WALRUSGUMBOOT BEATLE NEWS

Ringo Starr on LP33.tv

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:42:00 +0000

Throughout recorded history, great artists across the universe have dared to ask “Why?” On January 12, 2010, one brave man named Ringo finally boldly declares the ultimate answer -- Y Not. For the first time in one of popular music’s most enduring and illustrious careers, Ringo Starr has decided to take charge and produce himself. The result is perhaps the most personal and impressive album of this rock legend’s entire solo career. How on earth did Starr finally locate the absolutely perfect producer to work with him? “Well, I looked in the mirror,” Ringo says with a smile. “And I was looking real groovy that day.” Starr’s decision to take a stronger role in the recording of his latest and greatest solo album was a significant and fortuitous one. “I didn’t do it at the start,” Starr says. [read/watch more]

Paul Mccartney's Wonderful Christmastime Concert

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:37:00 +0000

Sir Paul McCartney braved bad weather last night (22.12.09) to perform at London's O2 Arena. The former Beatles singer's 'Good Evening London' concert - his only UK date of 2009 and the climax of his European tour - went ahead despite icy conditions causing chaos on local roads and public transport. Paul, 67, kicked off the show with Beatles classics 'Magical Mystery Tour' and 'Drive My Car' and performed a set which spanned his entire career from The Beatles, to Wings and his solo material. Highlights included 'Paperback Writer', 'Band On The Run', 'Live and Let Die', 'Back in the U.S.S.R', 'Blackbird' and festive hit 'Wonderful Christmastime'. At one point he was also joined on stage by 18 bagpipe players for Scottish ode 'Mull Of Kintyre'. He ended his set with storming renditions of some of his best loved songs, including 'Hey Jude', 'Day Tripper', 'Lady Madonna' and 'Helter Skelter'. Paul's European tour took in dates in Hamburg, Berlin, Arnhem, Paris, Cologne and Dublin, before ending in London on Tuesday. source

Stars eager to see former Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney at his O2 Arena gig

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:03:00 +0000

Former Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney has been inundated with guestlist requests for his gig at the O2 Arena. The 66-year-old is playing at the venue in London tonight (Dec 22) and famous stars that will be out to see him perform include Ringo Starr, Madonna and the Beckhams as well as their guests. The singer revealed that he usually has 100 tickets to give to friends and family but his allocation for this gig has reached 600. [read more]

The Mysterious Disappearance of John Lennon. His Star, That Is

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:27:00 +0000

Over the weekend LAist received an email tip regarding John Lennon's star on the world-famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. It seems that at 1750 Vine Street the spot "is covered up with a trashbag, and beneath that is an empty outline of a star," prompting Lennon fans on the Beatlestweets site to claim the assassinated Fab Four member's star is "missing." So what's become of Lennon's star? Speculation seems to be centered on damage to the terrazzo and brass star, which was dedicated on September 30th, 1988, necessitating its full removal from the sidewalk, or its possible removal to prepare the area for the addition of Ringo Starr's star. Starr is one of 28 celebrities who will be honored in 2010 with a place on the Walk of Fame, although the date of his star's dedication has not been announced. [read more]

John Lennon on The White Album

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:55:00 +0000

On this album we rid ourselves of the self-conscious bit. We were doing what we were doing earlier on, but with a better knowledge and technique of recording. Quite a few of the tracks are just straight takes of us playing. "Yer Blues" was recorded in a smaller room just for a change from the big studio, we just did it. And "I will," "Julia," and all them, it's just us singing like that. But the technique makes it a bit better than one of us just singing in the early days. It's just we know the technique of recording better. If we did the first album again, with "Twist and Shout" and all those things on, it would be the same, you know. But we sound more like we sounded then, on this record, than we do on the first record. You know, people who heard us in Liverpool, and Hamburg, before we turned into a mass scream -- that's how we played, just heavy rock. But when it was put down on the early records, there was never enough bass in it, the guitar solo never came through, and generally we just didn't know about recording then. So now we know how to record a bit. [read more]

