Paul McCartney Joins Nirvana!

From BBC America

Sir Paul will join Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear for a special performance at tonight’s benefit concert for families effected by Hurricane Sandy, which effectively means he’ll be playing the Kurt Cobain role, right down to being the sole left-handed guitarist in a group of northpaw rockers. JUST LIKE KURT OMG!

This odd union came out of a conversation between Sir Paul and Dave, in which they planned to do something special for the concert, which takes place tonight in Madison Square Garden. According to Sir Paul, Dave invited him to a rehearsal room to work out a new song in the time-honored tradition of rockers everywhere. They agree to meet up and “jam with some mates,” only Dave failed to reveal the exact significance (or indeed identity) of the mates in question.

Sir Paul told the Sun: “I didn’t really know who they were. They are saying how good it is to be back together. I said ‘Whoa? You guys haven’t played together for all that time?

“And somebody whispered to me ‘That’s Nirvana. You’re Kurt.’ I couldn’t believe it...”

Read More...

Ravi Shankar, Dead At 92

From USA Today.com

Ravi Shankar, the sitar virtuoso who became a hippie musical icon of the 1960s after hobnobbing with the Beatles and who introduced traditional Indian ragas to Western audiences over a 10-decade career, died Tuesday. He was 92.

A statement on the musician's website said he died in San Diego, near his Southern California home. The musician's foundation issued a statement saying that he had suffered upper respiratory and heart problems and had undergone heart-valve replacement surgery last week.

Labeled "the godfather of world music" by George Harrison, Shankar helped millions of classical, jazz and rock lovers discover the centuries-old traditions of Indian music.


His close relationship with Harrison, the Beatles lead guitarist, shot Shankar to global stardom in the 1960s.

The pair spent weeks together, starting the lessons at Harrison's house in England and then moving to a houseboat in Kashmir and later to California.

Gaining confidence with the complex instrument, Harrison recorded the Indian-inspired song "Within You Without You" on the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," helping spark the raga-rock phase of 60s music and drawing increasing attention to Shankar and his work...

Read More...

Howard Smith's Interviews With Legendary Rockers To Be Released

From New York Times.com

John and Yoko are there, talking for hours and hours — during a bed-in, at a “happening,” listening to the Beatles at home. Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, just back from Cannes in June 1969, rap about their new movie, “Easy Rider.” Eric Clapton, between shows at the Fillmore East in 1970, struggles with a sense of responsibility for his new band, Derek and the Dominos.



Image from NewYorkTimes.com

Those are among more than 100 interviews with rock stars, artists and assorted radicals recorded from 1969 to 1972 by Howard Smith, a longtime writer for The Village Voice. They have now been cataloged and packaged for the digital era as “The Smith Tapes” and will be released in monthly batches over the next year. The first, with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Lou Reed, Frank Zappa, Mr. Clapton and others, comes out Tuesday through Amazon’s MP3 store and next week on iTunes.

At a time when rock ’n’ roll, the sexual revolution and the antiwar counterculture all intersected, Mr. Smith spoke to seemingly every boldface name for “Scenes,” his influential column in The Voice. He also had a knack for being in precisely the right place at the right time...

Read More...

Copy of Beatles' Rejected Audition Tape To Be Auctioned

From Examiner.com

A tape of the recordings made by the Beatles' at their audition session for Decca Records on January 1, 1962 will be auctioned Nov. 27, UK auctioneer the Fame Bureau announced [November 16].

The 10-track tape, described as a mono master safety copy, features the songs “Like Dreamers Do,” “Money,” “Take Good Care of My Baby,” “Sure to Fall,” “Three Cool Cats,” “Love of The Loved,” “Memphis,” “Crying Waiting Hoping,” “Till There Was You” and “Searchin'.” The tape was rejected by Decca before the group was signed to Parlophone Records.

Image from Examiner.com

“We've been told it's a safety master," Ted Owen of the Fame Bureau told Beatles Examiner. "It came out of Capitol Records in Los Angeles.”

Owen said, "The great thing for me is the quality,” which he described as “pristine.” The value of the tape is estimated at between £18,000/20,000 ($28,600 to $31,770 USD).


The auction takes place at 5 p.m. GMT November 27 at the London Playboy Club. Other Beatles items in the auction include an RIAA gold record award for “The Beatles Anthology 3” and unreleased cover proofs for the Beatles' “Yesterday and Today” album, including a proof of the Butcher cover picture...

Read More...

"Yellow Submarine" Actor and Bestselling Author, John Clive, Dead @ 79

From The Telegraph UK

British actor and author John Clive, who provided the voice for John Lennon in Beatles film Yellow Submarine and appeared in The Italian Job before forging a successful career writing fiction, has died aged 79.

