WALRUSGUMBOOT BEATLE NEWS

McCartney returns to Ed Sullivan Theater

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Paul McCartney is going back to the Ed Sullivan Theater. The former Beatle will appear on David Letterman's "Late Show" on Wednesday. He'll be interviewed and perform, part of a promotion for some shows he's doing this summer. The theater is where McCartney and the rest of the Beatles made their famous American debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show" 45 years ago. It will be his first appearance on Letterman's CBS show. AP

Ringo his own star

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:41:00 +0000

Regarding the excellent article "In praise of Ringo Starr, one drummer to another," I couldn't agree more with drummer Dennis Diken of the Smithereens (Life, Monday). Starr offered a drummer's voice to the Beatles songs: very distinctive and recognizable, with not one unnecessary beat or fill out of place. For years, I have cringed at the mockery of Starr's ability and place in the Fab Four. The often repeated quote, "Ringo's just famous for being famous," belittles his value. Not just anybody could be a Beatles drummer. Just ask Pete Best. Thanks, USA TODAY, for Diken's perspective. This guitarist wishes Ringo a happy 69th birthday Tuesday. READ SOURCE/USATODAY

Beatles Day 2009 goes with a bang around Liverpool city centre

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:07:00 +0000

CONCERTS, impersonators and art are all going on in Liverpool as the city celebrates Beatles Day 2009. In the second annual extravaganza mop tops have taken to the streets as the hum of classic Fab Four anthems are played from open air stages. The day was officially launched at 7am. John Lennon’s sister Julia Baird joined Merseyside football legends, Big Brother’s Craig Phillips and Lord Mayor Mike Storey as band the Backbeat Beatles played for commuters on a Mersey ferry. Bands are also playing on four stages in the city. Phillip Marshall, who plays John Lennon in the tribute band Beatles Forever, played a set in Williamson Square including the mega hits Hey Jude and Lennon’s Imagine. A throng of fans watched the group play hits in front of a red double decker bus. Marshall, 45, and from Esher in Surrey, said after his set: “It was a great vibe. There were around a hundred people watching. [read more]

Paul McCartney adds 'final' summer shows in Tulsa, Dallas

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:03:00 +0000

Paul McCartney [ tickets ] will close out his impending tour with two new dates that have been dubbed his "final" US performances of the summer. McCartney, who is preparing to kick off the loose 10-gig outing Saturday (7/11) in Halifax, will now conclude the US swing with an Aug. 17 concert in Tulsa, OK, and an Aug. 19 gig in Dallas. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's three shows planned for New York City's CitiField starting July 17 will mark the first concerts at the stadium, while his Aug. 15 gig in Atlanta is a benefit for the Piedmont Park Conservancy. The full schedule is shown below. The summer performances will include a mix of classics from his solo catalog and by The Beatles, as well as some songs from "Electric Arguments," McCartney's album released last year under the alias The Fireman. [read more]

Not Quite Jim Morrison, though longer

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:00:00 +0000

As I sat in the studio and started my board shift, I knew I'd play at least one selection from the Double Fantasy album. I offered sadly that it wasn't the record he would, or should, be remembered for and left it at that. What I had no way of knowing was how the station switchboard lit up as listeners reacted. The following morning my boss attempted to explain to me why trying to step back and out of the maelstrom the evening before was in poor form. He conceded nearly everyone calling had agreed with my observations and then added 'but don't let it happen again.' I asked him what he meant by 'it'-Lennon's murder or the casual contempt with which we take one another's lives. Now, twenty-nine years too late, I realize, he meant neither. Fast forward to the days leading up to the video pyre in LA. Who really believed Larry King gave a fried rat's hindquarters about Michael Jackson? Did you catch any of his incredible interview with Sean Coombs ('How are you handling this?' I think he says in this snippet) whom he called 'P Daddy'? [read more]

Old chum recalls McCartney's school days

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:12:00 +0000

When Halifax resident Iain Taylor went to school in Liverpool, he had a classmate who drew guitars on the margins of his notebooks, sang Little Richard songs in the cafeteria and dashed across the road to play music with John Lennon after school. His name was Paul McCartney and Taylor thought his musical ambitions were ludicrous, he told CBC News in an interview Thursday. "I said to him: 'Surely there's no future in the music industry in Liverpool.' It was all in London at the time and that seemed such a long way away," Taylor recalled. Those were words he'd never live down. [read more]

