Have a happy, safe and "Fab" New Year from The Beatles Blogger and A Beatles Revolution.com

Celebrate New Year's Eve with a Beatles tribute

Brad Armstrong, who portrays George Harrison in "Imagine: Remembering the Fab Four," a Beatles tribute band, said he knows more about Harrison than the Beatles probably did.

"When it comes to the Beatles, the worst chroniclers of their own history are they themselves," Armstrong said with a laugh during an interview with The Park Record. "If you really want to understand the Beatles, you don't read their words. You go research what other people have written."

That's exactly what Armstrong did when he needed to brush up on his Beatles' knowledge. He watched videos and listened to countless recordings. And he lost himself in extensive biographies by friends, his ex-wife Patty Boyd and various music critics.

"I studied whatever I could about George," Armstrong said. "I had to know George like the others guys in the band knew their characters. I mean, we're all Beatle nuts, or better, Beatle nerds. The band is at an extreme level when it comes to Beatle trivia."

Armstrong joined "Imagine" which includes Daniel "Dango" Burt as Ringo Starr, Tom Coburn as John Lennon and Richard Fazzi as Paul McCartney in 2004, some 11 years after its inception.
"I'm pretty sure the idea of the band when it was formed was to have fun," Armstrong said. "And I'm pretty sure the idea is still to have fun."
was played on the radio at the time."I tip my hat to the era we grew up in because it had a lot of good music," he said. "There was such a free spirit to it and it was a lot of fun."
The Beatles, however, captivated Armstrong because there was an element of innocence in their music and their TV and movie appearances.
"They were energetic and they were upbeat," he said. "They were fresh and interesting. There was like a childhood boldness about it all."
At first, Armstrong was drawn to the songwriting and philosophies of John Lennon, before switching to Team Harrison.
"I used to be a John guy for what he did with peace," Armstrong said. "But I think George was more authentic with his life and his dedication to Eastern philosophies. He always seemed to have his life under control."
Armstrong said it is a challenge to play the classic Beatles songs, while acting like the Beatles, because the original band is such an icon in music history.
"It's not only extremely difficult, but I don't know how well we do it," he said with a laugh. "We have to find some kind of balance, because we are ourselves who are trying to carry off other personalities at the same time. And those personalities have been engrained in the public's consciousness for nearly 50 years."
Armstrong said what makes it a bit easier is "Imagine" is strictly a tribute.
"We try not to put our own little touches into the music," he said. "We play the songs like you would hear them on the record. And we always try to keep it fun, because a lot of tribute bands miss the point while playing live and tend to forget the Beatles were fun."
Playing the early Beatles songs is easier than playing the songs the band members recorded in their later years, Armstrong said.
"One of the reasons they quit touring was because their music was difficult to pull off live," he said. "(The compositions) were getting sticky in 1966. 1967, it was pretty much impossible to play their new music live, unless they went on tour with a big supporting cast of choruses and multitude of side musicians.
"These days, it is possible, with all the advanced musical technology, to play songs the Beatles couldn't perform live," Armstrong said. "I mean, it's easy to program the various sounds and samples into a keyboard, which, at the time, they didn't have access to."
"Imagine: Remembering the Fab Four" is still looking at other songs in the Beatles catalog to learn, Armstrong said.
"We like to mix things up a bit, not just for ourselves, but for our audience as well," he said. "We try to add new songs and the original repertoire is so huge, and the hits are so big, that there is no problem of running out of material."
Armstrong's favorite Beatles and Harrison songs change daily.
"I'll tell you which songs I like at this moment," he said. "It's 'Strawberry Fields.' And my favorite George song is his post-Beatles 'Isn't It a Pity,' from his (1970 masterpiece) album 'All Things Must Pass.' But if you ask me the same question tomorrow, you will get different answers."
Although Imagine is fine playing the songs and donning the Beatles period costumes from the early days, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and the later years, the members still want to find ways of making the show more exciting.
"We have been talking about incorporating more audio-visual stuff into the show," Armstrong said. "It's a quantum leap for us and it will take a lot more effort and time. Plus, you have to come up with a concept to do it right. So that's our next step."
Imagine: Remembering the Fab Four will perform at the Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main Street, Friday through Sunday, Dec. 31 through Jan. 2, Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m. and Sunday's show will start at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25-$30 in advance and $30-$35 at the door. For more information call (435) 649-9371 or visit www.egyptiantheatrecompany.org

The Beatles In Lord Of The Rings In ‘Moria Road’

I saw this story and thought every Beatles fan needs to see this!

Believe it or not, there was a time when The Beatles wanted to star in a live-action adaptation of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, with Stanley Kubrick to direct. The cast would be Paul McCartney as Frodo Baggins, Ringo Starr as Sam Gamgee (both as hobbits), George Harrison as the wizard Gandalf, and John Lennon as the creature Gollum, but either Kubrick wasn’t on board for it or Tolkien killed it (it’s unclear which).

Obviously, that would have been an interesting project that unfortunately we’ll never get to see. But artist Shane Parker has decided to give us his depiction of what the Beatles in the LoTR could have looked like with his Abbey Road-LoTR mash-up “Moria Road.”

Parker’s take is slightly different than what the Beatles themselves has envisioned. While McCartney is still Frodo, Harrison is the elf Legolas, Starr is the ranger Aragon, and Lennon is wizard Gandalf (it looks like the Gandalf the White version of the character, though with the gray staff). In the image, the gang is walking single-file along an aged zebra-crossing road like the group did for their 1969 classic album Abbey Road. While McCartney was holding a cigarette on the album’s photo, in Parker’s version of his as Frodo, he’s holding the One Ring.

The image was one of the submissions in Super Punch’s art contest, where entrants were asked to create movie posters, concept art, custom toys, or any other work of art for “Stanley Kubrick’s Lord of the Rings, starring The Beatles.”

