BEATLES OF...

Hello

2011-03-16T06:14:00.000-07:00

As you may have seen. There is no more photo from the Flickr. I have to delete them for some reasons. Now I'm going to post in this blog again : anything related to the fabs. Thank you, all followers.

Whatever gets you through the night

2011-03-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

Whatever gets you through the night was inspired by two sources : George McRae's 'Rock Your Baby' and a phrase heard on a late-night radio phone-in.

John Lennon Portrait

2009-12-09T19:55:00.001-08:00

John Lennon Portrait
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Paul McCartney Portrait

2009-12-09T19:54:00.001-08:00

Paul McCartney Portrait
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

close-up Harrison #2

2009-12-09T19:46:00.001-08:00

close-up Harrison #2
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Four Boys in Abbey Road (a huge one!)

2009-11-11T19:02:00.001-08:00

Four Boys in Abbey Road (a huge one!)
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Beatles making Revolver

2009-11-11T19:01:00.001-08:00

Beatles making Revolver
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Paul & George in Sgt. Pepper mode.

2009-11-10T18:34:00.001-08:00

Paul & George in Sgt. Pepper mode.
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

from Hello-Goodbye clip.

John and George Toppermost of the poppermost

2009-06-30T10:08:00.001-07:00

The girl is theirs

2009-06-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

This is a duet with Paul McCartney. Jackson and McCartney were good friends until 1995, when Jackson bought the publishing rights to most of The Beatles' songs. McCartney had given Jackson advice on acquiring publishing rights, which is where lots of money is made. Jackson felt it was "just business."

This was the first single released off the Thriller album. Although it was one of the weakest songs, it was released first because it was guaranteed airplay because of McCartney's contribution. At the time, many big albums contained a song with a prominent guest vocalist to attract attention. Released ahead of the album, this song gave no indication that Thriller would become the best-selling album of all time.

The lyrics are mostly friendly banter about who has dibs on the girl. The song was a very safe choice as first single, since it was very conventional and easy to understand. Jackson was afraid that if he released an edgy song like "Billie Jean" or "Beat It" first, people wouldn't give the album a chance.

This was released a month before the album came out. The next 6 singles all came after the album, and were all Top-10 hits.

Michael Jackson ( transcribed from audio files at HIStory Museum): "One of my favorite songs to record of all of my recordings as a solo artist is probably The Girl Is Mine because working with Paul McCartney was pretty exciting and we just literally had fun. It was like lots of kibitzing and playing and throwing stuff at each other and making jokes." (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England)

According to a 1982 Interview with producer Quincy Jones, this song was fun. It seemed tailor-made for Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. (thanks, Annabelle - Eugene, OR)

Michael Jackson re-recorded Thriller in 2008 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the record. He enlisted a variety of musical stars, plus had tracks from it re-mixed. For "The Girl Is Mine 2008," he recruited Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas, to reprise the role initially performed by Sir Paul McCartney.

We tried to telephone, they said you were not home

2009-06-17T05:24:00.000-07:00

click at picture for larger size.

...that's a lie... but this is the facts about the song 'No Reply'. The tracks that opened the album 'Beatles For Sale' in 1964.

This was one of John Lennon's first songs to tell a complete story. The boy knocks on his girl's door, knows she is home because he sees her in the window, but she does not answer. Lennon wrote the song when he was inspired by the song "Silhouettes." He said, "I had that image of walking down the street and seeing her silhouetted in the window and not answering the phone." Music publisher Dick James told Lennon that it was the first "complete" song that John had ever written: It had a beginning and an end. (Thanks to our Beatles expert Pattie Noah - check her out at luvmedeux.com.)

This starts with a vocal, which was rare for the time.

Lennon's original intent for this song was for it to be a waltz. The demo The Beatles recorded at the last session for A Hard Day's Night is performed in this style. (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)

Beatles Haircut

2009-06-17T05:13:00.000-07:00

By Bill Harry

read the full story here

Moptops? What do you mean!

I never noticed anything particular about John, George, Paul, Pete or Stuart's hairstyles in the early days -- apart from the fact that initially some of them sported the traditional Tony Curtis style that was popular in Liverpool in the late fifties. It was a style referred to as a d.a. (duck's arse, because of the way the hair curled at the rear).

I had mine done at Max the Mad Russian's, near the Majestic Cinema in town.
Nor did I notice anything specific about their hair when they returned back from Germany. Looking at the photos of the time, taken by Astrid and by Mersey Beat photographers, I couldn't see anything that was radically different from the style most Liverpool youngsters and group members sported.

Then, when Brian Epstein took them over, I noticed that not only did he spruce them up in mohair suits made by his tailor Beno Dorn in Birkenhead, but he took them to Horne Brothers at the corner of Lord Street and had lots of publicity photographs taken of them enjoying a new coiffeur by the unknown barber there. I say unknown, because no one these days could quote the name of the barber who gave them the style, on the instruction of Brian Epstein, when he took them to the fashionable barbers in April 1963. Dezo Hoffmann photographed them having their hair cut and was to comment, "The hairdresser was a friend of theirs who liked Astrid Kirchherr's idea of longer hair for the Beatles. He would groom and discipline their hair for them every week."

Despite Brian and his Horne Brothers publicity pictures to herald a new Beatles image (he took them to the Empire Theatre to watch the Shadows, in their mohair suits, and pointed out how they bowed to the audience at the end of their act. John and Pete didn't like to abandon their leather gear, but they were outvoted. Once suited in mohair, with tidy shirts and tie, John again tried to rebel by unfastened the top button of his shirt when they went on stage, but Paul always stepped forward to fasten it again. Brian gave them neatly typed sheets instructing them not to swear or smoke on stage - paving the way for the Rolling Stones to adopt the image of 'the savage young Beatles', that Brian had carefully smoothed away), their hair style began to change initially in Hamburg.

The Hug

2009-06-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you, security guard. BTW from his face (and his strange acting lips) George didn't seem to mind at all. Oh how I miss the good old days.

The Beatles Anthology (sample)

2009-06-13T16:24:00.001-07:00

Yes, I got this book. And this entry's going to show some pages of it. One by one. Here's the first two.:)

Fab Four Live

2009-06-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

Nothing but a great fabs live in colors. Click to see in a larger size.

Pentax Ringo

2009-05-29T00:39:00.000-07:00

> I saw today the Beatles anthology on video and when they went to America the> first time,> Paul says: We had a lot of fun taking photographs with our Pentax.> Later you see some photos of Ringo Starr and George Harrison with cameras.> > Are there any more famous Pentax users than the Beatles?>

You should get a hold of a copy of Hard Day's Night. In it, Ringowalks around with his beautiful black pre-Spotmatic around his neckquite a bit.

There are several other celebs who are captured sporting Spotties backin the '60's. One that I recall was an English Royal, one of theprincesses, maybe Anne? Anyway she had one, and she was photographedwearing it.

Don't forget, back in the 60's, Spotmatics outsold all other brands of35mm SLR - combined! Hard to believe, but true. There were lots of'em out there....

read more at.... here.

BREAKING NEWS: New found Quarry Men photo!

2009-05-18T22:30:00.001-07:00

Experts still confuse about the date taken. Was it June22,1957 or July 6,1957 the day John met Paul? Mark Lewisohn believes in the second theory. See notes for each member's name.

This photo was recently found by Rod Davis, a Quarry Man.

John Lennon@RollingStone January 1981-cover

2009-05-15T06:27:00.001-07:00

Click at photo for larger size.

December 8, 1980 .It was taken a few hours before he died...when he saw a test Polaroid photo of this John said to the photographer "You have captured our relationship exactly."

That day is really the Beatles last day.

Billboard history MEET THE BEATLES tops chart!

2009-05-13T14:51:00.001-07:00

Click at photo for a full-size image!

It's February 29,1964. See which album you STILL have now!

Thanks GoogleBooks!

Beatles@RollingStone1968-cover

2009-05-13T14:50:00.001-07:00

Click at photo for a full-size image!

John talks about his Macrobiotics. Yoko about her films. And the Beatles about their new records...turn out to be the White Album.

I want you to meet Yoko Ono

2009-05-12T03:15:00.001-07:00

A new exhibit chronicling John Lennon's New York years will feature guitars, handwritten lyrics, personal items and also the bloody clothes he was wearing the night he was shot.

Lennon moved to New York City with his wife Yoko Ono in 1971, almost two years after he left the Beatles.

The exhibit is especially emotional for Ono, who said including his bloody clothes was a hard decision. But, she said she ultimately decided to do it in order to let people see the effects of gun violence.

Music buffs and Beatles fans won't be disappointed in the display. The music icon's legendary instruments, handwritten lyrics, other clothing and personal possessions will be on display at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC in SoHo.

The Beatles' passion for music and art will be explored by the exhibit, but it will also try to capture Lennon's verve for politics and social activism.

read full story here

Woman I can hardly express.....

2009-05-12T03:10:00.001-07:00

Click at photo for a full-size image!

One of my favorite Lennon love songs. Simple,honest and very sweet. His version is very unique, a few dare to cover.

Woman I can hardly express,
My mixed emotion at my thoughtlessness,
After all I'm forever in your debt,
And woman I will try express,
My inner feelings and thankfullness,
For showing me the meaning of succsess,
oooh well, well,
oooh well, well,

Woman I know you understand
The little child inside the man,
Please remember my life is in your hands,
And woman hold me close to your heart,
However, distant don't keep us apart,
After all it is written in the stars,
oooh well, well,
oooh well, well,

Woman please let me explain,
I never mean(t) to cause you sorrow or pain,
So let me tell you again and again and again,
I love you (yeah, yeah) now and forever,
I love you (yeah, yeah) now and forever,
I love you (yeah, yeah) now and forever,
I love you (yeah, yeah)...

"She was just beauty queen..."--- "No no no...you know what I mean...."

2009-05-12T03:02:00.001-07:00

Click at photo for a full-size image!

John and Paul, writing the classic 'I Saw Her Standing There' at Paul's home Forthlin Road. Late 1962.

The Beatles' first day

2009-05-12T03:01:00.001-07:00

Click at photo for a full-size image!

22 August 1962, Cavern early morning rehearsal. This is perhaps one of the first photos of Beatles with a new drummer who has rings in his fingers. When I look at this photo today, I see the history, classic!

(In fact, the FAB FOUR first day is 18 August 1962. But there's no photo that day until this one.)

JOHN LENNON THE ICON ( White Album photo session)

2009-04-26T09:47:00.001-07:00

Click at photo for a full-size image!

Rare photo outtakes from 1968.I guess this is a Lennon image most fans remember. Round glasses, quite long hair and a serious look.Click to see the larger size.

THE Walk

2009-04-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

A 10-minute photo shoot. Four guys crossing a street. What could be less eventful? But the photograph taken for the last record the Beatles made, Abbey Road, has become a classic of album art — one of the best-known and most copied images in popular music.

It was Paul McCartney who came up with the street-crossing idea and worked out the details with photographer Iain Macmillan. The other Beatles liked the idea — ''with varying degrees of enthusiasm,'' says Macmillan — and agreed to meet at 10 a.m. on Aug. 8, 1969, outside their Abbey Road studio. A bobby held up traffic while the band walked back and forth across the street three times. Perched on a ladder in the middle of the road, Macmillan snapped six pictures from which McCartney chose the cover shot.

''It was nerve-racking,'' remembers Macmillan. ''Getting them to walk in the right way was difficult.''

The result was ironically eloquent, a jarringly mundane image of the larger-than-life Beatles. Even 28 years later, fans still flock to the site of the crossing and re-create the picture themselves.

Of course, not only tourists have been imitating the famous photo over the years. Booker T. & the M.G.'s ambled across a Memphis street for their 1970 album, McLemore Avenue, and alterna-funk band the Red Hot Chili Peppers cheekily parodied it on their 1988 The Abbey Road E.P., while the cover of rapper Chubb Rock's recent album, The Mind, also pays tribute. Even McCartney has joined the fun, digitally spoofing the famous scene for his 1993 album Paul Is Live (whose very title plays off the old rumors of McCartney's death, supposedly proven by evidence in the original photograph). Why is the cover so imitated? ''You can replicate it wherever you're making a record,'' says James Henke, chief curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. And hey, an association with the Beatles' best-selling album can't hurt. What band wouldn't want to carry that kind of weight? -EW.COM

Jump!

