Beatles News
John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the legendary duo behind The Beatles' hits, are celebrated as some of the most iconic songwriters in history.
In their salad days, Paul and John would collaborate at their childhood homes, but as time went on and their musical tastes evolved, they began crafting tunes separately before coming together to refine them. Every Beatles track penned by John and Paul was stamped with the Lennon-McCartney label, honoring a pact they made before skyrocketing to stardom. But it wasn't all smooth sailing. Post-Beatles, John didn't hold back his thoughts on Paul's compositions, openly critiquing his contributions to Abbey Road, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and the hit single Let it Be.
Reflecting on Let it Be, John remarked in a 1980 interview: "That's Paul. What can you say? Nothing to do with The Beatles. It could've been Wings. I don't know what he's thinking when he writes 'Let It Be'."
Not every song was a hit with the band either. Your Mother Should Know, penned by Paul at his London pad and inspired by a line from the 1961 British movie A Taste of Honey, didn't resonate with everyone.
Embracing the old-timey music hall vibe similar to When I'm Sixty-Four, it was featured in the 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour, complete with a nostalgic musical...
Source: themirror.com/Dan Haygarth
John Lennon released a trio of experimental records before the dawn of the '70s, but his solo legacy really began after the Beatles split.
There would be just 10 short years before an assassin's bullets cut short his life and solo career. Fewer than 10 proper songs emerged after that awful day, first on 1984's gold-certified Milk and Honey and then on posthumous collections like 1986's Menlove Ave. and 1998's Anthology.
So, the balance of his 72-song solo career happened in an incredibly short amount of time. Lennon released six albums over five years through 1975, beginning with 1970's Plastic Ono Band, but 1975's Rock 'n' Roll didn't include any new songs. Double Fantasy arrived just weeks before Lennon was gunned down in 1980.
His best-selling album, 1971's multi-platinum Imagine, was followed by the gold-selling Mind Games in 1973 and Walls and Bridges in 1974. Only 1972's newsy, overtly political Some Time in New York City sold fewer than a half million copies in the U.S. – and it still nearly broke the Top 10 in Lennon's native U.K.
We surveyed it all in the following list, which ranks all 72 John Lennon solo songs. The only tracks that have been left aside are covers, meandering Frank Zappa jams, experimental sounds and the pointless "Nutopian International Anthem" – which is, after all, only a few moments of dead silence.
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com/Nick DeRisoNick
The Beatles biopics just announced the actors cast to play the Fab Four, and people aren’t quite ready to “Let It Be.”
Last year, Sony Pictures dropped the news that Sam Mendes would direct four different but intertwining biopics about the rise of the Beatles, one movie for each band member: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. After a year-long search, the cast for The Beatles biopics has finally “Come Together.”
Paul Mescal (Normal People) will play Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson (Babygirl) will play John Lennon, Joseph Quinn (A Quiet Place) will play George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan (Saltburn) will play Ringo Starr.
Together, these four men represent the best and the most in-demand talent that the UK and Ireland have to offer, each rising to the status of “internet boyfriend” in recent years due to their performances in hugely successful films. But this time, the internet seems less willing to shower their praise on the boys, uncertain over whether they really make sense for a Beatles biopic.
Some Beatles fans are angry that the film went with stereotypically “hot” famous actors rather than casting unknown actors who look more like the band members.
“I love how this casting feels like they were like ‘get every vaguely different sounding It-guy,‘” one person wrote on X.
Source: yahoo.com/Clare Donaldson
The Beatles haven’t released a new album in more than half a century, but even that fact isn’t keeping the rockers from regularly occupying space on the charts dedicated to the most popular full-lengths all around the world. The legendary group is performing especially well in the United Kingdom this week, where its catalog is once again on the rise.
Two of the Fab Four’s most beloved compilations appear on the charts — and not just one ranking, but two apiece. Even more impressive is the fact that both of them are climbing, thanks to continued popularity and consumption.
This week, both 1962–1966 and 1967–1970 are on the rise. The two collections have long been favorites among diehard Beatles aficionados and casual listeners alike, as they feature most of the band’s most familiar and successful songs.
Between the two titles, 1967–1970 — often referred to as the Blue Album — comes out ahead. The compilation pushes from No. 55 to No. 48 on the Official Albums Streaming chart. At the same time, it lifts from No. 63 to No. 56 on the Official Albums chart, which blends sales and streams to identify the top performers each week.
Milestones are on the Horizon for The Beatles
If 1967–1970 manages to stick around on the Official Albums chart for one more stay, it’ll hit an important milestone — 104 weeks, or a full two years on the list. On the Official Albums Streaming chart, it’s just one frame away from reaching triple digits. Assuming it continues to perform well, it will soon claim 100 weeks on that tally.
Source: forbes.com/Hugh McIntyre
The Beatles were of course talented enough to hold their own and create their own music. However, it never hurt to get a little help from their friends, and they did so on numerous occasions. In addition to collaborating with musicians such as Eric Clapton and Billy Preston, they had one other major player play on several of their early tracks, and that was their producer and friend, George Martin.
Given the production quality of The Beatles’ music, Martin’s role as the lead producer was as integral as any of the four members. However, the man didn’t just control the sticks; he also tickled the ivories on several of The Beatles’ most iconic early tracks. That being so, here are three early Beatles songs that feature George Martin on the piano.
“Not a Second Time”
Released in 1963, The Beatles single “Not a Second Time” is the quintessential tune of the group’s teenie-bop era. However, amidst the boyish harmonies is a George Martin piano solo that nobody expected nor thought could fit into the song. However, George Martin did, and he executed it to near perfection.
