#i'm the number one john lennon fan

[m1ssunderstanding]

Understanding Lennon McCartney Rewatch Part 1.2

George: We don't have to keep [an image] up, we just remain ourselves. Don't we, Ringo? Ringo: well, we do, I mean, it's the other two we're worried about. It's a joke about John and Paul being bigheads, but a crazy person – definitely not me – could also see it other ways if they wanted to.

Paul talking about their mutual friend when asked how they met and John telling him not to complicate it. They're so married it's ridiculous. 

Always looking at each other with every single joke. 

He looks like he's in a lovely enclosure at the petting zoo. I've always been so confused by this footage. Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?

I LOVE that we now know Paul was cast as Thisbe and John as Pyramus and then they switched. I'm actually dying to know how and why that happened though. My first instinct was “of course. Paul was scared he'd look too convincing as a woman, so John did it for him.” But no. Paul dressed as a woman at the cavern, wore ladies lingerie in Hamburg, and wanted to do a full drag show on TV in the early seventies. So why not Thisbe?

Why do you as a man randomly bring up the color of your friend's dick while staring lovingly into his eyes?

It must be noted. They had a wonderful time playing star-crossed lovers. 

The bickering pianos are so cute! And then John (prompting Paul): and John and I . . . Paul: oh I hate this. John: will probably carry on . . . Paul: we'll carry on songwriting . . . You just know Paul didn't hear the end of that one interview answer for a long long time. And it's because John just had to hear it over and over again.

Love the editing so that Paul smacks John's ass right as the symbols crash. 10/10 A+

This iconic moment. Poor George tally number 4.

Interviewer brings up marriage and John takes a shot like he wants to forget that the whole concept even exists. Literally poor Cynthia. And not even in an “lol her husband's gay” type of way. Just in a genuine “the way their relationship fell apart actually breaks my heart because she really did love him and in his way he loved her too but they were just so thoroughly incompatible” type of way. 

Paul: makes a stupid dad joke. John: giggles gleefully and kicks his feet

I have never seen someone so disappointed that they didn't need to lend their friend a pen. Paul had his hand in his pocket before John even asked the interviewer for a pen and when the interviewer gives him one, Paul literally hangs his head like he's just been cut from the school play. I just. The obsession is frankly cartoonish. But also, he just needs to be needed, you know? How many songs does he have which conflate being needed and being loved?

The juxtaposition of Paul and John elaborately messing with the interviewer (“yes John Lenard, that's me” and “actually it's done by mirrors.”) vs George's “I don't know” and “yeah.” it's actually kind of mean editing but whatever. It is ULM not UH. Someone should make that though.

Again, John. Calm down. He's not that funny. Just look at Jimmy. That's the normal person's reaction to that joke. John is half the reason Paul has such a big head honestly. 

Paul's answer to a question about the Beatles gaining a lot of adult fans is nice. Sometimes he shocks with a bit of wisdom. Sometimes his words don't get messed up at the point they hit his throat as he says. 

What the fuck? Okay so the interviewer asks Paul what he likes in a girl, right? I've always been too distracted by Paul saying he likes a sense of humor and John doing an obnoxious fake laugh in the background because John. It's embarrassing how obvious you are. Stop.

But I never noticed Paul actually says “people”. The interviewer asks about girls and he says he likes “people - er - girls” to have a sense of humor. Huh. Okay. 

So ULM was actually what made me a serious Beatles fan and this was the first moment where I had to pause it and verify to see if what I'd just read was actually true. It really is a doozy. 

How to flirt. A guide by Paul McCartney. Step one: get your crush’s attention. This should be extremely easy. Just gesture vaguely at something you're holding. He'll be interested. Step two: do something suggestive to a phallic object. Step three: that's it. You've got him. He'll do whatever you want.

The editing in this thing truly is brutal. Just the jump cuts from a question about Cynthia to John and Paul making each other laugh to girls screaming to John and Paul unnecessarily touching to girls passed out on the ground to John and Paul desperate for each other's attention to girls waving signs to John and Paul sharing weird eye contact to girls physically mobbing them to John and Paul beaming at each other to a question about Jane. It really does drive home the immense pressure of compulsory heterosexuality back then. 

