir Paul McCartney is the mastermind behind this spectacular project. McCartney has often been quietly avante garde, despite the fact that John Lennon was pushing limits with the sound collage Revolution #9. By all reports, McCartney was the driving force behind the orchestral sweeps of Day in the Life and the loop noise of Tomorrow Never Knows. After decades of remaining largely mainstream, McCartney is finally re-embracing his daring side. This is a love-it or hate-it album. Fans of Yesterday and Blackbird will likely not connect with Electric Arguments, while fans of Tomorrow Never Knows and Happiness Is A Warm Gun will love it. He is joined in the studio by a super producer known as Youth. [more]

McCartney says meditation helped stabilize Beatles

The surviving members of the Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, will perform at a concert on Saturday to raise funds to help children learn a meditation technique McCartney said helped stabilize the band at the height of its fame. McCartney and Starr will perform separate sets at the "Change Begins Within" concert for the David Lynch Foundation, which helps people learn Transcendental Meditation. The Beatles helped popularize Transcendental Meditation -- described as a simple mental technique that combats stress -- in 1967 when they sought spiritual guidance from an Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. [more]

George Harrison to Get His Own Star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame

The late former Beatle George Harrison is getting his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced Friday that Harrison's star will be unveiled on April 14 in front of Hollywood's Capitol Records building. The Beatles have a star, but the only two members of the band to have their own individual stars are John Lennon, and now, George Harrison. Lennon was shot to death in 1980 by a psychotic fan, and Harrison died of cancer in 2001. The band's two surviving members - Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr - don't have their own stars, and if the trend continues, they probably won't until they are deceased. George Harrison's star will be the 2,382 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. SOURCE

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to participate in public webcast tomorrow (April 3)

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are set to participate in a public webcast tomorrow (April 3) to endorse the David Lynch Foundation’s initiative to teach a million at-risk youth to meditate. The last surviving Beatles, who have been involved in transcendental meditation for years, will be joined by Lynch at the conference, which kicks off at noon EST...[more]

Yoko Ono on hope, politics, the best week in bed

Forty years ago this summer, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their famous Bed-In for Peace at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel as paparazzi, fans and assorted celebrities looked on. The couple invited friends and detractors alike to join them in their suite for the peace demonstration and emerged with one of the iconic moments of the 1960s, for this city at least. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will celebrate this anniversary and rekindle the couple’s message of pacifism with Imagine: The Peace Ballad of John & Yoko. The multimedia exhibit will chronicle the couple’s body of work and includes interactive exhibits like the Imagine piano, where visitors are encouraged to belt out their own rendition of Lennon’s “Imagine,” and the Wish Tree, where one can meditate and then tie a message to the tree’s branches. (Some good news for broke yet peace-loving Montrealers: the exhibit will be open to the public free of charge.) The Mirror spoke with the sprightly though still enigmatic 76-year-old Ono over the telephone a few days prior to the exhibit’s opening. [more]

Beatles Classic For Jade's Final Farewell

More than 300 people - including TV hosts Richard and Judy, Kerry Katona and pop stars Jamelia and the Sugababes - are expected to attend the service on Saturday. Sky News has learned that 35 members of the London Community Gospel Choir will sing at the church, with the service beamed onto TV screens outside. Jade's simple white coffin will arrive at St John The Baptist Church in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, in a vintage 1932 Rolls Royce hearse. That car will be followed by a Bentley, four Daimler limousines, three floral hearses and a minibus. [more]

About 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! PLEASE READ MORE HERE

HELP! Lennon statue defaced

A STATUE of John Lennon has had to be moved to protect it from vandals. The bronze, life-size statue has become the target of a series of attacks during its two year stint on one of the busiest streets in Almeria. Lennon had his glasses ripped off twice, his face spray-painted and a Spanish flag daubed on his chest. The statue’s guitar fared little better. The tuning pegs were smashed off with a hammer shortly after the statue was unveiled in February 2007. The neck of the guitar was soon snapped in half. During its last months on display the statue cut a forlorn figure: perched on a low wall without glasses, its face spray-painted chocolate brown, strumming a mutilated Spanish guitar which a local newspaper described as “looking more like a ukelele.” [more]

The Beatles: Rare photos of fab four during height of fame

The unprecedented achievement 45 years ago on Saturday showed the extent of the band's popularity and the mania that enveloped them both in the US and the UK. Photographer Curt Gunther was given access to the Fab Four both on stage and behind the scenes and now some of the images he captured are being published in a book, Forty Five Years On: Remembering The Day The Beatles Conquered America. Among his black and white collection is a picture of fans scrambling their way onto the stage in front of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, while another shows John Lennon and McCartney emerging from a doorway. [more]

Nick Cave, Ryan Adams Talk About Becoming Authors

Many songwriters have attempted to become novelists, with mixed results. Anyone who has struggled through some of the stories in John Lennon’s In His Own Write is likely to break into a cold sweat at the sight of another book written by a musician. But that hasn’t stopped a steady flow of budding novelists emerging from the music community, and Guardian writer Graeme Thomson has spoken to a number of them in this article. Nick Cave, Ryan Adams Talk About Becoming Authors

Why Have The Beatles Returned to Maharishi?

In accepting filmmaker David Lynch's invitation to play at a benefit concert in New York City's Radio City Music Hall to help fund the teaching of Transcendental Meditation (TM) to a million children, the two surviving mop-tops, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, have reunited to reclaim their 1968 spiritual roots. It was then that the most celebrated rock group in history traveled to India to meditate with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at his Himalayan ashram in Rishikesh. "Say the word, and you'll be free," John, Paul, George, and Ringo had sung a few years earlier, and eventually the word became a mantra, a Vedic sound given to them by Maharishi and their fellow meditators by TM teachers like myself. [more]