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Showing posts with the label beatles

Is Yesterday about Paul's mother?

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Paul & Mary McCartney Paul McCartney has recently suggested a ‘subconscious’ inspiration for the line I said something wrong/Now I long for yesterday  was his regret at once chiding his mother for ‘talking posh’:

How George Met Paul

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George Harrison and Paul McCartney first met while at secondary school.

The First Ed Sullivan Show

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First Ed Sullivan appearance - public domain The Beatles fly from London Heathrow to New York on 7 February, 1964 More than 10,000 girls are waiting - a major news event.

Why were The Beatles on Ed Sullivan?

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In late September 1963 George Harrison becomes the first Beatle to visit America. Map artwork by Jane Samson

Beatles song based on Bach?

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  None of The Beatles had a background in classical music. 

Dylan on The Beatles

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The first meeting of The Beatles and Bob Dylan was in a room at the Delmonico Hotel in New York on Friday 28 August 1964.

How bad was John Lennon's eyesight?

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John Lennon was very short-sighted but in his teens refused to wear spectacles in public.

Who was 'Mean Mr Mustard?

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 John Lennon was later embarrassed about the source of one of his contributions to the Abbey Road medley. It was based on a newspaper story he read early in 1967.

Baby It's You

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First pop single sample?

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On 29 September, I967, John Lennon worked with George Martin and the Abbey Road sound engineers on a potential new Beatles single.

Christmas 1961

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Reluctant Santas: Beatles Christmas Show at the Cavern 1961 December 1961 brought a packed gigging schedule.  Christmas boiled dow to to a single day off for turkey and flopping on the sofa in paper hats. On December 9th The Beatles signed contracts appointing Brian Epstein as their new manager. Epstein then gave each a pointed Christmas gift — a travel alarm clock. Attached was a business card with the message: ‘My little bit to get you all on time.’ This alluded to their chaotic timekeeping — Paul McCartney had infamously been having a bath during one crucial meeting. But as Lewisohn points out, it offered hope that they would be ‘going places’. Christmas 1961 — Beatles upstaged by BOXING NIGHT On December 27, the coldest night in a decade, The Cavern held a Beatles Christmas Party. It got off to a rocky start when Pete Best phoned in sick. Who could stand in on the sticks? Well, there was their new pal from Hamburg, who happened to have a night off from Hurricane duties. The gig wen

Which Beatles albums had no singles?

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British album releases generally did not include singles

Why was George Harrison deported from Germany?

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George in the room above the Bambi Kino cinema George Harrison was seventeen when he first arrived in Hamburg in August 1960. Though legal the age limit for performers was eighteen  club owner Bruno Koschmider was initially unconcerned.  It was when The Beatles jumped ship to work at the bigger Top Ten that Koschmider found his conscience stirred. He then informed the police of his shocking discovery. Those devious Englishmen had an underage performer in their ranks . pen & ink sketch of Hamburg club owner Bruno Koschmider (1926-2000) The police duly deported Harrison on November 21. The guitarist spent his last night teaching John Lennon his parts before reluctantly packing a " crappy suitcase and things in boxes, paper bags with my clothes in, and a guitar." Homeward bound The logistics of getting home proved challenging, as George related in Anthology: Astrid and Stuart dropped me at Hamburg station. It was a long journey on my own on the train to the Hook of Holland.

Who was 'late but very clean'?

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  Outside Paul's family home in the early 1960s Soon after first seeing them at the Cavern, Brian Epstein invited The Beatles for a formal meeting at his office. This was arranged for the afternoon of Sunday 3rd December 1961 at 4.30. Epstein wanted to manage the band but had doubts about their reliability and professionalism. The Beatles for their part had achieved success in Hamburg and Liverpool but had no record deal or national profile John, George and Pete took the bus to the meeting. They arrived on time - but after forty five minutes there was still no sign of Paul.  A call was made to the McCartney family home. This revealed that  Paul had just got up and was having a bath. Epstein exploded, "How can he be so late for such and important meeting?"     To which Harrison famously replied, "He may be late but he's very clean".  A frosty silence melted into laughter. Why was Paul so  late? On one level Paul's lateness was symptomatic of  what Epstein

Last Beatles Song?

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"We all play on it, i t’s a genuine Beatles recording .  ” Paul McCartney Is Now and Then  a 'genuine Beatles recording' ? via  Henry Grossman/Wikimedia Commons  and Apple Corps For Paul McCartney the defining component is the presence of all four Beatles in the final mix. This may be stretching a point in that only John Lennon recorded the de facto master tape, namely the demo cassette recorded in his apartment.  It is true that The Beatles recording process was often fragmented. Though they  largely recorded early tracks ‘as live’, improvements in multi-tracking meant that they later relied heavily of recording segments which were later assembled in collaboration with the Abbey Road engineers.  Frequently, two or three band members would work on a particular track. Some recordings, like Yesterday (Paul) and Love You Too (George) had only one of the four on the final recording, while three  contributed to Free as a Bird during the Anthology sessions. Few, however, would

Worst Lennon song?

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"one of the Beatles most dispensable items". [8] Run for Your Life’, I always hated ... because it was a song I just knocked off Lennon Remembers Few would argue with this assessment. Thomas Ward diplomatically suggests that it is one of the Beatles most dispensable items".[8] while Ian MacDonald is characteristically forthright ('a dismal track'). 'Run for Life' was the first song recorded for what would become Rubber Soul. It was 'knocked off' during a break between the filming of Help and their return to Abbey Road in October 1965. Words One reason Lennon was later embarrassed by the song was what MacDonald calls its 'lazily sexist lyric'. Even allowing for the different social climate, 'you better run for your life ... or that's the end' has an unpleasant menacing edge. The words and the sentiment came from the old Elvis song 'Baby, Let's Play House'. There was a line on it; I used to like specific lines from

Beatles song based on Beethoven?

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The Beatles cheerfully sang 'Roll Over Beethoven' in their pre-fame stage show. The Chuck Berry anthem also appears on their second album. But if Ludwig was not safely out of copyright, his legal team would most likely have a solid royalties claim. In one of his last interviews, John Lennon revealed how the great German composer provided direct inspiration: I was lying on the sofa in our house, listening to Yoko play Beethoven's - Moonlight Sonata, on the piano. Suddenly I said, 'can you play those chords backwards'. The Beatles version retains the key and key change, plus the pattern of arpeggios. Lennon also added some bass notes and of course and a lyric which he claimed was ' clear, no bullshit, no imagery, no obscure references.' You won't find that kind of language in Fidelio but there is arguably a similarity of intent across the centuries. .

How did Lennon and McCartney write songs together?

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People always ask us how we sit down and write a song. Well, first we sit down. Then we write a song. 

Did Ringo nearly die in childhood?

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Richard with his mother, Elsie The then Richard Starkey experienced two major medical episodes. According to Lewisohn, Richard Starkey was 'a robust infant' but fell 'dangerously ill in the early summer of 1947'.  Rushed by ambulance to the Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital, the six-year-old was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. An operation revealed that the appendix had burst causing infected peritonitis. As he was wheeled into theatre, Richard requested a cup of tea.  The nurse responded, 'When you come round,'  She kept her promise but it was ten weeks before Richard got his tea. In that time, his mother Elsie was told three times that he would not survive the night. One of these occasions was the eve of his seventh birthday. He continued to slip in and out of consciousness for several months. Even when he left hospital at the beginning of 1948, convalescence from his surgical wounds was slow and painful. There was also a set back which prolonged his

Who was Anil Bhagwat?

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Tabla - traditional Indian instrument