---Express Eve
Geeks of Doom.com

Lennon’s Bermuda Inspired Salute To Women

Former Beatle John Lennon said when he was inspired to write “Woman” in Bermuda, he wanted to create not just a love song to his wife Yoko Ono but also as an anthem to the female presence in the world, “Rolling Stone” magazine reported this week (Dec. 23).
Written in Bermuda during the summer of 1980, “Woman” was the first single released after Lennon’s December 8, 1980 murder. Described by one critic as “the breathlessly excited audio postcard Lennon recorded for Yoko when he was vacationing and demo-ing in Bermuda”, the song topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic in early 1981. “Woman” has come to be regarded as one of the singer/songwriter’s finest and most mature works in the years since his death.
“Rolling Stone” writer Jonathon Cott interviewed Lennon just three days before he was shot to death by psychotic fan Mark David Chapman outside his New York apartment building. After Lennon’s death, only brief excerpts from the interview — much of it focussing on the creative renaissance he experienced in Bermuda – were published. Recently, Mr. Cott unearthed the original tapes and “Rolling Stone” this week published a transcript of the entire nine-hour interview to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Lennon’s death.
The former Beatle told Mr. Cott: “The song ‘Woman’ came about because, one sunny afternoon in Bermuda, it suddenly hit me what women do for us. Not just what my Yoko does for me, although I was thinking in those personal terms … but any truth is universal.
“What dawned on me was everything I was taking for granted. Women really are the other half of the sky, as I whisper at the beginning of the song. It’s a ‘we’ or it ain’t anything. The song reminds me of a Beatles track, though I wasn’t trying to make it sound like a Beatles track. I did it as I did ‘Girl’‘ many years ago — it just sort of hit me like a flood, and it came out like that. ‘Woman’ is the grown-up version of ‘Girl’.”
Home demos Lennon recorded of “Woman” as a work in progress in Bermuda — along with other material he either wrote or polished here for “Double Fantasy”, the last album released during his lifetime – have been posted on-line. The album took its name from a Bermuda freesia Lennon and his then four-year-old son saw at the Botanical Gardens and also referenced the ex-Beatle’s relationship with Yoko Ono.
_-BERNEWS

Look Back: Beatles' 'Hello, Goodbye' Tops Chart 43 Years Ago

(RTTNews) -  The Beatles reached number one on December 30, 1967, with their single "Hello, Goodbye."

Written by Paul McCartney, the song was released as a single in November and appeared on the band's "Magical Mystery Tour" album. The track would be the Beatles' third U.S. number one of the year. The double A-sided "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" topped the chart in March, while "All You Need Is Love" reigned for a week in August.

"Hello, Goodbye," backed by John Lennon's "I Am The Walrus," spent three weeks at the top of the chart. It took over number one from the Monkees' "Daydream Believer" and was eventually replaced by "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" by John Fred and His Playboy Band.

by RTT Staff Writer

Decision not to list Ringo's birthplace "ignorant" - Liverpool campaingers

Campaigners battling to save Ringo Starr's Liverpool birthplace from demolition have dismissed a decision not to grant the building "listed" status.

Officials at English Heritage (EH) turned-down a request for Number 9 Madryn Street to be put under a preservation order because of its historic importance.

Advice given to Minister for Tourism and Heritage John Penrose, by English Heritage chiefs, is that the terraced house in Liverpool does not "fulfil" the criteria to merit a preservation order.

However, it has emerged that at the same time EH recommended that the zebra crossing featured on the Beatles Abbey Road album should be preserved.

A report from English Heritage said: "After examining all the papers on this file and other relevant information and having carefully considered the architectural and historic interest of this case, the criteria for listing are not fulfilled."

A spokeswoman for English Heritage said:" "The zebra crossing has been listed... as a celebration of The Beatles' renown, and for its phenomenally strong group value with the Abbey Road recording studios... We did not recommend 9 Madryn Street for listing, however, as it lacks the undeniable Beatles connection of other sites, and is an otherwise unremarkable building historically and architecturally."

But the Save Madryn Street campaign dismissed suggestions that the English Heritage decision will encourage council chiefs in Liverpool to go ahead with controversial plans to demolish the property that is part of the Victorian "Welsh Streets" clearance initiative in the Dingle.

Beatles tourism guide Philip Coppell, Chairman for the Save Madryn Street campaign, said: "English Heritage have shown their intellectual ignorance with this decision.

"Years ago we had to fight for years before they would agree to put a blue plaque on John Lennon's home in Menlove Avenue. Here again they have shown that they do not understand the reality of what is important to the ordinary people of Liverpool and to Beatles fans all over the world.

"We are not at all daunted by this and we will continue our fight to preserve Madryn Street for posterity.

"No-one has ever suggested that Number Nine is of particularly great architectural importance.but what English Heritage have failed to understand is that it has enormous significance in terms for tourism and Beatles heritage in Liverpool.

"Beatles fans around the world have been appalled at the thought that the council could demolish a building that so many of them want to come and visit.

"The reality is that it makes enormous economic and environmental sense to preserve the Welsh Streets and we remain very hopeful that Liverpool City Council and the Government will see that it will cost next to nothing to preserve and maintain 9 Madryn Street as a tourist attraction."

by Nick Webster
Click Liverpool

December 1960: A wild time for the Beatles

The Beatles reinvented themselves several times over their career, from comic mop-tops to psychedelic gurus to post-modern self-directed artistes; but perhaps one of their most remarkable transformations occurred before most of Britain or the world even knew they existed. Fifty years ago, as the winter 1960 seeped into Britain, the Beatles returned from a little over three months on the stage boards of Hamburg’s Kaiserkeller where they had put in hundreds of hours of performance. Back in August, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Stu Sutcliffe had recruited Pete Best (and his relatively new drum kit) at the last minute for their very first club residency in the St. Pauli District of West Germany’s busiest port.
This red-light district would evaporate much of whatever pretence to innocence they still held and amphetamines would fuel the energy they needed for the strippers and barmaids they dated and the hours they kept. But the reason they were there, the reason they were the center of attention in this back pocket of civilization, resided in the music they played at the Kaiserkeller.
When the band first arrived, they had quickly exhausted their meager repertoire, so they resorted to repeating songs, placing different grooves behind existing material, extending solos, and frantically learning repertoire from other bands and from records. In what must have seemed a moment of eternity, they went from being a college band with little more than attitude to a decent rock band with a robust stage presence.
George Harrison would later observe that, if nothing else, they possessed ambition. With each night, as they grew more competent, they attracted the attention of other club owners and musicians in Hamburg’s St. Pauli District, such that when they attempted to work in a different club, Bruno Koschmider (the owner of the Kaiserkeller and the sponsor of their work permits) pursued having them deported.
Suddenly the police learned that Harrison violated the district’s age curfew and imprisoned him in St. Pauli’s gaol. Next, when McCartney and Best lit a condom on fire as a prank, police charged them with arson. All three of them soon found themselves on their ways back to Britain.
Sutcliffe, in the meanwhile, had moved in with his German girlfriend, Astrid Kirchherr, leaving Lennon to strap his amplifier to his back and pick up his guitar and suitcase to make the lonely trip back to Merseyside. It might have ended there, in disarray, back in their parents’ and guardians’ homes, like naughty boys sent home from school for an academic infraction; but it did not.
Returning to Liverpool may have temporarily depressed them. Hamburg, like Liverpool, had seen more than its fair share of bombs; but with America’s Marshall Plan flooding through its ports to rebuild Western German as a bulwark against the Soviet Union, this port city flourished. Liverpool, on the other hand, seemed a forgotten stop on rusting rails.
Nevertheless, the undaunted Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Best reunited and tapped into their network of Liverpool supporters to secure a gig. With Sutcliffe warm in the arms of Kirchherr in Hamburg and rediscovering his passion for art, the band needed someone to play bass and convinced college student Chas Newby to join them temporarily. After a brief rehearsal and two small and under-advertised gigs, they made an appearance at the Town Hall Ballroom in Litherland, on the northern side of Liverpool where an old acquaintance, Bob Wooler functioned as the DJ. Their billing for the event listed them as “Direct from Hamburg,” leading some in the audience to believe they were German.
Musicians know the feeling. You are about to play a new venue and you can hear the ambient discord of the audience, a mix of murmurs and shouts while boots and heels clatter on the dance floor as the evening’s prelude to the music, the dancing, and often a fight. You recheck the tuning on your guitar and the chip on the bead of your drumstick and try to be at once comic and calm.
Wooler advised the band that, when he announced them, they should come on strong. With the adrenaline rushing through their veins, they needed little convincing. The difference from the previous summer, when they were at best an uneven band, was that they now applied the experience of Hamburg. When these leather-clad rockers hit Litherland’s stage, they resembled almost nothing that the locals had ever seen.
Accounts suggest that the room froze the moment they launched into “Long Tall Sally,” Paul McCartney doing his best imitation of Little Richard. Bouncers pivoted in anticipation of the fight they thought might be about to erupt, only to see the audience rushing the stage to feed on the energy emitted by the band.
Musicians and audience members remember gigs like this one. The Beatles erased any lingering memories of the middleclass college-pudding band they might have been and commenced the long march to the toppermost of the poppermost. That this journey began in an otherwise nondescript suburban dance hall should be reassurance for every high-school band in the world.
Gordon Thompson is Professor of Music at Skidmore College. His book, Please Please Me: Sixties British Pop, Inside Out, offers an insider’s view of the British pop-music recording industry.