Then a question that's obviously meant to poke a nerve and start some bad feelings. “Paul. Is John the leader of the Beatles?” Easily rebuffed with “no I'm not” and “there's no real leader”. I know I'm dramatic but really it's like every aspect of that society was against them you know? And they just kind of said "fuck you, we're crazy about each other."

Question: what do they think about when they're imprisoned in their hotel rooms? John: we don't think about one thing. *Whips head to look at Paul* well, some of us do. Oh and you know that how exactly? What, do you just have a printout of his every thought? Do you keep constant tabs on his dick?

Someone give me the heterosexual explanation of that moment when John very clearly and obviously checks out and appreciates Paul's ass as he and Ringo are pretending to be cowboys. Seriously. I'm at a loss here. 

Poor George tally number six? Seven? They're asked what they'll do if England reinstates the draft. John brings up Southern Ireland. George brings up Germany. Paul and John plan their joint escape to Southern Ireland as if George hadn't even spoken. 

The choice to play “Another Girl” over that quote of John's being like ‘Paul's actually much meaner than i am’ is great. Because that's seriously such a jerk song. I don't much like Jane, honestly, but fuck, she deserved so much better than Paul. He was such a douche.  

Literally all the song choices in this are phenomenal. “Hide Your Love Away” over the montage of 60s homophobia moments? It's so genius. Saying everything without saying anything. Letting the Beatles do the talking. 

The laugh track over the cartoon is honestly so sad. Nobody asked them if they were okay with being mocked like that and they never even made a dime off it. What would that have felt like to know that your being “too close” with your best friend was a running joke on TV?

“It's only love and that is all. Why should I feel the way I do?”

[thatswhatsushesaid]

while high last night i decided to bully the new facebook AI assistant by asking it to calculate how many words the beatles have ever written across their complete discography. the resulting interaction was so unexpectedly interesting to me that i just really want to share it here.

(full disclosure: while not high, i did try to do a little digging to verify whether meta's AI was trained in the same shitty way that the chatGPT AI was, i.e., through broad scraping of information without any regard for copyright or other intellectual property rights, and was modestly reassured that there are more licensing agreements in place between meta and IP sources. i do wonder just how heavily they're leaning on the 'fair use' provision of copyright law to justify some of what they're doing, but tl;dr it looks like they have learned from chatGPT's high profile mistakes and are trying not to replicate them.)

anyway, here's how it went:

me: can you calculate the total number of words in every beatles song ever written?

meta AI: I can't calculate the total number of words in every Beatles song ever written, but I can tell you that there are 186 songs in total by the Beatles ¹. You can use an online lyrics website, such as Genius, MetroLyrics or AZLyrics, to count the words in each song and calculate the total number of words in every Beatles song ever written. [link to Bing search results included]

me: but i'm tired 😞

meta AI: I understand! Counting the words in every Beatles song would be a massive task. It's estimated that the Beatles have written over 250,000 words in their songs. If you're feeling tired, you can always try breaking the task down into smaller chunks, like counting the words in one album at a time. Alternatively, you could try searching online for a pre-existing count or estimate. Some fans or researchers may have already done the work for you! Get some rest, and maybe tackle the task when you're feeling more energized!

me: what if i say please

meta AI: Please is a magic word!

Alright, I'll try to help you with that. However, please note that it's a complex task, and I might not be able to give you an exact count. But I can try to provide an estimate based on available data and sources.

According to various sources, including lyrics websites and Beatles fan communities, the estimated total word count for all Beatles songs is around 250,000 to 300,000 words.

Here's a rough breakdown:

- John Lennon wrote around 80,000 to 100,000 words

- Paul McCartney wrote around 80,000 to 100,000 words

- George Harrison wrote around 30,000 to 40,000 words

- Ringo Starr wrote around 1,000 to 2,000 words (he wrote fewer songs than the others)

Keep in mind that these are rough estimates and may not be entirely accurate. But I hope this gives you an idea of the total word count for all Beatles songs!

me: wow! thank you so much! [can't believe i thanked the AI here, but whatever, weed had the wheel ok]

meta AI: You're welcome! It was my pleasure to help. I hope you found the estimate helpful. The Beatles have an incredible legacy, and their music has brought joy to so many people around the world. If you have any more questions or need help with anything else, feel free to ask! And remember, "All you need is love..."

anyway, congratulations to me personally for politely bullying an AI to do more work than it initially claimed it was capable of doing. sometimes saying please will actually make the computer do the thing 👍

[greensparty]

Sam Mendes partners with Sony and Apple for Four Beatle Theatrical Movies

Today it was announced that Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes will be directing four movies about The Beatles, each one about the individual Fab Four: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Sir Paul, Sir Ringo and the estates of Lennon and Harrison have granted life rights and music rights to the scripted films. As a lifelong Beatle fanatic (I just named "Now and Then" my #1 Song of 2023 last week) this peaked my interest!

