The Rock and Roll Science blog is running a series of podcasts on the 40th anniversary of the "Get Back" sessions, which took place in January of 1969. A new podcast is posted daily as the anniversary continues. The podcasts give a brief outline of what songs the Beatles rehearsed and what they were talking about. Audio from the sessions is included.Legend has it that George Harrison was inspired by the Byrds to write "If I Needed Someone." If you've ever wondered what a Byrds version of that might have sounded like, you might be interested in Roger McGuinn's cover of the song on his "Limited Edition" CD and mp3 album. Very nice. (You can also get his version of "If I Needed Someone" by itself as an an mp3.)
Photographer Harry Goodwin, who took pictures of many '60s artists, tells the Bolton News what it was like photographing the Beatles. "They were good lads but John Lennon could be a right one. A lot of it was just banter, testing you out, but people would be intimidated by him. ... I once did a session in the dressing room at 'Top of the Pops' of them in their new jackets that they’d next wear for the famous Shea Stadium gig. I’d sneaked past their minders and John was kicking up about who’d invited me in there. Paul said that when they were on tour they’d need my photos." Goodwin's photos of Motown's the Supremes are the subject of a new book "The Story of the Supremes."
The UK Daily Mail has another one of those silly British tabloid stories that Michael Jackson, who they claim is dying, has drawn up a new will making Paul McCartney heir to the Beatles catalog Jackson bought out from underneath him. Believe it or not. I'm in the latter group.
Rolling Stone.com has posted a lengthy feature on Delaney and Bonnie written by Jerry Hopkins in tribute to the recent passing of Delaney Bramlett. A reminder of the days when Rolling Stone was really worth reading.
"The Curvature" blog has a multi-part series on "Yoko Ono: A Feminist Analysis." The writer takes Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison to task for "the bulk of the treatment and misogynistic cultural perceptions of Yoko Ono." The series starts here.
"Andre Gardner's Breakfast With the Beatles" will feature some UK vinyl stereo and mono mixes today, plus the production acetate of "The Night Before." You can see the complete playlist here.
Today's (Jan. 3) edition of Chris Carter's "Breakfast With the Beatles" focuses on Beatle firsts, including their first single on Parlophone, Ringo's first writing credit on a Beatle record and the First Beatles recording session at a British studio other than Abbey Road. You can see the complete playlist on Chris' website or on Abbeyrd's Beatles Page.
There's a two-part preview on YouTube of a forthcoming film called "Julia's Banjo," a drama about the hunt for the banjo that John Lennon's mother taught him to play, which the film calls the Holy Grail of Beatle memorabilia. The two parts are here and here. The preview, which has some strong language in it, looks interesting. We'll be interested to see the finished version.
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