Brian Epstein had served as the Beatles’ manager for longer than the band had even been popular in the public eye. The band had initially caught Epstein’s attention in 1961, as they had begun to garner more attention in Liverpool’s local markets. After catching a local show, Epstein, who was new to the music management business, drew up a contract and signed on as the Beatles’ manager. Epstein was responsible for a number of different decisions regarding the band’s direction in their early years, including the shaping of their overall image, and he (reluctantly) played a key part in the dismissal of the Beatles’ original drummer, Pete Best in 1962, when he was replaced by Starr.

Throughout the life of the band, Epstein often served as the North Star for business decisions, and was a key mediator in managing conflicts and egos within the band. Most notably, Epstein was responsible for the Apple Corps venture that put all four band members in a legal partnership as a tax shelter. However, in 1967, Epstein died unexpectedly of a drug overdose, leaving the Beatles, who were not very business-minded, at a loss for what to do next.

Less than a year after Epstein’s death, The Fab Four got to work on their ninth studio album, The Beatles (commonly referred to as the White Album), the first album to be produced through their recently minted Apple Records. Though the band would go on to create three more albums after The White Album, this notably marked a shift in the band, as both McCartney and Lennon would go on to say that tensions were high during its creation, and it reflected in the end product.

Source: collider.com/Lex Williams

Read More>>>

A new exhibit of photographs taken by Beatles legend Paul McCartney in late 19963 and early ’64 will open this Friday, April 25, at the Gagosian gallery in Beverly Hills, California. The exhibition, titled “Paul McCartney: Rearview Mirror: Photographs, December 1963–February 1964,” includes 36 images snapped by McCartney during and shortly before The Beatles’ historic first visit to the U.S.

A video feature capturing McCartney signing prints of various photos from the exhibit and chatting with Joshua Chuang, the gallery’s director of photography, about the images, has been posted on the Gagosian’s YouTube channel. The presentation was filmed during a recent visit Sir Paul paid to the Griffin Editions fine-art photography destination in Brooklyn, New York.

At one point during the video, McCartney is shown looking at photos he took of John Lennon, and he shared some emotional reflections about his late former bandmate.

“He was a great guy,” Paul said. “And I’m so proud and happy to have known him, to have worked with him, and to have done all that stuff with him, you know? So it’s a huge thing in my life.”  Many of the pics were taken as the Fab Four were experiencing the craziness of Beatlemania, as rabid fans gathered to greet the band members wherever they traveled.

“I think for me, the main feeling is just remembering the joy,” McCartney noted as he gazed at the photos of Lennon. “I suppose, you know, in life, people come and go. And if ever I have to write a note to someone, [I would] sort of say, ‘Yeah, but you know, you remember the great times you had together and stuff.’ And that’s what these pictures do for me."

Source: americansongwriter.com/Matt Friedlander

Read More>>>

Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote the majority of The Beatles' hit songs, with Paul penning Let It Be after experiencing a heartbreaking family tragedy.   Let It Be is still thought of as one of the best songs by The Beatles, but there's a heartbreaking story behind its creation.

The song was written and sung by Paul McCartney and ended up being the band's final single before Paul announced his departure. Years later, Paul opened up about the meaning behind Let It Be and explained how it had been inspired by his mom's death.

Paul's mother Mary Patricia McCartney sadly died of an embolism as a complication of surgery for breast cancer when her son was just 14 years old. Speaking to James Corden on his segment of Carpool Karaoke, Paul explained, "I had a dream in the 60s where my mum who died came to me in a dream and was reassuring me, saying, 'It's gonna be OK. Just let it be...'"

With Paul's mother being called Mary, it's often believed she is the inspiration for the "Mother Mary" lyric in the song. However, there is another version of the story.  Mal Evans was a road manager and personal assistant employed by The Beatles. He worked closely with Neil Aspinall as the band's general go-to man and became close friends with The Fab Four.

Source: Scarlett O'Toole/themirror.com

Read More<<<

Beatles fans are only just realising why Ringo Starr is always seen wearing dark glasses.

Starr, who gained international fame as the drummer for the legendary band, is known for sporting dark glasses or sunglasses. However, the reason behind this is not very well-known.

A lot of fans assume the glasses are just part of Starr’s look but this isn’t the case. Charlie Brown, a user on Quora, the American social question and answer website, has shed some light.

In his answer to the question ‘Why is Ringo Starr always wearing sunglasses?’ Charlie said: “According to numerous sources over the decades that have addressed this popular fan question about the celebrated drummer of The Beatles…

"Sir Ringo is usually seen in dark glasses (or ‘sunglasses’) because his eyes have an acute sensitivity to light - and he has occasionally cited that reason himself when asked about it. I’ve never heard an official reason for that to have developed as Ringo has aged (he’s now 81), but given the serious illnesses he lived through as a child - the light sensitivity his eyes developed as he matured might be related to his childhood health challenges.”

Starr, also known as Sir Richard Starkey, was born on July 7, 1940 in Liverpool. He spent a year in the hospital with complications from a burst appendix when he was six years old, according to Brittanica.

Source: express.co.uk/Rahima Miah

Read More<<<

Steven Soderbergh is out to the town with an untitled feature doc, centered on the final interview of John Lennon, multiple sources tell Deadline.

This is the first doc in many years for Soderbergh, who released And Everything Is Going Fine — on the life of multi-hyphenate artist Spalding Gray — through Sundance Selects in 2010. We’re told Soderbergh is in production now, and the search for a distributor is on, with the film to be completed by end of year.

EPs on the project include Soderbergh, Michael Sugar and David Hillman of Sugar23, and Nancy Saslow and David Hudson of Mishpookah Entertainment Group.

Lennon’s final in-depth interview took place alongside wife and creative collaborator Yoko Ono on the fateful day of December 8, 1980 — the only radio interview granted around the release of their album, Double Fantasy. That afternoon, the pair met a team of three from RKO Radio at their Dakota apartment. The conversation was extraordinary and wide-ranging, reflecting the duo’s open and reflective moods. John had just turned 40 and emerged from a five-year hiatus from the music industry to care for his son, Sean. The future seemed limitless.

Source: deadline.com/Matt Grobar

Read More<<<

The Beatles are well-known for their iconic hits including Eleanor Rigby and Hey Jude.

However, they also had moments in which they broke away from pop music conventions. Paul McCartney pointed to one obscure B-side, You Know My Name (Look Up The Number), as a prime example of this unconventional approach.

Created over numerous sessions from 1967 to 1969, You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) marked a departure from the band's typical output. Dubbed "insane" by Paul, the song is recognized for its surrealistic humor. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) was first worked on in May 1967, but was set aside for close to two years.

When The Beatles resumed work on the song in 1969, they opted for radical change. Turning their backs on their signature style, the musicians created a mix of musical interludes and spoken word sections.

Even by the unusual standards of the late Beatles, the song broke away from conventional structures. It takes listeners on a ride through genres like lounge jazz, ska, cabaret and even includes comedic voice-overs from Paul and John Lennon.

Reflecting on the song years later, Paul remarked, "People are only just discovering the B-sides of Beatles singles. They're only just discovering things like You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)."

Source: irishstar.com/Maria Leticia Gomes

Read More<<<