'Abbey Road' photo shoot all in good fun

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Yesterday was likely a once in a lifetime chance to see Halifax Regional Municipality Mayor Peter Kelly walking across the street barefoot, a candy cigarette dangling from his right hand. Not to mention a long-haired Premier Darrell Dexter, looking like he’s ready to rock out on some drums. It was all in good fun, say the politicians, who took on the role of Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to re-enact the iconic Abbey Road album cover, to promote another once in a lifetime experience: this Saturday’s McCartney concert on the Halifax Common. [read more/watch video]

Macca on Jacko's Beatles catalogue

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Sir Paul McCartney has revealed he was never under any illusion that Michael Jackson would leave the rights to the Beatles back catalogue to him. The star said he wanted to "put the record straight" and did not ever believe suggestions his old friend would pass the lucrative catalogue on to him. Jackson's 50 per cent share in the Beatles catalogue was one of the late singer's most valuable assets and, together with other song rights, was estimated to be worth in the region of £300 million. SOURCE: Macca's blog

Abbey Road studio throw Beatles and Pink Floyd facilities open to new bands

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:55:00 +0000

The legendary Abbey Road studios are to offer the mastering facilities that the likes of and The Last Shadow Puppets have used to new bands via the internet. The studio, famous for recording seminal albums by the likes of The Beatles and Pink Floyd, have launched an online mastering service which will allow new acts to submit their recordings via a secure server. Engineers at Abbey Road will then mix the tracks using the studio's mastering suites. ”It’s easy for new bands to undervalue the importance of quality mastering, but it really is the final stage of the recording process and getting it right makes a huge impact to the sound of your recordings," Alex Wharton, Mastering Engineer at Abbey Road, told NME.COM. [read more]

Singer To Receive John Lennon Prize

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:52:00 +0000

Granted, this is hardly a local story--but it's kinda interesting, and it's happening tomorrow night at the Meyeson Symphony Center so cha-ching! Anyway: At tomorrow night's Brian McKnight show at the Meyerson, McKnight will present his tour support, Matt Cusson, with the Maxell Song of the Year prize from the 12th annual John Lennon Songwriting Contest for his jazz effort, "One Of Those Nights." Sure enough, the song's a pretty legit jazz number--check it out--so, y'know, good on him. [read more]

The Madness of King Michael

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:48:00 +0000

But if Michael was the supreme purveyor of unadulterated megalomania, he was also the victim of it. In a country where entertainers are treated as royalty and public discourse is keenly steered by a handful of media-conglomerates, Michael was yet another example of how Americans can take a good thing and run it into the ground. As a child, Michael was a trick pony, a very talented trick pony, but a trick pony nonetheless. He never had a normal childhood and as such, was completely shielded from the everyday realities the rest of us live by. Like so many other kid actors/musicians who have excessive and superficial acclaim heaped on them (ahem, Britney?), Michael was led to believe the world revolved around him. What's worse, our culture's incessant demand for anything and everything titillating insisted Michael act like a god when he wasn't. Alone with such delusions of grandeur, Michael lived in a fantasy world that only got more far-fetched and harder to prop up as he aged. [read more]

Paul McCartney Won't Get Beatles Songs Back From Michael Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:11:00 +0000

Sir Paul McCartney is "devestated" that he won't be able to claim back his ownership of the Beatles back catalogue following the death of Michael Jackson. The former Beatle had hoped he would be able to buy the rights to some of his most famous songs back following Jackson's death, but it has now emerged that the late singer sold nearly all of his rights to the songs. Jackson outbid Macca and purchased the rights to the song's in 1985 after the two had collaborated on two songs - The Girl Is Mine' and 'Say, Say, Say' - but secretly sold them before his death to help alleviate his financial troubles. A highly placed source at the Los Angeles HQ of Sony/ATV, the music publishing company which shares responsibility for the hits with Jackson’s estate, said Jackson had dispensed with all but five per cent of his remaining 25 per cent of the catalogue. The news is likely to be a blow to Macca, who complained earlier this year: "The annoying thing is, I still have to pay to play some of my own songs. Each time I want to sing Hey Jude, I have to pay!” SOURCE

