Move over, Ms L!

Hi all, wondering why you are looking at this jumbled up page? This is due to the fact that Facebook didn't like our url since it starts with wog, so we have been forced to move the blog. This was some time ago, and we have placed a script which would automatically send you to our new location. Obviously, this hasn't worked for all of you, since we have just finished moderating some of your comments which appeared on this site recently, and not on our new (and improved!) site. So what we're saying is head on over to our new site, and update your bookmarks!

Thursday 31 October 2013

The Beatles and the Stones

There's a new book out, about The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.  
Beatles vs. Stones (Simon & Schuster 320 pages, $26) by John McMillian is a book written by a historian and it does not take sides, McMillan assures us. "I have always been obsessed with both groups; the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are two of my favorite bands," McMillian says. "But I didn't want to allow myself to get drawn into a debate over which one is better, and have readers approach the book as if it was a treatise on behalf of one sensibility or the other."

McMillian reveals how music managers helped to construct the Beatles-Stones rivalry as they set out to engineer moneymaking empires. He explores how the Beatles were marketed as cute and amiable, when in fact they came from hardscrabble backgrounds in Liverpool. By contrast, the Stones were cast as an edgy, dangerous group, even though they mostly hailed from the London suburbs.  

Sean O'Mahony, editor of both band's official fan magazines explains: "The Beatles were thugs who were put across as nice blokes, and the Rolling Stones were gentlemen who were made into thugs ..."

Although the Beatles always sold more records than the Stones, the Stones seemed to win greater credibility with the “right” types of fans: discerning bohemians, as opposed to hysterical teenyboppers. Later, the Beatles embraced Flower Power, while the Stones briefly aligned themselves with New Left militance. Ever since, writers and historians have associated the Beatles with the gauzy idealism of the “good” sixties and portrayed the Stones as representatives of the dangerous and nihilistic “bad” sixties. Beatles vs. Stones explodes that split.

In a lively narrative that whisks readers from Liverpool to London to New York City—and to various recording studios, nightclubs, concerts, courtrooms, and protest rallies in between—McMillian also delves into the personal relationships between the two groups. In one chapter we see Lennon and McCartney huddle up in a rehearsal space and show the Stones how to write their own material; in another we eavesdrop on Jagger and Richards as they watch the Beatles play Shea Stadium from the visitors’ dugout. McMillian also shows us how the two groups feuded about which act would headline a legendary Poll Winners’ concert and the pernicious effect that the American businessman Allen Klein had on both bands.


The author has examined both band's official fan magazines, both produced by Beat Publications, and it's editor "Johnny Dean", real name Sean O'Mahony.

Of course, the Beatles played a big part in the success of the Rolling Stones. First of all, the Rolling Stones benefited from the Beatles' Decca rejection.
On April 14th, 1963, the Beatles were at Teddington TV Studios, Middlesex, filming for ABC-TV's `Thank Your Lucky Stars'. After they drive to the Crawdaddy Club, Richmond, Surrey, London to see the Rolling Stones. After the show, there was a party at Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Keith Richards' flat (102 Edith Grove, West Brompton, London). The Beatles attended, staying until 4am.

April 28, 1963, Andrew Loog Oldham, most recently working for Brian Epstein, sees The Rolling Stones at the band’s regular Sunday night session at the Crawdaddy Club, held at the Station Hotel in Richmond. Oldham had been looking for a project of his own, and eight days later, he and his partner, Eric Easton, sign a management contract with the band.

Even though the Liverpudlian Billy Fury was a successful recording artist in England just prior to the Beatles, the London based record companies were sceptical to upcoming bands and artists from the north. But once the Beatles had made it and become national stars, London's record companies started sending their talent scouts to Liverpool, signing up many of the bands from the local scene.

May 10th, 1963: Dick Rowe, head of Decca’s A&R, had been kicking himself ever since that fateful day in 1962 when he failed to sign The Beatles. On this day Rowe serves as a judge at the Lancashire and Cheshire Beat Group Contest held in Liverpool. Beatle George Harrison is also a judge, and admitting that turning down the Fab Four was his biggest regret in life, Rowe asked Harrison if he'd heard any good, unsigned band lately.  The Beatle confided that he admired an unknown young rhythm and blues combo in Richmond, near London. Before the talent show was even over, Rowe raced to catch the next train to sign the Rolling Stones.

However, there are holes in this story, which this new book will shed some light on. According to the chronological history of the Rolling Stones, Dick Rowe had already signed them at the time of his chance encounter with Harrison on May 10th, as the band supposedly recorded their debut single on this date.

- May 5, 1963: Dick Rowe of Decca Records witnesses the Rolling Stones in concert.
- May 6, 1963: The Rolling Stones sign a management contract with Andrew Oldham and Eric Easton.
- May 8-9, 1963: Brian Jones signs the Rolling Stones to a 3-year recording deal with Decca Records.
- May 10, 1963: The Rolling Stones record the two sides of their first single at Olympic Sound Studios in London.

