John Lennon's home studio microphones to be auctioned off

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Photo Gallery: The Beatles

Microphones and other equipment that John Lennon used to record songs including 'Imagine' are set to be auctioned off next month.

The equipment used to be housed in the late Beatles frontman's home studio in Tittenhurst Park, near Ascot, in the 1970s. He used it for his early solo albums.

BBC News reports that the microphones are expected to go under the hammer for at least £5,000 each. His wife Yoko Ono plus his former Beatles bandmates Ringo Starr and George Harrison also used the equipment.

The auction is being handled by recording equipment specialists MJQ Ltd. They are also offering a mixing console from Abbey Road Studios among other Beatles-related equipment. See Mjq.co.uk for more information.

---nme.com

'Forgotten' Beatles in contention to have Liverpool streets named after them

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Photo: Pic: PA

Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe, former members of The Beatles who left the band before they found fame, could be in line to get Liverpool streets named after them.

The city's council is now considering honouring the pair with street names after the Liverpool Beatles Appreciation Society International suggested that they have been overlooked in terms of their importance of the city's past, reports the Liverpool Daily Post.

Liverpool already features Paul McCartney Way, John Lennon Drive, George Harrison Close and Ringo Starr Drive.

---nme.com

Paul, Ringo, Yoko and Olivia to attend Love‘s 5th anniversary?

Music legends Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will hopefully reunite with Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, the widows of the late Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison, respectively, in a return visit to Las Vegas. Vegas DeLuxe has exclusively confirmed that the fab four all hope to be here for a fifth-anniversary celebration June 8 for Cirque du Soleil’s hit spectacular Love at the Mirage.
Cirque officials shuffled the show’s calendar, and instead of June 8 being a dark theater day, the cast and crew will swap their day off for another date to perform one very special show. It’s hoped that Paul will travel here before his Up and Coming Tour date at MGM Grand Garden Arena on June 10 and that Ringo will be able to jet in from his European concert tour.

I’ve also confirmed that Cirque founder Guy Laliberte will lead a delegation of his company’s executives from Montreal and play host to celebrities at an after-party. It’s expected that Beatles sound engineer producers Sir George Martin and his son Giles, who reimagined the original master tracks for the Mirage, also will attend. It would be their first return visit together since the opening in 2006.

In addition to the red carpet, The Beatles families attending are expected to make brief speeches, and all four will go onstage at the end of the show to pose for official cast photographs. Preparations for the special night are in the final plan“This will be spectacular,” I was told. “We all remember when they were here for the premiere five years ago. Individually, they’ve popped in over the years to check up on the show, which is very special and dear to them. Now they will all be back together for a reunion -- and the important milestone celebration.”planning stages.

“This will be spectacular,” I was told. “We all remember when they were here for the premiere five years ago. Individually, they’ve popped in over the years to check up on the show, which is very special and dear to them. Now they will all be back together for a reunion -- and the important milestone celebration.”

----Robin Leach
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Ringo Starr Will Release Autobiography Album

Ringo Starr has revealed that he is currently working on an autobiographical album.

Though the former Beatles drummer has had offers from publishers hoping to release a book, he told Uncut magazine he'd rather tell his own story.
"I have been offered autobiographies but all they only really wanna know about is those eight years in the Beatles and there would be three volumes before I even got to that."
Instead, he explained that he is "making a record about Liverpool. It's about me and Liverpool. It's like I've decided to do mini-autobiographies, instead of writing a book, I'm doing it on record."
He adds, "Right now, I'd rather put it quickly in a song, snippets of part of my life."
Starr and his All Starr Band will be launching a 27-date tour in Kiev, Ukraine in June. They will play shows in Sweden, Norway, Poland, Britain and Italy before wrapping up in Austria in mid July.

--- RTT Staff Writer

Paul McCartney to Re-Release McCartney and McCartney II

Paul McCartney is planning to reissue his solo debut, 1970’s McCartney, as well as 1980’s McCartney II in remastered, deluxe editions. The albums will be available starting June 13 and were remastered at Abbey Road Studios by the same team that worked on 2009’s Beatles reissues.
McCartney will feature seven bonus tracks, including live performances and outtakes, on a bonus CD. A deluxe edition will add a DVD (with a behind-the-scenes look at the album and live footage) and a 128-page booklet with rare photos taken by Paul and his late wife Linda.
McCartney II will feature eight bonus tracks on a bonus CD with live and alternate versions. A deluxe edition will add another CD and a DVD with music videos. It also will come with a 128-page booklet with rare photographs.
McCartney tracklist:
CD1:
“The Lovely Linda”
“That Would Be Something”
“Valentine Day”
“Every Night”
“Hot As Sun/Glasses”
“Junk”
“Man We Was Lonely”
“Oo You”
“Momma Miss America”
“Teddy Boy”
“Singalong Junk”
“Maybe I’m Amazed”
“Kreen-Akrore”

CD2:
“Suicide” (outtake)
“Maybe I’m Amazed” (from TV special One Hand Clapping)
“Every Night” (live in Glasgow, 1979)
“Hot As Sun” (live in Glasgow, 1979)
“Maybe I’m Amazed” (Live in Glasgow, 1979)
“Don’t Cry Baby” (outtake)
“Women Kind” (demo)

DVD:
“The Album Story”
“The Beach”
“Maybe I’m Amazed” (music video)
“Suicide” (from TV special One Hand Clapping)
“Every Night” (live at Concert For The People Of Kampuchea)
“Hot As Sun” (live at Concert For The People Of Kampuchea)
“Junk” (from MTV Unplugged)
“That Would Be Something” (from MTV Unplugged)
McCartney II tracklist:
CD1:
“Coming Up”
“Temporary Secretary”
“On The Way”
“Waterfalls”
“Nobody Knows”
“Front Parlour”
“Summer’s Day Song”
“Frozen Jap”
“Bogey Music”
“Darkroom”
“One of These Days”

