Monday, January 31, 2011

Jane Asher

The actress Jane Asher was born on April 4, 1946 and is best known as one-time girlfriend of Beatle Paul McCartney. Her brother, Peter Asher, was a record producer and part of the pop duo of Peter and Gordon in the 1960s. The duo's biggest hit was a song written by Paul McCartney (attributed to Lennon-McCartney on the label) called "World Without Love."

Asher had a five-year relationship with McCartney, beginning in 1963. The couple was engaged in 1967. She accompanied the Beatles to India to study meditation with the Maharishi in March of 1968. Asher terminated the engagement with McCartney later in 1968 after returning from a trip to find McCartney in bed with another woman. The woman, Francie Schwartz, claimed that she and McCartney were no longer emotionally involved at the time of Asher's discovery, but by July of 1968, Jane told the press that the engagement was off. She is one of the few members of the Beatles' inner circle not to have publisher her own memoir about that period in her life.

McCartney stayed at the Asher home at 57 Wimpole Street from 1964 to 1966 and composed several songs at the residence, the most famous being "Yesterday."

Asher had great success in acting, appearing in such films and TV series as Alfie, Rumpole of the Bailey, Brideshead Revisited, Dr. Who, and many more. She is also the author of three bestselling novels. She currently runs a successful business making party cakes.

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Savile Row

3 Savile Row is the address of the building which was headquarters for the Beatles' Apple Corps, Ltd. venture, which was supposed to be a multimedia corporation offering access to artists in all mediums, artists frustrated with running the gauntlet to have their work reviewed by major media corporations.

While Apple Records was the main focus of the enterprise, the company also had other divisions: Apple Publishing, Apple Electronics, Apple Boutique, and Apple Retail. Between 1970 and 2007, former Beatle roadie Neil Aspinall acted as CEO. In 2010, Apple launched the hugely successful The Beatles: Rock Band video game.

The recording studio used by the Beatles at Savile Row after they gave up recording Let It Be at Twickenham Studios was located in the basement. Originally designed by Magic Alex Mardas, the equipment was scrapped because Mardas' electronics didn't work, with four-track recorders brought in to replace the unusable studio equipment.

3 Savile Row will also always be remembered as the location where the Beatles gave their famous Rooftop Concert as the ending to the film Let It Be. This performance, on January 30, 1969, was the last live performance given by the Beatles.

Savile Row was created as part of the Burlington Estate in 1695 and was established to house military officers and their families. The actual name for the street came from Lord Burlington's wife, Dorothy Savile. It will best be remembered in modern times, however, as home to the Beatles' Apple Corps, Ltd., as well as the Rooftop Concert.

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney, musician and former member of the Beatles, was born James Paul McCartney on June 18, 1942 in Liverpool, England. he is now Sir Paul McCartney. His mother was formerly Mary Mohan and his father was James McCartney. McCartney has one sibling, his brother James. McCartney's father was a cotton salesman and an amateur musician who played piano and trumpet. His mother Mary died of a pulmonary embolism after a mastectomy to remove breast cancer. This loss helped forge a relationship with John Lennon, who had lost his mother in a car accident when Lennon was seventeen.

Growing up, McCartney was influenced by his father's musical talent, and McCartney began playing guitar and piano. He was influenced most by American rock and roll, as well as rhythm and blues, as were the other Beatles. His favorite performer was Little Richard. Most sources agree that the first song McCartney sang in public was "Long Tall Sally."

At age fifteen, McCartney saw John Lennon perform with his group, the Quarrymen, at the church fete at Woolton. McCartney was quickly asked to join the group, and by 1958, George Harrison, a friend of Paul's from the Liverpool Institute for Boys, had also joined the Quarreymen at the suggestion of Paul. The group changed names frequently, going from the Quarreymen to Johnny and the Moondogs to the Silver Beatles. The group became the Beatles in mid-August of 1960 before they asked Pete Best to join the group before going to Hamburg. When Stu Sutcliffe showed no interest in (or talent for) playing electric bass guitar, McCartney taught himself the instrument and eventually played the iconic Hofner fiddle bass with the group, an instrument he still uses today.

As the Beatles became world-famous between 1963 and 1966, McCartney and Lennon became two of the most famous songwriting collaborators in musical history. Although each composer would generally write his own songs, the other would contribute, to a greater or lesser degree, lyrics or melody lines. Although McCartney is considered by many to be the Beatle who composed memorable ballads, with Lennon producing rock standards, nothing could be further from the truth. Both Lennon and McCartney wrote an eclectic body of material, with George Martin stating that the two men had a healthy songwriting competition during the group's golden years together. Lennon's "Strawberry Fields" was answered by McCartney's "Penny Lane." "Day Tripper was answered by "Paperback Writer."

During the Beatles' studio years, tension within the group grew as each band member began to develop individual interests and relationships. Most Beatles' histories and biographies, however, cite that Lennon and Harrison thought McCartney to be overbearing and bossy. They also believed, according to most sources, that McCartney was willing to work endlessly on his own material while not putting as much effort into the compositions of his band members.

McCartney married Linda Eastman in 1969 at the Marylebone Registry, and in 1970, before the official breakup of the Beatles, released his first solo album, McCartney. McCartney had previously had a five-year relationship with British actress Jane Asher, who is credited for inspiring (for good or ill) songs such as "Yesterday," "And I Love Her," and "I'm Looking Through You." A complete discography of McCartney's solo work may be found by consulting the SITEMAP at the end of this article.

In 1971, after the release of his second solo album, Ram, McCartney formed the band Wings with Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell, and Linda McCartney. Later, the band added Henry McCullough (and later still, Jimmy McCullough). The group toured America many times and issued many successful albums, including Band on the Run, Red Rose Speedway, Venus and Mars, Wings at the Speed of Sound, London Town, and Back to the Egg.

