Saturday, 1 December 2018

1968 NME Awards

At the end of 1968, NME published its annual Awards

1968


World Male Singer: Elvis Presley
World Female Singer: Lulu
World Vocal Group: Beatles
World Musical Personality: Elvis Presley
British Vocal Group: Beatles
British Female Singer: Lulu
Top Disc Jockey: Jimmy Savile
Best TV/ Radio Show: 'Top Of The Pops'
Best New Group: Love Affair
British Vocal Personality: Cliff Ricahrd
British R & B Group: Rolling Stones
Best British Disc This Year: Beatles - 'Hey Jude'
British Male Singer: Tom Jones
New Disc Singer: Mary Hopkins
British Instrumental Unit: Shadows

Saturday, 2 September 2017

The Paul McCartney Archive Collection

Paul McCartney has been busy over the last couple of years.

One of the biggest efforts was arguably the remastering of a large part of his back catalogue, followed by the re-issue of his older work in lavish deluxe boxes.

Here is an overview of the albums already released:

1. Band on the Run - October 2010

2. McCartney - May 2011

3. McCartney II - May 2011

4. Ram - May 2012

5. Wings over America - May 2013

6. Venus and Mars - November 2014

7. Wings at the Speed of Sound - November 2014

8. Tug of War - September 2015

9. Pipes of Peace - September 2015

10.Flowers in the Dirt - March 2017

Friday, 14 July 2017

International BeatleWeek Festival Liverpool 2017

When I heard that this year's International BeatleWeek would be the last in its current form, I knew I had to attend.

I had only been there once before (in 2014) and had a great time discovering the sights & sounds of Liverpool.

So this year I'm coming back. My tickets are reserved, my ferry is booked and I'm especially looking forward to the recreation of that time when Paul met John, exactly 60 years ago.

Thursday, 19 January 2017

Watching Rainbows - 1969

During the "Get Back Session" (as seen in the Let It Be movie) The Beatles performed over 100 songs, many never released and still sitting in the Apple vaults.

They played and recorded old classics, blues & Rock 'n Roll standards, some old Beatle songs (both released and unreleased.

One of those songs is called "Watching Rainbows". It is a playful, jammy track from the Let It Be sessions, and would eventually mutate into the final album's "I've Got a Feeling."

John's lyrics sound improvised, and there is even a reference to "I Am the Walrus."

Excerpt:
 Instead of watching rainbows I'm gonna make me someInstead of watchin' rainbows I'm gonna make me someStandin' in the garden, waitin' for the English sun to come and make me brown so I can be someone

Monday, 12 December 2016

1976 NME Awards

At the end of 1976, NME published it's annual music awards

1976


Best Group: Led Zeppelin
Best Female Singer: Linda Ronstadt
Turkey Of The Year: Sex Pistols
Best Male Singer: Robert Plant
Most Promising Emergent Act: Eddie And The Hot Rods
Best Keyboardist: Rick Wakeman
Best Drummer: John Bonham
Best Songwriter/ Composer: Bob Dylan
Best Television Show: 'Old Grey Whistle Test'
Best Disc Jockey: John Peel
Most Missed Dead Act: Jimi Hendrix
Best Guitarist: Jimmy Page
Best Single: Thin Lizzy - 'The Boys Are Back In Town'
Best Album: Led Zeppelin - 'The Song Remains The Same'
Most Wonderful Human Being: Johnny Rotten
Best Miscellaneous Instrumentalist: Mike Oldfield
Best Radio Show: 'Alan Freeman's Saturday Show'
Best Dressed Sleeve: Led Zeppelin - 'The Song Remains The Same'
Best Bassist: Paul McCartney

