JOHN LENNON:THE LIFE by Philip Norman

John Winston Lennon
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Do we need another biography on John Lennon? Yes. Why? Because the two most popular ones are the hatchet job that Albert Goldman did and Ray Coleman's fine biography that didn't quite capture the essence of who Lennon was and was hamstrung by trying to undo the damage of Goldman's book. The other question we need to ask is if there are any new facts about Lennon's life that make this worthwhile (and considering that Norman covered part of Lennon's life in his Beatles book SHOUT!). Yes--Norman digs up new facts both good and bad. He doesn't turn these new bits of info salacious or sensational comments or observations providing them with a context to help us understand Lennon as a human being.

Philip Norman has tackled one of the most difficult subjects for a biography because Lennon's life was well covered by the press and fostered a lot of myths himself. With access to Yoko Ono, Freddie Lennon's biography (and unpublished papers), Sean Lennon, Paul McCartney (via email) and others, Norman has prepared a biography that is fair balanced and presents his contradictory character thorughout his life--his bravado as well as his insecurities (of which there were many).

Fans that have read other Beatles books or Lennon biographies should be aware that the bulk of the book covers Lennon's pre-Beatles life and his time in the band throughout most of the 800 plus pages of the book. Norman does revisit familiar ground simply because they are essential events and there are those that haven't read ANY books on Lennon but he also introduces a lot of new information as well.

There are a few flaws because we are, after all, only human. There's no bibliography or discography for Lennon (although fans may be aware of the latter the former is important)although he usually cites his sources in the book. Nevertheless, Norman has written a nearly perfect (there are a few minor flaws that crept past those that reviewed the text)biography on Lennon in terms of the facts and the various opinions that knew him best. The book devotes too little in terms of Lennon's post-Beatles career and "The Lost Weekend" that he experienced when he broke up with Yoko. It also skimps over the recording sessions for "Double Fantasy" (where Yoko reportedly fought so much with Lennon during the sessions that co-producer Jack Douglas often scheduled them to work on their tracks at different times). Norman has his opinions as well and doesn't hesitate to let the reader know them. You may disagree with his opinions(I did on some) but he at least provides us with why he believes them.-amazon.com

Buy John Lennon: The Life

Beatles' Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

You love it or you hate it. There's no somewhere in between for this reggae influenced song. It was written by Paul. He got an idea from
Jimmy Scott and his Obla Di Obla Da Band. John Lennon hate this song so much because he didn't like it style and Paul spent a lot of time for it. One day he went mad into the studio and play piano aggressively and it finally became the song introduction..!

This is the single cover in 1976. Julia in B-side.

Top 10 Beatles' Women

Jane Asher
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

There are many, many girls in their lives…and here are their top 10 women.

1. Yoko Ono

She’s so heavy…no other women could match her. She sang on 2 (or 3) Beatles’ songs, inspired many Beatles’ songs and many more John’s. Her name even appears on one of their song title. She’s the perfect combination of Bohemian lifestyle of Julia (John’s mother) and strict/strong personality of Mimi (John’s aunt) …and don’t forget (some say) she’s split the Beatles!

2. Pattie Boyd

She took a role in their first film (OK, I know she said only one word [!] in A Hard Day’s Night), sang on one Beatles’ song, inspired 2 best love songs ever (1 for the Beatles and 1 for Eric Clapton) …more…she even inspired Layla album and formed the legendary love triangle with George Harrison and Eric Clapton.

3. Astrid Kirchherr (Anyone can spell her name correctly?)

Coolest girl of the exis of Hamburg . Her photographs, her hairstyle and philosophy created their early mop-top image….

4. Linda McCartney

This beautiful photographer inspired late Beatles’ songs and many, many Paul’s. A permanent member of Wings. One of the pioneer of veggie movement.

5. Mary McCartney

Who can forget the woman who inspired Let It Be?. Her untimely death drove Paul to be a teenage-rock-and-roll-maniac.

6. Julia Lennon

She’s the one who taught John to play guitar (with banjo’s chords!)…inspired Julia and many John’s songs…impressed George and Paul with ukulele….and many more…..

7. Lucy O’Donnell

She’s the one that should take responsibility for LSD popularity in mid 60’s (She inspired Julian’s painting which inspired John’s Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, which inspired many, many Beatles fans…) Archaeologists named the most primitive female man/ape fossil Lucy from this song. Lucy was also the name of a lovely girl in the Beatles related movie I Am Sam.

8. Louis Harrison

She always encourage George to practice his guitar….let the Quarry Men performing in her home….an ideal mother for every teenager….

9. Barbara Bach (Starkey)

There’s always a place for Bond’s girl (or Bond’s femme fatale)…even in this list! The only Beatles’ wife that was actually a movie star.

10. Janice

Yes, she’s a stripper…but, my friend, she’s the only one female artist that had the Beatles as her back up musicians!!!

5 Things You should know about the Beatles' Can't Buy me Love

Can't Buy me Love
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

1.It was written mainly by Paul McCartney.
2.It's not about prostitute despite some rumours.
3.It was recorded in Paris, January 29th, 1964 and was overdubbed later in London for George Harrison's lead guitar part.
4. On April 4th 1964 Can't Buy Me Love is one of the five Beatles songs that held the top 5 positions in US chart. Others are Twist And Shout, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand And Please Please Me. Can you believe it?!
5.Paul sang this song solo (a rare case in early Beatles songs). But you can hear George and John's backing vocal in alternate takes (the first two takes.)-in Anthology1 CD.

