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• Rock Band don't come easy even if you're a Beatle (BeatlesNews.com)
• Beatle news briefs: Ringo All-Starr Band tour; Macca booed; 'Nowhere Boy' wins (Examiner.com)
• Rock Hall of Fame to Close New York Annex (Aversion)
• What if the Beatles never broke up? (guardian.co.uk)
• 'Breakfast With the Beatles' show information for Dec. 6 (Updated) (Examiner.com)
• Yesterday Beatles Tribute Show Band Is An Atlantic City Favorite, Bringing The Crowds Back Again and Again (Top40-Charts.com)
• 'Nowhere Boy' a 'multi-faceted' portrait of John Lennon - a review by Richard Porter (Examiner.com)
• The Beatles: Rock Band (MyADSL)

John Lennon on "I Feel Fine"

"I wrote this at a recording session. It was tied together around the guitar riff that opens it."

"What Goes On" Lyrics

by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Richard Starkey

As Released by the Beatles (1965)

What goes on in your heart? (wuh)
What goes on in your mind?
You are tearing me apart
When you treat me so unkind.
What goes on in your mind?

The other day I saw you as I walked along the road
But when I saw him with you I could feel my future fold.
It's so easy for a girl like you to lie.
Tell me why.

What goes on in your heart?
What goes on in your mind?
You are tearing me apart
When you treat me so unkind.
What goes on in your mind?

I met you in the morning waiting for the tides of time
But now the tide is turning I can see that I was blind.
It's so easy for a girl like you to lie.
Tell me why (tell me why).

What goes on in your heart?
(Wuh)
(What goes on in your mind?)

I used to think of no-one else but you were just the same
You didn't even think of me as someone with a name.
Did you mean to break my heart and watch me die?
Tell me why.

What goes on in your heart?
What goes on in your mind?
You are tearing me apart
When you treat me so unkind.
What goes on in your mind?
In your mind.
In your mind.

"Come Together"

"Come Together" is a song by The Beatles written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney. The song is the lead-off track on The Beatles' September 1969 album Abbey Road. One month later it also appeared as one of the sides of the group's twenty-first single (it was a double A-side, the other side being George Harrison's "Something") in the United Kingdom, their twenty-sixth in the United States. The song reached the top of the charts in the U.S., while becoming a Top 10 hit in the UK.

Origin

The song's history began with Lennon writing a song for Timothy Leary's failed gubernatorial campaign in California against Ronald Reagan, one which promptly ended when Leary was sent to prison for possession of marijuana.

Lawsuit

"Come Together" was the subject of a lawsuit brought against Lennon by Chuck Berry's music publisher, Morris Levy, because one line in "Come Together" closely resembles a line of Berry's "You Can't Catch Me": (i.e., The Beatles' "Here come ol' flattop, he come groovin' up slowly" vs. Berry's "Here come up flattop, he was groovin' up with me"). After settling out of court, Lennon promised to record three other songs owned by Levy. "You Can't Catch Me" and "Ya Ya" were released on Lennon's 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll, but the third, "Angel Baby," remained unreleased until after Lennon's death. Levy again sued Lennon for breach of contract, and was eventually awarded $6,795.

Recording

Lennon played rhythm guitar in addition to singing the vocal. It was produced by George Martin and recorded at the end of July 1969 at Abbey Road Studios. Lennon says "shoot me" while Paul McCartney covers it up with a bass riff. The famous Beatles "walrus" from "I Am the Walrus" and "Glass Onion" returns in the line "he got walrus gumboot," followed by "he got Ono sideboard." Bluesman Muddy Waters is also mentioned in the song.

Release and acclaim

"Come Together" was released as a double A-side with "Something" and as the opening track of Abbey Road.

For a time, the song was banned by the BBC, as they believed the song's reference to "shoot[ing] Coca-Cola" could be construed as either a cocaine reference or an advertisement.

Rolling Stone ranked "Come Together" at #202 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

On the compilation album Love, "Come Together" is the 19th track. Sections of "Dear Prudence" and "Cry Baby Cry" fade in at the end of the track.

The song is used in the film A Bronx Tale during the fight scene at Sonny´s bar. It also serves as a recurring motif in the Nora Roberts' novel Public Secrets, a story about a 1960s rock band (not unlike The Beatles) and their rollercoaster journey through 3 decades of rock music as told through the eyes of the lead singer's daughter.

Personnel

* John Lennon: lead and backing vocals; rhythm guitar; electric piano; hand-claps and tambourine.
* Paul McCartney: bass.
* George Harrison: lead guitar.
* Ringo Starr: drums and maracas.

Covers

American hard rock band Aerosmith performed one of the first and most successful cover versions of "Come Together." It was recorded in 1978 and appeared in the movie and on the soundtrack to the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which the band also appeared in. The single was an immediate success, reaching #23 on the Billboard Hot 100, following on the heels of a string of Top 40 hits for the band in the mid-1970s. However it would be the last Top 40 hit for the band for nearly a decade.

A rare live demo of the song was also released months later on Aerosmith's live album Live! Bootleg. The song was also featured on Aerosmith's Greatest Hits, the band's single-disc compilation released in 1980. The song has also surfaced on a number of Aerosmith compilations and live albums since then, as well as on the soundtrack for the film Armageddon.

The Aerosmith version is still frequently heard on mainstream and album rock radio stations. Aerosmith still occasionally performs "Come Together" in concert.

Since 2006, New Zealand telecommunications company Telecom used a cover of this song for its "Come Together" campaign.

The song has since become one of the most covered songs of all time:

* Eurythmics covered the song in 1987, but it was not released until 2005 as a Bonus Track on the digitally remastered version of Savage.
* Mystic Siva,an American psychedelic rock band covered the song on their album "Under The Influence" (1969-70)
* Labyrinth covered the song on their album "6 Days to Nowhere" released 2007
* Tina Turner covered the song for the 1976 ephemeral musical documentary All This and World War II. Prior to that,her cover was featured on her and then husband's Ike's album of the same name. This version peaked at #57 on the U.S. Hot 100 and #21 on the R&B charts in 1970.
* Do As Infinity performed a live cover of a metal version of the song in Japan during a Beatles celebration event.
* Michael Jackson, who owns the rights to the song, also covered "Come Together" for the concert film Michael Jackson: Moonwalker. A different recording (essentially the same version in a different key) appears on Jackson's studio album, HIStory.
* Axl Rose and Bruce Springsteen later played "Come Together" before John Lennon's induction into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
* Soundgarden covered the song on the "Hands All Over" single, giving it a very grunge sound. The band's cover also appeared on its Loudest Love EP.
* Robin Williams and Bobby McFerrin recorded a unique version for the Beatles tribute album In My Life in which McFerrin performs the characteristic bass and guitar intro with his voice, and Williams sings
* Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller played with Paul McCartney on a version of the song for the 1995 HELP charity record, under the name The Smokin' Mojo Filters. This version made #19 on the British chart in December. In 2005 Weller recorded a new version of the song as part of a double-a side single.
* The Lynne Arriale Trio recorded a jazz version of the song, which was the title track of their album Come Together
* Sugababes covered the song as a B-Side for their single, "Ugly".
* There is also an instrumental version by Marcus Miller on his album Tales.
* Elton John covered the song as a tribute to Lennon during his "One Night Only: The Greatest Hits" concert.
* Victoria Beckham and Damon Dash sampled the song as an intro to one of Dash's mixtapes.
* Enrique Bunbury made a cover of the song and published it in his 1997 single "Planeta Sur".
* Craig David, performed a live version on Top of The Pops 2 in 2003.
* The Supremes (post-Diana Ross) covered the song on their 1970 album, New Ways But Love Stays.
* Chairmen of the Board covered the song and is on one of their first LPs.
* Toxic Audio covered the song on their album Captive Audience.
* Diana Ross covered the song on her 1970 album Everything Is Everything.
* The Punkles did a Punk cover version on their fourth album "For Sale".
* Tom Jones released a live version of "Come Together" on his album Reload, albeit with a new, faster arrangement.
* The Brothers Johnson released a cover of the song on their 1976 album Look Out For #1, altering the bass-line in their mid-tempo funk rendition that also includes a harmonica/guitar solo.
* Hip hop group The Roots sampled this song on their 2006 Best of The Roots mixtape produced by J. Period. The chorus of the song is repeated clips of Lennon singing "one thing I can tell you is you've got to be free," and "come together, over me."
* The band Gotthard recorded "Come Together' on their 1994 album Dial Hard.
* Marilyn Manson performed a cover of "Come Together" at the release party for Portrait of an American Family.
* The jazz-funk band Defunkt covered "Come Together" on the 1992 album Downtown Does the Beatles Live at the Knitting Factory.
* The rock band Zero Nerve Response frequently covers this song live using "Drop D" guitar/bass tuning, giving the song a unique low rumble.
* Zakk Wylde's band Pride and Glory covered this song on their album "Pride & Glory".
* The John Butler Trio also covered the song while touring, never released.
* The Cool Calm Collective regularly play 'Come Together' in live performances.
* A segment of this song was used to close several commercials for Nortel Networks. One version of the commercial featured a businessman reciting the song, omitting the lines "He one holy roller" and "He shoot Coca-Cola."
* "Come Closer Together," an unauthorized mashup of Nine Inch Nails's "Closer" with "Come Together" is widely available on YouTube and other Internet sites.
* The Plague recorded the song in the late 1970s. It remained unreleased until their compilation album "The X Tapes" was released in 2005.
* Christos Dantis remixed and covered the song on his 1994 album 4.
* Joe Cocker covers the song on the 2007 soundtrack to the film Across the Universe.
* Barbara Feldon performed a version of the song while rolling around on a water-bed in an episode of The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine in 1971.
* Pop-Rock singer, Carly Smithson, performed "Come Together" on American Idol season 7 top 12 contestants as her selection for the first Beatles-themed week.
* Michael Hedges released his version on the 1987 album, Live on the Double Planet.
* Shalamar covered the song in a distinctly 90s R&B style on their 1990 album "Wake Up".
* Milwaukee alt-rock band The Gufs like to play the song towards the end of live performances.
* Boris Grebenshchikov & Joanna Stingray released their version and its video in the 90s.
* Bob Weir and Ratdog have also covered the song while touring.
* Mookie Morris from Canadian Idol Season 6 performed this song on "Beatles/Judges Choice" Night. He was eliminated the next night and after performing the song again, he smashed his favourite guitar on the stage.
* Jon McLaughlin covered the song on the New York City stop of his Salute to 2009 Tour.
* Kris Allen performed "Come Together" on American Idol season 8, top 4, as his selection for Rock Week.

A-side: "Something"
Released: 31 October 1969 (UK)
Format: 7"
Recorded: Abbey Road Studios, 21 July 1969
Genre: Blues rock
Length: 4:18
Label: Apple Records
Writer(s): Lennon/McCartney
Producer: George Martin

Wikipedia

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• Best English group since The Beatles (The Sun)
• Ringo Starr on Rock Band: 'I've never played it' (Los Angeles Times)
• Arkham Asylum, Band Hero, Beatles: Rock Band, now only $30 (Blast)
• The Beatles Complete on Ukulele Festival (The L Magazine)
• Not quite the Beatles (Pocono Record)
• McCartney lashes out at Madonna (Hindustan Times)

George Martin on "How Do You Do It"

"I was convinced I had a hit group on my hands if only I could get the right song. They'd played me all their stuff and I didn't think anything was any good. So I went around Tin Pan Alley looking for songs and my old friend Dick James came up with one called 'How Do You Do It' that had been written by Mitch Murray.

"I listened to 'How Do You Do It' and said, 'Yep, that's a good song. That's a good commercial song. Give it to the Beatles and I'll have a number-one hit.' So I sent it to the Beatles and said, 'This is what you're going to record.'"

"We Can Work It Out" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

As Released by the Beatles (1965)

Try to see it my way
Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on?
While you see it your way
Run the risk of knowing that our love may soon be gone.
We can work it out, we can work it out.

Think of what you're saying
You can get it wrong and still you think that it's alright.
Think of what I'm saying
We can work it out and get it straight or say good night.
We can work it out, we can work it out.

Life is very short and there's no time
For fussing and fighting my friend.
I have always thought that it's a crime
So I will ask you once again.

Try to see it my way
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong.
While you see it your way
There's a chance that we might fall apart before too long.
We can work it out, we can work it out.

Life is very short and there's no time
For fussing and fighting my friend.
I have always thought that it's a crime
So I will ask you once again.

Try to see it my way
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong.
While you see it your way
There's a chance that we might fall apart before too long.
We can work it out, we can work it out.

John Lennon on Leaving the Beatles

"Well, I said to Paul, 'I'm leaving.' We were in Apple, and . . . I knew before we went to Toronto. I told Allen [Klein] I was leaving, I told Eric Clapton and Klaus [Voormann] that I was leaving and that I'd like to probably use them as a group. I hadn't decided how to do it -- to have a permanent new group or what, then later on I thought, fuck, I'm not going to get stuck with another set of people around me on the way to Toronto a few days before. And on the plane, Allen came to me, and I told Allen it's over. When I got back there were a few meetings and Allen had said, 'Well, cool it, cool it,' 'cause there was a lot to do business-wise, you know, and it would not have been suitable at the time.

"And then we were discussing something in the office with Paul and Paul said something or other like we ought to do something and I kept saying no, no, no to everything he said, you see. So it came to a point I had to say something, of course, and Paul said, 'What do you mean?' I said, 'I mean the group is over. I'm leaving.'

"Allen was saying don't tell. He didn't want me to tell Paul even. Well, I couldn't help it, so I said it out, I couldn't stop it, it came out. Paul and Allen said they were glad that I wasn't going to announce it. Like I was going to make an event out of it. But Paul and Allen both . . . I don't know whether Paul said don't tell anybody but he was damn pleased that I wasn't, you know. He said, 'Oh, well, that means nothing really happened if you're not going to say anything.'

"So, like anybody when you say divorce, you know, their face goes all sorts of colours. It's like he knew, really, that this was the final thing. And then six months later he comes out with whatever. A lot of people knew I left. I was a fool not to do it, not to do what Paul did, which was use it to sell a record."
-1970

Carl Perkins

Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998) was an American pioneer of rockabilly music who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning in 1954. An outstanding performer, his contribution to rock and roll music is still heard to this day, especially through his fine compositions and guitar playing. His best known song is "Blue Suede Shoes."

According to Charlie Daniels, "Carl Perkins' songs personified the rockabilly era, and Carl Perkins' sound personifies the rockabilly sound more so than anybody involved in it, because he never changed." Perkins' songs were recorded by artists (and friends) as influential as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Johnny Cash, which further cemented his place in the history of popular music.

Called the King of Rockabilly, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll, the Rockabilly, and the Nashville Songwriters Halls of Fame; and was a Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipient.

Early life

Perkins was the son of poor sharecroppers near Tiptonville, Tennessee. He grew up hearing Southern gospel music sung by whites in church, and by black field workers when he started working in the cotton fields at age six. In the spring and fall, the school day would be followed by several hours of work in the fields. During the summer, workdays were 12-14 hours, "from can to can't." Carl and his brother Jay together would earn 50 cents a day. With all family members working and no credit, there was enough money for beans and potatoes, some tobacco for Carl's father Buck, and every so often, the luxury of a five-cent bag of hard candy.

