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McCartney, Ringo almost come together
By Hector Saldana
September 25, 2014
The Beatles never played San Antonio.
Thanks to a shiny new venue, though, the two surviving ex-Beatles are arriving within a week of each other — 50 years after they first arrived in America
The Beatles perform during their first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February 1964.
CBS Photo Archive, CBS Via Getty Images
Both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have played San Antonio before, both in venues befitting their post-Beatles status.
McCartney christened the Alamodome in May 1993; Starr and his All-Starr Band have played Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Sunken Garden Theater.
McCartney arrives Wednesday. Starr hits town Oct. 7. Both are playing the new Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
In the Beatles, they were part of what Mick Jagger affectionately and a bit enviously called “the four-headed monster,” equally essential.
After the Beatles, things changed. McCartney stumbled out of the blocks but soon set off on a path that established him as the greatest living rock star and, since 1997, a knight. Ringo scored some huge pop hits and dabbled in acting, but at heart, he's still Billy Shears, getting by with a little help from his friends.
The closest the Fab Four came to S.A. was Dallas on Sept. 18, 1964 — photos show the mop-tops wearing LBJ-style Stetsons at Love Field and later wearing black cowboy hats backstage at Dallas Memorial Auditorium — and at two shows in Houston on August 19, 1965, at Sam Houston Coliseum.
On September 18th 1964, the Beatles found themselves in Dallas, Texas, the city where President Kennedy had been assassinated less than one year before.
Fifty years ago, tickets for the Beatles' Dallas concert ranged from $2.50 to $5.50; in Houston the following year, tickets cost $5.
That's a far cry from the sticker shock price of $250 to $3,500 for McCartney at the Tobin Center. Starr tickets top out at $179.50.
Who knows how Ringo feels about that.
Maybe it stirs up memories of “Saturday Night Live” executive producer Lorne Michaels' April 1976 offer of $3,000 for the Beatles to reunite on his show.
“Divide it up any way you want,” Michaels said in the on-air gag. “If you want to give less to Ringo, that's up to you.”
The case for Paul
John Lennon was the self-proclaimed leader of the Beatles. But it was really Paul McCartney's group to lead.
McCartney's first real executive decision (after introducing George Harrison to Lennon) occurred in pre-fame Hamburg when he took over on electric bass guitar after Stuart Sutcliffe quit. He'd fancied himself a lead guitarist.
The move established the classic format of the band and quickly led to the Beatles' greatest pure rock 'n' roll song, “I Saw Her Standing There,” its bass line borrowed from Chuck Berry's “I'm Talking About You.”
As a songwriting partner and harmonizing singer, McCartney was the perfect foil to Lennon. Less appreciated was McCartney's uncanny ability to match Lennon's voice on the band's earliest songs. The unison singing created a double-tracked effect and joyous power to the vocal style.
As Beatlemania erupted, it fell to McCartney to sing the first two songs - “All My Loving” and “Till There Was You” - for the Beatles' historic appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Film footage from Beatles' concerts reveal that the doe-eyed bassist always was the one charged with introducing songs and keeping the shows going.
McCartney's ability as a balladeer on “And I Love Her” and “Yesterday” established another dimension. But most important by 1965 was charting a new direction away from the mop-top image with “I've Just Seen a Face” (on the “Help!” album), which set the tone for “Rubber Soul.”
Likewise, his “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yellow Submarine” and the idea to create new alter egos led the group to “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Magical Mystery Tour.”
As the band grew apart, McCartney was the motivator behind albums “The Beatles” (the White Album), “Let It Be” and “Abbey Road.”
In the midst of the turmoil, he delivered “Lady Madonna,” “Hey Jude,” “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” “Mother Nature's Son,” “Blackbird,” “Birthday,” “Helter Skelter,” “Oh, Darling,” “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” “Get Back,” “The Long and Winding Road” and “Let It Be.”
In the end, Lennon famously wanted the divorce but McCartney ended the Beatles when he announced it to the world.
The case for Ringo
When the Beatles arrived in America in February 1964, Ringo Starr's distinctive nickname, his rings, prominent nose and cuddly stature quickly made him a fan favorite, the most popular in fact.
