At the peak of The Beatles’ fame, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr were the most sought-after people in the world. Fans crowded them wherever they went and other celebrities wanted to be their friend. They met hundreds of new people after their rise to fame. According to Lennon, they didn’t like many of the people they met.
John Lennon said The Beatles didn’t like many of the new people they met
By the mid-1960s, The Beatles were the biggest band in the world. They’d met royalty and celebrities and were always on the invite list to parties.
“Everybody wanted to be The Beatles’ friend,” road manager Neil Aspinall said in The Beatles Anthology. “That’s showbusiness. I’ve always found it very transient. You meet people when you’re doing a gig and you might not meet them again for another six months or a year.
John Lennon said The Beatles didn’t like many of the new people they met
By the mid-1960s, The Beatles were the biggest band in the world. They’d met royalty and celebrities and were always on the invite list to parties.
“Everybody wanted to be The Beatles’ friend,” road manager Neil Aspinall said in The Beatles Anthology. “That’s showbusiness. I’ve always found it very transient. You meet people when you’re doing a gig and you might not meet them again for another six months or a year.
- 1/31/2024
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In 1994, Yoko Ono gave Paul McCartney demo tapes that would eventually become the 2023 Beatles song “Now and Then.” She helped bring a major piece of Beatles’ history to the world decades after her husband’s death. Several years before she gave McCartney the tapes, Ono also helped preserve more of the Beatles’ history. After Ono learned Beatles road manager Mal Evans’ memoir was slated for destruction, she stepped in to save it.
Beatles’ road manager Mal Evans wrote a book that was nearly destroyed
In 1988, artist Leena Kutti accepted a temporary position at New York publishing house G.P. Putnam’s Sons. She was to go through their storage room and clear it out. This meant throwing away much of the artwork and manuscripts stored there.
While sifting through boxes, Kutti discovered thousands of vintage photographs of The Beatles and a manuscript titled Living the Beatles’ Legend: Or 200 Miles to Go by Malcolm Evans.
Beatles’ road manager Mal Evans wrote a book that was nearly destroyed
In 1988, artist Leena Kutti accepted a temporary position at New York publishing house G.P. Putnam’s Sons. She was to go through their storage room and clear it out. This meant throwing away much of the artwork and manuscripts stored there.
While sifting through boxes, Kutti discovered thousands of vintage photographs of The Beatles and a manuscript titled Living the Beatles’ Legend: Or 200 Miles to Go by Malcolm Evans.
- 11/26/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
After the early 1960s, John Lennon and Paul McCartney didn’t collaborate as closely when writing Beatles songs. Still, they gave each other their opinions and helped finish pieces. McCartney asked Lennon for help completing “Eleanor Rigby.” Lennon explained that he was hurt when his bandmate asked him to work on it.
John Lennon said Paul McCartney can’t take all the credit for ‘Eleanor Rigby’
Lennon agreed that “Eleanor Rigby” was one of McCartney’s more complex songs, but he said this was partly thanks to him.
“Ah, the first verse was his and the rest are basically mine,” Lennon said in the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview With John Lennon and Yoko Ono. “But the way he did it … Well, he knew he had a song. But by that time he didn’t want to ask for my help, and we were sitting around...
John Lennon said Paul McCartney can’t take all the credit for ‘Eleanor Rigby’
Lennon agreed that “Eleanor Rigby” was one of McCartney’s more complex songs, but he said this was partly thanks to him.
“Ah, the first verse was his and the rest are basically mine,” Lennon said in the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview With John Lennon and Yoko Ono. “But the way he did it … Well, he knew he had a song. But by that time he didn’t want to ask for my help, and we were sitting around...
- 9/17/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
By the mid-1960s, John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote their songs apart, but they turned to each other for help perfecting them. According to Lennon, he helped a great deal with some of McCartney’s most popular songs. He explained that while one song was McCartney’s “baby,” he helped write all but the first verse.
