Paul McCartney Dead or Alive? The Album Cover Clues

Paul is Dead Sargeant Peppers LP Clues

Ringo Starr - Drum Solo

This is Ringo Starr's drum solo from the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever". Notice the remark "Cranberry sauce" that plays a large role in the Paul Is Dead rumors. It is often misinterpreted as "I buried Paul". Enjoy.

Ringo Starr has "peace and love" birthday

Chicago - Ringo Starr held a "peace and love" fest on a rainy Chicago sidewalk to mark his 68th birthday on Monday. "What could be wrong? Peace and Love. What a great birthday gift," the former Beatle said. "It's a happening."
The event, which had sparse advance publicity, drew about 200 people on both sides of a street outside the Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago.
Some got close enough to catch a glimpse of Starr, clad in black and wearing purple glasses, with his wife Barbara nearby. Some even snagged one or more of the frosted birthday cupcakes the hotel handed out after he went inside.
"I saw it in the paper, left my sister's house and came down here," said Joyce McDaniels, who was visiting from Winton, California. She emerged from the crowd holding a slightly mauled chocolate cupcake, but it was a secondary prize.
"I saw a Beatle. That's all I needed!" she said.
Starr, in the midst of a U.S. concert tour, had announced the event on his Web site, saying he had been asked in a recent interview what he wanted for his birthday and replied "just more peace and love."
He also said he hoped anyone who wanted to join him anywhere in the world would mark the day with a two-fingered peace sign at noon local time.
Starr missed the noon deadline himself by a couple of minutes but was greeted by cheers from the onlookers who then sang "Happy Birthday." "Thanks for coming," Starr shouted back.

(Reuters - editing by Cynthia Osterman)

The Apple Singles Collection - Apple # 6 + # 17

Donated by Chris. Many thanks.

Trash: Road To Nowhere (# 6)

First up (Jan '69) was the awesome ‘Road to Nowhere’ with its highs, lows and Leahy’s organ solo workout. (the cover of the Portuguese edition is shown above) Its B-side is the brilliant ‘Illusions’ written by Hughie Nicholson of the Poets. Most reckonthat if it had been the A-side the band might have had a better chance of a hit. Anyway it saw no chart action. It is said that some controversy with the BBC led to the band dropping the 'White' from their name. Certainly the "White" was dropped because it was felt that music from anyone with that name would not be played on American radio or T.V. because of the racial connotations. The band never liked that name anyway apparently. Some later runs of 'Nowhere' were credited just to - 'Trash'

Trash: Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight (#17)

The second single (Apple 17) was a cover of the Beatles - ‘Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight’ backed by the band composed 'Trashcan' We used to think Trashcan was a wee bit tedious but its getting far more acceptable after 30 years or so. This single did hit the lower regions of the charts - see the Guinness Book of Hit Singles - number 35 on 25 October 1969.

Download # 6 + # 17

Richard DiLello - The Longest Cocktail Party

The Longest Cocktail Party: An Insider's Diary of the Beatles, Their Million-dollar Apple Empire and Its Wild Rise and Fall is a rock history book by Richard DiLello, published in 1973 by Playboy Press, and reprinted in 1981 and 2005. The Longest Cocktail Party is one man's account of the history of The Beatles' company Apple Corps, the breakup of the Beatles, and the beginning of their solo careers. The title is a reference to the press office's habit of entertaining members of the media, and Apple its potential business partners, with expensive drinks, luncheons and perks — which ultimately led to a financial and spiritual hangover, as did the unrealised potential of the company.

DiLello served as the "house hippie" (formally termed Client Liaison Officer; a sort of in-house youth consultant and gofer) at Apple's Savile Row headquarters, from 1968 until 1970, becoming one-on-one acquainted with each of the Beatles, many of their wives and girlfriends, and also the inner circle of agents, managers, and others who worked for and with Apple. These included business manager Allen Klein, attorneys Lee Eastman and John Eastman, road managers (and Apple directors) Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall, press agent and author Derek Taylor, members of Apple bands Badfinger and White Trash, the staff and the countless visitors to the office.

