The Boulder Philharmonic takes you on a Classical Mystery Tour Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 at Macky Auditorium.
The program will give orchestra lovers and Beatles fans alike a taste of what it would have been like had the Beatles performed live with producer George Martin's string arrangements.
Jim Owen, who has portrayed John Lennon in the production for 12 years, says he's excited the Mystery Tour is performing in Boulder for the first time. The Phil's musical director Michael Butterman will conduct. TheBeatlesPages.com's Archer and Michael Butterman will conduct a short lecture and Q&A on George Martin's arrangements at 6:30PM.
The Boulder Philharmonic is celebrating its 50th season.
To celebrate the release of
Meanwhle, Ringo has confirmed that he'll be touring this summer. He told Sun Media that rehearsals will begin in Canada in June.
Paul McCartney says he spent three years readying a Linda McCartney photo exhibit which will open April 24th, 2008 at the James Hyman Gallery in London.
Daughter Mary McCartney also a photographer helped Macca assemble the collection, which will include rare family portraits and other previously unseen material.
"The photographs not only illustrate her incredible talent as an artist, but as someone who was very much connected to the culture of the times and wasn't afraid to challenge herself or her subject," says Sir Paul, whose signature will authenticate a limited number of prints to be sold at the gallery.
The exhibit marks the 10th anniversary of Linda's passing from breast cancer.
A former Beatle will perform at this year's Abbey Road On The River in Louisville, Kentucky.
Original drummer Pete Best and his band will perform two concerts at the Memorial Day Weekend festival, which is America's largest gathering of Beatle bands and fans.
Fellow Liverpudlian Terry Sylvester is also on the bill. This year's festival features over 200 concerts by 75 bands over a five-day period. Abbey Road On The River takes place May 22nd through 26th, 2008 at Louisville's Belevdere Festival Park.
Ringo Starr headlined a cast of 600 Liverpudlians who kicked off the Beatles' home city's 2008 European City Of Culture celebrations on January 11th, 2008.
Ringo and Dave Stewart performed "Liverpool 8," the title track of Ringo's new studio album, from a rooftop as thousands gathered in cold weather in front of St. George's Hall in Liverpool center. The Wombats also debuted their new single at the event, which included acrobats dangling from the rooftops and several local choirs.
Liverpool: the Musical was the venue debut at Liverpool's new Echo Arena the next night. The production included Ringo, Dave Stewart, Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, No Fakin DJs, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Farm, Riuven, the Wombats, Pete Wylie and a cast of 700 Liverpudlians, including 100 school children. The 10,600-seat arena is considered the most environmentally-friendly in England.
Previews of the events were part of CBS's The Early Show in America and Ringo is scheduled to make more US TV appearances to promote Liverpool 8.
He'll appear on Live With Regis And Kelly on January 22nd, on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on the 24th and is scheduled as a presenter on the Grammy Awards telecast February 10th. He has also recorded interviews for Rachel Ray and Access Hollywood and will appear with Dave Stewart in a behind-the-scenes look at Liverpool 8 as part of A&E's Private Sessions series.
Ringo joins Archer to preview Liverpool 8 on the air on Sunday, January 13th.
Fashion designer Stella McCartney is a new mom.
A spokesperson for Stella says Beckett Robert Lee was born in a London Hospital on January 8th, 2008 and "both mother and baby are doing well."
Stella and her husband, Alasdhair Willis, have two previous children, aged 2 and 1.
January 11th, 2008, CBS's The Early Show broadcast from Liverpool to cover Ringo's Capital Of Culture performances. The hometown shows kick off a year of festivities in Liverpool and come just days before the release of Ringo's Liverpool 8.
Ringo tells the Liverpool Echo that the Beatles were accused of abandoning Liverpool after they made it.
"We had to go where the jobs were. In those days it was London," says Ringo, pointing out that with today's technology, musicians can set up a home base anywhere.
Meanwhile, Ringo's album will be released as a digital download, a CD and, for the first time for a Beatle, a USB wristband. Capitol says the wristband will feature the album's 12 tracks plus a "personal video message," song commentary and artwork.
Paul McCartney seems to be having a wonderful Christmastime.
At the annual London Hospital Charity Christmas Party, Sir Paul joined 1,500 children and their families for photos and chat. He also performed S Club 7's "Don't Stop Moving" on karaoke and raised eyebows by driving off with a young MPL staffer on his lap.
And what's Paul's favorite Christmas present? ContactMusic.com quotes Sir Paul as preferring socks, because "you can never have enough of them."
Sir Paul will perform a duet with Ozzie Osbourne at the Brit Awards on February 20th, 2008. Macca has also filmed a duet with Kylie Minogue for Jools Holland's New Year's Eve Hootenany. Minogue and McCartney perform "Dance Tonight" on the TV special.
Meanwhile, Michael Jackson has stuck a sock in Paul's duet on "The Girl Is Mine." Among the new mixes for the 25th anniversary of Thriller is a new version of the song in which Jackson and producer Will.I.Am have completely removed Paul's vocal.
Fashion designer Stella McCartney has been named PETA Person Of The Year for 2007 for refusing to use leather and fur in her collections.
The 36-year-old daughter of Paul McCartney has also campaigned against the leather seats on British Airways and launched the Second Life anti-fur campaign in 2007.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals senior VP, Dan Matthews, says, "Stella McCartney proves you can have a look that kills without killing."
Stella was also named Designer of the Year in November 2007's British Fashion Awards.
Yoko has issued the following statement on the 27th anniversary of the death of John Lennon:
I miss you, John. 27 years later, I still wish I could turn back the clock to the Summer of 1980. I remember everything sharing our morning coffee, walking in the park together on a beautiful day, and seeing your hand stretched to mine holding it, reassuring me that I shouldn't worry about anything because our life was good.
I had no idea that life was about to teach me the toughest lesson of all. I learned the intense pain of losing a loved one suddenly, without warning, and without having the time for a final hug and the chance to say, "I love you," for the last time. The pain and shock of that sudden loss is with me every moment of every day. When I touched John's side of our bed on the night of December 8th, 1980, I realized that it was still warm. That moment has haunted me for the past 27 years and will stay with me forever.
Even harder for me is watching what was taken away from our beautiful boy, Sean. He lives in silent anger over not having his Dad, whom he loved so much, around to share his life with. I know we are not alone. Our pain is one shared by many other families who are suffering as the victims of senseless violence. This pain has to stop.
Let's not waste the lives of those we have lost. Let's, together, make the world a place of love and joy and not a place of fear and anger. This day of John's passing has become more and more important for so many people around the world as the day to remember his message of Peace and Love and to do what each of us can to work on healing this planet we cherish.
Let's: Think Peace, Act Peace, and Spread Peace. John worked for it all his life. He said, "there's no problem, only solutions." Remember, we are all together. We can do it, we must. I love you!
Yoko Ono Lennon
Paul McCartney has received three Grammy nominations two for songs from Memory Almost Full and another for the album itself.
"Dance Tonight" has been nominated for Best Pop Vocal and "Only Mama Knows" has received the nod for Best Solo Rock Performance. Memory Almost Full has been nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Sir Paul's hat trick comes among 28 nominations for the Concord Music Group, which administers Starbuck's Hear Music label. Memory Almost Full, Macca's debut on the label, was released at Starbucks stores worldwide on June 5th, 2007.
Meanwhile the Beatles' LOVE album is up for Best Compilation Soundtrack and Best Surround Sound Album. The soundtrack to Across The Universe is competing with LOVE in the Compilation Soundtrack category.
The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF has donated $450,000 for relief and recovery efforts for the victims of the cyclone which devasted at least 30 districts in Bangladesh on November 15th, 2007.
"I am pleased that the commitment that George and Ravi Shankar made to the crisis in Bangladesh more than three decades ago is once again reaching out to assist the victims of Cyclone Sidr," said George's widow Olivia, in a statement announcing the donation. "Children are at their most vulnerable during natural disasters and it is incumbent upon all of us to act fast to save as many lives as possible."
More than 3,000 deaths have been confirmed from Cyclone Sidr. UNICEF says approximately half of the affected people are children and an estimated 600,000 of them are under five years old.
In 1971, George Harrison staged the pioneer all-star rock benefit, "the Concert for Bangladesh," to provide emergency relief for the country, which was Ravi's homeland. In 2005, Olivia launched the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF with an initial donation of $1 million, specifically targeting UNICEF programs in Bangladesh, while providing life-saving assistance to children suffering from civil conflict, natural disasters and poverty globally.
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Museum in Cleveland has opened an exhibit on the Beatles' movie Help!, which was recently remastered and released on DVD.
The display includes an audio collection, lobby posters, life-size cutouts and some of the wardrobe worn by the Beatles in the film, including John Lennon's cape from the "Ticket To Ride" sequence.
Paul McCartney has issued a statement opposing the closure of the Wirral Post Office near his Merseyside home. His brother, Mike McCartney, read the statement to the public. Mike is Wirral's cultural ambassador.
The Royal Mail's plan to close the post office has drawn sharp criticism from local politicians of all parties.
Macca named a squirrel character in his children's book, High In The Clouds, after Wirral. The post office in question is near the Lower Heswall home he has owned for over 40 years.
Paul McCartney says Beatles downloads will be made available in 2008.
"It's down to fine-tuning, but I'm pretty sure it'll be happening next year, 2008," Paul tells Billboard.
"You've got to get these things right," he says, refering to contractual issues and the remixing and preparation of a permanent Beatles' digital catalogue. "You don't want to do something that's as cool as that and in three years time you think, 'Oh God, why did we do that?'"
Art and graphics icon Peter Max will appear at Denver's AFNA gallery, 2721 East Third Avenue, Saturday November 17th and Sunday November 18th, 2007.
Peter told Beatles show host Archer that people may bring his coffee-table book, The Art Of Peter Max, to the gallery for "a personal autograph and a doodle."
He'll be at AFNA from 6 to 9 PM Saturday and Noon to 3 Sunday.
Peter's artwork has adorned over 4,000 magazine covers, including the November 19th issue of Newsweek, "1968 The Year That Changed Everything." He designed the first ten-cent U.S. stamp, using an ecology theme. At the request of John Lennon, Peter sketched out the prototype of the yellow submarine used in the animated feature.
Paul McCartney fans can bid on a 10-foot-high guitar personally signed by Sir Paul through Gibson Guitartown London.
The giant fiberglass guitar, called "And The Crowd Goes Wild," was designed by Rosie Brooks and displayed publicly to 2½ million people in London this past summer.
The winning bidder is required to donate the giant guitar to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. He or she will be invited to present the guitar to the hospital with Paul McCartney on December 17th, 2007. The bidder will receive a special Gibson Les Paul signed by Paul at the event. An engraved plaque with the bidder's name on it will be placed in the hospital by the 10-foot guitar to mark the donation.
Gibson Guitartown London will split all proceeds from the auction evenly between the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation, the Princes Trust and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Meanwhile, a 12-by-18-foot flag hoisted up Hollywood's Capitol Tower by Ringo Starr is up for bids through the Kompolt Online Auction Agency, benefitting the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation.
