A year in review, the year ahead

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The Beatles: A year in review, the year ahead

Steve Marinucci

, Beatles Examiner

January 1, 2012

The year 2011 won't go down as one of the biggest Beatle years, but it did have its moments. 

For John Lennon, in the aftermath of the remasters in 2010, there really wasn't much to follow. Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band played a few shows. Yoko also continued to make philanthropic contributions. And Sean made news by appearing at an Occupy Wall Street rally.

 

Yoko was to spend New Year's Eve 2011 in Oklahoma City as part of a two-night concert stand. 

 

Martin Scorsese's much-anticipated documentary on George Harrison aired on both sides of the ocean. The documentary, a disjointed portrait of his Beatle and spiritual sides, received mixed reviews from fans. But apparently due to HBO licensing agreements (and possible repeats in the U.S.), was only released on DVD in the UK, an unnecessary move. Fans also questioned the small amount of audio bonus material included in the expensive bonus package. 

It was a bright and busy year for Paul McCartney, who toured and toured and got married for the third time. 

 

It was a relatively quiet year for Ringo Starr, who toured South America with his most recent set of All-Starrs.

 

But 2012 looks to be an active year in the Beatle world. Both Ringo and Paul will have new albums. Ringo has already announced he's touring the U.S. and if Paul follows form, he'll be touring somewhere, too.

 

Yoko will certainly stay involved with philanthopic activities and will likely play concerts. And the release of the George Harrison Scorsese DVD in the U.S. will be good news for those who didn't buy the UK version. 

 

But what about the Beatles? 2011 was a relatively quiet one for the group itself. "1" was released on iTunes, a special Beatles singles box was issued for Black Friday and a free Yellow Submarine ebook was made available for Apple devices on iTunes just before Christmas. But other than that, there was no big Beatles Christmastime release for the first time in memory. 

 

It's rumored that with the 50th anniversaries coming, it's hoped some releases could be in the offing. And some are still wishing and hoping for the vinyl remasters. 

The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" ebook was the only holiday offering from the Beatles in 2011.

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