Rooftop Beatles Concert thinks that McCartney’s remark about former president GW Bush was just plain mean, rude, arrogant, and stupid.  His explanation that Saturday Night Live also made fun of GWB is a cowardly excuse not to APOLOGIZE!  Lastly, he said he waited until the Bushes has already left the ceremony so to not to embarrass them! Ghastly!

Paul McCartney refuses to apologise for Bush gag
Daily News & Analysis
The Beatles legend poked fun at the ex-leader’s intellect as he became the first non-American to collect the Gershwin Prize for ‘Popular Song’ from Bush’s …
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Politico
The Beatles star not only refuses to apologize for the slam on 43 but says President Obama shouldn’t be blamed for Gulf oil spill cleanup problems. …
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My bizarre life with the Beatles, by sculptor who immortalised good, great and …
Daily Mail
The screaming teenagers were there that day in January 1964 to catch a glimpse of The Beatles; I was there to sculpt them. Halfway up the hotel staircase, …
See all stories on this topic Starr power
Boston Herald
For his next birthday, July 7, the former Beatles drummer is asking his fans for just one thing. “At noon,” Starr said, “I’d love everybody, wherever you …
See all stories on this topic Rain provides fitting Beatles tribute
Cape Cod Times
Constant repetition might have deadened your ear to how powerful and good the Beatles really were. And they were a live band that got fans on their feet and …
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The Guardian (blog)

World Cup 2010: No place for self-doubt as England take on Germany
The Guardian (blog)
When the draw was made I saw a headline in the Sun: “England, Algeria, Slovenia, Yanks – EASY”, they said, “the best English group since the Beatles. …
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Daily News & Analysis

Nashville Scene

Beatles B-Sides Night at The 5 Spot
Nashville Scene
My roommate recently managed to procure all five discs of The Beatles Anthology, which we’ve been relentlessly poring over ever since. …
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The Guardian

Ian Brown: Soundtrack of my life
The Guardian
She gave me all her Beatles, Stones and Supremes singles and her Dansette when I was seven, but I didn’t know albums (or LPs as we called them then) existed …
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The Phoenix

Harper’s Magazine, 1850-1980
The Phoenix
By MARCO TRBOVICH | June 26, 2010 It seems but a moment ago that the sound of Dylan and Baez, the Beatles and the Stones reverberated through a world bent …
See all stories on this topic In brief: Davis criticises terrorist policy; Beatles single sold; Yorkshire …
www.thisisbeverleylocal.co.uk
HULL: A copy of The Beatles‘ first 45rpm single, Love Me Do signed by The Beatles when they came to Hull, was sold for a staggering £12500 at auction. …
See all stories on this topic Suicide by Cop – A phrase seldom heard
Family Badge
The 1976 death of Mal Evans, road manager, assistant, and a friend of The Beatles, who aimed an air gun at police and refused to put it down, was theorized …
See all stories on this topic Keep an ‘eye on the sky’
Ottawa Citizen
By Claire Brownell, The Ottawa Citizen June 26, 2010 Some people know hundreds of bird species, or the lyrics to every Beatles song, or every NHL goalie’s …
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New York Times

In Documentary, Wall of Sound Meets Wall of Law
New York Times
“The Top 3 for me were always Dylan, the Beatles and Phil Spector. I thought it would be difficult to get any of them, but that we’d never get Phil, …
See all stories on this topic Yanofsky fans believe in Nikki’s voice
Toronto Sun
Highlights included the new song, Grey Skies, the jazz chestnut, Take the “A” Train, The Beatles‘ Two Of Us, and the Fitzgerald and Garland signature songs, …
See all stories on this topic Oasis may be headed for big screen
National
Following in the footsteps of The Beatles, The Monkees, Johnny Cash and even The Spice Girls, it looks like the erstwhile Britpop act, Oasis, may be heading …
See all stories on this topic Music Notes 6/25/2010
California Chronicle
USA Today reports that 13 minutes of unreleased footage of The Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show” will be released on DVD on Sept. 7. …
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Mount Vernon News

Something for everyone at USA Days festival
Mount Vernon News
Then there are the Beatles. British Invasion consists of Evan Baisden, vocals; Paul Bailey, guitar and keyboard; Paul Meutesman, drums; Tony Burlingame, …
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Broward New Times (blog)

Local Motion: Ex Norwegian at Respectable Street Saturday
Broward New Times (blog)
… cue not from McCartney and company, along with a legion of Brit pop players in general – the Kinks, the Move, and, naturally, the Beatles among them. …
See all stories on this topic Ringo Starr hits the road with his ’1-800′ band
Edmonton Journal
Besides Starrs’s hits that include Photograph, It Don’t Come Easy and a smattering of Beatles songs, like With a Little Help From My Friends and Yellow …
See all stories on this topic BP bosses’ words will live in infamy
Montgomery Advertiser
If anyone ever bothered to listen to the words of Beatles‘ songs, the only people they would have attracted were those high on everything but life. …
See all stories on this topic It’s time to deliver knockout punches
Ottawa Citizen
And the Sistine is just another ceiling, the Beatles are just another rock band and Yankees-Red Sox is just another ball game. The Round of 16 matchups for …
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News of the World

Beat that!
News of the World
Day Tripper, Yesterday, Sgt Pepper, Helter Skelter and Back In The USSR… it’s just about the dream setlist for ANY Beatles fan. But we’re also treated to …
See all stories on this topic Send to a friendOpen Mike, June 26-27

Max Weinberg Big Band jazzes up Newport
OCRegister
In case the audience hadn’t had enough of Count Basie, the Weinberg outfit did a suite of Beatles tunes as arranged by the Basie Orchestra – “Help!,” “Do …
See all stories on this topic Uuuuuke!
Boston Globe
He recorded an album of covers, “The Beatles Uke,” in 2008. Now he’s working on uke originals: “It’s a good songwriting tool. …
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AFP

Australian advertisers see light side to PM rout
AFP
Radio stations also got in on the act, peppering their broadcasts with Beatles favourite “Julia” and feminist anthems such as “Sisters are Doing it For …
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New York Times

Surely It’s 30 (Don’t Call Me Shirley!)
New York Times
In a weird way it’s like a Beatles movie. It looks like the easiest thing in the world, but there’s a lot of sweat and blood that went into it. …
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Examiner.com