The top bidder receives the flag which promotes the DVD release of Help! along with a certificate of authenticity signed by Ringo, a Help! limited-edition boxed set and a luxury trip for two to London which includes a tour of Abbey Road Studios.
A new studio album Ringo Starr calls "highly personal" will be released January 15th, 2008.
Liverpool 8 "refers to the section of Liverpool where I used to live," says Ringo. "The song was actually Dave Stewart's idea, as a mini autobiographical travelogue ... 'I was a sailor first ... ' and then, 'Liverpool I left you' because I did. 'But I never let you down,' which is true."
Ringo brought in Dave Stewart as collaborator on Liverpool 8 after starting the album with Mark Hudson.
"After Mark and I parted ways, Dave and I took over producing the record," says Ringo. "That's why the credits say, 'produced by Ringo Starr and Mark Hudson and over-produced by Ringo Starr and Dave Stewart.'"
Ringo & Dave Stewart are also staging Liverpool: The Musical in the 'Pool in 2008.
Capitol Records says Liverpool 8's 12 original tracks were all co-written by Starr and were recorded in England and in California with Gary Burr, Steve Dudas, Mark Hudson, Sean Hurley, Zac Rae and Dave Stewart.
Here's the tracklist:
The CD packaging on Ringo Starr's Live At Soundstage contains at least four errors:
John Lennon and George Harrison have made the top ten list of posthumous earnings for celebrities. The annual list is compiled by Forbes.com each Halloween.
The Lennon estate made $44 million and Harrison's made $22 million in the past year.
Elvis Presley's income for the period was $49 million, returning him to the #1 spot after Kurt Cobain topped the list in 2006. Cobain dropped off the 2007 list. Tupac Shakur was the only other musician to make his year's top 10.
A fireworks display at Heather Mills' mansion apparently scared a neighbor's dog to death.
Sandra Rowbury of East Sussex says her weimaraner Glow suffered fatal bloating after being terrified by the 20-minute display at a 4th birthday bash for Heather and Paul's daughter Beatrice. Sir Paul was not in attendance.
Rowbury says the display also caused 15 of her horses to stampede in terror, adding that Mills did not give neighbors the customary notice that the fireworks were to take place, so the animals were not sedated or moved for their protection.
Amnesty International USA marked United Nations Day by delivering to the White House a global petition with nearly a half-million signatures urging the Bush administration to press for deployment of the U.N. peacekeeping force to Darfur by early 2008 to urgently save lives.
The petition, signed by notables including Nobel Peace Laureate Jose Ramos-Horta and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, among others, was generated by Instant Karma: Save Darfur. The project combines John Lennon's music with high-tech online and mobile activism at InstantKarma.org.
Yoko Ono granted rights to Lennon's entire songbook to Amnesty International to call attention to the urgent situation in Darfur. More than 50 musical artists are featured on a CD and music downloads, including U2, R.E.M., Green Day, Aerosmith, Christina Aguilera, Ben Harper and a performance by Jakob Dylan with Dhani Harrison.
Paul McCartney is releasing three versions of the "Ever Present Past" single in the U.K. on November 5th, 2007.
The CD Single:
Paul McCartney is giving video tutorials for budding musicians on the instructional website NowPlayIt.com. Paul's instructions on the free video training service are for his Memory Almost Full hit "Ever Present Past."
"Sir Paul recorded lessons for bass, drums and guitar all inside one hour," says a website publicist. "He hopes to record further tutorials from his classic back catalogue."
The lion's share of George Harrison's solo catalogue is now available for digital download. Parlophone says nine of George's albums are immediately available and the remainder will follow in 2008.
George's last CD, Brainwashed, is among the albums now online, along with the 21st-century remasters of All Things Must Pass, Thirty Three And A Third, George Harrison, Somewhere In England, Gone Troppo, Cloud Nine and Live In Japan. The remaster of Living In The Material World, which has been available for download since its release in 2006, has now been added to iTunes.
"It is exciting that George's catalogue is finally available for downloading," says Olivia Harrison. "He had begun the digital remastering of his albums but had no idea how the digital world would change the way we access and listen to music."
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have reportedly agreed to keep the terms of their divorce secret.
The Indo-Asian News Service says they're in the process of working out a settlement without appearing in court, which would avoid making the proceedings public record.
Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder's "Ebony & Ivory" has been named the worst duet in history in a poll of BBC listeners.
Paul's duet with Michael Jackson on "The Girl Is Mine" came in at number six.
Here are the five worst duets, according to the Beeb:
Paul McCartney has received this year's Idol Award from the music magazine Q. He was chosen via a reader survey.
Accepting the honor, Sir Paul thanked his fellow Beatles, his children and his first wife, Linda, adding that he still derives pleasure from making music.
"I've been doing this since I was just a little bairn and it's still the same for me now. Still the same magic, still the same emotion, still the same thrill," he said.
Yoko Ono has dedicated the Imagine Peace light tower on the isle of Videy in Iceland. John & Yoko's son, Sean, and Ringo Starr were also present for the event, but earlier reports in the Icelandic media that Paul McCartney was in Reykjavik were not correct.
The 60-foot tower is based on a 1967 vision John Lennon had of a "lighthouse" in which people could bathe in the light, based on a concept in a Yoko poem. Ground was broken for the project in October 2006 and the tower was dedicated on John's 67th birthday, Tuesday, October 9th, 2007.
The tower will shine each year from John's birthday through the anniversary of his death on December 8th, as well as on New Year's Eve and the spring equinox.
Firefall Acoustic, in a three-piece configuration, will hold three CD release party concerts in Colorado for Colorado To Liverpool, their extremely popular CD salute to the songs of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison.
Jock Bartley and Steven Weinmeister recorded the album because of the positive response generated by their acoustic Beatle-song performances on Archer's Beatles show.
Firefall Acoustic is holding CD parties at Nissi's in Lafayette on Thursday, October 4th, 2007, at the Durango Community Concert Hall on Friday, October 26th and at Denver's Soiled Dove on Friday, November 16th.
Paul McCartney's DVD release of the June 2007 "secret gig" at L.A.'s Amoeba Records has been withdrawn. It was supposed to be part of a new deluxe edition of the Memory Almost Full album scheduled for release November 6th, 2007 through Starbucks' Hear Music label.
A solo-career-spanning video collection, The McCartney Years, is still slated for release on November 13th through MPL/Rhino.
Abbey Road On The River the U.S.'s largest Beatles music festival, which takes place in Louisville, Kentucky reports a record response to this year's earlier ticket sales.
Promoter Gary Jacob is urging Beatles fans to book accomodations early, especially at the Galt House Hotel, because other events in the city will cause rooms to be in short supply on the 2008 Memorial Day weekend. The Galt House is on the festival grounds and hosts three of Abbey Road On The River's stages.
This year, Abbey Road On The River admission is free to anyone 21 or under when accompanied by a ticketholder 22 or over.
John & Yoko top a Rolling Stone poll of "Rock & Roll Couples." Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda came in fifth. Also in the top five: Johnny Cash and June Carter, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon plus Jack and Meg White.
Martin Scorsese will direct an authorized documentary about George Harrison.
With the full cooperation of Olivia Harrison, the film will span George's Beatles and solo career, including his foray into producing motion pictures and his often-misunderstood spiritual philosophies. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will give exclusive interviews for the project.
"George Harrison's music and his search for spiritual meaning is a story that still resonates today and I'm looking forward to delving deeper," says Scorsese, who's Rolling Stones concert film, Shine A Light, is scheduled for release in April 2008.
"It's going to be a great year," says Paul McCartney of Liverpool's 2008 designation as European Capital of Culture. Macca will headline a concert at the 'Pool's Anfield Stadium in June which will be broadcast worldwide.
Ringo, meanwhile, has collaborated with producer/musician Dave Stewart on Liverpool: The Musical to mark his hometown's celebration. Stewart has described the project as "Stravinsky meets Hip Hop" and confirms Ringo will be an actual cast member of the show.
A mono UK pressing of the Beatles' White Album numbered 00000007 goes up for auction on March 4th, 2008.
Cameo Fine Art Auctioneers say it may be the lowest-numbered mono copy of The Beatles ever to turn up at auction.
It's expected to fetch well over $10,000.
Paul McCartney, who performed a career-spanning medley at the BRIT Awards, said two of the included songs had special meanings. Sir Paul performed the gala's finale as he accepted the BRIT for Outstanding Contribution To Music.
"'Live And Let Die' is the song that reminds me of Linda," said Paul. "'Hey Jude' reminds me of John."
The Winners:
The Boulder Philharmonic takes you on a Classical Mystery Tour Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 at Macky Auditorium.
The program will give orchestra lovers and Beatles fans alike a taste of what it would have been like had the Beatles performed live with producer George Martin's string arrangements.
Jim Owen, who has portrayed John Lennon in the production for 12 years, says he's excited the Mystery Tour is performing in Boulder for the first time. The Phil's musical director Michael Butterman will conduct. TheBeatlesPages.com's Archer and Michael Butterman will conduct a short lecture and Q&A on George Martin's arrangements at 6:30PM.
The Boulder Philharmonic is celebrating its 50th season.
To celebrate the release of Liverpool 8, Ringo Starr will perform a free concert at L.A.'s House Of Blues on Friday, January 25th, 2008. The short set will be webcast live at RingoStarr.com.
Meanwhle, Ringo has confirmed that he'll be touring this summer. He told Sun Media that rehearsals will begin in Canada in June.
Paul McCartney says he spent three years readying a Linda McCartney photo exhibit which will open April 24th, 2008 at the James Hyman Gallery in London.
Daughter Mary McCartney also a photographer helped Macca assemble the collection, which will include rare family portraits and other previously unseen material.
"The photographs not only illustrate her incredible talent as an artist, but as someone who was very much connected to the culture of the times and wasn't afraid to challenge herself or her subject," says Sir Paul, whose signature will authenticate a limited number of prints to be sold at the gallery.
The exhibit marks the 10th anniversary of Linda's passing from breast cancer.
A former Beatle will perform at this year's Abbey Road On The River in Louisville, Kentucky.
Original drummer Pete Best and his band will perform two concerts at the Memorial Day Weekend festival, which is America's largest gathering of Beatle bands and fans.
Fellow Liverpudlian Terry Sylvester is also on the bill. This year's festival features over 200 concerts by 75 bands over a five-day period. Abbey Road On The River takes place May 22nd through 26th, 2008 at Louisville's Belevdere Festival Park.
Ringo Starr headlined a cast of 600 Liverpudlians who kicked off the Beatles' home city's 2008 European City Of Culture celebrations on January 11th, 2008.
Ringo and Dave Stewart performed "Liverpool 8," the title track of Ringo's new studio album, from a rooftop as thousands gathered in cold weather in front of St. George's Hall in Liverpool center. The Wombats also debuted their new single at the event, which included acrobats dangling from the rooftops and several local choirs.