There was even a Ringo for President campaign.
Starr (born Richard Starkey) was the oldest of the Beatles and was a hipster star with Rory Storm & the Hurricanes in Hamburg before the fledgling Silver Beatles with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best ever arrived in Germany.
Once he joined in 1962, there's no doubt he was the easygoing missing piece to the group. He just looked, and played, perfect atop his drum throne behind his oyster black Ludwig kit.
Starr's penchant for malapropisms, inspired the title for “A Hard Day's Night.” The storylines to both of the group's early films, “A Hard Day's Night” and “Help!,” revolved around Starr, a natural in front of the camera. He later appeared in such films as “Candy,” “The Magic Christian,” “200 Motels” “That'll be the Day” and “Caveman.”
He liked to party (Keith Moon was his best friend) and had an independent streak, too. He was the first to bug out of the Beatles' excursion to India to hang with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the first to quit the band in August 1968 during the making of the White Album.
After the Beatles broke up, Starr was the only one of the Fabs to appear at Harrison's all-star Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden in August 1971. And at the news of Lennon's murder, he and his wife, Barbara Bach, flew to Yoko Ono's side to console and represent.
Many forget that he was the first ex-Beatle to score successive big hits in the early '70s with “It Don't Come Easy,” “Back Off Boogaloo,” “Photograph,” “You're Sixteen,” “Oh My My,” “Only You” and “No No Song.”
Testament to his stature as the Beatles most unifying force was Starr's third solo album, “Ringo,” which featured Lennon, McCartney and Harrison and was the closest thing to a reunion while all were alive.
Former Beatle Ringo Starr will bring his All-Starr Band to the Tobin Center on Oct. 4.
Joel Ryan / Associated Press
ultimateclassicrock.com
10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About ‘Abbey Road’
by Dave Lifton
From its oft-imitated cover to the medley that covers up most of the second side, ‘Abbey Road’ remains one of the Beatles‘ best-loved and enduring albums. But how much do you really know about it? Sure, lots of people know that it was recorded after, but released before, ‘Let It Be,’ and that are plenty of “Paul Is Dead” clues on the cover, but that’s about it. So we’ve compiled this list of 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About ‘Abbey Road.’
Apple Records
1
George Martin Had to Be Convinced to Produce It
Following the turbulent sessions for 'The Beatles' and 'Let It Be,' longtime producer George Martin was through with the Beatles. He eventually agreed to work with them again after Paul McCartney pleaded with him, but only on the condition that Martin would be in complete control in the studio, just like in the old days. Martin would later describe 'Abbey Road' as a "happy record ... because everybody thought it was going to be the last."
2
The Title and Cover Happened Because They Were Lazy
The album's working title was 'Everest,' an inside joke about the brand of cigarettes smoked by engineer Geoff Emerick. They had intended to shoot the cover photo at Mount Everest, but none of them wanted to make the long journey. Instead, McCartney suggested naming it after the street on which EMI Studios was located. That meant they could photograph themselves in the nearest crosswalk, which took about 30 minutes total.
3
John Lennon Ripped Off Chuck Berry on 'Come Together'
In 1973, John Lennon was sued because the opening line of 'Come Together' was very similar to a line from Chuck Berry's 'You Can't Catch Me.' The out-of-court settlement forced Lennon to record three songs owned by publisher Morris Levy. Those tracks became the impetus for Lennon's 1975 covers album 'Rock 'n' Roll.'
4
Everybody Agreed that 'Something' Was the Best Song on the Album
For all the internal squabbling within the group at the time, over the years they all -- including George Martin -- said that George Harrison's ballad was 'Abbey Road''s high point. They weren't the only ones who felt that way. Frank Sinatra recorded it twice, calling it "the greatest love song of the past 50 years." However, for a long time he mistakenly said that it was a Lennon-McCartney composition. 'Something' was the only Harrison song to be the A-side of a Beatles single.
