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Original participants of The Concert For Bangladesh held a bash in Burbank, California on October 19th, 2005 to celebrate the release of the restored version of the film. Ringo Starr and Dhani Harrison participated in an all-star jam at the event.
The Bangladesh Bash was held at the Steven J. Ross Theater and included a private screening of the film and a reception with Billy Preston. Tom Petty, Eric Idle, Badfinger's Joey Molland and George's widow Olivia also attended.
An audio CD and DVD with bonus material will be issued October 25th in the States.
Hailed as the first rock superstar benefit concert, The Concert For Bangladesh was organized by George Harrison in 1971 and brought together Ravi Shankar, Leon Russell, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Badfinger and a surprise appearance from Bob Dylan for two shows at Madison Square Garden. The original beneficiary, UNICEF, will receive the royalties from the reissue.
The DVD release of The Concert For Bangladesh adds 72 minutes of bonus material to the 99-minute film.
The new footage includes Bob Dylan, George and Ringo rehearsing "If Not For You," which wasn't performed in either of the shows.
Dylan's afternoon performance of "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" is also included, as well as a soundcheck which finds Leon Russell, Eric Clapton and George jamming on "Come On In My Kitchen."

Annie Leibovitz' Rolling Stone cover photo of a naked John Lennon embracing a fully-clothed Yoko Ono has been named the top U.S. magazine cover in the past 40 years.
The cover was chosen in a poll conducted by a society of magazine editors, artists and designers.
It was published in January 1981, just a month after John was assassinated.
Paul McCartney plays acoustic and electric guitar on the title track of Stevie Wonder's new album. Denver native India.Arie is also featured on the song.
A Time To Love, released on Motown, also features guest appearances from Bonnie Raitt, Hubert Laws and Prince.
Stevie Wonder has garnered 22 Grammys — including a Lifetime Achievement Award — and sold over 100 million records in the course of his four-decade career.
Macca and Wonder collaborated on two cuts, "Ebony And Ivory" and "What's That You're Doing," on Paul's Tug Of War LP in 1982. A remixed version of "What's That You're Doing," highlighting Wonder's vocal, recently turned up on the Twin Freaks album.

Variety has named the Beatles as the most influential showbiz act of the past 100 years.
The "Icons Of The Century" poll, which celebrates Variety's 100th anniversary, puts John, Paul, George and Ringo ahead of Charlie Chaplin, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball, Louis Armstrong, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and even Mickey Mouse.
The entertainment publication's executive editor, Steven Gaydos, says the Beatles made the biggest impact on the industry and the world.
"To celebrate 100 years of Variety, it seemed only natural to celebrate 100 of the people who gave us something to talk about," says Gaydos. "We're excited to honor the Beatles in our special edition centenary issue, giving special recognition to the sole group who has most shaped the face of modern-day showbusiness."
Two icons from the art world with close ties to the Beatles are visiting the Denver area the weekend of October 14th, 2005.
John Van Hamersveld, the '60s-era Bay Area poster master who designed the LP cover for Magical Mystery Tour, visits Tower Records in Denver Friday from 6 to 9 PM.
He'll be signing copies of his classic Jimi Hendrix Pinnacle poster and the new artwork he created at Eric Clapton's request for the Cream reunion at Royal Albert Hall. Those who purchase the new Cream DVD will be allowed to join the meet-and-greet line.
Peter Max, who recently created a special work to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina, is appearing at Gallery M In Cherry Creek on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The "Colors of a Better World" exhibit features more than 100 original works of Peter Max's art, including original paintings and etchings.
Both artists appeared on 99.5 The Mountain's morning show in the week leading up to their events.
John Van Hamersveld signed Archer's original mono DJ copy of Magical Mystery Tour and said it was a challenge to make the cover readable in Great Britain, as Magical Mystery Tour was initially released there on a 7" EP.
Peter Max told the Mountain that he remains close friends with Paul and Ringo. He and Paul share a passion for the same vegan restaurant in New York. He said Ringo recently stopped by his headquarters in New York, flashing peace signs and hugging at least 50 of his employees.
The Peter Max interview will be rerun on Second Hand News Sunday morning at 8 on 99.5 The Mountain. A portion of the John Van Hamersveld interview will follow on Breakfast With the Beatles at 9.

An official John Lennon website has been launched: JohnLennon.com.
Previously, John's official appearances on the web have been limited to folders inside Capitol Records' websites.
The new site features a Flash or HTML navigation option and includes a discography, photos, videos, downloads and John's drawings.
Another official site, DefinitiveLennon.com was also recently launched to promote the new double CD compilation, Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon. That site allows guests to write cards to John to commemorate what would have been his 65th birthday.

Former Badfinger drummer Mike Gibbins has passed away at age 56.
Family members said he died peacefully in his sleep October 4th, 2005 at his Florida home.
Lone surviving bandmate Joey Molland says he and Mike had spoken on the phone the day before his death and that they were looking forward to seeing each other at the Concert For Bangladesh reissue event in L.A. in mid-October.
"Mike and I had a falling out some time ago, but we had been very much in touch with each other over the last five or six months," Joey told Billboard.com. "We were starting to talk about the future."
Joey says Mike was "courageous and honest in all things ... he will be sorely missed by all who knew him."