Liverpool: the Musical was the venue debut at Liverpool's new Echo Arena the next night. The production included Ringo, Dave Stewart, Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, No Fakin DJs, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Farm, Riuven, the Wombats, Pete Wylie and a cast of 700 Liverpudlians, including 100 school children. The 10,600-seat arena is considered the most environmentally-friendly in England.
Previews of the events were part of CBS's The Early Show in America and Ringo is scheduled to make more US TV appearances to promote Liverpool 8.
He'll appear on Live With Regis And Kelly on January 22nd, on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on the 24th and is scheduled as a presenter on the Grammy Awards telecast February 10th. He has also recorded interviews for Rachel Ray and Access Hollywood and will appear with Dave Stewart in a behind-the-scenes look at Liverpool 8 as part of A&E's Private Sessions series.
Ringo joins Archer to preview Liverpool 8 on the air on Sunday, January 13th.
Fashion designer Stella McCartney is a new mom.
A spokesperson for Stella says Beckett Robert Lee was born in a London Hospital on January 8th, 2008 and "both mother and baby are doing well."
Stella and her husband, Alasdhair Willis, have two previous children, aged 2 and 1.
January 11th, 2008, CBS's The Early Show broadcast from Liverpool to cover Ringo's Capital Of Culture performances. The hometown shows kick off a year of festivities in Liverpool and come just days before the release of Ringo's Liverpool 8.
Ringo tells the Liverpool Echo that the Beatles were accused of abandoning Liverpool after they made it.
"We had to go where the jobs were. In those days it was London," says Ringo, pointing out that with today's technology, musicians can set up a home base anywhere.
Meanwhile, Ringo's album will be released as a digital download, a CD and, for the first time for a Beatle, a USB wristband. Capitol says the wristband will feature the album's 12 tracks plus a "personal video message," song commentary and artwork.
Paul McCartney seems to be having a wonderful Christmastime.
At the annual London Hospital Charity Christmas Party, Sir Paul joined 1,500 children and their families for photos and chat. He also performed S Club 7's "Don't Stop Moving" on karaoke and raised eyebows by driving off with a young MPL staffer on his lap.
And what's Paul's favorite Christmas present? ContactMusic.com quotes Sir Paul as preferring socks, because "you can never have enough of them."
Sir Paul will perform a duet with Ozzie Osbourne at the Brit Awards on February 20th, 2008. Macca has also filmed a duet with Kylie Minogue for Jools Holland's New Year's Eve Hootenany. Minogue and McCartney perform "Dance Tonight" on the TV special.
Meanwhile, Michael Jackson has stuck a sock in Paul's duet on "The Girl Is Mine." Among the new mixes for the 25th anniversary of Thriller is a new version of the song in which Jackson and producer Will.I.Am have completely removed Paul's vocal.
Fashion designer Stella McCartney has been named PETA Person Of The Year for 2007 for refusing to use leather and fur in her collections.
The 36-year-old daughter of Paul McCartney has also campaigned against the leather seats on British Airways and launched the Second Life anti-fur campaign in 2007.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals senior VP, Dan Matthews, says, "Stella McCartney proves you can have a look that kills without killing."
Stella was also named Designer of the Year in November 2007's British Fashion Awards.
Yoko has issued the following statement on the 27th anniversary of the death of John Lennon:
I miss you, John. 27 years later, I still wish I could turn back the clock to the Summer of 1980. I remember everything sharing our morning coffee, walking in the park together on a beautiful day, and seeing your hand stretched to mine holding it, reassuring me that I shouldn't worry about anything because our life was good.
I had no idea that life was about to teach me the toughest lesson of all. I learned the intense pain of losing a loved one suddenly, without warning, and without having the time for a final hug and the chance to say, "I love you," for the last time. The pain and shock of that sudden loss is with me every moment of every day. When I touched John's side of our bed on the night of December 8th, 1980, I realized that it was still warm. That moment has haunted me for the past 27 years and will stay with me forever.
Even harder for me is watching what was taken away from our beautiful boy, Sean. He lives in silent anger over not having his Dad, whom he loved so much, around to share his life with. I know we are not alone. Our pain is one shared by many other families who are suffering as the victims of senseless violence. This pain has to stop.
Let's not waste the lives of those we have lost. Let's, together, make the world a place of love and joy and not a place of fear and anger. This day of John's passing has become more and more important for so many people around the world as the day to remember his message of Peace and Love and to do what each of us can to work on healing this planet we cherish.
Let's: Think Peace, Act Peace, and Spread Peace. John worked for it all his life. He said, "there's no problem, only solutions." Remember, we are all together. We can do it, we must. I love you!
Yoko Ono Lennon
Paul McCartney has received three Grammy nominations two for songs from Memory Almost Full and another for the album itself.
"Dance Tonight" has been nominated for Best Pop Vocal and "Only Mama Knows" has received the nod for Best Solo Rock Performance. Memory Almost Full has been nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Sir Paul's hat trick comes among 28 nominations for the Concord Music Group, which administers Starbuck's Hear Music label. Memory Almost Full, Macca's debut on the label, was released at Starbucks stores worldwide on June 5th, 2007.
Meanwhile the Beatles' LOVE album is up for Best Compilation Soundtrack and Best Surround Sound Album. The soundtrack to Across The Universe is competing with LOVE in the Compilation Soundtrack category.
The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF has donated $450,000 for relief and recovery efforts for the victims of the cyclone which devasted at least 30 districts in Bangladesh on November 15th, 2007.
"I am pleased that the commitment that George and Ravi Shankar made to the crisis in Bangladesh more than three decades ago is once again reaching out to assist the victims of Cyclone Sidr," said George's widow Olivia, in a statement announcing the donation. "Children are at their most vulnerable during natural disasters and it is incumbent upon all of us to act fast to save as many lives as possible."
More than 3,000 deaths have been confirmed from Cyclone Sidr. UNICEF says approximately half of the affected people are children and an estimated 600,000 of them are under five years old.
In 1971, George Harrison staged the pioneer all-star rock benefit, "the Concert for Bangladesh," to provide emergency relief for the country, which was Ravi's homeland. In 2005, Olivia launched the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF with an initial donation of $1 million, specifically targeting UNICEF programs in Bangladesh, while providing life-saving assistance to children suffering from civil conflict, natural disasters and poverty globally.
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Museum in Cleveland has opened an exhibit on the Beatles' movie Help!, which was recently remastered and released on DVD.
The display includes an audio collection, lobby posters, life-size cutouts and some of the wardrobe worn by the Beatles in the film, including John Lennon's cape from the "Ticket To Ride" sequence.
Paul McCartney has issued a statement opposing the closure of the Wirral Post Office near his Merseyside home. His brother, Mike McCartney, read the statement to the public. Mike is Wirral's cultural ambassador.
The Royal Mail's plan to close the post office has drawn sharp criticism from local politicians of all parties.
Macca named a squirrel character in his children's book, High In The Clouds, after Wirral. The post office in question is near the Lower Heswall home he has owned for over 40 years.
Paul McCartney says Beatles downloads will be made available in 2008.
"It's down to fine-tuning, but I'm pretty sure it'll be happening next year, 2008," Paul tells Billboard.
"You've got to get these things right," he says, refering to contractual issues and the remixing and preparation of a permanent Beatles' digital catalogue. "You don't want to do something that's as cool as that and in three years time you think, 'Oh God, why did we do that?'"
January 11th, 2008, CBS's The Early Show broadcast from Liverpool to cover Ringo's Capital Of Culture performances. The hometown shows kick off a year of festivities in Liverpool and come just days before the release of Ringo's Liverpool 8.
Ringo tells the Liverpool Echo that the Beatles were accused of abandoning Liverpool after they made it.
"We had to go where the jobs were. In those days it was London," says Ringo, pointing out that with today's technology, musicians can set up a home base anywhere.
Meanwhile, Ringo's album will be released as a digital download, a CD and, for the first time for a Beatle, a USB wristband. Capitol says the wristband will feature the album's 12 tracks plus a "personal video message," song commentary and behind-the-scenes footage.
Paul McCartney seems to be having a wonderful Christmastime.
At the annual London Hospital Charity Christmas Party, Sir Paul joined 1,500 children and their families for photos and chat. He also performed S Club 7's "Don't Stop Moving" on karaoke and raised eyebows by driving off with a young MPL staffer on his lap.
And what's Paul's favorite Christmas present? ContactMusic.com quotes Sir Paul as preferring socks, because "you can never have enough of them."
Sir Paul will perform a duet with Ozzie Osbourne at the Brit Awards on February 20th, 2008. Macca has also filmed a duet with Kylie Minogue for Jools Holland's New Year's Eve Hootenany. Minogue and McCartney perform "Dance Tonight" on the TV special.
Meanwhile, Michael Jackson has stuck a sock in Paul's duet on "The Girl Is Mine." Among the new mixes for the 25th anniversary of Thriller is a new version of the song in which Jackson and producer Will.I.Am have completely removed Paul's vocal.
Fashion designer Stella McCartney has been named PETA Person Of The Year for 2007 for refusing to use leather and fur in her collections.
The 36-year-old daughter of Paul McCartney has also campaigned against the leather seats on British Airways and launched the Second Life anti-fur campaign in 2007.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals senior VP, Dan Matthews, says, "Stella McCartney proves you can have a look that kills without killing."
Stella was also named Designer of the Year in November 2007's British Fashion Awards.
Yoko has issued the following statement on the 27th anniversary of the death of John Lennon:
I miss you, John. 27 years later, I still wish I could turn back the clock to the Summer of 1980. I remember everything sharing our morning coffee, walking in the park together on a beautiful day, and seeing your hand stretched to mine holding it, reassuring me that I shouldn't worry about anything because our life was good.
I had no idea that life was about to teach me the toughest lesson of all. I learned the intense pain of losing a loved one suddenly, without warning, and without having the time for a final hug and the chance to say, "I love you," for the last time. The pain and shock of that sudden loss is with me every moment of every day. When I touched John's side of our bed on the night of December 8th, 1980, I realized that it was still warm. That moment has haunted me for the past 27 years and will stay with me forever.
Even harder for me is watching what was taken away from our beautiful boy, Sean. He lives in silent anger over not having his Dad, whom he loved so much, around to share his life with. I know we are not alone. Our pain is one shared by many other families who are suffering as the victims of senseless violence. This pain has to stop.
Let's not waste the lives of those we have lost. Let's, together, make the world a place of love and joy and not a place of fear and anger. This day of John's passing has become more and more important for so many people around the world as the day to remember his message of Peace and Love and to do what each of us can to work on healing this planet we cherish.
Let's: Think Peace, Act Peace, and Spread Peace. John worked for it all his life. He said, "there's no problem, only solutions." Remember, we are all together. We can do it, we must. I love you!
Yoko Ono Lennon
Paul McCartney has received three Grammy nominations two for songs from Memory Almost Full and another for the album itself.