Like the other Beatles, Paul McCartney began using marijuana when Bob Dylan introduced the group to cannabis in 1964. Like the other Beatles, he also took LSD, although he was initially more reticent about trying the drug. Linda McCartney was very fond of marijuana as well, and the couple allegedly used the drug on a regular basis for many years. In January of 1980, McCartney was arrested in Japan for possession of cannabis while going through customs, and the ex-Beatle spent ten days in jail. He and wife Linda were arrested again in 1984 for possession of the drug.

McCartney has engaged in many creative endeavors, such as classical music, painting, and writing. He has written books of poetry as well as classical music. Collaborating with Carl Davis, he wrote Liverpool Oratorio. In this genre, he also wrote Standing Stone, Working Classical, and Ecce Cor Meum. McCartney also wrote and directed the 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street. While the film was considered a commercial flop and generally panned by critics, the soundtrack has always been hailed for its mix of new and traditional songs, some from the Beatles' and Wings' years.

Paul and Linda McCartney became animal rights activists (as well as vegetarians). McCartney is still active in these movements, and advocates against seal hunting. After marrying Heather Mills, he joined her fight against landmines, with an untold number of such mines still buried beneath the soil in many countries that are (or have been) torn apart by war.

One of McCartney's biggest regrets is allowing the Beatles catalog (published by Northern Songs, Ltd.) to be sold without actively trying to purchase it himself. Michael Jackson, joking with McCartney, said he would one day buy the catalog. McCartney and Ono had tried to purchase the catalog in 1981, but deemed the price of twenty million dollars too steep. When Nortehrn Songs rights to the music was due to expire, McCartney again did not bid, and the songs were bought by Jackson for $47.5 million dollars in 1985. Rumors that Jackson left the catalog to McCartney in his will proved to be false.

For the past eleven years, McCartney has recorded and toured with a tight band, with the former Beatle not afraid to play standards from his Wings' and Beatles' day, along with new compositions. Macca, as McCartney is known, plays with drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr., keyboardist Wix Wickens, and guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray. McCartney handles bass, electric and acosutic guitars, and keyboards.

For more information on Paul McCartney, visit his official website by consulting the sidebar or the SITEMAP below.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

George Harrison

George Harrison of the Beatles was born in Liverpool on February 25, 1943 and died in Los Angeles on November 29, 2001. His Roman Catholic family consisted of his mother, a shop clerk, and his father, who was a bus conductor. He had one sister, Louise, and two brothers, Harry and Peter. Although he was accepted by the Liverpool Institute for Boys, he was totally obsessed with guitars rather than his studies after hearing "Heartbreak Hotel." Harrison then bought an acoustic guitar and started a skiffle group called the Rebels.

While at the Liverpool Institute, Harrison met an older student, Paul McCartney, who had told his friend John Lennon that George could actually tune a guitar and play a tune called "Raunchy." Lennon accepted him into his band, the Quarrymen, in 1958 while George pursued an apprenticeship as an electrician. When Lennon's group began working in Hamburg in 1960, Harrison was deported to England for being underage. Harrison would make later trips to Hamburg, however, and stayed in the band when it was renamed the Beatles by John Lennon and became managed by Brian Epstein, who first saw the group play at Liverpool's Cavern Club. Through these early days with the Beatles, Harrison assumed the duties of lead guitarist and performed many vocals as well.

As the Beatles gained popularity, Harrison became known as the quiet Beatle. He contributed a song or two to each early album, but also sang cover versions of songs such as "Chains," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Devil in Her Heart," Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby," and others. His backing vocals are clearly heard on most Beatles albums, although his voice stands out more clearly on the early albums and in live performances. "Help" is a perfect example.

Harrison developed an interest in Indian culture, beginning with the music of Ravi Shankar. Harrison purchased a sitar, which was featured on "Norwegian Wood" while Harrison was still learning the instrument. He eventually became curious about meditation and all aspects of Hinduism, a development that would lead all four Beatles to travel to Rishikesh, India to study transcendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The other Beatles lost interest in meditation over time, but Harrison became a devotee of chanting and meditation and continued his Hindu religious practices until his death in 2001. While his work with the sitar was featured on many Beatles songs, his ability with the instrument came to fruition on "Within You Without You."

As is well known, tensions within the Beatles began to grow increasingly serious during the White Album sessions. Harrison left the group for twelve days but continued with the Beatles despite growing rifts within the group, as can be seen in the film Let It Be, where he is seen arguing with Paul over his guitar work on "Two of Us." The Beatles broke up in 1970 after recording Abbey Road. With this album, most fans and critics believe Harrison achieved his greatest songwriting credits with the Beatles in "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun." The other Beatles believed "Something" to be the best song on the album.

In the final days of the Beatles, friction existed between the Beatles in many different ways. At one point, Ringo also left the band during the White Album. In general, the biggest problem seemed to a belief by the Beatles that Paul McCartney was overbearing and attempting to impose his views and ideas on the other three. The presence of Yoko Ono further strained the Beatles' relationships. As for George Harrison and John Lennon, Lennon regarded himself as George's mentor and was hurt that Harrison barely mentioned him in the autobiography I Me Mine. The relationship between the two men remained strained until Lennon's death in 1980.

George Harrison's solo work was impressive after the breakup of the Beatles, and with the issue of All Things Must Pass, critics felt that George had risen to a new level of songwriting ability and performance. Harrison had built such a backlog of songs that All Things Must Pass was released as a triple album. He also began demonstrating at this time an affinity for playing slide guitar, with the slide being evident on most subsequent recordings. His complete discographgy can be accessed by consulting the SITEMAP below.