Herbie Hancock’s The Imagine Project: a globe-trotting tour de force
Examiner.com
The 12 time Grammy winner released his 48th studio album titled The Imagine Project, recreating the work of Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Bob Marley. …
See all stories on this topic Liverpool celebrates legacy of Lennon
Winnipeg Free Press
One of the main organizers of the event is the Liverpool attraction, The Beatles Story. It is holding the White Feather: Spirit of Lennon exhibit about life …
See all stories on this topic DVDs: Latest Foyle, Best Alice, Last Station
Huffington Post (blog)
I suppose asking the Stones to release Cocksucker Blues is like asking the Beatles to release Let It Be. We’ll have to wait til they’re gone for that to …
See all stories on this topic Window on Whidbey: Peas Please Me
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
here’s a recent Paul McCartney version of Please Please Me, one of 14 songs on The Beatles‘ debut album of the same name. There are currently no comments …
See all stories on this topic One Year After His Death, Jackson Still Mourned
CDInsight
… that she believes her brother was murdered for his catalogue of music, which contains not only his own hits, but very expensive songs by the Beatles. …
See all stories on this topic Swinging back to the ’60s with far-out trivia
Hamilton Spectator
“In Canada, the Beatles‘ We Can Work It out with Day Tripper on the B Side was pretty much the big hit for 1966. But in the US, it was the Ballad of the …
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The Guardian

The forgotten beat of 70s Africa
The Guardian
… so many smaller local groups were in thrall to Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Jefferson Airplane and, albeit less surprisingly, James Brown? …
See all stories on this topic Falls commencement was a sunny ceremony
Niagara Gazette
After the speeches, the senior choir sang “In My Life” by The Beatles, and Board of Education President Russell Petrozzi gave the class some words of wisdom …
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Contactmusic.com

MCCARTNEY TO STREAM CONCERT ONLINE FOR HIV CAMPAIGN
Contactmusic.com
The Beatles legend will take to the stage in the British capital on Sunday (27Jun10) to perform at the Hyde Park Calling music festival, set in the city’s …
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Altsounds.com

‘Pop’ artist Peter Blake creates unique designs for T shirts and ‘body art …
Altsounds.com
Best-known for his design for the Beatles‘ ‘Sgt Pepper’ album cover, Peter Blake has created a unique artwork around the theme of the iconic Glastonbury Tor …
See all stories on this topic Edwin Jackson may get extra rest before next start
Gaea Times (blog)
… Die Abbey Road der #Beatles ist – in St. Petersburg! http://krz.ch/abbey bobbyotam1 #Sports ~ Despite 8 walks, Jackson tosses year’s 4th no-no – ST. …
See all stories on this topic Petty keeps his classic ’60s rock sound current on old hits, new material
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
What Petty has done is take his own ’60s rock influences, starting with the Byrds, the Stones and the Beatles, and fashioned them into his own brand of …
See all stories on this topic Arena ends musical run with singers King, Taylor
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Promoter Pete Bennett, who worked with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Frank Sinatra, booked Nat King Cole at the Civic Arena in 1963. …
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OnMilwaukee.com

Jeff Beck unleashed at Summerfest
OnMilwaukee.com
They offered some especially golden nuggets in the set including a moving rendition of the Beatles “A Day in the Life” and a fitting guitarist tribute in …
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Sydney Morning Herald

Hope in a dark world
Sydney Morning Herald
… did one of his most memorable “interviews”, draped across a bed and saying to Mick Jagger, “I was a big fan of yours when you were in the Beatles. …
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TORONTO — A former Ontario disc jockey says he’ll still auction off his original recording of a 1966 Beatles news conference in Toronto. …
See all stories on this topic Former Beatle Paul McCartney is coming to Denver!
Metromix Denver
Win a pair of Paul McCartney tickets! Paul McCartney, arguably the most commercially successful performer and composer in popular music, will bring his Up …
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Video Game Review: Rock Out With ‘Green Day: Rock Band’
HollywoodChicago.com
CHICAGO – Harmonix and MTV Games took something of a surprising turn after the massive success of last year’s best music game, “The Beatles: Rock Band,” by …
See all stories on this topic Beatles mania
London Free Press
The band, who range in age from 12 to 16, performed various Beatles songs in the Rotary Reading Garden at the London Public Library Central Branch. …
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Daily News & Analysis

Paul McCartney pays on-stage tribute to Jimi Hendrix
Daily News & Analysis
London: Former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney aka Macca paid tribute to late Jimi Hendrix as he opened at the Isle of Wight festival. …
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Phoenix New Times (blog)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Mojo
Phoenix New Times (blog)
I’d argue that The Beatles would be the prime example. Most people like The Beatles, but even those who say they don’t actually do, because The Beatles‘ …
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E3 2010: Microsoft Press Conference Play.tm They had Steven Spielberg and The Beatles last year, so it was hardly surprising that anticipation was running at fever pitch ahead of this year’s Microsoft … See all stories on this topic

The Chattanoogan Chattanooga’s Live Music Scene – Day 3 Review, Day 4 Preview The Chattanoogan by Bob Payne The Beatles would have been proud last night. The Chattanooga Symphony, Joan Osborne, The Waybacks, and John Cowan combined to cover The … See all stories on this topic

Soulive brings free funk to Vail Vail Daily News Their next release, called “Rubber Soulive,” is a Beatles tribute record. They’ve been playing special sets of entirely Beatles tunes at sold-out shows in … See all stories on this topic

Written by Dean M Shapiro | Monday, 14 June 2010 15:44 Music Notes NewOrleans.Com If that name now starts to ring a bell, yes it was THOSE Beatles! That group of four young Liverpool lads with funny haircuts and strange-sounding accents … See all stories on this topic

Sotheby’s to Auction Lennon Lyrics; Carrie Underwood Double Winner at CMT Awards Voice of America The auctioneer describes the track from the Beatles‘ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album as “the revolutionary song that marked the Beatles‘ … See all stories on this topic

The Quietus Lennon Naked & Depictions Of The Beatle On The Screen The Quietus The difference between The Doctor and a Beatle, however, is that there is no definitive template for the former. Depending, for the most part, … See all stories on this topic

E3 2010: Ubisoft Announces Michael Jackson License 1UP.com By Steve Watts, 06/14/2010 Ubisoft ended this evening’s press briefing with the reveal of what could be the biggest license to hit music games since Beatles … See all stories on this topic