In Beatles vs Stones, McMillian has Rowe attending a Stones gig on May 12th and the Decca signing at May 14th. The author also disputes the story of Rowe leaving Liverpool abruptly.

On September 10th, John Lennon and Paul McCartney go by taxi from the Savoy Hotel to their apartment (57 Green Street). While riding down Jermyn Street, they see Andrew Oldham, who invites them to see the Rolling Stones rehearse at the Ken Colyer Club. The Stones are having trouble coming up with a second single, Oldham confides. Lennon and McCartney offer to help, going with Oldham to the Stones’ rehearsal studio and playing the unfinished “I Wanna Be Your Man.” The Stones liked it, and to their astonishment, Lennon and McCartney finished it off right there. “It was a throwaway,” Lennon admitted. “We weren’t going to give them anything great, right?” This original by the hottest songwriting team of the year gives the Stones the band’s first Top 20 hit in the U.K.

Getting a good record contract in USA proved to have the same obstacle for The Beatles as they had faced when trying to get signed by record companies in London. Even though some British artists had enjoyed brief placings in the US charts, the American record companies were sceptics about bands and artists from Great Britain. But again, once the Beatles' formidable breakthrough in the USA had happened, they paved the way for a lot of British bands, and the Rolling Stones followed in the Beatles' footsteps there.

Recently, on the Howard Stern Show, Paul McCartney was asked if he thought the Rolling Stones copied the Beatles, to which he replied: "That is the truth. Look at the history: The Beatles go to America, a year later they come too,". "We wrote their first single (sic), I Wanna Be Your Man. We go psychedelic, they go psychedelic. We dress as wizards, they dress as wizards...". Paul also said he loves the Stones and that they have been friends since the 60s, and he also thought that his own constant touring was a contributing factor in getting the Rolling Stones back on the road again.

I was present at a showing of the 1964 NME Poll Winners' concert at the British Film Institute way back in the eighties. Every scrap of film had been found and pieced together for this showing and it was fun to watch. Most of the acts were new and they appeared very nervous to be performing to such a large audience. All, except for the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, both these bands had an on stage presence the other bands lacked.

The timing of this book couldn't have been better: November 11th, both bands are releasing new albums: The Beatles' On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2 on CD and vinyl, and Sweet Summer Sun - Hyde Park Live on DVD, Blu-ray, vinyl and CD. Back when the two bands were competing against each other, the Rolling Stones made sure never to release a new album or single around the same date as the Beatles.

Also, on November 1st, a new concert documentary is released theatrically, featuring both the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney:

On December 12, 2012, some of entertainment's most iconic names came together at Madison Square Garden for a historic concert to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy. 12-12-12 captures the unprecedented gathering of talent who turned up on stage and behind the scenes to raise over $50 million in one night for the Robin Hood Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund to support organizations helping victims in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The evening's Emmy Award-nominated telecast included performances by some of the music industry's legendary acts: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Roger Waters, Eddie Vedder, Chris Martin, Michael Stipe, Adam Sandler, Eric Clapton, Jon Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, The Who and Kanye West.


     

Monday 28 October 2013

Beatles BBC launch 1994

Here's the press conference from the original launch of Live at the BBC back in 1994.


Limited quantities of BBC vinyls?

Live at the BBC - just 2000 copies pressed? Photo: ©2013 Apple Corps Ltd
According to one record retailer we heard from, the vinyl editions, at least as far as the UK versions are concerned, will initially be pressed in very limited quantities. The numbers quoted were 3000 copies of On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2 and just 2000 of the remastered Live at the BBC. Is Universal Music unaware of how many Beatles fans there are and how many of them are into vinyl collecting?

No doubt, if these vinyl albums sell out quickly, further pressings will be made.

The vinyl edition of Live at the BBC had an initial release date of November 25, but the date has been corrected to November 11, which means that both vinyl editions now will be available simultaneously as the CD albums. Both 3LP album sets will be pressed on 180 gram vinyl.

The new Beatles vinyl album - only 3000 made? Photo: ©2013 Apple Corps Ltd.

In other news, Live At The BBC - The Collection (Box Set), also a limited edition, has been added to both the USA and UK Amazon stores. The box is merely a cardboard slipcase holding both CD albums.
Live At The BBC - The Collection. Photo: ©2013 Apple Corps Ltd.

Friday 25 October 2013

Beatles at the Grammies

Photo: © Copyright Apple Corps Ltd

The notorious Roger Friedman attended the launch party for the new Photograph book by Ringo from Genesis Publications and had some big news to pass along.
Ringo Starr confirmed for Friedman that The Beatles will likely be celebrated twice, once during the Grammy® Awards, and then again the next night. The plan right now is for a special Beatles segment during the Grammies® on January 26th to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their arrival in America on February 7. 1964.