British actor John Clive, whose film credits include Yellow Submarine and The Italian Job, has died after a short illness at the age of 79, his family have said.   Clive provided the voice for the animated version of John Lennon in the 1968 Beatles fantasy film Yellow Submarine.   He also starred alongside Michael Caine in the 1969 crime caper The Italian Job...

Read more...

Submariners Show Their Love for John

Hello, Beatlemaniacs!

These cool cats have done it again! YouTube channel, TheBeatleSubmarine have once again pulled together and produced such a wonderful tribute in honour of John Lennon's birthday. These young ladies are living proof of John Lennon's influence on younger generations. It's these young  people that give hope for a creative and positive world. If The Beatles are able to help take down Communism in the former Soviet Russia, then their music and their solo works can still inspire hope, peace, and love.

I greatly applaud this channel and their persistence to share the legacy of The Beatles and celebrate John Lennon on his special day.

Keep up the great work, Submariners!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN LENNON!

From BEATLEMANIA Magazine, 1978

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN LENNON!

John, every day I learn about you...every day I learn from you. Your life was a roller coaster of emotions and events. From the highest highs to the lowest of the lows you persevered and still carries a message of love and peace in your heart.

When religionists tried dismissing you for your comments on Jesus Christ, those loyal to you and understanding of you held you closer. When the band you created parted ways, your fans followed you into your solo career. When you decided to be a father to Sean, the world waited. And when you decided to welcome a new decade with exciting new music, you were taken from this world much to soon. However you never left the hearts of those who care about you.

You influenced the minds of those who seek inspirations from you. You have left a forever-lasting impression on all generations.  Thank you for your music, your love, and your timeless legacy. We all miss you!

Happy birthday, John.

TODAY IN BEATLES HISTORY! Beatles Cartoon Debuts!!

Remember Saturday morning cartoons?!On this day back in 1965 music lovers and children of all ages were treated to the first episode of The Beatles cartoon series. Voiced by Paul Frees (John & George) and Lance Percival (Paul & Ringo), the series took the Fab Four on a series of misadventures including hunting for exotic birds and visiting Transylvania. It aired 39 episodes that spanned 3 seasons. The final show broadcast on October 21, 1967. The Beatles cartoon series is now syndicated globally and has even inspired a line of toys by MacFarlane Toys.

Happy debut anniversary, Beatles cartoon!

Newly Released Photos of John Lennon!!



Image by Zdenko Hirschler


From the Daily Mail (UK)

Bob's note: WATCH "HOW I WON THE WAR"... IT'S HI-HO-LARIOUS!!

The famous mop-top haircut, leather jacket and guitar are gone, replaced by military fatigues and army boots. Yet the slight young man enjoying a game of cricket in the desert is unmistakable.

Image by Zdenko Hirschler

The pictures of John Lennon, taken in 1966 and seen here for the first time, show him on the set of the film How I Won The War during a brief break from The Beatles. Directed by Richard Lester, who also made A Hard Day’s Night and Help! with the Fab Four, the film offered Lennon, then 26, a serious acting role.

It also gave him a rare opportunity to escape from his increasingly enervating life with The Beatles, who were at the peak of their fame and besieged by screaming fans wherever they went.

It had been a stressful year for Lennon. In March of that year, he had caused worldwide outrage with his comment in an interview that The Beatles were ‘more popular than Jesus’. Partly as a result of the public backlash, particularly in America, their tour of the US that August would be their last...

Read more and check out more fab images of John!

John Lennon voted NME's Utimate Icon!!

From NME.com

John Lennon has been named as NME's Ultimate Musical Icon of the last 60 years.

The Beatles' co-frontman topped the poll, which began with 60 nominees in March of this year, beating out the likes of David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner, Morrissey, Liam Gallagher and Damon Albarn to take the crown.

Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher came second in the poll, with David Bowie in third and Alex Turner in fourth. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain came fifth, Amy Winehouse came sixth, with Jimi Hendrix in seventh place.

Morrissey ranked in eighth place, with Noel Gallagher in ninth and Ian Curtis in 10th place..

Read more and see NME's Ultimate Icon runner-ups...

(Thank you to THE BIG BEAT's "Producer Monica" for the heads up on this story)

John Lennon's Irish Island Up for Sale!

From IrishCentral.com

It's the island where John Lennon saw himself and Yoko Ono retiring to with a crazy scrapbook of memories, but nowadays Dorinish Island is home only to sheep and seagulls.

According to San Francisco Gate, the island the size of a dozen soccer fields off Ireland's west coast is being offered as a spiritual retreat to a potential new owner for the knockdown price of $384,000, 45 years after the Beatles legendary songwriter bought it.