Harrison organized the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 in order to alleviate famine and poverty in that country, although the IRS withheld money from the benefit for several years because concert organizers failed to file for tax-exempt status. The concert was issued as both a film and a box set album. Harrison enlisted the help of Eric Clapton, Badfinger, Leon Russell, Ringo Starr, and Bob Dylan for the event.

As for his personal life, Harrison married model Pattie Boyd in 1966, having met her on the set of A Hard Day's Night. The marriage encountered difficulties because (according to Boyd) George became introverted after he began to chant and meditate for hours at a time while also becoming reclusive in his recording studio at his estate, Friar Park. Eric Clapton was madly in love with Boyd (the subject of the song "Layla"), and she moved in with Clapton in 1974. Harrison later married Olivia Trinidad Arias in 1988, with whom he had a son, Dhani.

From 1988 to 1990, George formed The Traveling Wilburys, featuring Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. The group had such hits as "Handle with Care" and "The End of the Line."

Harrison was also interested in films and started his production company, Handmade Films, in 1978. The two most well known movies handled by Harrison's company were Time Bandits and Monty Python's Life of Brian. Harrison also had an avid interest in race cars.

George Harrison, a heavy smoker like the other Beatles, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1997. The growth in his neck was treated with radiation. In 1999, he was attacked with a knife by an intruder at Friar Park, who was subdued by Olivia as George was fighting back. By 2001, Harrison's cancer returned and metastasized to his lung and brain. He was treated at the Mayo Clinic but died on November 29, 2001, with the official cause of death listed as lung cancer. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Ganges River. In 2002, The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall. Organized by Eric Clapton, the show featured Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Dhani Harrison, and many other musicians who had been friends and fans of Harrison through the years.

More information on George Harrison can be found at his Official Website. Consult the SITEMAP below of the link in the sidebar to access this site.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Magic Alex

Magic Alex, born Yanni Alex Mardas on May 5, 1942 in Athens, Greece, became a close friend of the Beatles. According to many, he made extravagant claims about his electronic inventions, although others who knew Mardas and the Beatles have asserted that he was nothing more than a glorified TV repairman who used his influence with powerful people for his own gains.

John Lennon was introduced to Mardas in 1965 by Rolling Stone Brian Jones. Mardas, who was exhibiting a work called Kinetic Light Sculptures at the Indica gallery at the time, showed Lennon his Nothing Box, a cube with randomly blinking lights. Lennon was fascinated with the simple device and supposedly stared at it during many of his acid trips.

Mardas allegedly claimed he could build several devices, such as force fields to protect the Beatles from their screaming fans, automobile paint that could change colors, and even a flying saucer (to name just a few), although he has in recent years he has challenged such allegations, verbally and in court. One claim that seems to be solid is that he said he could make a seventy-two track recording studio to improve upon what he regarded as the archaic facilities at Abbey Road Studios (a claim that annoyed producer George Martin considerably). While the Beatles were recording Let It Be at Twickenham, Mardas was therefore commissioned to build a new studio in the basement of Apple headquarters at 3 Savile Row in London. When the recording environment became unbearable at Twickenham, the Beatles moved the project to Savile Row, only to find that Mardas' equipment was a completely unusable sound system with barely any working parts. (Beatles manager Allan Klein would later close Apple Electronics, which Mardas had been chosen to run). Meanwhile, longtime engineering associate Geoff Emerick brought two portable four-track recorders into Savile Row studios, which satisfied the Beatles.

Mardas also played a part in the Beatles' personal lives as well. He accompanied the Beatles to Rishikesh, India, where he planted doubts in the minds of John Lennon and George Harrison about the sincerity of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Mardas said that the Maharishi was taking advantage of a young girl (as well as Mia Farrow, who later denied this claim). He also claimed that the Maharishi was greedy for money and fame. Lennon and Harrison confronted their guru, and after failing to receive satisfactory answers, Mardas convinced them to leave, even arranging their transportation.

In 1968, during the White Album sessions, Lennon urged his wife Cynthia to take a vacation in Greece with Mardas, Pattie Boyd, and her sister Jenny. When Mardas and Cynthia returned home to the Lennon home at Kenwood, they found John and Yoko sitting cross-legged on the floor, with Lennon seemingly unapologetic. Cynthia was shocked, and after climbing into bed, Mardas (according to several sources, including Cynthia Lennon) nudged beside her and tried to kiss her. She quickly rebuffed him.

Shortly thereafter, when Lennon and McCartney went to New York City to promote the newly formed Apple Corps, Ltd., Cynthia went on holiday to Italy with her mother. Mardas showed up uninvited to tell Cynthia that John was divorcing her and was going to have Cynthia charged with adultery. Some sources allege that Mardas said he had volunteered to be named correspondent as Cynthia's lover. Regardless, Lennon was making a preemptive strike against his wife as he himself committed adultery with Yoko, using Mardas as a messenger at the very least.

Mardas has legally challenged many papers, such as the New York Times and the Independent for asserting that he could build force fields, paint that changed colors, flying saucers, and other devices listed in many Beatles' biographies. The Independent printed a retraction, while the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune are contesting a decision to allow Mardas to sue the papers for claiming that he was nothing more than "a charlatan." Readers here are encouraged to research articles and books on the Beatles, as well as The Beatles Anthology, in order to reach their own conclusions about a man who played a distinctive role in Beatles history.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Cavern

The Cavern Club, a rock and roll club in Liverpool, England is best known as the venue where the Beatles, in their early days, gained a steady following of young skiffle and rock and roll fans. It is also the club where Brian Epstein discovered them. It opened its doors on January 16, 1957 under the ownership of Alan Sytner, who modeled the club on those in the jazz district of Paris. The first act to perform in The Cavern was the Merseysippi Jazz Band, the name being a play on words joining the Mersey and Mississippi Rivers (the Mississippi River used because of New Orleans reputation for jazz).