E3 2010: What to expect News & Observer (blog) Last year, the company made a splash by reuniting the remaining members and families of The Beatles onstage to promote the multiplatform title The Beatles: … See all stories on this topic

What The World Needs Now Is Jackie DeShannon NPR In 1964, DeShannon received one of the biggest breaks of her career when she received a call from Brian Epstein, the manager for The Beatles. … See all stories on this topic

Do It Today: Passion Pit at the Ritz and the Beatles‘ Magical Mystery Tour … Creative Loafing Tampa (blog) –Andrew Silverstein Missing your bell bottoms, flower power and Beatles on vinyl? Get a heaping dose of nostalgia when the actual Magical Mystery Tour bus … See all stories on this topic

Telegraph.co.uk Crispian St Peters Telegraph.co.uk Crispian St Peters, who has died aged 71, flirted with fame in the 1960s as a pop singer, but fell from favour when he compared himself with the Beatles and … See all stories on this topic

Examiner.com Joe Jackson claims Michael feared being shot over music, blames wife for death Examiner.com The catalogue, which follows that of ‘The Beatles‘ and other iconic music collections, is reportedly one of the most valuable in music history. … See all stories on this topic

Base lines up Lyric series Variety Founded by entrepreneur Hanna Rochelle Schmieder, Lyric Culture turns lyrics of artists like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and others … See all stories on this topic

Jo Garcia: Ultimate Gamer IGN It legitimized the game so much more because you think, “Okay, yeah, anyone can do a Beatles Rock Band” and the fact that they did a Beatles Rock Band and … See all stories on this topic

9-11pm WRFR-LP radio, rock master, Lock Kiermaier will be playing Dylan, Jimi … knox.VillageSoup.com … Gram Parson, Fleetwood Mac, Dave Mason, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Animals. Bobby Charles, and newer music by Bearfoot, Jack Johnson, the Seet Hurt, … See all stories on this topic

S.O. Athletes Win Medals at Special Olympics Patch I know Ted as a Beatles fan who regularly requests “Hard Day’s Night” at the Jespy Day Program on Milligan Place. On Sunday, I joined him on the field of … See all stories on this topic

Trent Hancock Records His New EP ‘Ghostbird’ In LA With Platinum Producers … Top40-Charts.com Los Angeles, LA (Top40 Charts/ LUCK Media & Marketing) – It’s almost a cliché for indie artists to cite The Beatles as primary musical influences-but the … See all stories on this topic

Daily Tech Roundup: Lehman’s Emails, The Lost Apple Creator And Twaiku NPR (blog) Pete Best missed out on international stardom when The Beatles replaced him with Ringo Starr. But a less-known man, the “lost” Apple founder, missed out on … See all stories on this topic

Consequence of Sound Watch: Jennie Arnau – “Bouncing Ball” (CoS Premiere) Consequence of Sound Whether it’s The Beatles being chased by a gaggle of crazed girls or every rapper in the world taking over some anonymous nightclub, visuals go a long way … See all stories on this topic

Ontario/ Chaffey Community Show Band gets Beatlemania Contra Costa Times The 7:30 pm concert will feature the music of the Beatles in Gardiner Spring Auditorium at Chaffey High School, 1245 N. Euclid Ave. … See all stories on this topic

Downtown Offers Live Entertainment Beyond Street The Lookout News Wednesday nights rock with Beatles karaoke and the live Beatles tribute band Number 9. And, lest we forget the Fab Four, there is a Beatles cover band on … See all stories on this topic

50 green apps to help you sprout an eco-friendly lifestyle Sun-Sentinel Granted, Americans were focused on other things, like the Kent State shootings, Apollo 13, the invention of fiber optics and the Beatles‘ last album. … See all stories on this topic

Are you a Ringo Starr fan? Poughkeepsie Journal … going to see Ringo and His All-Starr Band at Bethel Woods, we would like to hear what you have to say about the man who kept the beat for the Beatles. … See all stories on this topic

Click Liverpool University students to do up John Lennon’s Liverpool garden Click Liverpool A mecca for Beatles‘ fans, Mendips is looked after by the National Trust with house retaining its 1950s look, while the garden has a more modernised feel. … See all stories on this topic

Daily Mail Paul McCartney travels with a portable Buddha statue to maintain his zen while … Daily Mail The Beatles legend, who is part way through a series of British concerts, has admitted he has a Buddha statue in the temporary dressing room that the … See all stories on this topic

Orlando Sentinel Relieve Beatlemania, yeah, yeah, yeah Orlando Sentinel 1 in April 1964, the Beatles occupied all of the slots in the Top 5 including “Twist and Shout,” “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand. … See all stories on this topic

Rain, live music send off AMHS graduates Bennington Banner Rain had forced the 33 graduates and their well-wishers inside, but a live performance of The Beatles‘ In My Life by graduate Dillon Hawley, … See all stories on this topic

Exiled on main street… again! Hindustan Times The list is exhaustive but to illustrate a few examples, there is the recent complete Beatles catalogue that was re-mastered with mini-documentaries on the … See all stories on this topic

Contemporary ballet at its best Bizcommunity.com Musically, the show is inspired by The Beatles. That does not mean that they play Beatles numbers in succession. Rather, the performance is littered with … See all stories on this topic

Best Albums – The final word Metro Canada – Edmonton (blog) The Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and the like seem to be perrenial all-stars while newer bands like Arcade Fire, The Strokes and The White Stripes … See all stories on this topic

Concert Review | New Pornographers Group gives impressive twist to old standards Columbus Dispatch The group ranged from styles influenced by 1960s groups from the Beatles to the Monkees, to the power pop of the early-1980s and indie rock of today. … See all stories on this topic

Dover Arts, technology academy graduates 12 Foster’s Daily Democrat Instead of “Pomp and Circumstance,” graduates marched into their graduation at the Dover City Hall Auditorium with the song “In My Life” by The Beatles … See all stories on this topic

Stone River Boys are proud of their twangy, funky roots Ventura County Star “We love the Beatles, the Stones, Buck Owens, BB King. It’s all roots music to me.” The Stone River Boys, country rock icons in the making, will make their … See all stories on this topic

Irish Independent Review: Paul McCartney RDS, Dublin Irish Independent Two three-song encores send us off happy, with two of my all-time favourite Beatles songs, ‘Lady Madonna’ and ‘Helter Skelter’, getting look in. … See all stories on this topic