John Lennon said he helped Paul McCartney write most of ‘Eleanor Rigby’
McCartney began working on “Eleanor Rigby” based on the image of someone picking up rice after a wedding. He believed this was so poignant that he wanted to write a song about loneliness.
When asked about the song, Lennon said it was “Paul’s baby, and I helped with the education of the child.” By this, he meant that the song would never have grown and matured if it hadn’t been for him.
“Ah, the first verse was his and the rest are basically mine,...
John Lennon said he helped Paul McCartney write most of ‘Eleanor Rigby’
McCartney began working on “Eleanor Rigby” based on the image of someone picking up rice after a wedding. He believed this was so poignant that he wanted to write a song about loneliness.
When asked about the song, Lennon said it was “Paul’s baby, and I helped with the education of the child.” By this, he meant that the song would never have grown and matured if it hadn’t been for him.
“Ah, the first verse was his and the rest are basically mine,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The Lennon-McCartney songwriting credit appeared on Beatles albums for years, even when Paul McCartney and John Lennon primarily wrote songs alone. The partnership was an enormously successful one. They sold millions of records and, at least early in their time with The Beatles, relied wholly on one another to finish songs. They worked more independently in the latter half of the 1960s, but Lennon’s longtime friend Pete Shotton said he still liked the Lennon-McCartney credit. He was too insecure to solely have his name on a song.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney used the Lennon-McCartney songwriting credit for years
In their early days with The Beatles, Lennon and McCartney spoke about writing “eyeball to eyeball.” They relied on one another to write hits. As they grew as musicians, though, they began writing independently and turning to each other for feedback. While they were highly competitive, Shotton said Lennon was...
John Lennon and Paul McCartney used the Lennon-McCartney songwriting credit for years
In their early days with The Beatles, Lennon and McCartney spoke about writing “eyeball to eyeball.” They relied on one another to write hits. As they grew as musicians, though, they began writing independently and turning to each other for feedback. While they were highly competitive, Shotton said Lennon was...
- 7/18/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In 1966, The Beatles had never canceled a show, but a rainy night and a worried sick Paul McCartney ended their streak. The band arrived in Cincinnati for a concert and found a venue that was woefully unprepared for bad weather. The band faced a difficult decision: risk getting electrocuted onstage or cause a riot by canceling. McCartney found this so stressful that he got sick.
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison | Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Paul McCartney was so worried about a Beatles show that he got sick
The Beatles faced several problems when they arrived in Cincinnati. The first was the open-air venue, leaving them completely exposed to the elements. They also realized that the venue didn’t anticipate them playing electric guitars.
“Cincinnati was an open-air venue, and they had a bandstand in the centre of the ballpark, with a canvas top on it,...
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison | Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Paul McCartney was so worried about a Beatles show that he got sick
The Beatles faced several problems when they arrived in Cincinnati. The first was the open-air venue, leaving them completely exposed to the elements. They also realized that the venue didn’t anticipate them playing electric guitars.
“Cincinnati was an open-air venue, and they had a bandstand in the centre of the ballpark, with a canvas top on it,...
- 6/11/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
By the time The Beatles began their 1966 tour of the United States, all but Paul McCartney had tired of touring. McCartney continued pushing them to tour, believing it made them stronger musicians. After a miserable show in St. Louis, though, even McCartney admitted that they had to stop. Here’s what made him realize that the band needed to end live performances.
The Beatles | Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Paul McCartney described the worst concert The Beatles ever played
The Beatles missed their first-ever concert because of rainy weather at a Cincinnati show. After playing a make-up show the following day, they flew to St. Louis for a concert at an open-air venue. Unfortunately, the rainy weather didn’t make this easy.
“Open-air concerts in the States were terrible,” Beatles road manager Mal Evans said in The Beatles Anthology. “When it looked like rain in the open air, I used to be scared stiff.
The Beatles | Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Paul McCartney described the worst concert The Beatles ever played
The Beatles missed their first-ever concert because of rainy weather at a Cincinnati show. After playing a make-up show the following day, they flew to St. Louis for a concert at an open-air venue. Unfortunately, the rainy weather didn’t make this easy.