Mendes is a solid director. I was a big fan of American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Away We Go, 1917 and Empire of Light. So I'm confident he's going to do the right thing and not mess this up. There's been quite a few Beatle documentaries in recent years notably Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back. But in terms of a scripted film about The Beatles' that's been easier said than done over the years. There have been a number of TV movies about the individual Beatles, but theatrically it's been few and far between. There's been loads of films inspired by The Beatles, i.e. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Across the Universe, and Yesterday. One of the great films about Beatle-mania (not so much The Beatles themselves but the fans) was I Wanna Hold Your Hand. The best one about Lennon was Nowhere Boy, in which Aaron Johnson played Lennon as a teen. One of my favorites about The Beatles is Backbeat about their early days in Hamburg, mainly the relationship between Lennon (Ian Hart) and Stu Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorf). Paul, George and Pete Best were also portrayed in the film too, but very minor roles outside of the performances.

Bottom line: getting the life rights and music rights to The Beatles is a serious get, which is why is hasn't been done too often, done right, or they tried to do it without the music. I think if each movie is going to be each Beatles' story with their own POV of what happened that could really work, especially for a director like Mendes!

Oh and Mr. Mendes - if you need a consultant for any of these films, feel free to contact me!

The link above is the article from Deadline.

[tenderlady]

thank you to @oldlovecassette and also @eveepe for tagging me to post 5 songs i've been listening to recently!!

i am blossom dearie's number one fan. if she has 1000 fans i am one of them. if she has 100 fans, i am one of them. if she has no fans, i'm dead. (also beatlepeople fyi, she did write a song for john lennon, which is amazing)

quality of life is directly proportional to how much of your time you spend listening to private pressing disco records from the 70s

i put my underrated pop girlie bucks on allie x like 7 years ago and my investments are returning in case anyone needs lottery numbers or something

crazy that sean lennon was the bassist on this album

it is warm out and i am currently living in my hometown, which means that spiritually i am fifteen and SWIMMING POOL GLIMMERING DARLING WHITE BIKINI OFF WITH MY RED NAIL POLISH

tagging @bipbops @planetaire @tabiheel @goldslick and anyone else who wants to play <3

[thesunsethour]

welcome back to part 3 of eve procrastinating her final exams by ranking her favourite songs by her favourite artists. today it is The Beatles' turn

(as always i must stress this is my opinion only. but i am also very nosey, so please tell me *your* opinions too)

(i'm ignoring songs in different languages, naked versions, and also any cover songs, so focusing exclusively on anything penned by lennon-mccartney or harrison or starr)

(this took me a week and a half. for context my killers' list took two days and hozier took four hours)

without further ado:

189. Wild Honey Pie (spoiler alert: i'm not a white album fanatic)

188.       Dig It (vibey but odd little song)

187.       Maggie Mae (didn't know for years this was a liverpool folk song)

186.       Only A Northern Song (not weird enough to justify itself)

185.       Revolution 9 (it achieves john's goal. still hate it though)

184.       All Together Now (worse precursor to the frog chorus)

183.       It’s All Too Much (i would like to apologise to yellow submarine)

182.       Flying (criminal that this is so far down actually. i only have myself to blame)

181.       I’ll Get You (bit samey)

180.       Savoy Truffle (i wrote down 'harrison's own muzak')

179.       Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey (wtf john)

