McCartney, Starr reunite on blue carpet for Beatles documentaryPa

Former Beatles Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr reunited for a walk down memory lane on Thursday for the premiere of a documentary by Oscar winner Ron Howard about the Fab Four as they toured the world in the 1960s.

The singer-songwriter and drummer posed for photographs on a blue carpet in London's Leicester Square for the "The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years" premiere, which drew hundreds of cheering fans as well as celebrities such as Madonna, Eric Clapton, Bob Geldof and Liam Gallagher.

The documentary traces the band's touring years as McCartney, Starr along with the late John Lennon and George Harrison won legions of adoring fans across continents. It features footage of early performances at the Cavern Club in their native Liverpool, packed shows around the globe and their final tour concert in 1966 in San Francisco.

"We're all excited, it is the first time for us too," Starr told the crowd about seeing the documentary.

The film makes use of a rich archive of old footage - pictures, videos and audio recordings - of the band at the height of Beatlemania, with screaming fans, snippets of the cheekiness of the then young men and the group at work in the studio. Celebrities recalling seeing them perform also add their voices.

"We started off as four mates in a great little band and we kept playing and playing and all this stuff happened," McCartney said.

Howard said that as well as receiving help from McCartney and Starr for the film, Lennon's and Harrison's widows, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, who attended the premiere, had also contributed to the project.

The director, known for films such as "The Da Vinci Code", "A Beautiful Mind" and "Apollo 13", said directing the documentary had been "a great experience".

"It first began as just a fun, cool, creative adventure, then I became very intimidated by it when I realized how important it was to fans," he told reporters.

"Now it's just proved to be a very gratifying experience, and I'm already nostalgic for it ... After two years of working with it, I'm a little sad to let it go."

"The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years" hit cinemas worldwide on Thursday.

Source: Reuters

McCartney admits to depression after Beatles breakup

U.K. singer Paul McCartney admitted he suffered from depression following the breakup of the Beatles and even considered leaving music, he told BBC radio.

The former Beatles member also said he started drinking heavily after the Liverpool band decided to disband in 1970, according to his account to be broadcast next Saturday in BBC Radio 4's Mastertapes.

"It was difficult to know what to do after The Beatles. How do you follow that? I was depressed. You would be. You were breaking from your lifelong friends. So I took to the bevvies," he said.

The Beatles officially broke up in 1970 when they released their album 'Let it be'.

"The business thing split us apart," said McCartney, adding that he did not know "whether I was still going to continue in music" so he moved to Scotland for a while and began to drink.

It was his then-wife, Linda, who got him out of the situation by forming the band Wings.

"We were terrible. We weren't a good group. People said, 'Linda can't play keyboards,' and it was true," he said.

In his conversation with the BBC, McCartney also expressed his happiness at improving his relationship with John Lennon before the latter was assassinated in New York in December 1980.

Source: EFE

Paul McCartney launches bid to Get Back his Beatles songs

Although he co-wrote most of the band's hits, the star has never controlled the publishing.

However, the US copyright act of 1976 gives writers the opportunity to reclaim the rights after 56 years.
The Lennon-McCartney catalogue becomes available in 2018, and Sir Paul has recently moved to recapture it.

According to Billboard, the star filed a termination notice for 32 songs with the US Copyright Office in December.

Most of the songs date from 1962 - 1964, although others come from much later in the band's career. Some of those, including Come Together and Why Don't We Do It In The Road, are not due to become available until 2025.

An unnamed source told the magazine Sir Paul would only regain publishing rights for his half of the compositions, most of which he co-wrote with John Lennon. Furthermore, the act only applies to the US, so The Beatles' back catalogue would remain in the hands of Sony / ATV in the rest of the world.

Publishing rights determine how a song can be exploited - for example by licensing its use in a film or television programme. The publisher shares any resulting royalties with the songwriters, helping Sir Paul to amass a personal fortune of £730m.

But the lack of control over the songs has long been a thorn in the musician's side.

'Dodgy' deal

In the very early days of their career, The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, persuaded Lennon and McCartney to form a publishing company with music impresario Dick James - explaining it would be the smartest way for them to make money from their songs.

Within a few years, the band had become bigger than anyone expected and the publishing company - Northern Songs - was floated on the stock market.

Lennon and McCartney ended up with a 15% share, while James and his partner Charles Silver took 37.5% between them as the company's chairmen.

George Harrison and Ringo Starr were given just 0.8% - prompting the former to write the bitter Only A Northern Song, expressing his dissatisfaction at being considered a junior songwriter within the company.

In 1967, after Epstein's death, relations between the band and the chairmen soured - and James abruptly sold the publishing rights to ATV Music for £1.5m (£24.5m adjusted for inflation), without giving notice to The Beatles, robbing them of the chance to obtain the rights for themselves.

Almost 20 year later, Michael Jackson bought the ATV catalogue - which by that time also included songs by Little Richard, the Pointer Sisters, Pat Benatar and The Pretenders - for $41.5m (£28.8m), permanently souring his friendship with Sir Paul.

