Beatles News
Geoff Emerick, the Beatles studio engineer who entered the music business in his mid-teens and by his early 20s had helped make history through his work on such landmark albums as “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” has died. He was 72.
Abbey Road Studios, home to the Beatles and many other recording artists, confirmed the death Wednesday and vowed to ensure that Emerick’s legacy lives on. Colleague William Zabaleta told Variety that Emerick collapsed and died Tuesday while they were talking on the telephone. He said Emerick had suffered from heart problems in recent years. Paul McCartney, in an online tribute Wednesday, wrote that Emerick “had a sense of humor that fitted well with our attitude to work in the studio and was always open to the many new ideas that we threw at him. He grew to understand what we liked to hear and developed all sorts of techniques to achieve this. ... We spent many exciting hours in the studio and he never failed to come up with the goods.”
Source: By Gregory Katz/washingtonpost.com
When money flowed like water in the music industry, album recording budgets were as big as they needed to be. To soak up that money, expensive state-of-the-art recording studios were built all over the world.
In 1979, Beatles’ producer George Martin decided to expand his Associated Independent Recording Studios–henceforth AIR Studios–to the island of Monserrat in the northeast Caribbean.
It was an astounding facility. Everyone from The Rolling Stones and Elton John to Black Sabbath and Lou Reed hired the live-work studio. Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms, one of the best-sounding CDs of all time, was made there.
Source: Alan Cross/ajournalofmusicalthings.com
John Lennon- the man whose songs and ideologies have ruled a millennial's life at some point in time, be it through the meaningful lyrics that touched a million chords with his audience or his active pacifism and rebellion against the society, that inspired an entire generation of young men and women of his time and after.
John Lennon continues to live on, not only through his classic compositions but also through his distinguished way with words, which have served to make many of us make sense of this world and our lives a little better.
The following quotes by the legend, will not only guide your experiences in the ever mind-boggling 20s, but will also help you take on life with a pinch of salt:
1. “Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans.”
Source: mensxp.com
Paul McCartney is a living testimonial to the virtues of being a vegetarian. The 76-year-old remains as vital as ever, with Freshen Up world tour dates scheduled into next year, and a new album titled Egypt Station. It's been five years since McCartney's last album of new songs, but he's no slacker. The record is nearly an hour long, not including several bonus tracks available in different formats. It's all prime Macca, with stylistic shifts and well-crafted songs to carry you along. Ever mindful of honoring the legacy of The Beatles, Sir Paul explained the record's title and concept on his website: "I liked the words 'Egypt Station.' It reminded me of the 'album' albums we used to make...'Egypt Station' starts off at the station on the first song, and then each song is like a different station. So it gave us some idea to base all the songs around that. I think of it as a dream location that the music emanates from."
Source: Mark Simmet/iowapublicradio.org
Giles Martin says his father, producer George Martin, would wince whenever a fan would say that the “White Album” was their favorite Beatles’ record.
The late George Martin would recall how tough it was to make the sprawling double album, titled “The Beatles” but given its familiar nickname because of the all-white cover. His son is in charge of a 50th anniversary repackaging that is due out Nov. 9.
“He liked things to be organized, and the ‘White Album’ wasn’t organized,” Giles Martin said recently.
The Beatles worked through the summer of 1968, often in exhausting all-night sessions. As evidence of the time spent, the new package includes the 102nd take of “Not Guilty,” a Harrison song that wasn’t even included among the 30 cuts of the original album.
Source: snopes.com
David Bedford’s fascinating non-fiction book “Finding The Fourth Beatle” tells an unfamiliar chapter of the Beatles’ story
Everybody knows The Beatles and its main members, the Fab Four. But most people are unaware that from 1956 to 1970 the band had 23 different drummers including Colin Hanton, Pete Best, Jimmie Nicol, and others whose names readers will likely be unfamiliar with. This new book tells the story of the men who could have joined The Beatles, but didn’t. Readers learn about The Beatles’ crises, changes of musical direction, getting a record deal, and finding the drummer who would put the beat in The Beatles: Ringo Starr, the Fourth Beatle.
“Finding The Fourth Beatle” by David Bedford is packed with fascinatng detail. The author provides expert analyses of the drummers by other drummers. He explains why Brian Epstein didn’t sign the Beatles’ first contract, why The Beatles failed the Decca audition and reveals whether The Beatles were under contract at Parlophone in June 62. Other questions answered in this non-fiction book include: Who was asked to replace Pete Best before Ringo? Why didn’t Brian Epstein sack Pete Best? And: Why did Ringo become the Fourth Beatle and inspire generations of drummers? A must-read for any Beatles fan!
Source: David Bedford/cbs8.com
Long before any of us spun the Road Apples record or even heard of the other lady Madonna, the Beatles helped redefine how we consumed music for a time: obsessively, album-by-album, and with a sure and confidently marketed alteration of the musicians’ images, complete with reliable press conferences and legendary stunts.
Few if any bands have ever been under such a sharp-focused microscope — only world war historians bother to go into such detail of who shot what bullet into what wall, which piece of obscure gear was taped together to win the day.
Looking back at it all now — Paul McCartney having now been musically active for 60-plus years (his career is practically a senior citizen) — this live flipping through 40 songs if you count the Foxy Lady cover can actually be a little bit jarring to watch, a playlist on shuffle when one Wings song might make you wish we were sticking around just there for a little longer.
Source: Greg Southam /edmontonjournal.com
How is it that we enter the 51st season of 60 Minutes and are only now profiling the most successful musician and composer in popular music history? Maybe it's because it's nearly impossible to try and find something new or surprising to talk to Sir Paul McCartney about. How do you jostle a new memory from a Beatle who, over the decades, may be the most written about person on the planet?
Well, as the Beatles' "White Album" is about to turn 50 years old, we decided to go for it. Mr. McCartney was funny and reflective as we used rare photos and film to walk him through some very personal Beatles stories, and wondered who, at the age of 76, he is still trying to impress. But let's start with a bit of a revelation, the man who has sold an estimated billion records and may be rock and roll's best bass player can't write or read music.
Source: cbsnews.com
There are few musicians who can claim the kind of rollercoaster career that Paul McCartney has had.
He’s been lauded as a genius for his work with The Beatles, dismissed as a lightweight during portions of his Wings phase and solo career, and in a 60-odd year career has released some of the most durable and tuneful pop music ever recorded. McCartney has turned his hand to experimental music, electronica, and classical, and continues to influence other musicians well into his mid-70s, including a large number of Edmonton musicians spanning age and genres.
Source: edmontonjournal.com
In the aftermath of The Beatles’ break-up, and still in the first bloom of his love affair with Yoko Ono, John Lennon threw himself into a new life. The couple moved to Tittenhurst Park, a 26-room Georgian mansion in Berkshire, and in the summer of 1971 Lennon started his second solo album, Imagine, having installed a state-of-the-art recording studio in the grounds.
The couple’s everyday existence quickly came to resemble a never-ending art project, as Lennon recorded with producer Phil Spector and Beatles colleagues George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and the couple embarked on an accompanying film.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