Money is taking you to paradise San Mateo Daily Journal His long hair, as was the Beatles-inspired style of the time, stood out. When Money’s friends moved to California, he followed. Living in the Bay Area is a … See all stories on this topic

Sorry Charlie: Tempe Duo is Electric Mustache’s Big Find Phoenix New Times (blog) Did you listen to The Beatles cover I posted? It’s pretty great. Comments may not show up immediately after submission. Please wait a minute after posting a … See all stories on this topic

HEXUS Green Day: Rock Band – Xbox 360, PS3 HEXUS Green Day: Rock Band is the second title in the series to focus solely on one artist, so comparisons to the brilliant The Beatles: Rock Band are inevitable. … See all stories on this topic

The Star-Ledger – NJ.com Max Weinberg plays big-band jazz at Red Bank show The Star-Ledger – NJ.com Weinberg did, though, reach out to rock fans with a medley of Beatles songs, arranged by Chico Hamilton for Count Basie’s band. It started with “Help! … See all stories on this topic

Band to play free to help Southgate Detroit Free Press And in general we do about four Motown songs, some Beach Boys, some Beatles, Rolling Stones, Ricky Nelson, and we do Hank Williams and Patsy Cline,” he said … See all stories on this topic

Bonnaroo ’10 Sunday: What the sun heats up, the Dave Matthews Band cools down Entertainment Weekly … infernal Lunar Stage, where, once again, a bunch of drunks are karaokeing “With A Little Help From My Friends” thanks to the magic of Beatles Rock Band. … See all stories on this topic

Keith Urban: CMA Fest Cheerleader Great American Country (blog) … will be the close of Keith Urban’s Friday-night set at Nashville’s LP Field, where he put together an all-star ensemble for a Beatles cover. … See all stories on this topic

Orchestra is epic move for former ‘Police’ man San Diego Union Tribune Unlike Chuck Berry and The Beatles before him, Sting has not rolled over (or under) Beethoven to tell Tchaikovsky the news. But Sting, who performed at … See all stories on this topic

While reading the interview, some of the questions and answer might appear a bit odd if you are not up on your Beatles trivia, but take not of the interviewer’s question to John about Christianity. Earlier that year on March 4, 1966, a British Evening Standard reporter took down the infamous and provocative statement made by John, which was not to surface in the U.S. until July 29, in the teen magazine, Datebook.

“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first – rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”

Lennon was later to recant his statement by stating in a press conference:

The Apology

John: “If I had said television is more popular than Jesus, I might have got away with it, but I just happened to be talking to a friend and I used the words “Beatles” as a remote thing, not as what I think – as Beatles, as those other Beatles like other people see us. I just said “they” are having more influence on kids and things than anything else, including Jesus. But I said it in that way which is the wrong way.”

Reporter: “Some teenagers have repeated your statements – “I like the Beatles more than Jesus Christ.” What do you think about that?”

John: “Well, originally I pointed out that fact in reference to England. That we meant more to kids than Jesus did, or religion at that time. I wasn’t knocking it or putting it down. I was just saying it as a fact and it’s true more for England than here. I’m not saying that we’re better or greater, or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is. I just said what I said and it was wrong. Or it was taken wrong. And now it’s all this.”

Reporter: “But are you prepared to apologize?”

John (thinking that he had just apologized, because he did): “I wasn’t saying whatever they’re saying I was saying. I’m sorry I said it really. I never meant it to be a lousy anti-religious thing. I apologize if that will make you happy. I still don’t know quite what I’ve done. I’ve tried to tell you what I did do but if you want me to apologize, if that will make you happy, then OK, I’m sorry.”

The next odd thing was that the reporter questioned Lennon about the song, “Eleanor Rigby,” while indeed the hit song was written by Paul McCartney.

TONY BARROW: (yelling) “May we please have quiet before we start with questioning!”

Q: “First question for John. This tremendous enthusiasm of youth, if it were channelled into good causes, would have a tremendous effect. How about the Beatles starting a ‘Feed The World’s Hungry’ fund through the United Nations?”

JOHN: “Well, you know. It’s an idea. We can’t just say yes or no now.”

Q: “And the second positive question — What are some of the positive elements of Christianity at its best that you feel you can support?”

JOHN: “The basic ideas of Christianity. We suport that.”

Q: “Would you recommend them to young people?”

JOHN: “I’d recommend them for anybody. Old people as well, you know.”

PAUL: “Especially!”

JOHN: “Especially, yeah.”

(laughter)

Q: “Mister Lennon, is there any connection the lonely people in Eleanor Rigby and your recent attempt to formulate an opinion on religion?”

JOHN: “Well, there’s a connection inasmuch as you’ve connected it. That’s all. And it just happened at the same time over here, but Eleanor Rigby came after that article. The article’s quite a few months old, and Eleanor Rigby came a couple of months later.”

Q: “Mister Lennon, do you possibly put a message in your songs as a sort of crusade or do you just make songs that you like because you think other people will like them?”

JOHN: “I don’t know, you know. I don’t write them for other people, really. They’re only for other people after they’re finished, if they like them or not then, you know. When I write them, or we write them, it’s gotta be for yourself.”

you seem a healthy bunch. You rarely cancel due to…”

JOHN: (to George) “I told you we were.”

(laughter)

PAUL: “Very healthy.”

JOHN: “Well, George and I were disputing it. He’s thinking we’re unhealthy, and I was saying we are healthy… or they wouldn’t let us make films.”

Q: “This question is for John. Which question do you dislike being asked the most?”

JOHN: “At the moment, the one they’re all asking when we first get in about the statement I made.”

Q: “Could you tell us about that?”

JOHN: “Uhh, well, you… (laughs)

(laughter)

JOHN: “Well, I mean, you ask me what you want to know about it, and I’ll tell you. I’m just going to go over it and over it.”

Q: “This has been asked before — What did you really say? Was this taken out of context?”

JOHN: “The words themselves weren’t out of context, ‘cuz they were from an article. The article was out of context ‘cuz it was taken from the paper and from England, you know. That’s how it was out of context.”

Q: “Do you feel this has hurt your image in any way?”

JOHN: “Uhh, no.”

PAUL: “It’s been straightened out, I think.”

JOHN: “With a few people, you know, but I don’t think I mind about them.”

