The Beatles have released a six-issue podcast about the making of the LOVE album. It’s not essential listening, but for a fan who likes to go behind-the-scenes, it’s fascinating to hear Olivia Harrison, George Martin, and Giles Martin talk about the music.
Category Archives: Beatles
The Making of LOVE’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Cirque de Soleil today released a new video for the performance of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” from their The Beatles LOVE show. While I don’t care much about that music video — I never really “got” music videos, as I like to experience music as music — the Beatles released another video today, thisContinue reading “The Making of LOVE’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps””
The Beatles Anthology Podcast
Last week the Beatles released a new 3-part podcast that takes a look at Beatles Anthology project from twenty years ago — “British music journalists and Beatles experts Kevin Holwett and Mark Ellen discuss the classic Anthology releases, shining a light on the fascinating stories behind these albums which tell the story of the developmentContinue reading “The Beatles Anthology Podcast”
Sorry, Boys, You Failed the Audition
What if the Beatles didn’t get a record contract with Parlophone in 1962? That’s the subject of BBC Radio 4’s radio play, Sorry, Boys, You Failed the Audition, adapted by Ray Connolly from his novella of the same name. Originally broadcast by the BBC in 2013, it was rebroadcast again this week, and I streamedContinue reading “Sorry, Boys, You Failed the Audition”
On the Occasion of John Lennon’s 75th Birthday
Today, John Lennon would have been seventy-five. That seems almost impossible to credit. In our minds, an image burned in from pictures or movies or television or music, he’s always a young man, never quite reaching middle age. I’m older now than Lennon was when he was killed. We remember him young, because he neverContinue reading “On the Occasion of John Lennon’s 75th Birthday”
Paul McCartney and the Beatles’ Songwriting Credits
In an interview with Esquire, Paul McCartney was asked about the famous “Lennon/McCartney” songwriting credit and why he has suggested in the past that some songs should be credited with the reverse, “McCartney/Lennon.” (Without getting overly technical, it has to do with limitations of metadata on digital music files.) On some of his live albumsContinue reading “Paul McCartney and the Beatles’ Songwriting Credits”
Ethan Hawke’s “The Black Album”
I haven’t seen Richard Linklater’s new film Boyhood yet, and despite the rave reviews I may not anytime soon, but there is an aspect of the film that touches on my interests. At some late point in the film, the character played by Ethan Hawke gives his son a 3-disc mixtape of post-Beatles songs. It’sContinue reading “Ethan Hawke’s “The Black Album””
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!, Michael Tomasky’s New Beatles Book
As I write this, we’re on the cusp of the fiftieth anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival in New York City and their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. Published by The Daily Beast and released this week, Michael Tomasky’s Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! looks back at those events in February 1964, how and why theyContinue reading “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!, Michael Tomasky’s New Beatles Book”
The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963
On Tuesday the Beatles issued their second major release of the year, after last month’s On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2 — The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963. This was a surprise release. While we knew about On Air for a few months, Bootleg Recordings 1963 was quietly announced a few days before itContinue reading “The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963”
On Paul McCartney, the Election, and His Band
Excepting Twitter, this is my last word on politics until Wednesday, and that’s a promise. 🙂 Paul McCartney and his band make an endorsement in the 2012 presidential election. I realized something watching that little video. Paul’s band has been together together for a decade. While the Beatles were a band for longer than that,Continue reading “On Paul McCartney, the Election, and His Band”