178.       Thank You Girl  (harmonica has been utilised better)

177.       Every Little Thing (pretty okay)

176.       You Like Me Too Much (george still in songwriting training)

175.       I Want To Tell You (the beginning of george's 'i don't know' refrain in his songs. keep an ear out)

174.       The Inner Light (SO very george)

173.       Her Majesty (i'm irish so this had to be this low)

172.       You Can’t Do That (great john vocals here tbh)

171.       Honey Pie (you can so clearly hear the music hall inspiration. very paul)

170.       When I Get Home (bit samey but catchy enough)

169.       There’s a Place (better harmonica)

168.       I Need You (lovely harmonies)

167.       Not a Second Time (i always forget this song exists sorry to john lennon)

166.       It’s Only Love (i always think this ones on rubber soul)

165.       I’ll Cry Instead (conversely this is very beatles for sale coded i think!)

164.       Little Child (i am a sucker for the harmonica it has to be said)

163.       You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (really campy ad-libs. a fan)

162.       I’m a Loser (john's voice is so deep in this one??)

161.       I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party (little foot tapper of a song)

160.       Piggies (george had been reading orwell! good for him)

159.       Don’t Pass Me By (ringo! hello!)

158.       I’ll Be Back (solid enough)

157.       Doctor Robert (one of the earliest examples of 'we will sing a song about a little random man')

156.       If I Needed Someone (solid george effort)

155.       Why Don’t We Do It In The Road (apparently about two monkeys fucking. okay paul)

154.       Baby’s in Black  (clever little lyrics)

153.       It Won’t Be Long (adore the coming home line)

152.       All I’ve Got to Do (sweet enough little thing)

151.       Hold Me Tight (classic paul asking for love. a staple of the genre)

150.       What Goes On (hiiiii Ringo!)

149.       Yer Blues (my notes say 'proto-morrissey-esque, but worse)

148.       Good Night (reminds me of a musical song. also originally thought this was a paul song)

147.       She’s a Woman (really dynamic paul vocals)

146.       What You’re Doing (solid paul job)

145.       No Reply (i cannot think of this song without hearing the bloopers of YOUR FACE)

144.       Happiness Is A Warm Gun (i may get killed for having this so low. reminder that this is only my opinion)

143.       Don’t Bother Me (i *think* this is the first album song that george ever wrote!)

142.       P.S. I Love You (he loves his epistolary songs does Paul)

141.       I’m Just Happy to Dance With You (another solid foot tapper)

140.       Any Time At All (love the piano in this)

139.       I’m So Tired (same)

138.       Birthday (i hate the beginning of this song with a visceral passion. rest is grand)

137.       The Night Before (very '50s)

136.       Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (the only bad thing about this song is that it means the album is over)

135.       Another Girl (bitchy little paul song)

134.       Tell Me What You See (song gets better as it goes on i think)

133.       The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (hello yoko)

132.       Long, Long, Long (reminds me of my sweet lord)

131.       Ask Me Why (real jazzy like)

130.       Rocky Raccoon (i'm not mad on this song but the middle is so catchy it reels me in)

129.       Old Brown Shoe (ringo reference check!)

128.       Revolution 1 (not as good as revolution the single)

127.       Cry Baby Cry (love paul's little jaunty section)

126.       Yes It Is (sexy)

125.       Dig A Pony ("everything has got to be just like you want it toohoohoohoohoohooo"

124.       The Word (reminds me of grease)

123.       Hey Bulldog (some bits of music here remind me of 'Across the Universe')

122.       I’m Looking Through You (GREAT guitar)

121.       Sexy Sadie (can't remember which journalist said that AM's 4 out of 5 has this vibe and YEAH)

120.       I Me Mine (i will always adore the "flowing more freely than wine" lyric. thank you george"

119.       Things We Said Today (paul's so good in this one)

118.       Tell Me Why (catchy bop)

117.       Run For Your Life ("that's the end" SO good)

116.       Good Day Sunshine (nicely jaunty)

115.       Rain (love the instrumentation in this one)

114.       I Will (quintessential mccartney this)

113.       Love You To (making this list and hearing george's improvement as a songwriter was amazing actually)

112.       Octopus’s Garden (bless ringo)

111.       I Feel Fine (SO catchy)

110.       With A Little Help From My Friends (ringo's very best)

109.       Martha My Dear (i'm scared of dogs but i'll let this one go)

108.       Drive My Car (the beeps beeps always annoyed me as a kid)

107.       For You Blue (it is what it says - sweet and lovely)

106.       Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (love the laughter in it)