DiLello covers events including the launching parties for Apple Records and artists like White Trash and Mary Hopkin, the ill-fated Apple Christmas party in 1968 (with two Hells Angels as guests), George Harrison instructing Peter Asher in 1969 to look up the band Raven while in New York, the Beatles's rooftop concert appearing in Let It Be, the lawsuits that began as the Beatles grew apart, and finally the closing of the Apple press office. His reports are described firsthand, always with a sense of humour, and a sense of hope.

The several appendices to the book include the full text of the self-penned 'interview' issued by Paul McCartney with the prerelease copies of his first solo album (McCartney), that effectively announced the band's breakup in April 1970; a discography of Apple Records releases; a list of the Beatles' achievements as recording artists; and text of several British news articles about Apple.

Look inside the book

Buy at Amazon.com (10.20 dollars)

Buy at Amazon.fr (6.44 euro)

History of the Beatles' Us Singles - 5

I Want To Hold Your Hand / I Saw Her Standing There
Capitol 5112, January 13, 1964

I Want To Hold Your Hand
Written by John and Paul
Sung by John and Paul
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Second Engineer: Geoff Emerick

I Saw Her Standing There
Written by Paul
Sung by Paul
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Second Engineers: Richard Langham, A.B. Lincoln


1) I Want To Hold Your Hand History
This song was written in the basement of Jane Asher's home. The recording session took place on October 17, 1963, and marked the first time that the Beatles used Abbey Road's new four track recording machines. Although the song was mostly perfected by the session date, the Beatles performed 17 takes. Only take 2, when the line "And when I touched you" was hushed, and take 4, when Paul added an 'h' sound after the 's' (shay that shomething), were noticeably different from the others. Both mono and stereo mixing of I Want To Hold Your Hand were performed on October 21, using take 17. The English release occurred on November 29, 1963, with This Boy as the B-Side. The US release became the first number one song for the Beatles.
At the insistence of EMI's German branch, Odeon, the Beatles recorded the German version of I Want To Hold Your Hand, on January 29, 1964. Komm, Gib Mir Diene Hand, used the original rhythm tracks from Abbey Road, but the vocal recording took place at EMI Pathe Marconi Studios in Paris, during the Beatles visit there. In all, it took 11 takes to translate the song from English to German. The song was edited together from takes 5 and 7, with additional mixing on March 10 and 12. In the US, this song shows up on the Something New album (Capitol T2108, July 1964), as well as Past Masters Volume 1.

US Releases
January 13, 1964 Capitol 5112, b/w I Saw Her Standing There
1964 Chart Busters, Volume 4, Capitol T 2094
1969 Capitol Hits Through The Years, Capitol PRO 4724
April 2, 1973 The Beatles 1962-1966, Apple SKBO 3403
October 1982 20 Greatest Hits, Capitol SV 12245
1983 Official Grammy Awards Archive Collection, Record 2, Franklin Mint
August 9, 1988 Past Masters Volume 1, Capitol CD 90043
November 25, 1995 Anthology I, Apple 34445

Highest US Chart Position
January 18, 1964 at #1

BBC Performances
Saturday Club December 21, 1963
From Us To You December 26, 1963
Saturday Club February 15, 1964

Live Performances
1963
The Beatles Autumn Tour
The Beatles Christmas Show
1964
The Beatles Christmas Show
Visit To France
Visit To The USA
Return To UK
The Beatles World Tour
The Beatles First US Tour

2) I Saw Her Standing There History
Paul recalled writing this song at his home at 20 Forthlin Road in 1961 or 62. John's major contribution was changing the line 'just 17 never been a beauty queen' to ' you know what I mean.' The song was performed in Hamburg, and later surfaced on the Star Club tapes and albums. The song was properly recorded on February 11, 1963 during the morning session for the Please Please Me album. At this time, known only as 'Seventeen', the Beatles recorded takes 1 to 9. That afternoon, takes 10 through 12 were done. These takes are actually overdubs of the hand clapping. Editing of Seventeen, takes 9 and 12, was performed on February 25. I Saw Her Standing There became the first song on Please Please Me, the Beatles' first album, and was released on March 22, 1963.

