Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The Beatles Live! Project 1963-1966

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Beatles movie HELP! Limited Edition Screenprint Poster

In a loving tribute to the hilarious international hijinx of the second Beatles feature film, this poster entitled "Fiendish Thingies" features a bevy of favorite characters and situations. Great for Beatles fans, movie fans and pop art collections. See it on etsy.com.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE! - FCA! 35 Tour: An Evening With Peter Frampton Blu-ray!


…the British guitar virtuoso is still making sweet music.
—Los Angeles Times

“[The evening] reminded you of Frampton’s accomplishments as a lead guitarist. He delivered, with practiced ease, everything from jazz-inflected introductions to fierce, irresistible solos.”
--Herald Scotland

“Pleasing those who came to hear the hits and impressing the musicians in the crowd with his still-smoking guitar chops”
--Santa Barbara Independent

FCA! 35 Tour: An Evening With Peter Frampton, a new live 2DVD, Blu-ray, and The Best Of FCA! 35 Tour 3CD set from the acclaimed artist, will be released on November 13 via Eagle Rock Entertainment.

The performances featured classics such as “Show Me The Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do” as well as tracks from Frampton’s most recent albums Thank You Mr Churchill and the Grammy®-Award winning instrumental album Fingerprints. The 2 DVD/Blu-Ray/3CD Set features Peter's favorite tracks culled from the world tour. FCA! 35 Tour: An Evening With Peter

FCA! 35 Tour: An Evening With Peter Frampton, directed and produced by Pierre & François Lamoureux, features two February 2012 shows - one performance in Milwaukee at the Pabst Theater and another in New York at the Beacon Theatre. The Best Of FCA! 35 Tour 3CD was executive produced by Zach Bair and Mark Fischer of Disc Live Network.

From 2011 to 2012 Frampton toured the world in celebration of the 35th anniversary of his landmark 17 million selling live album Frampton Comes Alive! Each stop on the tour was divided into two sets: a first set featuring Frampton Comes Alive! performed in its entirety and a second set including songs from throughout his career.

“I have tried to find the best musical performances from as many different countries and cities as possible,” says Frampton. “My MO in choosing these tracks was to make this CD as representative as possible of the entire year of shows. Maybe there’s one you were at, whether you’re from Europe or the US. I’m still going through the 116 versions of ‘Do You Feel…’ as I write this! I might never want to play it again, so you better pick this CD up just in case!”


Track Listing:

DVD:

Disc One
1. Somethin’s Happening
2. Doobie Wah
3. Lines On My Face
4. Show Me the Way
5. It’s A Plain Shame
6. Wind of Change
7. Penny For Your Thoughts
8. All I Wanna Be (Is By Your Side)
9. Baby, I Love Your Way
10. (I Wanna) Go to the Sun
11. (I’ll Give You) Money
12. Shine On
13. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
14. Do You Feel Like We Do

Disc Two
1. Asleep at the Wheel
2. Restraint
3. Float
4. Boot It Up
5. Double Nickels
6. Vaudeville Nanna And The Banjolele
7. Road to the Sun
8. I Don’t Need No Doctor
9. Black Hole Sun
10. Four Day Creep
11. Off the Hook
12. While My Guitar Gently Weeps


CD:

Disc 1
1. Somethin's Happening
2. Doobie Wah
3. Lines On My Face
4. Show Me The Way
5. Its A Plain Shame
6. Wind Of Change
7. Just The Time Of Year
8. Penny For Your Thoughts
9. All I Wanna Be (Is By Your Side)
10. Baby, I Love Your Way
11. (I Wanna) Go To The Sun
12. Nowhere's Too Far (For My Baby)
13. (I'll Give You) Money

Disc 2
1. Do You Feel Like We Do
2. Shine On
3. Jumpin' Jack Flash
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Disc 3
1. Asleep At The Wheel
2. Restraint
3. Float
4. Boot It Up
5. Double Nickels
6. Vaudeville Nanna And The Banjolele
7. Suite:Liberte
8. All I Wanna Be (Is By Your Side) Electric
9. Road To The Sun
10. I Don't Need No Doctor
11. Black Hole Sun
12. Four Day Creep
13. Off The Hook

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

When Mum Met the Beatles: Japan 1966

At the time my mother Satoko Kawasaki was a stewardess for Japan Airlines. When news hit that The Beatles were to come to Tokyo for a concert in 1966, she knew she had to be on that flight. However, the crew had already been decided months before, so in order for her to be part of the historic flight, she had to prove that her presence there was invaluable, and got in touch with the JAL PR department to see what could be done.