John Lennon’s lover superior

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:57:00 +0000

“And this,” says Douglas Rae, gesturing to a large, unspectacular room in the bowels of the Abbey Road studios, “is where The Beatles recorded Sgt Pepper.” Ah. At this, my inner librarian bridles a bit. Actually, Doug, it longs to pipe up in a peeved and pedantic John Major voice, it’s where they recorded virtually every note they ever released, from their first session on June 6, 1962, to their last. This is the sanctum sanctorum, mate, it demands Mastermind-grade exactitude. Anything else is akin to claiming Judea was just the place where Jesus knocked up a loaf and fish-based main course. [read more]

How the Beatles brushed away repression

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Thanks to their music's insistent appeal, my son is now collecting what's called the "canonical" studio albums, which were reissued in September as remastered CDs (£9 each and about £170 for a boxed set). At first I wrote them off as a marketing ploy and doubted that I could tell the difference between the old and new, and that even if I could the second wouldn't be more musically rewarding than the first. In a blind comparison, however, the clarity of the remastered versions stood out to make them noticeably superior. I don't know if I care that much. For me, they're more than a purely musical experience. A lot has been written about the ability of music in general to evoke the past but the songs of Lennon and McCartney have a power to crystallise moments of my life that's possessed by no other composers or medium. A few bars can realise the scenery of where and when I first heard them. For example: [read more]

Paul Mccartney Ready For Residency

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Sir Paul McCartney wants to play a residency in London. The former Beatle plays a concert at The 02 Arena next Tuesday (22.12.09) and admits he is open to the idea of doing an extended run of shows at the stadium like Prince did in 2007. When asked if he would play a residency at the stadium, he said: "I quite fancy that. Last time I ever did that was when The Beatles used to do Christmas shows, and it was brilliant because you would be there for a week or two. It was fantastic, just dossing in your overcoat and everything. The opening scene was Rolf Harris announcing us, and we were apparently landing on a helicopter, it was actually a cardboard helicopter, but it appeared to land and Rolf was going, 'Oh, oh, here they are, didgeridoo, here they come, here they come.' " [read more]

John Lennon's son forgives him for abandoning

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:41:00 +0000

John Lennon's son Julian says he has forgiven his late father for abandoning him as a child. The Beatles star, who was murdered in New York City in 1980, left his first wife Cynthia Powell for Yoko Ono and had little contact with his young son after the divorce in 1968. Julian, who's also a musician, began to mend his relationship with Lennon in the 1970s, but never fully forgave him for walking out on his family. [read more]

Paul McCartney Backs Rage Against the Machine in U.K. Battle

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:34:00 +0000

The Facebook campaign to make Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” the U.K.’s Number One Christmas single has gotten so much attention Rage are carrying a slim edge heading into the December 20th deadline, and now even Paul McCartney is commenting on the race. As Rolling Stone previously reported, U.K. music fans started up a Facebook group to help Rage’s song beat The X Factor winner Joe McElderry’s “The Climb” to protest the fact that the Simon Cowell-produced reality competition show has scored the previous four Christmas Number Ones. [read more]

40-year-old John Lennon interview published for first time

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:43:00 +0000

The interview was conducted by two students from Keele University who had hitchhiked hundreds of miles to see the couple, and carried out at Lennon's home in Weybridge, Surrey on December 2 1968. A short extract was printed in UNIT, the Keele University student magazine, at the time but the majority of the six-hour long interview has never been published. Maurice Hindle, one of the interviewers, said that he obtained the interview by writing a letter to a Beatles fanzine, which was then passed on to Lennon. [read more]

Taylor-Wood's Terror Over Lennon Movie

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:13:00 +0000

Director SAM TAYLOR-WOOD struggled with the enormity of tackling a forthcoming movie about JOHN LENNON's childhood, insisting the challenge "terrified" her. Nowhere Boy, which stars Aaron Johnson and Kristin Scott Thomas, tells the story of Lennon's formative years in Liverpool, England. But Taylor-Wood admits the film project was hard for her - she regularly suffered panic attacks on set. She says, "Taking on someone as iconic as Lennon - that was quite terrifying at times. There were moments where I got overwhelmed and had to sit down and take a few breaths rather than panic and run - but it was so exhilarating and fun to take on that challenge." [source]

Ethan Russell: Book captures essence of Stones

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:10:00 +0000

For anyone who's ever dreamed of touring with a rock band - and really, who hasn't? - Ethan Russell's story sounds like a fairy tale. Because while there's no denying his talent, Russell's presence on the 1969 Rolling Stones tour was also a product of chance. Raised in San Francisco, Russell moved to England at a young age and worked as a volunteer in a hospital for autistic children. "A friend of a friend who also came to England came by my house," he recounts, "and saw a few pictures I had, mostly of children, and asked if I wanted to photograph Mick Jagger. Simple as that." [read more]