US Releases
January 13, 1964 Capitol 5112, b-side to I Want To Hold Your Hand
January 27, 1964 Introducing The Beatles, Vee Jay 1062
1964 Chart Busters, Volume 4, Capitol T 2094
October 1, 1964 The Beatles vs. The Four Seasons, Vee Jay DX30
October 12, 1964 Songs, Pictures, and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles, Vee Jay 1092
June 7, 1976 Rock N Roll Music, Capitol SKBO 11537
June 13, 1977 Live at the Star Club, Hamburg Germany 1962, Lingasong LS27001
1982 Collectables 1515, b/w Can't Help It "Blue Angel"
November 1994 Live At The BBC, Apple 31796
November 25, 1995 Anthology I, Apple 34445
November 25, 1995 Apple 58497 CD Single, Free As A Bird

Highest US Chart Position
February 1, 1964 at #14

BBC Performances
Saturday Club March 16, 1963
Side By Side April 22, 1963
Saturday Club May 25, 1963
Steppin' Out June 3, 1963
Pop Go The Beatles June 25, 1963
Easy Beat July 21, 1963
Pop Go The Beatles September 24, 1963
Saturday Club October 5, 1963
Easy Beat October 20, 1963
From Us To You December 26, 1963
From Us To You May 18, 1964

Live Performances
1963
Tommy Roe/Chris Montez Tour
UK Dates, Spring 1963
Tour With Roy Orbison
UK Dates, Summer 1963
Mini-Tour of Scotland
Tour of Sweden
The Beatles Autumn Tour
1964
Visit to the USA
The Beatles World Tour
The Beatles First US Tour (some dates)

Something more about Beatles lost interview...

The previously-lost interview with The Beatles has revealed that John Lennon thought drummer Ringo Starr, should have been "heard and not seen" during his time in the band.
However, the late Lennon was only joking in the interview, which was conducted by Scottish TV (STV) in 1964.
As previously reported on NME.COM, the Beatles interview was recently unearthed after being stored in a south London garage for over 40 years.
When asked if he ever got lonely sitting at the back of the stage, Starr said, "I'm lucky being at the back, the other three have it worse than I do. That's where I am – a drummer should always be at the back."Lennon then joked: "A drummer should be heard and not seen."
In the interview the band also talked about the relationship they had with their fans. "Only getting in and out of places, when there's thousands all together," Lennon said, when asked if having legions of adoring fans was ever a problem for him. "You usually only meet at the most six or seven [fans], if you're running along the road."
Lennon and McCartney also discussed how they composed songs together and how they arrived at the famous “Lennon/McCartney” credit. “Normally we sit down and try and bash one out,” McCartney said. “But then again, there’s no formula, because [John] can come up with one one day completely finished. We still say we both wrote it, though.”

A little something more about Mary Hopkin

In September 2005 she released an album on her own label, "Mary Hopkin Music", called "Live at the Royal Festival Hal!" It was followed in December 2006 by a brand-new Christmas recording, "Snowed Under", released as an mp3 download via Disaudio.com
To celebrate her birthday in 2007, she released an album called "Valentine", on her new label http://www.maryhopkin.com It includes 12 previously unheard tracks dating from 1972 to 1980, three of which were written by Mary.