“Open-air concerts in the States were terrible,” Beatles road manager Mal Evans said in The Beatles Anthology. “When it looked like rain in the open air, I used to be scared stiff.
- 6/8/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In 1966, The Beatles were at the peak of their fame, but touring was draining the life out of them. Live performances had been how they built an audience and catapulted to fame. By 1966, though, it not only strained their creativity but put their lives at risk. Paul McCartney was the last Beatle to keep pushing for live performances. After a disastrous tour leg in the United States, though, even he agreed that it was time to take a break.
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison | Dan Farrell/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images The Beatles’ final year of touring was full of danger
The Beatles’ 1966 tour saw them face trouble nearly wherever they went. They received death threats, battled nasty weather, and had all of The Philippines turn against them. Even when people were well-intentioned, the sheer number of fans became dangerous.
They arrived in the United States already exhausted,...
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison | Dan Farrell/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images The Beatles’ final year of touring was full of danger
The Beatles’ 1966 tour saw them face trouble nearly wherever they went. They received death threats, battled nasty weather, and had all of The Philippines turn against them. Even when people were well-intentioned, the sheer number of fans became dangerous.
They arrived in the United States already exhausted,...
- 6/6/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
While people may not know every word to The Beatles’ “Let It Be”, many know the opening line. “When I find myself in times of trouble/ Mother Mary comes to me.” However, “Mother Mary” was almost a different name, as Paul McCartney was deciding between multiple options for “Let It Be”.
Paul McCartney almost used ‘Brother Malcolm’ in ‘Let It Be’ Paul McCartney | Peter Wafzig/Getty Images
“Let It Be” is one of The Beatles’ biggest hits and one of the best songs Paul McCartney wrote for the band. Many know its opening line, but there might be more to the story behind the lyric referring to “Mother Mary”. Mal Evans, one of the band’s personal assistants, shared a story about the song while on a 1975 TV special hosted by David Frost.
“Paul was meditating one day, and I came to him in a vision, and I was just...
Paul McCartney almost used ‘Brother Malcolm’ in ‘Let It Be’ Paul McCartney | Peter Wafzig/Getty Images
“Let It Be” is one of The Beatles’ biggest hits and one of the best songs Paul McCartney wrote for the band. Many know its opening line, but there might be more to the story behind the lyric referring to “Mother Mary”. Mal Evans, one of the band’s personal assistants, shared a story about the song while on a 1975 TV special hosted by David Frost.
“Paul was meditating one day, and I came to him in a vision, and I was just...
- 5/14/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
There were many important people to The Beatles. Their friends and families go without being said. However, other essential people ensured the Fab Four were safe and cared for in their day-to-day lives. Here are the top 10 people crucial to The Beatles’ success and well-being.
Derek Taylor and The Beatles | Mirrorpix/Getty Images 10. Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein was The Beatles’ manager. He heard about them after a customer asked if he had a copy of The Beatles’ German single at his family’s record store. He learned they were from Liverpool and saw them play at The Cavern Club. Epstein didn’t always make the best financial decisions for the band, but he was like their father figure. He helped them the most, and when he unexpectedly died in 1967, they were left struggling to keep themselves afloat. John Lennon once said going somewhere without Epstein was like going somewhere without your pants on.
Derek Taylor and The Beatles | Mirrorpix/Getty Images 10. Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein was The Beatles’ manager. He heard about them after a customer asked if he had a copy of The Beatles’ German single at his family’s record store. He learned they were from Liverpool and saw them play at The Cavern Club. Epstein didn’t always make the best financial decisions for the band, but he was like their father figure. He helped them the most, and when he unexpectedly died in 1967, they were left struggling to keep themselves afloat. John Lennon once said going somewhere without Epstein was like going somewhere without your pants on.
