Thursday 30 April 2015

Ben E. King dies, aged 76

Sad news from America. Benjamin Earl King, better known as Ben E. King died today.

He will always be remembered by Beatle fans as the author (together with Leiber and Stoller) of Stand By Me, the soul classic that was covered by John Lennon on his Rock 'n Roll cover album.

The single released by John Lennon reached No. 20 on Billboard and remained 9 weeks in the charts

picture: Ben E. King performing at the 2006 Summerfest, Manhattan, New York. June 2006 - CC BY-SA 2.0 - by Flickr user J&R Music World

Sunday 19 April 2015

Ticket to Ride released in the USA

Exactly 50 years ago today, The Beatles released their 9th Capitol single on the US market. On the A-side was Ticket to Ride (one of my favourites with a great guitar riff) and on the B-side Yes it is, a complex song with great three-part harmonies and some wonderful guitar playing by George Harrison).

A fine anecdote is that on the label it says "From the upcoming United Artists movie Eight Arms to Hold You", which was the working title for their movie "HELP!". Surely a collector's Item

Saturday 18 April 2015

Stand By Me released in the UK

Almost a month after the US release of Stand By Me, Apple also released the single from Rock 'n Roll in the UK.

Written by Ben E. King, the song was only a minor hit for John Lennon, reaching No. 27 of the charts and only remaining 2 weeks in the Top 30.

Friday 17 April 2015

Record Store Day 2015 re-release: The Family Way

Tomorrow it is Record Store Day.

This year there are not many Beatle-related exclusives available, but one item worth checking out is the re-release of The Family Way, a soundtrack from 1967 and the unofficial first Beatle solo effort by Paul McCartney (although for some reason George Harrison gets the official credit for first solo-record when he released Wonderwall a year later).

Here is what Record Store Day has to say about the record:

This 1967 soundtrack composed by Paul McCartney is one of the most elusive Beatles souvenirs. The original vinyl album has been long out of print, and it is commanding sky-high prices on the collector's circuit.

It is released in 5,700 copies.

And the movie, you may ask? Well, The Family Way is a 1966 British comedy-drama lmovie based on Bill Naughton's play All in Good Time (1963). Some people may remember it was reworked as a television play, Honeymoon Postponed. The film was produced and directed by John and Roy Boulting, respectively, and starred father and daughter John Mills and Hayley Mills.

The soundtrack was composed by Paul McCartney and released on an album in January 1967.

Wednesday 1 April 2015

RIP Cynthia Lennon




Sad news arrived today, April 1st 2015 when Cynthia Lennon died of cancer in her home on Mallorca, aged 75.

Cynthia will be remembered as the first wife of John Lennon and mother of Julian Lennon.

Photo: Cynthia and Julian Lennon at the unveiling of the John Lennon Peace Monument in Chavasse Park, Liverpool on 9th October 2010 with the Liverpool Signing Choir in the background. Celebrating peace and the loving memory of John Lennon on what would have been Lennon's 70th Birthday. - Public Domain