Julian Lennon talks theRevolution, the New Single, and Lucy Vodden

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:01:00 +0000

“I don’t actually remember doing the painting,” Julian Lennon admits. “But I certainly remember walking through the front gates of our house and actually showing Dad it and him saying, ‘What is that?’” Lennon is, of course, referring to the legend behind one of his father’s most famous songs, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” the Beatles’ classic whose inspiration comes from a drawing by Julian. Despite John Lennon’s vividly psychedelic description of Lucy — “A girl with kaleidoscope eyes” — Julian’s is remarkably subdued: “the best you can draw a child-like character at the age of four.” Lucy Vodden now has two songs written about her. The most recent — written over four decades after her first — is by co-songwriter James Cook and Julian Lennon himself. “I felt the boys had made a pretty penny from her so the least I could do was make sure she was okay, having to deal with lupus,” said Lennon, who, during the last two years, reconnected with his childhood friend until her death this past September. [read more]

Mccartney Relates To De Niro's Movie Character

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:59:00 +0000

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY found writing a song for ROBERT DE NIRO's new movie EVERYBODY'S FINE a therapeutic experience, but the storyline mimicked aspects of his own life. De Niro plays a widower attempting to reconnect with his offspring at Christmas time. The former Beatle, who lost his first wife Linda in 1998, tells Daily Variety, "It's not necessary for me to relate to a project that I'm writing about, but if I do, it's more interesting. "The De Niro character lost his wife, has grown-up children and wants to get them together for Christmas. I know that syndrome." source

Mccartney Lands In 50 Rhyme

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:38:00 +0000

50 CENT has namechecked PAUL MCCARTNEY in a new rap song after meeting the former BEATLE on a plane flight. The rapper insists MCCartney didn't know who he was when he asked the Brit for an autograph - but the fact he agreed to sign for him was enough to land the Yesterday singer a place in 50's Do You Think About Me? Unfortunately, it's a lyric MCCartney won't be pleased to hear. 50 Cent rhymes, "It's like Paul MCCartney stuck in my head/fell in love with a bitch walked away with one leg/she ain't even have to run to get away with the bread/that's some f**ked up shit/think about that kid." The rhyme references MCCartney's divorce from amputee Heather Mills. 50 says, "That's interesting. You figure if you're gonna marry a woman with one leg, she's gonna stay!" source

U2 And Paul McCartney Earn Best Original Song Nods From Golden Globes

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:19:00 +0000

U2 and Paul McCartney will compete at this year's Golden Globe Awards in the best original song category. U2's track, "Winter," from the Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire war drama, Brothers, was nominated, along with McCartney's "I Want to Come Home" from the Robert De Niro and Drew Barrymore film, Everybody's Fine. Both songs will compete against "Cinema Italiano," written by Maury Yeston for the film Nine, "I Will See You" from the James Cameron film Avatar and "The Weary Kind" by Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett from the film Crazy Heart. [read more]

Ravi Shankar hated Beatles making him a star

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:57:00 +0000

The world-renowned composer – labelled the "Godfather of World Music" by George Harrison – said he resented the attention from people who were too stoned to appreciate his music. In an interview with an Indian television channel, Shankar, now frail at 89, said he enjoyed their company at first but quickly tired of everything associated with the Sixties music scene. "All four came. All of them were very sweet but George was so special. He would corner me and ask me about the relation between spirituality and music, religion and music," he said. [read more]

Beatles Have Decade's Top Selling Album

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:53:00 +0000

The Beatles have the top-selling album of the decade. Between 2000 and 2009, their greatest hits anthology, 1 sold more than 11.4 million copies. Eminem beat the Fab Four on another decade-end list. The Detroit rapper is the top-selling artist of the decade with combined sales of 32.2 million. The Beatles have the Number 2 spot on that list with a total of 30 million albums sold. [read more]