On Saturday nights Carl would listen to the radio with his father and hear the Grand Ole Opry, and Roy Acuff's broadcasts on the Opry inspired him to ask his parents for a guitar. Because they couldn't afford a real guitar, Carl's father fashioned one from a cigar box and a broomstick. When a neighbor in tough straits offered to sell his dented and scratched Gene Autry signature model guitar with worn-out strings, Buck purchased it for a couple of dollars.

For the next year Carl taught himself parts of Acuff's "Great Speckled Bird" and "The Wabash Cannonball," which he had heard on the Opry. He also cited the sped-up, driving playing and detached-but-determined, wispy-but-challenging vocals of Bill Monroe as an early influence.

Carl began learning more about playing his guitar from a fellow field worker named John Westbrook who befriended him. "Uncle John," as Carl called him, was an African American in his sixties who played blues and gospel on his battered acoustic guitar. Most famously, "Uncle John" advised Carl when playing the guitar to "Get down close to it. You can feel it travel down the strangs, come through your head and down to your soul where you live. You can feel it. Let it vib-a-rate." Because Carl couldn't afford new strings when they broke, he retied them. The knots would cut into his fingers when he tried to slide to another note, so he began bending the notes, stumbling onto a type of "blue note."

Carl was recruited to be a member of the Lake County Fourth Grade Marching Band, and because of the Perkins' limited finances, was given a new white shirt, cotton pants, white band cap and red cape by Miss Lee McCutcheon, who was in charge of the band.

In January 1947, Buck Perkins moved his family from Lake County to Madison County. A replacement radio which ran on electricity rather than a battery and the proximity of Memphis made it possible for Carl to hear a wider variety of music. At age fourteen, using the I IV V chord progression common to country songs of the day, he wrote what came to be known around Jackson as "Let Me Take You To the Movie, Magg" (the song would convince Sam Phillips to sign Perkins to his Sun Records label).

Beginnings as a performer

Perkins and his brother Jay had their first paying job (in tips) as entertainers at the "CottonBoll" on Highway 45 some twelve miles south of Jackson, starting on Wednesday nights in late 1946. Carl was only 14 years old. One of the songs they played was an uptempo, country blues shuffle version of Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Free drinks were one of the perks of playing in a honky tonk, and Carl drank four beers that first night. Within a month Carl and Jay began playing Friday and Saturday nights at the Sand Ditch near the western boundary of Jackson. Both places were the scene of frequent fights, and both of the Perkins Brothers gained a reputation as fighters.

In the next couple of years the Perkins Brothers began playing other tonks, including El Rancho, The Roadside Inn, and the Hilltop around Bemis and Jackson as they became a big draw. Carl talked his brother Clayton into playing the bass fiddle to fill in the sound of the band.

Perkins began appearing regularly on WTJS-AM in Jackson in the late 1940s as a sometime member of the Tennessee Ramblers. He also appeared on Hayloft Frolic where he performed two songs, sometimes including "Talking Blues" as done by Robert Lunn on the Grand Ole Opry. Perkins and then his brothers began appearing on The Early Morning Farm and Home Hour. Overwhelmingly positive listener response led to a 15-minute segment sponsored by Mother's Best Flour. By the end of the 1940s, the Perkins Brothers were in a league of their own as the best-known band in the Jackson area.

Perkins had day jobs during most of these early years, working first at picking cotton, then at Day's Dairy in Malesus, then at a mattress factory and in a battery plant. He then worked as a pan greaser at the Colonial Baking Company from 1951 through 1952.

In January 1953, Perkins married a woman he had known for a number of years, Valda Crider. When his job at the bakery was reduced to part-time, Valda, who had her own job, encouraged Carl to begin working the tonks full-time. He began playing six night a week. Late in the same year he added W.S. "Fluke" Holland to the band as a drummer, who had no previous experience as a musician but a good sense of rhythm.

In July 1954, Perkins and his wife heard a new release of "Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore and Bill Black on the radio. Valda exclaimed, "Listen! They play like y'all! It sounds like you!" After recording the take of the song that was released, Presley exclaimed, "That sounds like Carl Perkins!" As "Blue Moon of Kentucky faded out, Carl said, "There's a man in Memphis who understands what we're doing. I need to go see him."

Sun Records

Perkins successfully auditioned for Sam Phillips at Sun Records early in October 1954. "Movie Magg" and "Turn Around" were released on the Phillips-owned Flip label (151) March 19, 1955, with "Turn Around" becoming a regional hit. With the song getting airplay across the South and Southwest, Perkins was booked to appear along with Elvis Presley at theaters in Marianna and West Memphis, Arkansas. Commenting on the audience reaction to both Presley and himself Perkins said, "When I'd jump around they'd scream some, but they were gettin' ready for him. It was like TNT, man, it just exploded. All of a sudden the world was wrapped up in rock."

Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two were the next musicians to be added to the performances by Sun musicians. During the summer of 1955 there were trips to Little Rock, Forrest City, Corinth, and Tupelo. Again performing at El Rancho, the Perkins brothers were involved in an automobile accident. A friend, who had been driving, was pinned by the steering wheel. Perkins managed to drag him from the car, which had caught fire. Clayton had been thrown from the car, but was not seriously injured.

Another Perkins' tune, "Gone Gone Gone," released in October 1955 by Sun, was also a regional hit. It was backed by the more traditional "Let The Juke Box Keep On Playing," complete with fiddle, "Western Boogie" bass line, steel guitar and weepy vocal.

That same fall, Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes" after seeing a dancer at a honky-tonk get mad at his date for scruffing up his blue suede shoes. Several weeks later, on December 19, 1955, Perkins and his band recorded the song during a session at Sun Studio in Memphis. Phillips suggested changes to the lyrics ("Go, cat, go") and the band changed the end of the song to a boogie vamp. During the long session, as liquor flowed, the sound became tougher, harder and looser, and Perkins played with passion.

Phillips knew he had found the right song to bring out the blues strain in Perkins' music and produce a pop hit. Presley left Sun for a larger opportunity with RCA in November, and on December 19, 1955, Phillips, who had begun recording Perkins in late 1954, told Perkins, "Carl Perkins, you're my rockabilly cat now."

Released on January 1, 1956, "Blue Suede Shoes" was a massive chart success. In the United States, it went to #1 on Billboard magazine's country music charts (the only #1 hit he would have) and to #2 on Billboard's Best Sellers pop music chart. On March 17, Perkins became the first country artist to reach the #3 spot on the rhythm & blues charts.

That night, Perkins performed the song during his television debut on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee (Presley performed it for the second time that same night on CBS-TV's Stage Show; he'd first sung it on the program on February 11).

In the United Kingdom, the song became a Top Ten hit. It was the first record by a Sun label artist to sell a million copies. The B side, "Honey Don't," was covered by The Beatles, Wanda Jackson and (in the 1970s) T. Rex. John Lennon sang lead on the song when the Beatles performed it before it was given to Ringo Starr to sing. Lennon also performed the song on the Lost Lennon Tapes.

The accident

After playing a show in Norfolk, Va. on March 21, 1956, the Perkins Brothers Band headed for New York City For a March 24 appearance on NBC-TV's Perry Como Show. Shortly before sunrise on March 22 near Dover, Delaware, Stuart Pinkham (aka Dick Stuart and Poor Richard) assumed the duties as driver. After running into the back of a pickup truck, their car ended up in a ditch of water about a foot deep, and Carl was lying face down in the water. Drummer Holland rolled Carl over, saving him from drowning. He had suffered 3 fractured vertebrae in his neck, a severe concussion, a broken collar bone, and lacerations all over his body in the crash. Carl remained unconscious for an entire day. The driver of the pickup, Thomas Phillips, a 40-year old farmer, died when he was thrown into the steering wheel of his truck. Carl's brother Jay had a fractured neck along with severe internal injuries.

