Beatles News
The critic Bill Wyman has ranked all 213 Beatles tracks from worst to best. You might be slightly surprised by his choice of the best.
And even more surprised that the worst is not by Ringo. At Beatles anniversary time, the stories write themselves. “It was 25/30/40 years ago today!” “The act you’ve known for all these years!” “A splendid time was guaranteed for all!” Last week’s 50th anniversary of the U.S. release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the most acclaimed rock album ever and the apogee of the Beatles’ cultural influence in the 1960s, is a time for all those chestnuts and more. But Pepper’s doesn’t make sense if it’s not put in context. And the only way to do that, given the weight of the Beatles’ presence, is to take a look at everything the band put on record over its eight-year recording career.
It turns out that ranking the songs recorded by the Beatles in the 1960s is easy; you put the worst one at the top, and the best one at the bottom.
Source: Slipped Disc
John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1972. The former Beatle once told music writer Ray Connolly that his childhood ambition was “to write ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and be Elvis Presley.” Connolly was set to interview Lennon on Dec. 9, 1980, but the rock star was killed Dec. 8. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano)
Why another biography of John Lennon? Surely, almost 40 years after his death, there can be nothing left to say about this endlessly famous man? Veteran British music journalist Ray Connolly thinks there is, and so it is that “Being John Lennon: A Restless Life” takes its place on an already very crowded shelf. After reading this likable and workmanlike but hardly revelatory book, whether he is right remains an open question.
Source: Michael Lindgren/washingtonpost.com
Picking the best song from every Paul McCartney album doesn't always mean checking the Billboard charts.
True, the former Beatles star went on to notch nine No. 1 songs as a solo star and leader of Wings. In all, he's claimed 23 Top 10 smashes, most recently with "FourFiveSeconds," a 2015 collaboration with Rihanna and Kanye West that rose to No. 4. But, a scant four of those big hits made our list.
Elsewhere, we delve into treasured deep cuts, forgotten gems and also-ran singles. That so many praise-worthy tracks can be found that far off the beaten path speaks to McCartney's astonishing depth as a songwriter, and his astonishing longevity in an industry often governed by flashes in the pan.
Our focus was on McCartney's post-Beatles rock records, so some notable releases did not make the cut. We skipped his five classical albums, including 1991's Liverpool Oratorio; oddities like 1977's Thrillington and 2000's Liverpool Sound Collage; the first two ambient-instrumental Fireman collaborations; and Kisses on the Bottom, his 2012 collection of mid-century standards.
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com
Paul McCartney’s never-before-seen film, The Bruce McMouse Show, will play in select theaters around the world January 21st. The fabled project is a concert film crossed with an animated feature that centers around McCartney and Wings meeting Bruce McMouse, an animated mouse impresario. A teaser for the film is available to watch, and screenings will be held in 11 theaters across the U.S. A complete list of participating theaters, as well as ticket information, is available on the Bruce McMouse website.
The Bruce McMouse Show boasts footage from Wings’ 1972 European tour filmed during four shows in the Netherlands and Germany. After watching the footage, McCartney decided to blend it with a previous idea he had about a family of mice, and he worked with animator Eric Wylam to bring the McMouse family to life. Production on the film, however, took several years, and by the time The Bruce McMouse Show was finished in 1977, Wings’ line-up and musical direction had changed to such an extent that the decision was made to shelve the film.
Source: Jon Blistein/rollingstone.com
A collection of 26 vintage records by the Beatles has been stolen after a thief or thieves forced entry into a rural home on River Mill Line, Huron County OPP said in a statement Thursday.
The cache includes a 1964 Spanish Beatles album, ironically called Lost Beatles. On its own, that one record is worth $7,000, police said.
The entire stash of Fab Four discs is valued at $45,000, they added, describing it as a “high dollar” break-in.
The value of the collection reflects The Beatles’ status as arguably the most influential band in rock history.
According to police, the break-in and theft took place between noon on Jan. 4 and 1 p.m. on Jan. 8.
Also stolen was a Realistic brand record player equipped with a ruby needle, as well as tools and a mini-bike.
Source: The London Free Press
Dean Ford, singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born 5 September 1946, in Airdrie. Died of complications from Parkinson’s disease 31 December 2018, in Los Angeles, aged 72.
Before the Bay City Rollers, before Simple Minds, before Franz Ferdinand, there was Marmalade, fronted by a “little guy with big ears” from Airdrie. And it was Marmalade who made history as the first Scottish group to have a UK No1.
Their singer was born Thomas McAleese, but found fame and fortune in the 1960s and 1970s as Dean Ford, helping steer Marmalade’s course from Glasgow’s Barrowlands to the top of the charts with a cover of the Beatles album track Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – Paul McCartney was a big fan of the group.
Source: scotsman.com
Last month, Paul McCartney unveiled the official video for Egypt Station track “Who Cares” featuring actress Emma Stone. Today, McCartney shared a clip that takes viewers behind-the-scenes at the making of the “Who Cares” video.
Paul wrote “Who Cares” about bullying. He recruited Brantley Gutierrez and Ryan Heffington to direct the video, which was shot on 65mm Kodak Film with Panavision Cameras. “My hope is that if there are kids being bullied—and there are…Maybe by listening to this song and watching this video, they might just think it’s not as bad…That it’s the kind of thing you can just stand up to and laugh off and get through,” McCartney shared when the video was released.
Both McCartney and Stone discuss their roles in the “Who Cares” video and the sentiment behind the clip. Gutierrez and cinematographer Linus Sandgren also talk about how the video came together. Watch the behind-the-scenes video on the making of Paul McCartney’s “Who Cares” video:
Source: Scott Bernstein/Jambase
The city of Liverpool is almost synonymous with the Beatles. Almost 50 years after the band split up, the place is a sort of Beatles Disney Land: there's a Beatles-themed hotel, a Beatles museum and plenty of shops with all kinds of Beatles merchandise. Fans come from all over the world to see where the story of the Fab Four all started — and this Beatlemania is bringing around $104 million to the region every year.
Source: Lucia Benavides/marketplace.org
There are a lot of friendships out there in the Hollywood “community” that are definitely worth talking about. Hell, that are definitely worth celebrating. We’re ride or die for Nicole and Naomi. We’d take a bullet for Winona and Keanu. But, frankly, we’re going to need you to immediately forget every single BFF duo you know, because we have a new front-runner for Friendship of the Millennium: Septuagenarian rock icons Ringo Starr and Joe Walsh. Oh god, they are cute! In an effort of full transparency, Vulture was aware that they shared brother-in-law status for a while now, but in a fun interview with Rolling Stone last month, John Mulaney made us realize the full extent of their bromance while reflecting on the newest Rock Hall inductees. “You know who should be inducted? The friendship of Joe Walsh and Ringo Starr,” he said. “They are together so much, it warms my heart.”
Source: Devon Ivie/vulture.com
Never-before seen pictures of The Beatles have come to light after being kept in a drawer for more than 50 years.
They were taken in Cornwall during the filming of the 1967 TV movie Magical Mystery Tour, which was first broadcast on Boxing Day that year, Cornwall Live reports.
The candid pictures were taken by a travelling salesman who was staying in the same Newquay hotel as Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and who followed them to the beach.
The rep kept the 15 colour slide transparencies, as well as a letter signed by three of the band, in a drawer for decades.
But in October last year he decided to sell the rare items, which fetched £2,700 at auction on New Year's Day, more than the estimated figure of £1,000 to £2,000.
Source: Mike Smallcombe/liverpoolecho.co.uk