Kennedy Center Honors Paul McCartney

The "Kennedy Center Honors" telecast (Tuesday at 9 p.m. on CBS) is a permanent fixture on the windblown tundra that is the prime-time television schedule between Christmas and New Year's Day, airing a few weeks after the gala itself. Some years are less frozen than others.
Once in a while, you can make a case for relocating the Honors program to a choicer spot on the schedule (what about spring?), where more people might happen to see it. Last year's Honors, for example, was a very good show that ended in a rousing tribute to Bruce Springsteen and managed to capture a certain pride of place about Washington and its performing arts jewel box on the Potomac.
In other years, like this one, the Honors show reverts to a chilly, old form. It's as if the event has been wheeled in from the cultural infirmary wing for a song-and-dance show that's being staged in the hospital community room. It claps along and smiles.
This is not a swipe at the average age of the honorees. Indeed, the event should be about artists who are older and filled with reflective satisfaction, and not just in the opera-house box above, but in glimpses of their peers onstage below. In any of its 33 years, the Honors have provided the rare treat to an underserved viewer who will, for a current example, take true delight in seeing Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera and Carol Channing grasp hands with confident vim and belt out one of honoree Jerry Herman's show tunes.
Winfrey, who is over-adored at this point, is seen in the box of honor, there with Sir Paul, the president, a fashionably bespectacled first lady and other honorees. Winfrey reaches behind her seat to grip her partner Steadman Graham's hands as Jennifer Hudson launches into a beautiful song from "The Color Purple" musical that Winfrey produced. McCartney succeeds at appearing quite pleased by his musical montage, the show's finale, even as No Doubt, Steven Tyler and others mangle a broad sampling of his solo and Beatles oeuvre.
The highlights, as ever, come with the tributes to slightly less stellar - thus somehow more human - honorees. The Herman montage is the most ebullient by far; the Bill T. Jones dance tribute is naturally the most challenging; and the Merle Haggard montage is deeply moving in a way that best represents the true spirit of the awards. Alas, this great middle part is also where viewers will likely surf away.
Meanwhile, those of us who remain cannot help but parse each of the show's "big moments" for authenticity. What must it be like for these five people to sit through such adulatory excess? The show is worth it to viewers who like to try to sense the degrees of awkwardness, humility, vehrklemptitude and pride that repeatedly wash over the faces of the honorees as each is saluted for a full quarter-hour or more.
The camera is always returning to them, like a mosquito hoping to extract more blood, and the honorees know it is there. Such shots last much longer than those nanosecond reaction shots of nervous nominees during awards shows; if it hasn't been done already, some enterprising YouTuber should compile many years' worth of legendary faces as they squint, weep, smile and clench their way through this peculiar psychological endurance test of ego management and acceptance of one's luminary status. To look too pleased with oneself makes for bad television; to look too mortified is an exercise in mock modesty. And to look too near death is another problem entirely.
Of all the awards shows that viewers think they could improve upon (from the Oscars on down), the Kennedy Center Honors has problems that seem the most vexing - any idea for transforming it into better television would doubtless compromise its noble sense of purpose. Like so much about Washington, the show is deeply set in its ways, which often means that the warmness generated in the opera house that evening can easily elude the stuffier telecast, which has been produced by George Stevens Jr. since forever.
Also, to the surprise of no one, the show has been sanitized for our mainstream protection. Gone are political comments playwright Edward Albee made about revolutionaries and the liberal, blue-state joie de vivre that he says separates excellent artistry from cultural mediocrity. (Albee introduced the portion of the show honoring provocative choreographer Jones.) Gone too is a crack that comedian Chris Rock made during the tribute to Winfrey about Sarah Palin being able to read a book, which elicited some boos.
Or something like that. You would literally have had to have been there (or read about it in The Washington Post's coverage) to know what really happened.
This echoes a similar edit by PBS this year, when Mark Twain Prize recipient Tina Fey's saucier remarks (again referencing Palin) never made it to the broadcast, an ironic twist, because sauciness is exactly what gets a person a Mark Twain Prize.
I say let these people - honorees, performers, guests - dig their own holes and electrify these snoozy shows, speaking freely about whatever they think is funny or interesting. Then let the masses brutally inform them otherwise the next day. Getting outraged beats drifting off.
The 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors (two hours) airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. on CBS.