CD2:
“Blue Sway” (with Richard Niles orchestration)
“Coming Up” (live in Glasgow)
“Check My Machine” (edit)
“Bogey Wobble”
“Secret Friend”
“Mr H Atom”/ “You Know I’ll Get You Baby”
“Wonderful Christmastime” (edit)
“All You Horse Riders”/ “Blue Sway”

CD3:
“Coming Up” (full-length version)
“Front Parlour” (full-length version)
“Frozen Jap” (full-length version)
“Darkroom” (full-length version)
“Check My Machine” (full-length version)
“Wonderful Christmastime” (full-length version)
“Summer’s Day Song” (original without vocals)
“Waterfalls” (DJ edit)

DVD:
“Meet Paul McCartney”
“Coming Up” (music video)
“Waterfalls” (music video)
“Wonderful Christmastime” (music video)
“Coming Up” ((live at the Concert For The People Of Kampuchea)
“Coming Up” (taken from a rehearsal session at Lower Gate Farm, 1979)
“Making the ‘Coming Up’ music video”
“Blue Sway”

  ---Bryan Wawzenek
      Gibson.com

John Lennon Wanted To Redo Every Beatles Song

Beatles producer Sir George Martin remains intensely proud of his work with the Fab Four but remembers how upset he was when John Lennon said he wanted to re-record everything they'd ever done.
The desk-jockey gave the band their big break in 1962 after every other label they'd approached refused them. He remained with them until their final days eight years later, but he can't forget the moment Lennon offended him.

Martin tells the Independent: "I said to John, 'I can't believe that. Think of all we've done, and you want to re-record everything?' He said, 'Yeah, everything.' And I said, 'What about Strawberry Fields?' He looked at me and said, 'Especially Strawberry Fields.' more on this story

Sir George Martin: ‘The Beatles Aren’t The Beatles to Me’

One can forgive Sir George Martin for not doing too much press these days. The former Beatles producer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who turned 85 earlier this year, has not produced an album since 2006’s Beatles mash-up, Love, for Cirque du Soleil. Beyond that, he’s answered every conceivable question about his former colleagues one could ask. But with a new documentary set to air on the BBC, Martin sat down with The Independent to talk about his career, and yes, in particular, those magical days with the Fab Four.
“I wasn’t music at all. It was comedy,” Martin said of the quality that first drew him to the group at their first audition in 1962. But very quickly, he came to see that there was an astonishing musical genius under those haircuts.
“I think we recorded well over 200 titles and, of those, probably 60% were great songs,” he said admiringly. “I mean not just a pass-by thing, but really great. And I would have given my teeth to have written even one of them.”
Still, genius or not, Martin says he can’t look at them with the same adoring eyes as the public.
“You see, I can’t be rational about this, because The Beatles aren’t The Beatles to me as they are to someone on the street,” he said. “You ask them what they think of The Beatles and they say, ‘Oh, they are fantastic.’ The Beatles are four people I knew very well, and two of them are still living. So it’s not this big icon that everybody talks about. I still find it difficult to believe that they are probably the finest rock band we’ve ever had, or the most famous, or whatever. But I can’t look at them like that.”
When reminded of his own legendary status, Martin shrugged it off: “Yeah, but I’m not an icon like they are. They are the biggest thing ever. No. I don’t want to be any more famous than I am. Would you like to be Paul McCartney? I wouldn’t. That’s the last thing I would like.”

---Michael Wright
     gibson.com

Beatles for sale John's mic and Ringo's coffee maker go under hammer

Equipment used by John Lennon in the studio where he recorded Imagine is to be sold at auction.

The collection from Ascot Sound Studios includes his microphones, tape machines and even Ringo Starr's coffee percolator.
The online auction, which starts on May 11, is expected to raise more than £300,000. Lennon built the studios in 1970 in the grounds of Tittenhurst Park, Berkshire, the Georgian manor he owned with his wife Yoko Ono.
Lennon sold it to Ringo a few years later, and he lived there until the late Eighties. The house was also the site of The Beatles last photo session in 1969, for the album Hey Jude. Other items for sale include a mixing desk from Abbey Road studios. The owner of the equipment has chosen to remain anonymous.
Hamish Jackson, who is organising the auction for sales firm mjQ, said: "This equipment has such a fantastic heritage, and the build quality back then was so good, that it is all still in working order. Anything involving The Beatles will always be popular. My father ran an auction in 1980 of stuff from Abbey Road, and a roll of toilet paper which had property of EMI stamped on every sheet sold for £500. A few years ago, the same roll was on eBay for £30,000."

---Germaine Arnold
     thisislondon.co.uk

George Harrison Diaries To Be Published

Unseen photographs, personal letters, and diaries written by late Beatles star George Harrison are to be published in an illustrated history of his life.
The legendary musician's widow Olivia will reveal dozens of previously unreleased documents from his personal archive for the book, which will hit shelves to coincide with Martin Scorsese's upcoming film of the guitarist's life.
The book will also contain a foreword by Scorsese and will chart Harrison's early years, his time in The Beatles, and his later years as a solo musician.
Living in the Material World: George Harrison is due for release in the autumn (11), at the same time as Scorsese's film of the same name.

 contactmusic.com

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Sex Pistols to Form Olympic Supergroup?