Happy Birthday RINGO

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Yesterday I said that there’d be another entry, and it would be BIG. Don't anyone say "Ringo who?" Ringo Starr is 69 today. I will state for the record right now, that I am one of those people who have never been particularly fond of Ringo’s playing. I think every drummer who started playing after the Beatles became famous has to come to terms with Ringo, because he’s just . . . there. You cannot ignore him even if you try, if for no other reason that other musicians won’t let you. Most of the drummers I’ve profiled in this series can probably be called "monster" players. For example, yesterday you can watch that clip of Louie Bellson and see him play a single-stroke roll with his left hand faster than a lot of drummers can play with both. He also plays double-stroke rolls that are so smooth they sound like one long note. The same goes for John Bonham, Ian Paice, Chick Webb, and all the others. read more

Yellow Submarine stolen from outside Beatles Story

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:56:00 +0000

The Beatles Story has experienced a sad loss this week with the theft from outside our main entrance of a 5ft wooden reproduction of the iconic Yellow Submarine as featured in the famous 1968 animated film of the same name. The Sub which has featured in thousands of tourists' holiday snaps since the Beatles Story opened in 1990 is a popular backdrop both for visitors to the attraction and passers by to pause and capture a memento of their trip to Liverpool and the Beatles Story are anxious for its safe return. "We're very upset and angry that someone would perform such a selfish act" said Beatles Story MD, Jerry Goldman. "We would like to offer a £100 reward to be donated to the Linda McCartney Centre on behalf of anyone who can return our Submarine safely." If you can help the Beatles Story please contact 0151 709 1963 or email info@beatlesstory.com SOURCE

Hard day's night: Paul McCartney left a little weary after dining out with daughter Stella and Madonna

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:31:00 +0000

It had been a long day for the singer, 67, who was spotted at another restaurant earlier in the day and the tired rocker was forced to jump into a cab while Madonna and Stella - in higher spirits - chose to leave in a more civilised manner. Madonna, 50, trendy as usual in a white suit and trilby hat, emerged smiling from the front, but didn't appear to have time to find a tailor - as her trousers dragged on the floor despite her high heels. The pop star, who accessorised with a hand-shaped necklace and Louis Vuitton handbag, spent the day at the Kabbalah centre before heading to meet her fashion designer friend for dinner. Stella, 37, opted for the more sophisticated look, in a classic little black dress and high heels. [read more]

New Beatles Song Ready

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:29:00 +0000

A lost track by The Beatles, 'Now And Then', is set to be released after Sir Paul McCartney spent the past two years working on it. A new Beatles song is to be released. 'Now And Then' - which was composed by John Lennon in 1978 and later worked on by Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr when they reunited to work on the Beatles Anthology project in 1995 - never got released, but McCartney has been adding to it and is now keen for fans to hear the track. [read more]

Beatle legend Paul McCartney hits out at Joe Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:23:00 +0000

Beatle legend Sir Paul McCartney has hit out at Joe Jackson for contributing to his son's problems through his overbearing and violent nature during Jacko's childhood. Macca caused a storm earlier in the week when he failed to mention Joe in an official statement, sending his condolences to Michael's "Mother and rest of the family". But although Sir Paul claims the snub was "not on purpose", the music legend reckons Joe's physical abuse on Michael contributed to the King of Pops problems in life. [read more]

Praising Ringo Starr, one drummer to another

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:20:00 +0000

The Beatles maintain a stronghold on the imagination and hearts of music lovers. They win over new generations without trying, and their appeal shows no signs of waning. So when Ringo Starr turns 69 on Tuesday, his status as one of rock's most renowned drummers is secure, if only by association with the greatest show on earth. Yet inexplicably, Starr's legacy is clouded by misconception and ignorance. Some say he was the luckiest guy on earth, a competent player who stepped into a million-dollar quartet. Why the bum rap? Was it because he didn't overplay and shunned solos? Or was it his unassuming, Everyman countenance? Think about it: Could The Beatles have conquered the world with a mediocre sticksman? NO! [read more]

Paul McCartney Posts Tribute to Michael Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Paul McCartney posted a tribute to Michael Jackson over the weekend. McCartney, of course, dueted with Michael on "The Girl Is Mine" from the Thriller album and on "Say Say Say" from McCartney's Pipes of Peace. Paul remembered the first time he spoke with Michael and the coincidental lodging choice he made at the time of the "Say Say Say" video: I first heard from Michael when he phoned me over the Christmas holiday season in 1980 and my initial reaction was “who is this and how did he get my private telephone number?”. Michael laughed and explained who it was and, as we talked and I asked him why he was ringing, he said “Do you wanna make some hits?” and that was the start of our adventure together. [read more]

