Beatles News
It remains a fascinating exercise to wonder how John Lennon and Paul McCartney felt about each other’s songs.
Bands, and especially a band’s primary songwriters, are famously competitive. This explains why it’s so difficult to keep even the most successful groups together. Even the world’s greatest rock band couldn’t survive themselves.
George Harrison felt it as he began creeping out from behind the giant shadows of Lennon and McCartney. However, Lennon did praise McCartney’s songs in an interview conducted by writer David Sheff. Sheff had visited Lennon and Yoko Ono in August 1980 at their home in The Dakota on an assignment for Playboy.
Sheff’s interview appeared in Playboy on Dec. 6. Two days later, Lennon was shot and killed in front of his New York apartment. Sheff’s three-week conversations with Lennon and Ono were later compiled in his book All We Are Saying (2000). The book documents the last major interview with the couple.
If Lennon were alive today, these McCartney-penned classics might have made his playlist.
Source:americansongwriter.com/Thom Donovan
After The Beatles broke up in 1970, the world was in mourning. A few years later, the now-defunct group did something unusual: they released two albums on the same day. These compilations of their biggest hits have gone on to rank among the most successful singles collections of all time, and they regularly find their way back to the charts—including this week in the band’s home country.
The Beatles see both of their 1973 compilations return to a pair of charts at the same time. Both 1962-1966 (usually referred to as The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (AKA The Blue Album) find their way to the music charts in the United Kingdom at the same time—just like when they were brand new. The two sets appear on multiple lists, landing close to one another on a pair of rosters.
1967-1970 is the bigger hit between the two on both rankings. On the main list of the most-consumed albums in the U.K., the singles-packed offering is back at No. 42, almost returning to the top 40. 1962-1966, meanwhile, comes in at No. 59 on that same list, which operates with a consumption model.
Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com
Tensions were running high among the Fab Four as they recorded 'The White Album'
As their sound evolved in the second half of the 1960s, The Beatles' recording sessions saw creative differences come to the fore. 1966's 'Revolver' saw The Beatles move further away from their early rock and roll sound and they became increasingly experimental, with 1967's psychedelic 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' changing popular music forever.
But John Lennon famously disliked 'Sgt Pepper', taking aim at the album - which was primarily Paul McCartney's brainchild - after he left the band. But it was the sessions for 'The White Album', which was released in 1968, which really saw the fractures within the band begin to dominate.
Each member of The Beatles wanted to put their stamp on their work and express themselves creatively. About that period of recording, Paul said: "There was a lot of friction during that album. We were just about to break up, and that was tense in itself" and John later added: "The break-up of The Beatles can be heard on that album."
The recording of the double album's first track was famously tempestuous and saw one member of the band walk out. Paul began writing 'Back in the USSR' in early 1968, with it originally called 'I'm Backing the UK', as part of a national patriotic campaign.
However, inspired by Chuck Berry's 1959 hit 'Back in the USA', Paul changed the idea for the song to be about a Soviet spy returning home after a mission in America. In a 1984 interview with Playboy, he said he had written it as a Beach Boys parody.
Source: Dan Haygarth/liverpoolecho.co.uk
John Lennon was tragically assassinated in December 1980 when his son Julian was just 17-years-old.
The two didn't have the best relationship, and Julian's relationship with his stepmom Yoko Ono was even worse, or at least became worse in the years following his death.
John was all about 'peace and love', but Julian didn't see him in that light and actually called his dad a 'hypocrite' in an interview with UK-based publication The Daily Telegraph, years after his father was murdered.
Although, Julian was reportedly inspiration for three of The Beatles' hit songs - 'Hey Jude', 'Good Night' and, of course, ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’.
But with John and Julian's mom Cynthia divorcing each other in 1968, Julian didn't see too much of him.
After John was murdered in December 1980, Julian expressed his confusion and resentment towards his father:
Speaking per the Tamba Bay Times, Julian talked about his resentment towards his dad.
“I’ve never really wanted to know the truth about how dad was with me. There was some very negative stuff talked about me … like when he said I’d come out of a whiskey bottle on a Saturday night. Stuff like that," he said.
Source: Joe Yates/unilad.com
Retro Roundup will continue its look at 1970s hits outside the Billboard top 10 next week, but this week I want to offer praise to a book I read voraciously during my vacation in Florida.
When it comes to chronicling the Beatles and their recording career, author Mark Lewisohn is the most acclaimed by fans — his books on the band's recording sessions, with lots of interesting information on how the songs were put together, and the atmosphere in the studio, were revelatory. Lewisohn has also put out the first in a series of massive books combining Beatle biography with recording details. The first of these books, Tune In, goes up to 1962, and the second volume, which will dig in to the Beatles' most famous recordings, is being anxiously awaited by Beatles fans, including myself. Sadly, the author has been hobbled by a rift with the Beatles' organization, Apple.
In the meantime, authors Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair got the jump, in a manner of speaking, on Lewisohn. They released, almost exactly two years apart, the first two volumes of The McCartney Legacy. Unlike Lewisohn's work, McCartney's early life and his work with the Beatles are not tackled. Biography and recording details are combined to wonderful effect, but the focus is only on McCartney's post-Beatles career, solo and with his group Wings.
Source: Joel Goldenberg/ The Suburban
Born in Liverpool, Julian Lennon, 61, was raised almost solely by his mother Cynthia, but has spent his adult years labouring to get out from under the shadow of his famous father, John. Already a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, children’s author, documentary film-maker and philanthropist, he’s now moved into fine art photography with a glossy new book, Life’s Fragile Moments. Spanning more than 20 years of work, it includes reportage taken while travelling the world for his charity, the White Feather Foundation; a closeup of his half-brother, Sean Lennon, taken on tour; and candid glimpses of a royal wedding. He lives in Monaco.