- 3/24/2023
- by Hannah Wigandt
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In the frenzied days of Beatlemania, the Beatles had a reputation for being cute, funny, and approachable. While some worried that they were a bad influence on young people, they were, for the most part, clean-cut. The band’s road manager, Neil Aspinall, said they weren’t actually how their reputation made them seem, though.
The Beatles | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images Brian Epstein didn’t want to fabricate any part of The Beatles’ reputation
The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, found himself in a comfortable position during Beatlemania. He no longer had to promote the band to the press; they came to him looking for stories. He did not want to invent anything about the band. Instead, he believed that every story should promote their already existing attributes.
“In all our handouts and in all our press dealings, Brian only stressed what was good about them,” press officer Tony Barrow said,...
The Beatles | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images Brian Epstein didn’t want to fabricate any part of The Beatles’ reputation
The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, found himself in a comfortable position during Beatlemania. He no longer had to promote the band to the press; they came to him looking for stories. He did not want to invent anything about the band. Instead, he believed that every story should promote their already existing attributes.
“In all our handouts and in all our press dealings, Brian only stressed what was good about them,” press officer Tony Barrow said,...
- 3/19/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
While many believed The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to be heated rivals, the bands were decent friends who often collaborated. For instance, Paul McCartney and John Lennon gave the Stones their first big hit with “I Wanna Be Your Man.” The two bands have some surprise collaborations, and The Rolling Stones members did appear on a few songs by The Beatles.
Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger | Victor Blackman/Express/Getty Images Here are 3 Beatles songs that feature Rolling Stones members ‘Yellow Submarine’
“Yellow Submarine” was released in 1966 as a single and was later included in The Beatles’ Revolver. The song is Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s attempt at writing a children’s song, which could explain the simplistic lyrics and various sound effects. The sound effects include items such as bells, chains, whistles, hooters, a cash till, and a tin bath.
McCartney and Lennon were friends with Rolling...
Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger | Victor Blackman/Express/Getty Images Here are 3 Beatles songs that feature Rolling Stones members ‘Yellow Submarine’
“Yellow Submarine” was released in 1966 as a single and was later included in The Beatles’ Revolver. The song is Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s attempt at writing a children’s song, which could explain the simplistic lyrics and various sound effects. The sound effects include items such as bells, chains, whistles, hooters, a cash till, and a tin bath.
McCartney and Lennon were friends with Rolling...
- 3/4/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
George Harrison was known as the quiet Beatle, and sometimes also wanted to be invisible.
“Beatle George Harrison, above, is due in court here today to answer assault charges,” John Lennon reads from a newspaper in a scene in Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back. “Harrison is accused of assaulting a photographer last May as he and Beatle Ringo Starr left a nightclub.”
The accused looks fairly bewildered, as did much of the audience. The story intermittently creeps back into the documentary, making its presence known while Harrison largely ignores it and moves on.
In The Beatles: Get Back, Jackson shows how news items about The Beatles have a tendency to take on lives of their own. Paul McCartney improvises his version of Michael Housego’s article “The End of a Beautiful Friendship,” about Harrison quitting the band, while the rest of the group rolls through old time rock and roll.
“Beatle George Harrison, above, is due in court here today to answer assault charges,” John Lennon reads from a newspaper in a scene in Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back. “Harrison is accused of assaulting a photographer last May as he and Beatle Ringo Starr left a nightclub.”
The accused looks fairly bewildered, as did much of the audience. The story intermittently creeps back into the documentary, making its presence known while Harrison largely ignores it and moves on.
In The Beatles: Get Back, Jackson shows how news items about The Beatles have a tendency to take on lives of their own. Paul McCartney improvises his version of Michael Housego’s article “The End of a Beautiful Friendship,” about Harrison quitting the band, while the rest of the group rolls through old time rock and roll.