10 MOST FAMOUS BEATLES CONCERTS

The Gladiators
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Apart from their amazing recordings the Beatles had made some greatest shows on earth. Here are the ten events all the fans wish they had been there.

1. Shea Stadium 1965

Sunday 15 August 1965, William A Shea Municipal Stadium, New York City, USA.

55,600 fans saw the Beatles at Shea Stadium. It’s the new world record for a pop concert in terms of attendance and gross revenue. Ed Sullivan introduced the band on stage before the Beatles began with Twist And Shout and ended with I’m Down which featuring Lennon’s Hammond organ performance with his elbow. They played 12 songs with a terrific performance. The most famous Beatles concert ever!

See also: The Beatles Anthology* (DVD), The Beatles At Shea Stadium* (VHS), Real Love (CD maxi single)*

Note: *The sound you heard in this video was mostly overdubbed later.
**contains a live version of Baby’s In Black at Shea Stadium 1965 which was not issued in The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl LP.


2. Ed Sullivan Show 1964
Sunday 9 February 1964, Studio 50. New Yoork City, USA.

The Beatles played in front of only 728 audiences in Studio 50 but the show was broadcast to an estimated 73 million people across the USA, the highest US TV audience at the time. Most Americans in the sixties first saw the Beatles from this show. They played only five songs with an incredible confident. The first spread of Beatlemania in the States.

See also: Ed Sullivan presents the Beatles (DVD), The Beatles Anthology (DVD), The First US Visit (DVD), Anthology1 (CD)

3. Apple Rooftop 1969
Thursday 30 January 1969, Apple Corps (Roof), London

The last Beatles live performance (not a concert). Paul tried hard to bring the band back on the road since they gave up the concert three years ago and this was the best he could get. The Beatles played for 42 minutes in the cold wind blow of London in January at the lunchtime. Most of this rooftop performance was used in the Let It Be film and some was edited in the Let It Be LP. After all, the old boys were still rocks and it seemed that nothing can stop them. Except the police that finally brought the show to the end. Get Back was the last song.

See also: Let It Be (CD), Let It Be…naked (CD), The Beatles Anthology (DVD), Anthology3 (CD), Let It Be (VHS)

4. Royal Command Performance 1963
Monday 4 November 1963, Prince Of Wales Theatre, London

The only time the Beatles played in the presence of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret. They appeared at the seventh act on all 19-act bill but everybody knew they were the main attraction. They played four songs and before the last number, Twist And Shout, John made his famous witty introduction. Jewels were rattled and rocked.

See also: The Beatles Anthology (DVD), Anthology1 (CD)

5. London Palladium 1963
Sunday 13 October 1963, London Palladium, London

After this show, the press began to coin in the term Beatlemania to describe the scenes of the much-too-crazy hysteric fans. Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium was the top-rated entertainment program in British at the time. As reported, the screams were heard clearly even outside the theatre. Certainly, it was much louder inside that even John Lennon had to shout at his screamers to “Shut Up!” while Paul tried to announce the closing number, Twist And Shout. A phenomenon.

See also: Anthology1 (CD)

6. Washington Coliseum 1964
Tuesday 11 February 1964 Washington Coliseum, Washington DC, USA.

Probably the most exciting performance of the Fabs captured on film. The Beatles gave their first concert in North America in front of 8,092 audiences. You can see the world’s first revolving stage at this 30-minutes show. Thanks for the late Mal Evans!

See also: The Beatles Anthology (DVD), The First US Visit (DVD)


7. Hollywood Bowl 1964
Sunday 23 August 1964 Hollywood Bowl, L.A., California, USA.

The Beatles have only one live concert LP in their official catalogue. The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl, released in 1977 was a mix from this concert and another one from the same venue in 1965. It was their talents to be able to play with such a superb performance among the jet-like screams of the 18,700 fans. With their tiny monitors they definitely couldn’t hear a single note they played. Unfortunately, this album is not available in CD until now. What a shame.

See also: The Beatles At Hollywood Bowl (LP), The Beatles Anthology (DVD)

8. Candlestick Park 1966
Monday 29 August 1966,Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California, USA.

It may not one of the best shows they did. In 1966 the Beatles was so tired of playing live. But its significance of this show is it’s the last Beatles concert ever. John and Paul carried cameras on stage and took photographs of other Beatles between songs. They played for 30 minutes and the last number is Long Tall Sally. Though some source said after that they tried to play In My Life but ended it only at the intro before finally walking off stage forever.

9. All You Need Is Love 1967
Sunday 25 June 1967 Studio One, EMI Studios London

The Beatles performed All You Need Is Love live with backing tracks. They appeared in the psychedelic uniform and the show took the form of a party with many famous friends and visitors sitting cross-legged on the floor-among them Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, Keith Richard, Keith Moon, Eric Clapton, Pattie Harrison, Jane Asher, Michael McCartney and Graham Nash. The show was broadcast to the potential viewing audiences around 500 million worldwide. As the song’s ended some visitors danced the conga around the studio. Love is all you need.

See also: Magical Mystery Tour (CD), Yellow Submarine (CD), The Beatles Anthology (DVD)

10. Cavern Club 1962
Wednesday 22 August 1962, Cavern Club, Liverpool

This list will never complete without a Cavern Club show. The Beatles made their legend here with almost 300 performances but this lunchtime gig was a special one. It was the first time that TV cameras were focused on them. Granada Television, after watching two previously Beatles performances, was impressed by their electrifying shows and decided to film them at Cavern. The film captured the Beatles sang two songs, Some Other Guy and Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!. This was only a week after the dismissal Of Pete Best and you can hear one man shout “We Want Pete!” at the end of Some Other Guy.