On January 27, the Monday night after the Grammies®, there will be a special Beatles show in Los Angeles at the Convention Center.
Right now it’s supposed to entail a lot of different acts playing Beatles songs. Ringo says that so far he and Paul McCartney have discussed only the “possibility” of their participation. “It’s not like we’re not going to do it,” he told Friedman. “But it might be cool to have all these other bands doing our stuff, and we’re watching.”
Read more about this story over at Showbiz 411.

"New" straight to the top!

DeLuxe edition with Target DVD

Paul McCartney's "New" album went straight to the top of Norway's album chart in it's first week. No. 2 was the new album from Pearl Jam, and third was "Back to Forever" by Lissie. The four top selling albums were all debutants. Miley Cyrus' "Bangerz" album dropped from the top spot to no. 22 here in Norway in it's second week.

In the USA, "New" was no. 3 on the Billboard top 200 album chart, with Cyrus at no. 2 and Pearl Jam at the top of the chart.

McCartney's chart success in Norway was not aided by my own purchase, because as a Beatles- and solo collector I had to go for the USA "Target" edition, or else my McCartney DVD collection would have been incomplete.

My discs arrived today, as depicted above. The DVD is in a sleeve of it own and it was glued to the front of a DeLuxe edition. Fortunately, this was the kind of plastic glue that was easily removed withought leaving residue and causing damage to the sleeves.

AUSTRALIA
In the Australian "Aria" album chart list, "New" debuts at a  disappointing 22nd place. Pearl Jam is the winner at the top here.

DENMARK
The native Burhan G is top of the pops in Denmark, with "New" as runner up. Pearl Jam places third.

SWEDEN
"New" is at no 9 in Sweden, Swedish artist Veronica Maggio keeps her top spot, and most of the top half of the Swedish album chart are Swedish artists and groups. Cyrus is at eight, just ahead of McCartney, and Pearl Jam is at no. 12.

GERMANY
is a big market, and German artists are in favour. "New" is in at no. 6, and Pearl Jam at 4, the no. 1 spot belongs to Helene Fischer

So far, the two countries where "New" are topping the album charts are Norway and Japan. Of course, Japan sales were boosted because they have shipped a lot of copies abroad, since hard core McCartney collectors all around the world had to order their copy of the album from Japan. The reason is that the Japan DeLuxe edition had one extra track, the experimental "Struggle", thus rendering all other countries' DeLuxe editions incomplete...

Thursday 24 October 2013

Mal Evans story on stage

Copyright © BeatleMal.com

If you're in Ireland, or planning a trip there soon, you should catch this play. Mal Evans, the Beatles truest, bestest friend, lived with Paul McCartney as his housekeeper for around 4 months from Nov 1966 to March/April 67, around the time Sgt Pepper was being recorded and there is very good evidence to suggest Mal helped Paul considerably with the lyrics to the title song as well as 'Fixing a Hole'. Mal did all the cooking, housework and gardening, as well cleaning up after Martha, Paul's big, jolly old English sheepdog!

BEATLE MAL is touring IRELAND October-November 2013 after touring the UK, It's a lovely nostalgia trip about the man who on the best ride of the 1960's, very definitely had the front seat!
See BeatleMal.com for full tour itinerary.

Watch out for special shows in Dublin on the 7th November & Belfast on 8th November to mark that it is 50 years ago to the very day that the Fab 4 played those cities in 1963. Here's a clip from the play:



Official site

Ringo's Octopus


Also, here's his October update

BBC Boxed set

The Boxed set holds both BBC releases. Photo © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.

Here's a better look at the boxed set. It's really probably just an outer cardboard slipcase, just like one that held the "red" and "blue" albums in 2010. Like that one, this is likely to be available in very limited quantities. Amazon in Canada has it at the current price of CDN $ 41.99.

The red and blue box.  Photo © 2010 Apple Corps Ltd.

Queenie Eye Music Video



How many celebrities can you name? Use the Comments section. We thought we saw a glimpse of Sir Peter Blake in there...

Wednesday 23 October 2013

On Air: Best Buy edition

On Air: Best Buy edition with 5 "art cards". 
Here we go again. There's a "Best Buy" edition of On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2 that comes with "5 art cards featuring images from the BBC Sessions". I can't wait to see what Target and FYE have conjured up. Or can I?

Best Buy

I'm Talking About You - in Swedish

Beatles meeting fans and signing records in Stockholm, 1963.

In this news item from Swedish Radio, Staffan Olander talks a little bit about the Beatles on the occasion of 50 years since their arrival in Sweden. During the show, two tracks from the upcoming On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2 get their debut on air, so to speak: "I'm Talking About You" and "And I Love Her".