- 12/3/2021
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
The clarity of Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back brings a lot out in the mix. Audiences can see chord changes and teary eyes. Members of The Beatles’ inner circle also make appearances. Peter Brown, who was Brian Epstein’s assistant, pops by with papers. Longtime friends Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans, the managing director of Apple and the band’s road manager, respectively, stick around to make sure the band is getting what they need, while co-producer and engineer Glyn Johns does the same for the audio. Jackson also gives hazy focus to the man who disturbed the sound, Yanni “John” Alexis Mardas, better known as “Magic Alex.”
In The Beatles: Get Back, Magic Alex develops, designs, and delivers a state-of-the-art recording console, which creates far too much hum to be usable in recordings. He also gifts John Lennon with the prototype of a combination rhythm guitar and bass.
In The Beatles: Get Back, Magic Alex develops, designs, and delivers a state-of-the-art recording console, which creates far too much hum to be usable in recordings. He also gifts John Lennon with the prototype of a combination rhythm guitar and bass.
- 12/1/2021
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
During the period of Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back, John Lennon and Yoko Ono made many experimental films. One of the techniques they pioneered was film speed. They showed the erection of a building, from scratch, fit into a few minutes of screentime by shooting a few frames per day. Jackson does the opposite in his new documentary, creating a slow-mo cinema verité version of director Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night.
In the greatest jukebox musical ever made, the band has to retrieve an errant band member in time to make a show, and when they make that show, it’s a success. The crowds go wild. Beatlemania is encapsulated for all time. They play all their songs during the long and winding road to the TV station, and during rehearsals. They actually have to escape from prying eyes during rehearsals. We get snippets of old songs,...
In the greatest jukebox musical ever made, the band has to retrieve an errant band member in time to make a show, and when they make that show, it’s a success. The crowds go wild. Beatlemania is encapsulated for all time. They play all their songs during the long and winding road to the TV station, and during rehearsals. They actually have to escape from prying eyes during rehearsals. We get snippets of old songs,...
- 11/28/2021
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
In the 50 years since the Beatles split, seemingly every known scrap of their history has been scrutinized and curated for public consumption — every minute of studio tape, every radio broadcast, home and concert recording; every photo and interview and document and snippet of film footage — with one huge exception: the “Let It Be” film.
There are several reasons for this, but only one matters: “Let It Be” is a downer. We see our beloved Beatles breaking up before our eyes.
Originally intended as a spontaneous, “as live as live can be, in this electronic age” documentary of rock as it happens, instead we see the group, who had finished recording the 30-song “White Album” just six weeks earlier, miserably trying to have a jolly ol’ time working up even more tunes for the cameras — in the morning, in a dark and cavernous film studio, during a typically gloomy English winter.
There are several reasons for this, but only one matters: “Let It Be” is a downer. We see our beloved Beatles breaking up before our eyes.
Originally intended as a spontaneous, “as live as live can be, in this electronic age” documentary of rock as it happens, instead we see the group, who had finished recording the 30-song “White Album” just six weeks earlier, miserably trying to have a jolly ol’ time working up even more tunes for the cameras — in the morning, in a dark and cavernous film studio, during a typically gloomy English winter.
- 12/22/2020
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
“It was another day at the office,” Ken Mansfield says, recalling the Beatles’ impromptu rooftop concert in January 1969. There’s not even a hint of sarcasm in his voice. The group staged the gig atop Apple Records’ London office at 3 Savile Row, 50 years ago today, with the intention of shooting the ending for what would become their Let It Be film. It was an item on a checklist. Mansfield, who was born in Idaho, was the label’s U.S. manager at the time. “Some of the people in the...
- 1/30/2019
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
On the morning of January 27th, 1970, John Lennon glimpsed his future. He and Yoko Ono had just returned from a nearly month-long trip to Denmark, where Ono was visiting her daughter with her second husband, Tony Cox, and his new wife, Melinda Kendall. During one of many conversations there, the idea of “karma” was brought up and dissected, and Lennon still had those thoughts in his head when he awoke that January day in his Tittenhurst Park home.
Not long after waking up, he sat down at a piano and,...
Not long after waking up, he sat down at a piano and,...
