Beatles News
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic loss of Linda McCartney, the famed photographer, activist and singer famously wed to Paul. She died at 56 on April 17, 1998 after a long battle with breast cancer, but she lives on through her memorable collaborations with her husband, whether solo Macca or in their collaborative band Wings.
McCartney (née Eastman) was an editorial assistant/receptionist at Town & Country Magazine who learned the ropes on how to set up shots from her photographer ex, David Dalton -- and then jumped at the opportunity for her publication to shoot the Rolling Stones during a yacht party. Her talent was abundantly clear, and her career snowballed from there until she became the house photographer at the Fillmore East, getting classic shots of Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, and other rockers of the day.
Source: Morgan Enos/billboard.com
Sir Ringo Starr has a birthday coming up, and to celebrate he wants us all to spread a little Peace and Love.
Everyone’s favorite knight of the realm will observe turning 78 on July 7 by inviting the world to come together in a moment of peace, love and unity. Starr himself will be in Nice, France at the Hard Rock Cafe — a fitting location considering he started the tradition 10 years ago at the Chicago branch of the franchise. But don’t worry if you can’t make the trip. All he asks is for everyone — everywhere — to think, say, or post “#PeaceandLove” at noon their local time, thus creating a wave of positivity that will travel across the globe.
Source: Jordan Runtagh/people.com
ter nearly nine million guests have enjoyed captivating performances and show-stopping numbers, Cirque du Soleil has opened the doors to The Beatles LOVE to the public for free - giving Beatles and Cirque du Soleil fans alike a rare inside look at the world's most celebrated and revolutionary experience.
Beginning Friday, May 4, guests can experience LOVE's exclusive Magical Technical Tour, a complimentary open house showcasing the production's state-of-the-art technology, one-of-a-kind set pieces and more, every Friday at 1 p.m. at the LOVE Theatre inside The Mirage Hotel & Casino. Guests will be ushered into the best seats in the house where they will sit back and enjoy an exceptional and one-of-a-kind presentation.
Source: broadwayworld.com
John Lennon might not spark any first-hand memories in kids today, but nearly 38 years after his death, a tour bus bearing his name aims to preserve his legacy.
Earlier this month, the bus stopped off in Lake Forest.
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, a mobile recording studio that treks around the country providing music productions lessons to students, visited Deer Path Middle School from April 9 to 12.
Deer Path band director Corey Ames, who said he knew about the bus, persuaded the Spirit of ’67 Foundation (a nonprofit foundation that supports District 67 initiatives) to authorize a $10,000 grant allowing it to come to the school for fifth- through eighth-graders.
Source: Daniel I. Dorfman
For Earth Day, Julian Lennon hopes to lay the foundation for a whole new crop of environmentalists. He just has to wait a decade or two before they bloom.
The firstborn son of the late John Lennon is the co-author of "Heal the Earth," the second in his picture book series teaching kids as young as 3 ways to help the planet.
"I wish I had this book when I was at this age growing up," he said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "I wish we'd all had it growing up. The world would be I think a different place. I really do."
The latest book follows a group of children as they fly across the globe, learning to protect coral reefs and planting gardens in cities and trees in the rainforest. "Every day there is something new we can do to heal the Earth," the book says. "If we work together."
Source: ABC News
Turn me on dead man.
Long before conspiracy-minded rock fans screwed up their needles playing records backwards, to paraphrase George Carlin, The Beatles’ “Revolution 9” was a spooky experimental tour de force of hidden meaning. Marketed as one of the first boy bands, the mop topped sensations were best known for being at the toppermost of the pops. The ultimate pop band was also at the forefront of the rising underground scene.
While The Beatles are best known for writing love songs, not only catchy romantic ditties, but songs about the larger concept of love, they had a very dark side to their output that defied easy categories. John Lennon could be particularly scary. He forced George Harrison to arrange a guitar solo that had to sound better backwards on “I’m only Sleeping,” and shoveled out frightening amounts of ziti in the film Magical Mystery Tour. He always needed more.
Source: denofgeek.com
Somewhere along the line, over the course of a half dozen or so moves, I mysteriously lost my 20-inch-tall cloth John Lennon doll.
Granted, the level of detail wasn’t particularly good: I would place it halfway between the Saturday morning Beatles cartoon and Casper the Friendly Ghost. But it was still recognizably John Lennon, thanks in large part to the inclusion of a plastic Rickenbacker guitar, as well as the fact that very few musicians reach that level of mass-produced stuffed effigy. In fact, those late-’80s “Beatles Forever” dolls were the only rock ‘n’ roll collectibles offered by Applause, a since-bankrupted novelty company that was better known for its tricycle-riding Curious George and a line of unremarkable Muppet dolls.
Source: Bill Forman
The recently knighted Sir Ringo Starr has announced plans for this year’s tenth anniversary Peace & Love celebration on his birthday on 7 July.
Ringo turns 78 on that day, and will mark the anniversary of the initial 2008 event (which took place in front of the Hard Rock Café in Chicago) by appearing at the Hard Rock in Nice, France, during his European tour with his All-Starr Band. The idea remains the same: to invite his fans to express the phrase “peace and love” in speech, thought and by posting #peaceandlove, and to generate a wave of positivity that spans the globe.
The former Beatle has also unveiled the new video for ‘Give More Love,’ the title song from his 2017 album. Directed by Brent Carpenter, the clip features photos from fans depicting peace, love and kindness, selected from those submitted in a Give More Love contest. Ringo and the All-Starr Band’s summer tour begins on 2 June in Atlantic City and runs until 11 July.
Source: Paul Sexton/udiscovermusic.com
Around that time, she grew close to George’s friend and singer Eric Clapton, who had made it known he had strong feelings for Pattie at the time. Her dedication to her husband meant she didn’t act on it, and that led to Clapton’s highly publicised battle with drugs and alcohol, before he eventually sought treatment and recovered around 1974.
“I realised I felt something but I tried to keep it under wraps. Things were so hard and difficult for George, I didn’t want to add to his anxiety about everything. It was very, very difficult.”
By the time Clapton was out of rehab, Pattie’s marriage to George had hit rock bottom, and he had embarked on an affair with Ringo Starr’s former wife Maureen.
Source: startsat60.com
It won’t generate the same amount of publicity as the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band did, last year. But this year marks the 50th anniversary of the double album The Beatles — commonly referred to as The White Album, because of its cover. And Monmouth University in West Long Branch will host an academic symposium on the album, Nov. 8-11.
Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn will be the keynote speaker, and the symposium will have the theme of “Producing an Enigma for the Ages.”
Source: JAY LUSTIG/njarts.net