Q: “George, I think the business of John’s statement has been cleared up pretty well. I’d like to ask you what you think is really important in life? I tend to agree that probably the Beatles are more popular, if popularity is gaged, than Jesus. But is popularity the most important thing? What is the most important thing in life?”

JOHN: “Love.”

GEORGE: “Love is the main thing, I’d say. But I mean, there’s lots of things in Christianity that are so right which, all the people who set about us after the comment made, they dont really sort of keep up with what they are supposed to believe in. I mean, first of all, love thy neighbor like thyself. They tended to hate a bit more, didn’t they, the people who disliked us. Well, for a kick off, that’s not a Christian answer to whatever Lennon said.”

Q: “John, may I ask you, what is it in your estimation that can and does really inspire the young people today?”

JOHN: “I don’t know, honestly, you know. I just know that what we’re doing inspires them to a degree, but not to inspire them to do anything else other than enjoy themselves.”

Q: “What you do excites them and makes them enjoy themselves.”

PAUL: “They get inspired by people who talk honestly to them. And not people who take the long way ’round and talk in riddles. I think, you know, if they believe us on some things it’s because we can say it like they would think it, ‘cuz we’re exactly the same. We don’t pretend to be anything better than we are, you know.”

Q: “Do you always play it straight, Ringo?”

RINGO: (pause) “Nope.”

(laughter)

Q: “It seems to me that it’s the grown-ups that are small-minded about all these things — the children don’t seem to be at all and they don’t believe any of this. But the parents are telling them that they should do. And this is where the big mistake is made, is the parent’s leading them the wrong way.”

PAUL: “Well, you know, there’s a gap between the generations that’s very hard to fill. I don’t think most children think of their parents as human beings ’til the children themselves are about sixteen, seventeen, you know.”

JOHN: “Older than that.”

PAUL: “And they suddenly realize that they’re just people like them and not, sort of, great big people to be feared. You know, THAT’S the gap that should be healed.”

Q: “What are the Beatles going to do about their diminishing popularity?”

JOHN: “WHAT dimishing pop…?”

(laughter)

GEORGE: “For a start, there’s no signs as far as we’re concerned of it diminishing. Our records and our shows are still selling as well as ever. You’re just giving your opinion.”

PAUL: (jokingly) “You’re finished, George, you’re finished!”

(laughter)

GEORGE: “And if our popularity does diminish, we’ll be the last to worry.”

(applause) PAUL: “Hurray!” (whistles)

Q: “With the background instrumentalisation for Eleanor Rigby, aren’t you really heading into something very new?”

PAUL: “No. Very old.”

JOHN: “Violins are old.”

Q: “What’s happening for pop music now, going back to the old?”

PAUL: “It’s not…”

JOHN: “It’s progressing, you know.”

PAUL: “It’s progressing because it’s having new things with the old, instead of just the old on its own.”

PAUL & JOHN: “Or just the new.”

PAUL: “It’s combining them. You know, it’s taking bits from everything and being, I don’t know… (pause) liberal.”

Q: “Do you think you could go electronic?”

PAUL: “Yes, you know. We could go anything.”

GEORGE: “Not totally…”

JOHN: (jokingly) Oh, I could.”

(laughter)

Q: “The four of you — Would you sometime like to visit Russia?”

JOHN: “As Beatles or as people?”

Q: “Both.”

JOHN: “Yes, wouldn’t mind.”

Q: “What kind of reception do you think you would get from a) the people and b) the officials?”

JOHN: “From the people it would be okay. I don’t know about the officials. You know, I think it would be okay now.”

GEORGE: “Okay now.”

(laughter)

Q: “John, are you going to have a hand in writing your next movie?”

JOHN: “Umm, I don’t think so. I hope not, you know. I’d sooner somebody else wrote it. I don’t know how to do it.”

Q: “When is it coming out, do you know?”

JOHN: “I don’t know when it’s starting even. Probably the…”

GEORGE: “January, I think.”

JOHN: “January. February.”

Q: “Gentlemen, you received the medals for assisting the British economy a couple of years ago. The economy is in kind of rough shape now…”

GEORGE: …and we’re still assisting it now.”

(laughter)

Q: “Anything to give it a fresh boost?”

JOHN: “Well, we could give them the medals back.”

(laughter, followed by applause)

JOHN: “Ahh, it’s very friendly here.

(laughter)

Q: “With the people throwing things on the stage, are you worried ever about getting injured?”

JOHN: “You worry about your eyes, mainly. You know, ‘cuz little things you can’t see.”

Q: “John, I don’t want to get you too tangled in politics, but I read that you weren’t very excited about the situation in Vietnam. I would be interested in knowing your opinion, or any of the Beatles opinion, about the question of the United States involvement in Vietnam and whether or not you see this as a possibility of a world confrontation with China, and whether you think it’s dangerous, and whether you think it’s important for people to become informed and concerned on this issue.”

JOHN: “Yes.”

(laughter)

JOHN: “I mean, we all just don’t agree with war for any reason whatsoever. There’s no reason on earth why anybody should kill anybody else.”

Q: “Well, why don’t you say… Why don’t you come out and…”

GEORGE: “The main thing is…”

JOHN: “Because somebody would shoot us for saying it, that’s why.”

GEORGE: “Somebody once said ‘Thou shalt not kill means THAT, not amend section A.’ And there’s a lot of people who are amending section A and who are killing. And it’s up to them to sort themselves out.”

PAUL: “But we can’t say things like that.”

JOHN: “We’re not allowed to have opinions. You might have noticed, you know.”

(laughter)

Q: “Continuing in that line, what do you think of the youthful Americans who are coming across the border to Canada to escape the draft? Are you in favor of the draft or military disipline for the younger generation?”

PAUL: “No.”

GEORGE: “I think anybody who doesn’t feel like fighting or feels like fighting is wrong has a right not to go in the army. There’s nobody can force you into going and killing someone.”

JOHN: “But they do.”

PAUL: “Shouldn’t be able to, really.”

JOHN: (sighs, and continues jokingly) “Ahh, we’ve had it in Memphis now.”

Q: “Paul and John, have you ever thought of writing a musical such as ‘My Fair Lady?’”

JOHN: “Nothing like that, anyway.”

Q: “Why DON’T you write one?”