Organisers of the upcoming 2012 games are currently working out plans for the opening ceremony, which will be directed by Oscar winner Danny Boyle.

Gold medal-winning rower Sir Steve Redgrave has now revealed he is hoping to see Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr team up with with Sir Mick Jagger and John Lydon to put on a powerful display of British music talent to open the festivities.

He tells Britain's The People newspaper, "The London Games gives us a chance to celebrate our own history... We have to show the world what we are good at. If Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo came together with great bands like the The Rolling Stones and the Sex Pistols it would be fantastic. They are a huge part of our history. It would kick off the party and put us centre of the world's attention."

 ---aceshowbiz.com

Paul McCartney to release Linda photo book

Paul McCartney is to release to a collection of his late wife Linda's photographs in a new book.

The former Beatle and his children, including fashion designer Stella, have personally selected many of the images to be featured in Life in Photographs from Linda's archive of more than 200,000 photos.

In an official statement, Paul said that Linda's artistry was what first drew him to his future spouse in the late-1960s.

"From the early days I have very much admired her photography and being able to experience it personally only added to my feelings of admiration," the 'Maybe I'm Amazed' singer noted.

"In those days, it was quite unusual for a woman photographer to be working on her own in photography and, in many ways, I know she has inspired a large number of female photographers who followed in her footsteps."

Photographs present in the book will include Linda's snaps of famed musicians such as Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin and her husband's band The Beatles.

Others involved with the project include acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz, who served as co-author.

Paul and Linda met in 1967 and were married two years later. The singer once told radio host Howard Stern that he and his wife only spent a handful of nights apart throughout their marriage.

Besides her photography work, Linda was a member of McCartney's post-Beatles band Wings and was a public advocate for vegetarianism.

After a lengthy battle with breast cancer, she died in 1998 surrounded by family and friends at her family's home in Tuscon, AZ. Paul was later married to Heather Mills, but the pair divorced in 2008.

Life in Photographs is available for purchase in several different editions, with a standard release priced at $69 (£41.79) and two 'Art Editions' for $2,500 (£1,513).

---digitalspy.com

Rare Beatles pictures on show

Rare photographs of the Beatles are to go on display at the San Francisco Art Exchange.

It is the first time the photos, known as The Beatles’ Hidden Gallery, will be seen outside Europe. And it is part of a drive to promote Liverpool to San Franciscan residents.

The event will take place from May 7 where the collection, taken by Paul Berriff, will make its American debut. In a separate event on April 28, The Beatles and Beetles NightLife event will feature music with a scientific twist. The evening will include a set from the Beatles’ tribute band, The Sun Kings, while offering the expertise of resident beetle expert Dr David Kavanaugh.

Jerry Goldman, CEO of The Beatles Story, in Liverpool, said: “We hope that through this exciting event we can show San Francisco how much Liverpool has to offer those looking to travel to the UK.”

Read More http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2011/04/23/rare-beatles-pictures-on-show-100252-28570336/#ixzz1KLlnyGDc

George Harrison Concert Available on iTunes

Former Beatle George Harrison died on November 29th, 2002. In 2003, to mark the one-year anniversary of the occasion, Harrison's widow, Olivia, and his good friend, Eric Clapton, held a tribute concert in his honor at London's Royal Albert Hall! It was called "The Concert for George" and featured some of Harrison's greatest songs performed by the likes of Clapton, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne and many others! It was an occasion to behold, especially if you are a fan of the classic rock canon.

A film of the concert is available digitally, for the first time ever, at iTunes. You can grab the concert footage, along with a feature length-documentary, interviews, a photo gallery and other features. It's a "must download" if you weren't blessed enough to have been there and are a huge Beatles fan.

Are you going to download "The Concert for George?" Who was your favorite Beatle? I am going to say Paul McCartney, of course. He's a Gemini and a southpaw (as am I) and is one of the greatest living songwriters!

—Amy Sciarretto

Brisbane buys Beatles song

 

Brisbane City Council has reportedly paid $200,000 for rights to the old Beatles song "Come Together"

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Brisbane Lord Mayoral candidate Ray Smith has slammed Council’s new ‘Brisbane Together’ ad campaign as a huge waste of ratepayers’ money at time when Council should have far higher priorities.

As part of the campaign Brisbane City Council is understood to have spent around $200,000 for the right to use the Beatles hit ‘Come Together’.

Mr Smith said campaign highlighted the wrong priorities of the LNP Administration.

“I believe this ad campaign is unnecessary and a huge waste of ratepayers’ money,” he said.

“This week Lord Mayor Graham Quirk announced the closure of Council’s ourbrisbane.com website service, which was still receiving around 1 million hits per week. I doubt this ad campaign will achieve the same.

“I’m appalled that Cr Quirk’s priorities for our city are so far off the mark.

“The ad has nothing to do with the floods and the only visibly recognisable business is Council’s own failed CityCycle scheme.

“If Cr Quirk really wanted to help local residents and businesses recover from the January floods, he would immediately reinstate the $382 million in funding for local projects and services which he cut in February.

“The State and Federal Governments have committed to covering just about all of Council’s $440 million flood damage bill, so it was completely unnecessary for the LNP to cut funding for 19 local roads projects, five bikeways, pool and library refurbishments, library books, park upgrades, community grants and more.

“This LNP Administration is building a huge $2.2 billion debt for our city and they need to stop wasting ratepayers’ money on branding and re-branding strategies that go nowhere and serve no purpose.

“Last month it was revealed that Council had frittered away $200,000 deciding to brand the city as ‘the city’. Before that we saw them spend $1 million labelling Brisbane as a ‘new world city’.