Live at the BBC vinyl

Click for larger Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.
So here's a look at the old double album now made into a 3LP set. Get it from Amazon (UK). It's cheaper than most other options! Out November 25.
LP 1
1. Beatles Greetings
2. From Us To You
3. Riding On A Bus
4. I Got A Woman
5. Too Much Monkey Business
6. Keep Your Hands Off My Baby
7. I'll Be On My Way
8. Young Blood
9. A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues
10. Sure To Fall (In Love With You)
11. Some Other Guy
12. Thank You Girl
13. Sha La La La La!
14. Baby It's You
15. That's All Right (Mama)
16. Carol
17. What Is It, George?
18. Soldier Of Love
19. A Little Rhyme
20. Clarabella
21. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)
22. Crying, Waiting, Hoping
23. Dear Wack!
24. You Really Got A Hold On Me
LP 2
1. To Know Her Is To Love Her
2. A Taste Of Honey
3. Long Tall Sally
4. I Saw Her Standing There
5. The Honeymoon Song
6. Johnny B Goode
7. Memphis, Tennessee
8. Lucille
9. Can't Buy Me Love
10. From Fluff To You
11. Till There Was You
12. Crinsk Dee Night
13. A Hard Day's Night
14. Ringo? Yep!
15. I Wanna Be Your Man
16. Just A Rumour
17. Roll Over Beethoven
18. All My Loving
19. Things We Said Today
20. She's A Woman
21. Sweet Little Sixteen
22. 1822!
23. Lonesome Tears In My Eyes
LP 3
1. Nothin' Shakin'
2. The Hippy Hippy Shake
3. Glad All Over
4. I Just Don't Understand
5. So How Come (No One Loves Me)
6. I Feel Fine
7. I'm A Loser
8. Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby
9. Rock and Roll Music
10. Ticket To Ride
11. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
12. Kansas City / Hey - Hey
13. Set Fire To That Lot!
14. Matchbox
15. I Forgot To Remember To Forget
16. Love These Goon Shows!
17. I Got To Find My Baby
18. Ooh! My Soul
19. Ooh! My Arms
20. Don't Ever Change
21. Slow Down
22. Honey Don't
23. Love Me Do
24. From Us To You

On Air - Microsite

The website radio has music samples. Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.
Finally, "On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2" has gotten it's own micro site over at TheBeatles.com, so hurry on over and start playing! On Air Web

Tuesday 22 October 2013

On Air - cover confusion

White stripe or not? Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.
On Amazon, you will find two different pack shots of the On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2. These have slight variations, apart from the angle.
One features a vertical white stripe with the Beatles and Apple logos, in the same fashion as the red and blue albums, as well as the 2009 remastered CD's, the other one hasn't got this embellishment.
The pack shot of the remastered Live at the BBC does not have this confusing extra photo, it clearly has a vertical black stripe.
There are other small differences as well, such as the Apple "label" CD surface having black writing in one shot and white in the other.

My guess is that Amazon featured both these mock-ups by mistake, one should have been discarded. When we see the real digipack it'll have that white stripe, I'm sure.

The On Air packaging

Back of the 48 page leaflet. Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.

Universal Music Netherlands just released this 1 minute promo which takes an animated look at the packaging of On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2:

On Air - on iTunes

Both Volumes to Make Their Global Digital Debuts on November 11, Exclusively on iTunes. Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.

The Beatles "On Air - Live At The BBC Volume 2’ and its acclaimed, remastered predecessor, "Live At The BBC are available now for global digital pre-order exclusively on iTunes.

London – October 21, 2013 - In 1994, The Beatles’ Live at the BBC was released to worldwide acclaim - hitting number one in the U.K., number three in the U.S. and selling more than five million copies within six weeks. The new companion to The Beatles’ first BBC collection, On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2, is available now for digital pre-order exclusively on iTunes (www.iTunes.com/TheBeatles). On Air will be released on Monday, November 11; the Mastered for iTunes LP includes a 48-page booklet.

On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2. Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.

On Air’s 63 tracks, none of which overlaps with The Beatles’ first BBC release, include 37 previously unreleased performances and 23 previously unreleased recordings of in-studio banter and conversation between the band’s members and their BBC radio hosts.

Newly re-mastered, The Beatles’ Live at the BBC will also make its global digital debut on November 11 exclusively on iTunes. Sounding and looking better than ever, Live at the BBC Mastered for iTunes LP is also available now for pre-order exclusively on iTunes. This first collection of the group’s BBC sessions mixed versions of their hits with a treasure trove of 30 songs The Beatles performed on air but never released on record in the 1960s. The compelling track list ranges from a rare performance of the little known Lennon-McCartney original “I’ll Be On My Way” to covers of classic rock ’n’ roll and contemporary rhythm and blues songs. At the time of its original release, Live at the BBC was hailed by Rolling Stone as “an exhilarating portrait of a band in the process of shaping its own voice and vision.” It earned a GRAMMY® Award nomination for Best Historical Album.