5
Everybody But Paul Hated 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer'
Originally attempted during 'Let It Be,' McCartney brought it back to the group on the next album. Harrison called it "fruity," but Ringo Starr took it one step further, calling it "the worst track we ever had to record," adding that the few days it took to record "went on for f---ing weeks." But McCartney defended it by saying it was "just a silly story" that "epitomizes the downfalls of life. Just when everything is going smoothly — bang! bang! — down comes Maxwell’s silver hammer and ruins everything.”
6
It Took McCartney a Week to Record the Vocals on 'Oh! Darling'
From July 17-23, 1969, Paul would come into the studio about 30 minutes before the session was scheduled to begin and take a shot at the vocals on 'Oh! Darling' before the others got there. The reason was simple: Recording it early in the day gave his voice the raspy quality he was looking for. "I wanted it to sound as though I'd been performing it onstage all week," he said.
7
John Didn't Like the Idea of the Medley
Wanting to make another conceptual statement along the lines of 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,' McCartney and Martin fashioned the idea of a medley out of some unfinished ideas. Lennon, on the other hand, simply wanted a traditional, unconnected album. At one point, the idea was to have John's songs on one side and Paul's on the other, but Lennon eventually gave in and contributed 'Sun King,' 'Mean Mr. Mustard' and 'Polythene Pam' to the medley.
8
Paul Did Some Lyric Appropriation of His Own on 'Golden Slumbers'
While visiting his father, McCartney saw a piano book that contained a poem by 16th century English playwright Thomas Dekker. McCartney changed a few words, put his own melody to it and worked it into an existing song he had. The original begins, "Golden slumbers kiss your eyes / Smiles awake you when you rise / Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry / And I will sing a lullaby."
9
Ringo Had to Be Convinced to Play a Drum Solo on 'The End'
For years, Ringo Starr had resisted all attempts by the others to get him to record a drum solo. But, perhaps because it was likely their last record, he consented to play the 15-second drum break on 'The End' after much prodding. Speaking of solos, the three-guitar attack that follows, with Paul, George and John (in that order) each taking two bars, was recorded live in one take.
10
'Her Majesty' Became A Hidden Track by Accident
When assembling a rough mix of the medley, 'Her Majesty' was originally tucked in between 'Mean Mr. Mustard' and 'Polythen Pam.' But McCartney decided he didn't like the song and had it removed. But engineer John Kurlander, having been told never to throw anything away, stuck it 20 seconds after 'The End' and an acetate was made from that tape. McCartney heard it and realized he liked the way it worked in that context, and it remained.
www.digitalspy.co.uk
Paul McCartney to record Christmas charity single with Jennifer Hudson
By Harry Fletcher
Friday, Sep 26 2014
The ex-Beatle and the Oscar-winning singer will join a host of celebrities for a version of A Great Big World's 'Say Something', according to The Sun.
Paul McCartney
Jennifer Hudson
The track will be released in support of Samuel L. Jackson's cancer charity One For The Boys. Other celebrities featured include Game Of Thrones actress Maisie Williams and model Daisy Lowe, while Jackson will also provide vocals.
The recording session at Abbey Road Studios was reportedly hosted by BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw earlier this week.
'Say Something' will challenge The X Factor 2014 champion for Christmas number one.
McCartney will soon release a special Collector's Edition of his album New, featuring two previously unreleased songs, live recordings from his concert at the Tokyo Dome, and a documentary about the making of the album.
His Destiny theme song was also recently posted online, with YouTube user Kilo Juliett posting the track as part of the game's end credits sequence.
Watch the video for A Great Big World's 'Say Something' below:
www.billboard.com
John Lennon Film Is Spain's Oscar Pick
By Associated Press
September 25, 2014
Spain's film academy has selected the movie Vivir es Facil con los Ojos Cerrados [Living Is Easy (With Eyes Closed)] about a Spanish man's quest to meet John Lennon as its entry for best foreign language film at next year's Oscars.
Director David Trueba's film, chosen Thursday, tells the true story of an English-language teacher from Spain who traveled to the southern province of Almeria in 1966 to try to meet the late Beatles star, who was staying there. Watch the trailer:
The movie takes its name from the lyrics of the Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever," which Lennon began writing in Almeria.