“We know this LNP Administration spends over $90,000 per month on their glossy *Living in Brisbane *newsletter and at the end of last year, they had employed 107 people in their Corporate Marketing and Strategy Office.

“It’s clear this LNP Administration is only focused on promoting themselves and not providing services for Brisbane residents,” Mr Smith said.

---westender.com.au

I am like Lennon: Lady Gaga

Pop singer Lady Gaga has likened herself to Beatles legend John Lennon because she too is "perpetually unhappy" with her finished products. The Bad Romance hitmaker admits she struggles with such strong bouts of perfectionism that she finds it almost impossible to be satisfied with the final outcome of her songs - just like the late Beatles star, reports dailystar.co.uk.

"I am perpetually unhappy with what I create. Even though I might tell you that song Edge Of Glory is a pop masterpiece, when it's all said and finished there will be things I dread, and every time I listen to it I'll hear them," she said.
"In John Lennon's Playboy magazine interview he had talked about how he hated certain songs because of the way they were finished. And they might be my favourite songs, but Lennon couldn't listen to them," she added.

---hindustantimes.com

RINGO’S HOUSE WINS REPRIEVE FROM THE BULLDOZERS

THE terraced house where Beatle drummer Ringo Starr was born has been saved from demolition – for the time being.

At the 11th hour the Government stepped in to block plans by Liverpool City Council.

The modest house, at 9 Madryn Street, is one of 200 terraced homes earmarked for demolition in the Welsh Streets of the Dingle area of Liverpool.

Beatles fans had waged a campaign to save the slice of history – but their pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

Now Housing Minister Grant Shapps has acted to stop the bulldozers.

He sent an email and letter to the city’s planning committee before it was due to meet on Tuesday.

In it he said there must be consideration as to whether an “environmental impact assessment” is required – a move that could delay a final decision for at least a year.

Philip Coppell, chairman of the Save Madryn Street campaign, said: “The councillors who voted for demolition are nothing short of civic vandals.

“No 9 Madryn Street is irreplaceable. It’s a precious piece of Beatles history and of vital importance to the city and its growing tourism industry.

“Thank God the Government has stopped the mindless town hall wreckers.”

Labour councillor Alan Dean said the intervention meant residents would be trapped in sub-standard homes instead of the new ones he hoped would be built.

Welsh Streets resident Mary Mantle said: “These houses are riddled with damp and have no foundations. The area is blighted.”

Ringo, 70, was born Richard Starkey in the house in July 1940.

The childhood homes of John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney are popular attractions in the city run by the National Trust.

Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/241969/Ringo-s-house-wins-reprieve-from-the-bulldozersRingo-s-house-wins-reprieve-from-the-bulldozers#ixzz1KAEtcdAK

Rare Sex Pistols disc is 'most valuable vinyl'

A rare recording of God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols has been named the most valuable vinyl disc of all time, with experts saying it is worth £8,000.

The single was originally produced by A&M Records. But the group were dropped before it was released and most of the copies were destroyed.
Record Collector magazine have compiled a list of the 51 most collectible vinyl records.
The Rolling Stones and the Beatles both feature in the top five.
"There is something of an investment market in mint-condition copies of iconic albums," said Record Collector editor Ian McCann.
"The problem is people love them and play them to death, making it increasingly rare to find them in mint condition."
The Beatles' Please Please Me on the Black and Gold label is ranked in second place with an estimated value of £3,500, while the Rolling Stones self-titled debut record from 1964 - valued at £1,000 - is fifth.
Between them on the countdown are jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley's self-titled album from 1957 and rocker Wil Malone's own self-titled release from 1970.
---bbc.co.uk

Paul McCartney Praises 'Inspirational' Wife Linda McCartney

Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his late wife Linda, whose photographs have been compiled in a new book.

The book, entitled Linda McCartney: Life In Photographs, is released on April 20, and has been compiled from an archive of over 200,000 images taken by the photographer.

Speaking ahead of its release, Sir Paul said: "From the early days I have very much admired her photography and being able to experience it personally only added to my feelings of admiration.

“In those days, it was quite unusual for a woman photographer to be working on her own in photography and, in many ways, I know she has inspired a large number of female photographers who followed in her footsteps."
EXCLUSIVE: Life In Photographs: A Look Inside The World Of Linda McCartney.

Linda McCartney was widely regarded as one of the leading music photographers in the late 1960s, and captured the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who.

She and Sir Paul married in 1969. Linda died in 1998 after a three-year battle against breast cancer. She was 56.
---Jason Gregory 
     gigwise.com

Liverpool Council approves demolition of Beatle's home

Liverpool Council has approved the demolition of the Welsh Streets after protestors fought a six year battle to save the area.

The council voted unanimously to begin the process in a planning meeting this morning (Tuesday), subject to an environmental impact assessment issued by communities secretary Eric Pickles.

Mr Pickles issued the article 25 statement yesterday, and the council cannot begin demolition of the 271 houses until it is complete.

The area of Liverpool includes 9, Madryn Street where Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was born and lived for the first five years of his life. The EIA will look at pollution and noise from the demolition, as well as the loss of material assets and the loss of cultural heritage.

A council spokesperson said the assessment would cover Mr Pickles in the event of ‘a legal challenge’.

Liverpool Council leader and cabinet member for housing, Joe Anderson, said: ‘I am urging the secretary of state to make a speedy decision on this issue so that we can crack on and push ahead with the badly needed regeneration of this area.

‘A majority of the local community have expressed support for our plans since we started consulting on this plan over a decade ago. They are sick of living in poky, damp infested properties. They want and deserve decent, modern homes with gardens and space for a car and are exasperated and frustrated at the delays to this scheme.’