See also: The Beatles Anthology (DVD), Live AT BBC (CD)

Beatle George Harrison in Hamburg

Harrison in Hamburg
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

"In the Hamburg days we had to play so long and really rock it up and leap about and foam at the mouth and do whatever. We missed the whole period in England-- Cliff Richards and the Shadows became the big thing. They all had matching ties and handkerchiefs and gray suits, but we were still doing Gene Vincent, Bo Didley, you know, Ray Charles things. So when we got back to England that was the big thing. They didn't know us in Liverpool, and there was a big gig at the townhall or something, at a dance. There was an advertisement in the newspaper saying, 'Direct from Hamburg,' and so many people really dug the band, and they were coming up to us and saying, 'Oh, you speak good English!'"

"But a year or so after that, When Brian Epstein came on the scene, he said, 'You should smarten up because nobody wants to know you,' --TV producers or record producers or whatever. We just looked too scruffy. In Germany they had alot of leather stuff, like black leather trousers and jackets and boots."

-George Harrison, 1977

Beatles: Eye Of The Hurricane

Beatles: Eye Of The Hurricane
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Q: "In a past interview, you once said that you didn't mind being in the spotlight twenty-four hours a day. Isn't there the odd time that you do enjoy doing common things, and just having it all to yourself?"

JOHN: "When we're asleep."

(laughter)

Q: "When is that?"

JOHN: (giggles) "I don't know."

RINGO: "Next Thursday."

PAUL: "Very busy."

(Vancouver, 22 August 1964)

The Beatles are warming up in ROCK BAND!

In their official homepage of The Beatles Rock Band game there's something happening. The Beatles instruments begin to appear at Abbey Road studio, one by one. First is Ringo's Ludwig... now is John's Epiphone casino. And if you raised the volume of your speakers you can hear the boys warm up, tune their guitars and test the snare. I can even hear Lennon's cough!

No doubt this will be a whole new world of music market. You don't want to hear or play the Beatles anymore. You want to be them.

Guess what will be the next instrument appears in the page? Paul's Hofner or George's Gretsch Tennessean?

10 Beatles Songs That Shook and Change The World

You might think no song ever really changed the world. But we think there are. Let’s pretend the ten Beatles songs in this list are never existed. Don’t you agree then that this world would never be the same?

1.She Loves You The 1963 single that made the four boys from Liverpool became the king of British music. It can be called the Beatlemania theme. The ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ phrase is the key to success and the greatest hook Lennon and McCartney ever had. Paul’s father tried to stop them for using it but fortunately, he failed. She Loves You is the best selling single of the Beatles and the most joyous too. CD-1,1962-1966,THE CAPITOL ALBUMS VOL.1 AND PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE

2.I Want To Hold Your Hand USA was the final destination for Beatles crew and they conquered it with this single. The first No.1 of them in America in the early of 1964 just days before their first historic visit. Brian Epstein said it was tailor-made directly for the American market. He was wrong-it was for the whole world as every ingredient is the first rate. Bob Dylan misheard some words and thought this is the drug song! CD-1,1962-1966,THE CAPITOL ALBUMS VOL.1 AND PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE

3.Yesterday Recorded in 1965, Yesterday wasn’t like anything the Beatles had done before. It’s not like the Beatles the fan used to know. In fact it’s not really the Beatles. Only Paul McCartney, his bittersweet voice, his acoustic guitar and a string quartet (arranged by George Martin) are on this record, with no other Beatle. This nostalgic ballad became the most covered song and most broadcast song of all time. Everybody believes in Yesterday. CD-HELP!, 1, 1962-1966


4.Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) The composer John Lennon wanted some strange sound on this strange love song. He asked George Harrison to play a sitar on it. Though Harrison ’s playing wasn’t so good, the world was amazed as it never happened before. To this day, many Beatles fan still searching for the real girl in this song. CD-RUBBER SOUL, 1962-1966

5.Eleanor Rigby After the huge success with Yesterday that has only Paul and a string quartet, a year later, Paul and Martin tried again with Eleanor Rigby. This time Paul’s vocal are backed with John’s, George’s and a string octet. Paul rarely wrote better lyrics in his life though John claimed that he had contributed in a large part. Listen to Eleanor Rigby is like watching a drama-thriller movie in two minutes. CD-1, 1962-1966, REVOLVER

6.Tomorrow Never Knows No other band had ever gone far as this and the fan can still follow. The last track of the fantastic Revolver album in 1966 but the first song they recorded for it. The song has only one or two chords in an Indian song fashion. Lennon’s voice was modified to sound like it’s from the other side of the universe while Ringo’s drumming was constantly hypnotic exciting. No synthesizer in 1966, so they used various tape loops and backwards technique to make sound effects that still sound spooky to this day. There’s only one way to listen to this song properly, turn off your mind before turn it on. CD-REVOLVER


7.Strawberry Fields Forever In 1967 The Beatles was a full time studio band. They didn’t care how long and how many takes to make a song the way they want. John wrote this tune while he’s in Spain filming ‘How I Won The War’ alone with no other Beatles. The song began its life as an acoustic dreamy tune before it’s gradually evolved through many takes, edits, mixed and re-make to be the superb psychedelic anthem at last. The Beatles released it as a single with Paul’s Penny Lane . Many critics and fans said it is the greatest 45s of all time. It never reached No.1. CD-MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, 1967-1970