Elvis Presley and The Beatles Top 2010’s “Most Dangerous Autographs”

Every year, the experts at PSA/DNA Authentication Services create a list of the most counterfeited autographs on the market. The Santa Ana, California company is the world’s largest in the market of autograph authentication. This year’s list of the “most dangerous autographs” of historical and entertainment figures is dominated by rock stars of yesteryear, with the recently deceased Michael Jackson landing on the charts, as well.“This past year, our experts reviewed over 200,000 autographs submitted by collectors and dealers worldwide,” said PSA/DNA’s president, Joe Orlando, “PSA/DNA does not often receive obvious forgeries, so if our rejection rate for a particular autograph, such as Babe Ruth and Elvis Presley, approaches or exceeds 50 percent, you can only imagine how high that percentage might be in the overall marketplace.”
Orlando said that Jackson’s death has caused a flood of forgeries in the marketplace:
“With his recent passing in 2009 at the age of 50, Michael Jackson forgeries flooded the marketplace in 2010. Prices for authentic Jackson autographs generally range from $200 for signed piece of paper to $1,000 or more for a signed photograph."
The 2010 Top 10 Most Dangerous Autographs of Historical and Entertainment Figures:
1) Elvis Presley
2) The Beatles
3) John F. Kennedy
4) Marilyn Monroe
5) Michael Jackson
6) Jim Morrison
7) Neil Armstrong
8) Jimi Hendrix
9) James Dean
10) Walt Disney

Yoko Ono: John Lennon would love Facebook, Twitter if he was alive today

If John Lennon was alive today, he would be a huge fan of Facebook, Twitter and other social media, the late iconic musician's wife Yoko Ono said in an interview with the Daily Mail published on Saturday.
"He'd be sending out pronouncements and messages and giving his opinion all the time on everything," she said. "He would be 70 years old, but he’d want to know everything that's going on."
In the revealing interview, Ono also addressed rumors that she had broken up the Beatles, her relationship with Paul McCarthy and naturally, Lady Gaga's bottom.
Ono, who was often blamed by Beatles fans for the band's breakup, said there was no way she could have split up the band.
"They broke up because they reached an end," she said. "But in doing so they all also created new beginnings."
After the breakup of the band, Ono said she felt like she was hated by the whole world – so much so that she had to concentrate on Lennon, who she said sheltered her from the rudeness from fans and his former band mates.
It was, she said, a testament to the true love the two of them shared until his death in 1980 when he was shot by a deranged fan.
That love, wasn't always easy, she told the newspaper. When the couple split in 1973 after he had an affair with his personal assistant, Ono said it was surprisingly McCartney who brought them back together.
"He spoke to me, he spoke to John, he got John to come back and understand the door was open," she said. "It was a very big thing Paul did for us. Paul has a very sweet side and he and I have made our peace."
As business partners in the Beatles' deal with Apple, McCartney and Ono even still talk, despite the rumors of their animosity towards each other. In an interview with Reader's Digest in October, McCartney said Ono had eyes for him before Lennon – and that their tension began when Ono refused to switch the songwriting credit on "Yesterday" from "Lennon/McCartney" to "McCartney/Lennon".
"If you're reading this, Yoko, there’s still time," he told the magazine.
Ono sees it differently, months later, according to her interview with the Mail.
"We know each other very well, and while we've had differences in the past, there was never a rift as people think," she said. "It was never so black and white."
With Lennon's music a treasured reminder of the past, Ono said she still keeps up with music today – including controversial pop star Lady Gaga.
"She has a very lovely bottom," Ono said. "I think she's wonderful. John would have loved her, because she's an artist, she's fearless and she pushes every limit, which we both always adored."


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/2010/12/26/2010-12-26_yoko_ono_john_lennon_would_love_facebook_twitter_if_he_was_alive_today.html#ixzz19GvIZOAv

KISS – Sings THE BEATLES

TMD unearths a rare audio clip from 1990 of legendary rock act KISS doing an interview in a New York City rehearsal studio right before the start of the band’s infamous “Hot In The Shade” tour. At the start of the clip is Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons trying their hand at some classic songs by THE BEATLES. The first one is “Help!” and the second is “Please Please Me”. In the KISS lineup at this point in time was Bruce Kulick on lead guitar and the late great Eric Carr on drums.



THE BEATLES were certainly a major role model for KISS and this interview indeed shows the hottest band in the land has always had a lot of respect and admiration for the Fab Four’s incredible musical legacy. While some don’t take KISS or their music too seriously (this means you Rock And Roll Hall of Fame), the listener will learn that KISS is not only rooted in the fundamentals of early rock that came before them… but that all of the original KISS songs were written on an acoustic guitar… not electric.

The near seven minute long interview clip also includes Paul doing the opening of the KISS ballad “Forever” and Gene reeling off joke impressions of JUDAS PRIEST’s Rob Halford and IRON MAIDEN’s Bruce Dickinson.

Listen to the rare audio below!

http://www.kissonline.com/

Yoko Ono on The Beatles' break-up

Yoko Ono

After almost 40 years of speculation, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono has finally dispelled the myths surrounding The Beatles' break-up.

Ono, who has been often accused of being a major factor in the band's demise, has set the record straight.

"The Beatles were a group made up of four very complex men, and my small hand could not have broken these men up," the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.

"They broke up because they had reached an end, but in doing so they all also created new wonderful beginnings," she added.

Already an acclaimed avant-garde artist and musician, Ono said she was hated by the whole world for many years.

"When I met John, I was blamed for breaking up the Beatles, I was blamed for ruining John and I was painted as a dragon. I had to deal with that. John had to deal with that. I could have turned and ran, but that was never an option," she said.

"People didn't speak to me or they were just rude to my face. It did hurt and it was tough, but I always kept my focus on the bigger picture," she added.

"Every day I told myself I was a lucky person because I'd met the man I loved, I wasn't starving, I wasn't ill, there was no bomb in my house. I just had to get through it, and it was a great learning curve, because I had to find my own strength inside of me, inside of the two of us," said Ono.

Read more: Yoko Ono on The Beatles' break-up - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/music/news-and-interviews/Yoko-Ono-on-The-Beatles-break-up/articleshow/7167340.cms#ixzz19EGhTv51

Merry Christmas From The Beatles Blogger

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas

Philadelphia radio station featuring Beatles online all day for Christmas Eve

Philadelphia Classic Rock station WMGK is playing the Beatles all day long for Christmas Eve. The Beatles marathon started at 6 a.m. ET this morning and continues through midnight ET.
In addition to the songs, the station fills in the time between records with bits from the BBC and the Beatles' Christmas records.
Outside of Philadelphia, you can hear the music online at http://www.wmgk.com.
The station, by the way, is also the home of Andre Gardner and his "Breakfast With the Beatles" show.

The Beatles Museum Will Open in Buenos Aires Early Next Year

Latin America’s first museum dedicated to the Beatles will open in Buenos Aires on January 3 and will display the “treasures” of the greatest collector of objects of the Liverpool quartet. “It is the only museum on the Beatles catalog which belongs to a private collector. It’s really unique in the world after The Beatles Story in Liverpool, ” said Argentine collector Rodolfo Vazquez said in remarks published today by the newspaper Tiempo Argentino, Buenos Aires.