Read the full article at http://goldhatphotography.com

Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run ("Basic" Keyboards & Bass Mix)

Monday, December 17, 2012

Queen - Hungarian Rhapsody Live In Budapest


HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY – QUEEN LIVE IN BUDAPEST

QUEEN ‘HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY – LIVE IN BUDAPEST’ WILL BE RELEASED ON DVD, BLU-RAY and DELUXE EDITIONS FOR THE FIRST TIME !

Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live In Budapest is a must–see concert experience by legends of rock, Queen is released on DVD, Blu-Ray, 2CD+DVD Deluxe Edition and a 2CD+Blu-ray Deluxe Edition.
Originally filmed in 1986, this momentous concert movie has been re-mastered in high definition and superb 5.1 surround sound. An amazing performance is now available to be seen in crystal clear HD clarity.

Also included on the DVD and Blu-ray is a new 25 minute documentary feature entitled “A Magic Year”. This follows Queen from just after their historic show–stealing performance at Live Aid, London, on July 13, 1985, through the year leading up to the epic concert in Budapest. Using archive footage from rehearsals, interviews with the band in the studio and on the road during the Magic Tour - some of which has never been seen before - this fascinating feature has been specially created for this new release.

As part of the hugely successful 1986 Magic Tour that, poignantly, was the last to be played by the band with Freddie Mercury, Queen were for the first time able to include Hungary on the tour schedule. With three years to go before the fall of the Berlin Wall, this was the largest concert ever staged at the Népstadion, Budapest, and the first Western Rock Concert staged in a stadium behind the then Iron Curtain. It was of such significance to the Hungarian authorities and film industry that a group of the country’s top film cameramen and technicians were brought together to film it for posterity.

Staged for 80,000 ecstatic fans, the concert set includes favorite hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “I Want To Break Free,” and “We Are The Champions.”

“We’re delighted that Queen fans across the world will finally have the chance to relive this amazing moment for the band. We knew a stadium concert in Budapest was ground–breaking, but hadn’t quite anticipated what a historic night it would turn out to be. The concert looks fantastic on the screen in all its digitally re-mastered glory and the documentary does a great job of setting the scene – it really was an extraordinary time in the band’s history.” Brian May and Roger Taylor
Eagle Rock Entertainment is the largest producer and distributor of music programming for DVD, Blu-Ray, TV, Audio and Digital Media in the world. Eagle works directly alongside talent to produce top quality, High Definition and 3D programs, both concerts and documentaries, including The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who, Queen, The Doors, Jeff Beck, U2, Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney and Ozzy Osbourne. Eagle is a Grammy Award winning company and has received over 30 multi-platinum, over 50 platinum and over 90 gold discs, worldwide. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices in London, New York, Toronto, Paris and Hamburg.

DVD and Blu Ray Tracklisting:
• One Vision • Tie Your Mother Down • In The Lap Of The Gods • Seven Seas Of Rhye • Tear It Up • A Kind Of Magic • Under Pressure • Who Wants To Live Forever • I Want To Break Free • Guitar Solo • Now I'm Here • Love Of My Life • Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt • Is This The World We Created...? • Tutti Frutti • Bohemian Rhapsody • Hammer To Fall • Crazy Little Thing Called Love • Radio Ga Ga • We Will Rock You • Friends Will Be Friends • We Are The Champions

Extras: ‘A Magic Year’ documentary Deluxe Package CD CD Tracklisting: 1
• One Vision • Tie Your Mother Down • In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited • Seven Seas Of Rhye • Tear It Up • A Kind Of Magic • Under Pressure • Another One Bites The Dust • Who Wants To Live Forever • I Want To Break Free • Looks Like It's Gonna Be A Good Night - Improv • Guitar Solo • Now I'm Here

CD Tracklisting: 2
• Love Of My Life • Tavaszi Szel Vizet Araszt • Is This The World We Created...? • (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care • Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart) • Tutti Frutti • Bohemian Rhapsody • Hammer To Fall • Crazy Little Thing Called Love • Radio Ga Ga • We Will Rock You • Friends Will Be Friends • We Are The Champions • God Save The Queen

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Paul McCartney/John Lennon Demos: "Abbey Road" Era (1969)

- ?? February 1969
- Goodbye [00:00]

 - 1 June 1969
- Give Peace A Chance (Demos + Basic Track) [04:54]

 - 24 July 1969
- Come and Get It (Demo) [02:24]

 - ?? September 1969
- Cold Turkey [09:40]
- Woman Is the Nigger Of the World [13:09]

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Beatles Demos: "Yellow Submarine" Era (1968)