8.A Day In The Life Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’s grand finale. We actually think this great album will never be nearly as great without this song. John has only three verses without middle eight and what happened was that Paul had it. Incredibly, Paul’s part fitted to John’s perfectly. John’s words are come from newspaper mostly and Paul’s are from his childhood experience. Together, it made the scene of a day in the normal man’s life- so common and so abstract at the same time. Paul and Martin used the orchestra at full effect. Sound and feel like the end of the world. CD-SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND, 1967-1970

9.I Am The Walrus The best thing in the disaster Magical Mystery Tour film. It was also in the last Beatles single of 1967 as the B-side of Hello Goodbye. The song are very complicated in many ways, John got the first inspiration from a police siren and he wrote the bizarre words in Lewis Carroll style and put some clues for some crazy fans. George Martin’s score in this song are probably his best ( tie in with ‘Eleanor Rigby’) together with the Mike Sammes Singers and an extract from a BBC radio dramatization of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy Of King Lear, Act IV, Scene VI. where fans hear someone cry “oh, untimely death.” CD-MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, 1967-1970

10.You Never Give Me Your Money/Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In Through The Bathroom Window/Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End The side B of their last LP: Abbey Road has Here Comes The Sun, Because and the two ‘huge melody’ medleys. They consist of Lennon’s and McCartney’s short unfinished music bit threaded together. The individuals may not be too good but as a whole it was one last greatest performance they recorded. This is no fluke, they’re not just two medleys, or just put the little songs together. There’s some themes behind them and the emotion was built up and down dramatically along the way. And in the end they took the love back much more than they had made. CD-ABBEY ROAD

The Beatles: Their Name Liveth For Evermore

Their Name Liveth For Evermore
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

John took this photo. He also got a harmonica around here. The one he used in Love Me Do.
.....Tommy Moore was their drummer until Pete Best replaced him in August 1960. Once Best had joined, the band made its first of four trips to Hamburg, Germany. In December Harrison was deported back to England for being underage and lacking a work permit, but by then their 30-set weeks on the stages of Hamburg beer houses had honed and strengthened their repertoire (mostly Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, and Buddy Holly covers), and on February 21, 1961, they debuted at the Cavern club on Mathew Street in Liverpool, beginning a string of nearly 300 performances there over the next couple of years.In April 1961 they again went to Hamburg, where Sutcliffe (the first of the Beatles to wear his hair in the long, shaggy style that came to be known as the Beatle haircut) left the group to become a painter, while McCartney switched from rhythm guitar to bass. The Beatles returned to Liverpool as a quartet in July. Sutcliffe died from a brain hemorrhage in Hamburg less than a year later.......

Beatles: Paul McCartney In Tokyo 1966

PAUL IN JAPAN 1966
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

A short interview in Tokyo 6/29/66

Q: "My name is Eric. Good to meet you."

PAUL: "Hello Eric."

BEATLES: "Hello."

Q: "Welcome to Japan. Well, I'll be the M.C. for your show. And well, I have a few questions here. Did you have a good sleep?"

PAUL: "Yes."

RINGO: "Yes, fine."

Q: "Did you have any knowledge about Japan before coming here?"

JOHN: "A little."

PAUL: "Yes a little bit, you know. Not much though."

GEORGE: "About as much as we know about most places we go to."

Q: "I see. Well, how are the Japanese fans?"

PAUL: "Great. Seem very great, yeah. We get lots of letters from Japan."

Q: "You didn't meet them at the airport?"

RINGO: "No. We came..."

JOHN: (jokingly) "We couldn't see a thing through the television lights."

RINGO: "It's AMAZING security, you know. I've never seen so many people guarding us."

Q: "We don't want you to be hurt or anything."

RINGO: "No."

Q: "So we're trying our best."

RINGO: "But we don't want the security to hurt the fans, you know. Don't get too rough with them."

Q: "Mmmm. I understand you've met your Queen."

RINGO: "Yeah."

Q: "What was the impression?"

RINGO: "Uhh, she's okay. Very good."

PAUL: (jokingly) "Yes, yes, one of the best."

Q: "How did you feel when you received the (MBE) medal?"

RINGO: "It was nice."

JOHN: "Nervous."

GEORGE: "Tired. It was early in the morning, about ten o'clock."

RINGO: "We don't like to get up too early, 'cuz we don't go to bed 'til late."

Q: "What musician and composer do you respect most?"

PAUL: "No I don't know, really. (pause) John Lennon!"

JOHN: (comically, shyly) "...Paul McCartney."

PAUL: (jokingly, exaggerated) "Ha, Ha, Ha!!"

Q: "And uhh, Paul's marriage..."

PAUL: "Yes, it's not true. It's wrong. It's George's marriage."

Q: "George is married."

PAUL: (gesturing to the others) "These three are married."

Q: "How many times do you wash your hair in a week?"

RINGO: "About once. It depends, you know."

JOHN: "Depends how hot it is... how dirty it gets, you know."

RINGO: "Depends what you're doing."

Q: "Do you cut it often?"

RINGO: "That's the same, you know. Whenever you feel like. You don't do it every week or you don't do it every month, you know. It just happens."

JOHN: (sings as they depart) "Now we say goodbye!! Da-dah, da-da-dah!!"

Read more Beatles interview at Beatles Ultimate Experience

Beatles' A Hard Day's Night: Ringo: He's the Starr!

RIN...GO
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Ha ha ha finally we have come to the last man jumping: Ringo. Incredibly high! He may not be a great composer in Beatles but perhaps he's the best actor in all four. Here are the funny quotes our drummer made in AHDN.



[Huge stacks of fan mail is delivered]
Ringo: None for me, then?
Norm: Sorry.
John: [handing Ringo one letter] Here, this'll keep you busy.