PAUL: “We thought about writing a musical, but not like ‘My Fair Lady,’ because if we did one like that… There are people around that can write that kind of musical better than we can because they were doing that fifty years ago, you know. And the only thing is that if we tried to write a musical, we’d try to write one with up to date tunes and up to date music. It’s difficult to think what to do, ‘cuz everyone seems to go to fifty-year-old ones… you know, that sort of era.”

Q: “In bringing Eleanor Rigby and Yellow Submarine, are you trying establish any sort of a trend in music, away from rock?”

PAUL: “No. I don’t think we ever try to establish trends, you know. We try to keep moving forward and do something different. And if in the meantime it starts trends, you know, that’s okay. But we never try consciously to start them.”

Q: “It’s certainly original.”

PAUL: “Thank you.”

Q: “Can I ask Paul, it’s either my imagination or are you doing less physical effort on stage now in your performances?”

PAUL: “I dunno, probably, you know. I mean, you manage to sort out after a few years just how much jumping around will produce just how much sweat. Perspiration.”

Q: “Mister Lennon, you’re were asked a question you said, ‘The Beatles are people.’ What do you think, that you are…”

JOHN: “I really meant, you know…”

Q: “…do you think you’re going to split up?”

JOHN: “Well, everything’s possible, you know. There’s no answer to that. We obviously are not going to go around holding hands forever.”

(laughter)

JOHN: “We’ve got to split up or progress. I mean, we might… You know, I can’t… It might happen. It’s quite possible.”

Q: “This one is for Ringo. Your actions are so limited so much by public demand and riots and mobs. What normal, everyday thing would you like to do that you cannot because of your fame?”

RINGO: “Umm, when were off I live quite normally. It’s only on tour we’re like this and we’re always in hotels and that. But when we’re off, I’m just like you.”

(laughter)

JOHN: “He’s one of THOSE.”

Q: Gentlemen, have you given any thought as to when your popularity might end, and if so, do you think you’ll be around in another ten years time?”

PAUL: “We’ll be, you know… The only reason we won’t be around is we’ll be dead. But, uhh, as Beatles we could be around still doing the same thing as we’re doing now only we have developed a bit. But you know, it’d be a bit embarrassing at 35.”

(laughter)

JOHN: (jokingly, to Paul) “Long Tall Sally.”

PAUL: (giggling) “Yeah.”

Q: “Paul, I’ve gotten ten variations of the story of how you chipped your tooth. Can you set the record straight? How did it happen?”

PAUL: “Umm, it was Christmas and I’d had a few drinks and I went for a ride on a moped. And I was watching the moon and I fell off.”

(laughter)

TONY BARROW: “This is the last question.”

Q: “This question is for Ringo.”

RINGO: “Again?”

Q: “You must get frightened sometimes with all these youngsters screaming so loud. If you do, what is the time or what city does this most happen in?”

RINGO: “The screaming never frightens you, it’s just when they start a break and try to get onstage.”

Q: “At what point or what tour have you been the most worried about maybe being attacked?”

JOHN: “Manila.”

RINGO: “Cleveland, I think.”

Q: “Cleveland on the current tour?”

RINGO: “Yeah.”

JOHN: “Oh, this tour.”

RINGO: (to the others) “Was it Cleveland?”

BEATLES: (exaggerated) “Sure. Yeah.”

(laughter)

RINGO: “They broke through there.”

PAUL: (to Tony Barrow) Is that it? (to the reporters) Thank you. Goodbye.”

(reporters applaud)

JOHN: “Thank you.”

Sources:
The Toronto interview was obtained from Beatles Interviews as transcribed by Jay Spangler.

The Lennon statement was obtained from Beatles Number Nine.

If you are a Beatlemaniac, and one who specifically grew up in the 1960s like I did, you will probably understand why this Rooftop Beatles Concert journalist is gloating with the news that according to Rolling Stone Magazine, the Beatles once again beatled-out (sic) the Rolling Stones.  For those of you who weren’t around, or not aware of it, Beatles fans and Rolling Stones fans were forever at odds with each other as to which band was greater. I always knew that the Beatles were the superior group, but those Rolling Stones fans definitely put up a good argument, especially as the Beatles started to publicly fall apart. Still today, some us will sometimes ask new acquaintances whether or not they are a Beatles person or a Stones person.  I know it sounds trivial, but if the other person answers that they are from the other camp, a bidding friendship may be in jeopardy or never come to fruition.  A kind of suspicion arises, and unless other compensating personality qualities are discovered, a close friendship may never develop.  This is especially so in the world of dating; a potential perfect mate may be disqualified if he or she is from the wrong camp, or even worse – does not like either one of these bands. Sad, but true some rivalries never die!  Kieli!

I remember back when I was a little girl, when most of my friends were probably still singing along to nursery rhymes, I was listening to the Beatles.  I was about 3 ½ years old when I first watched the Beatles perform on the Sunday evening Ed Sullivan Show. I remember getting so close to my parents’ black and white TV that I practically crashed into it while screaming like all the other teeny-boppers. The most heartbreaking news for me at the time was that my father claimed that he had made a suit for Brian Epstein while he was in NY!  My father owned a men’s clothing factory, Kimmel Clothes, which produced some of the finest men’s suits at the time.  I think I will never forgive him for not getting me a ticket for the Ed Sullivan Show!  Mind you, I was only 3 ½, when they performed, but when it comes to age – a female infected with Beatlemania has no age boundaries!

I used to daydream that I was the “fifth Beatle” and go larking about all over the world with them.  Those are the kind of fairytale dreams I had at that age!  Help! was the first Beatles movie I saw in the movie theater.  I went with my father and my older cousin, Nikki.  It played at the Squire Theater in Great Neck, NY – the town where I was raised.  For weeks, my father would play the “Clang” car game, which revolved around red paint – like in the film.  Whenever we spied red somewhere, we would yell, “Clang!”  Coincidentally, while the Throgs Neck Bridge was being repaired the summer of 1965, there was a lot of red paint markings on the bridge!  Those were some of the most wonderful years of my life.

Getting back to the Rolling Stone Magazine report, Rooftop Beatles Concert Headquarters learned today that the Beatles, with 21 hits, have more songs on their 2010 “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” than any other musical group or performer! Congratulations Beatles here, there, and everywhere, as well as to all of us Beatlemaniacs!  Sorry, Mick, even with John and George gone, the Beatles once again beatled (sic) you and the Rolling Stones.  However, please don’t get me wrong.  I think your band is fabulous.  I saw you live at Shea Stadium, and with all my excitement, I had to be held by my friends, to keep me from falling from the rafters!  Congratulations on also getting high marks and coming in second with 14 songs on the chart.