William Palin, from Save Britian’s Heritage, said he would continue to fight the decision: ‘We and the residents will now be able to challenge an application not just on the method of demolition, but whether the demolition would be able to happen in the first place.’
---Rhiannon Bury
    insidehousing.co.uk

Happy Tax Day!

Paul McCartney's surprise Coachella appearance

Sir Paul McCartney stunned the crowd at the Coachella music festival by joining Afrojack on stage.

The Beatles legend amazed revellers at the Californian festival over the weekend when he popped up at the Dutch house DJ's set in the dance tent and started spinning some tunes in the booth as girlfriend Nancy Shevell looked on.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "It was a weird and once-in-a-lifetime experience. Macca popped up in Afrojack's set and was having it on stage behind the DJ booth. Nancy was standing behind him like a typical house DJ's girl.

"I think a lot of the ravers thought they were seeing things - when word spread around the site, everyone thought it was a wind-up."

Usher later joined Paul on stage and the two had a dance-off in front of thousands of clubbers.

The three day event saw headline sets from Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, who closed the festival last night saying it was the "most important show" he had performed since his mother died suddenly in 2007.

Arcade Fire performed another of the most sought after set sets of the weekend, which culminated with the band releasing hundreds of huge colour changing balls into the audience.

The spectacle was a collaboration with artist Chris Milk called 'Summer Into Dust', part of The Creator's Project, an initiative by Intel and Vice magazine, which paired a number of artists with bands for audio visual presentations over the weekend, including Spiritualized and Jonathan Glazer, Interpol and Animal Collective.

For more information visit www.thecreatorsproject.com.

Days and Nights in the Life of the Beatles Captured in 'The Lost Beatles Photographs'

Images are the objects by which we measure our fame. In a visual culture drunk on celebrity, the picture is the currency that matters as much as money; it’s their proliferation, the way the literal visions of our favorite actors or writers or musicians trickle into our private aspirations, our deeper dreams, that makes celebrity the liquid commodity that it is.

Bob Bonis came to understand the metric of imagery like no one could. The shy, private New York talent agent who was the Beatles’ US tour manager from 1964 to 1966 was also an avid photographer, a shutterbug who kept a camera close at hand throughout his life — and especially during the period when he was effectively the ringmaster for what would become the biggest act in ‘60s pop culture.

It’s this private passion for photography, a sense of its potential for documentary and revelation, and an uncanny grasp of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “decisive moment” that merge in The Lost Beatles Photographs, the just-published trove of previously unseen images taken by Bonis during the three years of the Beatles’ life on the road.

The photographs are from the period between the first throes of Beatlemania and the time when the shadow of controversy started to cloud the Beatles legend. We see the band in its awesome rise, but we’re also witness to the Beatles disarmed and in reflection — the Beatles, in short, as human beings, unplugged, unmasked and uneasily riding a monster of their own creation.

1971 John Lennon Letter To Paul McCartney Up For Sale

A letter thought to have been written by John Lennon to Paul McCartney in 1971 concerning the break up of The Beatles is to be auctioned off in Beverly Hills next month.

The note displays emphatically the resentment felt by Lennon towards McCartney in the early Seventies, when their unrivaled musical partnership had descended into bitter personal attacks between the pair.
“I was reading your letter and wondering what middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it,” Lennon writes. “I hope you realise what you and the rest of my ‘kind and unselfish’ friends laid on Yoko and me,” he continues, referencing the unease Lennon’s fellow bandmates were said to feel towards Yoko Ono‘s increasing presence around the band during their final years.
“I’m not ashamed of the Beatles – (I did start it all),” he continues. “But of some of the shit we took to make them so big – I thought we all felt that way in varying degrees – obviously not.”
The letter was acquired by a collector from a member of the Lennon family and is expected to command a large sum when it is sold next month.

Read more: http://www.live4ever.uk.com/2011/04/1971-john-lennon-letter-to-paul-mccartney-up-for-sale/#ixzz1JseBhZaG

Breakfast With the Beatles' host Chris Carter hits 500th show on Sunday

The long-running Breakfast With the Beatles radio show, currently airing Sunday mornings from 8 to 11 a.m. on KLOS-FM (95.5) hits a milestone this week, as host Chris Carter notches his 500th show.
What’s Carter got in store for the momentous occasion?
“All Rutles — three hours of Rutlemania,” he said, then laughed. “No, actually, I wasn’t planning on this. A listener alerted me to it. But I like that number:  500.... I’m not going to do much. I thought I’d take some requests, because it’s the people’s show. And I’ve put together a little highlight thing, which I’ll do, maybe toward the end of the show.
“The highlights for me,” he said, “have always been when an actual Beatle calls in. Sometimes they’ve called in on holidays. Ringo called in on his birthday, and on Easter."
"Breakfast With the Beatles" also now has a presence beyond Southern California as a component of Little Steven's Underground Garage channel on Sirius XM satellite radio. And although longevity in radio is the exception rather than the rule, Carter isn’t surprised at the ongoing interest in the music he’s been playing each week for nearly nine years, having succeeded the show’s original host, Deirdre O’Donoghue, who died in 2001. “The spirit of Deirdre O'Donoghue has been in the studio for all 500 of those shows,” Carter said, "and she did the show more than 500 times” from the time it began in 1983.
“I feel like a chef who’s working with really good ingredients," Carter said. "No matter what breakfast I serve up, I know it’s going to have really good things in it.”
If there is a facet of the show that surprises him, it’s “the amazing amount of young listeners we have. When I take requests or people call up to win a quiz, I’ll ask how old are you? They’ll said, ‘I’m 17,’  or ‘I’m 13,’ and they’re always answering some obscure ‘Yellow Submarine’ question. I know they’re Googling, but that’s OK." How long “Breakfast With the Beatles” will continue is anybody’s guess, but Carter says, “It’s the kind of show that hopefully keeps its longevity. The great thing about this show is it doesn’t matter what era we’re in as far as what’s going on in music. It’s its own little island unto itself: It’s the Beatles.”
---latimes.com

FBI spied on Beatles, Michael Jackson

London:  Classified FBI files that have now been made public reveal that the American domestic intelligence agency spied on the Beatles and Michael Jackson in case they disturbed national security.