February 1968
- She Can Talk to Me [00:00]

March 1969
- I Want You (She's So Heavy) [02:15]

November 1968
- A Case Of the Blues [04:09]
- Don't Let Me Down [07:02]
- Everybody's Had A Hard Year [09:13]

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Beatles Demos: "White Album" Era (1968)

- 20 May 1968
- Child Of Nature [00:00]
- Junk [02:41]
- Circles [05:15]

 - ?? (24/26) May 1968
- Happiness Is A Warm Gun [07:33]
- Mean Mr. Mustard [09:45]
- Polythene Pam [11:43]
- Glass Onion [13:08]

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Beatles Demos: "Magical Mystery Tour" & "White Album" Era (1967/1968)

- ?? March 1967
- You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) [00:00]

- 21 November 1967
- Step Inside Love [01:01]

- ?? February 1968
- Across The Universe [03:17]
- Cry Baby Cry (Piano Demo) [04:59]
- Cry Baby Cry (Electric Guitar Demo) [06:56]

 - 20 May 1968
- Honey Pie [07:49]
- Sour Milk Sea [09:51]

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Beatles Demos: "Sgt. Pepper" Era (1966/1967)

- ?? September 1966
- It's Not Too Bad [00:00]
- Strawberry Fields Forever (Acoustic Guitar Demo) [03:29]

- ?? November 1966
- Strawberry Fields Forever (Electric Guitar Demo) [07:31]
- Strawberry Fields Forever (Mellotron Demo) [10:13]

- ?? January 1967
- Good Morning, Good Morning [12:21]

Monday, November 12, 2012

Produced by George Martin: DVD Review

This BBC documentary, a profile of George Martin's career, provides an impressive interviewee lineup, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Jeff Beck, and Cilla Black. Rather than being interviewed themselves, Paul and Ringo sit down with George Martin and reminisce over photos and studio tapes. There is also some interesting 1960s footage of Abbey Road Studios, including the familiar 1964 session with the Beatles and a less-familiar (to me) studio session with Cilla Black.

I could not help but feel like wanting more from this DVD, as if the DVD were a trailer to a longer feature. There are many stories to tell from George Martin's producing career, and this DVD provides a brief, albeit a somwhat too brief, overview. A nice companion piece to the previous Beatles documentaries that have been issued over the years.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Beatles Demos: "Revolver" Era (1966)

- January/February 1966
- He Said, He Said [00:00]

- ?? March 1966
- She Said, She Said [01:52]

Saturday, November 03, 2012

Thursday, November 01, 2012

Beatles Demos: "A Hard Day's Night" & "Rubber Soul" Era (1964/1965)

- 13 January 1964
- If I Fell [00:00]


- 20 January 1964
- A World Without Love [04:01] - not the Beatles
- One and One Is Two [06:19]


- ?? September 1965
- We Can Work It Out [08:15]


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Beatles Demos: "With the Beatles" Era (1963)

- ?? May 1963
- Bad To Me [00:00]


- July/August 1963
- Michelle [01:29]


- 19/24 August 1963
- Don't Bother Me & Guitar Exercises [02:35]


- ?? October 1963
- I'm in Love [08:10]


Thursday, October 18, 2012

The Quarrymen Demos (1958/1960)

- Summer/Spring 1958 (as The Quarrymen)
- That'll Be The Day [00:00]
- In Spite Of All the Danger [02:07]


- ?? April 1960 (as The Beatals)
- Cayenne [04:52]


- ?? June 1960 (as The Beatals)
- One After 909 [07:10]


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Monday, August 06, 2012

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Book Review: Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust by Ken Scott & Bobby Owsinski

Ken Scott, who began his career as tape operator and then engineer for the Beatles at EMI Studios, reveals fascinating insights in Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust into the recording process and the history of what is now known as Abbey Road Studios. My first introduction to Scott was his "take 2" announcement on the slow version of "Helter Skelter" on Anthology 3 - not recognizing the voice (having listened to many outtakes, the voices of George Martin and Norman Smith were more familiar to me) and finding the name in Mark Lewisohn's liner notes for the disc, I thought at the time it would be interesting to learn what Scott saw and heard during the making of these classic recordings. Scott, along with his co-author Bobby Owsinski, in this book successfully presents the Beatles from a different angle than most, having worked on many Beatles and solo sessions, including the White Album, Abbey Road, and All Things Must Pass, among others.