2009-04-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

The Beatles seem to always love to jump. That's why there's no one higher than them. It's the cutiest jump in rock, I guess.

John Lennon answers a fan's letter

2009-04-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

From the Beatles book monthly No.2/1963.

Dear Beatles Book,

I'm a girl from Finland--you know, the country where polar bears walk the streets. I've heard and read very much about the Beatles and I've seen pictures too. But I've never heard the boys playing. Oh, I'm sad about that. The records haven't come to Finland yet but I'll keep waiting. Do they sing on their records? I've seen pictures where they're keeping their mouths open so I expect they do. I hope I didn't disturb you too much by sending a letter from so faaaar away. I with the Beatles could sometimes in the future come to Finland and then you can be sure they would get a big welcome. About those polar beats in the streets. That's a BIG lie. Here it is only Finnish girls who DRESS UP in polar bear furs! Wishing you good luck in the future.

Yours truly,
(signed) Gula Lindroos,
Helsingfors, Finland
-----------------------

John Lennon of the Beatles writes:

What a fab letter! I'm arranging for a copy of our new single "She Loves You" to be sent out to Gula...then she'll know we can't sing!

7 facts you should know about....the Beatles' "Rain"

2009-04-22T01:15:00.000-07:00

1.Ringo has said this is his best drumming on a Beatles song.
2.This was the first song to use a tape played backwards, which created the strange audio effect. John Lennon discovered the technique when he put the tape for "Tomorrow Never Knows" on the wrong way. He was stoned at the time, and producer George Martin had to convince him that using a backward recording for the entire song was a bad idea. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)
3.Lennon wrote most of this. It was his first song to get really deep, exploring themes of reality and illusion.
4.The backwards vocal at the end fade out is actually the songs first line: "When the rain comes they run and hide their heads". (thanks, chet - saratoga springs, NY)
5.This was one of the first Beatles records to feature loud, booming bass. McCartney's bassline is extremely recognizable, in contrast to The Beatles' older records. (thanks, Chris LaBenne - Niles, OH)
6.This was released as the B-side of "Paperback Writer." It was recorded during the Revolver sessions. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)
7.The rhythm track was played fast and slowed down on tape.

"The Beatles" by Astrid

2009-04-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

"The Beatles were the first English people I met, and you must remember, this was not long after the war. We all learned that these other people were not the enemies we believed they were. We listened to one another. Yes, I gave Stuart the haircut first--John made fun of it. But soon he wanted one, too, and so did the others. The same haircuts or not, each of them was strongly individual. I could tell right away."

-Astrid Kirchherr, photographer

Why the Beatles still rule the world?

THE BEATLES LOGO

2009-04-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

by Russ Lease

The 60’s mental image of the Beatles playing live includes Ringo Starr sitting behind his oyster black pearl drums with the famous ‘drop-T’Beatle logo blazoned across the bass drumhead.

In most people’s minds, the drum set that appears in this image doesn’t change from photo-to-
photo or year-to-year, only Ringo’s clothing or length of hair seem to. But to us drum hardware/artifact junkies, the changes are obviously much more substantial.

Ringo owned four different oyster black pearl Ludwig drum kits during his Beatle days. Photographic evidence strongly suggests that Ringo used only four specific drum sets from May 12, 1963, through to mid-1968. How can you tell? The swirl design of the oyster black pearl creates an abstract, non-repeating pattern around the wooden shell of the drums. This unique pattern, in relation to the hardware mounted on the drums, makes each manufactured drum
completely identifiable to the exclusion of all others.

This obviously does not apply to Ringo’s peripheral hardware – cymbals, drum and hi-hat stands, etc. It is known that from time-to-time, Starr interchanged this hardware from his
inventory.The purpose of this article, though, is not to delve into the hardware changes and histories of these four sets. That would be a separate story unto itself for another time.

Rather, I’ll explore the ‘drop-T’logo drum heads themselves, as it is a topic that has rarely, if ever, been written about.

read the full article here

with a little help for my friend

2009-04-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

The second song in Sgt. Pepper's 'With A Little Help From My Friends' is one of my favorite Beatles tunes. Sweety and trippy melody and a very good Ringo voice. Not to forget the marvelous bass playing from Macca. Here are the facts about this song....

Ringo sang lead on this as "Billy Shears," a name chosen because it sounded good. The album was recorded as if Sgt. Pepper was a real band.

This was one of the very last songs Lennon and McCartney sat and wrote together. They were at Paul's house messing around on the piano. (thanks, Mike - Mountlake Terrace, WA. U.S.A)

The original title was "Badfinger Boogie." The Beatles got some use out of the name when they signed a group to their label, Apple Records, and named them Badfinger.

The cheering at the beginning was taken from a Beatles concert at the Hollywood Bowl. The Beatles had stopped touring by the time this was recorded.

This hit #1 on the UK charts 3 times: first by Joe Cocker in 1968, again by Wet Wet Wet in 1988 and finally by Sam and Mark in 2004. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

John Lennon claimed this was not about drugs, but many people didn't believe him, including US vice president Spiro Agnew, who once told a crowd that this song was a "Tribute to the power of illegal drugs." He said the lines, "I get by with a little help from my friends, I get high with a little help from my friends," "Is a catchy tune, but until it was pointed out to me, I never realized that the 'friends' were assorted drugs!" (thanks, Mike - Mountlake Terrace, WA. U.S.A)

The first line was originally "What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and throw tomatoes at me?" Ringo did not want to sing it, fearing that if they ever did it live he would be pelted with tomatoes.

The Beatles finished recording this the night they shot the cover for the Sgt. Pepper album. This continued the "Concept" of the album, but until the reprise of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at the end, the theme of the fictional band ends with this.

Twelve years after "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "With a Little Help from My Friends" appeared on the Sgt. Pepper album, they were released together as a 2-song medley and reached US #71 and UK #63. (thanks, Jerro - New Alexandria, PA)

Beatles in San Francisco 1964

2009-04-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

Press conference 8/18/64

Q: "How was your trip?"
JOHN: "Pardon?"
RINGO: "Very tiring."
JOHN: "It was sort of like a plane trip, you know... Boring."
RINGO: "We've been going seventeen hours now, you know."

Q: "How often do you get haircuts?"
JOHN: "Uhh, about once every three weeks."

Q: "Each of you?"
PAUL: "Yeah. Actually, it's cut."

Q: "This is your second trip to San Francisco, are you going to see more of it this time than you did last?"
RINGO: "Well, I only saw the airport last time, so I've seen more already."
JOHN: "Can you direct your questions so that everybody can hear them, please?"
PAUL: "Just a minute... Here's Derek. I'd like to introduce you..."
GEORGE: "A big hand for Mr. Taylor."
JOHN: "This is our press representative."

Q: "Who is your tailor?"
PAUL: "A fella called Millings of London."

Q: "In Savile Row?"
JOHN: "No."

Q: "Where?"
PAUL: "A little back street in London."
JOHN: "Old Compton Road. He keeps moving with all the profit he makes... Hmmmm hmmmm, he said."

Q: Are you working on another movie soon?"
PAUL: "Yes, in February."

Q: "Is it coming out then?"
RINGO: "No, we start making it."
JOHN: "We start making it then."

Q: "How frightened were you getting in that cage today?"
JOHN: "What cage?"
PAUL: "At the airport."
JOHN: Uh, it wasn't bad, 'cuz somebody had been up there and tested it."
RINGO: "In fact, all the press went up and tested it."

read more here

The Master and the boys

2009-04-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

Sir George Henry Martin CBE (3 January 1926) is a British record producer, arranger and composer. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"—a title that he owes to his work as producer of all but one of The Beatles' original records, as well as playing piano on some of The Beatles tracks—and is considered one of the greatest record producers of all time.

In 1969 he established the Associated Independent Recording (AIR) Studios. Although officially retired, he is still the chairman of the AIR board.[1]

In recognition of his services to the music industry and popular culture, he was made a Knight Bachelor in 1996. He is the father of producer Giles Martin, and actor Gregory Paul Martin.

John Lennon-Yoko Ono: Bedism

2009-04-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

During the Vietnam War, in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held two week-long Bed-Ins for Peace in Amsterdam and Montreal, which were their non-violent ways of protesting wars and promoting peace

John and George, Abbey Road session

2009-04-15T20:57:00.001-07:00

a review from Rolling Stone, 1969

Simply, side two does more for me than the whole of Sgt. Pepper, and I'll trade you The Beatles and Magical Mystery Tour and a Keith Moon drumstick for side one.

So much for the prelims. "Come Together" is John Lennon very nearly at the peak of his form; twisted, freely-associative, punful lyrically, pinched and somehow a little smug vocally. Breathtakingly recorded (as is the whole album), with a perfect little high-hat-tom-tom run by Ringo providing a clever semi-colon to those eerie shooo-ta's, Timothy Leary's campaign song opens up things in grand fashion indeed.

George's vocal, containing less adenoids and more grainy Paul tunefulness than ever before, is one of many highlights on his "Something," some of the others being more excellent drum work, a dead catchy guitar line, perfectly subdued strings, and an unusually nice melody. Both his and Joe Cocker's version will suffice nicely until Ray Charles gets around to it.

Paul McCartney and Ray Davies are the only two writers in rock and roll who could have written "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," a jaunty vaudevillian/music-hallish celebration wherein Paul, in a rare naughty mood, celebrates the joys of being able to bash in the heads of anyone threatening to bring you down. Paul puts it across perfectly with the coyest imaginable choir-boy innocence.
Someday, just for fun, Capitol/Apple's going to have to compile a Paul McCartney Sings Rock And Roll album, with "Long Tall Sally," "I'm Down," "Helter Skelter," and, most definitely, "Oh! Darling," in which, fronting a great "ouch!"-yelling guitar and wonderful background harmonies, he delivers an induplicably strong, throat-ripping vocal of sufficient power to knock out even those skeptics who would otherwise have complained about yet another Beatle tribute to the golden groovies' era.

That the Beatles can unify seemingly countless musical fragments and lyrical doodlings into a uniformly wonderful suite, as they've done on side two, seems potent testimony that no, they've far from lost it, and no, they haven't stopped trying.

No, on the contrary, they've achieved here the closest thing yet to Beatles freeform, fusing more diverse intriguing musical and lyrical ideas into a piece that amounts to far more than the sum of those ideas.

"Here Comes the Sun," for example, would come off as quite mediocre on its own, but just watch how John and especially Paul build on its mood of perky childlike wonder. Like here, in "Because," is this child, or someone with a child's innocence, having his mind blown by the most obvious natural phenomena, like the blueness of the sky. Amidst, mind you, beautiful and intricate harmonies, the like of which the Beatles have not attempted since "Dr. Robert."
Then, just for a moment, we're into Paul's "You Never Give Me Your Money," which seems more a daydream than an actual address to the girl he's thinking about. Allowed to remain pensive only for an instant, we're next transported, via Paul's "Lady Madonna" voice and boogie-woogie piano in the bridge, to this happy thought: "Oh, that magic feelin'/Nowhere to go." Crickets' chirping and a kid's nursery rhyme ("1-2-3-4-5-6-7/All good children go to heaven") lead us from there into a dreamy John number, "Sun King," in which we find him singing for the Italian market, words like amore and felice giving us some clue as to the feel of this reminiscent-of-"In My Room" ballad.

And then, before we know what's happened, we're out in John Lennon's England meeting these two human oddities, Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam. From there it's off to watch a surreal afternoon telly programme, Paul's "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window." Pensive and a touch melancholy again a moment later, we're into "Golden Slumbers," from which we wake to the resounding thousands of voices on "Carry That Weight," a rollicking little commentary of life's labours if ever there was one, and hence to a reprise of the "Money" theme (the most addicting melody and unforgettable words on the album). Finally, a perfect epitaph for our visit to the world of Beatle daydreams: "The love you take is equal to the love you make ..." And, just for the record, Paul's gonna make Her Majesty his.