The secret files say that other stars like Frank Sinatra, John Denver, Jimi Hendrix and the boss of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) were also spied upon, The Sun reported.

The FBI described John Lennon as a "radically orientated" druggie. The agency mentions him and wife Yoko Ono in around 200 pages for posing nude for an album.

King of Pop Michael Jackson was mentioned in the FBI files after the agency helped California police investigate child molestation charges against him.

A total of 34 pages are devoted to late guitar legend Jimi Hendrix on his marijuana possession. The files also mention that he was a contributor to a hippy magazine called "The Chicago Kaleidoscope".

US agents also took interest in the band Kiss and rap star Tupac.

A dossier was opened on Frank Sinatra over links with the mafia, and country singer John Denver was also suspected to have connections with the mob.

Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead were the subject of drug investigations, while Elvis Presley was noted as a victim of extortion bids.

KFC owner Colonel Sanders was also probed, after he asked FBI boss John Edgar Hoover for his autograph.

---ndtv.com

The Beatles' 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' lyric sheet up for auction

Songsheet is expected to fetch $200,000 (£122,000) in US.

John Lennon's handwritten lyrics from 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' have been put up for auction in the US.

The draft lyrics will be sold at an auction scheduled for May 14 and 15 at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills.

The songsheet features the opening lyrics for the track and a rough sketch of four people in a room with windows draped in curtains.

Auction house Profiles In History is expecting the draft lyric sheet to sell for more than $200,000 (£122,000) when it goes on sale, reports Reuters.

The song, which featured on the 1967 Beatles album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', has for years been regarded by many as being in praise of the hallucinogenic drug LSD, based on the offbeat lyrics and the fact that the line, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds spells out the initials of the drug.

Lennon always disputed that notion and British woman Lucy Vodden, who died in 2009, revealed that she had been the source of the song in 2007.

---nme.com

Foo Fighters Channel The Beatles 'Live On Letterman'

One thing you can certainly say about the Foo Fighters: They're a dedicated bunch. For further proof of this, look no further than Tuesday night's "Live On Letterman" performance, which took place at the iconic Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, site of the Beatles' first U.S. performance in 1964. So, of course, the Foos felt compelled to mimic the Fab Four's famed get-ups &# black suits, white shirts, skinny ties and black dress shoes — even though, as Dave Grohl would confess midway through their set, "these f---in' suits are so hot."
They also took the opportunity to turn the performance into a defacto album-release party for their brand-new Wasting Light disc, blasting through the album in its entirety (as they've been doing these days) and then tacking on a second hour of nothing but hits. Because, really, why not?

The first 60 minutes highlighted Lights' many strengths — namely, the growling guitars, pounding drums and stalking basslines of songs like "Bridge Burning," "Rope" and, of course, "White Limo," which featured an extended display of percussive pyrotechnics from Taylor Hawkins. Tracks like "Dear Rosemary" and "I Should Have Known" also added a more solemn side to the proceedings, each starting soft and somber before growing to absolute powerhouses.
As the first hour neared to a close and the last song on Wasting Light was played, fans were in for a special treat: another 60 minutes of Foo Fighters' previous hits. And, together for the past 16 years, there were a slew of them ... "All My Life," "Times Like These," "My Hero" (which Grohl dedicated to David Letterman), "Monkey Wrench" and more. But as the energy in the room increased with each successive smash, so did the temperature ... which probably should have been the Foos cue to ditch the Beatle getups. Only, they didn't.
"It’s so disgusting underneath this jacket right now. I feel like a wet snake," Grohl laughed, before shooting down a fan's request to "Take it off."
"No, that would ruin everything! It’s supposed to look perfect. This is my party," he said. "We were trying to figure it out. Guys like us can’t really ever get dressed up. We either look like a stoner going to court or someone that’s too old going to prom."
Now that's dedication.

--Annie Reuter
  newsroom.mtv.com

Stars Cover Mccartney Songs For Tribute Album

Legendary rock stars including Kiss, Billy Joel, and The Cure are reportedly set to contribute versions of songs by Sir Paul Mccartney for a new covers album.
The Beatles star is planning to put together a compilation of his best-known tracks as performed by some of his favourite musicians, according to British newspaper The Sun.
He has hand-picked the acts he wants to take part in the project, and even reportedly arranged for his son James to duet on The Cure's contribution to the record.
A source tells the newspaper, "James was over the moon at playing with The Cure. He's always been a big fan. They all went into a studio in Sussex (south England) and hung out together."

---contactmusic.com

John Lennon's letters to be published

The first collection of letters by John Lennon is due out next year, more than 30 years after the former Beatle was gunned down in New York.
The book was edited by Hunter Davies, author of "The Beatles," the only authorized biography of the British group, which was published in 1968, the Los Angeles Times reported. Davies, who worked with Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, on the letters, also wrote the introduction.
Lennon was a prolific letter writer, to strangers, newspapers and organizations as well as family and friends. He often made small drawings in the margins.
Some of the letters in the book are produced in facsimile in Lennon's handwriting.
Little Brown, the publisher, announced Friday the book is scheduled for release in October 2012.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Music/2011/04/09/John-Lennons-letters-to-be-published/UPI-90481302382693/#ixzz1J7xlei18

The Beatles' first recording and publishing contract to be auctioned off

Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison signed the document in Hamburg.
 The Beatles' first recording and publishing contract is expected to fetch £50,000 when it goes under the hammer on Thursday (April 14).

