Soviet Paper Hits Beatles

December 4, 1968

MOSCOW (AP)--A Soviet newspaper criticized Britain's Beatles today for "indifference to politics" and said real "progressive" youth prefer such Americans as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Peter Seeger.

While admitting that "some good songs" have come from the Beatles, the newspaper Sovietskaya Kultura--Soviet culture--said "progressive youth does not sing them."

"Beatlemania," the article said, "has had no influence" on the popularity of Dylan, Seeger, Miss Baez and others whose songs "protest against violence, war and legalized slavery."

Although the newspaper did not say so, the Beatles remain one of the most popular groups among Soviet youth. Beatles records are not for sale here but hundreds have been smuggled in.

The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit

The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit is an archive footage documentary of the Beatles' first visit to America in February of 1964. It was filmed by renowned documentary filmmaking team Albert and David Maysles, using footage from their 1964 16mm documentary What's Happening! The Beatles In The USA, and documents the Beatles' U.S. trip as they travel to New York City, Washington, D.C., and Miami Beach. Footage of the Beatles (often acting irreverently in front of the camera) in hotel rooms makes up the majority of the non-musical portion of the film. The other portion of the film is the Fab Four's live recorded performances on The Ed Sullivan Show, which were not included in the original 1964 release. Everything is shown in chronological order.

Track listing

The Ed Sullivan Show (NYC #1)

1. "All My Loving"
2. "Till There Was You"
3. "She Loves You"
4. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

The Washington Coliseum Concert

1. "I Saw Her Standing There"
2. "I Wanna Be Your Man"
3. "She Loves You"

The Ed Sullivan Show (Miami)

1. "From Me to You"
2. "This Boy"
3. "All My Loving"

The Ed Sullivan Show (NYC #2)

1. "Twist and Shout"
2. "Please Please Me"
3. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

Wikipedia

The Quarrymen Saluting John Lennon

Beatles Covers: Nancy Sinatra - Day Tripper

John Lennon 70th Birthday Celebration & Competition

Press release from EMI Music:

To support the release of John Lennon's solo catalogue under the moniker of “Gimme Some Truth”, & to mark what would have been his 70th birthday on 9th October, EMI have launched a dedicated John Lennon birthday quiz that allows fans to compete and win prizes over the course of 6 weeks.

Each week, fans log in & complete each round that includes a varied set of interactive games designed to be fun & engaging...

http://www.johnlennon70thbirthdaycompetition.com

John Lennon on "Glass Onion"

"I was having a laugh because there'd been so much gobbledygook about Pepper, play it backwards and you stand on your head and all that. Even now, I just saw Mel Torme on TV the other day saying that 'Lucy' was written to promote drugs and so was 'A Little Help From My Friends' and none of them were at all."

George Harrison on Let It Be

"After the White Album, I worked on an album with Jackie Lomax and I spent a long time in the States and I had a good time working with all these different musicians and different people. Then, I hung out at Woodstock for thanksgiving and, you know, I felt really good at the time. I got back to England for Christmas and then, on January 1st, we were to start on the thing, which turned into Let It Be. And straight away again, it was just weird vibes. You know, I found I was starting to be able to enjoy being a musician, but the moment I got back with the Beatles, it was just too difficult. There were just too many limitations based upon our being together for so long. Everybody was sort of pigeonholed. It was frustrating."