- 1/27/2019
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Tony Sokol Dec 24, 2018
Crimble comes at the end of every year and The Beatles made it maybe. George Martin biographer chimes in.
The Beatles Christmas messages began as a personal show of holiday gratitude to the band’s fan club, but grew into an annual tradition as important as any evergreen chestnut for a generation. Growing up, the silly off-key carols meant Christmas. They were exciting. They were fun. They were funny. I never in my life worried about offending someone by saying Merry or Happy Christmas because, due to these recordings, I would forever mangle greetings like “Hare Kringle” and “very new jeers.” Inviting Krishna devotees and insult comics into the happy proceedings.
Christmas was never a religious holiday at our house. It rocked. And it all started when radio stations started playing the crimbly greetings. Long after the Beatles broke up, prog and oldies stations alike would keep up the tradition.
Crimble comes at the end of every year and The Beatles made it maybe. George Martin biographer chimes in.
The Beatles Christmas messages began as a personal show of holiday gratitude to the band’s fan club, but grew into an annual tradition as important as any evergreen chestnut for a generation. Growing up, the silly off-key carols meant Christmas. They were exciting. They were fun. They were funny. I never in my life worried about offending someone by saying Merry or Happy Christmas because, due to these recordings, I would forever mangle greetings like “Hare Kringle” and “very new jeers.” Inviting Krishna devotees and insult comics into the happy proceedings.
Christmas was never a religious holiday at our house. It rocked. And it all started when radio stations started playing the crimbly greetings. Long after the Beatles broke up, prog and oldies stations alike would keep up the tradition.
- 12/20/2017
- Den of Geek
For those of us who weren’t lucky enough to attend a Beatles concert in the 1960s, Ron Howard’s Eight Days a Week just might be the next best thing. The 2016 documentary traces the band’s rise from a cramped and dank cellar in Liverpool to record breaking television appearances, jam packed stadiums, and—ultimately—rock immortality. Lovingly assembled through rare and often unseen fan home movie footage, Howard’s film also draws on more familiar material—restored to the highest echelons of HD— and new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. All told, it’s a joyous...
- 11/21/2017
- by Jordan Runtagh
- PEOPLE.com
Imagine finding one of van Gogh’s early sketches for “Starry Night,” or a rough draft of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. For anyone who loves music, the mammoth 50th anniversary reissue of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is just as good—if not better. The expanded package includes nearly two hours worth of outtakes from the groundbreaking 1967 sessions, offering not only an alternate-universe look at some of the most beloved tracks in the rock canon, but also a fascinating fly-on-the-wall view of four young artists at the height of their power.
Stripped down, occasionally rough and always electrifying,...
Stripped down, occasionally rough and always electrifying,...
- 6/1/2017
- by Jordan Runtagh
- PEOPLE.com
When Paul McCartney shocked the world in April 1970 with his announcement of the Beatles' break-up, drummer Ringo Starr added a surprise of his own by becoming (initially, at least) the most musically active member of the former Fab Four.
As he would later recount in the lyrics of "Early 1970," the deceptively jaunty b-side of his 1971 hit "It Don't Come Easy," Starr was the only Beatle who didn't have any serious beef with any other member of the band at the time. Feeling lost without the family dynamic of the musical...
As he would later recount in the lyrics of "Early 1970," the deceptively jaunty b-side of his 1971 hit "It Don't Come Easy," Starr was the only Beatle who didn't have any serious beef with any other member of the band at the time. Feeling lost without the family dynamic of the musical...
- 11/2/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Amy and James Smedley invited the band to their fish and chip shop. Three days later the Magical Mystery Tour dropped in …
The Beatles hadn't been in Taunton for four years – they played their last gig in the Somerset town in September 1963 – but on this Friday afternoon it provided a charmingly odd interlude in a chaotic time for the group. On 27 August manager Brian Epstein had overdosed and died, and Paul McCartney, to prevent a likely split in the band, rushed them into completing the Magical Mystery Tour film. Taking their cue from Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, the group, friends and actors piled into a bus and headed for Newquay, Cornwall. At their hotel they met Amy and James Smedley, who invited them to drop by their Taunton chippie. With the group's fondness for acting on "random" events (partly a result of eastern mysticism, partly drug-induced, partly for the...
