The Beatles Channel

Imagine an 80-year-old John Lennon.

Sean Lennon hosting 80th birthday celebration for dad and chatting with Paul McCartney
CNN, Sep 22 2020 10:39 AM ET

Sean Lennon is helping celebrate what would have been his father John Lennon's 80th birthday. The younger Lennon will interview his brother Julian Lennon, Paul McCartney and Elton John in a two-part documentary, BBC Radio 2 has announced. "John Lennon would have turned 80 years old on Friday 9 October," a press release reads. "Hosted by his youngest son Sean in his first-ever radio show about his father, this is a celebratory, musical, family portrait of the legendary musician. It sheds fresh light on John's remarkable life in music – one which created some of the most important musical milestones of the 20th Century – and also delves deep into his incredible back catalogue." The documentary is scheduled to be broadcast over two days in October.

The elder Lennon was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman outside Lennon's apartment building, the Dakota, in New York City on December 8, 1980.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/23/enter...rnd/index.html

Counting his solo albums, Wings albums, classical albums and all the compilations and box sets, this will be McCartney's 69th album – and it's titled McCartney III. Go figure!

Paul McCartney announces new album, McCartney III
Featuring the musician on every instrument, album follows 1970's McCartney and 1980's McCartney II

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...y-iii-1077937/

Broadcaster/journalist Suresh Joshi wrote and produced this song for the documentary film East Meets West. It was recorded at Trident Studios in London and features George Harrison on guitar and Ringo Starr on drums. The lead singer is Aashish Khan.

Lost 1968 song with Beatles' George Harrison and Ringo Starr heard for first time

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/lo...gbr/index.html

And the song is already on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrXKrrx1Xxs

Ringo Starr's Lifted: Fab Images & Memories Of My Life With The Beatles From Across The Universe will be published in February 2022. The autographed, limited-edition book sells for $495. Proceeds will benefit The Lotus Foundation. The book is available exclusively from Julien's Auctions.

https://juliensauctions.com/ShopCatalog?id=189

Wesley Stace, a British singer/songwriter, has released 26 albums, five under his own name and 21 as "John Wesley Harding." He took the name from the title of a 1968 Bob Dylan album. Today on SiriusXM's Underground Garage channel, Chris Carter played When The Beatles Hit America, a song from 1990 which predicts the Beatles will get back together in 1993. A very peculiar song – but a nice fantasy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afCZQyhrn6U

But wait – there's more! Bob Dylan was pictured on the Sgt. Pepper's album cover and Dylan hid the Beatles' faces on the cover of the John Wesley Harding album:

https://www.needsomefun.net/are-the-...b-dylan-album/

Here is the first Beatles song to be played on the radio (BBC).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWMCYYRfFA8

In December 2021, a new video for My Sweet Lord was released, supposedly to celebrate the 50th anniversary of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album – but the album was released November 27, 1970. Anyway, among the cameos are Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Patton Oswalt, Mark Hamill, Jon Hamm, Joe Walsh, Darren Criss, Rosanna Arquette and Weird Al Yankovic. Hurry and watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04v-SdKeEpE

Helen Shapiro began recording at age 14. Her song Walkin' Back To Happiness was on the Hot 100 for only one week in 1961 but was a number-one hit in the UK. It was one of five top-ten British hits she had in 1961-62. Here she is, at age 17, serenading three of the Beatles with her 1963 hit Look Who It Is on an episode of BBC-TV's Ready, Steady, Go! The lyrics were written by Mike Hawker, who also wrote Walkin' Back To Happiness and Dusty Springfield's I Only Want To Be With You.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O2Yfae7xQk

During Memorial Day weekend, The Beatles Channel played the top 100 Beatles songs as voted by listeners.
Here is the top 40 – which includes 47 songs:

1. Hey Jude
2. Here Comes The Sun
3. Penny Lane
4. Abbey Road medley*
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
6. In My Life
7. A Day In The Life
8. Yesterday
9. Let It Be
10. Something
11. Eleanor Rigby
12. I'll Follow The Sun
13. Good Day Sunshine
14. Strawberry Fields Forever
15. Back In The USSR
16. You Won't See Me
17. Norwegian Wood
18. Here There & Everywhere
19. Help!
20. Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da
21. I've Got A Feeling
22. I Want To Hold Your Hand
23. If I Fell
24. Oh! Darling
25. The Long & Winding Road
26. I Am The Walrus
27. Two Of Us
28. Blackbird
29. Lady Madonna
30. And Your Bird Can Sing
31. Nowhere Man
32. I Should Have Known Better
33. I Saw Her Standing There
34. Across The Universe
35. Come Together
36. Revolution
37. All My Loving
38. I'm Looking Through You
39. All You Need Is Love
40. And I Love Her

*You Never Give Me Your Money/Sun King/Mean Mr Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In
Through The Bathroom Window/Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

Surprisingly, ten of the Beatles' number-one hits didn't make the top 40. Here, in order, are songs #41 through #100:

Dear Prudence, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, I've Just Seen A Face, Get Back, For No One, She Loves You, Don't Let Me Down, Eight Days A Week,. Drive My Car, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Hey Bulldog, Ticket To Ride, Day Tripper, Rain, A Hard Day's Night, You're Going To Lose That Girl, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, Paperback Writer, The Fool On The Hill, Got To Get You Into My Life, Hello Goodbye, I Will, If I Needed Someone, Can't Buy Me Love, You Never Give Me Your Money, Please Please Me, Things We Said Today, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, When I'm Sixty-Four, Taxman, We Can Work It Out, I Feel Fine, Twist & Shout, Do You Want To Know A Secret, Michelle, Rocky Raccoon, What You're Doing, Octopus's Garden, Tell Me Why, It's Only Love, She's Leaving Home, Helter Skelter, I'm Happy Just To Dance With You, Because, This Boy, Birthday, Getting Better, Lovely Rita, Yellow Submarine, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, The Ballad Of John & Yoko, No Reply, Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me & My Monkey, With A Little Help From My Friends, Love Me Do, Magical Mystery Tour, I Need You, Till There Was You, Tomorrow Never Knows, The Night Before.

Here are seven rare Beatles recordings that have never been officially released. One of them, Sour Milk Sea, was written by George Harrison. A version by Jackie Lomax reached #29 in Canada and #117 in the U.S. in October 1968.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoFzTS-EewU

Here is a new animated video for "Here There and Everywhere."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=FusIKjztap8

In 1978, John Lennon recorded a demo of Now & Then, singing and playing piano. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr attempted to complete the song in March 1995 but ultimately abandoned the project. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the song will finally be completed and released.

Paul McCartney says AI has been used to help create a 'final' Beatles song, which features John Lennon's voice

https://www.businessinsider.com/paul...-lennon-2023-6

The podcasts are co-produced by iHeart Podcasts and Pushkin Industries and are edited from 24 lengthy interviews that McCartney did with Paul Muldoon between 2015 and 2020.

Paul McCartney launches podcast focusing on his songs, from the Beatles to his solo career
He’s teaming with poet Paul Muldoon, his collaborator on the bestselling book The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present.

https://themessenger.com/entertainme...to-solo-career

On June 24, 1966, the Beatles performed two shows at the Circus-Krone-Bau in Munich, Germany. Also on the bill were Peter & Gordon, the Rattles and Cliff Bennett & the Rebel Rousers. Last month somebody finally posted the video on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laQ2CndwCeM

Rockstar, Dolly Parton's 49th solo album, will be released November 17. Today she shared her remake of the Beatles' Let It Be. The track features Paul McCartney on piano and harmony vocals, Ringo Starr on drums, Peter Frampton on guitar and Mick Fleetwood playing percussion. Wooh! Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXW-p4nKdDA

John Lennon formed the Quarrymen in 1956. Paul McCartney joined the band in 1957. George Harrison joined in 1958. Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe joined in 1960. In March 1960, John, Paul, George and Stu formed the Silver Beetles. Drummer Tommy Moore joined in May. In August, Pete Best replaced Moore and the group became the Beatles. Ringo Starr replaced Best in 1962. Five members of the Quarrymen reunited in 1997. With three original members, the Quarrymen are still together in 2023.

The Beatles started out as the Quarrymen, but the earlier band flourished without them
Many believe that once The Beatles were formed, the Quarrymen ceased to exist. Nothing could be further from the truth.

https://www.thethings.com/what-happe...e-the-beatles/

It wouldn't surprise me if the Beatles wind up with a number-one song in 2023, 59 years after their first number one.

740 iHeartMedia stations to simultaneously premiere 'last Beatles song'
RadioInsight, Oct 26 2023

iHeartMedia is partnering with Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe to simultaneously premiere "the last Beatles song" on 740 of their stations on Thursday, November 2, 2023 at 10 AM Eastern. Now & Then was a demo by John Lennon from the 1970s that was completed last year by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. iHeart will simultaneously premiere the song on their Classic Rock, Classic Hits, CHR, Country, AC, Hot AC, News/Talk, Sports and additional stations. The song will also air hourly on all of the company’s Classic Rock stations.

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...-beatles-song/

Here is the "new" Beatles song, Now & Then:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW55J2zE3N4

Amazon is selling Now & Then on 7-inch vinyl and 12-inch vinyl, backed by a remix of Love Me Do.. In the UK, the songs are also available on a CD single. I have no idea why the CD single is not available in the US. Here is a documentary on the making of Now & Then:

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

Here are Amazon's best-selling CDs and records today. The new Beatles song accounts for three of the top ten!

1. Now & Then – Beatles (7-inch vinyl)
2. Hackney Diamonds – Rolling Stones (CD)
3. Now & Then – Beatles (12-inch vinyl)
4. 1989 – Taylor Swift (vinyl)
5. Equal Strain On All Parts – Jimmy Buffett (CD)
6. 1989 – Taylor Swift (CD)
7. The Beatles 1967-1970 (CD, 2023 edition)
8. The Beatles 1962-1966 (CD, 2023 edition)
9. Now & Then – Beatles (7-inch clear vinyl)
10. Christmas – Cher (CD)

The Now & Then CD single will be released in the US – finally! – on November 17.

https://usastore.thebeatles.com/prod...ow-and-then-cd