The Beatles Channel

The channel just played the Beatles' Nothin' Shakin', recorded on July 10, 1963 for the BBC radio programme Top Of The Pops and released in 1994 on on the two-CD, 56-song compilation Live At The BBC. (Yes, I used the British spelling of "program." Cute?) The Beatles' first recording of the song, in December 1962, was released in 1977 on the album Live! At The Star-Club In Hamburg, Germany, 1962. Billy "Crash" Craddock had a #10 country hit with the song in 1972. Here is the 1958 original by singer/tv actor Eddie Fontaine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEtvO1S-drU

The Beatles Channel just played George Harrison's Hong Kong Blues, from his 1981 Somewhere In England album. Hoagy Carmichael wrote and recorded the song in 1938 (Brunswick 8255). He recorded a new version in 1942 (Decca 18395). The lyrics were written by Stanley Adams, who also wrote the English lyrics of La Cucaracha and What A Diff'rence A Day Makes. Carmichael performed the song in the 1944 Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall movie To Have & Have Not, in which he portrayed Cricket, a piano player at a bar. Carmichael then recorded Hong Kong Blues a third time (ARA 123) and finally had a hit. It reached #6 on Billboard's Best Selling Poplar Retail Records chart in August 1945. Another version by Arthur "Skeets" Herfurt and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra got to #8 two months later.

Hong Kong Blues has also been recorded by Rusty Draper, Jeff Healey, Amos Garrett, Prudence Johnson, Georgie Fame, George Melly, Chris Darrow, Martin Denny, Barbara Lea, Junior Brown, Geoff Muldaur and the Pasadena Roof Orchestra. Here is George Harrison's version -- hurry and listen!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmKQOxB6lpI

The Beatles Channel just played George Harrison's The Pirate Song from the December 26 1975 episode of Rutland Weekend Television, a 1975-76 sketch comedy series on BBC2 hosted by Eric Idle. Harrison appeared dressed as a pirate: long hair, mustache, eyepatch, iron hook, pegleg, pirate hat, blue pirate coat and a stuffed parrot on his shoulder. He explained that he's performing in the pirate sketch. Several times throughout the show, Idle tells him there is no pirate sketch in the program. When Harrison is finally introduced as a singer and the band starts playing My Sweet Lord, Harrison appears onstage wearing a light suit and carrying an acoustic guitar -- and then starts singing, "I want to be a pirate, a pirate's life for me. All my friends are pirates and sail the B.B. Sea....." The "B.B. Sea" -- get it?

The Pirate Song (which Harrison co-wrote with Idle) was released in 1995 on a bootleg CD, Pirate Songs (Vigotone 146). Here is the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGbRHxM4X2g

He is now Sir Richard Starkey.

Prince William knights Ringo Starr

http://www.eonline.com/news/921871/p...ts-ringo-starr

"Help! Helllppp!" "Thanks, we don't need any." Not even the Blue Meanies will be able to keep Beatles fans from seeing Yellow Submarine on the big screen this summer.

The Beatles' Yellow Submarine film will get 50th anniversary theatrical run
Los Angeles Times, Apr 4 2018 11:40 AM

The Beatles' innovative 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine will return to theaters July 8 in a new 4K restoration created to mark the movie's 50th anniversary. The original was restored by hand, frame by frame rather than using automated software. The soundtrack has been remixed in 5.1 surround sound. The original project was begrudgingly approved by the band, which had little involvement in its making, other than approving the use of several songs for the soundtrack and their participation in a filmed segment at the end. Yet it still enhanced the group's legacy for creativity with its forward-thinking combination of animation, live action and manipulated still photos.

Details on specific cities and theaters will be announced on the film's official website: http://www.yellowsubmarine.film

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...404-story.html

I just discovered this video of Weird Al Yankovic giving a truly amazing performance of George Harrison's What Is Life at the 2014 George Fest tribute concert at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. Hurry and watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXMq3QJwJiA

The Beatles Channel has played Billy Joel's live version of I'll Cry Instead, recorded in June 1980 during a concert at the Bayou nightclub in Washington, DC. It was released in 1983 as the B-side of An Innocent Man. That B-side was produced by Phil Ramone.