Skiffle was the current craze in Liverpool in 1957, however, skiffle being a mix of folk, country, and rock performed with acoustic guitars, a washtub bass, and drums. Sytner booked the Quarrymen, a skiffle/rock group headed by a very young John Lennon, into The Cavern for a performance in 1957. (See the sitemap below for more information on the Quarrymen.)

Sytner frowned upon rock and roll--he wanted jazz and nothing else--but Lennon urged his fellow band members to play "Don't Be Cruel" on their opening date on August 7, 1957. Sytner protested, but the audience was receptive, however, and the band continued to play The Cavern. McCartney first played the club on January 24, 1961, with Harrison making his debut appearance on February 9, 1961.

Sytner sold the club to Ray McFall in 1959, after which blues bands and "beat groups," as they were known, began to play The Cavern regularly. Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, featuring Ringo Starr on drums, played The Cavern on May 25, 1960. In 1961, the club had become so popular that lunchtime performances were scheduled.

Under the name of the Beatles, Lennon's group (with McCartney, Harrison, and Best) played the club in February of 1961 after returning from a stint at the Kaiserkeller Club in Hamburg. As Beatlemania spread in 1962, the club could no longer safely accommodate the large audiences, and the Beatles, now signed to Parlophone and touring England, appeared less frequently until their spot was taken by the Hollies. Their last appearance at The Cavern (after approximately 290 performances) was on August 3, 1963. By then, the Beatles had recorded "She Loves You" and were on their way to new heights--and America.

The club was shut down in May of 1973 due to construction work on the Mersey subway system. In 1984, The Cavern was rebuilt on roughly the same site using as much of the original construction materials, such as bricks, that could be found. The club operated until 1989, when it closed due to financial difficulties, only to be reopened in 1991. The front room is open to the public and tourists (some of them arriving on the now-famous MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR BUS) and features a sound stage for various acts. The back room has a state-of-the-art sound system. The club features acoustic music, classic rock, and tribute bands.

Other groups to have performed at The Cavern in its heyday were Queen, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, and the Yardbirds.

Paul McCartney returned to The Cavern in December of 1999 to promote his back-to-basics rock and roll album, Run Devil Run.

For more information on The Cavern Club, consult the sitemap below under SITES RELATED TO BEATLES HISTORY

Derek Taylor

Derek Taylor, official press secretary for the Beatles, was born on May 7, 1932 and died on September 8, 1997. His career began as a journalist, and he wrote for the Liverpool Daily Post, the Sunday Dispatch, and the News Chronicle.

Taylor's path to becoming one of the Beatles inner circle is a classic study in coincidence. As a national journalist, Taylor was assigned to write a review of a Beatles concert, with editors expecting Taylor to produce an article that would satirize the alleged silly teenage infatuation with the Beatles and other rock groups gaining notoriety in Great Britain at the time. Taylor loved the Beatles' music, however, and he soon became a trusted friend within the group.

Taylor's editors decided to capitalize on his friendship with the Fab Four by running a column that would supposedly be written by one of the Beatles (with Taylor secretly designated as the ghostwriter). Harrison was chosen as the "Beatles columnist," but Harrison's interest in Taylor's columns led to a close collaboration between the journalist and the Beatle.

Brian Epstein was so impressed with Derek Taylor and his work that he hired the writer to handle all of the Beatles press releases in 1964 (and to serve as media liaison in general). He was kept busy during the Beatles first tour of America in 1964. For a brief time in 1964, he also became Brien Epstein's personal assistant. Additionally, he interviewed Epstein and worked as developmental editor for Epstein's autobiography, titled A Cellarful of Noise.

Taylor resigned these positions in the summer of 1964, choosing to move to California with a growing family, where he started a public relations company in 1965. He handled such notable groups as the Beach Boys, the Byrds, and Paul Revere and the Raiders.

In 1968, Taylor returned to England to work as press secretary for the Beatles' Apple Corps, Ltd. After leaving Apple, he worked for UK conglomerate WEA Records which, through the Kinney Corporation, marketed U.S. record labels such as Warner Brothers, Atlantic Records, and Elektra. During this phase of his career, Taylor worked with such luminaries as Carley Simon, Yes, America, and Neil Young. He also worked briefly in the late 1960s for A&M records in the United States.

His 1973 memoir is titled As Time Goes By. Working again as a developmental editor in 1980, he helped George Harrison on his autobiography I Me Mine.

In the 1980s, Taylor worked for Harrison's production company, called Handmade Films. He also worked on books with various Hollywood celebrities. He also penned a second memoir in 1983, titled Fifty Years Adrift (in an Open Necked Shirt).

Taylor's name is referred to in "The Ballad of John and Yoko" and in "Give Peace a Chance." Harrison also wrote a song about Taylor and his wife, called "Blue Jay Way." The fiends Harrison was waiting for one foggy night in Los Angeles were the Taylors, and Harrison quickly wrote the song while anticipating their arrival. Taylor was also one of the organizers of the 1967 Monterrey Pop Festival.

At the time of his death in 1997, he was once again working for Apple, where he served as marketing director while various Beatles projects were being planned, including the release of the Beatles catalog on CD, Live at the BBC, and The Beatles Anthology series and CD set.

He was survived by his wife and six children.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

George Martin

Sir George Martin was born on January 3, 1926. Sometimes known as the Fifth Beatle, he is an English record producer, arranger, musician, and composer. Before entering the music field, Martin was a surveyor for the British War Office and eventually became a combat pilot, although he never saw actual action in World War II.