"Dance Tonight" has been nominated for Best Pop Vocal and "Only Mama Knows" has received the nod for Best Solo Rock Performance. Memory Almost Full has been nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Sir Paul's hat trick comes among 28 nominations for the Concord Music Group, which administers Starbuck's Hear Music label. Memory Almost Full, Macca's debut on the label, was released at Starbucks stores worldwide on June 5th, 2007.
The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF has donated $450,000 for relief and recovery efforts for the victims of the cyclone which devasted at least 30 districts in Bangladesh on November 15th, 2007.
"I am pleased that the commitment that George and Ravi Shankar made to the crisis in Bangladesh more than three decades ago is once again reaching out to assist the victims of Cyclone Sidr," said George's widow Olivia, in a statement announcing the donation. "Children are at their most vulnerable during natural disasters and it is incumbent upon all of us to act fast to save as many lives as possible."
More than 3,000 deaths have been confirmed from Cyclone Sidr. UNICEF says approximately half of the affected people are children and an estimated 600,000 of them are under five years old.
In 1971, George Harrison staged the pioneer all-star rock benefit, "the Concert for Bangladesh," to provide emergency relief for the country, which was Ravi's homeland. In 2005, Olivia launched the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF with an initial donation of $1 million, specifically targeting UNICEF programs in Bangladesh, while providing life-saving assistance to children suffering from civil conflict, natural disasters and poverty globally.
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Museum in Cleveland has opened an exhibit on the Beatles' movie Help!, which was recently remastered and released on DVD.
The display includes an audio collection, lobby posters, life-size cutouts and some of the wardrobe worn by the Beatles in the film, including John Lennon's cape from the "Ticket To Ride" sequence.
Paul McCartney has issued a statement opposing the closure of the Wirral Post Office near his Merseyside home. His brother, Mike McCartney, read the statement to the public. Mike is Wirral's cultural ambassador.
The Royal Mail's plan to close the post office has drawn sharp criticism from local politicians of all parties.
Macca named a squirrel character in his children's book, High In The Clouds, after Wirral. The post office in question is near the Lower Heswall home he has owned for over 40 years.
Paul McCartney says Beatles downloads will be made available in 2008.
"It's down to fine-tuning, but I'm pretty sure it'll be happening next year, 2008," Paul tells Billboard.
"You've got to get these things right," he says, refering to contractual issues and the remixing and preparation of a permanent Beatles' digital catalogue. "You don't want to do something that's as cool as that and in three years time you think, 'Oh God, why did we do that?'"
Art and graphics icon Peter Max will appear at Denver's AFNA gallery, 2721 East Third Avenue, Saturday November 17th and Sunday November 18th, 2007.
Peter told Beatlecaster Archer that people may bring his coffee-table book, The Art Of Peter Max, to the gallery for "a personal autograph and a doodle."
He'll be at AFNA from 6 to 9 PM Saturday and Noon to 3 Sunday.
Peter's artwork has adorned over 4,000 magazine covers, including the November 19th issue of Newsweek, "1968 The Year That Changed Everything."
He designed the first ten-cent U.S. stamp, using an ecology theme. At the request of John Lennon, Peter sketched out the prototype of the yellow submarine used in the animated feature.
Firefall Acoustic headlines the Rockin' Out MS benefit at Denver's Soiled Dove Underground on Friday, November 16th, 2007.
The event serves as a CD release party for Colorado To Liverpool, Jock Bartley and Steven Weinmeister's new album of Beatles interpretations inspired by their live performances on Archer's Beatlecasts.
Perpetual Motion, plus organizer Linda Storey and her daughter Jessica will also perform. A silent auction begins when the doors open at 8PM.
The Rockin' Out MS event benefits the Colorado chapter of the National MS Society and CASE for MS.
Paul McCartney fans can bid on a 10-foot-high guitar personally signed by Sir Paul through Gibson Guitartown London.
The giant fiberglass guitar, called "And The Crowd Goes Wild," was designed by Rosie Brooks and displayed publicly to 2½ million people in London this past summer.
The winning bidder is required to donate the giant guitar to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. He or she will be invited to present the guitar to the hospital with Paul McCartney on December 17th, 2007. The bidder will receive a special Gibson Les Paul signed by Paul at the event. An engraved plaque with the bidder's name on it will be placed in the hospital by the 10-foot guitar to mark the donation.
Gibson Guitartown London will split all proceeds from the auction evenly between the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation, the Princes Trust and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Meanwhile, a 12-by-18-foot flag hoisted up Hollywood's Capitol Tower by Ringo Starr is up for bids through the Kompolt Online Auction Agency, benefitting the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation.
The top bidder receives the flag which promotes the DVD release of Help! along with a certificate of authenticity signed by Ringo, a Help! limited-edition boxed set and a luxury trip for two to London which includes a tour of Abbey Road Studios.
A new studio album Ringo Starr calls "highly personal" will be released January 15th, 2008.
Liverpool 8 "refers to the section of Liverpool where I used to live," says Ringo. "The song was actually Dave Stewart's idea, as a mini autobiographical travelogue ... 'I was a sailor first ... ' and then, 'Liverpool I left you' because I did. 'But I never let you down,' which is true."
Ringo brought in Dave Stewart as collaborator on Liverpool 8 after starting the album with Mark Hudson.
"After Mark and I parted ways, Dave and I took over producing the record," says Ringo. "That's why the credits say, 'produced by Ringo Starr and Mark Hudson and over-produced by Ringo Starr and Dave Stewart.'"
Ringo & Dave Stewart are also staging Liverpool: The Musical in the 'Pool in 2008.
Capitol Records says Liverpool 8's 12 original tracks were all co-written by Starr and were recorded in England and in California with Gary Burr, Steve Dudas, Mark Hudson, Sean Hurley, Zac Rae and Dave Stewart.
Here's the tracklist:
The CD packaging on Ringo Starr's Live At Soundstage contains at least four errors:
John Lennon and George Harrison have made the top ten list of posthumous earnings for celebrities. The annual list is compiled by Forbes.com each Halloween.
The Lennon estate made $44 million and Harrison's made $22 million in the past year.
Elvis Presley's income for the period was $49 million, returning him to the #1 spot after Kurt Cobain topped the list in 2006. Cobain dropped off the 2007 list. Tupac Shakur was the only other musician to make his year's top 10.
A fireworks display at Heather Mills' mansion apparently scared a neighbor's dog to death.
Sandra Rowbury of East Sussex says her weimaraner Glow suffered fatal bloating after being terrified by the 20-minute display at a 4th birthday bash for Heather and Paul's daughter Beatrice. Sir Paul was not in attendance.
Rowbury says the display also caused 15 of her horses to stampede in terror, adding that Mills did not give neighbors the customary notice that the fireworks were to take place, so the animals were not sedated or moved for their protection.
Amnesty International USA marked United Nations Day by delivering to the White House a global petition with nearly a half-million signatures urging the Bush administration to press for deployment of the U.N. peacekeeping force to Darfur by early 2008 to urgently save lives.
The petition, signed by notables including Nobel Peace Laureate Jose Ramos-Horta and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, among others, was generated by Instant Karma: Save Darfur. The project combines John Lennon's music with high-tech online and mobile activism at InstantKarma.org.
Yoko Ono granted rights to Lennon's entire songbook to Amnesty International to call attention to the urgent situation in Darfur. More than 50 musical artists are featured on a CD and music downloads, including U2, R.E.M., Green Day, Aerosmith, Christina Aguilera, Ben Harper and a performance by Jakob Dylan with Dhani Harrison.
Paul McCartney is releasing three versions of the "Ever Present Past" single in the U.K. on November 5th, 2007.
The CD Single:
Paul McCartney is giving video tutorials for budding musicians on the instructional website NowPlayIt.com. Paul's instructions on the free video training service are for his Memory Almost Full hit "Ever Present Past."
"Sir Paul recorded lessons for bass, drums and guitar all inside one hour," says a website publicist. "He hopes to record further tutorials from his classic back catalogue."
The lion's share of George Harrison's solo catalogue is now available for digital download. Parlophone says nine of George's albums are immediately available and the remainder will follow in 2008.
George's last CD, Brainwashed is among the albums now online, along with the 21st-century remasters of All Things Must Pass, Thirty Three And A Third, George Harrison, Somewhere In England, Gone Troppo, Cloud Nine and Live In Japan. The remaster of Living In The Material World, which has been available for download since its release in 2006, has now been added to iTunes.
"It is exciting that George's catalogue is finally available for downloading," says Olivia Harrison. "He had begun the digital remastering of his albums but had no idea how the digital world would change the way we access and listen to music."
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have reportedly agreed to keep the terms of their divorce secret.
The Indo-Asian News Service says they're in the process of working out a settlement without appearing in court, which would avoid making the proceedings public record.
Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder's "Ebony & Ivory" has been named the worst duet in history in a poll of BBC listeners.
Paul's duet with Michael Jackson on "The Girl Is Mine" came in at number six.
Here are the five worst duets, according to the Beeb:
Paul McCartney has received this year's Idol Award from the music magazine Q. He was chosen via a reader survey.
Accepting the honor, Sir Paul thanked his fellow Beatles, his children and his first wife, Linda, adding that he still derives pleasure from making music.
"I've been doing this since I was just a little bairn and it's still the same for me now. Still the same magic, still the same emotion, still the same thrill," he said.
Yoko Ono has dedicated the Imagine Peace light tower on the isle of Videy in Iceland. John & Yoko's son, Sean, and Ringo Starr were also present for the event, but earlier reports in the Icelandic media that Paul McCartney was in Reykjavik were not correct.
The 60-foot tower is based on a 1967 vision John Lennon had of a "lighthouse" in which people could bathe in the light, based on a concept in a Yoko poem. Ground was broken for the project in October 2006 and the tower was dedicated on John's 67th birthday, Tuesday, October 9th, 2007.
The tower will shine each year from John's birthday through the anniversary of his death on December 8th, as well as on New Year's Eve and the spring equinox.
Firefall Acoustic, in a three-piece configuration, will hold three CD release party concerts in Colorado for Colorado To Liverpool, their extremely popular CD salute to the songs of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison.
Jock Bartley and Steven Weinmeister recorded the album because of the positive response generated by their acoustic Beatle-song performances on Archer's Beatlescasts and at some radio station music summits Archer hosted.
Firefall Acoustic is holding CD parties at Nissi's in Lafayette on Thursday, October 4th, 2007, at the Durango Community Concert Hall on Friday, October 26th and at Denver's Soiled Dove on Friday, November 16th.
Paul McCartney's DVD release of the June 2007 "secret gig" at L.A.'s Amoeba Records has been withdrawn. It was supposed to be part of a new deluxe edition of the Memory Almost Full album scheduled for release November 6th, 2007 through Starbucks' Hear Music label.
A solo-career-spanning video collection, The McCartney Years, is still slated for release on November 13th through MPL/Rhino.
Abbey Road On The River the U.S.'s largest Beatles music festival, which takes place in Louisville, Kentucky reports a record response to this year's earlier ticket sales.