Reporter: Are you a mod or a rocker?
Ringo: Um, no. I'm a mocker.


Reporter: What do you call that collar?
Ringo: A collar.

[George runs into Ringo in the hallway]
George: Hey, do you know what happened to me?
Ringo: No, I don't.
[Ringo walks on]

click here to see the four boys jumpset.

John Lennon's last portrait?

John Lennon's last portrait?
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

A few days before he died.

"Sometimes you wonder, I mean really wonder. I know we make our own reality and we always have a choice, but how much is preordained? Is there always a fork in the road and are there two preordained paths that are equally preordained? There could be hundreds of paths where one could go this way or that way - there's a choice and it's very strange sometimes... And that's a good ending for our interview." -John Lennon


Buy The Last Lennon Tapes

5 Memorable quotes from the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night

PAUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

1.George: That's not your grandfather.
Paul: It is, you know.
George: But I've seen your grandfather. He lives in your house.
Paul: Oh, that's my other grandfather, but he's my grandfather, as well.
John: How do you reckon that one out?
Paul: Well, everyone's entitled to two, aren't they?

2.Grandfather: Hullo.
John: He can talk then, can he?
Paul: 'Course he can talk. He's a human being, isn't he?
Ringo: Well if he's your grandfather, who knows! Ha ha ha!

3.[the boys are listening to the radio]
Man on Train: And we'll have that thing off as well, thank you.
Ringo: But...
Man on Train: An elementary knowledge of the Railway Acts would tell you that I'm perfectly within my rights.
Paul: Yeah, but we want to hear it, and there's more of us than you. We're a community, like, a majority vote. Up the workers and all that stuff!
Man on Train: Then I suggest you take that damned thing to the corridor or some other part of the train where you obviously belong.
John: [Leaning over to the man] Give us a kiss.

4.Man on train: Don't take that tone with me, young man. I fought the war for your sort.
Ringo: I bet you're sorry you won.

5. Man On Train: I shall call the guard!
Paul: Ah, but what? They don't take kindly to insults, you know.

Buy A Hard Day's Night DVD

The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night: 5 more facts you should have known better

GEOOOOOOORRGE!!!!!!!!
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Good afternoon, Beatle people. It's 17:08 here in Bangkok and the sun was going down. Let's continue talking about some more astonishing facts from the Fabs' first movie.

1.When a female reporter asked John Lennon if he has any hobbies. John's written answer unseen by us read 'tits'.

2.Pattie Boyd (later George Harrison's wife) appear three times in the first act: 1) She is one of the two "schoolgirls on the train" they first encounter 2) Paul chats her up with her friend. 3) She sits next to Paul and smiles and sings on "I Should Have Known Better". all on the train.

3.Opening scene, you'll see George Harrison stumbles and falls: that's real.

4.In the boys-romp-in-the-field scene there is 'Can't Buy Me Love' accompanied but the first choice is 'I'll Cry Instead'...Well, good change because Can't Buy Me Love is more upbeat and that's not the sad scene.

5.While all Beatles attended the movie's premiere, none stayed for the whole show.

In the clip below watch 'I'll Cry Instead' which was switched to be the introduction in the VHS version and at 2:27 watch George Harrison's stumbling as mentioned in 3.You know it's real when you see Lennon's laugh at him!

Buy The Beatles - The Making of A Hard Day's Night

5 facts you should have known better about: The Beatles' A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

JOOOOOOOOOOOOOHNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Beatle jump: John Lennon in A Hard Day's Night.1964
1.At the film begining, the chasing fan after the Beatles at a train station is the real fans!

2.There's no mention of the world 'The Beatles' in the movie!

3.Working titles of this film are 'The Beatles' and 'Beatlemania' until Ringo came off with this quite creative and funny phrase 'A hard day's night'. It also have been appeared in John Lennon's book In His Own Write.

4.Phil Collins, a young boy then is one of the audience at the television theatre. He's wearing glasses.

5.We can see the director Richard Lester for a few seconds backstage while the Beatles perform 'Tell Me Why'.

Buy A Hard Day's Night soundtrack

Ringo's Ludwig Drums come alive!

Ringo Starr in a pensive mood at BBC Paris Studio, London, Wednesday 18 December 1963.Above photo is the 'new' Ludwig Liverpool 4 Kit.

You can wait for the Beatles' Rock Band but this is the real thing. Ludwig is reviving the Black Oyster Pearl drum finish that The Beatles' Ringo Starr played in 1964 in the famous Ed Sullivan Show. Now it's called Liverpool 4 Kit.Recommended price is $4285, stands not included.

"First and foremost I am a drummer. After that, I'm other things. ...But I didn't play drums to make money. I played drums because I loved them. ...My soul is that of a drummer....It came to where I had to make a decision -- I was going to be a drummer. Everything else goes now. I play drums. It was a conscious moment in my life when I said the rest of things were getting in the way. I didn't do it to be come rich and famous, I did it because it was the love of my life."

-Ringo Starr,1984

The Beatles in Miami, rehearsal for the second Ed Sullivan Show, Feb 1964. Note Ringo's Ludwig-that's what we're talking about!


Buy The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia now at best price

THE BEATLES AT SHEA STADIUM

THE BEATLES AT SHEA STADIUM
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

The Beatles played at William A Shea Municipal Stadium two times. But it's the first that most fans remember. Sunday 15 August 1965. Seen by 55,600 fans- a new world record for a pop concert. It's one of the most exciting concert ever. You can see some of it in Anthology DVD. Someday I wish the film The Beatles At Shea Stadium could make its way to official DVD or some new format.