In 1950, he left the classical music department at the BBC and joined EMI as a record producer for one of EMI's labels, Parlophone. He took over as head of Parlophone in 1955 and recorded classical and Baroque music for the label, including musical scores from plays and any music that caught his fancy. He also produced several comedy records and worked with Peter Sellers.

Even before the Beatles formerly auditioned for Martin, he signed a contract to have them record with Parlophone on the strength of a meeting with Beatles manager Brian Epstein on May 9, 1962, with the actual audition coming on June 6, 1962. Martin did not put his signature on the first contract lest he not like the future audition.

Martin was not impressed with Pete Best's drumming, nor did he think that the Beatles' songs were strong enough to become hits. Best was replaced by Ringo Starr, and the Beatles eventually would reverse Martin's opinion of their music with such songs as "Please Please Me," "From Me to You," "She Loves You," "Twist and Shout," and "I Want to Hold Your Hand."

In later years, Martin would arrange many parts for session musicians playing on Beatles songs, such as "Yesterday," "Eleanor Rigby," "Penny Lane," and many more. He was also instrumental in the Beatles' success by translating the group's verbal descriptions of what they were trying to achieve with any given song into the hits that the world now knows today. He also played keyboards on many Beatles tracks, such as "Not a Second Time," "The Word," and several others. Working closely with sound engineer Geoff Emerick, Martin was also able to achieve some of the Beatles' more memorable sound effects, such as those on "Strawberry Fields" and "Tomorrow Never Knows."

Over the years, Martin also worked with other artists, such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Kenny Rogers, Jeff Beck, Cheap Trick, Cilla Black, and America. Martin oversaw the post-production of The Beatles Anthology series of three sets of double CDs featuring outtakes and alternate versions of the Beatles' music. In 2006, he and his son Giles remixed eighty minutes of Beatles music to produce the album Love, a soundtrack used by the Las Vegas stage performance of Cirque du Soleil.

Martin also produced the memorable theme songs for two James Bond movies, Goldfinger and Live and Let Die.

For more information on George Martin, consult BEATLES CONNECTIONS on the sitemap below.

Brian Epstein

Former Beatles' manager Brian Epstein was born on September 19, 1934 in Liverpool, England. After a brief stint in the Royal Army, Epstein was made director of NEMS (North End Music Stores) an Epstein family business. After confessing that he was homosexual, he was sent to London to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, but Epstein soon dropped out.

Back in Liverpool, Epstein was put in charge of the record department of the latest NEMS store on Great Charlotte Street. It is here that he met Peter Brown, who would later become good friends with the Beatles. The Beatles themselves frequented NEMS stores and knew who Brian Epstein was. Likewise, Epstein was familiar with the group, which was featured in editions of Mersey Beat magazine, and he had also heard the band's recording of "My Bonnie," made with Tony Sheridan. When the Beatles debuted at the Cavern on November 9, 1961, Epstein attended the rowdy club and was struck by the Beatles high energy, humor, and onstage presence.

After attending the Cavern several more times, Epstein told the Beatles that someone needed to manage their affairs, although no contract was yet extended. He also encouraged them to audition for Decca Records, which the group did on December 13, 1964 in London. Although Decca refused to sign the Beatles, Epstein offered them a contract on January 24, 1962, although he himself did not sign the document in order to leave himself an out. After the release of "Love Me Do" in 1962, Epstein offered the group a legally binding contract. By that time, Epstein had secured a contract with Parlophone producer George Martin, who would begin to help shape the Beatles' musical evolution in the studio.

As far as the Beatles' onstage presence, Epstein wanted the group to adopt a more refined demeanor and urged them to abandon their leather jackets and jeans in favor of suits. He also wanted them to cease cursing, drinking, and smoking onstage. The Beatles, especially Lennon, did not want to conform to these suggestions, but after McCartney agreed, the rest followed, with Lennon saying that he would do almost anything if someone would start paying him well. At the time, Epstein also handled many other British groups and performers, such as Cilla Black and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Epstein wanted the Beatles to continue touring after their final concert in 1966 at Candlestick Park, but the Beatles refused to do so, citing that they were exhausted and could no longer be heard or improve their music. It is said that Epstein grew more depressed after the Beatles entered their studio years since they did not need his hands-on management necessary for tours. He had previously become immersed in drugs, fine wines, and gambling during the height of Beatlemania, having taken the same uppers the Beatles had used in Hamburg in order to get through their grueling tours and late nights. He also admitted to using cannabis and LSD.

Rumors of a homosexual relationship with John Lennon have circulated for years, but both Lennon and his wife Cynthia always denied that any kind of sexual relationship existed between the two men.

Epstein died of an alleged accidental overdose of alcohol and sleeping pills on August 27, 1967 while the Beatles were in India with the Maharishi. Subsequently, the Beatles admitted that they lacked direction without Epstein "telling us what to do," and their search for a new manager and their attempt to launch and maintain Apple Corps, Ltd. contributed to tension within the group and ultimately the band's break-up. Lennon said that Epstein's death marked the beginning of the end.

For more information on Brian Epstein, consult BEATLES CONNECTIONS in the SITEMAP below.

Pete Best

Pete Best was born in Madras, India on November 24, 1941 and was the original drummer for the Beatles. Best is known as the "fifth Beatle" among Beatles fans.