With the anniversary of Roy Orbison's 70th birthday approaching in 2006, Barbara Orbison Productions is petitioning the U.S. Postal Service to create a commemorative stamp in Roy's honor and asking members of Congress for their support.
An online petition has attracted support from over 2,000 fans, including U2's Bono and George Harrison's widow, Olivia.
With numerous Grammy awards and inductions to the Rock & Roll and Songwriters Halls of Fame, Roy's career spanned four decades with multiple number one hits. He was also an original member of the Traveling Wilburys alongside George, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty.
Support for the Roy Orbison stamp campaign is growing in the U.S. Congress. B.O.P. says 45 representatives and 2 senators have pledged their support.
"Roy touched so many lives," says Barbara. "He made a tremendous impact on every single soul that heard his sound."
Ballads from the Beatles and John Lennon have made the top 10 list of downloads in a global survey of 700,000 Walkman Phone users.
"Yesterday" by the Beatles came in 7th and "Imagine" by John Lennon came in 10th in the survey.
Sony Ericsson ranked the Beatles as the eighth most-popular artist among global users.
Queen was the number one artist and their "We Are The Champions" track was the number one download.

The Woodstock Film Festival featured the first screening of The Concert for Bangladesh in over 33 years.
The showing consisted of a dance-party screening at the Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock, New York, on September 30th, 2005.
Signed photographs of George Harrison, Leon Russell, and Bob Dylan performing together were among the giveaways.
The digitally-restored version of the landmark chronicle of the concert will be released on DVD in the U.S. October 25th.
Two versions of the superstar benefit concert were held in held the afternoon and evening of August 1st, 1971 at New York's Madison Square Garden. The HD-DVD version adds 72 minutes of bonus material to the 99-minute film.
The new footage includes Bob Dylan, George and Ringo rehearsing "If Not For You," which wasn't performed in either of the shows. Dylan's afternoon performance of "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" is also included, as well as a soundcheck which finds Leon Russell, Eric Clapton and George jamming on "Come On In My Kitchen."
A sculpture of the early Beatles is being planned as a tribute to the band spending its formative years in Hamburg, Germany.
Hamburg radio station Oldie95 is hoping to raise over a hundred thousand dollars for the project, which will depict the original five-member band, including Stuart Sutcliffe.
Oldie95 promotion director Marie Mueller says Hamburg was the birthplace of the Beatles sound, but to this day there is no permanent tribute. "Everyone thinks it is good for Hamburg, good for tourism and good for local people as well," she says.
The station hopes the sculpture can be ready for the 2006 summer tourist season.

handwritten lyrics for ''I'm Only Sleeping''

John Lennon's hand-written lyrics for "I'm Only Sleeping" failed to reach the reserve price during a pop memorabilia auction conducted by Christie's on September 28th, 2005. John had written the verses on the back of a "final demand for payment" phone bill dated April 25th, 1966.
Christie's had expected the lyrics to draw at least a $350,000 bid. Handwritten lyrics for "All You Need Is Love" had recently sold for $1,040,000 through Cooper-Owen's auction firm.
Also up for grabs was the only known recording of the Beatles' 1964 concert in Hong Kong, which featured Jimmy Nichol on drums. The recording, made by a journalist with a portable recorder in the audience, also failed to sell.
A 10½-inch reel tape of an interview with John and Yoko conducted by Ken Seymour at the Bed-In For Peace at the Hotel La Reine Elizabeth in Montreal in 1969 sold for $32,000. A rare edition of the so-called White Album fetched $16,000.

Paul McCartney will make a book-signing appearance at the Barnes & Noble store at Fifth Avenue and 48th Street in New York City on the afternoon of Monday, October 3rd, 2005.
He'll be launching his new children's book, which is based on the characters in his animated short film Tropic Island Hum.
Macca teamed with children's author Philip Ardagh and animator Geoff Dunbar to create High In The Clouds: An Urban Furry Tale, published through Penguin Young Readers Group. A limited first-edition of 500,000 is being released in the U.S. the day after the book-signing.
"Having worked on this story and the characters for many years," said Paul in a statement from the publisher, "it's very exciting for me to see things come to fruition in what I think will be a remarkable book."

John Lennon's 1956 Austin Princess, which was used as a hearse in the Imagine film, is expected to fetch $200,000 to $300,000 when it goes under the gavel October 2nd, 2005.
The sale begins online at JuliensAuctions.com and concludes October 29th at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas.
John's embroidered jacket from the Imagine film and the white suit he wore in the street crossing on the Abbey Road cover will also be auctioned, with a portion of the proceeds going to Amnesty International.
Who's Incognito, the locally-based band made up of a varying array of well-known rock-and-rollers, will hold a hurricane relief benefit at 2 PM Saturday, October 1st, 2005, at Denver's Chili Pepper Restaurant.
In addition to the wide range of songs associated with the members' various musical histories, Who's Incognito has performed "Handle With Care," "Here Comes The Sun," "No More Lonely Nights" and "If I Needed Someone" for Breakfast With The Beatles.
Performers for the benefit will include Rod Gerrard of Herman's Hermits, Larry Sims of Loggins & Messina, Sunshine Company and the Spencer Davis Group, Don Coenen of Steppenwolf, Tom Murray of the Castaways and the Litter, Chris Lesague of Jag Panzer fame and Jon Romero of Jon Romero y Amanecer. The 15-dollar admission charge includes the concert and an autograph party. Ticket information is available at WhosIncognito.com.
Julian Lennon is refusing to do interviews about his famous father as the 65th anniversary of John Lennon's birth approaches.
"I genuinely feel that I have talked about Dad enough. But I do appreciate the enormous interest people have in my father and his legacy," Julian tells subscribers to his e-mail list, "so, in lieu of interviews, I am going to say just this:
"Dad was a great talent whose music and ideals are an inspiration to millions.
"Yet, I have always had very mixed feelings about Dad. He was the father I loved who let me down in so many ways. Who knows how our relationship might have developed if he had not been murdered? It's painful to think that his early death robbed me of the chance for us to know each other better.
"What can never be taken away are his words and music; that's his legacy for me. It's in my blood for a start. Like Dad, I became a musician too, and as with many other artistes in this world, his words and music continue to influence me today and probably forever more."
After pressure from fans and residents, the Liverpool City Council has reversed its decision to tear down the birthplace of Ringo Starr.
The Madryn Street home will instead be disassembled and put in storage until a suitable location can be found for it.
When the council announced it would be bulldozed, it said the Welsh Streets District home had "no historical significance" because Ringo had lived there only three months.
Jeremy Hawthorn, who had campaigned to save the home and 459 others in neighborhood, told the BBC, "They want to clear working-class families out of this area to make way for expensive housing for richer people."