Live at the BBC - remastered. Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.

In the studios of the British Broadcasting Corporation, The Beatles performed music for a variety of radio shows. Live at the BBC and On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2 present the sound of The Beatles seizing their moment to play for the nation.

Thrilled to hear these exciting recordings again, Paul McCartney said, “There’s a lot of energy and spirit. We are going for it, not holding back at all, trying to put in the best performance of our lifetimes.”
Ten of On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2’s songs were never recorded by the group for EMI in the 1960s, including two making their debuts with the new release: The Beatles’ direct-to-air performance of Chuck Berry’s “I’m Talking About You” and a rocking cover of the standard “Beautiful Dreamer.” On Air also includes different versions of six rarities heard on the 1994 BBC collection: Little Richard’s “Lucille,” Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee,” Chan Romero’s “The Hippy Hippy Shake,” Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman,” and two songs they learned from records by Carl Perkins, “Glad All Over” and “Sure To Fall.”

The Beatles’ tribute to the BBC’s most important pop show of the early ’60s – “Happy Birthday, Dear Saturday Club” – is another surprise.

As John Lennon recalled in 1980, “We did a lot of tracks that were never on record for Saturday Club – they were well recorded, too.” Paul remembers, “We’d been raised on the BBC radio programs. One of the big things in our week was Saturday Club – this great show was playing the kind of music we loved, so that was something we really aspired to.” Between March 1962 and June 1965, no fewer than 275 unique musical performances by The Beatles were broadcast by the BBC in the U.K. The group played songs on 39 radio shows in 1963 alone.

Ringo Starr said in 1994, “You tend to forget that we were a working band. It’s that mono sound. There were usually no overdubs. We were in at the count-in and that was it. I get excited listening to them.”

On their busiest BBC day, July 16, 1963, The Beatles recorded 18 songs for three editions of their Pop Go The Beatles series in fewer than seven hours.

At the time, three national BBC stations provided all daytime radio broadcasting in the U.K. Only the Light Programme network might occasionally play a record. Most broadcast music was live music. Consequently, to promote their releases, The Beatles had to play Live at the BBC.
“Everything was done instantly,” remembered George Harrison, “But before that, we used to drive 200 miles in an old van down the M1, come into London, try and find the BBC and then set up and do the program. Then we’d probably drive back to Newcastle for a gig in the evening!”

The view from the iTunes Store

Monday 21 October 2013

Pop group from Liverpool visiting Sweden


Yesterday, Staffan Olander presented a radio program at the Swedish P4 all about the Beatles' tour of Sweden in October 1963.

Mostly in Swedish, some of the participants reminisc about the tour.

Non-Swedish speakers will enjoy some of the interview soundbites, the Beatles' concert from Karlaplan Studio and Ringo phones in. Unexpectedly, Ringo reveals that he had a hand in writing some lyrics for "Eleanor Rigby"!
Also included is a bit from Staffan's first meeting with Ringo back in 1976.

Staffan recalls that the original recording of the Beatles' radio concert was buryed in the Swedish radio archives for a long time, because it was filed under the rather anonymous program name of "Popgrupp från Liverpool på besök i Stockholm" ("Pop group from Liverpool visiting Stockholm"). Searching for "The Beatles" or for "1963" proved fruitless, until Staffan discovered the real title of the show when leafing through an old radio program listing. He was then able to find the show, brought with him the recording to London in 1982 and played it back to George Martin and Paul McCartney. The two were making "Pipes of Peace" at the time, and Paul cried when listening back to the show. George Martin told them that this was the best recording of the Beatles from outside the recording studios, and several songs were released many years later officially as tracks on "Anthology 1".

Unable to use their Vox amplifiers during the radio concert, because these had yet to arrive at the studio, the Beatles played through the Fender amps of a Swedish instrumental group who were the other guests at the show. Being a radio show, no one outside could see the amps, important because of the Beatles having a contractual obligation with Vox to only use their amplifiers. "Doesn't matter," John quipped, "the Fender amps are better, anyway!"

Klas Burling and Kjersti Adams Ray are also interviewed (in Swedish).

The show is available for thirty days from the link below.
Lyssna: P4 Musik : Beatles i Sverige 20131020 23:05
Popgrupp från Liverpool på besök i Sverige

Thursday 17 October 2013

On Air - Vinyl version photo

Click for larger version. Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.


The Pop profiles are the only tracks on the third LP.