In 1960, Allan Williams arranged a series of appearances by the Beatles in Hamburg, Germany. Williams was owner of the Jacaranda Club in Hamburg. He auditioned Best, which turned out to be unnecessary since Paul McCartney was looking for a drummer in order to begin the gig in Germany, and he believed that Best, known for a steady backbeat on the drum kit and also known to be popular with female fans, would be best suited to become the drummer. Best had originally planned on going to teacher college but opted to play with the Beatles instead. In Hamburg, the Beatles also played at the Indra Club, the Kaiserkeller, and the Top Ten Club, where they met Tony Sheridan, who had the Beatles play as his backup-band on the recording "My Bonnie" and other numbers.

In June of 1962, five months after the Beatles, with Best, auditioned for Decca and were not extended a recording contract, the Beatles auditioned for George Martin and Parlophone Records at Abbey Road Studios. Not overly impressed with the Beatles' repertoire of songs yet, he nevertheless felt they were good enough to sign, with the stipulation made to Beatles manager Brian Epstein that he would use a session drummer instead of Best.

Cynthia Lennon has said in her book John that while John liked Best, McCartney and Harrison were not especially fond of him since he did not socialize with them in Hamburg and did not seem to fit in with the group's persona. While Epstein did not want to change the membership of his successful rock group, the Beatles insisted, and many years later they would say that they should have handled the situation with Best better. Lennon admitted to being downright "cowardly" about the matter. The bottom line, however, is that Epstein informed Best that he was out of the group, to be replaced by Ringo Starr. Ironically, Martin decided to have Andy White replace Starr when it came time to record the second version of "Love Me Do," relegating Starr to playing the tambourine. To this day, Best claims that the reasons for his dismissal were never made clear by Epstein or the Beatles. Many now speculate that Best was adequate, but not superior in his drumming skills. McCartney has said he was never really a Beatle and that his playing simply wasn't up to their emerging standards.

After being dismissed, Best was offered the opportunity by Epstein to build another band around his drumming, but Best declined. He ultimately would play with Lee Curtis & the All Stars, which became Pete Best & the All Stars, which recorded the unsuccessful "I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door" for Decca. Later, Best's groups were called The Pete Best Four and the Pete Best Combo.

When the Beatles released the Anthology series of CDs in 1995, Best's drumming was featured on many track's from the band's early days, from which Best received considerable royalties.

Beginning in 1988, Best formed the Pete Best Band and performed in Liverpool. He still tours with this band and was inducted into the All You Need Is Liverpool Music Hall of Fame in 2007. His LP discography is as follows:

Best of the Beatles (1966)
The Beatle That Time Forgot (1981)
Rebirth (1981)
The Beatle That Time Forgot (reissued in 1981)

For more information on Best, see the sitemap below under BEATLES CONNECTIONS.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Hey Jude: The Album

Hey Jude is a Beatles album released on February 26, 1970 on the Apple label. The album was comprised of songs that had never appeared on a Capitol Records Beatles album in the United States. The songs had been issued in the U.S. as singles (or on The United Artists soundtrack of A Hard Day's Night). "I'm Down" and "The Inner Light" were not chosen for the album, however.

The project was conceived by temporary Beatles manager Allen Klein, who believed that the Beatles needed a release while the Let It Be album, delayed because of the Beatles' personal issues, was still being remixed by Phil Spector.

The original title of the album was The Beatles Again, although the title was hastily changed to help promote the recent single release of "Hey Jude." Some of the vinyl and cassette copies of the album were issued with the original title on the record's circular label and/or packaging. No title appeared on the front or back covers of the album. Subsequent copies were released with the title Hey Jude on the album jacket's spine.

The photographs for the front and back covers were taken at the Beatles' final photo session on August 22, 1969 at Lennon's estate at Tittenhurst Park. The group wears black, and all but McCartney have very long hair and dark beards.

The track list is as follows:

Side One

Can't Buy Me Love
I Should Have Known Better
Paperback Writer
Rain
Lady Madonna
Revolution

Side Two

Hey Jude
Old Brown Shoe
Don't Let Me Down
The Ballad of John and Yoko

Love: The Beatles Album

Love is a soundtrack of remixed recordings by the Beatles and was released on November 20, 2006. The CD was produced and re-mixed by George Martin and his son Giles for a Cirque de Soleil show after the producers obtained permission from McCartney, Starr, Olivia Harrison, and Yoko Ono. The album was well received by both critics and fans, while the surviving Beatles (and widows of Harrison and Ono) felt that the music was vibrant and re-united the Beatles in a dynamic, unexpected way. Ringo said he heard things on the remix that he'd never noticed before.

Using the original two-, four-, and eight-track recording tapes, George and Giles Martin created a new, common digital framework for all of the songs, which were spliced together in clever and innovative ways. Sometimes a single guitar chord, phrase, or verse is used from a song, while other songs receive lengthier treatments. This landmark way of fusing the Beatles creativity won a Grammy in 2008.

The track listing is as follows:

Because
Get Back
Glass Onion
Eleanor Rigby/Julia
I Am the Walrus
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Drive My Car/The Word/What You're Doing
Gnik Nus ("Sun King" backwards)
Something/Blue Jay Way
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite
Help!
Blackbird/Yesterday
Strawberry Fields Forever
Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Octopus's Garden
Lady Madonna
Here Comes the Sun/Inner Light
Come Together/Dear Prudence/Cry Baby Cry
Revolution
Back in the U.S.S.R.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
A Day in the Life
Hey Jude
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
All You Need Is Love

Thursday, January 20, 2011

The Beatles Second Album

The Beatles Second Album was released by Capitol Records on April 10, 1964 and was actually the third Beatles album released in America since Introducing the Beatles had been released in early January of 1964 by Vee Jay Records. This album was also part of 2004 CD box set, The Capitol Albums, Volume 1. It was produced by George Martin.