I'd hesitate to say anything's impossible for him after listening to Abbey Road the first thousand times, and the others aren't far behind. To my mind, they're equatable, but still unsurpassed.

THE BEATLES AS MUSICIANS BY GEORGE MARTIN

2009-04-14T04:15:00.001-07:00

Melody Maker Magazine: When you first met them, did you consider them seriously as musicians at all? As guitarists or composers?

George Martin : As composers, they didn't rate. They hadn't shown me that they could write anything at all. "Love Me Do" I thought was pretty poor, but it was the best we could do - they hadn't got anything else, and I hadn't got anything else to offer them either. As players they were quite adequate - they could play guitar pretty well and they had an uninhibited sound. The question of them being deep minds or great new images didn't occur to me - or to anybody, or to them, I should think. It was after we made "Love Me Do" that I was determined to find a hit song for them. I was scouring the publisher's office looking for material on our group, which nobody wanted to know about. EMI heard the Beatles, which they thought was a silly name anyway, and they didn't attach too much importance to it. "Comedy man tries to get into pop field," you know. We hit number 17 in the chart, which raised eyebrows but only just, so I found them this song by Mitch Murray which I thought was just ideal for them to learn for the next session. When they turned up on the session they said they didn't like it.

BEATLES: Sgt. Pepper's MONO/Stereo

2009-04-13T10:00:00.001-07:00

It's only months left before the first released of mono Sgt. Pepper's in CD format. These are the differences between the mono and stereo version of this great album. The mono also has more punchy sound and most important, it's the Pepper as the fabs intended.

The funky backwards guitar part at the end of the opening song just before "Billy Shears."

The flangey/ADT effect on Ringo's voice during some chorus of "With A Little Help From My Friends."

The tripped out flangey vocals from the second verse out on "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds."

The slightly longer end of "Fixing A Hole" where McCartney is wailing up high.

The change in tone in "She's leaving home" in the mono version - due to being sped up, not so dreary and long as in the stereo version.

The timing on the effects of "Mr. Kite."

The extended louder laughter on "Within You Without You."

The louder backing "oo-oo's" on "When I'm 64".

The "bleed edit" found at the beginning of the "Sgt. Pepper Reprise"; you can hear the machine flutter as it comes out of pause.

The low volume mumbo jumbo during the extended bass drum raps at the beginning of the "Sgt. Pepper Reprise".

The timing of the audiences are different on the "Reprise" section.

Paul McCartney ad libbing at the end. Paul sound like he is saying "Thank you very much good night now..." or "bye bye now".

The Quite One

2009-04-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

George Harrison. 6th April 1965.

On the Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty says “I think George [Harrison]’s move — I’m sure of it, really — had to do with the fact that he just didn’t want to be the guy up front, no matter that he had a Number One album at the time. He never wanted that. And the Wilburys gave him a way around it.”

Beatles: Class of '62

2009-04-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

One of the first publicity photographs of the Beatles' taken in 1962.

John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the band, a day after Toronto concert

2009-04-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

Live Peace in Toronto 1969 is a live album recorded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 in Toronto, Ontario, at a rock and roll revival show as The Plastic Ono Band. Featuring Eric Clapton on guitar (fresh from the breakup of Blind Faith), Klaus Voormann on bass and future Yes drummer Alan White (who a few months later would provide the drums on the percussion-driven Plastic Ono Band single, "Instant Karma!") on drums, the line-up is filled out by Lennon on lead vocals and rhythm guitar and Ono on vocals. The album was credited to The Plastic Ono Band, a conceptual grouping that included Lennon and Ono and whoever happened to be backing them up at that particular moment. Both Lennon and Ono would use the nomenclature for several of their future solo albums.

The album is technically a soundtrack recording, being part of the audio portion of D.A. Pennebaker's documentary movie Sweet Toronto. Lennon and Ono made a deal with Pennebaker to license their portion of the show for record, in exchange for rights to include their appearance. Unfortunately the deal fell through, with Lennon and Ono changing their minds about the inclusion (Lennon had been ill the day of the concert, and it showed on camera), and the movie was never originally released. (Showtime ultimately presented the performance during the 1980s, and the full movie appeared later on home video and DVD.)

As initially released on LP and later cassette tape, 8-track and on video cassette, side one of Live Peace in Toronto 1969 comprised John's set, which included his two Plastic Ono Band singles for the year, "Give Peace A Chance" and a preview of the yet-to-be released at the time of the show "Cold Turkey;" "Yer Blues" from the White Album; and some favoured covers of 1950s rock and roll. Side two comprised Yoko's set, including the b-side to "Cold Turkey," "Don't Worry Kyoko," and featuring her trademark caterwauling stage act, which was not quite as well received as Lennon's performance. The album ends with Lennon, Clapton, and Voorman leaning their guitars against the amplifiers to create a sustained roar of solid feedback, while Yoko continues screaming as the rest of the band leaves the stage.

On the video cassette, Eric Clapton can clearly be seen looking at John Lennon with a look of horror on his face as Yoko starts her caterwauling. Additionally, as the band are leaning their guitars against the amplifiers to create the feedback, Clapton breaks the fourth wall by looking directly into the camera and rolling his eyes in frustration at Yoko's performance.

Unlike many Lennon and Beatles albums, the individual guitars are clearly distinguishable in the stereo mix, with Lennon's toward the left channel and Clapton's toward the right. Also, the movie mix of the soundtrack offers stronger vocals by Ono during "Yer Blues", and Clapton during "Give Peace A Chance".

the art of cards

2009-04-11T01:30:00.001-07:00

Here,There and Everywhere

2009-04-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

To lead a better life I need my love to be here...

Here, making each day of the year
Changing my life with a wave of her hand
Nobody can deny that there's something there

There, running my hands through her hair
Both of us thinking how good it can be
Someone is speaking but she doesn't know he's there

I want her everywhere and if she's beside meI know I need never care
But to love her is to need her everywhere
Knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there

I want her everywhere and if she's beside meI know I need never care
But to love her is to need her everywhere
Knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there
To be there and everywhere
Here, there and everywhere

Two Of Us?

2009-04-09T09:41:00.001-07:00

John and Paul from the first Apple press conference.

Q: "Why are you here today"
JOHN: "To do THIS."
(laughter)
Q: "What is this?"
JOHN: "What's it look like?"
(laughter)
Q: "Looks like a circus."
JOHN: "Well, you know, what are YOU doing here?"
(laughter)
Q: "What is Apple, John?"
JOHN: "It's a business concerning records, films, and electronics. And as a sideline, whatever it's called... manufacturing, or whatever. But we want to set up a system whereby people who just want to make a film about (pause) anything, don't have to go on their knees in somebody's office. Probably yours."

PAUL: "We really want to help people, but without doing it like a charity or seeming like ordinary patrons of the arts. We're in the happy position of not really needing any more money. So for the first time, the bosses aren't in it for profit. If you come and see me and say 'I've had such and such a dream,' I'll say 'Here's so much money. Go away and do it.' We've already bought all our dreams. So now we want to share that possibility with others."
JOHN: "The aim of this company isn't really a stack of gold teeth in the bank. We've DONE that bit. It's more of a trick to see if we can actually get artistic freedom within a business structure."
Q: "If a youngster has a group, or their group thinks that they've got something going, what's the best way you'd recommend for them to get in touch with you to let you hear their stuff?"
PAUL: "Just get the address and send it, you know. That's it. Just send the stuff to Apple at Baker Street in London."
Q: "Will they get a hearing?"
PAUL: "Yeah."
Q: "That's great."
PAUL: "They get a reply too."
Q: "John, it said in the (press) release that you are planning to make a film of 'Spaniard In The Works.'"
JOHN: "Yeah."
Q: "I enjoy it, but I'm curious... Have you any ideas on how you plan to film it?"
JOHN: "Well yes, but not that I can explain, really. I've just gotta... make a film of the two books. (giggles) And how I do it, I don't know. But I'll do it. I can't really say how I'm gonna do it. I haven't got it on paper, you know."
Q: "Are the Beatles making another movie?"
JOHN: "Well it's in... We don't know when we're gonna make it, but it'll be, sort of, early next year."

Q: "Would you say that 'Magical Mystery Tour' is a better or worse album than 'Sgt. Peppers'?"
JOHN: "It's not an album, you see. It turned into an album over here, but it was just the music from the film."
Q: "Has anybody bought the film here?"
JOHN: "I haven't a clue, you know. We don't care."
Q: "What do you think of the critical reception of the film 'Magical Mystery Tour'?"
JOHN: "Well I mean, it doesn't matter. It does, but it doesn't really matter, you know. It's why it's not on now is what matters. That's why people aren't seeing it."
PAUL: "They were just disappointed, you know."
Q: "Did they have any valid points? Were they valid?"
JOHN: "I didn't see any valid points. They thought we were stepping out of our roles, you know. They like us to keep in the cardboard suits they designed for us."
(laughter)
Q: "What roles do they want you to stay in?"
JOHN: "Whatever they have. Whatever image they have for themselves, they're disappointed if we don't fulfill that. And we never do, so there's always a lot of disappointment."
Q: "Are there any plans for showing 'Magical Mystery Tour' in America?"
JOHN: "Yeah. We'll put it on in the streets with a screen and a projector."
(laughter)
DEREK TAYLOR: "Will they be doing a television special soon?"
JOHN: "I don't know."
PAUL: "Maybe. Quite possibly, Derek."
(laughter)
JOHN: "But we're gonna do an LP, so we don't know what happens until we've done that."
Q: "Do you ever think you might tour, or do a movie or special here in the United States?"
JOHN: "It's quite possible. Why not, except for we live there, you know."
Q: "Well, you could visit."
JOHN: "Yeah, sure. (giggles) But is it worth the journey, you know."
Q: "Do you plan on opening an Apple clothing store in the United States as a chain?"
JOHN: "No plans that I know of."
Q: "Do you consider yourselves as trendsetters for the younger generation in the things that you do, or do they just sort of happen?"
PAUL: "We follow trends ourselves. I think everyone does. I can never find out who STARTS the trends. It's someone else altogether."
Q: "You certainly have reinforced some trends that you have picked up, whether you've started them or not."
PAUL: "Yeah. That's what we do. That's what happens. They get reinforced, but they're there already."
Q: "What was your basic meaning of 'I Am The Walrus'?"
JOHN: "It just means I am the walrus... or I WAS when I said that, you know."
(laughter)
Q: "You mentioned that you are working on a new album. Do you feel that albums in general should be complete presentations all the time, or could they be groups of songs?"
PAUL: "They're always just what happens at the time, you know, but they could be anything. It could just be one long song, a million little ones... you know, it's just how it turns out. It's normally about fourteen medium songs."
Q: "Have you heard any of Jimi Hendrix' albums?
PAUL: "He's great."
JOHN: "Yeah."
Q: "Have you seen him work live?"
PAUL: "Yeah. He's too much, you know."
Q: "Why do the Beatles meditate?"
JOHN: "Because it seems to be nice, like cleaning your teeth, you know. It does have some sort of end product. I think Maharishi was a mistake, but the teachings have got some truth in them."
Q: "What do you mean he was a mistake?"
JOHN: "We made a mistake."
Q: "Do you think other people are making a mistake to go see him now?"
JOHN: "That's up to them."
Q: (asks question away from microphone)
JOHN: "We're human."
(laughter)
JOHN: "And that's all, you know."
PAUL: "We thought there's more to him than there was, you know, but he's human. And for a while we thought he wasn't. We thought he was, uhh..."
Q: "Do you have any other new philosophical leaders?"
JOHN: "No."
PAUL: "Nope."
JOHN: (jokingly) "Me."
Q: "Do George and Ringo feel the same way about the Maharishi as both of you?"
JOHN: "Yes, yeah. We tend to go in and out together. I mean, with a few spaces. So, yeah."
Q: "Are the Beatles still meditating?"
PAUL & JOHN: "Yeah."
JOHN: "Now and then."
PAUL: (giggles) "At this moment."
(laughter)

John Lennon:Leave my kitchen alone

2009-04-07T20:11:00.001-07:00

One of my fav from the Beatles Anthology book.