Working Class Hero — The Definitive Lennon will be released in the U.S. on October 4th, 2005 to commemorate John's 65th birthday on October 9th.
The 2-CD set compiles tracks from his nine albums plus the Lennon and John Lennon Anthology collections.
Here's the tracklist:
CD 1

• (Just Like) Starting Over
• Imagine
• Watching The Wheels
• Jealous Guy
• Instant Karma!
• Stand By Me
• Working Class Hero
• Power To The People
• Oh My Love
• Nobody Loves You When You're Down And Out
• Nobody Told Me
• Bless You
• Come Together
• New York City
• I'm Stepping Out
• You Are Here
• Borrowed Time
• Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
CD 2

• Woman
• Mind Games
• Out The Blue
• Whatever Gets You Thru The Night
• Love
• Mother
• Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
• Woman Is The Nigger Of The World
• God
• Scared
• #9 Dream
• I'm Losing You
• Isolation
• Cold Turkey
• Intuition
• Gimme Some Truth
• Give Peace A Chance
• Real Love
• Grow Old With Me

Dozens of Beatles and Beatles-related items will be on display as Breakfast With The Beatles broadcasts live from the Mountain Rock Art Show at the Denver Pavilions on Sunday, September 25th, 2005.
Admission to the Mountain Rock Art Show, which runs Friday the 23rd through Sunday the 25th at 16th and Glenarm, is free. 300 pieces of art — ranging from photography to film cels and from sketches to handwritten lyrics — will be on display. All items will be for sale, benefiting Rockers For Kids' work with the Teen Center at Denver Children's Hospital.
Creations by John & Yoko, Ringo and Paul are among the pieces representing unique images of — or works by — dozens of rockers and rock artists, including David Bowie, the Stones, Henry Diltz, Pearl Jam, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. A silent auction includes items from the Allman Brothers, Stephen Stills, the Mountain Homegrown Relief All-stars and a Sopranos pilot script signed by Little Steven and the cast.
Roger McGuinn is among the musicians who will make appearances.
Lead guitarists Jeff Scarborough from Off The Rail and Jock Bartley from Firefall will be stopping by during the Breakfast With The Beatles broadcast between 9 AM and noon on Sunday.

Paul McCartney and his tour band kicked off the "US Tour" in Miami with "Magical Mystery Tour."
In addition to "Fine Line," "Jenny Wren" and "English Tea" from his new CD, Chaos And Creation In The Back Yard, Macca performed solo chestnuts like "Band On The Run," "Maybe I'm Amazed," "Too Many People," "Jet" and "Let Me Roll It."
He also fulfilled his promise to dip deeply into the Beatles' catalogue, performing the 1958 McCartney-Harrison composition "In Spite Of All The Danger," along with "I'll Follow The Sun," "Blackbird," "I Will," "Till There Was You," "Penny Lane," "I've Got A Feeling," "Got To Get You Into My Life" and even a short bit of "Yellow Submarine."
99.5 The Mountain welcomes the "US Tour" to the Pepsi Center on November 1st, 2005.
The Beatles' "A Day In The Life" has been chosen by music experts as the best British song ever.
The closing track from 1967's Sgt. Pepper album was called "the ultimate sonic rendition of what it means to be British" by Q Magazine, which conducted the survey.
Rounding out the top five: "Waterloo Sunset" by the Kinks, "Wonderwall" by Oasis, "God Save The Queen" by the Sex Pistols and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.
The musical Lennon will close after 42 previews and only 49 regular performances.
Blasted by critics — even branded "Ono-centric" by the New York Times — the chronicle of the life and music of John Lennon had a shaky road to Broadway involving several rewrites, a cancelation and two opening delays.
Lennon's last stand will be September 24th, 2005.