The previously unseen document features the signatures of Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison, along with Pete Best, the drummer who was sacked to make way for Ringo Starr in 1962, reports The Independent.

Bert Kaempfert, an arranger and producer hired by the band at the time, is the fifth and final signatory on the document.

Signed in Hamburg on June 19 1961, the document was discovered by Fame Bureau in Switzerland earlier this month.

Ted Owen, a representative for the auctioneers, commented: "The most important thing about this contract is that we didn't know it existed. It's gold dust."

The contract will go under the hammer at the Theatre Royal in London.

Last year, a handwritten lyrics sheet for The Beatles 'A Day In The Life' fetched $1.2 million (£732,000) at Sotheby's in New York.

---nme.com

Story of the Song: Across the Universe by The Beatles in 1968 and Beady Eye in 2011

Beady Eye's choice of song for their charity release in support of the Japanese disaster relief effort is more than appropriate.

Written by John Lennon and recorded by The Beatles in February 1968, "Across the Universe" was the original pop fund-raiser. Lennon originally pitched the song, which some heard as meandering and platitudinous, as the next Beatles' single, but lost out to an unsympathetic Paul McCartney and the pummelling "Lady Madonna". Instead it was donated to the World Wildlife Fund, at Spike Milligan's behest, for the 1969 charity album 'No One's Gonna Change Our World'. The spiritual strumalong nestled awkwardly amid comedy rousers by Bruce Forsyth and Rolf Harris.

The lyrics came to Lennon as he lay awake one night in 1967, after arguing with Cynthia Lennon. "It drove me out of bed," he said, recalling how he threw back the sheets to commit a rough draft to paper. "I didn't want to write it. I was just slightly irritable and couldn't get to sleep." The song found its proper shape following Lennon's sojourn with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and was finally given official Beatles release two years later on 'Let It Be', where it sat just as uncomfortably as it had on the WWF compilation. In the hands of producer Phil Spector, Lennon's woozy, wordy lullaby was stretched and smothered in strings. Many hated it, McCartney included, although it resurfaced on The Beatles' "Blue Album", 1967-70 in 1973. An early take closed 'Anthology 2' in 1996 and the original mix was exhumed for McCartney's 2003 revisionist 'Let It Be... Naked'.

It's been covered by many, including Rufus Wainwright and Laibach, and also helped inspire Pink Floyd's 1971 track "Echoes" (whose lyrics can happily be sung to the melody of "Across the Universe" – Roger Waters even tweaked Lennon's line "exciting and inviting me" to "inviting and inciting me"). David Bowie cut a blue-eyed Seventies soul take for 1975 album 'Young Americans', with Lennon on backing vocals and guitar. The former Beatle loved it. "I'd never done a good version of that song myself," Lennon later said of his collaboration. "It's one of my favourite songs, but I didn't like my version of it." Bowie reckoned he "hammered the hell" out of it: "I think I sing very well at the end of it." 

----Robert Webb

      theindependent.co.uk

Photos of The Beatles on their last tour

Behind-the-scenes snapshots of The Beatles, which were taken by the band's tour manager on their last American tour in 1966, has been published in a new book for the first time.

Taken by Bob Bonis, these pictures are part of a collection that remained unseen for four decades until his son Alex opened his late father's archive of memorabilia, reports the Daily Mail.

Extracted from 'The Lost Beatles Photographs', by Larry Marion, the fresh-faced four from Liverpool appear relaxed as they tour the States. But they also seem lost in thought — for behind the unique photographs is a story of disappointment as fame began to take its toll.

By the time of the last U.S. tour in 1966 The Beatles knew they couldn't carry on. There was no fun in playing live any more and the sounds created for their Revolver album couldn't be reproduced when piped through the primitive sound systems of the stadiums in which they performed.

When they returned to Britain, it was to the recording studios, the only place they would ever play together again as a band. Though they struggled on for another three years, the end was inevitable. What these pictures capture is The Beatles' calm at the centre of a hurricane of their own creation. 

 

----thetimesofindia.com

Beady Eye Release Beatles Cover for the Red Cross's Japan Appeal

Liam Gallagher's band Beady Eye have released a cover of the Beatles' 'Across the Universe' to raise funds for the British Red Cross's Japan Tsunami Appeal.

The release follows Sunday night's, April 3, Japan benefit gig at London's O2 Academy Brixton where Beady Eye rounded off their set with the John Lennon-penned track. Appearing alongside Graham Coxon, the Coral, Paul Weller and Primal Scream, among others, the show has so far raised over £150,000 ($243,600)

A statement on the band's official website reads, "The day before the charity event, during an eight-hour session, Beady Eye went into RAK studios to record and mix their version of the song from The Beatles' 'Let It Be' album."

The fruits of their labour are available through the Beady Eye website for a limited time only at a cost of 99p ($1.60) with 62p ($1) of each sale going directly to the Red Cross.

It's not the first time 'Across the Universe' has been used to raise money -- the song was originally recorded by the Beatles in 1969 for a WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) charity album 'No One's Gonna Change Our World' and later featured on 'Let It Be.'