BREAKING NEWS:The Beatles Remasters FINALLY!

2009-04-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

THE BEATLES' ENTIRE ORIGINAL RECORDED CATALOGUE REMASTERED FOR RELEASE 09-09-09

from beatles.com

Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game. Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.

The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections 'Past Masters Vol. I and II' are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set.

Within each CD's new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the 'Past Masters' set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.

A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. 'The Beatles in Mono' gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release. It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two further discs of mono masters (covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on 'Past Masters'). As an added bonus, the mono "Help!" and "Rubber Soul" discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD. These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs retained.

Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalogue will continue. There is no further information available at this time.

RINGO:A view from behind

2009-04-06T21:29:00.001-07:00

Ringo quotes from the 2007 Rolling Stone interview

about Kurt Cobain:

“Kurt Cobain was really powerful. He had great songs that were about the time he lived in. And that attitude…. Though he was this kid, this angry motherfucker, I never felt that. I always felt that inside he was a really loving guy.”

about rather new music (2007):

“Last year, the Magic Numbers were my band. I love them. Amy Winehouse has a really cool sound. There’s a lot of people out there, but most of them only get a chance to make one CD….”

jokes about last time he saw The Rolling Stones:

“Mick got us the tickets, and we had great seats, but we were watching the screens the whole time. I thought, ‘Well, I can watch this on TV.’ So I haven’t been to a stadium show since….”

Lat time he saw Bob Dylan live:

“Some days, he gives you very clear Bob, and some days he gives a Bob that doesn’t want you to understand what he’s saying."

discusses the seemingly endless impact of The Beatles’ music:

“The kids are listening. That’s the incredible part…. You could play it now for people in blindfolds, and they’d think it was from today….”

speaks solemnly about the passing of John and George:

“With John, it was such a shock that you dealt with it later. With George, you dealt with it as it was going on, which was harder in its way. But you have to say, ‘Life is life. It happens…’ ”

JOHN LENNON:Isn't he sexy? Isn't he wonderful?

2009-04-03T14:37:00.001-07:00

MONTREAL (Reuters) - A large bed with white sheets is a central feature of a new exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "bed-in" for peace, a week-long protest against the Vietnam War.

Visitors to the Montreal exhibition, "Imagine: The Peace Ballad of John & Yoko," can lie on the oversized bed, listen to archive interviews and watch clips from the peaceful protest that Lennon and Ono conducted from their bed at the city's Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

The show, at Montreal's Museum of Fine Arts, uses videos, sketches, photographs, and an omnipresent soundtrack of music and voices to examine the former Beatle's "War is Over" campaign and his relationship with Ono.

"We're coming up to the 40th anniversary of Yoko Ono and John Lennon's bed-in in Montreal," museum director Nathalie Bondil told Reuters.

"And reevaluating today what they were doing, we realize that it was not only an extremely radical artistic action...but also something that's still pertinent in Montreal today to promote that same message of peace and love that John and Yoko were promoting 40 years ago."

READ MORE AT http://uk.reuters.com/article/stageNews/idUKTRE5325VT20090403

George Harrison:All I got is your autograph

2009-04-03T14:34:00.001-07:00

Late Beatle George Harrison is set to receive a star on the renowned Hollywood Walk of Fame later this month.

The guitarist is being honoured posthumously at a Los Angeles ceremony to unveil the star on April 14 at 11:30am PST. It is set to take place along the Walk of Fame at 1750 Vine Street, in front of the Capitol Records building, and is open to the public.

Harrison's wife, Olivia, and son, Dhani, will be present to accept the honour on his behalf.

Meanwhile, Martin Scorsese is currently directing a documentary feature about Harrison's life, and Capitol/EMI will announce plans for a new Harrison music release on April 14. -NME

Paul McCartney: Is he really left-handed?

2009-04-02T08:21:00.001-07:00

We all know that Paul play left-hand bass but is he really a left-hand? Hunter Davies made it clear in The Beatles authorized biography (1968): "His [Paul's] guitar cost fifteen pounds and Paul couldn't get anything out of it at first. There seemed to be something wrong with it. Then he realized it was because he was left- handed. He took it back and got it altered...."

But Philip Norman wrote in Shout! in 1981:"Paul, strangely, made little progress [at the guitar]. His left-hand fingers found it irksome to shape the patterns of black dots shown in the tuition book, and his right hand, somehow, lacked the bounce necessary for strumming. Then he made the discovery that, although right-handed for every other purpose, he was left-handed as a guitar player".

Umm I think I'll let this photo gives you an answer!

THE BEATLES All My Loving

2009-04-01T23:53:00.001-07:00

A hard day's ride
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Indeed the most commercially successful song recorded in 1963 that was never issued as a single. This was written by Paul as a direct result of and to his love interest at the time, Jane Asher. On April 18, 1963, The Beatles gave a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and Jane was in the audience. It would be the first time she had seen The Beatles. At this time, she was only 17, but was an accomplished actress. She had been sent to the concert as "Britain's best-known teenage girl," by the BBC magazine Radio Times, as she had been a regular with the BBC as a guest on a show titled "Juke Box Jury." It would be her job to review the concert, and later said, "Now these I can scream for." After the concert she was invited back to the Royal Court Hotel in Chelsea where The Beatles were staying. Here she meet The Beatles, and especially Paul, with whom she spent many hours in conversation. A short time later they began dating, and by year's end, 1963, Paul had moved into a room at the Asher's house on Wimpole Street. It would be through this relationship with Jane that her brother Peter also met Paul. Peter was that of Peter and Gordon fame, and recorded several songs written for him by Paul. This version was recorded on July 30, 1963.-IAMTHEBEATLES.COM

The Beatles ANTHOLOGY a must-have for beatlefans!

2009-04-01T02:32:00.001-07:00

Summer of love, the Beatles, 1967.
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Hundreds of books have been written about The Beatles, but it is crushingly obvious when reading this Anthology volume that by far the best one would naturally come from the bandmembers themselves. [The price] seems like an incredible bargain considering the size and quality of this work, which covers the years 1940 (the birth of Ringo
and John) to the breakup in 1970. At 368 coffee-table sized pages it's already huge, but the small print makes it almost double that size.

The book would be worth it just for the photos alone, which
are beautifully reprinted--many from the early years are actually in color--chronicling dozens of previously unpublished, intimate moments taken straight from the group's personal archives. But what really makes this one essential is the text itself, which is taken from
interviews conducted with Paul, George and Ringo in the 90s and an
exhaustive compilation of Lennon quotes from all points in his life (I
recognized many, but there were also some I've never seen before).
Even after the dozens upon dozens of biographies which have recounted
the group's earth-shattering tale ad nauseum, you feel like you're
reading it for the first time. All four bandmembers speak with a
thousand times more wit, frankness and detail than all of their
previous biographers combined; in fact, they manage to offer up
juicier tales, and more interesting spins on already known events,
than anything you've read before even in the most gossipy bios--and
you get it this time knowing that it's honest (you know it's honest
when you hear conflicting memories about certain events!).

"Anthology" is especially revealing when it comes to the
childhoods and Hamburg era: you get to hear about the first time
George got laid (right in front of the other three bandmembers!), or
when Ringo was a member of the Dingle gang, or what they did at
teenage parties. The detail is so thorough and vividly recalled for
the early years (and butressed by the photos) that you feel like
you're living it as it actually happened. No stone is left unturned
about the famous years, either: George and Ringo philosophize about
their first LSD trips and the meaning of "Tomorrow Never
Knows", the Maharishi controversy is finally put to rest (hint:
he never made a pass at anybody), and new insight is shed on the
evolution of the friendships between John and the other three. More
is made about the breakup than was on the "Anthology"
videos, including Yoko's presence and the business hassles, as well as
the making of "Abbey Road". Finally, all of this is told
with such an elegant sense of Beatle humor that even the heaviest
moments are a joy to read. Also included are excerpts from Stu
Sutcliffe and Brian Epstein's personal diaries. With this volume now
finally released, the only other essential Beatle books to get are
Lewishon's "Beatles Chronicle" and Miles' "The Beatles:
A Diary", both of which give exact reference dates and
descriptions for every live show, radio, recording and filming session
(as well as more great photos).-AMAZON.COM

Click HEREto buy the Beatles Anthology book.

The Beatles Book No.1 (Monthly)

2009-04-01T02:23:00.001-07:00

The Beatles Book No.1 (Monthly)
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

The Beatles Book (also known as Beatles Monthly) was founded in 1963. It was first published in August 1963 and continued for 77 editions until it stopped publication after the December 1969 edition, by which time The Beatles had effectively ceased to exist. It was revived in 1977, and ceased publication in 2003.

In early 1963 a publisher, Sean O’Mahony, (who already published a magazine about the music scene called “Beat Instrumental”) heard Please Please Me and asked Brian Epstein if he could publish a magazine devoted to The Beatles. Epstein and the group agreed and the title launched in August 1963 with a print run of 80,000 . By the end of the year circulation had grown to 330,000 copies per month . O’Mahony edited the magazine under the name of Johnny Dean.

The magazine’s photographer, Leslie Bryce had unrivalled access to the group throughout the 1960s, travelling the world and taking thousands of photographs. In addition, Beatles roadies Neil Aspinall and the late Mal Evans wrote many of the articles, and artist Bob Gibson created numerous cartoons and caricatures of the fab four on a regular basis.

In May 1976 O’Mahony revived the publication and republished all 77 original issues surrounded by eight (later sixteen) pages of new Beatles news and articles. The reissue program completed in September 1982, coincidentally at a time when interest in the band was high due to the impending twentieth anniversary of Love Me Do. Consequently the decision was taken to continue the magazine with all new content. Publication continued until January 2003 (Issue 321) when it once again ceased.

JOHN LENNON:THE LIFE by Philip Norman

2009-03-31T04:57:00.001-07:00

John Winston Lennon
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Do we need another biography on John Lennon? Yes. Why? Because the two most popular ones are the hatchet job that Albert Goldman did and Ray Coleman's fine biography that didn't quite capture the essence of who Lennon was and was hamstrung by trying to undo the damage of Goldman's book. The other question we need to ask is if there are any new facts about Lennon's life that make this worthwhile (and considering that Norman covered part of Lennon's life in his Beatles book SHOUT!). Yes--Norman digs up new facts both good and bad. He doesn't turn these new bits of info salacious or sensational comments or observations providing them with a context to help us understand Lennon as a human being.

Philip Norman has tackled one of the most difficult subjects for a biography because Lennon's life was well covered by the press and fostered a lot of myths himself. With access to Yoko Ono, Freddie Lennon's biography (and unpublished papers), Sean Lennon, Paul McCartney (via email) and others, Norman has prepared a biography that is fair balanced and presents his contradictory character thorughout his life--his bravado as well as his insecurities (of which there were many).

Fans that have read other Beatles books or Lennon biographies should be aware that the bulk of the book covers Lennon's pre-Beatles life and his time in the band throughout most of the 800 plus pages of the book. Norman does revisit familiar ground simply because they are essential events and there are those that haven't read ANY books on Lennon but he also introduces a lot of new information as well.

There are a few flaws because we are, after all, only human. There's no bibliography or discography for Lennon (although fans may be aware of the latter the former is important)although he usually cites his sources in the book. Nevertheless, Norman has written a nearly perfect (there are a few minor flaws that crept past those that reviewed the text)biography on Lennon in terms of the facts and the various opinions that knew him best. The book devotes too little in terms of Lennon's post-Beatles career and "The Lost Weekend" that he experienced when he broke up with Yoko. It also skimps over the recording sessions for "Double Fantasy" (where Yoko reportedly fought so much with Lennon during the sessions that co-producer Jack Douglas often scheduled them to work on their tracks at different times). Norman has his opinions as well and doesn't hesitate to let the reader know them. You may disagree with his opinions(I did on some) but he at least provides us with why he believes them.-amazon.com

Buy John Lennon: The Life

Beatles' Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

2009-03-31T00:23:00.001-07:00

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

You love it or you hate it. There's no somewhere in between for this reggae influenced song. It was written by Paul. He got an idea from
Jimmy Scott and his Obla Di Obla Da Band. John Lennon hate this song so much because he didn't like it style and Paul spent a lot of time for it. One day he went mad into the studio and play piano aggressively and it finally became the song introduction..!