Disc: 1
1. And Here We Are Again - Rodney Burke
2. Words Of Love
3. How About It, Gorgeous? - Rodney Burke, George Harrison
4. Do You Want To Know A Secret
5. Lucille
6. Hey Paul.... - Lee Peters, Paul McCartney
7. Anna (Go To Him)
8. Hello! - Lee Peters, John Lennon
9. Please Please Me
10. Misery
11. I'm Talking About You
12. A Real Treat - Lee Peters, Ringo Starr, John Lennon
13. Boys
14. Absolutely Fab - Lee Peters, George Harrison
15. Chains
16. Ask Me Why
17. Till There Was You
18. Lend Me Your Comb
19. Lower 5E - Rodney Burke, Paul McCartney, George Harrison
20. The Hippy Hippy Shake
21. Roll Over Beethoven
22. There's A Place
23. Bumper Bundle - The Beatles, Lee Peters
24. P.S. I Love You
25. Please Mister Postman
26. Beautiful Dreamer
27. Devil In Her Heart
28. The 49 Weeks - Paul McCartney
29. Sure To Fall (In Love With You)
30. Never Mind, Eh? - The Beatles, Rodney Burke
31. Twist And Shout
32. Bye, Bye - The Beatles, Rodney Burke
Disc: 2
1. I Saw Her Standing There
2. Glad All Over
3. Lift Lid Again - Paul McCartney, Brian Matthew
4. I'll Get You
5. She Loves You
6. Memphis, Tennessee
7. Happy Birthday Dear Saturday Club
8. Now Hush, Hush - Brian Matthew, Paul McCartney, John Lennon
9. From Me To You
10. Money (That's What I Want)
11. I Want To Hold Your Hand
12. Brian Bathtubes - John Lennon, George Harrison, Brian Matthew
13. This Boy
14. If I Wasn't In America - Brian Matthew, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr
15. I Got A Woman
16. Long Tall Sally
17. If I Fell
18. A Hard Job Writing Them - The Beatles, Brian Matthew
19. And I Love Her
20. Oh, Can't We? Yes We Can - Alan Freeman, John Lennon
21. You Can't Do That
22. Honey Don't
23. I'll Follow The Sun
24. Green With Black Shutters - The Beatles, Brian Matthew
25. Kansas City / Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!
26. That's What We're Here For - The Beatles, Bernie Andrews
27. I Feel Fine (Studio Out-take)
Disc: 3
1. John - Pop Profile - John Lennon, Brian Matthew
2. George - Pop Profile - George Harrison, Brian Matthew
3. Paul - Pop Profile - Paul McCartney, Brian Matthew
4. Ringo - Pop Profile - Ringo Starr, Brian Matthew

Wednesday 16 October 2013

New - Extra material

Best Buy photo pack

Best Buy with Photo pack: Here are the six photos from this package. The only thing on the back of the photos are copyright information. Included also is a laminated pass a la a backstage or photo pass that you get at concerts.

Laminated pass - front
Laminated pass - back

Japan edition: If you still haven't heard "Struggle" - bonus track only in Japan, you may find it over on  YouTube.
Japan DeLuxe edition


The cube

FYE/Independent record stores cube: So here's the cube, free with purchase from FYE (but very limited quantities) or indie record shops. You can turn it on or off and it's battery operated - it glows in different colours. Nothing box, anyone? If any of you have got one to spare, please send it to me. People are trying to sell it over at ebay for ridiculous prices.

Target with DVD: The extra disc is a DVD containing only the documentary Rendezvous Backstage With CBC-TV at a little more than 22 minutes. No extra material, so the previously reported length of 30 minutes is incorrect.

If you think it's difficult being a collector, you're right. But I suppose it could have been worse, I could have been collecting Elton John or David Bowie.

Bang & Olufsen have made yesterday's "Living Room Tour" interview public on YouTube, you'll find it here.

Songs likely to have been recorded during the "New" sessions but remains unreleased (as investigated by Robert Gannon and Steve Marinucci):

- Secret Life of a Party Girl
- Build a Bridge
- Demons Dance (heard at Bonnaroo during soundcheck)
- Seventees with a Twist
- By Night Dark Clouds
- Hell to Pay

All found in a list of titles that ASCAP had under Paul McCartney, searches revealed these titles have been licensed by Paul with similar work ID numbers as the "New" tracks.

Paul was live from Maida Vale today and played:

1. Coming Up
2. Save Us
3. Junior's Farm
4. We can Work It Out
5. New
6. Queenie Eye
7. Ob-la-di, Ob-la-Da
8. Get Back

Tuesday 15 October 2013

More from Paul on New


Bang & Olufsen's "The Living Room Tour" with Paul McCartney was conducted live on YouTube today, the host asked questions of his own, as well as some from the website. Sir Paul also demonstrated on the guitar how he wrote "Alligator", the oldest song from the "New" album.
After having written it, he rang up Nancy in New York and played it over the phone. He also played a bit from "On My Way To Work".