365 Events, the producers of Abbey Road On The River, have announced a day-long Concert For John Lennon at Cleveland's legendary Agora Theater on Saturday, December 10th, 2005, just two days after the 25th anniversary of his murder. The Concert For John will support the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence.
The 11-hour event will begin with a screening of Imagine and include live tributes covering John's music from the Cavern days through his solo career. Tim Piper & Working Class Hero, British Export, Instant Karma, Hal Bruce, All You Need Is Love and Mark Staycer's Imagine John Lennon are among the acts scheduled to perform — others will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets go on sale on what would have been John's 65th birthday — October 9th, 2005 — at the Agora Theatre box office. 56-dollar VIP Gold Circle Floor Seats are available now through The Concert For John Lennon's web page or by calling 216-378-1980.
Hotel packages will also be announced on the web page in the near future.
Paul McCartney says he's glad he's quit marijuana, that he's still inspired by John Lennon and that the producer on his new album wouldn't let him get his way.
In an interview with Time Magazine, Paul confirms that it was his wife Heather Mills who ordered him off pot.
"I've talked to people who've said, 'You're conversation is so clear these days. It all used to be a little hazy,'" says Sir Paul. "I have quite a liberal view but I find that I prefer to be straight."
Macca also tells Time that he feels there are moments when John helps create songs.
"When I write, there are times — not always — when I hear John in my head. I'll think, 'OK, what would we have done here?' and I can hear him gripe or approve."
Paul's 20th studio album, Chaos And Creation In the Back Yard will be released two days before he embarks on his 2005 "US Tour." 99.5 The Mountain welcomes Paul to the Pepsi Arena on November 1st.
The album, which is produced by Nigel Godrich at the suggestion of George Martin, took nearly two years to record because Paul played most of the instruments and purposely took his time recording it.
Godrich immediately threw out several songs Sir Paul had proposed for the album. After a week of recording, he advised Macca not to use his tour band in the studio. Paul says he appreciated Godrich's tough approach.
"It appealed to me. When you've done as much as I've done, it's nice that people are impressed, but it can work against you. You want real hard opinions."
A special limited-edition version of Chaos And Creation In The Back Yard will include a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes footage and intimate video performances of music from the album. A video for the first single, "Fine Line," is posted for site members at PaulMcCartney.com.
John Lennon's battle with the Richard Nixon administration will be the subject of a documentary currently in production through Lion's Gate Entertainment.
"We're thrilled to be instrumental in bringing this momentous story to light," says Lion's Gate president Kevin Beggs.
The U.S. Versus John Lennon documents the so-called "dirty tricks" used by Nixon, Attorney General John Mitchell and their cronies to deny John citizenship and attempt to kick him out of the country. Documents regarding many of the Nixon administration's tactics to attempt to silence John have come to light in recent years through the Freedom Of Information Act.
Lennon was vocal in the peace movement at a time when the administration was vehemently defending America's and big business' roles in the Viet Nam War.
The film, which is being produced with the cooperation of Yoko Ono, will be released in 2006.

Audio: John Lennon
	excerpt of the tape, courtesy of AudioVille.co.uk

A long-lost 30-year-old John Lennon interview has been restored and released to the public via an MP3 download.
The 1975 Capital Radio interview, done shortly before he went into a five-year absence from the music scene, was recorded after he had reunited with Yoko Ono following what he calls his "lost weekend."
The interview is available at AudioVille.co.uk, an archiver of historic and entertainment spoken-word files.
Discovered deteriorating on a 7-inch reel of tape, the interview has now been restored and digitized and made available for $7.
Lennon talks about the issues he had with the U.S. authorities and the Nixon administration, working with Phil Spector, his former Beatles colleagues and his own music, naming his favorite piece as "Imagine."

A deluxe version of Imagine: John Lennon will be released on DVD through Warner Home Video on December 6th, 2005.
Derived from 200 hours of footage, stills and previously-unpublished music, the feature-length film was produced by Andrew Solt and released to theaters in 1988 to coincide with John getting a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
In addition to previously-unused footage, the new version adds BBC interviews, the acoustic performance of "Imagine" at the Apollo Theater in 1971, a short subject titled John Lennon: The Man, The Music, The Memories and an interview with the headmaster at John's grammar school.

Sid Bernstein, the first promoter to book the Beatles for a U.S. gig, will be the subject of a film documentary titled Sid Bernstein Presents.
Bernstein, who also brought the Rolling Stones, Animals and Kinks to the States in the wake of the American Beatlemania he helped facilitate, has also managed a bevy of other famous acts ranging from the Rascals to Laura Brannigan.
Co-directors/producers Jason Ressler and Evan Strome have worked on Sid Bernstein Presents for 5½ years in an attempt to uniquely portray the American-Dream-like story of Bernstein's rise and reign in the music industry. Hundreds of artists have benefitted from Bernstein's promotion and guidance.

Audio: Sid Bernstein
	on booking the Beatles at Carnegie Hall

In addition to his instinctive booking of the Beatles at Carnegie Hall — before they'd been heard of in the U.S. — Bernstein was responsible for helping Latin and African American music cross racial lines into the mainsteam. A number of popular comedians, actors and actresses got their big breaks through Bernstein's efforts as well.
Interviewees in the documentary include the late Tito Puente, Lenny Kravitz, Shirley MacLaine, Dick Clark, Ahmet Ertegun and members of the Animals, Herman's Hermits, the Rascals, the Moody Blues and the E Street Band.
Apple has set the dates of October 24th, 2005 in the U.K. and October 25th in the U.S. for the 2-disc DVD release of The Concert For Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the much-anticipated Let It Be DVD has been delayed "until the end of the year or early 2006," according to a source at Capitol Records. Also, there is no 2005 release date set yet for The Capitol Albums Vol. 2.
In addition to the Bangladesh DVD, the original soundtrack album has been remastered and will be released on the same dates as the DVD. Apple says the new version of the album will contain Bob Dylan's performance of "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" as a bonus track.
All royalties from the Bangladesh releases will continue to go to the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund.