This is the single cover in 1976. Julia in B-side.

Top 10 Beatles' Women

2009-03-30T11:55:00.001-07:00

Jane Asher
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

There are many, many girls in their lives…and here are their top 10 women.

1. Yoko Ono

She’s so heavy…no other women could match her. She sang on 2 (or 3) Beatles’ songs, inspired many Beatles’ songs and many more John’s. Her name even appears on one of their song title. She’s the perfect combination of Bohemian lifestyle of Julia (John’s mother) and strict/strong personality of Mimi (John’s aunt) …and don’t forget (some say) she’s split the Beatles!

2. Pattie Boyd

She took a role in their first film (OK, I know she said only one word [!] in A Hard Day’s Night), sang on one Beatles’ song, inspired 2 best love songs ever (1 for the Beatles and 1 for Eric Clapton) …more…she even inspired Layla album and formed the legendary love triangle with George Harrison and Eric Clapton.

3. Astrid Kirchherr (Anyone can spell her name correctly?)

Coolest girl of the exis of Hamburg . Her photographs, her hairstyle and philosophy created their early mop-top image….

4. Linda McCartney

This beautiful photographer inspired late Beatles’ songs and many, many Paul’s. A permanent member of Wings. One of the pioneer of veggie movement.

5. Mary McCartney

Who can forget the woman who inspired Let It Be?. Her untimely death drove Paul to be a teenage-rock-and-roll-maniac.

6. Julia Lennon

She’s the one who taught John to play guitar (with banjo’s chords!)…inspired Julia and many John’s songs…impressed George and Paul with ukulele….and many more…..

7. Lucy O’Donnell

She’s the one that should take responsibility for LSD popularity in mid 60’s (She inspired Julian’s painting which inspired John’s Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, which inspired many, many Beatles fans…) Archaeologists named the most primitive female man/ape fossil Lucy from this song. Lucy was also the name of a lovely girl in the Beatles related movie I Am Sam.

8. Louis Harrison

She always encourage George to practice his guitar….let the Quarry Men performing in her home….an ideal mother for every teenager….

9. Barbara Bach (Starkey)

There’s always a place for Bond’s girl (or Bond’s femme fatale)…even in this list! The only Beatles’ wife that was actually a movie star.

10. Janice

Yes, she’s a stripper…but, my friend, she’s the only one female artist that had the Beatles as her back up musicians!!!

5 Things You should know about the Beatles' Can't Buy me Love

2009-03-30T06:45:00.001-07:00

Can't Buy me Love
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

1.It was written mainly by Paul McCartney.
2.It's not about prostitute despite some rumours.
3.It was recorded in Paris, January 29th, 1964 and was overdubbed later in London for George Harrison's lead guitar part.
4. On April 4th 1964 Can't Buy Me Love is one of the five Beatles songs that held the top 5 positions in US chart. Others are Twist And Shout, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand And Please Please Me. Can you believe it?!
5.Paul sang this song solo (a rare case in early Beatles songs). But you can hear George and John's backing vocal in alternate takes (the first two takes.)-in Anthology1 CD.

10 MOST FAMOUS BEATLES CONCERTS

2009-03-29T09:38:00.001-07:00

The Gladiators
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Apart from their amazing recordings the Beatles had made some greatest shows on earth. Here are the ten events all the fans wish they had been there.

1. Shea Stadium 1965

Sunday 15 August 1965, William A Shea Municipal Stadium, New York City, USA.

55,600 fans saw the Beatles at Shea Stadium. It’s the new world record for a pop concert in terms of attendance and gross revenue. Ed Sullivan introduced the band on stage before the Beatles began with Twist And Shout and ended with I’m Down which featuring Lennon’s Hammond organ performance with his elbow. They played 12 songs with a terrific performance. The most famous Beatles concert ever!

See also: The Beatles Anthology* (DVD), The Beatles At Shea Stadium* (VHS), Real Love (CD maxi single)*

Note: *The sound you heard in this video was mostly overdubbed later.
**contains a live version of Baby’s In Black at Shea Stadium 1965 which was not issued in The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl LP.

2. Ed Sullivan Show 1964
Sunday 9 February 1964, Studio 50. New Yoork City, USA.

The Beatles played in front of only 728 audiences in Studio 50 but the show was broadcast to an estimated 73 million people across the USA, the highest US TV audience at the time. Most Americans in the sixties first saw the Beatles from this show. They played only five songs with an incredible confident. The first spread of Beatlemania in the States.

See also: Ed Sullivan presents the Beatles (DVD), The Beatles Anthology (DVD), The First US Visit (DVD), Anthology1 (CD)

3. Apple Rooftop 1969
Thursday 30 January 1969, Apple Corps (Roof), London

The last Beatles live performance (not a concert). Paul tried hard to bring the band back on the road since they gave up the concert three years ago and this was the best he could get. The Beatles played for 42 minutes in the cold wind blow of London in January at the lunchtime. Most of this rooftop performance was used in the Let It Be film and some was edited in the Let It Be LP. After all, the old boys were still rocks and it seemed that nothing can stop them. Except the police that finally brought the show to the end. Get Back was the last song.

See also: Let It Be (CD), Let It Be…naked (CD), The Beatles Anthology (DVD), Anthology3 (CD), Let It Be (VHS)

4. Royal Command Performance 1963
Monday 4 November 1963, Prince Of Wales Theatre, London

The only time the Beatles played in the presence of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret. They appeared at the seventh act on all 19-act bill but everybody knew they were the main attraction. They played four songs and before the last number, Twist And Shout, John made his famous witty introduction. Jewels were rattled and rocked.

See also: The Beatles Anthology (DVD), Anthology1 (CD)

5. London Palladium 1963
Sunday 13 October 1963, London Palladium, London

After this show, the press began to coin in the term Beatlemania to describe the scenes of the much-too-crazy hysteric fans. Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium was the top-rated entertainment program in British at the time. As reported, the screams were heard clearly even outside the theatre. Certainly, it was much louder inside that even John Lennon had to shout at his screamers to “Shut Up!” while Paul tried to announce the closing number, Twist And Shout. A phenomenon.

See also: Anthology1 (CD)

6. Washington Coliseum 1964
Tuesday 11 February 1964 Washington Coliseum, Washington DC, USA.

Probably the most exciting performance of the Fabs captured on film. The Beatles gave their first concert in North America in front of 8,092 audiences. You can see the world’s first revolving stage at this 30-minutes show. Thanks for the late Mal Evans!

See also: The Beatles Anthology (DVD), The First US Visit (DVD)

7. Hollywood Bowl 1964
Sunday 23 August 1964 Hollywood Bowl, L.A., California, USA.

The Beatles have only one live concert LP in their official catalogue. The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl, released in 1977 was a mix from this concert and another one from the same venue in 1965. It was their talents to be able to play with such a superb performance among the jet-like screams of the 18,700 fans. With their tiny monitors they definitely couldn’t hear a single note they played. Unfortunately, this album is not available in CD until now. What a shame.

See also: The Beatles At Hollywood Bowl (LP), The Beatles Anthology (DVD)

8. Candlestick Park 1966
Monday 29 August 1966,Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California, USA.

It may not one of the best shows they did. In 1966 the Beatles was so tired of playing live. But its significance of this show is it’s the last Beatles concert ever. John and Paul carried cameras on stage and took photographs of other Beatles between songs. They played for 30 minutes and the last number is Long Tall Sally. Though some source said after that they tried to play In My Life but ended it only at the intro before finally walking off stage forever.

9. All You Need Is Love 1967
Sunday 25 June 1967 Studio One, EMI Studios London

The Beatles performed All You Need Is Love live with backing tracks. They appeared in the psychedelic uniform and the show took the form of a party with many famous friends and visitors sitting cross-legged on the floor-among them Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, Keith Richard, Keith Moon, Eric Clapton, Pattie Harrison, Jane Asher, Michael McCartney and Graham Nash. The show was broadcast to the potential viewing audiences around 500 million worldwide. As the song’s ended some visitors danced the conga around the studio. Love is all you need.

See also: Magical Mystery Tour (CD), Yellow Submarine (CD), The Beatles Anthology (DVD)

10. Cavern Club 1962
Wednesday 22 August 1962, Cavern Club, Liverpool

This list will never complete without a Cavern Club show. The Beatles made their legend here with almost 300 performances but this lunchtime gig was a special one. It was the first time that TV cameras were focused on them. Granada Television, after watching two previously Beatles performances, was impressed by their electrifying shows and decided to film them at Cavern. The film captured the Beatles sang two songs, Some Other Guy and Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!. This was only a week after the dismissal Of Pete Best and you can hear one man shout “We Want Pete!” at the end of Some Other Guy.

See also: The Beatles Anthology (DVD), Live AT BBC (CD)

Beatle George Harrison in Hamburg

2009-03-29T09:32:00.001-07:00

Harrison in Hamburg
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

"In the Hamburg days we had to play so long and really rock it up and leap about and foam at the mouth and do whatever. We missed the whole period in England-- Cliff Richards and the Shadows became the big thing. They all had matching ties and handkerchiefs and gray suits, but we were still doing Gene Vincent, Bo Didley, you know, Ray Charles things. So when we got back to England that was the big thing. They didn't know us in Liverpool, and there was a big gig at the townhall or something, at a dance. There was an advertisement in the newspaper saying, 'Direct from Hamburg,' and so many people really dug the band, and they were coming up to us and saying, 'Oh, you speak good English!'"

"But a year or so after that, When Brian Epstein came on the scene, he said, 'You should smarten up because nobody wants to know you,' --TV producers or record producers or whatever. We just looked too scruffy. In Germany they had alot of leather stuff, like black leather trousers and jackets and boots."

-George Harrison, 1977

Beatles: Eye Of The Hurricane

2009-03-29T09:24:00.001-07:00

Beatles: Eye Of The Hurricane
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Q: "In a past interview, you once said that you didn't mind being in the spotlight twenty-four hours a day. Isn't there the odd time that you do enjoy doing common things, and just having it all to yourself?"

JOHN: "When we're asleep."

(laughter)

Q: "When is that?"

JOHN: (giggles) "I don't know."

RINGO: "Next Thursday."

PAUL: "Very busy."

(Vancouver, 22 August 1964)

The Beatles are warming up in ROCK BAND!

2009-03-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

In their official homepage of The Beatles Rock Band game there's something happening. The Beatles instruments begin to appear at Abbey Road studio, one by one. First is Ringo's Ludwig... now is John's Epiphone casino. And if you raised the volume of your speakers you can hear the boys warm up, tune their guitars and test the snare. I can even hear Lennon's cough!

No doubt this will be a whole new world of music market. You don't want to hear or play the Beatles anymore. You want to be them.

Guess what will be the next instrument appears in the page? Paul's Hofner or George's Gretsch Tennessean?

10 Beatles Songs That Shook and Change The World

2009-03-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

You might think no song ever really changed the world. But we think there are. Let’s pretend the ten Beatles songs in this list are never existed. Don’t you agree then that this world would never be the same?