Thursday, 1 December 2016

1966 NME Awards

At the end of 1966, NME published its annual awards

1966


World Male Singer: Elvis Presley
World Female Singer: Dustry Springfield
World Vocal Group: Beach Boys
World Musical Personality: Elvis Presley
British Vocal Group: Beatles
British Instrumental Unit: Shadows
Best Male Singer: Cliff Richard
British Vocal Personality: Cliff Richard
Best R&B Group: Spencer Davis
Best TV/Radio Show: 'Top Of The Pops'
Top Disc Jockey: Jimmy Savile
British Female Singer: Dusty Springfield
New Disc Singer: Stevie Winwood
Best New Group: Spencer Davis
Best British Disc This Year: Beatles - 'Eleanor Rigby'

Sunday, 21 August 2016

CHOBA B CCCP - Back in the USSR - Paul McCartney

On a recent trip to Denmark I stumbled across a second pressing of CHOBA B CCCP, the Russian LP that Paul McCartney released on the Melodia label in 1988/89.

The record (translated in English as "Back in the USSR") is similar to John Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album in the sense that it contains cover material that pre-dates the Beatles' official recordings.

Most of the songs would have been on the Ballroom dance halls repertoire or at the Star Club in Hamburg.

My favourite songs from the album are Lucille, Summertime and Midnight Special. And yours?

Sunday, 14 August 2016

Reel to Reel : Outtakes 1963 - Blue Vinyl Limited Edition

On my latest trip to Germany I came across an interesting vinyl LP: Reel to Reel : Outtakes 1963 - the Blue Vinyl Limited Edition.

After checking my sources, it seems that Reel to Reel are specializing in releasing outtakes or radio performances by The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, always in limited editions with either picture discs or coloured vinyl.

Here this beauty on my turntable :)

Apparently there are only 500 copies made of this particular pressing, although there also appears to be a Clear Vinyl edition with also 500 copies.

The LP contains a bunch of outtakes, dating from three recording sessions of The Beatles in 1963.

- 11th February 1963; - 5th March 1963; - 12 September 1963;

here an example of the Clear Vinyl cover:

The tracklist is as follows:

Tracklist

A1 There's A Place (Take 1) 2:03
A2 There's A Place (Take 2) 2:01
A3 There's A Place (Take 4) 1:55
A4 There's A Place (Take 10) 1:58
A5 There's A Place (Take 7) 0:38
A6 I Saw Her Standing There (Take 4) 0:45
A7 I Saw Her Standing There (Take 5) 0:55
A8 I Saw Her Standing There (Take 6) 1:17
A9 There's A Place (Take 11) 1:57
A10 I Saw Her Standing There (Take 10) 2:54
A11 Misery (Take 2) 1:05
A12 Misery (Take 4) 0:43
A13 Misery (Take 6) 2:09

B1 From Me To You (Take 3) 1:54
B2 From Me To You (Take 4) 1:50
B3 From Me To You (Take 7) 2:06
B4 Thank You Girl (Take 4) 1:58
B5 Thank You Girl (Take 11) 0:46
B6 Thank You Girl (Take 12) 0:53
B7 From Me To You (Take 8) 1:19
B8 Hold Me Tight (Take 22) 1:08
B9 Hold Me Tight (Take 24) 2:35
B10 Hold Me Tight (Take 28) 1:39
B11 Don't Bother Me (Take 10) 2:48
B12 Don't Bother Me (Take 13) 2:33
B13 Don't Bother Me (Take 12) 0:51

Sunday, 3 July 2016

Pictures of Paul McCartney's One on One Tour - Werchter 2016

On June 30th, Paul McCartney played a slightly adapted One on One concert during the Rock Werchter Festival in Belgium

Here are some pictures I took during the concert

Friday, 1 July 2016

Paul McCartney Setlist Rock Werchter 2016

Setlist 30 June 2016


A Hard Day's Night


Save Us


Can't Buy Me Love


Letting Go


Let Me Roll It


I've Got a Feeling


My Valentine


Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five


Maybe I'm Amazed


We Can Work It Out


In Spite of All the Danger


Love Me Do


Blackbird


Here Today


New


Lady Madonna


FourFiveSeconds


Eleanor Rigby


Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!