"It's his best-ever performance," says Olivia Harrison of George's appearance at The Concert For Bangladesh.
Olivia tells London's Daily Telegraph that the completion of a digitized version of premier charity rock concert was "really just a completion of something George had started." The superstar concert was held the afternoon and evening of August 1st, 1971 at New York's Madison Square Garden.
The HD-DVD version, due in October 2005, adds 72 minutes of bonus material to the 99-minute film. The new footage includes Bob Dylan, George and Ringo rehearsing "If Not For You," which wasn't performed in either of the shows. Dylan's afternoon performance of "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" is also included, as well as a soundcheck which finds Leon Russell, Eric Clapton and George jamming on "Come On In My Kitchen."
Olivia and producer Johnathan Clyde tell the Telegraph that the film has been blown up from 16 to 70 millimeter and the soundtrack has been fully restored.
George had been working on the audio restoration in 2001, using the original 16-track tapes. He was forced to abandoned the project when he became ill. He died later that year.

John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for "All You Need Is Love" sold for $1,040,000 at a rock memorabilia auction conducted by Cooper-Owen.
It was the lyric sheet used during the worldwide telecast of the song in the summer of 1967. It was retrieved from John's music stand by a BBC employee after the broadcast.
A piano from John & Yoko's New York apartment fetched $245,700.
A military-style tunic worn by John in a 1966 photo shoot for Life magazine went for $175,000. It was similar to the uniforms the Beatles would adopt a year later for the Sgt. Pepper album photos.
A pair of John's yellow-tinted round-wire eyeglasses was sold for $96,500.
The first single from Paul McCartney's Chaos & Creation In The Back Yard album will be released August 30th, 2005.
"Fine Line" was issued to radio stations and posted for members of PaulMcCartney.com on July 27th.
The album is due September 13th in the U.S., the week Macca launches his "US Tour." 99.5 The Mountain welcomes Sir Paul to the Pepsi Center on November 1st.

The Lennon musical's opening date has been pushed back again — this time to August 14th, 2005.
The musical was supposed to open at New York's Broadhurst Theatre on July 28th, but that was pushed back to August 4th.
Producer Allan McKeown confirms that the musical is being retooled again. This time, there are "fundamental changes" being made to the opening and closing scenes, plus a song is being added.
Director Don Scardino has also been getting unofficial assistance from David Leveaux on revamping the project. Leveaux is the director of the Broadway revival of "Fiddler On The Roof."
Lennon drew scathing reviews when it previewed in San Francisco in April of 2005. A subsequent Boston preview was cancelled for the first retooling of the show.

One of John Lennon's baby teeth is among some one-of-a-kind reproductions to displayed in the year of his 65th birthday at his childhood home.
The original tooth was given to Yoko Ono by a dentist who'd obtained it from John's Aunt Mimi.
The National Trust, which operates Mendips, Liverpool, hired experts to recreate a number of personal items using the latest techniques available. The reproductions were authorized by Yoko.
The items include four of John's childhood paintings, his first passport, his swimming proficiency certificate and an entrance card for the 11+ Exam to Quarry Bank Grammar School.
"Many years after John’s death, his fame and influence remain significant, and thousands of visitors are attracted to Liverpool each year to see where he grew up," says the Trust's Liverpool property manager Simon Osbourne. "The stories of his childhood come alive at Mendips, which captures the spirit of the young Lennon in his early years."
The house was bought by Yoko in 2002 and immediately donated to the Trust. Its furnishings and interior decorations were restored as closely as possible to resemble how the house looked when John lived there from 1945 to 1963.

99.5 The Mountain proudly welcomes "1964 - The Tribute" back to Red Rocks Amphitheatre for a benefit concert for KBDI-TV 12 on August 26th, 2005 — 41 years to the day that the Beatles made their sole Colorado appearance at the word-famous venue.
Tickets for the world's premier Beatles show are only $17.00 plus service charge. Each ticket entitles the bearer to a 10% discount at Twist & Shout Records.
Last year's show sold out, so it's advised that you get your tickets ASAP.
"1964 - The Tribute" is hailed by fans and critics as the most authentic and enduring live Beatles music show. George Harrison's sister, Louise, told 99.5 The Mountain's morning show that "1964" is "the Beatles band by which all others must be measured."

Former Wings lead guitarist Laurence Juber has a released a CD of solo acoustic guitar covers of Wings material.
The fingerstyle champion told 99.5 The Mountain's Archer that he recorded One Wing in response to a suggestion from Paul McCartney. When he and producer/spouse Hope Juber presented a copy of LJ Plays The Beatles to McCartney, he asked, "What About Wings?"
Juber joined Wings in the late '70s and appeared on the Back To The Egg album as well as other projects with Paul, including Ringo Starr's Stop And Smell The Roses LP and the hit single "Coming Up," which was recorded live in Glasgow.
"Rockestra Theme," in which Juber and David Gilmour launched a dual-guitar attack, earned Wings a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental in 1979.
Since launching his post-Wings solo-career, Juber has released several solo acoustic CDs and has become reknown among guitar players for his magazine articles and arrangements regarding the instrument.
One Wing features interpretations of "Band On The Run," "Jet," "Coming Up," "Arrow Through Me," "Every Night" and eight other songs written or co-written by Macca.
As with most of Juber's releases, the CD is being made available online before it appears in stores.