On March 23, Bill Black, Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana visited Perkins on their way to New York to appear with Presley the next day. D.J. Fontana recalled Perkins saying, "Of all the people, I looked up and there you guys are. You looked like a bunch of angels coming to see me." Black told him, "Hey man, Elvis sends his love," and lit a cigarette for him, even though the patient in the next bed was in an oxygen tent. A week later, Perkins was given a telegram from Presley (which had arrived on the 23rd), wishing him a speedy recovery.

Sam Philips had planned to surprise Perkins with a gold record on The Perry Como Show. "Shoes" had already sold more than 500,000 copies by March 22. Now, while Carl recuperated from the accident, "Blue Suede Shoes" rose to number one on most pop, R&B, and country regional charts. It also held the number two positon on the Billboard Hot 100 and country charts. Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" held the number one position on the pop and country charts, while "Shoes" did better than "Heartbreak" on the R&B charts. By mid-April, more than one million copies of "Shoes" had been sold.

On April 3, while still out of commission back in Jackson, Perkins would see Presley perform "Blue Suede Shoes" on his first The Milton Berle Show appearance, which was his third performance of the song on national television. He also made references to it twice during an appearance on The Steve Allen Show. Although his version became more famous than Perkins', it only reached #20 on Billboard's pop chart.

Return to recording and touring

Perkins returned to live performances on April 21, 1956 beginning with an appearance in Beaumont, Texas with the "Big D Jamboree" tour. Before resuming life on the road, Sam Phillips arranged a recording session at Sun with Ed Cisco filling in for the still- recuperating Jay. By mid-April, "Dixie Fried," "Put Your Cat Clothes On," "Right String, Wrong Yo-Yo," "You Can't Make Love to Somebody," "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby," and "That Don't Move Me" had been recorded.

Beginning in early summer, Perkins was paid $1,000 to play just two songs a night on the extended tour of "Top Stars of '56." Other performers on the tour were Chuck Berry and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. When Perkins and the group took the stage in Columbia, S.C., he was appalled to see a teenager with a bleeding chin pressed against the stage by the crowd. During the first guitar break of "Honey Don't" they were waved off stage and into a vacant dressing room behind a double line of police officers. Perkins was quoted as saying, "It was dangerous. Lot of kids got hurt. There was a lot of rioting going on, just crazy, man! The music drove 'em insane." Appalled by what he had seen and experienced, Perkins left the tour.

Sun issued more Perkins songs in 1956: "Boppin' the Blues"/"All Mama's Children" (Sun 243), "Dixie Fried"/"I'm Sorry, I'm Not Sorry" (Sun 249). "Matchbox"/"All Mama's Children" (Sun 261) came out in February 1957.

"Matchbox" is considered a rockabilly classic. The day it was recorded, Elvis Presley visited the studio. Along with Johnny Cash (who left early), Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Presley spent more than an hour singing gospel, country and rhythm-and-blues songs while a tape rolled. The casual session was called The Million Dollar Quartet by a local newspaper the next day, and it was eventually released on CD in 1990.

On February 2, 1957, Perkins again appeared on Ozark Jubilee, singing "Matchbox" and "Blue Suede Shoes." He also made at least two appearances on Town Hall Party in Compton, Calif. in 1957 singing both songs. Those performances were included in the Western Ranch Dance Party series filmed and distributed by Screen Gems.

The 1957 film Jamboree included a Perkins performance of "Glad All Over" (not to be confused with The Dave Clark Five song of the same name) that ran 1:55. "Glad All Over," written by Schroeder, Tepper, and Bennett, was released by Sun in January 1958.

Life after Sun

In 1958, Perkins moved to Columbia Records where he recorded songs such as "Jive at Five," "Anyway the Wind Blows," "Hambone," "Pointed Toe Shoes," and "Sister Twister."

The Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas was the site of many performances in 1962 and 1963 along with appearances in nine Midwestern states and a tour of Germany.

In May 1964, Perkins toured England along with Chuck Berry. Eric Burdon and The Animals backed the two stars. On the last night of the tour, Perkins attended a party that turned out to be for him, and ended up sitting on the floor sharing stories, playing guitar, and singing songs while surrounded by The Beatles. Ringo Starr asked if he could record "Honey Don't." "Man," answered Perkins, "go ahead, have at it." The Beatles would cover "Matchbox", "Honey Don't" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" recorded by Perkins but adapted from a song originally recorded by Rex Griffin in 1936, a song also recorded by Roy Newman. "Glad All Over" was also covered. Another tour to Germany followed in the fall.

Although he had been trying to rehabilitate himself by only drinking beer (but lots of it), in 1968, while on tour with the Johnny Cash troupe, Perkins began a four-day drunk in Tulsa, Oklahoma starting with a bottle of Early Times. Nevertheless, with the urging of Cash, he opened a show in San Diego by playing four songs after seeing "four or five of me in the mirror," and while being able to see "nothin' but a blur." After drinking yet another pint of Early Times, he passed out on the tour bus. By morning he started hallucinating "big spiders, and dinosaurs, huge, and they were gonna step on me." The bus was parked on a beach at the ocean. He was tempted by yet another pint of whiskey that he had hidden. He took the bottle with him onto the beach and fell on his knees and said, "Lord... I'm gonna throw this bottle. I'm gonna show You that I believe in You. I sailed it into the Pacific... I got up, I knew I had done the right thing." Perkins and Cash, who had his own problems with drugs, then gave each other support to stay away from their drug of choice.

In 1968, Cash took the Perkins-written "Daddy Sang Bass" (which incorporates parts of the American standard "Will the Circle Be Unbroken") to #1 on the country music charts for six weeks. Glen Campbell also covered the song, as did the Statler Brothers and Carl Story. "Daddy Sang Bass" was also a Country Music Association nominee for Song of the Year. Perkins also played lead guitar on the Cash smash single "A Boy Named Sue" which was No. 1 for five weeks on the country chart and No. 2 on the pop chart. Perkins spent a decade in Cash's singer touring revue and appeared on The Johnny Cash Show. He played "Matchbox" with Cash and Derek and the Dominoes. Cash also featured Perkins in rehearsal jamming with José Feliciano and Merle Travis.

A Kraft Music Hall episode hosted by Cash on April 16, 1969 had Perkins singing his song "Restless." Country music fans may recognize The Statler Brothers' song, "Flowers on the Wall," which was also featured on the show.

In February 1969, Perkins joined with Bob Dylan to write "Champaign, Illinois". Dylan was recording in Nashville from February 12 through February 21 for an album that would be titled Nashville Skyline, and met Perkins when he appeared on The Johnny Cash Show on June 7. Dylan had written one verse of a song, but was stuck. After Perkins worked out a loping rhythm and improvised a verse ending lyric, Dylan said, "Your song. Take it. Finish it." The co-authored song was included in Perkins' 1969 album On Top.

Perkins was also united in 1969 by Columbia's Murray Krugman with a long-haired rockabilly group based in New York's Hudson Valley, the New Rhythm and Blues Quartet. Carl and NRBQ recorded "Boppin' the Blues" which featured the group backing him on songs like his staples "Turn Around" and "Boppin' the Blues" and included songs recorded separately by Perkins and NRBQ. One of his TV appearances with Cash was on the popular country series Hee Haw on February 16, 1974.

After a long legal battle with Sam Phillips over royalties, Perkins gained ownership of his songs in the 1970s.

