Coming Soon: The Beatles U.S. Albums box

Great news for all Beatles fans: mark 20 January 2014 in your agenda! Because on that day Apple will release the Beatles The U.S. Albums (13 CD Box) To mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles US invasion, The Beatles release a set of all the original US albums in a collectors box. All albums will feature a faithful reproduction of the artwork and packaging of the original vinyl albums. Both the mono and stereo recordings of each album will be featured on the discs. This beautiful collection will be accompanied by a 64 page booklet.

The Beatles record a Saturday Club Christmas Special

On 17 December 1963 the Beatles went to the Playhouse Theatre in London to record their contribution for the annual Saturday Club Christmas edition. Saturday Club was a very popular radio show on the BBC Light Programme. The Beatles rehearsed and recorded from 3pm till 6.30pm and recorded All My Loving, This Boy, I Want to Hold your Hand, Till There Was You, Roll over Beethoven and She Loves You On a lighter note they also recorded a special Christmas song which actually consisted of a medley of Love Me Do, Please Please Me, From Me To You, She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand and "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer". They also sang their version of "All I want for Christmas is a Beatle" but they replaced the word "Beatle" by "Bottle.

Paul McCartney's New is out now - on vinyl

Paul McCartney's new record (called not so surprisingly 'NEW') has today been released on vinyl. The record is a 180 gram gatefold vinyl one and comes with a digital download card. NEW was recently voted 4th best album of the year 2013 by Rolling Stone magazine and was produced by Mark Ronson, Paul Epworth, Giles Martin and Ethan Johns.

1963 NME Awards

At the end of 1963, New Musical Express (NME) published its yearly awards

1963

World Male Singer: Cliff Richard
World Vocal Group: Beatles
World Musical Personality: Elvis Presley
World Female Singer: Brenda Lee
British Vocal Personality: Joe Brown
British Vocal Group: Beatles
British Large Band Or Orchestra: Joe Loss
British Small Group: Shadows
British Traditional Jazz Band: Kenny Ball
Best British Disc Of The Year: Beatles 'She Loves You'
British Female Singer: Kathy Kirby
Artist For Poll Concert: Billy J Kramer and Dakotas
British Male Singer: Cliff Richard
Disc Jockey: David Jacobs
New Disc or TV Singer: Gerry Marsden
Solo Instrumentalist: Jet Harris

Ringo Starr releases RINGO

On 2 November 1973 (40 years ago in the US) and three weeks later (23 November 1973 in the UK), Ringo released his third solo album (after Sentimental Journey and Beaucoup of Blues).

It would be one of his most succesful and critically-acclaimed records and is famous for guest appearences by the other three Beatles and many other musicians

Track Listing

1.     "I'm the Greatest"       John Lennon     3:21
2.     "Have You Seen My Baby"       Randy Newman     3:44
3.     "Photograph"       Richard Starkey, George Harrison     3:56
4.     "Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)"       Harrison     2:45
5.     "You're Sixteen"
6.     "Oh My My"       Starkey, Vini Poncia     4:16
7.     "Step Lightly"       Starkey     3:15
8.     "Six O'Clock"       Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney     4:06
9.     "Devil Woman"       Starkey, Poncia     3:50
10.     "You and Me (Babe)"       Harrison, Mal Evans     4:59

Personnel

    Ringo Starr – lead vocals, drums, acoustic guitar, piano
    George Harrison – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, harmony vocal
    Vini Poncia – acoustic guitar, percussion, harmony vocal
    Marc Bolan – electric guitar
    Robbie Robertson – guitar
    Steve Cropper – electric guitar
    Jimmy Calvert – acoustic guitar
    Klaus Voormann – bass
    Levon Helm – mandolin
    Rick Danko – fiddle
    David Bromberg – banjo, fiddle
    Paul McCartney – kazoo, piano, synthesizer, string and flute arrangements, backing vocal
    John Lennon – piano, harmony vocal
    Billy Preston – piano, organ
    Nicky Hopkins – piano, electric piano
    James Booker – piano
    Tom Hensley – piano
    Stephen Stills – piano
    Gary Wright – piano
    Garth Hudson – accordion
    Jim Keltner – drums
    Milt Holland – percussion, marimba
    Lon Van Eaton – percussion
    Derrek Van Eaton – percussion
    Bobby Keys – tenor sax
    Tom Scott – horns, sax, horn and clarinet arrangements
    Chuck Finley – horns
    Ron Cattermole – horns
    Jim Horn – horn arrangements
    Jack Nitzsche – orchestral and choral arrangements
    Richard Perry – backing vocals
    Harry Nilsson – backing vocals
    Linda McCartney – backing vocals
    Martha Reeves – backing vocals
    Merry Clayton – backing vocals
    Pete Ham – backing vocals
    Tom Evans – backing vocals

Beatlemania is born

Today 50 years ago, on 7 October 1963, the term "Beatlemania" was first used by Andi Lothian, a Scottish concert promoter who used the phrase when talking to a reporter at the Caird Hall Beatles Concert.

The first time the term was printed in a newspaper, was a couple days later on 15 October 1963 in the Daily Mirror where the previous day's Beatles concert in Cheltenham was discussed.

Complete List of The Beatles concerts in Summer 1963

After the extremely succesful concert tour with Roy Orbison, The Beatles started on a massive Summer tour of 1963 that would take them all over England & Wales

10 June Pavilion, Bath
12 June Grafton Rooms, Liverpool
13 June Palace Theatre Club, Cheshire
13 June Southern Sporting Club, Manchester
14 June Tower Ballroom, New Brighton
15 June City Hall, Salisbury
16 June Odeon Cinema, Romford
21 June Odeon Cinema, Guildford
22 June Town Hall, Monmouthshire
25 June Astoria Ballroom, Middlesbrough
26 June Majestic Ballroom, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
28 June Queen’s Hall, Leeds
30 June ABC Cinema, Great Yarmouth
5 July Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill
6 July Memorial Hall, Northwich
7 July ABC Theatre, Blackpool
8-13 July Winter Gardens, Margate
14 July ABC Theatre, Blackpool
19-20 July Ritz Ballroom, Flintshire
21 July Queen’s Theatre, Blackpool
22-27 July Odeon Theatre, Weston-super-Mare
28 July ABC Cinema, Great Yarmouth
31 July Imperial Ballroom, Nelson
2 August Grafton Rooms, Liverpool
3 August Cavern Club, Liverpool
4 August Queen’s Theatre, Blackpool
5 August Abbotsfield Park, Urmston
6-7 August The Springfield Ballroom, Jersey, Channel Islands
8 August Candie Gardens, Guernssey, Channel Islands
9-10 August The Springfield Ballroom, Jersey, Channel Islands
11 August ABC Theatre, Blackpool
12-17 August Odeon Cinema, Caernarvonshire
18 August Princess Theatre Torquay
19-24 August Gaumont Cinema, Bournemouth
25 August ABC Cinema, Blackpool
26-31 August Odeon Cinema, Southport
4 September Gaumont Cinema, Worcester
5 September Gaumont Cinema, Taunton
6 September Odeon Cinema, Luton
7 September Fairfield Hall, Croydon
8 September ABC Theatre, Blackpool
13 September Public Hall, Preston
14 September Memorial Hall, Northwich
15 September Great Pop Prom, Royal Albert Hall, London