The album took songs from With the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night (Parlophone version), and British singles to produce the following track list:

Side One

Roll Over Beethoven
Thank you Girl
You've Really Got a Hold on Me
Devil in Her Heart
Money
You Can't Do That

Side Two

Long Tall Sally
I Call Your Name
Please Mr. Postman
I'll Get You
She Loves You

With songs such as "Roll Over Beethoven," "Long Tall Sally," "She Loves You," "Money," and "You Can't Do That," the album was high energy rock and roll and helped fuel Beatlemania in America after the Beatles appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. It remains a favorite of American fans to this day.

Meet the Beatles: The Album

The interesting Beatles fact for Meet the Beatles is that it was the second Beatles album released in the United States despite the claim by Capitol Records that it was the first. Introducing the Beatles, issued by Vee Jay records was the first. It was released by Capitol on January 20, 1964 in anticipation of the Beatles first trip to America and appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Capitol is the American affiliate of Parlophone Records in Great Britain, both companies subsidiaries of EMI.

The cover is the same as the Parlophone release of With the Beatles, showing the Beatles dressed in black turtlenecks against a black background. Meet the Beatles also has many of the tracks of With The Beatles, although the following songs were omitted for the American release: "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," "Devil in Her Heart," "Money," "Please Mr. Postman," and Roll Over Beethoven." The album was released in stereo CD box set format as part of The Capitol Albums, Volume 1.

The track listing is as follows:

Side One

I Want to Hold Your Hand
I Saw Her Standing There
This Boy
It Won't Be Long
All I've Got to Do
All My Loving

Side Two

Don't Bother Me
Little Child
Till There Was You
Hold Me Tight
I Wanna Be Your Man
Not a Second Time

Since most American Beatles fans were not aware that Beatles songs were issued in a different chronological sequence in England on Parlophone, it is believed that Capitol reissued the 2004 box set to take advantage of the nostalgia millions of fans retained over the original American releases.

Beatles Anthology 2: The Album

Anthology 2 is the follow-up compilation two-CD set to Anthology 1. Produced by George Martin (with Jeff Lynne and Harrison, McCartney and Starr jointly producing "Real Love"), the CD set was released on March 18, 1996. With many exceptions, the albums covers the middle period of the Beatles, ranging from Rubber Soul through Magical Mystery Tour. The opening track was "Real Love," which was another new Beatles song resulting from the surviving Beatles re-engineering an old Lennon home recording tape and augmenting it with their own vocals and instrumentation. As with Free as a Bird, the writing credit for "Real Love" was left to only Lennon. The album was released by Apple, and a vinyl set was also released for collectors.

The track listing was as follows:

Disc One

Real Love
Yes It Is (takes 2 and 14)
I'm Down
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (takes 1,2 & 5)
That Means a Lot
Yesterday
It's Only Love (takes 2 & 3)
I Feel Fine
Ticket to Ride
Yesterday
Help!
Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby
Norwegian Wood
I'm Looking Through You
12-Bar Original (an instrumental)
Tomorrow Never Knows
Got to Get You Into My Life (take 5)
And Your Bird Can Sing (take 2)
Taxman (take 11)
Eleanor Rigby (take 14)
I'm Only Sleeping (rehearsal)
I'm Only Sleeping (tale 1)
Rock and Roll Music
She's a Woman

Disc Two

Strawberry Fields Forever (home demo)
Strawberry Fields Forever (take 1)
Strawberry Fields Forever (take 7)
Penny Lane (take 9)
A Day in the Life (takes 1,2,& 6)
Good Morning Good Morning (take 8)
Only a Northern Song (takes 3 & 12)
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite (takes 1 & 2)
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite (take 7)
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (takes 6, 7, & 8)
Within You Without You (the instrumental track only)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band Reprise (take 5)
You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)
I Am the Walrus (take 16)
The Fool on the Hill
Your Mother Should Know (take 27)
The Fool on the Hill (take 4)
Hello, Goodbye (take 16)
Lady Madonna (tales 3 & 4)
Across the Universe (take 2)

As with Anthology 1, the main Beatles fact is that these tracks represent a combination of rehearsals, alternate versions, home demo recordings, false starts, and songs that have different versions edited together to show the evolution of a song in the studio, as with "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Yes It Is." Some tracks are live performances. Many tracks sound very close (or nearly identical) to the final take used for the released albums or singles, while others are missing special sound effects. "Got to Get You Into My Life," for example, does not have a horn section.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Anthology 1 by the Beatles: The Album

The Beatles Anthology 1 was released by Apple in November of 1995 to coincide with the documentary series on ABC, The Beatles Anthology. It was produced by George Martin, with Jeff Lynne producing "Free As a Bird," a new Beatles track based on an old Lennon tape given to the surviving Beatles by Yoko Ono.

The two-CD set contains outtakes, live performances, and rare versions of the songs never heard (or only available on bootleg albums and CDs). The material for this first-of-three CD set features material recorded from 1958 to 1964. Some of the initial tracks date as far back as the Quarrymen days and/or come from reel-to-reel recordings the Beatles made as teenagers. In general, the set contains early home recordings, the Decca audition, and Beatles material through Beatles for Sale.

The CD cover is a collage of dozens of Beatles photographs, some torn. The cover was done by Kalus Voormann in the same style he used for the cover of Revolver.

The track list is as follows. Ones followed by ellipsis are brief snippets of dialogue.