That night they played :Twist And Shout (mini version),She's A Woman,I Feel Fine,Dizzy Miss Lizzy,Ticket To Ride,Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby,Can't Buy Me Love,Baby's In Black,Act Naturally,A Hard Day's Night,Help! and I'm Down.

See a footage from this show if you want to know the definition of Beatlemania.

Buy the Beatles at Shea stadium DVD now!

Beatles for sale online-How much? And by who?

In Our Room
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

According to NME, Dhani Harrison said The Beatles estate is considering starting a standalone download site offering the band's music-not iTunes. They think a Beatles song is worth more than 99 cents, the iTunes price. When I heard this news I ran up upstair to my bedroom and play Dr. Ebbett's Revolver CD at Volume nearly 10. (I realise again how much I love them and how useless my other 2000+ Cds are.)

Personally, I don't care about this download market at all. All we, Beatles fans need is, remastered CD of all their official UK catalog. When we heard Love we knew that they can made such a terrific sound from their master tapes. Incredible it was recorded 40 years ago. But the Beatles and Apple seems to be distracted by new projects all the time. You know, many fans have DIED already.Really.

Their 1987 CDs are pretty bad-sounding but not all of them. But can be improved in every albums. MOJO magazine has heard some remastered White Album tracks last year. They said they're fantastic. No surprise. It should be. But when? I don't need no 40th Anniversary Abbey Road scrapbook for my White Album fountain pen!

By the way, I don't like their songs being in iTunes store. It's boring. Be different like the old days, boy! Sorry, I have to go to practice a Rock Band game, I have to be an expert before 09-09-09. The best things in life are free. But you can give'em to the birds and bees.

Buy the Beatles Love (CD + Audio DVD) at best price now!

Paris, here we come!

Paris, here we come!
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Les Beatles 1964. The Beatles played at the Olympia Theatre from 16 Jan to 4 Feb , 18 days of two, sometimes three show each! The boys also found time to record German versions of 'She Loves You' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' in 29 Jan. But that's the last time they did something like that.

English boys sang German in Paris!

Q: "This afternoon in our Paris studios we're visiting with four young men. And if I just mention their first names, such as Paul and George and Ringo and John, I doubt if you'd know about whom we're speaking. But if I said we're here this afternoon with the Beatles, and if we were in England, I think we'd get a great big rousing 'Hurrah!' Wouldn't we, boys?"

(Beatles laugh)

PAUL: (dryly) "Oh yeah."

Q: "Well, let's see. We have to my right here, Paul McCartney. Paul tell us, how did the Beatles get going? How did you start?"

PAUL: "It's a funny story, really. (laughs) You know, it was back in the old days. We were all at school together, really, you know. We grew up as school teenage buddies, and things. It developed from there, really."

Q: "Well, did you sing together around school, or..?"

PAUL: "Yeah. George and I were at school together and John was at the school next door, and Ringo was at Butlins."

(Beatles laugh)

PAUL: "...and we just started playing guitars, and things. And it went on from there, really, as far as I'm concerned."

Q: "Well, you say those were the olden days. Now within the past year, you have mushroomed in tremendously... almost out of sight popularity. What was the click? What levered this great rage for the Beatles?"

PAUL: "Well, it's funny really. I think it was the Palladium show, you know, the television show in England. And then following hot in the footsteps we had the Royal Variety Command Variety (clears throat comically) performance."

(Beatles giggle)

John Lennon and his drummer-in-the-box toy

John Lennon and his drummer-in-the-box toy
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

25 May 1966. Interpret the scene the way you want!
But this is what the photographer said...."I wanted to illustrate that, in a way, there was nothing more amazing about Ringo than anyone else on this earth. In this life he was just one of two million members of the human race. The idolization of fans reminded me of the story of the worship of the golden calf."

Paul McCartney and his Hofner 1966

Paul McCartney 1966
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Nice shot from a Revolver session. You must think he's very happy then. Here, there and everywhere, Good Day Sunshine..Got To Get You Into My Life... but then there's For No One which is argubly the saddest fab song ever.

In his hand is a Hofner 500/1 'Violin-Bass' which he made famous. After 1966 he used it less, rotate between this and Rickenbacker 4001S. But it still an Beatles instrument fans mostly remember, apart from Ringo's Ludwig.McCartney still has a 1963 model with him until now.(The 1961 one was stolen.)

He only used Hofner once in Revolver. A Lennon's trippy 'I'm Only Sleeping' . Interestingly, it was used in another song, 'She Said She Said' but played by George Harrison! (A rare case where Paul did not played on a Beatles song.)

I just listened to this album ( a needle-drop CD which is much better than 1987 CD) again this evening. It's still fantastic. So many styles you can't believe played by the same band. My favorites are 'And Your Bird Can Sing' which has an excellent guitars duet and some nice brief harmonies. 'Tomorrow Never Knows' still sounds strange after all these years. They made the crazy, chaos noises from very limited technologies.'Eleanor Rigby' is like a soundtrack in one song, Classical and Classic...and...I confess I love almost every tracks in it.

In case you want to feel like Macca.....
Icon Series Vintage Violin Bass (Transparent Green Flame Top)
Buy Revolver Vinyl LP now

Ringo, May 1966

Ringo, May 1966
Originally uploaded by Sir George Martinn

Revolver session. Do you like his drummin' ? Or his hairstyle and shade? Seriously, his drummin' in She Said She Said is a killer.