Something


Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da


Band on the Run


Back in the U.S.S.R.


Let It Be


Live and Let Die


Hey Jude


Encore:


Hi, Hi, Hi


Birthday


Golden Slumbers


Carry That Weight


The End


Sunday, 1 May 2016

The Beatles Final UK Concert

Beatles fans always seem to debate what date constitutes the last Beatles UK concert.

Technically speaking, January 30, 1969 is the correct date, when The Beatles performed on the rooftop of the Apple building in London.

But the final "scheduled" UK concert is May 1st, 1966 (exactly 50 years ago) when The Beatles performed at NME's Poll-Winners concert.



10,000 fans saw The Beatles perform for the 4th time at this event. Location of the venue was The Empire Pool, Wembley.

 They played I Feel Fine, Nowhere Man, Day Tripper, If I Needed Someone and I'm Down.

No footage seems to exist of the concert itself, since Brian Epstein failed to come to an agreement about with ABC TV.

Other groups that appeared on stage that night were : The Spencer Davis Group, The Fortunes, Herman's Hermits, Roy Orbison, The Overlanders, The Alan Price Set, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, The Rolling Stones, The Seekers, The Small Faces, Sounds Incorporated, Dusty Springfield, Crispian St Peters, The Walker Brothers, The Who, The Yardbirds and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich


July 1969 - Private Screening of Let It Be

Somewhere in July 1969, some say July 20th, others think it was July 29, The Beatles attended a private screening of the rough cut of 'Let It Be'.





From the pictures it is clear that all Beatles attended (together with director Michael Lindsay-Hogg and Patti, Linda & Yoko)



John is sitting next to Ringo.


and in some pictures Yoko is sitting next to him.





Panorama picture of the screening room



Afterwards everybody had lunch


John & Yoko


and Linda & Yoko



Disclaimer: I do not own the pictures, nor do I know who does. I have found these on several fan sites and only reproduce them here in low-resolution for historical reasons, not for copy-right infringments.

Tuesday, 1 December 2015

1965 NME Awards

At the end of 1965 NME published its annual Awards

1965


World Male Singer: Elvis Presley
World Musical Personality: Elvis Presley
British R & B Group: The Rolling Stones
Disc Jockey: Jimmy Savile
World Female Singer: Dusty Springfield
World Vocal Group: Beatles
British Vocal Group: Beatles
British Male Singer: Cliff Richard
British Vocal Personality: John Lennon
British Female Singer: Dusty Springfield
New Disc Or TV Singer: Donovan
British Instrumental Unit: Shadows
Best New Group: Seekers
Most Popular Disc Jockey: Jimmy Savile
Best TV or Radio Show: Top Of The Pops
Best New Disc Of The Year: The Rolling Stones 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction'

Sunday, 29 November 2015

The Beatles referenced in the Simpsons

The first episode of the fifth season of The Simpsons was called "Homer's Barbershop Quartet". It tells the story of Homer's succesful barbershop quartet the Be Sharps, and closely follows the storyline of the Beatles' rise to fame.

Interestingly, there are two big cameos by George Harrison and David Crosby.

Some of the references to The Beatles:

- The first LP is called "Meet the Be Sharps"
- Moe's Tavern is called Moe's Cavern
- Chief Wiggum is thrown out, like Pete Best was
- The second album is called "Bigger than Jesus"
- The Be Sharps walk over Abbey Road
- On the album cover, Homer turns his back
- Barney has a Japanese conceptual artist as a partner
- There is a song called "number 8"
- A rooftop concert on top of Moe's Tavern

Thursday, 12 November 2015

Where is the Magical Mystery Tour Bus now?

The Beatles directed The Magical Mystery Tour TV special in 1967. Following a (largely improvised) script that took them to the south of England, we see The Beatles board a bus.

If you ever wondered where the bus is now, I have good news: it has not been scraped, but was bought by Hard Rock Café. Until recently it could be seen at the largest HRC at the Universal Studios in Orlando.