105.       Good Morning Good Morning (the guitar here is simply too cool for this song. elevates it greatly)

104.       You’re Going To Lose That Girl (beach boys vibes?)

103.       She Said She Said (john and george buddies and pals)

102.       Wait (john and paul's voices go SO well together do you ever get emotional)

101.       Think For Yourself (ANOTHER great foot tapper)

100.       I’m Down (well *somebody* thinks they're elvis)

99.         Misery (just. great structurally)

98.         I Should Have Known Better ("this could only happen to me" oh, john)

97.         Can’t Buy Me Love (one of the more Lennonesque mccartney songs)

96.         One After 909 (how did paul not know what this was about for over a decade)

95.         I’ve Just Seen a Face (absolutely gorgeous guitar)

94.         This Boy (thaaaasss boyyyy)

93.         You Won’t See Me (fab little chorus)

92.         Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (BANG BANG MAXWELL'S SILVER HAMMER CAME DOWN UPON HER HEAD 🔨 🔨🔨)

91.         Dear Prudence ("the clouds will be a daisy chain" is a line i've always adored)

90.         Yellow Submarine (i remember being 6 and our teacher playing this for us on her guitar)

89.         Mean Mr Mustard (love when john does a bit of narrative songwriting)

88.         Revolution (superior revolution version)

87.         Now and Then (cried on the tram on the way to college listening to this when it came out. as you were)

86.         Polythene Pam (love when their accent peaks through)

85.         Baby, You’re A Rich Man (a true lennon-mccartney collab with john not finishing something and paul adding his two cents, or rather, ten or twenty cents)

84.         Hello, Goodbye (i love the end of this song so so much)

83.         Mother Nature’s Son (soft and sweet, poignant but not sappy, one of the most underrated beatles songs of all time)

82.         Free As A Bird (cried listening to this too)

81.         Glass Onion (intertextual metanarrative: the song)

80.         Taxman (baby's first political song <3)

79.         I Wanna Be Your Man (hiiiiii again ringo)

78.         From Me To You (harmonica time again baby!)

77.         Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite! (i think of this as a spooky halloween waltz)

76.         Within You Without You (quintessential george)

75.         I’m Only Sleeping (underrated on revolver methinks)

74.         Your Mother Should Know (these songs WERE a hit before my mother was born)

73.         All My Loving (pure vintage mccartney)

72.         Do You want to Know a Secret (baby george and his fab vocals)

71.         Here Comes The Sun (okay nobody kill me. stop looking at me like that. its been winter for seventeen months george i can't fucking see the sun)

70.         Julia (so beautiful)

69.         Love Me Do (how were they pop song professionals already?)

68.         I Saw Her Standing There (paul loves a good scream in the middle of a song)

67.         A Hard Day’s Night (most iconic beginning of any song ever)

66.         Magical Mystery Tour (he loves a bus does paul)

65.         And Your Bird Can Sing (john's vocals are GREAT here)

64.         Sun King (the superior sun song on abbey road)

63.         Please Please Me (just. iconic)

62.         Eight Days a Week (for how good it is i can't believe paul didn't play it live till like 2013 or smth)

61.         Real Love (i never knew this was a beatles song when i was a kid!)

60.         The End ("the love you take is equal to the love you make"... yeah...)

59.         Back in the USSR ("my-my-my-my-" very billy joel actually)

58.         Ticket to Ride (mouth-watering guitar)

57.         For No One (the wario of 'And Your Bird Can Sing' no i won't explain further)

56.         All You Need Is Love (the she loves you yeah yeah yeahs at the end...)

55.         Blue Jay Way (so wonderfully eerie to me)

54.         She Loves You (love the long and powerful held note on the last "glad")

53.         I Want To Hold Your Hand (they were children my god)

52.         Across the Universe (some of my favourite vocals)

51.         Carry That Weight (paul going through it, writing bangers)

50.         Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (desmond and molly jones are close friends of mine at this stage)

49.         Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (overrated a bit imo but still simply iconic)