Other Beatles songs recorded by Billy Joel: A Hard Day's Night, Let It Be, Maybe I'm Amazed and Live & Let Die. Joel also recorded a live version of Back In The USSR. It appeared on his 1987 double album Концерт ("Concert") which included 16 songs from his July-August concerts in Moscow and Leningrad. All but two of those songs were written by Billy Joel. In addition to Back In The USSR, he sang Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changin'.

At 9 pm Eastern time May 30, Beatles tribute band The Fab Faux will be performing live on SiriusXM Channel 18, The Beatles Channel, accompanied by the Hogshead Horns and the Crème Tangerine Strings. Yeah yeah yeah!

www.thefabfaux.com

Ringo's band has two new members this year: Graham Gouldman of 10cc and Colin Hay of Men At Work.

Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band launch 2018 tour tonight (June 1) in Atlantic City

http://kixi.com/lend-him-an-ear-ring...antic-city-nj/

https://www.songkick.com/artists/131...-band/calendar

Last week, The Late Late Show host James Corden taped a "Carpool Karaoke" with Paul McCartney in Liverpool. They visited Penny Lane, toured Paul's childhood home and sang along with several of Paul's hits. Paul also sang the first song he wrote (at age 14) and gave a surprise performance at a pub. It's the best Carpool Karaoke ever -- and it would have been even better if it had not been edited down to 24 minutes and if the obnoxious, obviously-fake canned laughter and applause had not been dubbed in.

Paul McCartney Carpool Karaoke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjvzCTqkBDQ

Sir Paul's 17th solo album is Egypt Station, which shares its title with one of his paintings and will be released September 7. Videos for two of the songs, Come On To Me and I Don't Know, can be seen on the Australian music site Tone Deaf:

Paul McCartney releases two new songs, announces album

https://tonedeaf.com.au/paul-mccartn...two-new-songs/

"Nothing ever happens to me. I'd jump in the River Mersey but it looks like rain." Here is a review of the 50th-anniversary re-release of Yellow Submarine by Los Angeles Times entertainment writer Randy Lewis:

As Yellow Submarine returns to theaters, a closer look at the Beatles film that 'crossed generations'

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...706-story.html

Imagine there's a John Lennon postage stamp -- it's easy if you try. And it comes out September 7.

US Postal Service honors John Lennon with new commemorative Forever stamp

https://about.usps.com/news/national...pr18_ma051.htm

There's nothing you can do that can't be done -- especially if it involves trying to make more money off the Beatles 48 years after they broke up.

The Beatles' All You Need Is Love to be adapted for children's picture book

http://ew.com/books/2018/07/19/the-b...-picture-book/

The Beatles Channel just played The Back Seat Of My Car, the final track of Paul & Linda McCartney's 1971 Ram album. Paul had originally hoped the Beatles would record the song. During a January 14, 1969 recording session with John and Ringo, Paul played piano and sang two versions of The Back Seat Of My Car, one slow and one uptempo. The Beatles were on the verge of breaking up and John, not surprisingly, didn't like Paul's song. Paul and Linda recorded it in October 1970.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNGAFZNy6YY

A new CD, carpool karaoke with James Corden, an impromptu performance at a Liverpool pub and now this. Sir Paul is just full of surprises!

Paul McCartney returns to Abbey Road Studios to play four new songs for fans and walk the famous crosswalk

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news...0TkT?ocid=AMZN

As I said above, Paul McCartney is just full of surprises. The Beatles performed at the Cavern Club 292 times, 1961-63. The Quarrymen, John Lennon's first group, had played the Cavern Club in 1957. And today Sir Paul returns.

Paul McCartney returning to Cavern Club in Liverpool for exclusive gig

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news...4VOr?ocid=AMZN

Rolling Stone just published a lengthy article about SiriusXM's Beatles Channel. Hurry and read it!

Inside SiriusXM’s 24/7 Beatles Channel
How programmers are finding countless ways to reexamine the Fab Four’s legacy.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...hannel-666858/

A six-CD, 140-track boxed set to be released October 5 will include dozens of remixes, demos and alternate takes of songs from John Lennon's 1971 Imagine album. They weren't good enough to be released when John was alive but they're somehow good enough to be released now. Or am I being overly cynical?

Remix box set, book, films offer deep dive into John Lennon's Imagine

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...823-story.html

Chapman now has at least two more years to sit in his cell and read The Catcher In The Rye.

John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman is denied parole for a 10th time

https://abc7ny.com/john-lennons-kill...time-/4041502/