The U.S. film academy will select finalists for the Oscars in January, with the awards announced a month later. Spain has won four Oscars for best foreign language film. Trueba's brother, Fernando Trueba, won the category in 1994 for Belle Epoque.
www.rollingstone.com
Beatles Fest Selling Signed Chunk of 'Ed Sullivan' Stage Backdrop
The Fest for Beatles Fans will hit L.A. in October and feature thousands of Fab Four items, including a copy of the famed 'Butcher' LP
BY RYAN REED
September 24, 2014
A half-million dollars can't buy you love, but it can buy you an autographed chunk of the Ed Sullivan Show stage backdrop displayed during the Beatles' American live debut on February 9th, 1964. That iconic item will be for sale at The Fest for Beatles Fans, a mecca for Fab Four collectibles, which is headed to the LAX Marriott in Los Angeles between October 10th and 12th. Reopening in the city for the first time since 2000, the event will feature thousands of vendors, special guest appearances and a wide variety of Beatles items – from high-ticket landmark pieces to rare vinyl, posters, books, art and more.
Ed Sullivan smiles while standing with the Beatles on the set of his television variety series
Photo : Express Newspapers/Getty Images
The Beatles-signed Sullivan backdrop piece, which boasts a hefty price tag of $550,000, is being presented by "featured exhibitor" Wayne Johnson, owner of L.A.'s famed Rockaway Records, a well-known destination for Beatles fanatics. Rockaway has "thousands of additional items" for sale, including a copy of the rare "Butcher" edition of 1966's Yesterday and Today (for $4,500) and the band's first U.S. contract with Vee Jay Records from 1963 (for $100,000).
According to a press release, the event's master of ceremonies will be Chris Carter, host of long-running L.A. radio show "Breakfast With the Beatles." Other special guests will include TV-radio personality Bob Eubanks; former Wings members Denny Seiwell, Laurence Juber and Denny Laine; Ringo Starr's musical director, Mark Rivera; former Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland; musician-producer (and former Apple Records A&R man) Peter Asher; musician-producer Mark Hudson; artist Alan Aldridge and numerous other "authors, aficionados and figures from Beatles history." Each night will feature live performances from Beatles tribute band Liverpool.
Tickets for The Fest for Beatles are available at the event's official website.
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Watch Dhani Harrison Perform Two of His Father's Songs on 'Conan'
George Harrison's son rolls out "Let It Down" and "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp" with rockers Big Black Delta
BY DANIEL KREPS
September 25, 2014
George Harrison Week continued on Conan on Wednesday night as the Beatle's son Dhani Harrison and his talented friends performed a pair of tracks from his father's 1970 classic All Things Must Pass. On Conan O'Brien's show, Harrison paid tribute to his father with a lively, brassy rendition of "Let It Down," (above) and as a web exclusive, Los Angeles rockers Big Black Delta joined Harrison for a faithful take on "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)" available below.
In addition to the Conan performances, Harrison also sat down with the late night host to talk about preserving his father's musical legacy ("It's a labor of love") and the George Harrison: The Apple Years 1968-1975 box set, which collects the guitarist's first six solo LPs plus unreleased demos and live recordings. Harrison also shared an amusing anecdote about when he was detained as a 12-year-old for illegally skateboarding outside the then-Santa Monica Courthouse in 1989. Harrison revisited the site recently and managed to avoid another ticket thanks to some name-dropping, but not the name you'd expect…
George Harrison Week on Conan previously featured Beck tackling "Wah-Wah" and Paul Simon's stripped-down "Here Comes the Sun," and will conclude on Thursday with a performance by Norah Jones. Harrison's music will also take center stage at Los Angeles' Fonda Theatre for an all-star concert on September 28th. George Fest, which will benefit Sweet Relief, will feature performances by Brian Wilson, the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd, Spoon's Britt Daniel, Heart's Ann Wilson, Dhani Harrison and more.