Promoter Gary Jacob is urging Beatles fans to book accomodations early, especially at the Galt House Hotel, because other events in the city will cause rooms to be in short supply on the 2008 Memorial Day weekend. The Galt House is on the festival grounds and hosts three of Abbey Road On The River's stages.
This year, Abbey Road On The River admission is free to anyone 21 or under when accompanied by a ticketholder 22 or over.
John & Yoko top a Rolling Stone poll of "Rock & Roll Couples." Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda came in fifth. Also in the top five: Johnny Cash and June Carter, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon plus Jack and Meg White.
Martin Scorsese will direct an authorized documentary about George Harrison.
With the full cooperation of Olivia Harrison, the film will span George's Beatles and solo career, including his foray into producing motion pictures and his often-misunderstood spiritual philosophies. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will give exclusive interviews for the project.
"George Harrison's music and his search for spiritual meaning is a story that still resonates today and I'm looking forward to delving deeper," says Scorsese, who's Rolling Stones concert film, Shine A Light, is scheduled for release in April 2008.
"It's going to be a great year," says Paul McCartney of Liverpool's 2008 designation as European Capital of Culture. Macca will headline a concert at the 'Pool's Anfield Stadium in June which will be broadcast worldwide.
Ringo, meanwhile, has collaborated with producer/musician Dave Stewart on Liverpool: The Musical to mark his hometown's celebration. Stewart has described the project as "Stravinsky meets Hip Hop" and confirms Ringo will be an actual cast member of the show.
Producer/guitarist Les Fradkin will debut his follow-up to Pepper Front To Back on the September 30th, 2007 edition of Archer's Beatlecast.
Front To Back, released to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper and the 30th anniversary of Fradkin's opening as George in Broadway's Beatlemania!, became the most-requested covers album in Archer's Beatles show's five-year history.
The new CD, Guitar Revolution, features a technical advance in guitar synthesis and includes solo John Lennon and Paul McCartney songs as well as Beatles interpretations.
Paul McCartney may contribute a new song or two to the next Shrek film. Paul expressed interest because his daughter, Beatrice, is a fan of the computer-animated series. The producers say Macca may also provide a character voice. "Live And Let Die" was used in Shrek 3.
Prosecutors say they plan to retry producer Phil Spector after a mistrial was declared in the Lana Clarkson murder case.
Jurors remained locked 10-to-2 to convict Spector after over 44 hours of deliberation. The hold-out jurors said prosecutors didn't satisfactorily disprove the defense's stand that Clarkson was suicidal.
Spector produced the Beatles' Let It Be LP and several albums by George Harrison and John Lennon.
One of Ringo Starr's best live performances, for PBS's Soundstage, will be issued on CD October 23rd, 2007.
The concert, which took place in 2005 at Waukeegan, Illinois' Genesee Theater, features Ringo and his Roundheads, rather than his All-Starr Band.
Songs on the CD will include "I Wanna Be Your Man," "Choose Love," "It Don't Come Easy," "Don't Pass Me By," "Act Naturally," "Back Off Boogaloo" and "Octopus' Garden."
Ringo Starr Live At Soundstage marks the last Ringo release on the Koch label. He returned to EMI Records in a new deal signed earlier this year and his new album, Liverpool 8, is due in January.
Paul McCartney says the Beach Boys' song "God Only Knows" still makes him cry. The track appeared on 1966's Pet Sounds, an album which Paul has often cited as sparking the creativity behind his efforts on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper.
"'God Only Knows' is one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it," Paul told BBC Radio 1 listeners during a 40th anniversary broadcast. "It's really just a love song, but it's brilliantly done. It shows the genius of Brian (Wilson)."
A 1973 Mick Jagger recording which was produced by John Lennon will be released on The Very Best Of Mick Jagger on Rhino Records October 2nd, 2007.
The R&B chestnut "Too Many Cooks (Spoil The Soup)" boasts a backup band consisting of John, Danny Kortchmar, Jessie Ed Davis, Al Kooper, Jack Bruce, Bobby Keyes, Jim Keltner and Harry Nilsson.
Yoko Ono will dedicate a Peace Tower in Reykjavik on what would have been John Lennon's 67th birthday, October 9th, 2007.
The light tower is engraved with the word "Imagine" in 24 languages. Nearly 100,000 wishes for peace from people around the world will be buried in capsules at its base.
Yoko designed the 65-foot illuminated tower to fulfill a wish she and John had about constructing a Peace Tower nearly four decades ago. Yoko says she chose Iceland because of the country's peaceful and ecological nature.
After its dedication, the tower will remain lit through the anniversary of John's death on December 8th.
An official website dedicated to Linda McCartney is under construction. LindaMcCartney.com is set to debut in 2008. Linda, a champion of vegetarianism and animal rights, lost a battle with cancer in April of 1998. A fan site, LindaRemembered.com, still gets over 2,000,000 visitors per year.
Meanwhile, George Harrison and Eric Clapton's former squeeze, Pattie Boyd, has launched a website at pattieboyd.co.uk. Boyd is currently promoting her autobiography, Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me.
A concert by Paul McCartney will be part of the BBC's "Electric Proms" concert series, which take place at various London venues October 24th through 28th, 2007.
Sir Paul will perform October 25th. Ray Davies, Siouxsie Sioux and the Chemical Brothers are also included in the series.
Meanwhile, Paul, Noel Gallagher and Ozzy Osbourne are among the guest DJs for the 40th anniversary of England's Radio 1.
The Beatles' second film, Help! will be released in two DVD editions on October 30th, 2007.
The 2-disc sets will feature the original film digitally restored with a newly-created 5.1 soundtrack, along with an hour of extra features, including:
The Beatles in 'Help!', a 30 minute documentary about the making of the
film with Richard Lester, the cast and crew. Includes exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the Beatles on set.
A "missing scene," featuring Wendy Richard.
The Restoration of 'Help!', an in-depth look at the restoration
process.
Memories of 'Help!', in which the cast and crew reminisce.
Theatrical trailers.
1965 US radio commercials, hidden in disc menus.
Help! is being issued in a standard digipack and a deluxe boxed set. The box contains a reproduction of Richard Lester's original annotated script, 8 lobby cards and a poster, plus a 60-page book with rarely-seen photographs and production notes from the movie. Both the deluxe book and the standard booklet feature an introduction by Richard Lester and a tribute by Martin Scorsese.
3eatles lead guitarist Jeff Scarborough will appear on NBC's Today on Sunday, September 9th, 2007, to discuss his book, September's Camera. A feature on Jeff's book will also run on MSNBC.
Septembers Camera is Jeff's first-hand account of being a first-responder cameraman for WNBC-TV in New York on 9/11 and the account of his extraordinary and sometimes dangerous career.
Armed with privileged information from the 93 attack on the World Trade Center and realizing both towers were doomed Jeff pulled out of an emergency convoy just short of the WTC as he and reporter Rob Morrison approached the burning towers. Taking charge at the scene, Jeff ordered live-truck engineer Eddie Alonzo to stay 500 feet away and told all responding crews to back-off dangerously becoming NBCs sole cameraman broadcasting live from ground zero. He permitted only the live-shot reporter to join him at his camera position. During their live broadcast, the South Tower collapsed. They ran for their lives; Jeff rescued Eddie and stayed to videotape the panic and the North Tower collapse.
As the 3eatles are scheduled to play the Big Chili Cookoff in Evergreen on the day Jeff's in New York for the Today show, Jeff's son, Andrew Scarborough of the Black Apples, will take his spot in the five-piece band at Evergreen.
"I'd better watch out," says Jeff, who now resides in Conifer. "At 21, he's superior to his old man on both guitar and vocals."
Jeff has appeared on Archer's Beatles show with the 3eatles, the now-disbanded Off The Rail and as a performer of solo acoustic guitar renditions of Beatles songs.
Videos of Jeff's television work and information on September's Camera are posted at SeptembersCamera.com.
A four-decade-spanning collection of Paul McCartney videos, The McCartney Years, will be released on DVD on November 13th, 2007 through MPL/Rhino.
The three DVD set contains music videos starting in the '70s with "Maybe I'm Amazed," the Wings promo film for "Band On The Run" as well as the videos for hits ranging from "Say Say Say" to "Fine Line."
The films can be viewed either in chronological order or as playlists that have been personally arranged by Paul featuring his exclusive voiceover commentaries.
Live performances on The McCartney Years are taken from three classic McCartney live performances "Rockshow" from the 1976 "Wings Over America" tour, new edits of Paul's "MTV Unplugged" appearance and Sir Paul's headlining performance at 2004's Glastonbury Festival.
Bonus features include performances from Live Aid and Super Bowl XXIV, interviews with Melvyn Bragg and Michael Parkinson, alternative versions of music videos and the full-length 2005 documentary Creating Chaos at Abbey Road. Macca has recorded exclusive commentary and personal introductions for each promo video and live concert.
Here's the track listing for The McCartney Years:
DISC 1
Renowned Denver photographer/videographer/filmmaker Nicholas DeSciose has created a special photo exhibit for the Red Rocks Visitor Center Museum.
DeSciose was a photographer at the Beatles' sole Colorado appearance at Red Rocks on August 26th, 1964. Among the photos taken that night is the famous portrait of the Beatles in front of the American flag which occupied a wall in the backstage caverns of the amphitheater.
Each year since the 40th anniversary of that concert, 1964 The Tribute has brought Beatles music back to the Rocks, in a benefit for public television KBDI Channel 12. DeScoise was once again behind the camera lens for the 40th anniversary show in 2004.
Since his 1964 coverage of the Beatles at Red Rocks, DeScoise has become world famous for his photography and other visual media.
"Nicholas DeSciose is a versatile studio and location photographer whose five decades of experiences have taken him on assignments to all parts of the world," says KBDI's Sam Safarian, who organizes the annual benefit concerts. "His knowledge of special effects and attention to detail has earned numerous awards for a variety of clients. The hallmark of a DeSciose photograph is its spirited and sensitive treatment of subject and design."
The Red Rocks Vistor Center Museum is open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM and is free to the public. Red Rocks is one of only four original concert sites still remaining from the Beatles' first American tour in 1964.
The 2007 1964 The Tribute concert sold out for the fourth consecutive time and Beatlecaster Archer announced to the crowd that a date has been locked in for a 2008 show. Click here for photos from 2004's 40th anniversary show.
John Lennon's solo catalog has made its debut on iTunes.
Sixteen of John's solo works from EMI Music are now available on iTunes, with the Lennon Legend and Acoustic collections making their worldwide digital debuts.
"John would have loved the fact that his music will now be available in a format suited to a new generation of listeners," says Yoko Ono.
For a limited period, exclusive video content will be included with the albums Plastic Ono Band, Sometime In New York City, Walls And Bridges and Milk And Honey plus the Lennon Anthology and Working Class Hero compilations.
The first career-spanning Ringo Starr collection will be released on Capitol Records on Tuesday, August 28th, 2007.
Photograph: The Very Best Of Ringo Starr marks Ringo's return to EMI. His new studio album, Liverpool 8, will be released on Capitol in January of 2008.