Martha My Dear

click at photo for full-size image

Martha my dear though I spend my days in conversationPleaseRemember me Martha my loveDon't forget me Martha my dear

Hold your head up you silly girl look what you've doneWhen you find yourself in the thick of itHelp yourself to a bit of what is all around youSilly Girl.

Take a good look around youTake a good look you're bound to seeThat you and me were meant to be for each otherSilly girl.

Hold your hand out you silly girl see what you've doneWhen you find yourself in the thick of itHelp yourself to a bit of what is all around youSilly girl.

Martha my dear you have always been my inspirationPleaseBe good to me Martha my loveDon't forget me Martha my dear.

Buy The Beatles (The White Album) 30th Anniversary edition now!

Eight Days A Week

click at photo to enlarge

Ooh I need your love babe,Guess you know it's true.

Hope you need my love babe,Just like I need you.

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.I ain't got nothin' but love babe,Eight days a week.

Love you ev'ry day girl,Always on my mind.

One thing I can say girl,Love you all the time.

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.I ain't got nothin' but love girl,Eight days a week.

Eight days a weekI love you.

Eight days a weekIs not enough to show I care.

Ooh I need your love babe,Guess you know it's true.

Hope you need my love babe,Just like I need you.

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.I ain't got nothin' but love babe,Eight days a week.

Eight days a weekI love you.

Eight days a weekIs not enough to show I care.

Love you ev'ry day girl,Always on my mind.

One thing I can say girl,Love you all the time.

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.

I ain't got nothin' but love babe,Eight days a week,Eight days a week,Eight days a week.

Abbey Freshies

click at photo for full-size

The Beatles, very early day at Abbey Road.
Can you see George's left black eye? A Pete Best's fan'd given him one night at Cavern.
According to Ringo... "George fought for me." ^_^

• List of recordings made at Abbey Road studios in the sixties
• 1961: "(Ghost)Riders in the Sky"/"Torquay" – The Scorpions
• 1961: "Rockin' at the Phil" / "Scorpio" – The Scorpions
• 1963: Please Please Me – The Beatles
• 1963: With The Beatles – The Beatles
• 1964: A Hard Day's Night – The Beatles
• 1964: Beatles for Sale – The Beatles
• 1965: Help! – The Beatles
• 1965: Rubber Soul – The Beatles
• 1966: Revolver – The Beatles
• 1967: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles
• 1967: Odessey and Oracle – The Zombies
• 1967: Magical Mystery Tour – The Beatles
• 1967: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn – Pink Floyd
• 1968: A Saucerful of Secrets – Pink Floyd
• 1968: S.F. Sorrow – The Pretty Things
• 1968: The Madcap Laughs – Syd Barrett
• 1968: The Beatles aka ("The White Album") – The Beatles
• 1969: Soundtrack from the Film More – Pink Floyd
• 1969: Ummagumma – Pink Floyd
• 1969: Yellow Submarine – The Beatles
• 1969: Abbey Road – The Beatles
  
  

Beatles in Liverpool!

10th April 1963,

Top Rank Majestic

BallroomBirkenhead,

Liverpool.

It was their last apearance at this venue. Do you want to know that it's Wednesday?

click at photo for full-size

The Cavemen:Beatles at Cavern

It was very sad that they burned the old Cavern down. It was a little place that had shaped the greatest rock band. They said it's very hot down there. Look at what they're wearing!

click at photo to see the larger size.

The Cavern Club, which was opened on January 16, 1957, is a legendary rock and roll club at 10 Mathew Street, Liverpool, England, where Brian Epstein was introduced to the Beatles on
9 November 1961.

Alan Sytner opened the club inspired by visiting Paris's Jazz district, on the Left Bank, where there were a number of clubs in cellars. Sytner returned to Liverpool and wanted to open a club similar to Paris's Le Caveau. He eventually found a perfect cellar for his club, one which had been used as an
air raid shelter during the war.

What started as a jazz club, eventually became a hangout for skiffle groups. Sytner ended up selling the Cavern Club to Ray McFall in 1959, after moving to London.

Blues bands and Beat groups began to appear at the club on a regular basis in the early 1960s. The first Beat night was held on May 25, 1960 and featured a performance by Rory Storm and the Hurricanes (which included Ringo Starr as drummer).

Cilla Black was the hat-check girl.

The Big Three, recorded live at the Cavern ClubIn 1961, The Beatles made their first appearance at the club, after returning to Liverpool from Hamburg, Germany, where they had been playing at the Star Club for up to eight hours a night, every night. Their stage show had been through a lot of changes and some in the audience thought they were watching a German band. From 1961 to 1963 The Beatles made 292 appearances at the club. In the decade that followed, a wide variety of popular acts appeared at the club including The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Elton John, The Who and John Lee Hooker.The club closed its doors in March of 1973, and was demolished during construction work on the Merseyrail underground rail loop.

A new Cavern Club (called the Cavern Mecca), was opened in April of 1984 by Joe Davey. It was built with some of the same bricks that had been used in the original club and was designed to look as closely as possible like the original.

On December 4, 1999, former Beatle Paul McCartney returned to the Cavern Club stage to play a set publicising his new album Run Devil Run.

From wikipedia

BEATLES 4X4

The world used us as an excuse to go mad.-George Harrison

click at photo to see the larger size!

A Stone and a Beatle (plus...)

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Mick Jagger,John Lennon and Yoko Ono. A studio in NY.1971-1972 . The boys got along very well and surely having fun.

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"They want to hold onto something they never had in the first place. Anybody who claims to have some interest in me as an individual artist or even as part of the Beatles has absolutely misunderstood everything I ever said if they can't see why I'm with Yoko. And if they can't see that, they don't see anything. They're just jacking off to - it could be anybody. Mick Jagger or somebody else. Let them go jack off to Mick Jagger, okay? I don't need it."