"I think it's dodgy to do things like that. To be someone's friend and then to buy the rug they're standing on," the Beatle was quoted as saying in J Randy Taraborrelli's biography of Jackson.
In 1995, Jackson sold half of his share in ATV Music to Sony. The Japanese company purchased the remainder of Jackson's stake earlier this month.

While Sir Paul's motion to terminate copyright is likely to be successful, Lennon's share in the Beatles' songs will not return to his estate. Yoko Ono sold the rights to his music to Sony/ATV Music in 2009, with those rights lasting the entire copyright's lifetime (70 years).

Source: BBC

'Holy Grail' Beatles record to be auctioned

Described as "a Holy Grail item", the 1962 10-inch record of Till There Was You and Hello Little Girl lay forgotten in the home of Les Maguire for decades.

Maguire, the keyboardist in fellow Liverpool act Gerry and the Pacemakers, said it could be seen as the record "that sparked The Beatles' success".

The acetate bears the handwriting of the Fab Four's manager Brian Epstein.

'One-off'

A conservative estimate is that the 78 RPM record - the first Beatles disc to be cut before the band broke through into the national charts in late 1962 - will fetch upwards of £10,000 when it is auctioned, although it is such a rare item it is difficult to predict what the sale price will be.

The record of Til There was You - labelled as being the work of "Paul McCartney & The Beatles" - was made at the HMV store in Oxford Street, London, and presented to future Beatles producer George Martin at the EMI record label in a bid to secure the band a recording contract.

Hello (misspelled by Epstein as "Hullo") Little Girl, on the other side of the disc, was recorded as being the work of "John Lennon & The Beatles".

Maguire, 74, of Formby, Merseyside, was given the disc by Epstein in 1963 after it had been returned to him by Martin.

Maguire described the record as "a special piece" and "a one-off".

"I've never been a big fan of memorabilia, but people seem to like it," he said.

"It's no good to me so I've given it to my granddaughter, who is hoping to buy a house after passing her accountancy exams. I hope it goes for a good price."

The record is being sold for the first time, having been locked away in Maguire's loft, carefully wrapped in paper, for more than 50 years.

Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn said in his book, Tune In, that the uniqueness of the disc is "enhanced by Brian Epstein's handwriting on the labels, and the recognition of what it led to".

Despite initial reticence from Martin, The Beatles would sign to EMI in 1962 before going on to become one of the most successful and influential bands of all time.

The recording is, Lewisohn wrote, one of the "rarest and most collectable of all Beatles records".

Ian Shirley, editor of Record Collector Rare Record Price Guide, described the disc as a "Holy Grail item".

He said it would "fascinate Beatles collectors worldwide" and would "no doubt attract bids from those with deep pockets".

The sale is to take place at Omega Auctions in Warrington on 22 March and will be broadcast live online for worldwide bidding.

Source: BBC

V&A to display George Harrison's Sgt Pepper suit

The peach outfit will form part of the V&A's You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-70 exhibition.

Opening in September, it aims to explore the impact of the late 1960s counterculture upon the present day.

Other items in the show include a piece of moon rock, a rare Apple 1 computer and shards from Jimi Hendrix's guitar.

The exhibition has been put together by Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, who also co-curated the V&A's blockbuster David Bowie exhibition in 2013.

It will focus on the places and events - such as London's Carnaby Street and UFO Club, the Paris protests of May 1968 and the Woodstock Festival of 1969 - that helped define the period.

Harrison's suit is being loaned by his widow, Olivia, along with the musician's sitar, letters and a diary about the recording of the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club album, which was released in 1967.

Ms Broackes recalled the moment she was shown the suit for the first time. "It was put on a table and looked beautiful - it had a hat with a feather and special cuffs. To see the whole thing laid out together is incredibly exciting."

Other Beatles items on display include John Lennon's lime green Sgt Pepper outfit - which has been on display previously - and handwritten lyrics for Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

The exhibition's launch event took place at The Bag O'Nails club in London's Soho where The Beatles and The Jimi Hendrix Experience played, and where Sir Paul McCartney met his future wife Linda Eastman in 1967.

Martin Roth, director of the V&A, said: "There is nothing about our lives today that wasn't affected by the political and social changes that happened then."

Among the 350 objects on show will be:

A dress from the boutique of 1960s model Twiggy

Costumes designed for Mick Jagger and Sandie Shaw

A native American-style suit worn by The Who's Roger Daltry at Woodstock

A kaftan worn at Woodstock by Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane

Underground magazines such as Oz and the International Times

A shopping list written behind barricades during the 1968 Paris student riots

The space suit worn by William Anders, who took the famous "Earthrise" photograph on the Apollo 8 mission

The V&A is also borrowing more than 200 LPs from the collection of the late BBC broadcaster John Peel which will "form the spine of the exhibition".