The Beatles hadn't been in Taunton for four years – they played their last gig in the Somerset town in September 1963 – but on this Friday afternoon it provided a charmingly odd interlude in a chaotic time for the group. On 27 August manager Brian Epstein had overdosed and died, and Paul McCartney, to prevent a likely split in the band, rushed them into completing the Magical Mystery Tour film. Taking their cue from Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, the group, friends and actors piled into a bus and headed for Newquay, Cornwall. At their hotel they met Amy and James Smedley, who invited them to drop by their Taunton chippie. With the group's fondness for acting on "random" events (partly a result of eastern mysticism, partly drug-induced, partly for the...
- 2/16/2014
- by Campbell Stevenson
- The Guardian - Film News
Calling all Beatles fans… the group’s second feature film, 1965’s Help!, will be released on Blu-ray on Tuesday, June 25 and Wamg is giving away copies to 2 lucky readers.
Directed by Richard Lester, who also directed the band’s debut feature film, 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night, Help! follows The Beatles as they become passive recipients of an outside plot that revolves around Ringo’s possession of a sacrificial ring, which he cannot remove from his finger. As a result, he and his bandmates John, Paul and George are chased from London to the Austrian Alps and the Bahamas by religious cult members, a mad scientist and the London police.
In addition to starring The Beatles, Help! boasts a witty script, a great cast of British character actors, and classic Beatles songs “Help!,” “You’re Going To Lose That Girl,” “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” “Ticket To Ride,...
Directed by Richard Lester, who also directed the band’s debut feature film, 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night, Help! follows The Beatles as they become passive recipients of an outside plot that revolves around Ringo’s possession of a sacrificial ring, which he cannot remove from his finger. As a result, he and his bandmates John, Paul and George are chased from London to the Austrian Alps and the Bahamas by religious cult members, a mad scientist and the London police.
In addition to starring The Beatles, Help! boasts a witty script, a great cast of British character actors, and classic Beatles songs “Help!,” “You’re Going To Lose That Girl,” “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” “Ticket To Ride,...
- 6/24/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Beatles’ second feature film, 1965’s Help!, is on the way on Blu-ray. On June 24 (June 25 in North America), Help! makes its eagerly awaited Blu-ray debut in a single-disc package pairing the digitally restored film and 5.1 soundtrack with an hour of extra features, including a 30-minute documentary about the making of the film, memories of the cast and crew, an in-depth look at the restoration process, an outtake scene, and original theatrical trailers and radio spots. An introduction by the film’s director, Richard Lester, and an appreciation by Martin Scorsese are included in the Blu-ray’s booklet.
Help!’s Blu-ray edition follows the 2012 release of The Beatles’ digitally restored Yellow Submarine and Magical Mystery Tour feature films on Blu-ray, DVD and iTunes with extensive extras. Help!’s restoration for its 2007 DVD debut wowed viewers, earning five-times platinum sales in the U.S. and praise from a broad range of...
Help!’s Blu-ray edition follows the 2012 release of The Beatles’ digitally restored Yellow Submarine and Magical Mystery Tour feature films on Blu-ray, DVD and iTunes with extensive extras. Help!’s restoration for its 2007 DVD debut wowed viewers, earning five-times platinum sales in the U.S. and praise from a broad range of...
- 6/12/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics have sold for $1.2 million at an auction in New York, purchased by an American private collector over the phone. They were for the Beatles hit A Day in The Life which was the final track of the band’s 1967 album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It’s a double-sided sheet of paper which starts with “I read the news today oh boy about a lucky man who made the grade.” This apparently refers to Guiness heir Tara Browne’s car crash. Browne was a friend of Lennon’s and a society figure who crashed his Lotus Elan sports car in London and died in 1966, after failing to notice a red traffic light. Lennon later commented, “I didn’t copy the accident. Tara didn’t blow his mind out, but it was in my mind when I was writing that verse. The details of...