Following its release, “Not a Second Time” didn’t receive much chart success. On the contrary, the album, With The Beatles, peaked at No. 1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Nearly every song on that album is a certified classic, and “Not a Second Time” certainly falls into that category, and it’s partly thanks to George Martin.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Peter Burditt
One name many music fans know around the world is Ringo Starr, but not everyone knows what it means.
The musician, now 84, claimed worldwide fame as the drummer in the Beatles, and their music is still adored by millions today. Even though the band have been in people's lives since the '60s, not all fans know the significance of his name.
In fact, the topic recently came up on Reddit when fans were discussing what he prefers to be called. One social media user wrote: "Does Ringo prefer to be called Ringo Starr or Richard Starkey?
"I just started reading 'You Never Give Me Your Money', and the author calls him Starkey throughout, because of the 2009 ad where he said 'don't call me by my stage name'. Is that accurate? Does he prefer to be called by his birth name?"
It's fair to say fans had all sorts of thoughts, with several offering various suggestions. One simply replied: "Richy/Richard is reserved for his friends and family, and Ringo is for the rest of us."
Another wrote: "I've always called him Ringo Starr, or just Ringo, since I'm not always going to use his last name. I've called him by his stage name since I first knew The Beatles, before I even considered myself a fan of them, and I rarely call him Richard or Richard Starkey."
One more added: "Richy or Richard is used by his bandmates and friends and stuff, but Ringo is for the general public." Whatever he prefers, it's fair to say that his stage name is pretty bold, and there's actually a quirky reason as to how it came about.
Back in the late 1950s, Ringo was playing music with many skiffle groups, and it was then that he gained the stage name Ringo Starr. It's said to have come from the rings he wore back then, and also because it helped to give him a country and western twang.
The Beatles formed in 1960 but, at the time, Starr was actually a part of another group in Liverpool known as Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. At the time, the band did gain a bit of UK success, but he decided to quit the Hurricanes when he was invited to join the Beatles in August 1962. He took the place of Pete Best, and teamed up with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
Source: express.co.uk/Katie-Ann Gupwell
In 2028, the world will experience a musical and cinematic event that's never really happened before. Three years from now, in April, Sony Pictures will release four separate (but connected) movies about the Beatles, all directed by Sam Mendes. The four actors playing each Beatle have been revealed, but one person has some thoughts about the other historical figures in the movie. Namely, herself.
George Harrison's first wife, Pattie Boyd, recently took to X and fired off a tweet about how the movie would handle her role in the story of the biggest rock band of all time. "I wonder who will be cast to play me?" she said. "That's assuming that I get to feature in any of the movies..."
An international model in the 1960s, Boyd married Beatles guitarist George Harrison in 1966. They later divorced in 1977. Boyd then married famed guitarist Eric Clapton, a friend of Harrison's. In fact, the famous Clapton song, "Layla," was based on Clapton's romantic feelings for Boyd, while she was still married to Harrison. Clapton and Harrison remained friends, despite the fact that Boyd left Harrison for a different guitarist. To this day, Boyd points out that Harrison frequently cheated on her, which is why she formally left him in 1974. In a recent interview, she called Harrison's infidelities "blatant." Clearly plenty of material for a movie!
Source: yahoo.com/Ryan Britt
Over the past several years, Paul McCartney has been reintroducing music lovers to his former group, Wings. While the band may not be as iconic as The Beatles, or even quite as talked about as McCartney’s solo efforts, its discography is full of gems that fans have loved since they were new, decades ago.
Wings has been celebrated throughout the past several years with multiple re-releases, deluxe editions, and other special projects that highlight the great material it recorded. The band’s Venus and Mars is enjoying a brand new life across the pond as it returns to the charts, and even manages to debut on several tallies.
Venus and Mars shows up on three charts in the U.K. The album debuts on two of those rankings, marking a real comeback for a title that first dropped almost exactly 50 years ago.
The release opens at No. 6 on the Official Vinyl Albums chart, which ranks the bestselling vinyl releases in the country. The same collection also lands at No. 18 on the Official Albums Sales ranking. That tally measures the top-selling full-lengths across all formats, not just vinyl.
While Wings has appeared on the Official Vinyl Albums chart before, top 10 success is still somewhat new for the band. Venus and Mars gives the group just its second-ever top 10 on that tally. The first came last year when Band on the Run, credited to Paul McCartney and Wings, hit No. 3 and managed two weeks somewhere on the list.
Source: forbes.com/Hugh McIntyre
Mendes was nominated for four Academy Awards and won Best Director in 2000 for his work on American Beauty. More recently, he received critical acclaim for 1917, which earned him his other three Oscar nominations.
Of course, the Beatles are still considered one of the most influential bands in all of music history. They became one of the leading figures in the 1960s counterculture movement and pushed in the "British Invasion" of the US pop market. They racked up 25 Grammy nominations and won eight, including Best New Artist in 1964. From songs like "Here Comes the Sun" to "Come Together" to "Let It Be," the words "music" and "the Beatles" are practically synonymous.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the films are being made with the blessings of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison, who are all offering up the "full life stories and music rights" for the scripted films. Apple Corps, the group's notably selective label, also signed off on the movies.
Source: buzzfeed.com/Nora Dominick
Sam Mendes confirmed that his long-threatened Beatles biopic quadrilogy would be released in its entirety in April 2028. That’s right, all four Beatles movies want to hold their hands, so Sony is releasing them helter-skelter in theaters in the same month. Based on the logline (“Each man has his own story, but together they are legendary”), we believe the plan is still to do a movie for each Beatle to combine into an interlocking cinematic Voltron.
Sony also made its cast official, too, with Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison. All this raises more questions, such as who’s playing Brian Epstein and George Martin? How many years will it cover? Will the Blue Meanies be involved? We simply do not know. All we know is that each man has his own story, but together they are legendary.
Source: yahoo.com/Matt Schimkowitz