Before he was shot by a deranged Mark Chapman in New York in 1980, Lennon revealed to friends his plan to build a home and retire to the island. But his death changed that and Ono eventually sold it to local farmers in 1984...

Read More...

Rock You Like A Hurricane; Rory Storm and the Hurricanes' Recording Found!

From NME

Image from NME

Recordings of The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr's first band Rory Storm And The Hurricanes have been discovered, 50 years after they were originally made.

The tapes were recorded in March 1960, a full two years before Starr  was asked by producer Brian Epstein to join The Beatles.

The band performed alongside The Beatles during their stint in Hamburg and were considered to be one of the leading lights of the Liverpool scene. They were fronted by Rory Storm [whose real name is Alan Caldwell], who died in 1972. It is in the basement of his sister's house that the new tapes have been found."

The tapes include tracks recorded at the Jive Hive club in north Liverpool, and at Storm's house...

Read More...

Paul McCartney to be Honoured in France

From The Guardian

Paul McCartney is to receive France's highest cultural distinction at a ceremony this week. President François Hollande will decorate the former Beatle with the country's Legion of Honour, as the rank of officer.

Hollande's office made the announcement on Sunday, ahead of the gala ceremony to be held on 8 September. McCartney will be the first British musician to be awarded the Legion of Honour. Previous recipients include JK Rowling, Aung San Suu Kyi, Ravi Shankar and Vladimir Putin. Most members of the order are French citizens: more than 17,000 people have been given the rank of officer, which is the Legion's middle grade...

Read More...

"All Together Now: A Tribute to The Beatles" exhibit In L.A.

"It's My Party and I'll Hire The Beatles..." by Shag

Hello Hello, Beatlemaniacs!

"Good Rocky's Revival" by Cuddly Rigor Mortis

Well here we are; Right smack-dab in the middle of Summer. What a great time to get out and enjoy the festivities, picnics, the beach, and great art!

Well, my buddy, colleague, and fellow Beatlemaniac, Sergio Alexander, has filled me in on a super fab Beatles art exhibit happening right now at Gallery Nucleus in the city of Alhambra California. The exhibit will be open for the next 5 days. I've yet to attend but I've checked out the selection of Beatles-inspired creations on the website. These pieces are way to cool for words! I look forward to checkin' it out this weekend! I'm excited to see in person works such as the Abbey Road-inspired "Different Daydreams" by You Byun, and artist Cuddly Rigor Mortis' cute reinterpretation piece "Good Rocky's Revival".

I highly encourage all Beatlemaniacs in the area to attend!

"Different Daydreamers" by You Byun

And what's more? Admission to the exhibit is completely FREE!

For further info be sure to check out the links below:

"All Together Now; A Tribute To The Beatles"
 -ends Sunday July 29, 2012

Gallery Nucleus

210 East Main St
Alhambra CA 91801

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RINGO STARR!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RINGO STARR!!

From BEATLEMANIA Magazine, 1978

As with everybody, thank you for your music, your love, and for keepin' the beat goin'!
(PS; my girlfriend loves your nose!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAUL McCARTNEY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAUL McCARTNEY!!

From Wikipedia.org

"I'm glad it's birthday! Happy Birthday to you!!"

Thank you, Sir Paul, for your music, your love, and for the delicious food recommendations!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SGT. PEPPER!

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - released June 1, 1967

Today, June 1, 2012 marks the 45th anniversary since the release of The Beatles'  landmark album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

It's almost like a page torn out of a book of legends and fantasies! This album is host to a number of "firsts" in Rock and Roll history; It was the first big concept album, the first Rock album to win a Grammy award for 'Album Of The Year', the first to include complete printed lyrics to every song and and the first of The Beatles records to simply have "Beatles" on the cover... which led to another unmistakable first...

It was the first to spawn the "Paul is dead" phenomenon that still polarizes Beatlemaniacs to this very day. Some of the "clues" include the freshly dug grave site, the guitar-shaped wreath implies a left-handed guitar (Paul played lefty), and Paul is standing backwards on the back of the album sleeve as well, further fueling any speculation of his death. Not to mention lyrical cues in tracks such as A Day In The Life (He blew his mind out in a car), and Good Morning, Good Morning (Nothing to do to save his life).

Furthermore, this record was an engineering achievement. The studio sessions were a series of recordings and multiple over dubs all done on 4-tracks. Considering all the arrangement and cacophony on Sgt. Pepper, George Martin and engineer, Geoff Emerick could almost be creative madmen for having tackled this project on.

This record is surely one you must experience for yourself!

ENJOY THE SHOW!