- 6/21/2010
- by Ambika Muttoo
- VH1.com
London, June 19 – John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics to Beatles song ‘A Day In The Life’ were sold for 1.2 million dollars at an auction.
The song, which was co-written with Paul McCartney, was sold at Sotheby’s in New York, reports the BBC.
The song is the final track on the band’s 1967 Sgt Pepper album.
The buyer of the lyrics was an unidentified American telephone bidder.
The lyric sheet was previously held with the Beatles’ road manager, Mal Evans.
Rolling Stone magazine listed ‘A Day in the Life’ at number 26 in its compilation of the greatest.
The song, which was co-written with Paul McCartney, was sold at Sotheby’s in New York, reports the BBC.
The song is the final track on the band’s 1967 Sgt Pepper album.
The buyer of the lyrics was an unidentified American telephone bidder.
The lyric sheet was previously held with the Beatles’ road manager, Mal Evans.
Rolling Stone magazine listed ‘A Day in the Life’ at number 26 in its compilation of the greatest.
- 6/19/2010
- by News
- RealBollywood.com
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, in partnership with Revolution Films, will produce a new biopic feature on "The Beatles" based on the 1972 novel "The Longest Cocktail Party: An Insider's Diary Of The Beatles, Their Million Dollar Apple Empire And Its Wild Rise And Fall, by author Richard Dilello.
The rock history book, following The Beatles from their 1967 heyday to their breakup in 1970, was published in 1973 by Playboy Press, then reprinted in 1981 and 2005.
The title is a reference to the habit of entertaining members of the media with expensive drinks, luncheons and perks.
Dilello served as 'house hippie' (Client Liaison Officer) from 1968 to 1970, becoming acquainted with each of the Beatles, their wives, girlfriends and the inner circle of agents/managers, who worked with Apple, including business manager Allen Klein, attorneys Lee and John Eastman, road managers (and Apple directors) Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall, press agent and author Derek Taylor, members of Apple bands Badfinger,...
The rock history book, following The Beatles from their 1967 heyday to their breakup in 1970, was published in 1973 by Playboy Press, then reprinted in 1981 and 2005.
The title is a reference to the habit of entertaining members of the media with expensive drinks, luncheons and perks.
Dilello served as 'house hippie' (Client Liaison Officer) from 1968 to 1970, becoming acquainted with each of the Beatles, their wives, girlfriends and the inner circle of agents/managers, who worked with Apple, including business manager Allen Klein, attorneys Lee and John Eastman, road managers (and Apple directors) Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall, press agent and author Derek Taylor, members of Apple bands Badfinger,...
- 5/7/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for the The Beatles' song "A Day in the Life" are expected to sell for as much as $700,000 when they go under the hammer in New York in June. The lyrics appear on a double-sided sheet of paper, which includes corrections and amendments made in red ink.
"A Day in the Life" is the final track on the band's 1967 "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album and recently came 26th in Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time poll. Lennon's writings aren't expected to break the record for Beatles lyrics, set by "All You Need Is Love", which fetched $1 million in 2005.
The lyrics sheet previously belonged to Beatles' road manager Mal Evans. The song itself has a historical element for The BBC banned it from being aired due to lyrics that encouraged drug use.
"A Day in the Life" is the final track on the band's 1967 "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album and recently came 26th in Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time poll. Lennon's writings aren't expected to break the record for Beatles lyrics, set by "All You Need Is Love", which fetched $1 million in 2005.
The lyrics sheet previously belonged to Beatles' road manager Mal Evans. The song itself has a historical element for The BBC banned it from being aired due to lyrics that encouraged drug use.
- 4/30/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
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. The incredibly rare 'Beatles Cavern Poster', which advertised their first live show at Liverpool's Cavern Club is expected to fetch between...
- 4/24/2009
- Monsters and Critics
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