Fortune Valley debut performance; photo by Gregory

The Boys From Beatlemania — including original Broadway cast members Les Fradkin and Bobby Taylor — performed the entire Sgt. Pepper LP at the Boulder Theater Friday July 15th, 2005. Breakfast With The Beatles host Archer emceed.
Les, who plays George, and Bobby, who is a Ringo ringer, were joined by former Moptop Joe Stefanelli, who portrayed John in Forrest Gump, plus Pat Casey, a left-handed bass-playing Paul lookalike and soundalike, who has been in several successful Colorado bands.
The group also performed some other 1967 gems, including most of the Magical Mystery Tour album.
Les Fradkin tells 99.5 The Mountain, "Back in '67 it was assumed that 'Pepper' could never be performed live. But modern technology has allowed us to replicate the entire album without using lipsyncing or computer sequence programs."
"Pepper Front To Back" debuted at Fortune Valley in June of 2005, where Mountain listener Gregory took the photo on the left. He told Breakfast With The Beatles the show dazzled him: "It was like experiencing the album in 3D!"
The Boys perform Monday, July 18th, 2005 at the Country Dinner Playhouse in Greenwood Village before heading for some dates in the Pacific Northwest.
Click here to see photos from the Boulder Theater performance.

Paul McCartney's first studio album in four years will be released September 12th, 2005 in the U.K. and September 13th in the U.S. Chaos And Creation In The Back Yard is Paul's 20th solo studio album.
Co-produced by Nigel Godrich and Macca, it was recorded in London and Los Angeles over a two-year period. Its release coincides with the launch of the "US Tour."
Paul is credited with playing the majority of the instruments on the album, which MPL Communications says is somewhat reminiscent of 1970's McCartney.
"I did not want to rush this album," says Sir Paul. "I think it was worth the wait, though. The music became more interesting over time and I'm really proud of what we did."
"We really made a lot of it up as we went along. I'd try something and if it didn't work, I'd try something else until it did. It was like making a go-cart in the backyard."
Here's the tracklist:

Fine Line 3:05
How Kind Of You 4:47
Jenny Wren 3:47
At The Mercy 2:38
Friends To Go 2:43
English Tea 2:12
Too Much Rain 3:24
A Certain Softness 2:42
Riding To Vanity Fair 5:07
Follow Me 2:31
Promise To You Girl 3:10
This Never Happened Before 3:26
Anyway 3:50

A door containing what may be the largest existing signatures of John Lennon and Paul McCartney has been sold at auction through ItsOnlyRockNRoll.com for $51,858.
It was the 27-by-79-inch door to Apple attorney Nat Weiss' office, annointed by Paul and John along with George Harrison, James Taylor, Carly Simon Taylor, Eric Anderson, Ahmet Ertegun and other clients represented by Weiss.
Paul's signature is 9½ inches long and 2 inches high. John's is a huge 12¾-by-3 inches.
Other Beatles-related items in the auction included a pristine sealed "Yesterday ... And Today" butcher cover which fetched $44,695, an original 1966 Shea Stadium concert poster which went for $72,970 and a document signed by five original Beatles — John, Paul, George, Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best — which brought in $36,855.

Geldof, McCartney and members of the African Children's Choir

Paul McCartney and U2 performing "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" opened the London Live 8 concert on July 2nd, 2005.
The London show included a reunion of Pink Floyd and Macca performing "Get Back," "Drive My Car" (with George Michael), "Helter Skelter" and "The Long & Winding Road" with a closing all-star chorus of "Hey Jude."
U2 performed a version of "Beautiful Day" which included a bit of McCartney's "Blackbird" superimposed over the closing chords.
The Live 8 concerts, headed by Live Aid founder Bob Geldof, took place in ten countries, including England, Canada, the U.S., France, Germany, South Africa, Italy and Russia. An estimated 1 million people attended the U.S. concert in Philadelphia and over 200,000 jammed into London's Hyde Park venue. An estimated 5½ billion people viewed Live 8 concert performances via TV or the internet.
The project was designed to put pressure on the "G8" leaders to pledge enough aid to wipe out poverty in Africa during their conference in Scotland.
"Everybody who's come along has come for the right reason," said Sir Paul. "We hope that the people, the heads of G8, are listening hard. They can't avoid this, they cannot have missed it and all you young people who've come along for this message, we love you."

The Ottawa Beatles Site reports that Peter & Gordon will reunite for the the first time in 35 years for a benefit for former Dave Clark Five singer Mike Smith.
Smith was severely injured in an accident at his home in Spain in the summer of 2003, not long after appearing at an oldies revue at Denver's Fiddler's Green. A broken neck left him paralyzed below the ribcage and left with limited use of his upper body.
"England Swings: A Tribute To Mike Smith" was organized by the event's bandleader and emcee, Paul Schaffer.
In addition to the Peter Asher & Gordon Waller reunion, the event will include appearances by the surviving Zombies lineup, Denny Laine, Billy J. Kramer and the Fab Feaux.
The concert takes place August 2nd, 2005 at the B.B. King Blues Club and Grill in New York.

Audio: Bob Smeaton
	on the footage shot for the "Let It Be" film.

The restored version of the Beatles' "Let It Be" film will be released on DVD in September 2005.
Director Bob Smeaton told Archer of 99.5 The Mountain's Breakfast With The Beatles that the delay in restoring the movie was related to the sheer volume of film that had been shot.
Before he could tackle the project, which began last year, Smeaton was involved with painstakingly restoring footage of the film documenting the famous "Festival Express," which featured Janis Joplin, the Band and the Grateful Dead on a tour of Canada.
The DVD version of "Let It Be" has required an immense amount of film cleaning and color restoration, and Smeaton says viewers will be amazed with the results.
"It will also feature some remarkable bonus material," Smeaton added.

The Smithsonian's postal museum will display a stamp book which once belonged to John Lennon — on which he drew beards and glasses on images of British monarchs.
The 1950s-era book was given to John during his boyhood by cousin Stanley Parkes.
"It just doesn't get cooler than John Lennon," says Smithsonian curator Wilson Hulme.
The stamp album will go on display in October 2005 to commemorate what would have been John's 65th birthday.