1.She Loves You The 1963 single that made the four boys from Liverpool became the king of British music. It can be called the Beatlemania theme. The ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ phrase is the key to success and the greatest hook Lennon and McCartney ever had. Paul’s father tried to stop them for using it but fortunately, he failed. She Loves You is the best selling single of the Beatles and the most joyous too. CD-1,1962-1966,THE CAPITOL ALBUMS VOL.1 AND PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE

2.I Want To Hold Your Hand USA was the final destination for Beatles crew and they conquered it with this single. The first No.1 of them in America in the early of 1964 just days before their first historic visit. Brian Epstein said it was tailor-made directly for the American market. He was wrong-it was for the whole world as every ingredient is the first rate. Bob Dylan misheard some words and thought this is the drug song! CD-1,1962-1966,THE CAPITOL ALBUMS VOL.1 AND PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE

3.Yesterday Recorded in 1965, Yesterday wasn’t like anything the Beatles had done before. It’s not like the Beatles the fan used to know. In fact it’s not really the Beatles. Only Paul McCartney, his bittersweet voice, his acoustic guitar and a string quartet (arranged by George Martin) are on this record, with no other Beatle. This nostalgic ballad became the most covered song and most broadcast song of all time. Everybody believes in Yesterday. CD-HELP!, 1, 1962-1966

4.Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) The composer John Lennon wanted some strange sound on this strange love song. He asked George Harrison to play a sitar on it. Though Harrison ’s playing wasn’t so good, the world was amazed as it never happened before. To this day, many Beatles fan still searching for the real girl in this song. CD-RUBBER SOUL, 1962-1966

5.Eleanor Rigby After the huge success with Yesterday that has only Paul and a string quartet, a year later, Paul and Martin tried again with Eleanor Rigby. This time Paul’s vocal are backed with John’s, George’s and a string octet. Paul rarely wrote better lyrics in his life though John claimed that he had contributed in a large part. Listen to Eleanor Rigby is like watching a drama-thriller movie in two minutes. CD-1, 1962-1966, REVOLVER

6.Tomorrow Never Knows No other band had ever gone far as this and the fan can still follow. The last track of the fantastic Revolver album in 1966 but the first song they recorded for it. The song has only one or two chords in an Indian song fashion. Lennon’s voice was modified to sound like it’s from the other side of the universe while Ringo’s drumming was constantly hypnotic exciting. No synthesizer in 1966, so they used various tape loops and backwards technique to make sound effects that still sound spooky to this day. There’s only one way to listen to this song properly, turn off your mind before turn it on. CD-REVOLVER

7.Strawberry Fields Forever In 1967 The Beatles was a full time studio band. They didn’t care how long and how many takes to make a song the way they want. John wrote this tune while he’s in Spain filming ‘How I Won The War’ alone with no other Beatles. The song began its life as an acoustic dreamy tune before it’s gradually evolved through many takes, edits, mixed and re-make to be the superb psychedelic anthem at last. The Beatles released it as a single with Paul’s Penny Lane . Many critics and fans said it is the greatest 45s of all time. It never reached No.1. CD-MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, 1967-1970

8.A Day In The Life Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’s grand finale. We actually think this great album will never be nearly as great without this song. John has only three verses without middle eight and what happened was that Paul had it. Incredibly, Paul’s part fitted to John’s perfectly. John’s words are come from newspaper mostly and Paul’s are from his childhood experience. Together, it made the scene of a day in the normal man’s life- so common and so abstract at the same time. Paul and Martin used the orchestra at full effect. Sound and feel like the end of the world. CD-SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND, 1967-1970

9.I Am The Walrus The best thing in the disaster Magical Mystery Tour film. It was also in the last Beatles single of 1967 as the B-side of Hello Goodbye. The song are very complicated in many ways, John got the first inspiration from a police siren and he wrote the bizarre words in Lewis Carroll style and put some clues for some crazy fans. George Martin’s score in this song are probably his best ( tie in with ‘Eleanor Rigby’) together with the Mike Sammes Singers and an extract from a BBC radio dramatization of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy Of King Lear, Act IV, Scene VI. where fans hear someone cry “oh, untimely death.” CD-MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, 1967-1970

10.You Never Give Me Your Money/Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In Through The Bathroom Window/Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End The side B of their last LP: Abbey Road has Here Comes The Sun, Because and the two ‘huge melody’ medleys. They consist of Lennon’s and McCartney’s short unfinished music bit threaded together. The individuals may not be too good but as a whole it was one last greatest performance they recorded. This is no fluke, they’re not just two medleys, or just put the little songs together. There’s some themes behind them and the emotion was built up and down dramatically along the way. And in the end they took the love back much more than they had made. CD-ABBEY ROAD

The Beatles: Their Name Liveth For Evermore

2009-03-25T03:47:00.001-07:00

Their Name Liveth For Evermore
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

John took this photo. He also got a harmonica around here. The one he used in Love Me Do.
.....Tommy Moore was their drummer until Pete Best replaced him in August 1960. Once Best had joined, the band made its first of four trips to Hamburg, Germany. In December Harrison was deported back to England for being underage and lacking a work permit, but by then their 30-set weeks on the stages of Hamburg beer houses had honed and strengthened their repertoire (mostly Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, and Buddy Holly covers), and on February 21, 1961, they debuted at the Cavern club on Mathew Street in Liverpool, beginning a string of nearly 300 performances there over the next couple of years.In April 1961 they again went to Hamburg, where Sutcliffe (the first of the Beatles to wear his hair in the long, shaggy style that came to be known as the Beatle haircut) left the group to become a painter, while McCartney switched from rhythm guitar to bass. The Beatles returned to Liverpool as a quartet in July. Sutcliffe died from a brain hemorrhage in Hamburg less than a year later.......

Beatles: Paul McCartney In Tokyo 1966

2009-03-25T03:42:00.001-07:00

PAUL IN JAPAN 1966
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

A short interview in Tokyo 6/29/66

Q: "My name is Eric. Good to meet you."

PAUL: "Hello Eric."

BEATLES: "Hello."

Q: "Welcome to Japan. Well, I'll be the M.C. for your show. And well, I have a few questions here. Did you have a good sleep?"

PAUL: "Yes."

RINGO: "Yes, fine."

Q: "Did you have any knowledge about Japan before coming here?"

JOHN: "A little."

PAUL: "Yes a little bit, you know. Not much though."

GEORGE: "About as much as we know about most places we go to."

Q: "I see. Well, how are the Japanese fans?"

PAUL: "Great. Seem very great, yeah. We get lots of letters from Japan."

Q: "You didn't meet them at the airport?"

RINGO: "No. We came..."

JOHN: (jokingly) "We couldn't see a thing through the television lights."

RINGO: "It's AMAZING security, you know. I've never seen so many people guarding us."

Q: "We don't want you to be hurt or anything."

RINGO: "No."

Q: "So we're trying our best."

RINGO: "But we don't want the security to hurt the fans, you know. Don't get too rough with them."

Q: "Mmmm. I understand you've met your Queen."

RINGO: "Yeah."

Q: "What was the impression?"

RINGO: "Uhh, she's okay. Very good."

PAUL: (jokingly) "Yes, yes, one of the best."

Q: "How did you feel when you received the (MBE) medal?"

RINGO: "It was nice."

JOHN: "Nervous."

GEORGE: "Tired. It was early in the morning, about ten o'clock."

RINGO: "We don't like to get up too early, 'cuz we don't go to bed 'til late."

Q: "What musician and composer do you respect most?"

PAUL: "No I don't know, really. (pause) John Lennon!"

JOHN: (comically, shyly) "...Paul McCartney."

PAUL: (jokingly, exaggerated) "Ha, Ha, Ha!!"

Q: "And uhh, Paul's marriage..."

PAUL: "Yes, it's not true. It's wrong. It's George's marriage."

Q: "George is married."

PAUL: (gesturing to the others) "These three are married."

Q: "How many times do you wash your hair in a week?"

RINGO: "About once. It depends, you know."

JOHN: "Depends how hot it is... how dirty it gets, you know."

RINGO: "Depends what you're doing."

Q: "Do you cut it often?"

RINGO: "That's the same, you know. Whenever you feel like. You don't do it every week or you don't do it every month, you know. It just happens."

JOHN: (sings as they depart) "Now we say goodbye!! Da-dah, da-da-dah!!"

Read more Beatles interview at Beatles Ultimate Experience

Beatles' A Hard Day's Night: Ringo: He's the Starr!

2009-03-25T03:33:00.001-07:00

RIN...GO
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Ha ha ha finally we have come to the last man jumping: Ringo. Incredibly high! He may not be a great composer in Beatles but perhaps he's the best actor in all four. Here are the funny quotes our drummer made in AHDN.

[Huge stacks of fan mail is delivered]
Ringo: None for me, then?
Norm: Sorry.
John: [handing Ringo one letter] Here, this'll keep you busy.

Reporter: Are you a mod or a rocker?
Ringo: Um, no. I'm a mocker.

Reporter: What do you call that collar?
Ringo: A collar.

[George runs into Ringo in the hallway]
George: Hey, do you know what happened to me?
Ringo: No, I don't.
[Ringo walks on]

click here to see the four boys jumpset.

John Lennon's last portrait?

2009-03-24T05:27:00.001-07:00

John Lennon's last portrait?
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

A few days before he died.

"Sometimes you wonder, I mean really wonder. I know we make our own reality and we always have a choice, but how much is preordained? Is there always a fork in the road and are there two preordained paths that are equally preordained? There could be hundreds of paths where one could go this way or that way - there's a choice and it's very strange sometimes... And that's a good ending for our interview." -John Lennon

Buy The Last Lennon Tapes

5 Memorable quotes from the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night

2009-03-24T03:01:00.001-07:00

PAUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

1.George: That's not your grandfather.
Paul: It is, you know.
George: But I've seen your grandfather. He lives in your house.
Paul: Oh, that's my other grandfather, but he's my grandfather, as well.
John: How do you reckon that one out?
Paul: Well, everyone's entitled to two, aren't they?

2.Grandfather: Hullo.
John: He can talk then, can he?
Paul: 'Course he can talk. He's a human being, isn't he?
Ringo: Well if he's your grandfather, who knows! Ha ha ha!

3.[the boys are listening to the radio]
Man on Train: And we'll have that thing off as well, thank you.
Ringo: But...
Man on Train: An elementary knowledge of the Railway Acts would tell you that I'm perfectly within my rights.
Paul: Yeah, but we want to hear it, and there's more of us than you. We're a community, like, a majority vote. Up the workers and all that stuff!
Man on Train: Then I suggest you take that damned thing to the corridor or some other part of the train where you obviously belong.
John: [Leaning over to the man] Give us a kiss.

4.Man on train: Don't take that tone with me, young man. I fought the war for your sort.
Ringo: I bet you're sorry you won.

5. Man On Train: I shall call the guard!
Paul: Ah, but what? They don't take kindly to insults, you know.

Buy A Hard Day's Night DVD

The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night: 5 more facts you should have known better

2009-03-23T03:17:00.001-07:00

GEOOOOOOORRGE!!!!!!!!
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Good afternoon, Beatle people. It's 17:08 here in Bangkok and the sun was going down. Let's continue talking about some more astonishing facts from the Fabs' first movie.

1.When a female reporter asked John Lennon if he has any hobbies. John's written answer unseen by us read 'tits'.

2.Pattie Boyd (later George Harrison's wife) appear three times in the first act: 1) She is one of the two "schoolgirls on the train" they first encounter 2) Paul chats her up with her friend. 3) She sits next to Paul and smiles and sings on "I Should Have Known Better". all on the train.

3.Opening scene, you'll see George Harrison stumbles and falls: that's real.

4.In the boys-romp-in-the-field scene there is 'Can't Buy Me Love' accompanied but the first choice is 'I'll Cry Instead'...Well, good change because Can't Buy Me Love is more upbeat and that's not the sad scene.

5.While all Beatles attended the movie's premiere, none stayed for the whole show.

In the clip below watch 'I'll Cry Instead' which was switched to be the introduction in the VHS version and at 2:27 watch George Harrison's stumbling as mentioned in 3.You know it's real when you see Lennon's laugh at him!

Buy The Beatles - The Making of A Hard Day's Night

5 facts you should have known better about: The Beatles' A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

2009-03-22T02:42:00.001-07:00

JOOOOOOOOOOOOOHNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Beatle jump: John Lennon in A Hard Day's Night.1964
1.At the film begining, the chasing fan after the Beatles at a train station is the real fans!

2.There's no mention of the world 'The Beatles' in the movie!

3.Working titles of this film are 'The Beatles' and 'Beatlemania' until Ringo came off with this quite creative and funny phrase 'A hard day's night'. It also have been appeared in John Lennon's book In His Own Write.

4.Phil Collins, a young boy then is one of the audience at the television theatre. He's wearing glasses.

5.We can see the director Richard Lester for a few seconds backstage while the Beatles perform 'Tell Me Why'.

Buy A Hard Day's Night soundtrack

Ringo's Ludwig Drums come alive!

2009-03-21T10:16:00.001-07:00

Ringo Starr in a pensive mood at BBC Paris Studio, London, Wednesday 18 December 1963.Above photo is the 'new' Ludwig Liverpool 4 Kit.