While this Rooftop Beatles Concert reporter was doing her research I found, however, that some of the dearly beloved songs of the Fab Four have fallen a few places.  Compared to other years, some songs have dropped from the list and some have been added.  Yet, overall, they certainly have stood the test of time – or at least in the history of rock ‘n roll which is less than 60 years old!

Clapton had purchased the used Gibson guitar at Dan Armstrong’s guitar shop in New York City. George played his Lucy for much of the Get Back sessions – better known as the Let it Be Rooftop Beatles Concert which would prove to be their last live concert as a group. During these sessions, George played his used Gibson electric crimson guitar, for songs which were eventually compiled for Abbey Road, the Beatles (White Album), and notably in solos such as “Not Guilty” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Additionally, ‘Lucy’ was played in the promotional video for “Revolution.”

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Rooftop Beatles Store

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Rooftop Beatles Store

At the time of the infamous Abbey Road Studios rooftop Beatles concert, George Harrison was several weeks shy of his 26^th birthday. The rooftop concert was performed at the end of January 1969 at Abbey Road Studios, in the fashionable London district of St. John’s Wood. Other famous artists and musical groups who have recorded there are David Gilmour and Pink Floyd, David Bowie, U2, Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Andre Previn, Yehudi Menhuin, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Major motion picture soundtracks such as Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Star Wars Episodes I II III V and VI, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the Harry Potter film series were recorded at Abbey Road. Despite it being nominated as ‘Studio of the Year’ by the magazine Music Week, EMI has not been able to keep the studio profitable and intends to sell it. The award ceremony is to take place on April 15. Paul McCartney, who has also recorded at the studio in non-Beatle projects, has not made public any offers, but has been vocal with his support to keep it open and running, rather than being converted into apartment buildings as some rumors have suggested. Other sources quote an Andrew Lloyd Webber representative as stating that Sir Webber will buy the ailing studio at any cost. Additional speculation includes s possible purchase by the British National Trust, which would protect the building, but not necessarily keep it operating.

In 2007, Abbey Road Studios was taken over by Terra Firma, a private equity firm, although it continues to operate.  It is the world’s oldest operating recording studio, having opened its doors in 1931. The studio’s website has posted its plans to open an online store, featuring t-shirts, laptop cases, and notebooks.  If the store goes over well, the studio will expand its line of exclusively designed products.  Perhaps it will coincide with George’s birthday, who was born on February 25, 1943 in Liverpool, England.  George was the youngest of the four Beatles and passed away from lung cancer on November 29, 2001; John Lennon was murdered on December 8, 1980.  The Crossing, a private garden and restaurant, now operates where the 1969 rooftop Beatles concert took place.

In order to further improve its bottom line, the studio recently partnered with SoundCloud, an online music service founded in 2008.  The service offers musicians and producers the opportunity to have their music mastered by Abbey Road engineers from anywhere in the world.  There does not be a provision for users to upload files directly to Abbey Road; they must open an account with both SoundCloud and Abbey Road Online Mastering.  Once the accounts are established, files are uploaded from SoundCloud to their Abbey Road account.  Files must be in uncompressed stereo WAV or AIFF file formats. The cost is currently $139 per track or whatever the current exchange rate of £90 comes out to be.

On January 3, 1970 – a year later and almost to the day following the rooftop Beatles concert, the Beatles recorded their last song together as group – recording George’s I Me Mine. George completed his first and perhaps greatest solo album All Things Must Pass several months later in Studio 3.  As we remember George this year, many of us are actively trying to prevent Abbey Road Studios from being dismantled.

Rooftop Beatles Store

Shortly after the live rooftop Beatles concert, George’s crimson red 1957 Les Paul Standard – ‘Lucy’ was stolen from under his bed in his home in Beverly Hills. Used Gibson guitars can fetch a whopping return on investment, especially if it happened to be played at the infamous Rooftop Beatles Concert and owned by George Harrison. Take for instance, George’s crimson red 1957 Les Paul Standard – renamed ‘Lucy’ by Harrison after the redheaded comedian, Lucille Ball.  Originally, given to him as a gift from Eric Clapton in August 1968, the guitar made auction history when Christies sold it for $567,500 in December 2004.

Clapton had purchased the used Gibson guitar at Dan Armstrong’s guitar shop in New York City. George played his Lucy for much of the Get Back sessions – better known as the Let it Be Rooftop Beatles Concert which would prove to be their last live concert as a group.  During these sessions, George played his used Gibson electric crimson guitar, for songs which were eventually compiled for Abbey Road, the Beatles (White Album), and notably in solos such as “Not Guilty” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Additionally, ‘Lucy’ was played in the promotional video for “Revolution.”

Rooftop Beatles Store

However, the provenance of Harrison’s ‘Lucy’ is not as neat as first presented. Prior to Clapton acquiring the guitar, it passed through the hands of the Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian and then Rick Derringer. Derringer claims that he had it refinished at Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory. So, here comes the catch; Derringer claims that the guitar he sent off to Gibson’s was a late-’50s Les Paul Goldtop. According to factory records, the serial number on the rear of the instrument’s headstock #7-8789 does indeed correspond with the Goldtop that was shipped from the factory in December 1957. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Derringer stated that after the instrument was refinished, it “just didn’t feel the same … it had changed into an altogether different guitar.”

Additionally, according to experts, George’s ‘Lucy,’ cite that the style and typeface of the serial number do not match other instruments of the same vintage. Furthermore, several years after Clapton gave the guitar to Harrison, John Sebastian is photographed in a 1971 picture holding the Goldtop! Apparently, whatever the provenance of George’s used Gibson guitar really is, its value to him, and later on to auctioneers, did not diminish, as demonstrated in the burglary and kidnapping story of ‘Lucy’ to follow.

In the early 1970s, the infamous used Gibson guitar was stolen from Harrison’s home in Beverly Hills, where it is reported to have been kept under the rock legend’s bed. Sometime thereafter, it ended up for sale at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, where it was sold for $650! Sometime after returning to his native Mexico, the purchaser, also a musician, was contacted by a Harrison representative, requesting that the guitar be returned to Harrison – ‘Lucy’s’ rightful owner.