Dhani Harrison / Conan O'Brien (Photo : Official Team Coco Twitter)
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George Harrison 'Had This Way Of Looking At You,' Remembers His Wife Olivia, On Release Of 'The Apple Years' Music
Caroline Frost
Posted: 24/09/2014
It’s pretty bizarre. Every time I come across someone who worked at Abbey Road in the 1960s or in the film industry in the 1980s, or journalists who’ve trod this beat longer than I, I often ask for the name of the person who’s impressed them the most. These are people from all walks of life, but one person always gets mentioned. It’s uncanny. It’s George Harrison.
"He had this way of looking at you," George Harrison's widow Olivia tries to explain his wide appeal
Olivia Harrison, George’s widow who has been working with their son Dhani to release the former Beatle’s first six solo albums, all lovingly remastered and presented as 'The Apple Years' boxset, chuckles when I tell her this, and tries to shed some light on the phenomenon.
“He had this way of looking at you that made you feel you were without limitations,” she tries to explain. “It just went straight to your heart.
“Once you’d been with him, he had this way of making you want to bring out a truer version of yourself, unlocking something.
“It was profound and electrifying, and it can still bring prickles to the back of my neck.”
By the time Olivia met George in 1974, the Beatles had long split, but he was busier than ever, having almost finished completing a mammoth six albums in seven years.
“He was working non-stop,” remembers Olivia. “His life was changing.”
George Harrison with baby son Dhani and wife Olivia in 1980
This tireless one-man production machine seems at odds with the famously laid-back, spiritual side of George that he increasingly embraced. According to Olivia, it was a dichotomy he acknowledged himself.
“He used to tell me, ‘I’m a Pisces,’” she reveals. “He really did struggle. The Beatles used to work all night long, and I don’t think that great work ethic ever deserted any of them.
“But he tried to incorporate the inner life, too, into whatever he did. He conducted himself with a great consciousness…” she laughs,”even when he was behaving badly, he would do it with a great awareness.” She smiles broadly. “You’ve got to love him.”
(I’m reminded of that wonderful moment in Martin Scorsese’s documentary about George Harrison ‘Living in a Material World’ when a very warm Olivia explains how you stay married to such a will o’ the wisp spirit. She says, “You don’t get divorced.”)
It’s clear that Olivia’s love for her husband is undimmed, and I wonder what it’s been like for her and Dhani, going back over the old tracks, listening to them in the studios at their Henley home, Friar Park, where George himself made so much music in the grounds he happily tended?
“This summer’s been beautiful,” she replies. “Dhani’s been in the studio, scoring a film there, and it’s been just like the old days, people coming and going, music drifting outside. It’s been lovely.”
For Dhani, who resembles George strongly, it must be a complicated legacy of stepping in similar professional footsteps to those of his feted father, but Olivia’s convinced Dhani’s managed to find his own way.
“I can’t think of any rebellion he had,” she ponders now. “George never held anything back, even when Dhani was really young, so they were very close, and Dhani had a clear understanding. Some of the things George told him, it was almost like he knew he might not be around later on, so he had to tell him then.
“So yes, it’s difficult to make your own way, but that’s what it was, and Dhani loved that guy, they were very close.”
Olivia could equally be talking about herself, and she remains generous in sharing her husband with the legions of fans who remain inspired by him, his work and his way of looking at the world. Where does she go when she wants a bit of him to herself?
Olivia Harrison is happy to share her memories of her husband George
“I probably head to a tree in the garden, or something like that, that we made together,” she says. “But there’s nothing mysterious about George.
“No matter how much I shared, there would still be a whole universe not expressed. He made so much time for people, so if they can be a little bit inspired by him, or with this music again, who am I to stop that?”
'George Harrison: The Apple Years 1968-75' are available individually and in a box set with exclusive DVD and book. They are George's first six albums remastered from analogue for CD and digital release. The albums are 'Wonderwall Music', 'Electronic Sound', 'All Things Must Pass', 'Living in the Material World', 'Dark Horse' and 'Extra Texture (Read All About It)'.
George Harrison with his wife Olivia at his 50th Birthday Party In Fulham, London