Glued To The Set author Steven D. Stark's new book takes a look at the "cultural history" of the Beatles: the massive effect that the band had on the world — and the world had on them — during its reign of the music world in the 1960s.
Although Stark grew up as a fan, Meet The Beatles takes a highly-readable, factual approach to the band's history and provides an insight into the Beatles' popularity even for those who might be detractors but are awed by the Beatles' fame and lasting effect on music and culture.

Audio: Steven D. Stark
	with Archer, on the angle taken by his book, Meet The Beatles.

Stark, who has been the pop culture commentator for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, WGBH/BBC's The World and CNN's Showbiz Today, lived in the U.K. while writing the book and had access to many of the people who were part of the decade-long ride, ranging from Hamburg artist Astrid Kirchherr to the late Cavern DJ Bob Wooler to Yoko Ono.
Meet The Beatles addresses how the foursome had to come to terms with unprecendented fame, eventually giving up touring and turning to the recording studio as a refuge.
The book points out the ways the Beatles became tied to the cultural, youth and gender revolutions they helped create and chronicles ever-expanding influences on them, from the Liverpool maritime culture, to the comedy of The Goon Show, to Eastern religious philosophy and, eventually, issues such as pacifism, civil rights and feminism.

Mirage Films is producing a 90-minute documentary on the early-'60s Liverpool music scene that spawned the Beatles and influenced pop and rock & roll worldwide.
The Mersey Beat Files will focus on the Mersey Beat music paper, founded in 1961 by Bill Harry, who coined the term for the Merseyside beat culture. The Liverpool sociological revolution of that era led to the original pop, rock, country, jazz, rhythm & blues, comedy and poetry that came from — and still flows from — the now-legendary British port.
"It's about time the true story was told," says Harry, who expressed excitement that the documentary will dispell the myth that the Beatles created the music scene in their hometown.
"All too often, books about the Beatles intimate that the group virtually created the Mersey scene, presuming that it was only in the wake of their success that groups in Liverpool began to emerge," says Harry. "Numerous writers have taken the line that it was only following the Beatles' national breakthrough that every youngster in Liverpool suddenly wanted to join a group." But he points out that there were upwards of 350 bands in existence at any given time in the late fifties and early sixties before the Beatles emerged.
The Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy Fury, Adrian Henri, Roger McGough, the Swingin' Blue Jeans, Aynsley Dunbar, the Fourmost, Jim McCarty, the Searchers, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Elvis Costello, Joey Molland, Jackie Lomax, George Melly, Ian & the Zodiacs, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Terry Sylvester, Echo & the Bunnymen, Ian McCulloch, the KLF, Cilla Black, Ken Dodd, the Chants and Atomic Kitten are among those who emerged from the region.
Harry is opening up his paper's archives for the project, which will draw from original works by John and Paul, Brian Epstein's exclusive reports on the Beatles early career and a cornucopia of images never seen since the original publication of Mersey Beat.
In recent times, Bill Harry has authored numerous books, compiled the "Mersey Beat" and "Best Of The Fourmost" CDs for EMI Gold, entered a merchandising venture with the award-winning Beatles Story museum and launched an online version of Mersey Beat at Mersey-Beat.com.
He plans to relaunch Mersey Beat as a current Merseyside music newspaper in the late summer of 2005.

Ringo — who released his new studio album, "Choose Love," on June 7th, 2005 — will perform to paid audiences only twice this summer to promote the album. June 19th, he and the band play New York's Irving Plaza and on the 25th, they appear at Waukeegan, Illinois' Genesee Theater for a taping of PBS's "Soundstage."
Ringo will also appear on "Good Morning America," "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Daily Show with John Stewart" and other TV shows to promote "Choose Love."
The CD, which continues with the layered, lush production present on "Ringo Rama" and leans more heavily toward pop than any of his recent albums, features a standout track called "Don't Hang Up" — a duet with Chrissie Hynde.
"My daughter knew Chrissie better than I did," says Ringo. "I asked her for Chrissie's number and we invited her to spend the day and see if she'd liked to do it. She was great because she made her part her own. She changed it and made it better. We were very open to her ideas. We're not in the Army here."
On June 19th, 2005 an exhibition of Ringo's digital art will open at New York's Pop International Gallery.

Paul McCartney will release a children's book based on the characters in his animated short film Tropic Island Hum.
Macca has teamed with children's author Philip Ardagh and animator Geoff Dunbar to create High In The Clouds: An Urban Furry Tale, to be published through Penguin Young Readers Group. A limited first-edition of 500,000 will be released in the U.S. on October 4th, 2005.
"Having worked on this story and the characters for many years, it's very exciting for me to see things come to fruition in what I think will be a remarkable book," said Paul in a statement from the publisher.
The book will also have a limited first run in seven other countries, including the U.K.
Paul McCartney will be among the performers at one of five free "Live 8" concerts announced by "Live Aid" founder Bob Geldof.
"We don't want your money, we want you, because every few seconds a child dies needlessly of extreme poverty," said Geldof at a press conference to announce the concerts.
The events will take place July 2nd, 2005, just days before leaders of the world's richest countries, "the G8," meet in the U.K.
In addition to Sir Paul, U2, Brian Wilson, CSN, Coldplay, Sting, R.E.M., Elton John, Annie Lennox, Youssou N'Dour, the Dave Matthews Band and Stevie Wonder will perform. The concerts will take place in London, Philadelphia, Berlin, Paris and Rome. Paul will appear in London.
1985's Live Aid concerts, confined to London and Philadelphia, raised 40 million dollars for poverty relief in Africa.
Since then, says Geldof, Africa has only become poorer. "Twenty years on, it strikes me as being morally repulsive and intellectually absurd that people die of want in a world of surplus."
"I went to Africa in January and saw the situation for myself there," Elton John said during the press conference. "I saw the ignorance and stigma that people are fighting against."
Geldof, who been had resisting a Live Aid 20th anniversary event, was egged on by U2's Bono to "gather again, but this time not for charity, but for political justice," attempting to persuade G8 leaders to cancel Africa's unpayable debts and double aid.
While England's Tony Blair wants rich nations to do just that, the George Bush White House has ruled out any such initiative.