The current location is back at The Warehouse at the Memorabilia HQ of the Hard Rock Café.

The Hard Rock Cafe acquired the actual Magical Mystery Tour bus in 1988 and it is the single biggest piece of rock n’ roll memorabilia they own. It took four months, 2,000 man-hours and a cost of $100,000 for HRC to completely refurbish the bus using vintage parts to replicate the original designs and details. The bus is stored in the Hard Rock Cafe warehouse and is put on display for special occasions.

Trivia

The bus is a Plaxton bodied 1959 Bedford Val Panorama Elite bus with the license plate URO 913E. This bus was new to coach company Fox of Hayes when leased by The Beatles for the film in 1967

Saturday, 1 August 2015

Cilla Black dies, aged 72

Sad news reaches us from Spain, where Priscilla White, better known under her stage name Cilla Black, died aged 72.

Cilla Black's biography reads like a huge Beatles-related novel, and her story cannot be seen without that of the Fab Four from Liverpool.

Just like the Beatles, she came from Liverpool. Her first run-into with the Beatles probably dates back from the Cavern Club days, when she was a part-time cloakroom attendant at that famous music venue.

Cilla Black soon became a guest-singer for groups like Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes, and The Big Three.

She was soon signed on by Brian Epstein (the only female singer in his portfolio) and her first record was the Lennon-McCartney composition Love of the Loved. later in life she would go on recording many other Beatles songs, including Yesterday, The Long and Winding road, For No One and Across the Universe. Paul McCartney wrote "Step Inside Love" and George Harrison I'll Still Love You and The Light that has Lighted the World.

Other notorious occassions when she joined The Beatles was during the Cannes festival with Ringo Starr and George Harrison, and holidaying on a yacht. Picture: Cilla Black in Amsterdam, CC BY-SA 3.0, Nationaal Archief

Wednesday, 27 May 2015

The Beatles wanted to record "Revolver" in Memphis, Tennessee

Impressive news reached us today. At an auction (organized by Recordmecca) a letter written by George Harrison was sold for 18.000 euro.

The interesting part is the end of the letter (written in 1966 by George at Kinfauns): there he reveals that The Beatles had been seriously considering recording "Revolver" at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee with Jim Stewart.

Imagine how that would have sounded!

Tuesday, 26 May 2015

The story behind I'm So Tired

On Flemish Radio 1, during the Monschau programme they were looking for songs that criticise smoking. Surprisingly, they only managed to find one.

But looking closer at "I'm So Tired" by The Beatles, I noticed the following sentence:

" I'm so tired, I'm feeling so upset
Although I'm so tired, I'll have another cigarette
And curse Sir Walter Raleigh
He was such a stupid git"

Now Sir Walter Raleigh is the guy who is credited with introducing tobacco to Britain from America in the 16th century, and thus for indirectly getting John Lennon hooked on cigarettes.

And a "git" is an insult, so clearly Lennon seems angry :)

Thursday, 14 May 2015

Hey Jude is number 5 in a Flemish radio poll

Radio 2, a Flemish radio station that caters to a mainstream audience, published a reader's poll with the "best songs from the 1960's".

The Beatles feature twice, once with Hey Jude at nr. 5 and a second time with "Yesterday" at number 34. Joe Cocker also scores with his version of "With a little help...".

Top 10

1. "Eloise" - Barry Ryan
2. "Eenzaam zonder jou" - Will Tura
3. "(I can't get no) satisfaction" - The Rolling Stones
4. "Suspicious minds" - Elvis Presley
5. "Hey Jude" - The Beatles
6. "Seven horses in the sky" - The Pebbles
7. "Suzanne" - Leonard Cohen
8. "With a little help from my friends" - Joe Cocker
9. "Daydream" - The Wallace Collection
10. "Bad moon rising" - Creedence Clearwater Revival

34. "Yesterday" - The Beatles

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