Disc One:

Free as a Bird
We were four guys, that's all ...
That'll Be the Day
In Spite of All the Danger
Sometimes I'd borrow ...
Hallelujah, I Love Her So
You'll Be Mine
Cayenne
First of all ...
My Bonnie
Ain't She Sweet
Cry for a Shadow
Brian was a beautiful guy ...
I secured them ...
Searchin'
Three Cool Cats
The Sheik of Araby
Like Dreamers Do
Hello Little Girl
Well, the recording test ...
Besame Mucho
Love Me Do
How Do You Do It
Please Please Me
One After 909 (false start)
One After 909
Lend me Your Comb
I'll Get You
We were performers ...
I Saw Her Standing There
From Me to You
Money
You Really Got a Hold on Me
Roll Over Beethoven

Disc Two

She Loves You
Till There Was You
Twist and Shout
This Boy
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Boys, what I was thinking ...
Moonlight Bay
Can't Buy Me Love (takes 1 & 2)
All My Loving
You Can't Do That (take 6)
And I Love Her (take 2)
A Hard Day's Night (take 1)
I Wanna Be Your Man
Long Tall Sally
Boys
Shout
I'll Be Back (take 2)
I'll Be Back (take 3)
You Know What to Do
No Reply
Mr. Moonlight (takes 1 & 4)
Leave My Kitten Alone (take 5)
No Reply (take 2)
Eight Days a Week (partial)
Eight Days a Week (take 5)
Kansas City/Hey! Hey! Hey! (take 2)

The Beatles Live at the BBC: The Album

Live at the BBC is a 1994 Beatles compilation album consisting of performances the band did for the BBC from 1963 to 1965. The two-CD set is comprised of 56 songs, thirty of which had not been previously issued. There are also thirteen tracks of dialogue. The most interesting Beatles fact is that while most of the tracks were recorded before air time to provide an opportunity for a re-take or overdub, the performances are still essentially live and show the raw energy of the Beatles in their early years. As with The Beatles Anthology CDs, many of the tracks had already circulated on bootlegs for many years.

The Beatles appeared on a total of 52 BBC broadcasts. The various radio shows included the following BBC programs: Teenager's Turn--Here We Go; Saturday Club; The Beatles Invite You to Take a Ticket to Ride; and Pop Go the Beatles. The CD set does not include all BBC performances, however, since the Beatles recorded a total of 275 performances for the station, which included 88 songs.

The track selections were made by George Martin based on sound quality and songs he believed would be of interest since they had not been recorded for official Beatles albums. Man songs were excluded because of inferior sound quality, but that having been said, the existing CD set contains many songs that, despite re-engineering, are anything but clear.

The Beatles Live at the BBC was released on November 30, 1994. The track list is as follows:

Disc One:

Beatles Greetings--dialogue
From Us to You
Riding a Bus--dialogue
I Got a Woman
Too Much Monkey Business
Keep Your Hands Off My Baby
I'll Be on My Way
Young Blood
A Shot of Rhythm and Blues
Sure to Fall
Some Other Guy
Thank You Girl
Sha La La La La
Baby It's You
That's All Right, Mama
Carol
Soldier of Love
A Little Rhyme--dialogue
Clarabella
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry
Crying, Waiting, Hoping
Dear Whack--dialogue
You've Really Got a Hold on Me
To Know Her Is to Love Her
A Taste of Honey
Long Tall Sally
I Saw Her Standing There
The Honeymoon Song
Johnny B. Goode
Memphis, Tennessee
Lucille
Can't Buy Me Love
From Fluff to You--dialogue
Till There Was You

Disc Two

Crinsk Dee Night--dialogue
A Hard Day's Night
Have a Banana!--dialogue
I Wanna be Your Man
Just a Rumor--dialogue
Roll Over Beethoven
All My Loving
Things We Said Today
She's a Woman
Sweet Little Sixteen
1822--dialogue
Lonesome Tears in My Eyes
Nothin Shakin'
The Hippy Hippy Shake
Glad All Over
I Just Don't Understand
So How Come (No One Loves Me)
I Feel Fine
I'm a Loser
Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby
Rock and Roll Music
Ticket to Ride
Dizzy Miss Lizzy
Kansas City/Hey! Hey! Hey!
Set Fire to That Lot--dialogue
Matchbox
I Forgot to Remember to Forget
Love Those Goon Shows--dialogue
I Got to Find My Baby
Ooh! My Soul!
Ooh! My Arms!--dialogue
Don't Ever Change
Slow Down
Honey Don't (with John singing lead vocal)
Love Me Do

The Beatles Anthology Documentary Series

The Beatles Anthology is a documentary series aired on ABC television in three two-hour installments on November 19, 22, and 23 of 1995. The documentary, which was the first time the Beatles provided a history of the group in their own words, used interviews with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, with voice-overs from past interviews with the deceased John Lennon to account for his point of view of Beatles history. The series also relied on interviews with George Martin and Neil Aspinall. Aspinall, former Beatles Roadie and interim administrator for Apple Corp, Ltd., produced the series. An interesting Beatles fact not generally known is that the interviews were conducted over a five-year period.

The series used archival footage from all phases of the Beatles career, portraying the group's concerts, interviews, and everyday actions in both live action footage and still photographs.

The series was followed by three double-CD sets of unreleased recordings and outtakes. New to the Beatles catalog, however, were two new Beatles songs based on two tapes given to the remaining Beatles by Yoko Ono. The tapes, of poor quality, revealed two solo songs, "Free as A Bird" and "Real Love," recorded by Lennon in his post-Beatles years. He accompanied himself on an acoustic guitar. The tapes were cleaned up in the studio and augmented with performances by Harrison, McCartney, and Starr to create the first true Beatles collaboration since the break-up of the group. "Free as a Bird" was aired at the end of the first installment of the series on November 19, 1995, while "Real Love" was aired at the end of installment two on November 22, 1995.

The series was released in VHS format in 1996 and on DVD in 2003. The Beatles Anthology (book) was published in October, 2000 and rose to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.