Scott's memoir is a fine blend of the personal as well as the technical aspects of recording. In reading through the chapters there is an attention to detail that shows that stories are not simply relayed as remembered but that there was also research done to match them up with the history (as noted in the introduction, facts were independently verified whenever possible). In addition to the Beatles, also included are his remembrances of his work with many other artists, including Elton John, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Jeff Beck, Harry Nilsson, the Rolling Stones, Lou Reed and others. A must read for Beatles fans and those interested in music production.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Recorded This Day: Live at Sydney Stadium, Australia (1964)

Recorded during last leg of the Australian tour - Sydney Stadium, June 18, 1964:

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Celebrate Paul McCartney'​s 70th with Free Beatles Book

Download a free copy of Alistair Taylor's With the Beatles e-book here.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Let It Be London

Let It Be London is coming to town and is holding open auditions for the show in both Liverpool and London. You can find more information about the auditions here. Or check out their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Saturday, April 07, 2012

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Monday, March 12, 2012

John Lennon on the Beatles Reforming - Press Release (1973)

"Although John and Yoko and George, and George and Ringo have played together often, it was the first time the three ex-Beauties have played together since, well, since they last played together. As usual, an awful lot of rumours, if not downright lies, were going on, including the possibility of impresario Allen De Klein of grABKCo playing bass for the other three in an 'as-yet-untitled' album called I Was a Teenage Fat Cat. Producer, Richard Perry, who planned to take the tapes along to sell them to Paul McCartney, told a friend, 'I'll take the tapes to Paul McCartney.' The extreme humility that existed between John and Paul seems to have evaporated. 'They've spoken to each other on the telephone, and in English, that's a change,' said a McCartney associate. 'If only everything were as simple and unaffected as McCartney's new single "My Love," then maybe Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis would be reunited with the Marx Bros., and Newsweak could get a job,' said an East African official - Yours up to the teeth - John Lennon and Yoko Ono."

Monday, February 27, 2012

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Friday, February 24, 2012

George Harrison on "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" (1973)

"I once read in the newspaper what Roger McGuinn, of the Byrds, had said. He was about the only one who spotted it, that 'My Sweet Lord' was a prayer, and that's all it was. I had a lot of letters from people saying, 'Oh, you're lost. Why don't you come to church.' They missed the point. With 'Give Me Love,' again it was a personal thing for me and if anybody else got off on it, well, there it was. But it was awareness of what we need, just give me love, thank you. So, at that period, I was really involved and doing a lot of chanting on these little wooden beads during the whole session. It was just a personal thing. Sometimes you open your mouth and you don't know what you are going to say, and whatever comes out is the starting point. If that happens and you are lucky, it can usually be turned into a song. This song is a prayer and personal statement between me, the Lord and whoever likes it."

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

John Lennon on Living in America and Britain (1974)

"I don't necessarily want to stay here all the time. I would like to be free to travel anywhere. I like to think of the world as a kind of global village. And the one thing my money gave me was freedom to travel about that village. But the thing is that, just as Paris is the place every artist wanted to be in the last century, America is the centre of the rock world today. This is where it all began. This is the place where rock started and there is still so much energy here. I don't want to become an American citizen or anything. I just want to be allowed in and out like most other British people. Of course there are times when I miss Britain badly and I feel like climbing on a plane and going home. It's the little things you miss, like decent sausages, or a pub I know in London, or seeing the autumn in beautiful places, like Surrey or Wales. I still consider myself as an Englishman and I'll stay that way until I die."



Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Monday, February 13, 2012

John Lennon on "Band on the Run" (1973)

"It's a good album. I think it's the best he's done."

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Friday, February 10, 2012

Paul McCartney on Allen Klein and the Beatles' Money (1973)

"The Beatles could reform now that the manager Allen Klein is no longer involved. When Klein was there, the road was closed against the four of us ever working together. Now, as far as I am concerned, the road is open again. I saw Klein as a sharp operator who could only do harm with the Beatles. The others disagreed. Now they have come round to my way of thinking . . . There's no reason why we should not all work together again now. Klein was one of my main worries. He promised the Beatles the earth but the only one to make any real profit was Klein. At last the others have decided that it was simply not in their best interest to have him as manager . . . Klein takes a percentage and if he could have had his way he would have owned the Beatles lock, stock, and barrel. As it is, the money we earn goes into a central pot. Even some of the money I get with Wings goes into the pot. Every time we say we'd split the pot, Klein would say, 'Think of poor old Ringo, he'll get far less than anyone. You'll have to give him some of your share.' Now I hope it's possible we can all own our own out of what we have earned and divide the pot between the four of us. We've all lived well but we have never touched a penny of the lump of money we have earned as Beatles."