A Front Range man has published the first in a series of definitive reference works on the Beatles' recordings, titled Songs Of The Beatles' "Please Please Me" Period.
Ken Westover's book — unobstructed by photos or illustrations — meticulously collects previously scattered information on 17 of the Beatles' songs from their earliest EMI recording sessions, including the 14 cuts on "Please Please Me," plus singles and unreleased recordings from the same era. It's published by Cliff Canyon of Boulder and available exclusively at Denver's Twist & Shout.
The ultimate research work for Beatleologists, the book includes studio production details, histories behind each recording, copious US/UK commercial release details and insight into the musical instruments and techniques applied to each song.
Easy-to-read tables and charts also track each song's performances on radio and TV and show chart positions. A "Where To Hear It" table for each song tracks dozens of subsequent releases, authorized or not, with keys to different variations of the song.
An "Origins" section for each song explains the reasons behind the Beatles chosing to record it, revealing such facts as why the Beatles covered show tunes like "A Taste Of Honey."
Westover tells 99.5 The Mountain that he is currently nearing completion of the second book in the series.
"Beatles Art: Fantastic New Artwork of the Fab Four," will feature new art inspired by the Beatles and their music.
The publisher has launched a "Call For Art," asking Beatles fans to submit pieces for inclusion in the book, due in the spring of 2006.
"'Beatle Art' will showcase some of the best new artists and illustrators from different regions of the globe all demonstrating their creativity on topics such as the Beatles music and lyrics, instruments, fashion, caricatures, etcetra," says Boxigami Books.
"Artists can enter as many Beatle-inspired works as they like for $15 postmarked no later than August 15th, 2005. Prize money of $500, $300 and $100 will be awarded for first, second, and third place entries. All artists with chosen works will receive a free copy of this soon-to-be collector's book," says the publisher.
For each book sold, the publisher will donate $1 to Adopt-A-Minefield, a favorite charity of Paul & Heather McCartney.
Click here for Boxigami's "Call For Art" rules.

"Paul McCartney In Red Square" will be released on DVD on June 14th, 2005.
The program captures the historic sights and sounds of the nearly three-hour concert which included more than 30 Beatles, Wings and solo tunes, including "Hey Jude," "Maybe I’m Amazed," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Live And Let Die," "Let It Be" and, of course, "Back In The USSR."
DVD bonus features include previously-unreleased concert footage from Sir Paul's second trip to Russia, where he performed in St. Petersburg's Palace Square. Filmed during Paul's "04 Summer Tour," the setlist includes "Helter Skelter," "Penny Lane" and "I’ve Got A Feeling."
"Paul McCartney In Red Square" also features behind-the-scenes footage of his tour of Russia, including a private meeting with President Putin and interviews with important members of Russia’s cultural community, who reveal the importance the Beatles and Paul played in the development of the former Soviet Union's future.
Says Putin, the Beatles' music "was like a gulp of freedom ... an open window to the world."

Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach will officially open the 4head Garden at the Chelsea 2005 Garden Show in London.
Featuring over 250 species of plants and healing herbs, the 4head Garden is the largest exhibit on the rock bank at this year's show.
The Garden is designed as an idyllic retreat somewhere in the Mediterranean, where pink flowers and soft pink rocks abound. The theme behind the 4head Garden illustrates the delicate balance and conflict that exists between man's designs and the enduring power of nature.
Designed by Gold medalist Marney Hall, the 4head Garden features abandoned olive terraces, which form the setting of the Garden. A wall encircles a sheltered haven, the curves of which are reminiscent of the work of Spanish architect Gaudi. The garden demonstrates the continual movement of plants from wild to cultivated and back to wild again.
Ringo and Barabara will officiate with Hall at the opening on the morning of May 23rd, 2005.
Pop International Galleries in New York City will open an exhibit of Ringo's Art on June 19th, 2005.
Ringo, who created the graphic arts on his computer using photos and digital manipulation, will have 14 pieces on exhibit.
"While I was touring it gave me something to do in all those crazy hotels you have to stay in on the road," said Ringo.
Pop International Galleries, in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood, already features the works of Ron Wood, Andy Warhol, Fredrick Prescott and photos of the Beatles by Tom Murray and Dezo Hoffman.
A 1969 letter informing Paul's father-in-law that he was not authorized to represent the Beatles fetched about $90,000 at an auction at Christie's on May 5th, 2005.
The letter was co-signed by John, George and Ringo, who wanted to hand Apple's financial troubles over to Rolling Stones manager Allan Klein.
The letter tells Lee Eastman he was not authorized to act on behalf of the Beatles or their company.
Other Memorabilia Auction items included a guitar owned by Pete Townshend and a warrant served on the Rolling Stones for "lewd behaviour while using public transport."

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