John Lennon

Behind the Beatles

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The Ed Sullivan Show, 1964.

Imagine the thrill for us going on the Ed Sullivan Show, especially when they told us it was the biggest show ever. I still remember one of the producer guys coming into our dressing room just before we went on and saying ‘It’s being watched by seventy million people you know’. It was like ‘Shhh. Don’t’ tell us that now. Tell us later’. But then when you look at the tape, we don’t look nervous.

-Paul McCartney

Though I've watched this footage many years later I still got excited like I watched it live. That's the magic of the Beatles.

George Harrison

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"Paul introduced me to George and I had to make the decision whether to let George in. I listened to George play and said, 'Play Raunchy' [a 1958 hit for saxophonist Bill Justis]. Then I said, 'OK, you can come in.' I couldn't be bothered with him when he first came around. He used to follow me around like a bloody kid, hanging around all the time. He was a kid who played guitar and he was a friend of Paul's which made it easier. It took me years to come around to him, to start considering him as an equal."

-John Lennon

Don't Leave Me Alone

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Brian Epstein and the Beates (far away) USA,1966.

Brian Samuel Epstein (IPA: /ˈbraɪən ˈepstaɪn/) (19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepeneur, and the manager of The Beatles. Through his family's company, NEMS (North End Music Stores) he also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black and The Remo Four.

The Beatles recorded a demo in Decca's studios—paid for by Epstein—which he later persuaded George Martin to listen to, as Decca were not interested in signing The Beatles. Epstein was then offered a contract (after Martin had auditioned the group) by EMI's small Parlophone label, even though they had previously been rejected by almost every other British record company.

Epstein died of an accidental drug overdose at his home in London in August 1967. The Beatles' early success has been attributed to Epstein's management and sense of style.

Paul McCartney said of Epstein: "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian."

McDonald

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Paul relaxes at a stop on tour. It should be 1963.

November 2008: Today Sir Paul McCartney claimed again that he wasn't living in the past. 'Not a second time!', he said, 'let it be. I feel fine, and your mother should know that all I've got to do, when I'm sixty-four, is don't ever change', though he's actually sixty-six. 'Don't let me down', he added, 'I'm so tired.'

The former Beatle has been reticent about his life and career with the 4 moptops until recently, but today he surprisingly announced that he was going to release a previously unreleased Beatles song, and even more surprisingly that it would be one of his own ones, and even more amazingly surprisingly that he would be appearing on lots of chat shows to talk about The Beatles again. 'All I've got to do is wait', he said, 'and then when I get home and I've got a feeling, well, in spite of all the danger it won't be long, and I'll get you as long as there's no purple haze or smoke on the water in my life.'

At this point his estranged wife Heather Mills said: 'Now you see what I had to put up with!' But Sir Paul said: 'I've written a new song, and would like to take this latest binge of self-publicity to play it to you, so here it is:

'Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far awayBut now it looks as if they're here to stayOh, how I wish Heather was in Guantanamo Bay
Suddenly, I'm not half as rich as I used to beThere's a legal writ hanging over meOh, yesterday came suddenly
Why she wouldn't go earlier I don't know, I told her not to stayI never said nothing wrong, going to call my attorn-ay
Yesterday, Monopoly was such an easy game to playNow I need a place to hide my cash awayOh I believe in yesterday.'

What d'ya think?' 'It's crap', came a voice from the grave, 'you still can't write songs as good as mine!'

Note:The story (in brown fonts) above is a satire or parody. It is entirely fictitious.

Read more at The Spoof.

Paul in A Hard Day's Night

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Quotes:From A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Ringo: I don't snore.
George: You do, repeatedly.
Ringo: Do I snore, John?
John: Yeah, you're a window-rattler, son.
Ringo: That's just your opinion. Do I snore, Paul?
Paul: With a trombone hooter like yours, it would be unnatural if you didn't.
Grandfather: Now, Paulie... don't mock the afflicted.
Paul: Ah, come off it, it's only a joke!
Grandfather: Aye, it may be a joke to you, but it's his nose. He can't help having a hideous great hooter! And his poor little head, trembling under the weight of it!

Magical Mystery Lonely Hearts Club Band

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The Beatles ,1967. I like the way Paul looks at John's smiling face. This may from Magical Mystery Tour era.One of my fabs favorite as it appear in a magazine, Starpics, which was released after Lennon's untimely death in 1980.

For all of the talk about our generation’s dwindling attention span and the shortening of pop culture cycles, there are certain movements that endure for generations. One of these has been Beatlemania. The Beatles are universally considered as rock music’s most important group. A band that swept the world by storm with their infectious pop and their adventurous and constantly evolving sound, The Beatles also had a major impact on something else – fashion.

Despite being together for less than a decade, The Beatles were fashion icons who constantly played with their image. It’s impossible to point to one unifying aspect of beatles fashion. A group that popularized mop top haircuts and suits in their early days, beatles fashion also encompasses elements of hippy culture and during their really, really early days – greaser fashion. Aspects of the beatles fashion for women can be seen in the popularity of female hippy fashion. Of course there’s more to fashion beatlemania than simple psychedelica.

From the shaggy look the group employed in their last years to the classic John Lennon rounded glasses, beatles fashion is slowly becoming recognized as its own unique fashion movement. As enduring as their music, beatles fashion is a great source of fashion inspiration.

read more Beatles and other Fashion

and introducing...Ella...Beatles Medley Beauty...