Later years

In 1981 Perkins recorded the song "Get It" with Paul McCartney, providing vocals and playing guitar with the former Beatle. This recording was included on the chart-topping album Tug Of War released in 1982. This track also appeared as the B-side of the title track single in a slightly edited form. One source states that Perkins "wrote the song with Paul McCartney."

The rockabilly revival of the 1980s helped bring Perkins back into the limelight. In 1985, he re-recorded "Blue Suede Shoes" with two members of the Stray Cats, as part of the soundtrack for the movie, Porky's Revenge. That same year, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Ringo Starr appeared with him on a television special taped in London called Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session. Perkins and his friends ended the session by singing his signature song, 30 years after its writing, which brought Perkins to tears.
Perkins in the 1990s

In 1985, Perkins was inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 1987, wider recognition of his contribution to music came with his induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In addition, "Blue Suede Shoes" was chosen as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and as a Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipient. His pioneering contribution to the genre was also recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Perkins' only notable film performance as an actor was in John Landis' 1985 film Into the Night (film), a cameo-laden film that includes a scene where characters played by Carl and David Bowie die at each other's hand.

In 1986, he returned to the Sun Studio in Memphis, joining Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison on the album Class of '55. The record was a tribute to their early years at Sun and, specifically, the Million Dollar Quartet jam session involving Perkins, Presley, Cash, and Lewis in 1956.

In 1989, Perkins co-wrote and played guitar on The Judds' #1 country hit, "Let Me Tell You About Love." In 1989, Perkins also signed a record deal for an album with the title Friends, Family, and Legends, featuring performances by Chet Atkins, Travis Tritt, Steve Wariner, Joan Jett and Charlie Daniels, along with Paul Shaffer and Will Lee. In 1992, during the production of this CD, Perkins developed throat cancer.

He returned to Sun Studios to record with Scotty Moore, Presley's first guitar player. The CD was called 706 ReUNION, released on Belle Meade Records, and featured D.J. Fontana, Marcus Van Storey and The Jordanaires. In 1993, Perkins appeared with the Kentucky Headhunters in a music video remake, shot in Glasgow, Kentucky, of his song "Dixie Fried." Perkins' last album, Go Cat Go!, was released in 1996, and featured new collaborations with many of the above artists, as well as George Harrison, Paul Simon, John Fogerty, Tom Petty, and Bono. It was released by the independent label Dinosaur Records and distributed by BMG.

His last major concert appearance was the Music for Montserrat all-star charity concert at London's Royal Albert Hall on September 15, 1997.

Perkins died four months later, on January 19, 1998 at the age of 65 at Jackson-Madison County Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee from throat cancer after suffering several strokes. Among mourners at the funeral at Lambuth University were ex-Beatle George Harrison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Wynonna Judd, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Perkins was interred at Ridgecrest Cemetery in Jackson.

His widow, Valda deVere Perkins, died November 15, 2005 in Jackson.

Legacy

Perkins collaborated on a 1996 biography, Go, Cat, Go, with New York-based music writer David McGee. Plans for a biographical film were announced by Santa Monica-based production company Fastlane Entertainment. The Carl Perkins Story is slated for release in 2009.

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Perkins number 69 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

His version of "Blue Suede Shoes" was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2006.

The Perkins family still owns his songs, which are administered by former Beatle Paul McCartney's company MPL Communications.

Drive-By Truckers, on their album The Dirty South, recorded "Carl Perkins' Cadillac" that gives a poignant history of the artist and his relationships.

George Thorogood & the Destroyers covered "Dixie Fried" on their 1985 album, Maverick. The Kentucky Headhunters also covered the song as did Keith de Groot on a 1968 album entitled No Introduction Necessary that featured Jimmy Page on lead guitar and John Paul Jones on bass.

Ricky Nelson covered Perkins' "Boppin' The Blues" and "Your True Love" on his 1957 debut album "Ricky."

Wikipedia

Beatles News

• New York gallery home to The Beatles and Michael Jackson to close (NME.com)
• Paul McCartney says he's in touch with dead Beatles (Irish Central)
• Producer Attempts Beatles Ukulele Record (India Business Blog)
• Paul McCartney Says He's Doing All He Can To Fight Global Warming (CJBK)
• Xbox 360 Elite And The Beatles: Rock Band With Free $50 Gift Card On Amazon (I4U)
• The 2nd Annual Beatles Complete on Ukulele Festival (Guestofaguest.com)

Paul McCartney on "Can't Buy Me Love"

"Personally, I think you can put any interpretation you want on anything, but when someone suggests that 'Can't Buy Me Love' is about a prostitute, I draw the line. That's going too far."

"Wait" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

As Released by the Beatles (1965)

It's been a long time, now I'm coming back home
I've been away now, oh how I've been alone.
Wait till I come back to your side
We'll forget the tears we've cried.

But if your heart breaks, don't wait, turn me away
And if your heart's strong, hold on, I won't delay.
Wait till I come back to your side
We'll forget the tears we cried.

I feel as though you ought to know
That I've been good, as good as I can be.
And if you do, I'll trust in you
And know that you will wait for me.

It's been a long time, now I'm coming back home
I've been away now, oh how I've been alone.
Wait till I come back to your side
We'll forget the tears we've cried.

I feel as though you ought to know
That I've been good, as good as I can be.
And if you do, I'll trust in you
And know that you will wait for me.

But if your heart breaks, don't wait, turn me away
And if your heart's strong, hold on, I won't delay.
Wait till I come back to your side
We'll forget the tears we cried.

It's been a long time, now I'm coming back home
I've been away now, oh how I've been alone.

Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years: 1970-1980

by Robert Rodriguez

In the years following the 1960s, Beatle fans around the world were twice-stunned: in 1970, when their beloved group disbanded, and ten years later when the murder of John Lennon ended a decade of hope that somehow the Fab Four would reunite. Between those milestones were astounding highs and unfathomable lows. George Harrison's 1971 benefit for the suffering of Bangladesh showed the world the possibilities of rock's altruism, while Lennon asked the world to "imagine" universal peace before sitting out half the decade to raise his son. Ringo Starr, the most overlooked Beatle, carved himself a surprising niche in film before launching a string of hit singles. And Paul McCartney, widely seen as the instigator of the Fabs' breakup, became one of rock's most beloved performers, racking up record-breaking smashes that climaxed with a triumphant world tour in 1976. Fab Four FAQ 2.0 picks up the story where the acclaimed Fab Four FAQ left off. Loaded with images of rare period ephemera, including periodicals, single sleeves, and movie stills, this is the first comprehensive biography of all four ex-Beatles. This book covers everything from their recording careers in the decade after the band's dissolution to the musicians they played with, the bands they influenced, the manifestations of latter-day Beatlemania, and the constant clamor for reunion expressed by fans and - sometimes - by the four themselves.

"Two of Us" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

As Released by the Beatles (1970)

I dig a pygmy by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids (ha ha ha)
Phase one in which Doris gets her oats.

Two of us riding nowhere
Spending someone's hard-earned pay.
You and me Sunday driving
Not arriving on our way back home.
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home.

Two of us sending postcards
Writing letters on my wall.
You and me burning matches
Lifting latches on our way back home.
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home.

You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out head.

Two of us wearing raincoats
Standing solo in the sun.
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere on our way back home.
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home.

You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

Two of us wearing raincoats
Standing solo in the sun.
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere on our way back home.
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home.

We're going home.

You better believe it.

Goodbye.

"Come and Get It"

"Come and Get It" is a song composed by Paul McCartney for the film The Magic Christian, and made popular by the group Badfinger.

McCartney/Beatles version

McCartney recorded a solo demo of the song on 24 July 1969, when he arrived early for an Abbey Road session. He sang the double-tracked lead vocal and played all the instruments: he sang and played piano on the first take, sang again and played maracas on the first overdub, drums came third and bass guitar was added last. It took less than an hour to finish. The demo appears on various bootlegs. It was officially released in 1996 on The Beatles Anthology 3 and issued under the Beatles name, even though McCartney was the only Beatle performing on the record.