Project: IMAGINE PEACE

Hey, Beatlemaniacs,

Poster by Kimberly Fisher; 2012

About five months ago fellow BIG BEAT listener and international buddy, Kimberly Fisher, started on a video project called "Imagine Peace." It was a collaborative effort in which she invited people to record themselves singing the words to John Lennon's 1971 song, "Imagine" and follow it up with the spoken message "Peace and love."

After months of hard work and extended deadlines, Kimberly has collected video submissions from all around the world and has united this group of youths to help spread the message of PEACE and LOVE.

I want to extend my gratitude to Kimberly for allowing me the privilege to participate. Most importantly, I send my thanks to her for helping to keep the words of John Lennon alive, for helping to promote the message of peace, and for spreading love in her own unique way!

26 PEOPLE, 10 COUNTRIES, ONE SONG, ONE MESSAGE...

Beatles' Sons To Form Band?

Posted by Bob Vincent
From music.Yahoo.com

Beatles fans spent the 1970s hoping the band might get back together, before John Lennon's death put the kibosh on that. But a few dreamers held out and spent the '80s floating the idea that the Beatles could still always reunite and tour with Julian Lennon, who was a huge MTV star at the time, subbing for his dad. Naïveté is stronger than death, right?

But now a new sort of hope has drifted entirely toward the Beatle descendants. Paul's son, 34-year-old singer/songwriter James McCartney, told the BBC that he'd be up for forming a band with some other musically inclined Scions of the Fabs. The group could be called "The Beatles—The Next Generation," the BBC interview helpfully suggested.

James even suggested that he'd had discussions with other Beatle offspring that could result in a quorum…. with one major holdout to contend with.

"I don't think it's something that Zak wants to do," said McCartney, referring to Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey, a highly successful drummer. "Maybe Jason would want to do it," he added, throwing the name of a lesser-known Starr offspring into the mix. "I'd be up for it. Sean (Lennon) seemed to be into it..."

Read More...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GEORGE HARRISON!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GEORGE HARRISON!!

"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much."

Photo by Astrid Kircherr

George,

You may have been known as the "quiet Beatle",
however your music, your legacy, and your love continue to speak volumes.

Thank you.

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOKO ONO!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOKO ONO!!

"Yoko Ono" by MasterLen

Thank you, Yoko Ono, for your music, your art, and your love....

and for sharing it all with the world.

Happy Birthday!



THE BEATLES LAND IN AMERICA!! PLUS: The Return Of THE BIG BEAT!

TODAY IN BEATLES HISTORY

FEBRUARY 7, 1964

THE BEATLES LAND IN THE U.S.A.



Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org

Hey, Beatlemaniacs!!

TODAY'S A BIG DAY! Today marks the 48th anniversary of The Beatles' arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The Beatles initially did not want to visit the U.S. Some British groups had visited the U.S. before The Beatles but the novelty of British Rock and Roll and Skiffle just didn't hit big with American audiences. The Beatles had discussed with manager, Brian Epstein, that they would not even consider America until they had a Number One song in the U.S. Sure enough on January 18, 1964 "I Want To Hold Your Hand" charted at number 45 and by February 1 the song had hit Number 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and ultimately held the top spot for seven weeks. A few days later, on February 7, The Beatles were greeted by approximately three thousand screaming fans at JFK Airport. Beatlemania had officially hit America!!

WAIT, THERE'S MORE NEWS!! THE BIG BEAT returns in a few days on February 9th! That day also marks the day The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and took the rest of the U.S. by storm!

SAVE THE DATE & TIME!! THE BIG BEAT w/ Bob Vincent; Returns Thursday, February 9 @ 12p PT/ 3p ET ONLY on MtRockRadio.com.

THE BIG BEAT - SEASON 2 COMING SOON!!

Hey, Beatlemaniacs!

After what seemed like the longest three weeks of not being on the air, I proudly announce the return of THE BIG BEAT on 90.1 MtROCK and worldwide on www.mtrockradio.com.

YES, SIREEE!!!! Mark your calendars, keep the date, gather all your family and friends around your speakers and tune in to the SEASON 2 PREMIERE of THE BIG BEAT; Thursday, January 12, 2012 @ 12:00 Noon (Pacific) ONLY on 90.1 MtRock and www.mtrockradio.com.

THE BRITISH ARE COMING!! THE BRITISH ARE COMING!!!

ALL THE BEATLES YOUR MIND CAN HANDLE!!

REMEMBER!! THE BIG BEAT!! - The 12th hour of the 12th day of the 12th year; JANUARY 12 @ 12PM!! ON 90.1 Mt ROCK and www.mtrockradio.com.