You can wait for the Beatles' Rock Band but this is the real thing. Ludwig is reviving the Black Oyster Pearl drum finish that The Beatles' Ringo Starr played in 1964 in the famous Ed Sullivan Show. Now it's called Liverpool 4 Kit.Recommended price is $4285, stands not included.

"First and foremost I am a drummer. After that, I'm other things. ...But I didn't play drums to make money. I played drums because I loved them. ...My soul is that of a drummer....It came to where I had to make a decision -- I was going to be a drummer. Everything else goes now. I play drums. It was a conscious moment in my life when I said the rest of things were getting in the way. I didn't do it to be come rich and famous, I did it because it was the love of my life."
-Ringo Starr,1984

The Beatles in Miami, rehearsal for the second Ed Sullivan Show, Feb 1964. Note Ringo's Ludwig-that's what we're talking about!

Buy The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia now at best price

THE BEATLES AT SHEA STADIUM

2009-03-20T03:20:00.001-07:00

THE BEATLES AT SHEA STADIUM
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

The Beatles played at William A Shea Municipal Stadium two times. But it's the first that most fans remember. Sunday 15 August 1965. Seen by 55,600 fans- a new world record for a pop concert. It's one of the most exciting concert ever. You can see some of it in Anthology DVD. Someday I wish the film The Beatles At Shea Stadium could make its way to official DVD or some new format.

That night they played :Twist And Shout (mini version),She's A Woman,I Feel Fine,Dizzy Miss Lizzy,Ticket To Ride,Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby,Can't Buy Me Love,Baby's In Black,Act Naturally,A Hard Day's Night,Help! and I'm Down.

See a footage from this show if you want to know the definition of Beatlemania.

Buy the Beatles at Shea stadium DVD now!

Beatles for sale online-How much? And by who?

2009-03-19T06:59:00.001-07:00

In Our Room
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

According to NME, Dhani Harrison said The Beatles estate is considering starting a standalone download site offering the band's music-not iTunes. They think a Beatles song is worth more than 99 cents, the iTunes price. When I heard this news I ran up upstair to my bedroom and play Dr. Ebbett's Revolver CD at Volume nearly 10. (I realise again how much I love them and how useless my other 2000+ Cds are.)

Personally, I don't care about this download market at all. All we, Beatles fans need is, remastered CD of all their official UK catalog. When we heard Love we knew that they can made such a terrific sound from their master tapes. Incredible it was recorded 40 years ago. But the Beatles and Apple seems to be distracted by new projects all the time. You know, many fans have DIED already.Really.

Their 1987 CDs are pretty bad-sounding but not all of them. But can be improved in every albums. MOJO magazine has heard some remastered White Album tracks last year. They said they're fantastic. No surprise. It should be. But when? I don't need no 40th Anniversary Abbey Road scrapbook for my White Album fountain pen!

By the way, I don't like their songs being in iTunes store. It's boring. Be different like the old days, boy! Sorry, I have to go to practice a Rock Band game, I have to be an expert before 09-09-09. The best things in life are free. But you can give'em to the birds and bees.

Buy the Beatles Love (CD + Audio DVD) at best price now!

Paris, here we come!

2009-03-18T15:05:00.001-07:00

Paris, here we come!
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Les Beatles 1964. The Beatles played at the Olympia Theatre from 16 Jan to 4 Feb , 18 days of two, sometimes three show each! The boys also found time to record German versions of 'She Loves You' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' in 29 Jan. But that's the last time they did something like that.

English boys sang German in Paris!

Q: "This afternoon in our Paris studios we're visiting with four young men. And if I just mention their first names, such as Paul and George and Ringo and John, I doubt if you'd know about whom we're speaking. But if I said we're here this afternoon with the Beatles, and if we were in England, I think we'd get a great big rousing 'Hurrah!' Wouldn't we, boys?"

(Beatles laugh)

PAUL: (dryly) "Oh yeah."

Q: "Well, let's see. We have to my right here, Paul McCartney. Paul tell us, how did the Beatles get going? How did you start?"

PAUL: "It's a funny story, really. (laughs) You know, it was back in the old days. We were all at school together, really, you know. We grew up as school teenage buddies, and things. It developed from there, really."

Q: "Well, did you sing together around school, or..?"

PAUL: "Yeah. George and I were at school together and John was at the school next door, and Ringo was at Butlins."

(Beatles laugh)

PAUL: "...and we just started playing guitars, and things. And it went on from there, really, as far as I'm concerned."

Q: "Well, you say those were the olden days. Now within the past year, you have mushroomed in tremendously... almost out of sight popularity. What was the click? What levered this great rage for the Beatles?"

PAUL: "Well, it's funny really. I think it was the Palladium show, you know, the television show in England. And then following hot in the footsteps we had the Royal Variety Command Variety (clears throat comically) performance."

(Beatles giggle)

John Lennon and his drummer-in-the-box toy

2009-03-18T14:48:00.001-07:00

John Lennon and his drummer-in-the-box toy
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

25 May 1966. Interpret the scene the way you want!
But this is what the photographer said...."I wanted to illustrate that, in a way, there was nothing more amazing about Ringo than anyone else on this earth. In this life he was just one of two million members of the human race. The idolization of fans reminded me of the story of the worship of the golden calf."

Paul McCartney and his Hofner 1966

2009-03-18T14:44:00.001-07:00

Paul McCartney 1966
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Nice shot from a Revolver session. You must think he's very happy then. Here, there and everywhere, Good Day Sunshine..Got To Get You Into My Life... but then there's For No One which is argubly the saddest fab song ever.

In his hand is a Hofner 500/1 'Violin-Bass' which he made famous. After 1966 he used it less, rotate between this and Rickenbacker 4001S. But it still an Beatles instrument fans mostly remember, apart from Ringo's Ludwig.McCartney still has a 1963 model with him until now.(The 1961 one was stolen.)

He only used Hofner once in Revolver. A Lennon's trippy 'I'm Only Sleeping' . Interestingly, it was used in another song, 'She Said She Said' but played by George Harrison! (A rare case where Paul did not played on a Beatles song.)

I just listened to this album ( a needle-drop CD which is much better than 1987 CD) again this evening. It's still fantastic. So many styles you can't believe played by the same band. My favorites are 'And Your Bird Can Sing' which has an excellent guitars duet and some nice brief harmonies. 'Tomorrow Never Knows' still sounds strange after all these years. They made the crazy, chaos noises from very limited technologies.'Eleanor Rigby' is like a soundtrack in one song, Classical and Classic...and...I confess I love almost every tracks in it.

In case you want to feel like Macca.....
Icon Series Vintage Violin Bass (Transparent Green Flame Top)
Buy Revolver Vinyl LP now

Ringo, May 1966

2009-03-18T14:33:00.001-07:00

Ringo, May 1966
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Revolver session. Do you like his drummin' ? Or his hairstyle and shade? Seriously, his drummin' in She Said She Said is a killer.

Martha My Dear

2009-03-18T01:48:00.000-07:00

click at photo for full-size image

Martha my dear though I spend my days in conversationPleaseRemember me Martha my loveDon't forget me Martha my dear

Hold your head up you silly girl look what you've doneWhen you find yourself in the thick of itHelp yourself to a bit of what is all around youSilly Girl.

Take a good look around youTake a good look you're bound to seeThat you and me were meant to be for each otherSilly girl.

Hold your hand out you silly girl see what you've doneWhen you find yourself in the thick of itHelp yourself to a bit of what is all around youSilly girl.

Martha my dear you have always been my inspirationPleaseBe good to me Martha my loveDon't forget me Martha my dear.

Buy The Beatles (The White Album) 30th Anniversary edition now!

Eight Days A Week

2009-03-18T01:29:00.000-07:00

click at photo to enlarge

Ooh I need your love babe,Guess you know it's true.

Hope you need my love babe,Just like I need you.

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.I ain't got nothin' but love babe,Eight days a week.

Love you ev'ry day girl,Always on my mind.

One thing I can say girl,Love you all the time.

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.I ain't got nothin' but love girl,Eight days a week.

Eight days a weekI love you.

Eight days a weekIs not enough to show I care.

Ooh I need your love babe,Guess you know it's true.

Hope you need my love babe,Just like I need you.

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.I ain't got nothin' but love babe,Eight days a week.

Eight days a weekI love you.

Eight days a weekIs not enough to show I care.

Love you ev'ry day girl,Always on my mind.

One thing I can say girl,Love you all the time.

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.

I ain't got nothin' but love babe,Eight days a week,Eight days a week,Eight days a week.

Abbey Freshies

2009-03-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

click at photo for full-size

The Beatles, very early day at Abbey Road.
Can you see George's left black eye? A Pete Best's fan'd given him one night at Cavern.
According to Ringo... "George fought for me." ^_^

List of recordings made at Abbey Road studios in the sixties
1961: "(Ghost)Riders in the Sky"/"Torquay" – The Scorpions
1961: "Rockin' at the Phil" / "Scorpio" – The Scorpions
1963: Please Please Me – The Beatles
1963: With The Beatles – The Beatles
1964: A Hard Day's Night – The Beatles
1964: Beatles for Sale – The Beatles
1965: Help! – The Beatles
1965: Rubber Soul – The Beatles
1966: Revolver – The Beatles
1967: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles
1967: Odessey and Oracle – The Zombies
1967: Magical Mystery Tour – The Beatles
1967: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn – Pink Floyd
1968: A Saucerful of Secrets – Pink Floyd
1968: S.F. Sorrow – The Pretty Things
1968: The Madcap Laughs – Syd Barrett
1968: The Beatles aka ("The White Album") – The Beatles
1969: Soundtrack from the Film More – Pink Floyd
1969: Ummagumma – Pink Floyd
1969: Yellow Submarine – The Beatles
1969: Abbey Road – The Beatles

Beatles in Liverpool!

2009-03-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

10th April 1963,

Top Rank Majestic

BallroomBirkenhead,

Liverpool.

It was their last apearance at this venue. Do you want to know that it's Wednesday?

click at photo for full-size

The Cavemen:Beatles at Cavern

2009-03-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

It was very sad that they burned the old Cavern down. It was a little place that had shaped the greatest rock band. They said it's very hot down there. Look at what they're wearing!

click at photo to see the larger size.

The Cavern Club, which was opened on January 16, 1957, is a legendary rock and roll club at 10 Mathew Street, Liverpool, England, where Brian Epstein was introduced to the Beatles on
9 November 1961.

Alan Sytner opened the club inspired by visiting Paris's Jazz district, on the Left Bank, where there were a number of clubs in cellars. Sytner returned to Liverpool and wanted to open a club similar to Paris's Le Caveau. He eventually found a perfect cellar for his club, one which had been used as an
air raid shelter during the war.

What started as a jazz club, eventually became a hangout for skiffle groups. Sytner ended up selling the Cavern Club to Ray McFall in 1959, after moving to London.

Blues bands and Beat groups began to appear at the club on a regular basis in the early 1960s. The first Beat night was held on May 25, 1960 and featured a performance by Rory Storm and the Hurricanes (which included Ringo Starr as drummer).

Cilla Black was the hat-check girl.

The Big Three, recorded live at the Cavern ClubIn 1961, The Beatles made their first appearance at the club, after returning to Liverpool from Hamburg, Germany, where they had been playing at the Star Club for up to eight hours a night, every night. Their stage show had been through a lot of changes and some in the audience thought they were watching a German band. From 1961 to 1963 The Beatles made 292 appearances at the club. In the decade that followed, a wide variety of popular acts appeared at the club including The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Elton John, The Who and John Lee Hooker.The club closed its doors in March of 1973, and was demolished during construction work on the Merseyrail underground rail loop.

A new Cavern Club (called the Cavern Mecca), was opened in April of 1984 by Joe Davey. It was built with some of the same bricks that had been used in the original club and was designed to look as closely as possible like the original.

On December 4, 1999, former Beatle Paul McCartney returned to the Cavern Club stage to play a set publicising his new album Run Devil Run.