Shortly after the release of Let It Be – the last live rooftop Beatles concert, the crimson guitar was returned to Harrison, but only after the kidnapper was rewarded with a ’58 sunburst Les Paul and a Precision bass. George, commenting on this very distressing experience stated, ['Lucy'] “got kidnapped and taken to Guadalajara and I had to buy this Mexican guy a Les Paul to get it back.” George’s beloved Gibson used guitar remained in his collection until his premature death from cancer in 2001. She was one of several Gibson guitars that Harrison owned.

Rooftop Beatles Store

Memphis blues band, Fried Glass Onions – Memphis Meets the Beatles has recorded three Beatles tribute albums. The first was released in 2005. Actually, Fried Glass Onions is not a real group, but a cute packaging idea; the album contains all Beatles songs, but is recorded by individual artists – not one band. What is interesting is that blues musicians had a tremendous influence on the Beatles as well as other British rock composers.  Elvis, in particular, was a great influence on Lennon, who idolized him.  After numerous attempts to meet Elvis in person, the Beatles finally got their chance on August 27, 1965 during their second USA tour. The meeting took place at Elvis’ Bel-Air, California estate, where the magical event took place – they spent approximately four delirious hours as they described it with the King.

Rooftop Beatles Store

But, before Elvis or the Beatles burst onto the American music scene, there was W. C. Handy – the Father of the Blues.   Music historians state that the man they crowned Father of the Blues, W. C. Handy, technically did not invent the blues. Rather, the blues were played before Handy even learned how to play a musical instrument, but it was he who first wrote down and published the first blues piece of music. In his own words, he describes his introduction to first hearing the blues as “the weirdest music I had ever heard” (Handy, 74). Indeed, as a youngster, Handy was formally trained in the traditional manner, where he studied classical music, music theory, and composition.

Handy was born in 1873, in Alabama, and began his entertainment career in the 1890s.  His first gigs were touring with all black musical troupes. After serving as bandleader of the Mahara’s Minstrels for four years, in 1903 Handy moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi where he heard the Blues for the first time.  It was from then that Handy began his ascent from being a classically trained coronet musician into a beginner blues guitar player. In 1914, Handy composed “St. Louis Blues,” considered one of the most popular blues songs ever recorded.

Rooftop Beatles Store

By the turn of the century, Handy was about to establish himself and his Memphis blues band as an institution in history of music.  His genius came when he began to experiment in integrating ragtime with the blues – blues as it was interpreted in the late part of the nineteenth century.  Listening to early versions of “Memphis Blues,” or rather “Mr. Crump,” a political song, which would eventually be reworked into “Memphis Blues,” is stylistically more like ragtime than blues. “Mr. Crump,” was actually published three years prior to “Memphis Blues” in 1909. Early recorded versions of each are available of Handy playing the guitar and as well as accompanying himself in traditional blues style vocals. Later piano renditions in ragtime, followed by jazz and big band versions, offer the listener a unique experience of musical history in the making. Over the decades, Handy’s music has been performed and arranged by hundreds of musicians and performers, and happily continues to grab at the musical heartstrings of new generations, whether they are playing blues guitar, piano, or even coronet.

Decades later, the tide has turned and Memphis bands, especially the mega Memphis blues band, Fried Glass Onions: Memphis Meets the Beatles, find themselves gaining insight and inspiration from the Beatles.  To date, Fried Glass Onions: Memphis Meets the Beatles has been so successful that within a year of the first album, an additional two volumes have been released.  Indeed, not only was W. C. Handy the father of the blues, but very much a man who unknowingly fathered a melting pot of musical geniuses.

Rooftop Beatles Store

If you are a guitar collector or fan of the Beatles, then any or all of the John Lennon Gibson Acoustic Electric Guitars are a splendid addition to your collection – especially my favorite, the Gibson J-160E.
Early pictures of the Beatles in their infamous Cavern Club days portray a rather and rough band of Teddy Boys, sporting leather motor cycle jackets, tight jeans, and fifties style pompadour hair styles – not the iconic, clean cut mop-tops created by their manager, the late Brian Epstein. When Epstein, then a young music store retailer first heard the Beatles in 1962, their sound was as rough and unpolished as their instruments. With great vision, and as a condition to manage the group, the young Epstein made the brilliant decision to have the group replace their leather jackets and jeans with the now iconoclastic Beatle suits and neo-Arthurian hairstyle. Along with the wardrobe makeover, came a musical makeover, which meant not only a modified sound, but also new instruments.

In Lennon’s case, it was a new Gibson J-160E guitar – a Lennon legacy and a very special chapter of rock ‘n roll guitar history. Several colorful myths surround Lennon’s guitar; one is that it was purchased with the help of Epstein as co-signer. Another legend is that Epstein bought one each for John and George, as opposed to a tale that John nicked his from George!  Through whichever means John did get his guitar, having become so attached to it, rather than replace it, in 1967 Lennon had the veneer repainted in a colorful psychedelic design. However, within two years, around the time of his marriage to Yoko Ono, John had the guitar stripped down to its original finish, but then proceeded to decorate it with caricatures of himself and Ono on the guitar’s body during their 1969 “Bed-In for Peace.” Today, Gibson Guitars along with the endorsement of Lennon’s widow offers a replica of the John Lennon Gibson J-160E, aptly named The Gibson Gibson J-160E John Lennon Peace Acoustic Electric Guitar . The replica looks almost identical to the original guitar – featuring a rounded shoulder body design, a Sitka spruce plywood top; its back and sides are made of mahogany. Gibson proudly boasts that their instrument produces a full-sounding balanced tone with warm, rich lows tones, and crisp, presence-laden highs.

John recorded and performed some of my favorite Beatles songs with this model, including, “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” from the film, “Help!” The song is played exclusively with acoustic instruments, with John strumming the G chord introduction, which carries into the beginning of the song. It ends with a melodic flute finale. The song was written in the key of G major, and built around four major chord progressions G, D, F, and C, and composed in three-quarter time.

Whether you are a Beatles collector or musician, any of the John Lennon Gibson Acoustic Electric Guitars, be sure to check out the Gibson Epiphone J-160E John Lennon , and own a small part of the Lennon music history. If you are a musician, as well as a Beatles fan, playing any of John’s songs with this replica will probably bring you to musically inspired spiritual heights that you probably only dreamt of – even to the top of the Rooftop Beatles Concert!