Thursday, February 09, 2012

John Lennon on the Beatles' Red and Blue Albums (1973)

"Allen Klein knocked out the basic list for the Red and Blue albums and then we'd just look down it and say, 'Yes, no,' and so on. I made sure they put that picture which I got Linda to take of the same pose as our very first album . . . No one can release old Beatles product without an okay from each of us. I like packages, you know. I approve of anything I would buy myself. I'd buy the Beatles' one . . . I asked for George Martin to reproduce the tracks. I was involved in that respect, just checking on the condition of them, because I didn't want lousy versions going out. I wanted them to be as it was. I asked Capitol/EMI, 'Please ask George Martin to take care of this . . . at least he knows what to do. I don't want some strange guy, you know, making dubbed versions of it and putting it out . . .' I want to talk to George Martin, why were we always putting drums on the right and why wasn't it in the middle? I was surprised. I always thought in terms of mono. Anyway, I wasn't that sold on stereo."

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Linda McCartney on the James Paul McCartney TV Special (1973)

"The American critics were very square about it, I mean really square. They said Paul was too cute and what that has to do with it, I don't know! I think everybody expects God to appear whenever Paul does anything. Personally, I liked the show. But we had to compromise a lot in it, like a lot of our ideas were not in it. You see, it depends if you are going towards the critics or the people. The people loved it."

Monday, February 06, 2012

Paul McCartney on "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" (1973)

"This was originally a little thing I couldn't get words to, except for the first phrase. But the words just came to me the day we were due to record, and I think it's turned out quite well."

Sunday, February 05, 2012

Saturday, February 04, 2012

John Lennon on Visiting Paul McCartney in New Orleans (1975)

"I was supposed to be going down to join Paul in New Orleans, but my personal life sort of interfered with that. I was just too busy being happy. I reconciled with Yoko . . . we're happier than ever before. It's like the old, old story, when you get someone back that you've lost, it is better than ever. We were so wrapped up in each other that I just never made it to New Orleans, sorry Paul."

Friday, February 03, 2012

Paul McCartney on Britain, Family, and Taxes (1977)

"We'll never leave England, despite tax problems. We plan to stay here and so does the Wings pop group. There's no point in living somewhere just for convenience sake, so far as money is concerned. I like it here, so does Linda and so do the children. It's the best place to bring up the kids. I've even taught the missus how to make a cuppa. I am also pleased that our new baby will be a British citizen. I don't mind which it is, but we're expecting another girl. We're used to girls."

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Frank Sinatra, Jr. on the Beatles (1977)

"The Beatles have ruined the world! The Beatles are to blame for almost everything that's wrong with the young generation. You name it and it's their fault. I rue the day that the Beatles were, unfortunately, born into this world. They are, in my mind, responsible for most of the degeneration that has happened, not only musically but also in the sense of youth orientation and politically, too. They are the people who made it first publicly acceptable to spit in the eye of authority."

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Monday, January 09, 2012

Which Beatle Had the First Chart Success As a Solo Artist After the Break-up?

Q: Directly after the break, who had the first chart success as a solo artist? My guess is Ringo.

Not as simple a question as on first glance, since several solo Beatle products were released in the year leading up to the "official" break-up announcement, which is usually pegged to Paul's announcement on April 10, 1970 (although Ringo, George, and John had attempted to quit before this, none had made such a public pronouncement until Paul's press release for the McCartney LP). Running down the 1970 UK top 10 chart successes for the solo Beatles, we have:

- John's "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" single reaching #5 (Released: 6 February 1970)
- Ringo's Sentimental Journey LP reaching #7 (Released: 27 March 1970)
- Paul's McCartney LP reaching #2 (Released: 17 April 1970)
- George's "My Sweet Lord" single reaching #1 (Released: 23 November 1970)
- George's All Things Must Pass LP reaching #1 (Released: 27 November 1970)
- John's Plastic Ono Band LP reaching #8 (Released: 11 December 1970)

So, to summarize, we have John with a hit single while the split is occurring, Ringo with a chart success right before the official break-up, and Paul with a hit LP a week after. George was the most successful overall that year of the Beatles, scoring two #1 releases in the UK (the McCartney LP, however, did make it to #1 in the U.S.).

While the release dates may seem trivial, these dates for the early solo efforts were contentious among the Beatles themselves, as they each had work to be released along with the group's Let It Be LP. Ringo at one point visited Paul at his home on Cavendish Avenue to try to resolve these matters, and was met with Paul waving his fingers in Ringo's face and yelling, "I'll finish you all now," and "You'll pay!"



Submit your Beatles questions here.







Saturday, January 07, 2012

Sunday, January 01, 2012