From wikipedia

BEATLES 4X4

2009-03-15T16:39:00.001-07:00

The world used us as an excuse to go mad.-George Harrison

click at photo to see the larger size!

A Stone and a Beatle (plus...)

2009-03-14T09:31:00.001-07:00

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Mick Jagger,John Lennon and Yoko Ono. A studio in NY.1971-1972 . The boys got along very well and surely having fun.

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"They want to hold onto something they never had in the first place. Anybody who claims to have some interest in me as an individual artist or even as part of the Beatles has absolutely misunderstood everything I ever said if they can't see why I'm with Yoko. And if they can't see that, they don't see anything. They're just jacking off to - it could be anybody. Mick Jagger or somebody else. Let them go jack off to Mick Jagger, okay? I don't need it."

John Lennon

Behind the Beatles

2009-03-14T04:04:00.000-07:00

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The Ed Sullivan Show, 1964.

Imagine the thrill for us going on the Ed Sullivan Show, especially when they told us it was the biggest show ever. I still remember one of the producer guys coming into our dressing room just before we went on and saying ‘It’s being watched by seventy million people you know’. It was like ‘Shhh. Don’t’ tell us that now. Tell us later’. But then when you look at the tape, we don’t look nervous.

-Paul McCartney

Though I've watched this footage many years later I still got excited like I watched it live. That's the magic of the Beatles.

George Harrison

2009-03-14T03:27:00.000-07:00

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"Paul introduced me to George and I had to make the decision whether to let George in. I listened to George play and said, 'Play Raunchy' [a 1958 hit for saxophonist Bill Justis]. Then I said, 'OK, you can come in.' I couldn't be bothered with him when he first came around. He used to follow me around like a bloody kid, hanging around all the time. He was a kid who played guitar and he was a friend of Paul's which made it easier. It took me years to come around to him, to start considering him as an equal."

-John Lennon

Don't Leave Me Alone

2009-03-13T15:11:00.001-07:00

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Brian Epstein and the Beates (far away) USA,1966.

Brian Samuel Epstein (IPA: /ˈbraɪən ˈepstaɪn/) (19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepeneur, and the manager of The Beatles. Through his family's company, NEMS (North End Music Stores) he also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black and The Remo Four.
The Beatles recorded a demo in Decca's studios—paid for by Epstein—which he later persuaded George Martin to listen to, as Decca were not interested in signing The Beatles. Epstein was then offered a contract (after Martin had auditioned the group) by EMI's small Parlophone label, even though they had previously been rejected by almost every other British record company.
Epstein died of an accidental drug overdose at his home in London in August 1967. The Beatles' early success has been attributed to Epstein's management and sense of style.
Paul McCartney said of Epstein: "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian."

McDonald

2009-03-13T15:09:00.001-07:00

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Paul relaxes at a stop on tour. It should be 1963.

November 2008: Today Sir Paul McCartney claimed again that he wasn't living in the past. 'Not a second time!', he said, 'let it be. I feel fine, and your mother should know that all I've got to do, when I'm sixty-four, is don't ever change', though he's actually sixty-six. 'Don't let me down', he added, 'I'm so tired.'

The former Beatle has been reticent about his life and career with the 4 moptops until recently, but today he surprisingly announced that he was going to release a previously unreleased Beatles song, and even more surprisingly that it would be one of his own ones, and even more amazingly surprisingly that he would be appearing on lots of chat shows to talk about The Beatles again. 'All I've got to do is wait', he said, 'and then when I get home and I've got a feeling, well, in spite of all the danger it won't be long, and I'll get you as long as there's no purple haze or smoke on the water in my life.'

At this point his estranged wife Heather Mills said: 'Now you see what I had to put up with!' But Sir Paul said: 'I've written a new song, and would like to take this latest binge of self-publicity to play it to you, so here it is:

'Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far awayBut now it looks as if they're here to stayOh, how I wish Heather was in Guantanamo Bay
Suddenly, I'm not half as rich as I used to beThere's a legal writ hanging over meOh, yesterday came suddenly
Why she wouldn't go earlier I don't know, I told her not to stayI never said nothing wrong, going to call my attorn-ay
Yesterday, Monopoly was such an easy game to playNow I need a place to hide my cash awayOh I believe in yesterday.'

What d'ya think?' 'It's crap', came a voice from the grave, 'you still can't write songs as good as mine!'

Note:The story (in brown fonts) above is a satire or parody. It is entirely fictitious.

Paul in A Hard Day's Night

2009-03-13T02:48:00.000-07:00

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Quotes:From A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Ringo: I don't snore.
George: You do, repeatedly.
Ringo: Do I snore, John?
John: Yeah, you're a window-rattler, son.
Ringo: That's just your opinion. Do I snore, Paul?
Paul: With a trombone hooter like yours, it would be unnatural if you didn't.
Grandfather: Now, Paulie... don't mock the afflicted.
Paul: Ah, come off it, it's only a joke!
Grandfather: Aye, it may be a joke to you, but it's his nose. He can't help having a hideous great hooter! And his poor little head, trembling under the weight of it!

Magical Mystery Lonely Hearts Club Band

2009-03-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

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The Beatles ,1967. I like the way Paul looks at John's smiling face. This may from Magical Mystery Tour era.One of my fabs favorite as it appear in a magazine, Starpics, which was released after Lennon's untimely death in 1980.

For all of the talk about our generation’s dwindling attention span and the shortening of pop culture cycles, there are certain movements that endure for generations. One of these has been Beatlemania. The Beatles are universally considered as rock music’s most important group. A band that swept the world by storm with their infectious pop and their adventurous and constantly evolving sound, The Beatles also had a major impact on something else – fashion.

Despite being together for less than a decade, The Beatles were fashion icons who constantly played with their image. It’s impossible to point to one unifying aspect of beatles fashion. A group that popularized mop top haircuts and suits in their early days, beatles fashion also encompasses elements of hippy culture and during their really, really early days – greaser fashion. Aspects of the beatles fashion for women can be seen in the popularity of female hippy fashion. Of course there’s more to fashion beatlemania than simple psychedelica.

From the shaggy look the group employed in their last years to the classic John Lennon rounded glasses, beatles fashion is slowly becoming recognized as its own unique fashion movement. As enduring as their music, beatles fashion is a great source of fashion inspiration.

Englishboys in Hamburg

2009-03-11T23:15:00.001-07:00

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'Mach schau!' (Make a show of it!)

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This is horizontally reversed. Back then (2001?) when I had to change the PC wallpaper every two days. The Photoshop skill is very amateur. But it was long ago and I don't want to change anything. In fact, that skill doesn't improved much!Many said their performances in Hamburg were very raw and best. They played 'What'd I Say' for twenty minutes. How about that, Genesis and Yes?It's like a fairytale, they came back to Liverpool as a new band. Sharp and rocks their way to the top. They, like Lennon said, really grew up in that Hamburg.

Stuart Sutcliffe

2009-03-11T23:08:00.001-07:00

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The man who may created the Beatles' name with John Lennon.Imagine he lived and went to America with the band in 1964....I don't know who will have name like Cute Beatle or Queit One then! By the way, he may be the Gay One, sorry.

" I had been pretty nasty to Stu on the last day we were with him. We were leaving Hamburg, and he was staying behind with Astrid. I caught his eye on stage, as he was playing with us for the last time. He was crying. It was one of those feelings, when you're suddenly very close to someone"
- Paul McCartney

Beatles Top Poll!

2009-03-11T07:20:00.001-07:00

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L-R John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Pete Best. They're the most popular band in Liverpool by then.

As it appeared on the original historic Mersey Beat newspaper, issued on January 4th, 1962. This issue announced the results of its popularity poll in bold headlines on the front page: Beatles Top Poll! Just three days earlier the Beatles had auditioned for Decca Records, and after hearing news of the poll John, Paul, George, and Pete were elated. They knew that this public endorsement could not be ignored by co-producer Mike Smith at Decca and they would soon sign their names to a contract.

more info here

Please compare their looks with the photo below. I think Brian Epstein's decision is absolutely right.

You're fired!

2009-03-09T12:29:00.001-07:00

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Beatles with Pete Best. A few months before he was sacked. To this day he still don't know the exact reason why. He said recently that the only man alive know this is Paul McCartney. Who may have forgotten it long ago!-that's me thinkin'.

Why was Pete Best fired?

There are some theories....

1.George Martin thought he wasn't a good drummer. He thought they must have some session drummer in for the records but he never told them to fire Pete.

2.Paul,John and George jealous of Pete's good-looking.

3.They didn't get together well socially. Ringo is more better.

4.His curly hair couldn't created in a mop-top style.

5.Ringo is a better drummer.

Which one do you believe?

The Fifth Beatle Card

2009-03-09T00:17:00.001-07:00

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There are so many fifth Beatles but Stu Sutcliffe is probably well deserved this name best. He used to sing Elvis' Love Me Tender on stage and the girls melt. For me, he's the coolest Beatle.

Yesterday I read the George Best' autobiography at British Council. There's a photo of him which he described..."no wonder why they called me a fifth Beatle..."--Yes, he was somewhere between Harrison and McCartney.. But he was in Manchester United!

I Am The Walrus

2009-03-08T08:25:00.001-07:00

"I am the eggman!"

A bizarre scene from the movie 'Magical Mystery Tour'. Have you seen that one? Maybe someday it will be reissued as DVD again. Though not quite a great film but it definitely has a great soundtrack.

I Am The Walrus is a really great song. Lennon and Martin's work of geniuses. How can they make a very complex sound like this...listenable and even tuneful. Goo Goo G'Joob!

Lennon explained the origins of this song in his 1980 Playboy interview: "The first line was written on one acid trip one weekend. The second line was written on the next acid trip the next weekend, and it was filled in after I met Yoko. Part of it was putting down Hare Krishna. All these people were going on about Hare Krishna, Allen Ginsberg in particular. The reference to 'Element'ry penguin' is theelementary, naive attitude of going around chanting, 'Hare Krishna,' or putting all your faith in any one idol. I was writing obscurely, a la Dylan, in those days."

If the RAIN comes....

2009-03-07T06:48:00.001-08:00

John's learnin' 2 fly.

Ha ha ha looks like John's floatin' into a space below.Beware strong winds. You may need a catcher.

Image Of Broken Light

2009-03-06T14:19:00.001-08:00

Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about...

The Beatles Forever

One of my favorites. The boys look incredibly cool. Even Ringo! This shot was used to promote the Strawberry Fields-Penny Lane single and became the CD single cover years later. You have to hear both of them in MONO.Fantastic.

George Harrison with Joe Brown's guitar

2009-03-06T14:17:00.001-08:00

."...Some days I will have a THOUSAND of this."

Joe Brown is George's old friend. This was taken while Brown went to a toilet. In Concert For George in 2002, Joe sang the last song of the night for him. Take my breath away. It's the only DVD I've cried for-like a baby.

Before this dance is through, I think I'll love you too....

2009-03-06T07:30:00.001-08:00

I'm so happy when you dance with me....

How can I used other songs to describe this? Though it maybe a lady who sings that!

"I'm so happy when you dance with me" was penned by John but he gave it to George. Perhaps it's too corny for him?

And we call this a drumset, Jimmy....

2009-03-06T07:05:00.001-08:00

Boys are you sure this man is a professional drummer?

Yes, he's a pro.And a lucky man. Ringo was sick and they have to find another drummer for the Australian/Asian tour in 1964. Jimmy had so little time to practice Beatles' songs. But he got it over finally. It may not so hard. Because no-one hears him play anyway. Just screamin' ladies!

It quite strange that years later Jimmy never wrote anything about Beatles. While someone like me write about him endlessly and I haven't even been born then.

They nearly didn't do the Australia tour. George [Harrison] is a very loyal
person, and he said, 'If Ringo's not part of the group, it's not The Beatles. I
don't see why we should do it, and I'm not going to.' It took all of Brian's and
my persuasion to tell George that if he didn't do it he was letting everybody
down.

Jimmy Nichol was a very good drummer, who came along and learnt Ringo's parts well. Obviously, he had to rehearse with the guys. They came and worked through all the songs at Abbey Road so he got to know them. He did the job excellently, and faded into obscurity immediately afterwards.
-George Martin