Special headsets worn by visitors will provide an audio guide which changes the sound according to the visitor's position in the gallery.

"The exhibition is about much more than music but it is music that carries the story," Ms Broackes said.

You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-70 is at the V&A 10 September 2016 - 26 February 2017.

Source: BBC

Vinil que lançou os Beatles vai a leilão

O disco de vinil com a gravação que convenceu George Martin a produzir os Beatles, peça única da história do grupo, será leiloado, informou a casa Omega Auctions.

"Este disco único de 78 revoluções, com 'Hello Little Girl' de um lado e 'Till There Was You', no outro, foi prensado na loja HMV de Oxford Street, em Londres, antes de ser apresentado pelo agente d grupo Brian Epstein a George Martin", explica o comunicado da Omega Auctions, que realizará o leilão em 22 de março, e Warrington (noroeste de Inglaterra).

O nome do grupo no disco aparece como Paul McCartney and The Beatles, e, segundo uma estimativa prudente, deverá alcançar as 10.000 libras (14.000 dólares), apesar de, há pouco, fios do cabelo de John Lennon terem sido vendidos por mais de o dobro, 23.000 libras.

"É uma das gravações mais raras dos Beatles", explica o historiador Mark Lewisohn, especialista no grupo.

Fonte: Exame

The Beatles chegará ao Spotify e à Apple ainda em 2015

Os álbuns de estúdio da banda The Beatles finalmente chegarão às plataformas de streaming de música ainda neste ano, segundo a Billboard.

Não se sabe por ora quais serviços receberão o catálogo, mas a revista afirma que quase todos, "se não todos" – como Spotify, Apple e Deezer –, terão os discos da banda.

Nenhuma das marcas confirmou, mas as fontes da Billboard indicam que o primeiro trabalho dos Beatles a chegar ao streaming será a música Hey Jude – clássico lançado em 1968 –, na véspera de Natal.

Este esperado acontecimento para os fãs dos quatro garotos de Liverpool vai se concretizar após Rob Wells, ex-executivo digital da Universal Music, ter assinado contratos em setembro.

Lentidão

Os Beatles são conhecidos pela demora para aderir às novidades tecnológicas, explica a Billboard.

O catálogo da banda chegou à loja iTunes, da Apple, depois de seis anos da estreia. Vendeu dois milhões de músicas na primeira semana.

Em 1987, eles lançaram CDs, mas a versão remasterizada de seus trabalhos veio 22 anos depois disso.

O primeiro game dos Beatles veio apenas em 2009, com The Beatles: Rock Band, lançado pela EA Games.

Fonte:Exame/Abril

Ringo Starr exibe suas fotos na National Portrait Gallery

Ringo Starr: "Estas são as fotos que ninguém mais poderia ter tirado. Levava a câmera comigo grande parte do tempo"

O baterista dos Beatles, Ringo Starr exibirá a partir desta quarta-feira uma série de fotos exclusivas na National Portrait Gallery, em Londres, feitas pelo próprio artista e que vão desde sua infância até sua relação com os outros membros da banda.

"Estas são as fotos que ninguém mais poderia ter tirado. Levava a câmera comigo grande parte do tempo", comentou hoje o músico, que abre pela primeira vez seu arquivo pessoal. Ele lança dia 21 o livro "Photograph by Ringo Starr", pela Genesis Publications, no Reino Unido.

A mostra dá uma visão sem precedentes da vida de um dos maiores músicos do mundo, que com sua câmera registrou a história de quatro meninos de Liverpool "tentando viver uma vida normal no meio do frenesi que nos rodeava".

"Sempre adorei tirar fotos. Todos os beatles tinham câmeras - acho que compramos tudo em nossa primeira tour pelo Japão - mas eu já fazia fotos algum tempo antes disso", comentou.

Ringo Starr relatou que o grupo sempre teve algum fotógrafo os acompanhando, como Dezo Hoffman e Bob Freeman, que fizeram várias fotos dos Beatles para as capas de seus discos.

No entanto, Ringo teve a oportunidade de fotografá-los fazendo seu trabalho, assim como registrar momentos em originais e inéditas que apresentam "uma perspectiva única desse incrível período" de suas vidas.

"Espero que desfrutem de algumas lembranças únicas dos Beatles comigo", exclamou sobre as imagens, que estarão expostas durante quatro semanas.

A National Portrait Gallery informou que 20 dos retratos poderão ser comprados, como parte de uma edição limitada, por 1.900 libras cada (R$ 11.500).

O novo livro de fotografia "Photograph by Ringo Starr" estará também disponível para venda, exclusivamente na galeria londrina, duas semanas antes de sua publicação.

"O livro e as impressões são um fantástico registro dos primeiros anos de Ringo e de sua estreita relação com Paul, John e George, concluiu Perry Bushell, da National Portrait Gallery.

Fonte: http://exame.abril.com.br/estilo-de-vida/noticias/ringo-starr-exibe-suas-fotos-na-national-portrait-gallery