For audiophiles out there, here's the opportunity to purchase NEW in high definition 96kHz/24-bit sound: HDTracks

Over on Spotify, they have a playlist of some interview clips:


When Sir Paul McCartney came on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, he played 3 songs for air. Here are the other 7 he did that night for 200 people. Webexclusive.

The Record Producers: George Martin


The Record Producers - George Martin.
Andy Peebles talks to the man behind the sound of The Beatles, The Goons, Cilla Black, Jeff Beck and many more.
First broadcast in 1982.
Listen here.

Monday 14 October 2013

Liverpool Empire - multi-angles


Here's a follow-up an a news item we posted a couple of weeks ago. This time, HIWAX treats us to a multi-angles short edit of a clip from this televised broadcast.

Thursday 10 October 2013

BBC 14 tracks sampler track list

14 Track Sampler contents:

1. I Saw Her Standing There
2. How about it, Gorgeous? (Speech)
3. Do You Want To Know A Secret?
4. Anna (Got To Him)
5. 'Til There Was You
6. I'm Talking About You
7. Bumper Bundle (Speech)
8. P.S. I Love You
9. Twist And Shout
10. Brian Bathtubes (Speech)
11. This Boy
12. I Want To Hold Your Hand
13. And I Love Her
14. Boys


This is the label on the 5-track vinyl EP. Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.

Macca reviews for "New"


Another concert from Paul McCartney today, after a quick tweet he showed up on Times Square in New York City and performed “New,” “Save Us,” “Everybody Out There” and “Queenie Eye” (first time live) for 2-3000 surprised lunchtime New Yorkers. Some pics & video: The Gothamist

His "New" album also starts picking up reviews, here's a few:
Clash
Something Else!
The Guardian
The Telegraph

Paul McCartney's "New" - 30 second samples

Photo: MJ Kim/MPL Communications
Paul McCartney is really making the most of promoting his "New" album. Following a surprise concert yesterday in the Tony Bennett Concert Hall at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Allmusic posted a web page with 30 second long samples of every track of the "New" album here.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

"On Air" sampler EP for BBC album

BBC sampler EP - vinyl version (front). Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.
A 5 track promo sampler has been distributed to some radio stations to promote the upcoming Beatles album, "On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2". It contains these tracks:

1. Words of Love

Pop Go The Beatles
Trans: 20 August 1963
Rec: 16 July 1963
BBC Paris Theatre, London
Producer: Terry Henebery

‘Words Of Love’ was released in the UK on an album called Buddy Holly in July 1958. This BBC recording was broadcast fifteen months before the song’s inclusion on Beatles For Sale. John and Paul sang the two-part harmony which, through primitive but effective overdubbing, Buddy had sung with himself.

2. Please Mister Postman

Pop Go The Beatles
Trans: 30 July 1963
Rec: 10 July 1963
Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London
Producer: Terry Henebery

In December 1961, The Marvelettes’ record on the Tamla label was the first American pop number one for Berry Gordy’s Motown company. American hits issued on Tamla and Motown struggled to be heard on the BBC in the early sixties. When The Beatles became successful, they were tireless champions of the labels’ artists, particularly Marvin Gaye, The Miracles and Mary Wells.

3. I Saw Her Standing There

Saturday Club Trans: 5 October 1963 Rec: 7 September 1963 BBC Playhouse Theatre, London Producer: Bernie Andrews The group performed this song eleven times in BBC studios. The recording in front of an audience for Easy Beat was included on the first collection of Live At The BBC. This version was taped for the fifth anniversary of Saturday Club.

4. Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Pop Go The Beatles
Trans: 30 July 1963
Rec: 10 July 1963
Studio Two, Aeolian Hall, London
Producer: Terry Henebery

This is the last of six radio performances of a song from The Beatles’ debut album Please Please Me. At the time of the broadcast, ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ was at the top of the British EP chart as one of the four tracks on Twist And Shout. A version recorded by Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas reached number one in several British music papers’ charts in June. In America, as the A-side of a Beatles single on the Vee-Jay label, ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ peaked at number two behind Louis Armstrong’s ‘Hello, Dolly’ in May 1964.

5. Boys

Pop Go The Beatles
Trans: 25 June 1963
Rec: 17 June 1963
Studio Five, BBC Maida Vale, London
Producer: Terry Henebery

The Shirelles’ original was the flip-side of the biggest of their three British hits - ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’. The single topped the American charts - one of 22 pop hits scored by The Shirelles in the States. This Pop Go The Beatles recording was released in 1995 on an EP of four BBC performances called Baby It’s You. This is the same version as on the "Baby It's You" 4 track EP from 1994.

BBC sampler EP - vinyl version (back). Photo: © 2013 Apple Corps Ltd.