A collector's edition of Photograph will include a DVD with seven feature tracks, including audio of Ringo and John Lennon sharing voiceover duties in a radio ad for the Goodnight Vienna album.
The audio CD bears 20 cuts ranging from 1971's "It Don't Come Easy" through 2005's "Fading In And Fading Out," representing Ringo's releases on the Apple/Capitol, Atlantic, Mercury, Boardwalk, Private Music and Koch labels.
Missing, however, are some of Ringo fans' favorites, like "She's About A Mover," "Don't Go Where The Road Don't Go," "Drift Away," "Cookin' In The Kitchen Of Love," "Don't Hang Up," and "Elizabeth Reigns," nor does the collection contain the the sought-after B-side "Don't Be Cruel." Fans will also have to keep waiting for an official audio release of Ringo's video performance of "I Call Your Name," featuring Tom Petty, Joe Walsh, Jeff Lynne and Jim Keltner.
As part of the global deal returning Ringo to EMI, his entire Apple/Capitol/Parlophone catalogue is being be reissued on CD and through digital downloads. Several titles will also be offered as ringtones.
Here's the tracklist for the Photograph audio CD:
Firefall Acoustic's Beatles tribute CD, Colorado To Liverpool, is now available at the Mile High Music Store.
Firefall's Jock Bartley and Steven Weinmeinster graciously consented to sing acoustic versions of Beatles songs at several of Beatlecaster Archer's events events in 2004. This led to several appearances on the show and a demand from fans for a CD. A one-take on-air performance of "Come Together" appeared on a Colorado music compilation and created even more demand, so Jock & Steven took to the studio in between Firefall's tour dates to formally record interpretations of some of their favorite Lennon-MCartney and Harrison songs.
Augmented with a bit of soundscape layering, added bass in appropiate places, "raga" guitar jamming and some effective use of guest accordion and tablas, Colorado To Liverpool serves up 11 songs humbly and reverently executed with love by two avowed Beatles fans.
Here's the tracklist:
Previously-unseen Beatles footage is being made available at mbopMegastore.com. The clips include "secret" concert footage, private conversations, the Beatles driving through London with the Beach Boys and the band taking a boat ride down the Thames.
The footage was taken by the Beatles' late roadie and assistant Mal Evans. Evans' widow found the stash of film stored in the attic.
Cheap Trick will salute the 40th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with two special shows at the Hollywood Bowl August 10th and 11th, 2007.
Aimee Mann and Joan Osborne are among friends of the band that will participate in the tribute, which will recreate Pepper track-by-track.
PETA has praised Paul McCartney for refusing to fund cancer research charities that use animal testing methods.
"When Linda died I said I would support cancer charities," says Sir Paul, "animal rights groups wrote to me pointing out that many were heavily into vivisection - and it's true. A doctor we knew out in America just admitted it as a matter of fact, innocently, like 'Well, sure we do.' What he doesn't realize is that he won't get a donation out of me for that very fact. There are better alternatives, but you're not allowed to challenge the status quo."
"Animal testing charities don't just miss out on big money they miss out on medical progress," says PETA's Alistair Currie. "Animals are not furry little humans and their bodies cannot reliably predict results for human conditions."
Mike McCartney will conduct a rare exhibition of his photos in the days before the John Lennon Northern Lights Festival at Durness, Scotland.
Macca's brother says he didn't want the showing to take place during the festival because the celebration should focus on John Lennon's ties with the region.
The McCartney formerly known as Mike McGear will exhibit his photography from the 2005 Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park, which featured his brother, U2, Elton John, Coldplay, Velvet Revolver, the Who, Annie Lennox, Madonna, R.E.M. and a reunited Pink Floyd.
A new plaque at the Mirage in Las Vegas, home of the Cirque du Soleil LOVE show, remembers John Lennon and George Harrison.
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison, Yoko Ono and Cirque du Soleil's Guy Laliberte dedicated the plaque on the first anniversary of LOVE.
They also appeared on a special edition of CNN's Larry King Live, broadcast from the Revolution Lounge at the Mirage.
Paul McCartney teared up while performing a salute to John Lennon, George Harrison and his late wife Linda at his so-called "secret gig" at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles.
The crowd included fans, media and such notables as Ringo Starr, Barbara Bach and Olivia Harrison.
"It's OK to cry, we're grownups," said Paul after he choked up while singing "Here Today." It was one of 21 Beatles and solo songs Paul performed.
His latest album, Memory Almost Full, has spent its first three weeks in the U.S. top five.
Gaby Moreno, Ari Shine and Victor Indrizzo of Los Angeles have taken home the Maxell Song of the Year Award in the annual John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Their song, "Escondidos," was the first Latin-catagory winner to take the grand prize.
Fergie presented the trio with a $20,000 check at Roseland in New York City, where they also became her opening act.
The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, sanctioned by Yoko Ono and now in its tenth year, has an executive judging committee consisting of Elton John, Carlos Santana, Tim McGraw and other notables.
The New York Post says Julian Lennon has resumed his relationship with half-brother Sean Ono Lennon after years of no communication. Julian says he sparked the feud eight years ago by insulting Sean's mom, Yoko Ono. Julian's mother is Cynthia Lennon, John's first wife.
Julian told the paper he contacted Sean through his tour manager and surprised his bro backstage at a concert in Prague. He then remained on the bus during Sean's tour through Croatia and Slovenia.
"I thought it time to make big changes in my own life," Julian told the Post. "Part of that has been to get Sean back into my life, because I love him so much."
George Harrison has been scheduled to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2008. Bandmate John Lennon received a posthumous star near the Capitol building in 1989.
The Traveling Wilburys Collection debuted at #1 on charts in England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Norway, and at #9 in the States.
The compilation includes crystal-clear mixes of the supergroup's two albums, Volume 1 and Volume 3, plus four bonus cuts and a DVD containing a documentary and videos. Fans of George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne had been waiting ten years for the Traveling Wilburys material to be reissued.
Meanwhile, Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full retained its #3 position on the U.S. chart in its second week of release.
Instant Karma: Save Darfur debuted at #15. The Amnesty International double-CD features performances of John Lennon songs by U2, Green Day, R.E.M., Black Eyed Peas, Jackson Browne, Los Lonely Boys, Big & Rich, Jakob Dylan with Dhani Harrison and others.
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono will be the guests on CNN's Larry King Live Tuesday, June 26th, 2007.
The special will celebrate the first anniversary of Cirque de Soleil's production of The Beatles' LOVE at the Mirage in Las Vegas.
Ringo Starr's new album, Liverpool 8, will be released in January of 2008, marking his first new studio album on Capitol/EMI since 1975.
Ringo's new global contract with Capitol/EMI returns him to the label where he had a consecutive string of seven top-ten hits following the Beatles' breakup.
On August 28th, 2007, EMI will issue digitized versions of Ringo's album catalog on CDs and through digital downloads.
On that same date, Photograph: The Very Best Of Ringo Starr will be issued on CD and in a deluxe CD/DVD Collector's Edition. Both versions bring together 20 standout tracks previously issued on Capitol/Apple, Atlantic, Mercury, Boardwalk, Private Music and Koch. The Collector's Edition adds several promo films and music videos, including "It Don't Come Easy," "Wrack My Brain" and Ringo's duet with Buck Owens on "Act Naturally."
Six Ringo ringtones will also be available on August 28th.
Ringo rejoins EMI shortly after fellow surviving Beatle Paul McCartney opted to sign with Starbucks' Hear Music label for his new hit album Memory Almost Full. Regarding his return to EMI after 37 years, Ringo says, "It's good to be back. It feels like home, just like Liverpool 8." It should that album will be issued on Capitol in the U.S. and on Parlophone in England.
Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full has debuted at #3 on the Billboard album chart, marking his highest debut for a studio album since Flaming Pie, which entered at #2 in 1997. The Back In The U.S. live set debuted at #2 in 2002.
It was an impressive debut for a twentieth-century icon's 21st studio album. New releases from T-Pain and Rihanna took the top 2 slots, while near-contemporaries the Police debuted at #11 with a self-titled greatest hits CD.
Meanwhile, Paul wowed a crowd of 700 at New York's Highline Ballroom in the second "Secret Gig" to promote the album. He performed Beatles and earlier solo songs, along with five selections from the new album. Here's the set list:
"This one was written for John. I would like to dedicate this song to all our fallen heroes," said Paul McCartney to an audience of 900 at the Electric Ballroom in London, as he performed "Here Today."
It was one of Macca's "Secret Gigs" taking place in the UK and US to promote Memory Almost Full, his 21st studio album.
In addition to a few solo gems, Paul's 90-minute performance included Beatles numbers and songs from the new album.
Sir Paul has also made select TV appearances to promote Memory Almost Full, including "Later With Jools Holland" in the UK and "Good Morning America" in the US.
Meanwhile, the British music chart concern, Official Chart Company, says copies of Memory Almost Full sold in UK coffee shops will not count toward the album's chart position there.
Starbucks, which is selling the CD in over 500 British shops, says it has no plans for reporting sales to England's chartmaker.
The Fables & Friends Fab Fest will celebrate all things Beatles and commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Summer Of Love Friday, June 22nd, 2007, at the Blue Note Lounge in the 1770 Sherman Street Event Complex in Denver.
As the Fables and surprise guests will provide Beatles and solo Beatles tunes.
The Fables & Friends Fab Fest will benefit the Arbor Day Foundation.
TheBeatles.com has launched a subsite to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The site includes a brief audio documentary and three special-edition Pepper products and links to a Making Of Sgt. Pepper video.
Paul McCartney says he was forced to decline involvement in Pepper commemorations because he was so busy promoting the June 5th, 2007 release of Memory Almost Full.
Bob Dylan tells Rolling Stone that Paul McCartney's "still got it."
"I'm in awe of McCartney," says Dylan. "He's about the only one that I am in awe of. He can do it all. And he's never let up."
Regarding the Beatles, Dylan tells the magazine, "They were fantastic singers. Lennon, to this day, it's hard to find a better singer than Lennon was, or than McCartney was and still is."
Dylan says his late friend and fellow Wilbury, George Harrison, was overshadowed by the greatness of Lennon-McCartney when he was in the Beatles. "If George had had his own group and was writing his own songs back then," says Dylan, "he'd have been probably just as big as anybody."
|
Audio: Jane Smernicki, University Of Dundee 
|
|
|---|---|
|
The 500 Beatles photos in the university archives. |
Photographer Michael Peto willed the photos to the university in 1971, but they were forgotten until they turned up when the university was transferring its archives to digital media.
The photos were discovered on October 5th, 2002 the 40th anniversary of the release of the Beatles' first single, "Love Me Do."
The pictures portray a behind-the-scenes look at the Beatles while they were filming Help! in 1965.
Starbucks estimates that 6 million customers will hear Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full album on June 5th, 2007 when it's debuted at the chain's stores around the world.
The CD is Sir Paul's 21st studio album and his first on Starbucks' Hear Music label.