Vazquez joined in 2001 the Guinness Book of Records for his collection of objects from the “Fantastic Four ” that adds about eight thousand 500 items, from photos and records, clothing, checks signed by members of the legendary band and even a box condoms with the image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Much of these objects will be displayed in this museum, which will operate within the cultural complex The Plaza, in downtown Buenos Aires, which also re-baptize a theater room with the name of John Lennon.

In the same complex has been operating for years the Cavern Club Buenos Aires, a bar that recreates the atmosphere of the legendary pub The Cavern in Liverpool where the Beatles started their successful career. Well, this is an another honor for the legend.

---Coffee Today

Beatles fans will bid up 'Yellow Submarine' art

Beatles fans will bid up 'Yellow Submarine' art | detnews.com | The Detroit News

John Lennon on Fatherhood, Feminism, and Phony Tough Guy Posturing

Three decades after his tragic death in New York City at age forty, John Lennon retains quite a grip on our cultural imagination. He has been the subject of countless biographies, magazine articles, and documentaries. In November, a BBC Masterpiece Theater special explored his final days with the Beatles; and the recently released independent film Nowhere Boy delved into his childhood and adolescence. His has been one of the most chronicled lives of our times.
Now some new information about Lennon has surfaced. Rolling Stone magazine writer Jonathon Cott interviewed Lennon just three days before his murder on December 8, 1980. After Lennon's death, only brief excerpts from the interview were published. Recently, Cott unearthed the original tapes and Rolling Stone published the entire interview in the December 23, 2010 issue.

New Free Ed Sullivan Show app for iPhone, iPad features Beatles, Stones, more

A free new app for Apple's iPhone and iPad that just became available today features clips of the Beatles and many of the acts that have appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Others featured include the Dave Clark Five, Elvis Presley, the Jackson 5, the Doors, the Supremes, James Brown, Bill Haley and the Comets, Buddy Holly, Ella Fitzgerald, George Carlin, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli and even the little Italian mouse Topo Gigio, among others. Eighty-one artists in all are included.

 

The app links to short clips from each of the acts, plus a biography. Also included are links to purchase some of the various Ed Sullivan DVD sets.

Charity shop sells Beatles records for £260

Two Beatles LPs donated anonymously to a Suffolk charity shop have sold for a total of £260, a store manager has said.
The LPs - one a first pressing of the group’s 1963 debut album Please Please Me, the other a copy of the 1966 hit Revolver - were in bags of records handed in at the British Red Cross Shop in Woodbridge.
Shop manager Merriam Keeble said an expert valued the Please Please Me LP at £230.
She said the bag also contained copies of With The Beatles - the group’s second LP, also released in 1963 - and the 1965 album Rubber Soul.

McCartney Treats Freezing Fans To Food After Gig

How cool is this?...Way to go Paul!

Sir. Paul McCartney treated fans at his homecoming show in Liverpool, England to free food and drink after they braved freezing temperatures to attend the gig.
  The Beatles legend played the O2 Academy in the city on Monday (20Dec10) and many loyal devotees stepped out in the snow and ice to see their idol.
He thrilled the audience by singing hits from throughout his lengthy career - and even after the show had finished he still had his fans in mind.
McCartney paid for free fries, as well as tea and coffee, to be handed out to the crowd as they left the venue, according to the Liverpool Echo newspaper.

Stretch of Abbey Road Made Famous By the Beatles Becomes Protected Landmark

By DAVE ITZKOFF

The Beatles had their suggestion for what a road could be used for, and the British government now has its own recommendation for a street closely associated with the Fab Four. On Wednesday the stretch of Abbey Road where the Beatles were photographed for the cover of the album of the same title was designated a site of national importance, Reuters reported. The street, in the St. John’s Wood district of northwest London, was designated a Grade II listed site by Britain’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport, meaning that it cannot be altered without the approval of the local authorities.
In a statement, John Penrose, Britain’s minister for tourism and heritage, said, “It is a fantastic testimony to the international fame of the Beatles that – more than 40 years on – this crossing continues to attract thousands of visitors each year, trying to mimic their iconic Abbey Road album cover.”
He added: “This London zebra crossing is no castle or cathedral but, thanks to the Beatles and a ten minute photo-shoot one August morning in 1969, it has just as strong a claim as any to be seen as part of our heritage.”
Paul McCartney, who some conspiratorially minded Beatles fans believed was dead based on clues they interpreted in some of the group’s songs and on the “Abbey Road” cover, proved he was still very much alive by remarking in a statement, “It’s been a great year for me and a great year for The Beatles and hearing that the Abbey Road crossing is to be preserved is the icing on the cake.”

Paul McCartney rocks the HMV Hammersmith Apollo of London

 

After having given one of the most intimate concerts of his career, Paul McCartney had chosen the "Hammersmith Apollo” on Saturday for his last concert in London. This venue built in the thirties in the Art deco style kept all its prestige. Macca did not miss to underline that he played here with The Beatles and that at that time the Hammersmith Apollo was a major venue.

Earlier in the afternoon, if Paul McCartney’s fans braved the snow, the traditional soundcheck was also disturbed by the weather. The band had to rehearse during almost one hour without the presence of Wix who had difficulties to reach the venue because of the snow. The happy owners of the Hot Sound Package attended 1h30 of rehearsal before they were asked to leave the place to keep intact the surprise effect of the London children’s choir on Wonderful Christmastime played during the evening.

Regarding the concert, always in very good shape Macca and his band played during more than 2h15 in this venue which has undoubtedly very good acoustics! Even if it is bigger that than the 100 Club, Paul McCartney was close enough close to the stage to clap some fan’s hands at the end of the concert.

Just before closing the evening, Paul did not forget to wish a Merry Christmas to his audience to whom he has just given once more, the most beautiful show.