How did you get interested in photography?
I think I was about 11 years old when I first went out to the US to see Dad, and he had a very simple brown leather Polaroid camera that he used a fair amount – I have it here. I was really fascinated. That immediacy was exciting. I tried becoming a photographer with film, but always had problems – although I have great patience on some levels I have little in other circumstances. Then digital came along.
Have you had any formal training?
Hell no, I’ve always done everything organically. I never learned to read and write music. I’m self-taught and I prefer it that way. Most photographers know exactly what they’re aiming for; I don’t know what I’ve got until I look later at the photos. If I knew what I was doing I think I’d lose that spark, that creativity.
Source: Hephzibah Anderson/theguardian.com
When John Lennon released his debut solo studio album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, on December 11, 1970, it was met with mixed reviews. Over time, it has come to be celebrated as his most powerful solo work—a raw, soul-baring album shaped by primal scream therapy and a reflection of Lennon’s turbulent life. But even the most devoted fans might not know these five fascinating facts about this iconic album.
The album’s emotionally charged lyrics were deeply influenced by John Lennon’s primal scream therapy sessions with Arthur Janov. This psychological process pushed Lennon to confront his childhood traumas, which led to songs like “Mother” and “God” that bristle with vulnerability and self-discovery.
While Lennon declared in the song “God” that he no longer believed in the Beatles, their legacy was palpable. Tracks like “Look at Me” reused fingerpicking techniques he learned during the band’s White Album sessions, and his former bandmate Ringo Starr played drums on the record.
When Lennon wanted Phil Spector to co-produce the album, he couldn’t reach him directly. Instead, his manager placed an ad in Billboard magazine that read, “Phil! John is ready this weekend.” Spector eventually joined the project, though he wasn’t present for much of the recording process.
On Lennon’s 30th birthday, during the recording of Plastic Ono Band, George Harrison brought a tape of a playful tune titled “It’s Johnny’s Birthday” to the studio. This moment of camaraderie showcased a rare moment of joy during the otherwise intense recording sessions.
Source: thatericalper.com
Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band will embark on new tour dates this year. The All Starr Band lineup features Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette, and Buck Johnson on keyboards.
The new tour begins June 12th, 2025 in Bridgeport CT, with stops at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, The Mann in Philadelphia, and Wolf Trap in Vienna VA, and as one show in Alabama, three shows in Florida and two in North Carolina. Starr shares: “I am happy to announce these new All Starr shows in June. I absolutely love playing live and I love this band. It’s been so great playing with these guys, I just want to keep this lineup going and that’s why I haven’t changed the All Starrs in a while. So here we go again, and we look forward to seeing you on the road this Spring.”
Before the launch of The All-Starr tour, Starr will make two solo appearances at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Jan. 14 and 15. Prior to these shows, Starr will be releasing his second country album, Look Up, on January 10th, produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett. The LP features 11 original songs, recorded this year in Nashville and Los Angeles, and marks the former Beatle’s first country album in more than 50 years – and his first full-length album since 2019.
Source: steamboatradio.com
There were times when The Beatles did not see eye to eye. As their sound evolved in the second half of the 1960s and they began to experiment with new techniques and styles, creative differences came to the fore.
The ECHO has recently looked at how John Lennon disliked certain songs and albums that Paul McCartney took the lead on - whether that was the 'Abbey Road' medley, 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' or the single 'Let it Be'. He called the songs which brought 'Abbey Road' to an end "junk" and he slated "Sgt Pepper" after leaving the band.
About 'Let it Be', John said: "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'." However, there were also aspects of John's work that Paul disagreed with.
1996's 'Revolver' saw The Beatles' sound move on from their early pop stylings, with many critics seeing it as the beginning of their psychedelic approach. The album was recorded at EMI's studio in London between April and June 1966, with it hitting shelves that August.
The psychedelic sound was partly a result of John and George Harrison's interest in LSD (or acid), which began in 1965 - Ringo Starr tried it after his bandmates suggested it but Paul held out for some time, focussing his interests on the avant-garde arts scene developing in London instead.
Source: Dan Haygarth/uk.news.yahoo.com
John Lennon and Paul McCartney were an unrivalled song-writing partnership but their relationship soured in the late 1960s. Tensions within The Beatles simmered in the second half of the decade, affecting recording sessions for 'The White Album', 'Let it Be' and 'Abbey Road'.
Creative differences and the presence of Yoko Ono in the studio caused arguments, pushing John and Paul away from each other. The band's final recording sessions - for 'The End' which featured on 'Abbey Road' - took place in August 1969 and, a month later, John informed his fellow members that he was leaving the band, asking for a 'divorce' from The Beatles.
This led a saddened Paul to retreat to his home and record what would become his first solo album 'McCartney'. In April 1970, Paul issued a press release alongside that album, announcing he would no longer be working with The Beatles.
The final Beatles album 'Let it Be' then hit shelves in May 1970, nearly a month after the official break up. 'Let it Be' was made up of recordings dating between February 1968 and April 1970 and its release caused further disagreements between Paul, John, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.
An ongoing row about Allan Klein becoming the band's new manager had simmered throughout 1969 and caused the four stress about what would happen to their money and the future of their music. That row developed as the release of 'McCartney' was set to clash with the planned May release of 'Let It Be'.
Paul has said he told his bandmates in advance that he would release 'McCartney' alongside his press release announcing his departure from The Beatles in April 1970. But with record label Apple wanting to avoid a clash and Paul not wanting to speak to Apple due to his disapproval of Allan Klein, Ringo went to his home with a letter from himself, John and George asking him to move his release date.
Source: Dan Haygarth/uk.news.yahoo.com