----Andrew Kerr
spinner.com

Ringo Starr gives drum kit to teenage fan

Ringo Starr gave his drum kit to a teenage brain cancer survivor.
The former Beatles star met with 17-year-old Alexx Kipp -- who also suffers from Tourette's Syndrome -- at the Los Angeles' Hard Rock Cafe as part of a new partnership between the restaurant chain and the Make-A-Wish Foundation last week and gave Alexx a black and white set of Ludwig drums, before playing on the kit with him.
Alexx - who has been playing drums since he was eight -- had wanted to meet Ringo for several years, and last year his family approached the charity to try and grant him his wish.
His father Charles Kipp said: "Alexx came to me one morning and he said, 'Dad, I had a dream last night and I met Ringo.'
"This was before we knew it was going to happen. About a week later we got the call. I told him, 'It looks like your dream came true.'"
Alexx's next goal is to learn the Beatles hit 'I Am The Walrus' and he was given some advice by Ringo.
According to the Los Angeles Times newspaper, Ringo told him: "I get the easy bit. I come, I say hi, we hang out, we have a bit of fun.
"In the band I was in, we knew when we'd done the take, because it just feels good. It's like golf: When you hit that ball right, you know. You feel it - you feel the connection. And connecting is good."
The musical legend also spoke about his ongoing involvement with the Make-A-Wish Foundation - who accept requests from children with life-threatening illnesses and try and make them happen - admitting it gives him a different perspective on life.
He said: "It's huge. It puts you in your place. You think you've got a cold - you're all, 'Oh, what about me?' Then you help these kids. You think of the families. I've got children too, and it's got to be hard."
Ringo has designed a T-shirt which will be sold throughout Hard Rock International locations, with proceeds benefiting his Lotus Foundation, which directly supports Make-A-Wish.

----cta news

A new book looks at the Beatles during the height of Beatlemania

Peter Grant recalls how music mania began with The Beatles in Liverpool
BIEBERMANIA hit Liverpool last month when the diminutive 17-year-old Canadian Justin Bieber caused traffic to stop in Liverpool city centre.
Appropriately, it was in the city where music mania began . . .
The Hard Days Night Hotel was a no go area as hundreds of fans crowded outside the hotel were the star was staying.

Fan worship of this scale had not been seen since the Beatles’ own homecoming in July 1964.
Now a new book by two historians looks at the four lads from Liverpool who became bigger than Elvis.
Kevin Roach, of the Liverpool Record Office, teamed up with writer John Gannon to revisit a very special week in the life of The Beatles.
Kevin says: “In 2007, when I discovered the Beatles Civic Reception archive, we went on to do radio shows and a major exhibition with a lot of the material displayed later in Central Library.”
John had researched the band’s tours in the US, Australia and New Zealand. The book – The Beatles: Living In The Eye Of The Hurricane – was a natural progression for the two.
In the 110-page book, packed with rare archive material and never-seen-before documents, Kevin and John recreate the magic and the whirlwind moments for the Beatles at home and abroad.
Says Kevin: “John Lennon said it was like ‘living in the eye of a hurricane’, thus the title of our book.
“As a record keeper, I found the guest list that The Beatles wanted at the civic reception fascinating.
“We found the photographs of the route the Beatles took to the Town Hall and the size of the crowds that had turned out to welcome the boys home – also the photos of the lads outside and inside the Town Hall.
“They look so relaxed because they were back home – and the fans had come out onto the streets. They were initially worried no one would turn out!”
Kevin says the book unlocked some whole new stories for him.
One shock was a leaflet being handed out outside the Town Hall accusing Paul McCartney of fathering – then deserting – a child.
Says John: “It was, undoubtedly, the Beatles’ most important year: this was the worldwide recognition of their talents. In this same year Liverpool officially recognised this extraordinary achievement.”
The Beatles: Living In The Eye Of The Hurricane is available from Pritchard’s Book Shop, Formby, and online at www.beatlesliverpoolandmore.com

Read More http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/echo-entertainment/2011/04/02/a-new-book-looks-at-the-beatles-during-the-height-of-beatlemania-living-in-the-eye-of-the-hurricane-100252-28444368/#ixzz1IN4Kg8RH

John Lennon and Yoko Ono announce dual sex change

So the joke was on me when I first read this story. My jaw dropped and I said "What???" But then I remembered that today is April 1st.....April Fools!

April 1, 1970 John and Yoko issued an April Fool's Day press release that announced that they would be having dual sex-change operations.

 A lovely picture to see. I think this image is going to haunt me for a while!!

peace and love
The Beatles Blogger

***For more John Lennon April Fools Day history check out this website
John Lennon April Fools

Ringo Starr Makes a Wish Come True for Ailing Beatles Fan

Peace and love, indeed. Ringo Starr lifted the spirits of a 17-year-old drummer and brain cancer survivor on Thursday by not only meeting with him, but giving him an awesome set of white Ludwig drums.

"You like those drums?" Starr, 70, asked Alexx Kipp, a young Beatles devotee, as they stood near a shiny black-and-white kit.

"Hell, yeah!" Kipp -- who also suffers from Tourette's syndrome -- replied, according to Pop and Hiss.

Kipp had flown to Hollywood with his family from his home in Arlington, Va., to meet his hero. Ringo sat beside Kipp behind the pristine Ludwig set the Hard Rock Café event, joining in by tapping on a floor tom and some cymbals as his new friend tested out the new drums.

Starr, who learned to play percussion while in hospital for long-term tuberculosis treatment when he was just 13, relayed to Kipp and other attendees how he got his start. The meeting was granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which orchestrates about 14,000 requests in the US each year, around 900 of which involve celebrities.


----spinner.com