It will we played continuously on the day of its release in over 10,000 shops in 29 countries.
The remote British Highland village of Durness has announced that a major festival to honor John Lennon will take place there in September 2007.
John spent at least five summers in nearby Sango Bay in his youth. The landscape is said to have inspired some of the lyrics in "In My Life."
The event will feature music, poetry and a dance in Britain's largest sea cave.
Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full can be pre-ordered through iTunes. A deluxe version includes three bonus tracks, a bonus video, a digital booklet, and an audio commentary track. The album will be issued in all formats June 5th, 2007.
Meanwhile, EMI Music has confirmed its retaining Paul's solo catalog and is preparing a comprehensive re-launch, including new downloads and CD releases.
"For the very first time, McCartney and Wings albums will be made available across all digital platforms," says EMI. "In the U.S., Capitol/EMI Music Catalog Marketing will oversee the physical and digital catalog initiatives."
Paul's EMI catalog stretches from his first solo album, 1970's McCartney, through 2005's Chaos And Creation In The Backyard.
EMI Music UK chairman Tony Wadsworth said, "Paul McCartney's post-Beatles catalog, spanning four decades, is one of the great treasures of popular music. EMI is proud to be introducing Paul's music to the digital marketplace."
Click here for a report on Paul's digital debut from PR Newswire's Karen Zady.
Sir Paul McCartney's Ecce Cor Meum has picked up the Classical Brits Album Of The Year award.
Ecce Cor Meum, Latin for "behold my heart," was more than eight years in the making. It was the result of Paul being commissioned to write music for the opening of a new concert hall at the world-renowned Magdalen College at Oxford. The project was interrupted by the death of Linda, but was eventually finished and released in September 2006.
The Album Of the Year Award is chosen by public vote; all other Classical Brit awards are determined by music experts and critics.
Hain Celestial Group has relaunched the Linda McCartney brand of vegan foods in the UK.
David Arrow, managing director of Hain Celestial UK, says, "Hain Celestial is delighted with the new product range and its incredibly positive reaction from the UK consumer. The range has been developed in close consultation with the McCartney family to ensure the brand remains true to Linda's original vision and reflects the food values she believed in."
11 improved products have been reintroduced, ranging from creamy vegetable pies to vegetarian sausages.
The British press is saying Paul McCartney is keen to finish the third "reunited" Beatles recording which was abandoned before the release of the Anthology series in the mid-'90s.
The John Lennon demo "Now And Then" was left in a rough form after being cleaned up by producer Jeff Lynne. Paul, Ringo and George had done some instrumental overdubs on the song, which consisted mostly of choruses.
The original tape of "Now And Then" has been bootlegged under several titles, including "I Don't Want To Lose You" and "Miss You."
If Paul finishes the verses, it would create a "new" Lennon-McCartney Beatles recording which, according to some pundits, would be an attractive cut for a Beatles download launch.
Archer's Beatles show welcomes 1964 - The Tribute to Red Rocks for the 4th annual benefit for Colorado Public Television KBDI-12.
The 1964 concerts commemorate the Beatles' sole appearance in Colorado in August of 1964. The band, dubbed "the number one Beatles tribute show on Earth" by Rolling Stone, play songs from the entire Beatles' live performance era. People have traveled from as far away as England and Australia for the event, which has sold out each year since its debut in 2004.
This year's concert takes place Saturday, August 25th, 2007. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.
"I've got too much on my plate. Don't have no time to be a decent lover..."
So begins "Ever Present Past," a cut from the forthcoming Paul McCartney album, Memory Almost Full, which was debuted on Archer's Beatles show.
The album will be released Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 on Starbucks' Hear Music label.
Click here to read Paul's notes on the album.
Here's the tracklist for Memory Almost Full:
Items from John Lennon and Paul McCartney were among those which helped raise 2½ million dollars for Music Rising, a campaign launched in 2005 by U2's The Edge and producer Bob Ezrin to replace musical instruments lost or destroyed by hurricanes and aid effected musicians in the Gulf region.
Under the gavel through Julien's Auctions, John Lennon's round, blue-tinted sunglasses fetched $30,000 and Paul McCartney's hand-painted and signed Epiphone Texan guitar garnered $63,000.
The Edge's 1975 Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar, which was played on every U2 tour since 1985, sold for a record $240,000.
Primary Wave will also market Julian's forthcoming album under the deal.
Nine men and three women have been sworn in as jurors in the Phil Spector trial.
The music mogul and producer of projects by the Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison has been charged with the murder of starlet-waitress Lana Clarkson, a charge which Spector denies.
Jurors were told they can expect the trial to last two to three months.
Yoko Ono and Keith Richards are among those who will testify for the defense.
Oasis is re-recording the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album with a lineup of UK musical all-stars.
Original EMI engineer Geoff Emerick will produce the charity project, which will be recorded with much of the original analogue recording equipment used for the 1967 original.
The project will debut as a BBC Radio 2 special in June 2007.
"He was there since the inception of the band in Liverpool and has meant so much to the Beatles' family for all these years and still does," says an Apple statement. "However, he has decided to move on. Apple as a whole, and each member of this company, wishes him great success in whatever endeavor he chooses to pursue in the future."
Jeff Jones leaves his 12-year position of executive VP of Legacy Recordings and the Sony/BMG Catalog to take over the reins of Apple. Apple says Jones has "a brilliant record" over his 30 years in the music industry.
A deluxe linen-bound collection will include Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 and a DVD bearing five videos. The Wilburys reissues will also include a vinyl edition and a "digital bundle."
Two previously-unreleased songs, "Maxine" and "Like A Ship," will be included as bonus tracks on Vol. 1. The obscure B-side "Runaway" and the charity recording "Nobody's Child" have been added to Vol. 3.
The all-instrumental album, a sonic-landscape-style follow up to Les' highly-successful While My Guitar Only Plays, features new takes on all the songs from Pepper plus the Beatles' 1967 anthem "All You Need Is Love."
All the instruments on the album are generated by Les' heavily-modified Fender "Rocky" Stratocaster guitar rigged to various gizmos that mold the notes into unconventional sounds. Les goes beyond standard guitar synthesis by mashing up the various settings and effects into musical scenarios that couldn't possibly exist in the physical universe.
The album is available from Amazon.com
Julian Lennon has sold a "significant stake" in his share of his father's publishing royalties to an American publishing company.
Apple Corps Ltd. has announced the departure of CEO Neil Aspinall who, Apple points out, "had been with John, Paul, George and Ringo for a spectacular 40-plus years, during which he played an indispensable role for the four."
Four bonus cuts will be featured in the Traveling Wilburys reissue due June 2007 on Rhino/Wilbury Records.
Les Fradkin's new album, Pepper Front To Back, celebrates two anniversaries: 40 years since the release of Sgt. Pepper and the start of the Summer of Love, plus the 30th anniversary of the opening of Beatlemania! on Broadway, in which Les portrayed George Harrison.
Paul McCartney's custom-made Cadillac has been sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for $60,000.
The vegan-friendly 2006 model has a special interior which is made with no animal products. It features Paul's signature on the visor and comes with a transfer-of-title bearing Paul's name.
The auction raised money for the Darrel Gwynn Foundation, which funds research into cures for paralyzing diseases and spinal cord injuries.
September's Camera, a new book by 3eatles lead guitarist Jeff Scarborough, is a first-hand account of being a WNBC-TV news cameraman during the 9/11 attacks in New York. Jeff and reporter Rob Morrison were broadcasting live from the World Trade Center when the South Tower collapsed.
The book covers Jeff's extraordinary and dangerous career as seen through his camera lens. He has since moved to Colorado and has appeared on Archer's Beatles show several times with the 3eatles and as a solo acoustic performer.
The book is available in hardcover, paperback or downloadable formats at SeptembersCamera.com.
The Fest For Beatles Fans will take place at the Mirage in Las Vegas on July 1st through 3rd, 2007.
That's the hotel where Cirque du Soleil performs the Beatles' LOVE. Discount hotel rates for fest attendees has been arranged at the Mirage.
Peter & Gordon, the Pete Best Band plus former Wings members Laurence Juber, Denny Lane and Denny Seiwell will appear at the Vegas fest. Producer and Ringo-collaborator Mark Hudson, along with Liverpool, Victor Spinetti and Martin Lewis are also featured.
The Fest For Beatles Fans also boasts signed artwork from John, Ringo and Paul plus a massive amount of Beatles merchandise.
John's Lennon's blue-tinted sunglasses and Paul McCartney's hand-painted Epiphone Texan Guitar are among the items being auctioned to benefit musicians whose lives were torn apart by Hurricane Katrina.
U2's The Edge, producer Bob Ezrin and Gibson Guitar Chairman Henry Juszkiewicz founded the charity, Music Rising, in 2005. The Edge is auctioning off his favorite guitar a 1975 cream Gibson Les Paul.
The live and online auction, hosted by Julien's, features 200 pieces of music memorabilia, much of which has been specifically donated for this cause, including items connected with Nirvana, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, U2, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Coldplay, the Grateful Dead and Ray Charles.
The UK's Smooth Radio has released a poll of over-50 Britons who chose "Imagine" by John Lennon as their all-time favorite song.
The highest-placing Beatles song among the baby-boomers surveyed was "Hey Jude," which came in 15th. "Yesterday," "A Day In The Life," "In My Life" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" also made the top 50.
Sean Lennon's tour to support his Friendly Fire album & DVD brings him to Denver's Bluebird Theater on April 21st, 2007.
Sean's CD is accompanied by short film versions of each of the tracks. Guests on the release include Matt Chamberlain, Jon Brion, Yuka Honda, Carrie Fisher and Lindsay Lohan.
Ringo Starr is doing his first radio station promotion by contributing art to an exhibition organized by WBIG in Washington, D.C.
Sixteen of Ringo's pieces will be featured in the exhibition, which takes place in a specially-created gallery in Bethesda, Maryland March 23rd through 25th, 2007. Two of the prints have never been seen publicly.
"I started in the late nineties with my computer art. While I was touring it gave me something to do in all those crazy hotels you have to stay in on the road," says Ringo. "Most of the titles for my pieces arrived because on computer you have to call them something, so I have. The easy way to look at it is, if it has a hat on, it will probably be called 'Hat Man.'"
All proceeds from the show will go to benefit the Lotus US Foundation charity.
The exhibit will also feature personal video from Ringo and hand-signed prints from his friends John, Paul and George.
Wippit, a website which had been teasing forthcoming Beatles downloads, has revealed that those files won't contain any Beatles' music. They're offering documentary films of subjects ranging from the Beatles' world breakthrough in 1964, to the set of the movie "Help!" through Paul & Linda's wedding and John & Yoko's bed-in for peace.
The footage comes from the archives of ITN, Pathe Films and Reuters. The downloads will not be immediately available for residents of North America.
Make Some Noise, Amnesty International's global music activism project, will release an all-star Lennon covers album on June 12th, 2007 titled Instant Karma: The Campaign To Save Darfur.