THE BEATLES ERA BY RAY CONNOLLY & ALAN BENSON

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:19:00 +0000

RAY CONNOLLY: Screenplay writer (That'll Be The Day, Stardust, James Dean: The First Amercican Teenager, Forever Young, etc), Music Journalist, Novelist, and Playwright, Ray Connolly http://www.rayconnolly.co.uk wrote his own music column for the London Evening Standard from 1967 until 1973. During this time he struck up a unique and warm friendship with the Beatles, and John Lennon in particular. In 1980 was the last journalist to be invited to interview John Lennon (by Yoko Ono) just two days before he was shot dead. Ray never took the plane. He heard the news as the taxi came to take him to London's Heathrow Airport. Instead, he had return inside his house to write an obituary about his murdered friend. This inspired a play that Ray wrote for BBC Radio 4 some years later (and an unreleased feature film screenplay, too!). Ray had his Lennon interviews published in The Sunday Times Magazine on 6th September 2009.

ALAN BENSON: Film maker Alan Benson made the finest Beatles documentary! In 1992 he directed The 25th Anniversary of The Making of Sgt Peppers. It led to the inception of the famous TV series Classic Albums in 1994 (I worked on 9 of these between 1999 and 2002 as an Archive Producer.) For more information on Alan Benson's documentary, which was an ITV South Bank Show Special produced in association with Buena Vista/Disney for LWT/ITV go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0705862

TO LISTEN TO THIS ONLINE PODCAST (UNEDITED & AS TRANSMITTED) ANYTIME: Go to http://www.henrysgigs.com/ Home Page. Scroll until you see the SGT PEPPERS image. CLICK ON THIS TO PLAY! You will need FLASH V10 loaded onto your iphone, 3Gphone, or computer, in order to play this Radio Documentary 'Exclusive'.

You say you want theRevolution, Julian Lennon sure hopes so

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:56:00 +0000

Julian Lennon said hello and goodbye to the music industry years ago. Now, after a decade of silence, he’s ready to say hello once more. John Lennon’s first child burst big in ’84 with a hit album, “Valotte,” and single, “Too Late for Goodbyes.” But before long, he felt chewed up and spit out by the industry. “I’ll never own the rights to my first album ever and it kills me,” Lennon said last week while vacationing in Italy. “All the videos I did, I paid for and the labels made the money off of, they own. How does that work? Excuse me?” [read more]

Paul McCartney Carries the Legacy On

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:34:00 +0000

You could pick just about any Paul McCartney song at random and be assured of playing a hit. In concert, McCartney can still raise the roof, unless, of course, he happens to be playing on it, CBS News Correspondent Anthony Mason, reports. On a sleepy summer day in New York, Paul McCartney didn't just want to sing, he wanted to make a statement: "And they said, well, you could do it outside on Broadway on the marquee. And I got a bit nervous. I said, 'Well, let me think about that,'" McCartney recalled. But there he was that July afternoon, a Beatle above the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater singing "Get Back." When McCartney performed for "The Late Show with David Letterman," he was getting back to where it all began. [read more]

The songs The Beatles were singing

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:32:00 +0000

Examining the songs The Beatles were singing, most of which were contemporary songs at that time, gives one an impression that The Beatles, like anyone else, were simply a product of their own period. “We were influenced as much as we influenced.” John Lennon made this declaration in his famous Playboy interview published shortly before he was murdered almost 30 years ago to date. It was as much a recognition of the roots of the band as the influences The Beatles continue to make on bands of musicians in the last four decades. [read more]

X Factor: Paul McCartney 'to sing with all finalists'

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:19:00 +0000

Earlier reports have claimed star judge Simon Cowell is said to have persuaded Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, Michael Buble and George Michael into performing for the pair of weekend shows with three finalists. This weekend sees the culmination of this year's X Factor and more than 20 million viewers are expected to watch at least some of the talent contest over Saturday and Sunday nights. During the first show the three finalists are expected to duet with Robbie Williams, George Michael and Michael Bublé. [read more]

Mccartney slams vegan shoe range reports

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:16:00 +0000

Designer Stella Mccartney has denied reports she's teaming up with pop star Morrissey to create a range of leather-free shoes. The vegetarian pair were recently linked by a tabloid report which suggested they were in the process of designing animal-friendly footwear. The rock heiress was even quoted by the Daily Mail as "really" excited about the project. The report has prompted McCartney to take to her Facebook page to set the record straight. Her statement reads, "Stella is a fan of Morrissey but those rumours of a collaboration for a shoe line are simply not true."