In the video: Mary Hopkin sings Donna Donna, from the Expo 70 concert in Osaka Japan 1970

The lost Beatles interview

A film enthusiast has discovered a long lost interview with The Beatles from 1964 which has not been broadcast since.
Richard Jeffs came across 64 canisters of film stored in a damp garage in South London, and when he started to go through them he stumbled across a piece of pop history.
The conversation with Scottish television dates from April 30, 1964, according to the BBC, which played excerpts from the nine-and-a-half minute interview on the radio on Tuesday.
It came shortly after the Fab Four's trip to the United States during which they were besieged by fans and watched by a television audience estimated to be about half the country's population when they played The Ed Sullivan Show.
During the interview, Paul McCartney and John Lennon discussed how they came up with their tunes, and Jeffs said it shed light on the songwriting process within arguably the biggest band ever.

When asked how they collaborated, Lennon replied: "Well, you know, it depends. Sometimes we write them on old pianos, anything that's lying around."
McCartney added: "Normally we sit down and try and bash one out. But then again, there's no formula, because he (Lennon) can come up with one day completely finished. We still say we both wrote it, though."
The two also recalled where they first met.
"I was playing at a garden fete in the ... village where I lived just outside Liverpool, playing with a group, and he came along and we met," said Lennon.

Jeffs said the canisters were probably discarded after the tele-recording machine they were made on was replaced by a video machine.
The Beatles recording was on the second can of film that he viewed, he told BBC Radio.
"The first one I opened had got a clip of Cilla Black on it," he said, referring to the British television personality.
"But this was the second one that we took along to get copied, and when they copied it they said 'this must be worth millions'.
"And it is very much like being the man with the million pound note because of course there aren't millions (to be spent) in television and I can't get anyone to play the film in television."
As well as the comments on the songwriting process, Jeffs said the interview was remarkable because it was so relaxed.
"Most of the interviews from this time were them at airports being rushed from one place to the other, and this is a relaxed nine-and-a-half minute interview with them in a studio where they are very happy."
He said he was looking forward to discovering what was in the remaining 62 canisters.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; editing by Keith Weir) (Reuters)

LATEST NEWS:
Our friend Chris writes:
The interview was recorded in Scotland on 30th April 1964. On Monday this week BBC Radio broadcast a 30 minute show about this interview.
You can download the full 30 minute radio show here :
http://rapidshare.com/files/126421286/rustv.mp3.html
It is an interesting show.
Enjoy it..
Chris

Wax Beatles

An assistant puts final touches to wax figures of 'The Beatles' during a promotion for a Beatles musical 'All You Need Is Love!' in Berlin, June 26, 2008.

Beatles' Memorabilia

Beatles suit 1963




Pale grey wool suit made for John Lennon as stage wear by Douglas Millings, London, 1963.
Between late 1962 and 1967 Dougie and his son Gordon made all of the Beatles' suits for stage, film and touring, plus some of their everyday clothes.


Pete Best’s jacket

Pete Best, the original drummer for the Beatles 1960-1962, wore this honeycomb patterned shirt jacket at the recording session of 'My Bonnie' and all of the band's first German sessions for Polydor.
The jacket is signed three times by Pete on the front, collar and inside

Beatles' Era - Tom Jones + The Troggs

Beatles' Era - The Troggs

Wild Thing (1966)

Beatles' Era - The Troggs

With A Girl Like You (1966). Reg Presley: "I wrote that song while I was still a bricklayer. We recorded it at the same time as Wild Thing and either of them could have been released first. I liked the way The Beach Boys were going 'Ba-ba-ba-Barbara Ann' and it was lovely to do something like that in With A Girl Like You. We nearly had a trumpet playing it, but it sounded better when we sang it."

Beatles' Era - Herman's Hermits

No Milk Today (1966)

Beatles' Era - No Milk Today

(when the milk bottle was king)

The Iveys - Bad Tough Luck Girl

Rare UK beat. No, this is not the same Iveys that changed their name to Badfinger. Forgive the rather poor quality.

The Iveys - Maybe Tomorrow

The Apple band's early single - dated when released but a classic now. Promo w/extra footage.

Nina Simone: Here Comes the Sun