Yoko Ono has waived all publishing and reproduction rights to assure that Make Some Noise makes the maximum percentage of sales for its relief efforts in Darfur, Sudan.
"John's music set out to inspire change, and in standing up for human rights, we really can make the world a better place," says Yoko.
The 20-track album will feature performances by U2, Green Day, R.E.M., Yousou N'Dour, Willie Nelson, Black Eyed Peas and others.
Meanwhile, downloads of Lennon covers are available at 7digital.com.
Paul McCartney has signed to Starbucks' new Hear Music record label, letting renewal of his long-running deal with Capitol/EMI lapse.
An insider Beatlecaster Archer that Macca's move locks estranged wife Heather Mills out of any advance money that would have come from an EMI renewal.
Heather is attempting to use partial custody of daughter Beatrice as a bargaining tool to get a $20,000-a-day divorce settlement from Sir Paul.
The U.S. National Association of Recording Merchandisers has named Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band the "most essential album ever made." The survey was conducted by NARM and the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
In announcing a "Definitive 200" album list, NARM president Jim Donio said the list "urges people to remember that most of their favorite songs are part of a unique art form, the album. In an era when record stores and album sales are somewhat embattled, NARM thought it was the perfect time to release this list, and have retailers promote these great, classic albums. There are no 'greatest hits' or 'best of' compilations. We are reminding folks what we already know to be true: albums, just like record stores, aren't going anywhere."
Abbey Road ranked 12th, the "White Album" was 38th, Revolver came in at 42 and Rubber Soul was number 110. George Harrison was the highest-placing solo Beatle, with All Things Must Pass ranking 69th. John Lennon's Imagine LP came in 144th and Wings' Band On The Run album placed 182nd. The top 10 definitive albums:
Berwick Academy in Maine yanked its public premiere of 3 Days In The Life, a documentary on John Lennon, after threats from Yoko Ono's attorneys.
The film, which has no narration nor scripted scenes, documents John composing "Remember" and "Mind Games," practicing "Instant Karma" for a TV appearance and conducting a tour of his Tittenhurst, England home.
The film was shot by Yoko's ex-husband Tony Cox in 1970, two months before the Beatles broke up. The unfinished project was purchased by executive producer Ray Thomas and his partners in 2000 for 1 million dollars.
Berwick cancelled its free screening of the film after Yoko's attorneys advised the school that there had been a long-running copyright dispute over the footage.
| Audio: Dave Schwensen | |
|---|---|
| One of the interesting facts about the '66 tour uncovered while researching the book. |
Dave Schwensen's The Beatles In Cleveland, which features exciting rare photos and insightful interviews with the principals in the 1964 and 1966 concerts, is a labor of love by the Cleveland native, who attended the 1966 melee that left Paul's jacket torn and Ringo minus a drum stick that had been yanked from his hand by one of thousands of fans who rushed the stage.
The book also examines conflicts between the local radio stations who vied for ownership of the 1964 concert and draws inside information about the tours from some of the artists who opened for the Beatles.
The Beatles In Cleveland will be released in April 2007 but fan of Archer's Beatles show can buy autographed copies now through BeatlesInCleveland.com
A Beatles tribute band out of Woodstock, Illinois claims the youngest lineup.
Called Stockwood, the group consists of 14-year-old J.D. Fuller, 13-year-old Colin Berg, 11-year-old John Morefield and 10-year-old Evan Berg.
Apple's Neil Aspinal says not to expect the DVD release of the film Let It Be any time soon.
Aspinal says viewing restored portions of the film opened old wounds surrounding the Beatles' break-up, so he doesn't expect Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to sign off on its release.
The film was restored by legendary producer/digitizer Bob Smeaton in 2005.
Rare photography from the Beatles' publicity shoot in 1968 will be showcased at New York's Jacob Javitz Center to promote proper art conservation and framing techniques.
Crescent Cardboard, Tru Vue and Roma Moulding will exhibit highlights from the 1968 collection by renowned British photographer Tom Murray at ArtExpo on March 1st through 5th, 2007.
The promoters of Louisville, Kentucky's Abbey Road On The River call it a gesture of "love" for Valentine's Day: buy-one-get-one-free general admission tickets, or 25% off on all single-day or multi-day reserved tickets, through February 28th, 2007.
Abbey Road On The River takes place May 24th through 28th with eight stages and 75 bands saluting the fab four. This year's event includes a live rendition of the Beatles' LOVE album, recreated by Hal Bruce, All You Need is Love and British Export, with the Backwards, the Fab 3 and a cast of over 20 bands and special guests.
Abbey Road On The River has also announced its first spinoff event. "Abbey Road On The Mountain" will be held at the Toyota Pavillion in Scranton, Pennsylvania from 1 - 11 PM June 2nd, 2007. Over 20 bands will be featured, including a tribute to the 40th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper.
The Fab Faux will appear at L.A.'s House of Blues on Sunset Strip to stage their note-for-note recreation of the Beatles' White Album on April 20th, 2007.
The Fab Faux was co-founded by bassist Will Lee, a member of Paul Shaffer's CBS Orchestra.
The group was featured on The Late Show With David Letterman on February 9th to commmorate the Beatles' first US TV appearance on that date in 1964.
The Late Show originates from the Ed Sullivan Theater, the former CBS Television Center where John, Paul, George & Ringo amused Sullivan and thrilled an audience filled with teenage girls, while a record 73 million Americans looked on.
The Beatles' Apple Corps and computer giant Apple Inc. have reached an agreement which will end a 26-year dispute over the Apple brand.
Under the agreement, Apple Inc. will take full control of the Apple trademark and license portions of it back to Apple Corps. The monetary terms of the settlement are confidential, but the agreement includes the abandonment of lawsuits between the two firms.
In announcing the deal, Apple Inc. chief Steve Jobs said, "We love the Beatles and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks. It feels great to resolve this in a positive manner, and in a way that should remove the potential of further disagreements in the future."
"It is great to put this dispute behind us and move on," said Apple Corps spokesman Neil Aspinal. "We wish Apple Inc. every success and look forward to many years of peaceful cooperation with them."
The deal is expected to pave the way for the Beatles music catalogue to make its debut on Apple's iTunes. Aspinal says the catalogue is still in the process of being digitized.
The two companies have been arguing over use of the Apple trademark since George Harrison spotted a magazine ad for an Apple computer in 1980. The Beatles had formed Apple Corps 12 years earlier.
| Audio: Eric Howell with Archer | |
|---|---|
| on portraying all four Beatles |
Eric told Beatlecaster Archer he was a Beatles music fan before he could read.
He also grew up in Chicago enjoying the old radio dramas like The Lone Ranger, CBS Radio Mystery Theater and the Top 40 comedy serials like Dick Orkin's Chickenman. He's put those influences together for A Day In The Life: The Beatles (radio) Biography.
The series begins with the meeting of John Lennon & Paul McCartney, which, Eric points out, "set rock and roll on its ear."
Sir George Martin turned up for an auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, where collectors' cars and rock memorabilia were being sold side-by-side.
The 1906 Bechstein grand piano from Abbey Road which was used on the Beatles' recordings went for $46,000. A 1917 piano once owned by John Lennon sold for for $345,000.
Martin's handwritten orchestral score for the LOVE version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" sold for $60,000.
"This is the last Beatles score ever written, and the last score Ill ever write," Sir George told the bidders.
Earlier in the auction, George Harrison's handwritten lyric sheet for "Gently Weeps" sold for $300,000.
The top bid for an auto was 5½ million dollars for an 800-horsepower Cobra Super Snake, which was the personal car of racer/designer Carroll Shelby. It marks the highest price ever paid for an American car.
The Smithereens will tour the U.S. to support their new CD, Meet The Smithereens, which is a track-by-track cover of the American Meet The Beatles album.
The Smithereens have covered numerous Beatles and solo Beatles songs at their concerts and included "One After 909" and "It Don't Come Easy" on their Attack Of The Smithereens rarities album in 1995. In 2005, they headlined at Abbey Road On The River as a Beatles cover band.
They'll launch the tour February 15th, 2007 in Los Angeles, with more dates for late winter and spring to be announced.
Sir Paul McCartney gets to keep the wildlife-viewing pavillion on his 900-acre East Sussex, England spread after promising zoning officials that he'll demolish a three-bedroom wooden lodge on the property.
The district council had originally ordered the lakeside pavillion, the lodge and two agricultural barns torn down because they were built without planning permits.
John Lennon's "Imagine" tops a survey of "The 99 Best Songs Ever" conducted by Performing Songwriter magazine.
Only one Beatles song, "Yesterday," made the top 10:
George Harrison's handwritten lyrics for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" snagged $300,000 at auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, during a rock memorabilia auction partnered by Louise Cooper of Cooper Owen.
The lyric sheet includes the "play you are staging" verse which was not used in the original Beatles release, along with George's handwritten corrections. At the bottom of the page, George notes, "The band leader said he ain't playin' no more," which is an apparent reference to the tensions between group members during the "Hey Jude"/White Album sessions. Ironically, the reverse side bears the lyrics of "Hey Jude," written out for George by session assistant Mal Evans.
On the block for charity is George Martin's last original score for the Beatles the handwritten orchestral score to the LOVE version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," signed by Sir George, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Olivia Harrison along with the 1906 Bechstein grand piano George Martin and the Beatles used at Abbey Road Studios. The sale of the George Martin items is expected to be broadcast on the Speed Channel as part of a primetime classic car auction on January 20th, 2007.
A watercolor painting of a bird, drawn and signed by John Lennon in 1952, fetched $60,375. Another original drawing by John went for $19,550.
The Discovery Channel debuts the documentary Unseen Beatles on Wednesday, January 17th, 2007.
It follows the Beatles on their last decade of live performances, with intimate eyewitness testimony from those closest to the band, previously-unheard interviews, plus never-before-seen home video and photographs.
The Hain Celestial Group has acquired Avalon Natural Food Products. The Linda McCartney brand of vegetarian foods is under the Hain umbrella.
Rumors are swirling in London that Paul McCartney's music company, MPL Communications Ltd., may buy EMI Music. The group includes Parlophone Records, the label that signed the Beatles in 1962.
Despite the successful release of the LOVE album, EMI experienced soft sales in 2006. CEO Alain Levy has stepped down and the EMI group has announced job cuts at all levels along with a restructuring of EMI's business model.
EMI abandoned a multi-billion-dollar bid for Warner Music in 2006.
Beatles producer George Martin and his son Giles are endorsing Waves audio technology in a new ad series.
"When it comes to sound, Waves is synonymous with excellence," says Sir George.
Giles is also an avid user of Waves tools, having used them to engineer and/or produce Elvis Costello, Celine Dion, INXS and others. "There are a lot of audio tools out there, but Waves are the ones I rely on everyday," said Giles Martin.
The father-son team relied on the Waves technology to assemble the Beatles' LOVE project for Cirque du Soleil and the album.
Ringo Starr's Toxeth, England birthplace, which is slated for demolition, may be taken down and reassembled at the forthcoming Museum Of Liverpool. O