Badfinger versions

On 2 August 1969, McCartney presented his demo to Apple band Badfinger (then called The Iveys) telling them, "Okay, it's got to be exactly like this demo." His "carrot" for the band was his offer to produce this song and two other Iveys originals for the movie, since he had a contract to supply three songs for it. The band followed his instructions.

McCartney auditioned each of the four Iveys to sing lead on "Come and Get It." Ultimately, he picked fellow Liverpudlian Tom Evans to be lead singer instead of the any of three Welshmen, Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths or Mike Gibbins.

The single was released on Apple Records on 5 December 1969. "Come and Get It" was a hit single for the band in the United States, peaking at #7, and in the United Kingdom, peaking at #4. It was the opening theme for the film The Magic Christian, starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr (it was repeated in a scene in which people dive into a vat of human excrement to chase after money thrown into it). The biggest differences between the two versions are a slower tempo on McCartney's original and Badfinger's version featuring the use of three-part harmonies.

The U.K. picture sleeve for the single shows all four members of Badfinger that appear on the song, although bassist Ron Griffiths departed the band before the single was released.

In 1978 a reformed version of Badfinger re-recorded "Come and Get It" for K-Tel Records, with Tom Evans again singing lead vocals. This was to provide a demo recording to give to Elektra, and resulted in the Airwaves album in 1979.

Other versions

The song was covered by Peruvian band We All Together on their 1973 first and self-titled album. There is also a version by Elton John.

Single by Badfinger
from the album Magic Christian Music
B-side: "Rock of All Ages"
Released: 5 December 1969 (1969-12-05)
Format: 7" vinyl
Recorded: 1969
Genre: Power pop
Length: 2:22
Label: Apple
Writer(s): Paul McCartney
Producer: Paul McCartney

Wikipedia

Beatles News

• Ex-Beatle McCartney in 'Meat-Free' Drive (NTDTV)
• Beatles Fans "Come Together" for the Arts (CBS News)
• Beatles on Record a walk down memory lane (Vancouver Sun)
• Beatles doc a great Fab Four primer (Toronto Sun)
• 12/5-6: All Beatles, All Uke, All Day Long (NBC New York)
• Timeless tunes: Local bands focus on classic Beatles material (Dayton Daily News)
• Wal Mart Slashes Prices for The Beatles and Left 4 Dead 2 (Softpedia)
• Layar 3.0 reunites The Beatles (Crave)
• BEACH: Got a Beatles collectible? In this economy, it could be as good as gold (New Haven Register)

Little Richard on the Early Beatles

"Nobody knew them but their mothers. I thought they were a very good group when they performed with me at the Star-Club in Hamburg, but I never thought they were a hit group. I was offered 50 percent of them by Brian Epstein, and I didn't take it. I always thought Paul would make it, and we became good friends because he was a big fan of mine, but I didn't think the group would do it. They were singing my music and Chuck Berry's and some of Elvis's. They would sing 'Love Me Do' every night, 'cause it was going to be their first record. It was really something else when they shook the world."

"Tomorrow Never Knows" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

As Released by the Beatles (1966)

Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream
It is not dying, it is not dying.

Lay down all thought, surrender to the void
It is shining, it is shining.

That you may see the meaning of within
It is being, it is being.

That love is all and love is everyone
It is knowing, it is knowing.

That ignorance and hate may mourn the dead
It is believing, it is believing.

But listen to the colour of your dreams
It is not living, it is not living.

Or play the game existence to the end
Of the beginning
Of the beginning
Of the beginning
Of the beginning
Of the beginning
Of the beginning
Of the beginning.

Original Beatles Art by Sean Ward

Be sure to check out the site Sean Ward's Beatles for some wonderful original Beatles artwork, including the Yellow Submarine-inspired "Beatles to Battle" and "The Ballad of John and Yoko."

Beatles News

• Paul McCartney Rocks Hamburg 49 Years After First Beatles' Gig (Bloomberg)
• Retailer offers $50 with Xbox 360, The Beatles: Rock Band (Punch Jump)
• Dear New Layar 3.0: You Got Me at Beatles (Gizmodo.com)
• Blog Ticket to pluck: an all-day Beatles marathon—on the ukulele (A.v. Club New York)
• Blithorn plays George Harrison in 'Tribute to Beatles' (Warwick Beacon)
• The Beatles on Record (videos) (PopMatters)
• He could have been a Beatle (Victoria Times Colonist)
• CFA: Led Zeppelin, Beatles, The Who Offer Investment Advice (BankInvestmentConsultant.com)
• Not For the Faint of Heart: A Tour Through The Beatles (Georgetown University: The Hoya)

John Lennon on "I'll Be Back"

"An early favourite that I wrote."

"This Boy" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

As Released by the Beatles (1964)

That boy took my love away
Though he'll regret it someday
But this boy wants you back again.

That boy isn't good for you
Though he may want you too
This boy wants you back again.

Oh, and this boy would be happy
Just to love you, but oh my!
That boy won't be happy
Till he's seen you cry.

This boy wouldn't mind the pain
Would always feel the same
If this boy gets you back again.

This boy, this boy, this boy.

"Clarabella"

"Clarabella" is a pop song composed by Frank Pingatore and recorded by The Jodimars (a group made of former members of Bill Haley & His Comets) in 1956. Today, it is best known for being recorded by the Beatles for radio show Pop Go The Beatles on 2 July 1963, which was broadcast on the 16th of that month. It was released commercially much later on compact disc on the 1994 compilation album, Live at the BBC. In 2003, the White Stripes recorded a performance of the song live in concert.

Wikipedia

Beatles Covers: Trash - Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight

John Lennon's Record Collection: The Lovin' Spoonful - Daydream

Beatles News

• Beatles, Stones tributes to ring in 2010 (Park Record)
• Upcoming Concert Features Entire Beatles Catalog on Ukulele (Spinner)
• Holiday price watch on Beatles stereo box sets - $169.99 at Best Buy and Amazon (Examiner.com)
• McCartney back at 'training ground' (The Press Association)
• Beatles star Paul McCartney set to take on Louth MEP Guinness in meat debate (Dundalk Democrat)
• Music students follow in Beatles path (Warrington Guardian)

Astrid Kirchherr on the Death of Stuart Sutcliffe

"I can't explain it. It's so hard. When you're so young, like we all were then, death is so far away that you never think about it. And when someone gets ill, you never, ever think of death. That is why it was like a dream for all of us. It was so unreal or unrealistic. Stuart was so sensitive. He liked beautiful things. We used to go out, which wasn't very often because I wasn't making much money and he only had his grant from college, and see ballet or classical concerts. He wrote stories and poems. He was very intelligent, very sensitive, with a wonderful sense of humor. He used to spend hours writing letters to John in Liverpool. He'd put down all his feelings, all his experiences, even put in illustrations, drawings, and pages of poetry. These letters ran to 20 pages or so. John's letters were just as long and deep. They were very close because they had exactly the same kind of humor, wit, and intelligence. They were so quick, and it was great listening to them. They were hilariously funny, both of them. To John, Stuart counted more than anything, and he felt he had to look after Stuart because he was so small and delicate. He really loved him as he would have loved a brother, if he'd had one."

Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments from Stage to Studio

by Andy Babiuk

Even though their songs are known by millions around the world, only now has a book been published that reveals how The Beatles sounded the way they did. This lavishly illustrated hardcover volume is the first to examine all the instruments and equipment The Beatles used to compose, rehearse, perform and record some of the best-loved popular music of all time. It features over 300 color and black & white photos of The Beatles – many never before published – as well as prime memorabilia, including instrument sales receipts, manufacturers' ads, concert posters and more. The book's year-by-year format analyzes in detail The Beatles' entire touring and recording career. Beatles Gear was written by Andy Babiuk, a staff consultant to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a 20+-year employee of House of Guitars, and an advisor to auction houses on music-related memorabilia. Includes a foreword by esteemed Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn.

"Things We Said Today" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

As Released by the Beatles (1964)

You say you will love me if I have to go
You'll be thinking of me, somehow I will know
Someday when I'm lonely
Wishing you weren't so far away
Then I will remember the things we said today.

You say you'll be mine girl, till the end of time
These days such a kind girl seems so hard to find
Someday when we're dreaming
Deep in love, not a lot to say
Then we will remember the things we said today.

Me I'm just the lucky kind
Love to hear you say that love is love
And though we may be blind
Love is here to stay.

And that's enough to make you mine girl
Be the only one
Love me all the time girl
We'll go on and on.

Someday when we're dreaming
Deep in love, not a lot to say
Then we will remember the things we said today.

Me I'm just the lucky kind
Love to hear you say that love is love
And though we may be blind
Love is here to stay.

And that's enough to make you mine girl
Be the only one
Love me all the time girl
We'll go on and on.

Someday when we're dreaming
Deep in love, not a lot to say
Then we will remember the things we said today.

Beatle People: Chris Thomas

Chris Thomas (born January 13, 1947), is a British record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp and The Pretenders. He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.

Early career

Thomas was born in Perivale, Middlesex, and now lives in London. Thomas trained in violin and piano as a child, began playing bass in London pop bands, turning down at one point the opportunity to play with Jimi Hendrix and Mitch Mitchell before Hendrix had struck fame.

Preferring studio work to playing live, he wrote to Beatles producer George Martin seeking work and in 1967 was employed on a six-month trial by AIR, an independent production company which had been founded by Martin and three other EMI producers. Although hired as a messenger and tea boy, he was also able to sit in on sessions at EMI with the Hollies and, in 1968, The Beatles during their sessions for the White Album.

Thomas later recalled:

“I went down to the studio and didn't really know what to expect because I'd only been observing up to that point. I was scared stiff and couldn't speak for hours! Ken Scott was engineering. He was 21, I was 22. The tape op was probably 20. Here we were with the biggest band on the planet. But The Beatles completely ignored me, and I got quite worried. Then they had a little break after three or four hours and they were chatting about Apple, which was new then, and I was wandering around downstairs and I heard John [Lennon] say, 'He's not really doing his job is he?' and I immediately took that to be about me. I thought, 'This is it.' I figured my whole career had about four hours left and then I'd get the bullet. George Martin would give me the bullet, and that would be the end of it.

“So I went back upstairs and they started again and they were doing a take and somebody made a mistake, so I pressed the button to interrupt them to say, 'Try again.' And in that studio the interruption was a klaxon – this huge RRRRAWWWWK! [Laughs] And they didn't hear the mistake, so they came up to the control room to have a listen. And I thought, 'God, if I've hallucinated this I'm in real trouble!' But they heard it and then they went back downstairs and started again.”

Thomas continued with the sessions, playing on "Happiness Is a Warm Gun", mellotron on "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill," piano on "Long, Long, Long" and "Savoy Truffle," and harpsichord on "Piggies."

By the end of 1968, he had produced his first album – The Climax Chicago Blues Band by the Climax Blues Band; two years later he was working on Home, the fourth album by Procol Harum. He was subsequently invited by John Cale to produce his Paris 1919 album at the AIR Studios, where he met Bryan Ferry, who in turn asked Thomas to produce Roxy Music.

Thomas explained how most of his production roles have arisen:

“I've been fortunate in that it's always been a case of the band contacting me rather than me being hired through a record company. So it hasn't been a manufactured arrangement. That's good because it shows they trust me, and if you haven't got the artist's trust, it doesn't matter what you do in the studio, you're not going to get anywhere.”

Pink Floyd

In 1973, as Thomas’ work continued to attract interest, he took on mixing duties with Pink Floyd for their The Dark Side of the Moon album, frequently finishing work at midnight and driving to AIR Studios to do more work on Procol Harum's Grand Hotel album until 5am.

Floyd guitarist David Gilmour claims Thomas’ role on The Dark Side of the Moon was as much umpire as mixer.

“Chris Thomas came in for the mixes, and his role was essentially to stop the arguments between me and Roger about how it should be mixed. I wanted Dark Side to be big and swampy and wet, with reverbs and things like that. And Roger was very keen on it being a very dry album. I think he was influenced a lot by John Lennon's first solo album [Plastic Ono Band], which was very dry. We argued so much that it was suggested we get a third opinion. We were going to leave Chris to mix it on his own, with Alan Parsons engineering. And of course on the first day I found out that Roger sneaked in there. So the second day I sneaked in there. And from then on, we both sat right at Chris's shoulder, interfering. But luckily, Chris was more sympathetic to my point of view than he was to Roger's.”

He later helped mix Pink Floyd's 1994 album The Division Bell with Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and also co-produced Gilmour's 2006 solo album On an Island.

Badfinger

Thomas produced a trio of albums for power pop group Badfinger on the tail end of their career, beginning with 1973's Ass, and 1974's Badfinger and Wish You Were Here albums. Ass was originally recorded with Badfinger producing, but the group later admitted they were incapable of producing themselves. Members Peter Ham and Tom Evans solicted Thomas' help in cleaning up existing recordings and laying down new tracks. Although the succeeding album Badfinger retained Thomas from the outset and was considered by critics to be an improvement in production, neither album was successful in the marketplace. For their third project together, Thomas held a meeting with the group and pleaded that they all concentrate on making the best record they could muster. It turned out that Wish You Were Here garnered the most positive critical response from periodicals (including Rolling Stone magazine. Thomas later said:

“I mean it goes back to that first meeting. We thought 'We really pulled it off.' They came across as great songwriters and singers. I thought it was the best album I'd made to that point.”

Thomas said he was sorely disappointed when he learned that Wish You Were Here, after only four months in release, was pulled off the market due to legal troubles between Badfinger and Warner Brothers Records.

Sex Pistols

In 1976, he was asked by Malcolm McLaren to produce the debut single by the Sex Pistols. He recalled:

“When I first heard the Sex Pistols' demos that they brought to me, I thought, 'This has the potential to be the best English rock band since The Who. It's a three-piece again – guitar, bass and drums.' The first single was Anarchy in the UK which made quite an impression ... Anarchy has something like a dozen guitars on it; I sort of orchestrated it, double-tracking some bits and separating the parts and adding them, et cetera ...It was quite labored. The vocals were laboured, as well.”

Thomas’ colleagues in the recording industry were horrified by his involvement with the Sex Pistols, particularly when he found himself producing the band at the same time as he was working with Paul McCartney. His work with the band also led to one of his most curious album credits. Co-producer Bill Price explained:

“ The simple facts of the matter were that Chris was hired by Malcolm (McLaren) to do a series of singles for the Sex Pistols. I was hired by Malcolm to do a series of album tracks with the Sex Pistols. Life got slightly complicated, because I did a few album tracks that Chris remade as singles. Also, Chris started a couple of tracks, which got abandoned as singles, which I remade to be used as album tracks. On quite a large number of songs, when we'd finished the album, we had two versions of the song. I couldn't quite understand why Malcolm kept chopping and changing between different versions of different songs. It slowly dawned on Chris and myself that Malcolm was trying to slip between two stools and not pay Chris or me. So we said, "I'll tell you what, Malcolm. Whatever's on the Sex Pistols' album, it was either done by me or Chris, and you can pay us and we'll divvy it out amongst our little selves." Which is what we did. But it did force that very strange credit, simply because the sleeve was printed long before it was finally decided which version of each individual song was on the record. If we'd known, it would have said 'produced by Bill Price' or 'produced by Chris Thomas'. That's how you ended up with that credit, 'produced by Bill Price or Chris Thomas'. ”

In 2007, Chris Thomas produced a brand new studio recording of Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols for use in the new video game Skate. John Lydon, Steve Jones and Paul Cook all play on this new version, which was recorded in Los Angeles in July 2007, with only Glen Matlock absent.