The leading track, "Words of Love" was premiered, appropriately, on BBC Radio yesterday at Chris Evans' Breakfast show. The song appears appx 1h 47 mins into the programme. The sampler EP has been manufactured both as a vinyl and a CD edition.

McCartney on Stern

Paul McCartney was again guest with Howard Stern on the radio yesterday, promoting "New". However, most of the interview was about the Beatles.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Paul McCartney on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"


Paul McCartney appeared live on TV in U.S.A. last night, doing some comedy and performing songs.






From "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon".
Paul also performed the songs "New" and "Save Us" from his "New" album, as well as the Beatles classic "Lady Madonna"..

Today, Paul will be Howard Stern's guest on Sirius Radio in "The NEW show", hopefully we will get to hear some of the other album tracks.

Monday 7 October 2013

Beatlesongs in Eppy Biopic

Illustrasjon: © 2012 Tiwar y Entertainment Group Ltd..jpg

(6. oktober RTT News) The Fifth Beatle, an upcoming Brian Epstein biopic, will include songs from the Beatles' catalog—the first time a dramatization about the Fab Four has done so. The film, set for release sometime in 2014, follows the private life of the band's manager, who accidentally overdosed in 1967.
Epstein, a closeted gay businessman, is largely credited with bringing the band to the public's attention. He got the band a record deal with EMI after getting the boys to take him on as manager.
Producer Bruce Cohen (American Beauty, Silver Linings Playbook) has closed a deal to board the film, according to a report from Deadline.
RTT News

There will be a comic book which ties in with the film, but this will be available sooner, the publishing date is set to November 19. It will be made available in several editions.

"The Fifth Beatle is the untold true story of Brian Epstein, the visionary manager who discovered and guided the Beatles - from their gigs in a tiny cellar in Liverpool to unprecedented international stardom. Yet more than merely the story of "The Man Who Made the Beatles," The Fifth Beatle is an uplifting, tragic, and ultimately inspirational human story about the struggle to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Brian himself died painfully lonely at the young age of thirty-two, having helped the Beatles prove through "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" that pop music could be an inspirational art form. He was homosexual when it was a felony to be so in the United Kingdom, Jewish at a time of anti-Semitism, and from Liverpool when it was considered just a dingy port town."

The collector's edition of this graphic novel features a textured cover and a section of bonus materials including unique Beatles and Brian Epstein memorabilia, artist sketches, and alternate covers.
The limited edition of this graphic novel features a signed tip-in sheet by creators Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker, along with the same bonus section as described above and a special slipcase. Limited to 1500 signed and numbered copies.

 

Friday 4 October 2013

Ringo's book promo

Simon & Shuster has published a YouTube film to promote Ringo Starr's new childrens book, Octopus's Garden:


What it is and what it isn't

Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn now has a website of his own, check it out at marklewisohn.net. In the links section of his site, he has listed three sources for Beatles and related photos, all friends of WogBlog and all listed in our own links section, Sara's Meet The Beatles For Real blog, Miss Tammy's Beatlesphotos blog and the always interesting and funny kenwoodlennon blog.

Furthermore, three sources for daily news updates on the Beatles are listed: Beatlesnews, Steve's Examiner page and, surprisingly, our very own WogBlog.

We are honoured and humbled to be mentioned in such fine company. But, it must be stressed, we never set out to be a daily news blog. In the past few months we have become one, due to circumstances beyond our control. The purpose of this blog is really not to bring our readers all the daily news from the world of Beatledom. It's first of all a blog where your humble host can publish my Beatles related musings. Whenever we bring news, it's primarily because your's truly has been too lazy or to busy to write an out and out feature article, or because we are sitting on a news story that hasn't been widely spread elsewhere - one that deserves a bigger audience.

Secondly, this blog will fall back into it's less frequently updated status once I have found employment or other means to bring in some income. I have considered taking in ads in my blog to generate some revenue. I tried it - using Google's solution AdSense, and it didn't look good.

We have got a current following of only 197 subscribers. Yet, mainly through Google searches, we have more than 3,000 page views on any given day. Here is this week's page views, broken down into countries:

United States
8477
United Kingdom
2437
France
944
Canada
676
Germany
639
Japan
566
Brazil
523
Australia
511
Netherlands
433
Norway
227

And the week is not over yet.

I started this blog post with Lewisohn and I'm going to end with it. Despite all good intentions of waiting for the extended edition of his book, "Tune In", I couldn't help myself when a review copy of the regular edition came in the mail last week. I'm currently in Hamburg 1960 (page 373), and Mark is speculating that George Harrison has remained a virgin all through this first stint of the fabs in Germany. I'm telling you, this is a very good read with new or obscure facts on every page. It's a ride like nothing else and there shall be a void when I've read it through.