Mills Climbs Onto Roof To Open Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:17:00 +0000

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's ex-wife HEATHER MILLS is going to great heights to promote her new vegan cafe - she scaled its roof to celebrate the grand opening on Saturday (04Jul09).
The animal rights campaigner, who wears a prosthetic leg after losing her limb in a motorcycle accident in 1993, stunned onlookers as she climbed up a ladder to launch her new restaurant, V-Bites, in East Sussex, England. [read more]

Philip French on John Lennon's rise and fall

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:13:00 +0000

I returned from my holidays to read colleagues' reviews of Abbas Kiarostami's Shirin. In this picture an audience of Iranian women are observed for some 90 minutes reacting to a romantic movie (based on a 12th-century Persian poem) that we, the real audience, are not shown. It isn't particularly original. In numerous movies characters respond to films we don't see. But in his Observer review last Sunday, Jason Solomons remarked: "What if the camera turned on a roomful of film critics?" His question took me back 40 years to a press screening of two minimalist movies by Yoko Ono at a smart private cinema in Mayfair. One film had the camera simply staring at Lennon's penis. Lasting some 40 minutes (it seemed like an eternity), it focused upon the unaided tumescence and detumescence of his member, reaching some sort of climax with a pearl-like drop of semen. [read more]

What George Harrison Thought Of Allen Klein

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:06:00 +0000

Allen Klein died on the weekend (July 4, 2009). Klein was one of the most notorious music businessmen ever. At one stage he simultaneously managed both The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Many knew him, few respected him! He was in it for himself and made a fortune along the way. In my 1993 interview with George Harrison, a man who had nothing bad to say about anyone, even George had nothing nice to say about Allen. Here is the part of the Harrison interview talking about how Klein, acting at the time as George’s business manager, went behind George’s back during the famous ‘My Sweet Lord/He’s So Fine’ plagiarism case, and bought copyright of the original Chiffons songs so that no matter what happened in the case it would go his way: Paul Cashmere: How do you feel about "My Sweet Lord" these days. How did the court case surrounding that song affect your songwriting? [read more]

Manager to Beatles/Stones dies in New York

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:00:00 +0000

The former manager of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones has died in New York at the age of 77. Alan Klein died after suffering from Alzheimer's. In the mid-1960s, he managed The Rolling Stones and then the Beatles, earning himself the reputation of a ruthless businessman. Even though he extracted lucrative deals from record companies for his clients, he never managed to secure the copyrights for Beatles compositions, which were later bought by Michael Jackson. Klein’s relationship with the Rolling Stones had soured some years earlier when he bought the rights to the band's 1960s songs and recordings without their knowledge. Klein was known to have a plaque on his desk that read: “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because I'm the biggest bastard in the valley.” [read more]

Halifax preps for McCartney's lone Canadian date

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:57:00 +0000

A music lover since childhood, Peter Tingley has seen dozens of great acts in concert over the years, from the Stones to Pink Floyd and everyone in between. But he expects all of them could be eclipsed on Saturday when he and his wife and two children travel to Halifax from his home in New Brunswick to see Paul McCartney for the first time. "To be able to see a legend live and close to home is beyond belief," said Tingley, 53, of Moncton in a weekend interview. I would have loved to have seen Paul, George, John and Ringo play together some time, but obviously that can't happen, so this is the next best thing." McCartney and his four-piece band will perform on a massive stage being erected this week on the Halifax Common, a large recreational space in the heart of the Nova Scotia capital. [read more]

New release caters to Beatles fan

noreply@blogger.com (admin@beatlesnumber9.com) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:16:00 +0000

The Beatles were the most popular band in the world, but in reality they were much more than a band. They changed how people felt about themselves, and everything that they did and said was taken to heart by their fans. People could not get enough of the Fab Four. How they started and where they came from are all part of their history. To that end, Beatles fans can learn about their heroes in this five-disc set that includes more than 13 hours of programming. An overview of the set includes: "The Beatles Liverpool," in which Beatles historian Ray O'Brien takes you to more than 60 key Beatles sites including Abbey Road, 3 Savile Row, film sites for "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help," their former homes, clubs where they used to hang out, inside their recording studio and more. [read more]