INXS

In 1985, Thomas played a critical part in achieving a worldwide breakthrough for Australian band INXS.

INXS keyboardist and main songwriter Andrew Farriss explained:

“We'd already finished the Listen Like Thieves album but Chris Thomas told us there was still no "hit". We left the studio that night knowing we had one day left and we had to deliver "a hit". Talk about pressure.”

Thomas recalls he was worried that the standard of songs the band had laid down was not as strong as he wished.

“Then Andrew brought in three demos – two songs that had been completed and he played me a thing that was just this riff – dink, dink, dink-a-dink-and it was great. I thought, 'I could listen to that groove for ten minutes!' I said, 'Let's work with that groove.' So we went with that and in just two days it turned into the song that eventually broke them, 'What You Need.'”

Other

Thomas helped guide Chrissie Hynde into a recording career, producing The Pretenders’ first (self-titled) album; his work on 1984's Learning to Crawl earned him the sobriquet on the liner notes as the "fifth Pretender."

Thomas opts for Pulp's Different Class as one of the best records he has made, and admits: "I love working with writers. That's the person I always respond to most in a band.’’

Philosophy

Thomas says his role as a producer has changed little since the 1970s.

“The essential thing, if you want to be crude about it, is people want to make a hit record. So that means I'm still in there advising them to chop a few bars out of this part over here, maybe suggesting they change this riff, and that sort of thing. I've always been very interested in arrangements. The technical side is interesting, as well, but that's more just a means to an end. I don't want to imply that I'm in there all the time changing these songs around; not at all. Most of the time I don't have to say anything about that. That's one of the advantages of working with great writers.”

Production credits

Albums produced or mixed by Thomas include:

* 1968: The Climax Chicago Blues Band by Climax Blues Band, The Beatles by The Beatles
* 1969: Climax Blues Band Plays On by Climax Blues Band
* 1970: A Lot of Bottle by Climax Blues Band, Home by Procol Harum
* 1971: Tightly Knit by Climax Blues Band, Mick Abrahams by Mick Abrahams
* 1972: At Last by Mick Abrahams Band, The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (mixing)
* 1973: For Your Pleasure by Roxy Music, Stranded by Roxy Music, Grand Hotel by Procol Harum, Paris 1919 by John Cale, Ass by Badfinger
* 1974: Badfinger by Badfinger, Wish You Were Here by Badfinger, Exotic Birds and Fruit by Procol Harum, Kurofune (aka Black Ship) by Sadistic Mika Band, Country Life by Roxy Music
* 1975: Siren by Roxy Music
* 1976: Viva! by Roxy Music, Let's Stick Together by Bryan Ferry
* 1977: Hurt by Chris Spedding
* 1977: Never Mind the Bollocks by the Sex Pistols
* 1978: Power in the Darkness by Tom Robinson Band
* 1979: Back to the Egg by Wings
* 1980: Pretenders by The Pretenders; Empty Glass by Pete Townshend
* 1981: Pretenders II by The Pretenders
* 1982: All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes by Pete Townshend, Jump Up! by Elton John
* 1983: Too Low for Zero by Elton John
* 1984: Learning to Crawl by The Pretenders; Breaking Hearts by Elton John
* 1985: Listen Like Thieves by INXS; White City by Pete Townshend
* 1987: Kick by INXS
* 1988: Reg Strikes Back by Elton John; Live Nude Guitars by Brian Setzer
* 1989: Sleeping With the Past by Elton John
* 1990: X by INXS
* 1992: The One by Elton John
* 1994: Last of the Independents by The Pretenders, The Lion King soundtrack, Jewel by Marcella Detroit, The Division Bell by Pink Floyd (mixing)
* 1995: Different Class by Pulp
* 1996: Filthy Lucre Live by Sex Pistols
* 1997: The Big Picture by Elton John
* 1998: This Is Hardcore by Pulp
* 1999: Run Devil Run by Paul McCartney
* 2001: Or8? by Hoggboy
* 2004: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2
* 2006: On an Island by David Gilmour; Razorlight by Razorlight

Wikipedia

Beatles Talk: Christmas 1965

GEORGE: This is wonderful Radio Beatle People broadcasting on 199 parking meters in the medium wave band.

JOHN: Remember folks, Wonderful Radio Beatle People is Britain's first on-shore pirate radio station, broadcasting tonight and every night from a well-known transport caff moored somewhere off the M6.

PAUL: Christmas is coming and Mal is getting fat so at this very special time of the year we bring you a very special programme with seasonal greeting of good will and great joy.

JOHN: Evenin' Will - are you feeling good?

GEORGE: Evening Joy - you're looking great.

PAUL: Now for the first stage of our journey around the nation we take you over to a bath somewhere in Liverpool.

GEORGE: Here in the heart of Liverpool we stop the mighty roar of bathwater to bring you the voice of Ringo Starr, musician, philosopher, television personality and father.

RINGO: Oh it's nothing really.

GEORGE: I notice your bath is filled with rubber rings.

RINGO: Yes. They use this place for Wrestling on Wednesdays.

GEORGE: Wait a minute, Ringo, your script has slipped into the water.

RINGO: So it has. Not to worry. It can swim.

GEORGE: Is there anything very special you'd like to say to Radio Beatle People listeners?

RINGO: Not really. Not now that my script has slipped into the water.

PAUL: And now waiting beside our live microphone in Middle Woolton is JOHN LENNON, well-known table tennis wicket keeper and political figure.

JOHN: You know there's really nothing very much wrong with this fine old country of ours. But it's no good us sitting back and taking it easy and thinking there's really nothing very much wrong with this fine old country of ours. That's the attitude of a defeatist like me. Bring back the cat. That's what I say. Bring back the cat and let's get rid of these mice once and for all.

PAUL: Next we take you to a wind-making factory in the suburbs of Dingle Garden City. Here we're going to listen to the under-secretary of the Amalgamated Wind Encouragers Union, GEORGE HARRISON.

GEORGE: Right lads, this has been a wonderful year for wind but we can do better yet. We must all put our best knees forward, our hands to the stomach pump and our feet to the grindstone.

JOHN: Hands off whales!

GEORGE: Exactly, brother, you don't know where they've been. And a blustery Xmas to one and all.

PAUL: Finally we take you over to a rockandroll band somewhere in London where a Fan Club Christmas Record is being recorded . . . .

JOHN: On behalf of all us Beatles I'd like to take this opportunity of thanking Beatle People everywhere for making the past twelve months another year for us.

GEORGE: Yes, folks, it really has been a year. And it has gone so quickly for all of us that I haven't even had time to say it's your turn now Ringo.

RINGO: I'd like to say on behalf of us all that Christmas is very close indeed now and if you haven't already thought about it then it's high time you did.

JOHN: Paul, you're very silent considering.

PAUL: I was just considering silently.

JOHN: It's been another good year considering, hasn't it?

PAUL: Definitely. Seriously though we'd like to take this opportunity of saying . . . .

JOHN: Thank You.

GEORGE: Ta.

RINGO: Thanks a million.

PAUL: . . . . for being Beatle People in 1965. See you on tour and have a great Christmas, won't you?