 
Set list:
Magical Mystery Tour
Jet
Got To Get You Into My Life
All My Loving
One After 909
Drive My Car
Let Me Roll It
The Long And Winding Road
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
Maybe I’m Amazed
Blackbird
Here Today
I’m Looking Through You
And I Love Her
Dance Tonight
Eleanor Rigby
Hitch Hike
Sing The Changes
Something
Band On The Run
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Back In The USSR
A Day In The Life / Give Peace A Chance
Let It Be
Live And Let Die
Hey Jude
Wonderful Christmastime
I Saw Her Standing There
Get Back
Yesterday
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / The End

Source: MaccaBlog.com
Marjorie Gobert & Gaetan Panon

Lost Pics of Beatles, Zeppelin and Other Legends Surface

A remarkable collection of vintage rock ‘n’ roll photographs has been rediscovered in the personal archives of the late, renowned photographer Chuck Boyd (1942-1991). Boyd began his career in the early ’60s, working in Los Angeles for fan magazines such as Tiger Beat, and quickly befriended enough artists, managers and publicists to gain some remarkable access to the top acts of the ’60s and ’70s. Among the newly rediscovered works are shots of The Beatles at their 1965 press conference at Dodger Stadium, one of Bob Dylan’s earliest Los Angeles press conferences, and shots from Led Zeppelin’s historic 1970 stand at the L.A. Forum.
Boyd’s work is distinguished by the proximity to the action that he was granted by trusting subjects. For instance, his shots of The Who in concert are taken over Keith Moon’s shoulder.
“Among the many accolades frequently offered about Chuck was that he was respected by his peers as one of the best low-light photographers of the day,” says Jeff Schwartz, who has curated Boyd’s work. “One reason he had access to musicians onstage, backstage and in the dressing room was that he was unobtrusive and wasn't obviously in their environment, making them feel like they were in the spotlight, or poking around, cramping their style. Chuck was with the band. They didn't mind having him around. He was a nice guy. You can see in the photos people are smiling, not a ‘Get out of my face’ look. You see it in the studio and in the green room. Jimi Hendrix is smiling in Chuck's studio shots.”
Other subjects in the rediscovered archives include The Rolling Stones, Jerry Garcia, Elton John, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Jim Morrison, Carlos Santana and Frank Zappa. Photos are on display through December at the Culver Centrale gallery in L.A.To see more, visit http://www.chuckboydgalleries.com.

Chuck Crisafulli

|

12.20.2010

Paul McCartney’s homecoming secret gig at the O2

It was a triumphant Paul McCartney who held the O2 Academy stage for two-and-a-half hours last night, barely pausing for breath in a good-humoured homecoming gig packed with sing-along hits.
He saved the 1969 single Get Back until the end of his first encore, but it would have better fitted the introduction as the recently announced concert was, as the ex-Beatle said himself, a nostalgia trip.
Warmly greeting the audience as if they were a handful of people rather than a crowd of hundreds, Macca shared memories of Liverpool between songs; writing One After 909 with John Lennon in the McCartney’s Forthlin Road council house and being born in Walton Hospital – "in World War I," he cracked.
The set took in the Fab Four, Wings (Band on the Run, Jet), his 2008 album Electric Arguments created with record producer Youth (Highway) and solo work (Dance Tonight).
Vintage versions of Drive My Car and All My Loving took him back to the days of his early fame, and he paused to suggest the original Cavern should be excavated.

Then it was off to Hamburg for a cover of Ray Charles’ Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying, before a story about being honoured to play a gig at The Apollo Theater in Harlem last week following in the footsteps of his heroes James Brown and Ray Charles.
It was interesting to witness one so idolised being humbled by such a brief encounter with his own idols.
McCartney paid moving tributes to his late fellow Beatles – a rendition of Sometimes on the ukulele for George Harrison ("I played it for him now I’ll play it for you") and Day in the Life merging with Give Peace a Chance for Lennon.
However, Ringo Starr, outshone by Macca’s charismatic drummer Abe Laboriel Jr, didn’t get a mention.
An emotional Let It Be and Hey Jude, with McCartney on piano, finished the main set but it was only seconds before he was back again, fizzing with energy, for Day Tripper, I Saw Her Standing There and Get Back.
A poignant Yesterday, on solo acoustic guitar, Lady Madonna and Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band completed the concert.
"It’s great to be finishing the year home again" said McCartney. "It’s beautiful."
And the cheering crowd, of all ages and backgrounds, clearly agreed.

by Laura Davis, Liverpool Daily Post

Read More http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/12/21/music-review-paul-mccartney-s-homecoming-secret-gig-at-the-o2-academy-liverpool-92534-27860061/#ixzz18iJb3HDT

John Lennon tribute event in Israel

A concert is being held in Tel Aviv tomorrow night, December 20th at Hichel Hatarbut (the O2 of Israel), to mark the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's tragic death.

14 leading Israeli talents are going to perform the music of Lennon and the Beatles live at the event, including Mashina, Hayehodim, Keren Peles, Miri Mesika, Yizhaar Ashdot, Irmi kaplan, Hemi Rodner, Shlomi Shaban, Sholomo Grounich, Saanan Street, Maor Choen, Megical Mystry Tour and Efrat Gosh.

The 30th Anniversary tribute concert is a charity event for Pithon Lev, a nonprofit organization which operates the educational center Lagahat Bahofek, named after the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon.

It concert will be a very high profile event in Israel with lots of media coverage and will be broadcast live on radio and the internet. You can log on to www.ynet.co.il on Monday evening 8:30, 20th of December, Tel Aviv time, to experience it live through the net. In the UK, that would be 6:30 PM. In the US, the concert starts at 1:30 PM Eastern time, 10:30 AM Pacific time on Monday.

Inspiration For Beatles' 'A Day In The Life' Died 44 Years Ago

(RTTNews) - London socialite Tara Browne died on December 18, 1966 - an event that would inspire John Lennon to write "A Day In The Life," a song considered by many to be the Beatles' best.

Brown, 21 years old at the time of his death and a friend of members of the Beatles and of the Rolling Stones

, was the son of a member of the House of Lords and an heir to the Guinness fortune. He died in a car accident, missing a traffic light while driving his sports car at high speed and crashing into a truck.
The following January, a story appeared in the Daily Mail describing the coroner's verdict in Browne's death. Reading it, Lennon incorporated the story into the song that would eventually become the closing song on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
Starting out with the lyric "I read the news today, oh boy . . ." the song went on to describe Browne's death and the public's reaction:
"He blew his mind out in a car,
He didn't notice that the lights had changed,
A crowd of people stood and stared,
They'd seen his face before,
Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords."
by RTT Staff Writer

Wanna buy a Beatle's house?

For a mere $4.5 million, the local vacation home and property of the drummer of arguably the greatest band in rock ‘n' roll history can be yours.

Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr and wife Barbara Bach have put their three-bedroom Woody Creek cabin on the market. The price also includes a little more than 16 acres of flatland with frontage on the Roaring Fork River.

Joshua Saslove of Aspen's Joshua & Co. said he represented the seller when Starr bought the house 20 years ago. He's now representing the famous couple in trying to sell what he described as “a boutique ranch on the river.”

The Starrs don't frequent the Aspen area enough to justify keeping the house, Saslove said.

“They loved the property,” Saslove said. “It just hasn't been used much over the years. It's cute. It's got a great setting.”

He said at the request of the owners, the house will not appear on the Multiple Listing Service. Nor will it be featured on the Joshua & Co. website. The home will only be shown to qualified buyers. Only those who are serious should seek the opportunity to be evaluated.

Saslove declined to discuss features of the 3,200-square-foot cabin's interior or other amenities that will be included with the purchase — again, at the request of the owners. The house was built in 1987.

Starr, 70, and Paul McCartney are the two surviving members of the Beatles. Both continue to perform live and record. After the Beatles broke up in 1970, Starr, whose birth name is Richard Starkey, had a few solo hits, including “It Don't Come Easy,” “Photograph” and “You're Sixteen.”

---
Andre Salvail
Post Independent

Mexican Artist Exhibits 120 Oil Paintings of Beatles Albums in Mexico City’s Airport

Mexican painter Antonio Luquín collection of oil paintings depicting all 120 covers from albums that The Beatles recorded as a group, or in their solo careers will be shown in Mexico until march 2011.
The collection is part of an exposition titled “Let It Beat. From The Beatles To The Beat Less Reloaded” that opens Friday, and will be in display until March 6 2011.
“The phenomenon known as the Beatles transformed the musical genre, art appreciation, the way of experiencing love, and as if that wasn’t enough, the stance of individuals toward society, and their own selves” the artist said.
The exhibit includes iconic renditions of the front covers of “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Beatles for Sale”“Revolver”, “Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Let it Be,” as well as Paul McCartney’s “Memory almost full”, “Ringo Starr and his all starr band live”, Lennon’s “Imagine”,  and George’s “All things must pass”.
The exhibit also features several original albums hung next to Luquín’s paintings.

“Each reproduction pays a homage to the music and the art with which The Beatles were able to question a conservative society, and grant it freedom of love, diversity and thought” said Luquín.
This exhibit comes two weeks after the 30th anniversary of Jhon Lennon’s death, and is on display at the Exhibit Center of the terminal # 1 of the Benito Juárez International Airport of México City.

Beatles to digitally reunite on stage

The two surviving members of the Fab Four, Sir Paul McCartney, 68, and Ringo Starr, 70 will perform alongside digital images of late band mates George Harrison and John Lennon, reports the Daily Star . McCartney and drummer Ringo will play with backing musicians at the famous Hollywood Bowl, scene of one of their most famous gigs 45 years ago. The pop legends, whose record 17 British No1 singles include Get Back, will entertain tens of thousands of fans at the Los Angeles venue in aid of World Peace and Breast Cancer charities, on August 27 next year.

Yoko Donates Gold Lennon Coin

By World Coin News

A unique 22-karat gold version of the new John Lennon £5 coin of Alderney has been donated by Yoko Ono to Great Britain’s Alder Hey Hospital’s Imagine Appeal for auction next year to raise money.
Ono is the widow of the famous Beatle songwriter/singer/musician.

The coin is part of the British Royal Mint’s Great Britons series of £5 silver Alderney coins.


Lennon was chosen to accompany in the series such luminaries of history as Winston Churchill by choice of the British public.
A Royal Mint public poll this summer nominated Lennon as the historical figure most deserving of a place in coin history. The poll saw over 30,000 votes cast and just over 92 percent of them nominated the Beatle.

The gold Lennon coin will be sold by Bonhams auction house in June 2011.

Yoko Ono said: “In the year when my husband John would have been 70 I am thrilled that the British public voted him top of their list of Great Britons. This special one-off gold coin, made by the Royal Mint, is being donated to Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, of which I am a patron. This amazing place, one of Europe’s biggest and busiest children’s hospitals, is very close to my heart and I hope that they can auction this coin and use the proceeds from it to help continue the incredible care and support they provide for children in the North West and all of Europe.”

Stoke-on-Trent artist creates ‘bed in’ at Beatles exhibition

By Kamie Cooper: A Stoke-on-Trent artist has recreated John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous ‘bed in’ as part of his new art installation Everywhere is Christmas.
Beatles fan Gary Marsh has used a double bed at the Artwaves Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent to allow visitors to create their own protest as the couple did in 1969.
The ‘bed in’ was held during the couple’s honeymoon in Amsterdam to promote world peace.
Mr Marsh said: “We want everyone to enjoy the exhibition and this gives them an opportunity to get involved and write down where they would have their bed in and how they could help the world.”
His collection covering more than 30 years of Beatles history has also gone on display at the gallery.
The exhibition coincides with events commemorating the death of John Lennon, who was shot dead in New York in December 1980.
One room of the gallery is a tribute to the life of Lennon, while a second room shows the success of the Beatles.
Items include limited edition prints of Lennon’s famous erotic lithographs.
Beatles memorabilia, featuring blankets, mugs and pottery items will be on sale, including the Beatles limited edition Monopoly set.
The exhibition will run until December 18 at the Burslem gallery. Admission is free and due to the nature of some of the material it will be adults only.

ONO RECREATES LENNON'S ANTI-WAR POSTER

YOKO ONO is recreating JOHN LENNON's famous billboard peace protest for the digital age - she's produced a downloadable version of his "War Is Over" poster in 100 different languages.

The late Beatles legend hit headlines in 1969 when he and Ono rented hoardings at major tourist hot spots in 11 cities around the world to spread their message of peace.
The couple designed a simple black-and-white poster with the words, "War is over! If you want it. Happy Christmas from John & Yoko", which was displayed in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Paris in France, Japan's capital Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam, Holland.
Lennon later used the message in the lyrics of his 1971 Christmas single Happy Xmas (War Is Over), and Ono has now revisited their famous stunt, urging fans to download a copy of the festive message from her website, imaginepeace.com.
She writes, "Dear Friends, Download, print & display these posters in your window, school, workplace, car and elsewhere over the holiday season. Send them as postcards to your friends. We say it in so many ways, but we are one. I love you! Yoko."

Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/217581/Ono-recreates-Lennon-s-anti-war-posterOno-recreates-Lennon-s-anti-war-poster#ixzz18ItBjVN6

Beatles art exhibit at mall to add rock memorabilia appraiser

A collection of rare artwork created by members of The Beatles being displayed at a Montgomery County mall through Christmas Eve will add another attraction next week.
Gary Sohmers who appears as an appraiser of collectibles, memorabilia and toys on the PBS television show “Antiques Roadshow,” will be at the “Art of the Beatles” show Tuesday through Thursday at Montgomery Mall, off Routes 309 and 202 in North Wales.
Original art by 'Yellow Submarine' Beatles animator Ron Campbell.
Sohmers will offer free appraisals of Beatles and other rock and roll memorabilia, as well as showcasing and selling his private collection.
“Art of The Beatles” features rare artwork created by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, as well as Beatles fine art photographs, Beatles animation and more. The mall says it is the largest collection of hand-signed Beatles artwork ever assembled.
The show also features Beatles-related works from friends and influences of the band including The Rolling Stones, Elvis, Bob Dylan and more.
John Lennon in Philadelphia in 1975 from Philadelphia rock photographer Scott Weiner.
It is  on the mall’s first level next to JC Penney, the show will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. The exhibit is free.
 All of the works also are for sale, ranging in price from $5  to $10,000.
The show is being curated specifically for Montgomery Mall. It does not tour and most of these pieces are only at this show. The show is being presented in conjunction with Classic Rock radio station 102.9 MGK

Posted by John J. Moser

Paul McCartney to play threatened 100 Club

Tickets to Sir Paul McCartney's smallest gig for a decade at the 100 Club in Oxford Street sold out within seconds today.

The show at the threatened venue is the most intimate he has played since he performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in 1999.
The former Beatle has promised a “back-to-basics” performance at the Packed Lunch gig, which takes place at 12.30pm on Friday for just 300 people who each paid £60.
He said: “I'm looking forward to being able to interact with fans on a face-to-face basis, not to mention the smell of sweat and beer.”
It will be a timely boost for the club, which is facing closure.
Owner Jeff Horton has blamed rent increases, rising VAT and alcohol duty.

Alistair Foster, Showbusiness Correspondent
15.12.10

The Beatles treasure trove unearthed in Bournemouth house

Unique and rare music memorabilia including an unheard recording and unpublished photos of Paul McCartney has emerged in a house in Bournemouth.
The informal pictures show Sir Paul enjoying Christmas with his late wife Linda and son James as well as the family taking the ferry across the Mersey.
The collection also includes a cassette recording of Sir Paul playing on the piano as he works on a track for Ringo Starr's 1981 album Stop and Smell the Roses.
The memorabilia has come from saxophonist Howie Casey, who worked with The Beatles and then Sir Paul and Linda McCartney's band Wings.

John Lennon's white Abbey Road suit goes to auction

Washington - John Lennon's
white suit from the iconic Abbey Road album cover is to go up for auction New Year's Day, along with his Chrysler station wagon and other artefacts, Braswell's Auction House said Monday.

The suit last sold for 120,000 dollars in 2005, the Norwalk, Connecticut, auction house said.

In the 1969 Abbey Road image, a long-haired, bearded Lennon leads The Beatles across a pedestrian zebra-stripe in London wearing the white suit, followed by Ringo Starr in a black suit, Paul McCartney in a grey suit, and George Harrison in blue jeans and blue shirt.

All are wearing shoes except McCartney, who is barefoot, which sparked the urban legend that Paul was dead and Lennon was leading the funeral procession. The album included the songs Come Together and Here Comes the Sun.

‘Lennon Naked’ lays bare legend’s flaws - PUC Chronicle - Entertainment

‘Lennon Naked’ lays bare legend’s flaws - PUC Chronicle - Entertainment

Paul McCartney: Gives Peace a Chance

Give Peace A Chance, sang Paul McCartney as he quoted old pal John Lennon in a live performance for the ages on Saturday Night Live. After starting off with a Wings-themed night, in his third SNL performance stint of the night, Paul McCartney finally turned his sights on The Beatles. After performing Wings classics Jet and Band On The Run during his traditional two Saturday Night Live sets, McCartney returned for a rare third set at the end of the show to perform the Beatles classic A Day In The Life, on which he sang both his vocals and that of the late John Lennon. Although he didn’t say it, the performance was easily attributable as a tribute to Lennon, whose murder took place thirty years ago this week. But then McCartney went into full-on tribute mode as he and his band performed Lennon’s song Give Peace A Chance, including bringing the audience in to sing the refrain.

Paul McCartney and Jimmy Fallon sing "Scrambled Eggs"

Jimmy Fallon is on a roll when it comes to landing rock stars to appear on his show. Having recently whipped his hair with Bruce Springsteen, the comedian scored a sit down with Paul McCartney on the December 9 episode of "Late Night." They bantered about the Beatles and Wings, the passing of John Lennon, and even sang "Yesterday"...with the original, never-before-heard lyrics.

Fallon could barely contain his glee as Sir Paul walked on-stage, where he was met with rapturous applause from the studio audience.

"Do you get standing ovations everywhere you go? Starbucks?" Fallon asked.

"Yes," McCartney replied. "Even on the bus."

Yoko Ono will light the Imagine Peace Tower TODAY!

Yoko Ono is going to be lighting the Imagine Peace Tower today in the memory of John Lennon. You can watch it live through this link: Imagine Peace Tower. She will be lighting it at 4 Pm East Coast/ 1 Pm West Coast.

Yoko Ono pleas for love

Yoko Ono gave a heartfelt plea for John Lennon to be remembered "with deep love and respect" on 30th anniversary of his murder today. As she spoke yesterday of her continued love for the star, she said, "On this tragic anniversary, please join me in remembering John with deep love and respect."

John Lennon" An Eyewitness Account

On the morning of December 8, 1980, John Lennon was happy in New York, his adopted home, and looking forward to the future.
Having recently turned 40, he had finally recovered from the years as a Beatle that he so hated. His controversial love affair with Yoko Ono had survived, weathering even John's drunken and womanising 18-month bender in Los Angeles that he'd called his 'Lost Weekend'. 
After a five-year 'retirement' as a house-husband, bringing up his son Sean, he had gone back to making records. And he had just learned that his new album in partnership with Yoko, Double Fantasy, had gone gold.
In the words of his old Liverpool friend Gerry Marsden: 'John had found peace at last.'
But by the end of that day, 30 years ago this Wednesday, John would be dead at the hands of deranged former fan Mark Chapman and the world would be in mourning.

Sean Lennon On John Lennon

John Lennon's son Sean has told NME he considers his dad "one of a kind", as fans remember him in the build-up to the 30th anniversary of his death.

Tomorrow (December 8) marks three decades since Lennon was assassinated by Mark Chapman outside his home in New York. This week's issue of NME, which is on UK newsstands and available digitally worldwide tomorrow, pays tribute to the former Beatle.

Speaking in the issue, Sean Lennon said: "Dad was completely happy to run the risk of not being understood. He just made the statements that he wanted to make."

He added: "When dad did 'Give Peace A Chance' or the bed-in he was ridiculed for it and it was seen as a joke. But the impact was great because he was a pop star who was rejecting everything about that life – and people respected him for it. He was one of a kind."

from NME online

John Lennon = Jesus?

On December 3, 1969 John Lennon was asked to play the title role in "Jesus Christ, Superstar." The offer was revoked the next day. Was it because of John's 1966 "Bigger than Jesus" statement? I guess we will never know, but can you imagine how that musical production would have been...it would have been awesome!

John Lennon's pain over son Julian

Here is an interesting article about John Lennon and his son Julian: Have a look

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/12/01/revealed-lennon-s-pain-over-julian-115875-22753432/