48.         Penny Lane (sorry paul, john won the MMT round w strawberry fields but its okay this song still is a bop)

47.         Tomorrow Never Knows (fucking well done on this one lads. love it)

46.         Getting Better ("a little better all the time" v "it can't get no worse" is just. peak lennon mccartney)

45.         Got To Get You Into My Life (INSTANT banger)

44.         Michelle (i am a sucker for french as long as its not spoken by french people <3)

43.         Lovely Rita (i always loved this one because paul says "book" like how my nanny says it)

42.         Helter Skelter (loud, fast, and brilliant)

41.         Get Back (billy preston the man that you were)

40.         She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (best of the abbey road medley)

39.         I’ve Got a Feeling (i LOVE paul's deep voice)

38.         When I’m Sixty Four (i love paul's granny music. sue me)

37.         Come Together (john was so good at writing these nonsense songs)

36.         The Fool on The Hill (adore the "ohHhHhHhHhHhh")

35.         Fixing a Hole ("when i'm wrong, i'm right" is so very paul)

34.         Girl (BRILLIANT middle)

33.         Help! (vulnerable without overdoing it. just fantastic)

32.         Day Tripper (unashamedly sexy)

31.         And I Love Her (i love basically everything about this song. ranking got so hard from here)

30.         You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away (john was ON IT for Help!)

29.         Nowhere Man (my brother thinks this will be the name of john's biopic)

28.         Lady Madonna (my favourite genre of paul songs are songs where he voyeuristically imagines someone's life. they always slap)

27.         Paperback Writer (i also write at shitty newspapers and want to be a paperback writer. this song feels too targeted)

26.         In My Life (so pretty. SO pretty)

25.         The Ballad of John and Yoko (imagine the vibes in the recording studio. john. yoko. paul. and yet they made this banger)

24.         Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (my first ever favourite beatles song. has since been demoted but i still adore it)

23.         I am the Walrus (john at his weirdest best)

22.         She’s Leaving Home (i love when they write narratively)

21.         If I Fell (angelic harmonies)

20.         Don’t Let Me Down (fifth beatle billy preston supremacy)

19.         Because ("love is all, love is you"

18.         I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (vocals, instruments, lyrics, vibes, all incredible)

17.         Two Of Us (and if i said this was the best album opener?)

16.         Here, There, and Everywhere (paul says this is his favourite beatles song and you know what? he's so right for that)

15.         Oh! Darling (wario of the long and winding road. no i will not elaborate either)

14.         You Never Give Me Your Money ("OUT OF COLLEGE MONEY SPENT SEE NO FUTURE PAY NOT RENT" that is... me right this actual moment)

13.         Something (george said is anyone else gonna write one of the best love songs of all time? no okay i guess i will. and he did.)

12.         Golden Slumbers (cried to this as well. must stress i am not one to cry)

11.         Eleanor Rigby (the pinnacle of the MVS - McCartney Voyeuristic Storytelling)

10.         A Day in The Life (orchestra used to scare me when i was younger)

9.           While My Guitar Gently Weeps (george's best beatles song hands down)

8.           I’ll Follow the Sun (THE MOST UNDERRATED BEATLES SONG and i will die on this hill

7.           Yesterday (my father's favourite beatles song)

6.           The Long and Winding Road (my go to song to sing in the shower for some reason?)

5.           We Can Work It Out (pure lennon-mccartney baby!)

4.           Let It Be (the first and only song i ever learnt on ukulele and i was so proud of it)

3.           Strawberry Fields Forever (do i even have to say anything?)

2.           Blackbird (everything about this song is so beautifully perfect. paul mccartney is the best songwriter of all time okay. i've spent days upon days at this list and it's now making me emotional)

1.           Hey Jude (there's a reason it tops so many best songs of all time lists. a perfect 10. no notes. iconic. the first beatles song i played on repeat. would die slash kill to experience this live)

[jacke-12]

The Beatles singles - From Me to You / Thank You Girl (1963)

Peak position on US Billboard Hot 100: n/a (but 1 on UK Singles chart)

"From Me to You" is the first number 1 single The Beatles had in the UK, despite failing to chart in the US. It is a solid single, and one that used to be an absolute favourite of mine.

It isn't as groundbreaking for the band as "Please Please Me", maybe because it follows a similar formula with the catchy harmonica riff and harmonised vocais, but it is a very self-assured song, sounding as though they knew exactly what they were doing unlike the slightly amateurish (not that I could make it) "Love Me Do". I don't think it is as good as "Please Please Me" but it has an infectious melody that I loved as a kid, sung with so much heart by John and Paul (and drummed with so much heart by Ringo - I don't understand the critiques of him). The one thing that the band lost with their progression into the more experimental material is that here they are truly a boy band, and the connection between John and Paul was never as strong as here - there is no lead vocal, they just sing alongside each other. And that is something that makes the songs of this era really special.

"Thank You Girl" is dismissed as a silly song by the band, a little song for the hoards of female fans they had. Maybe because it is a song I've only known for a couple of weeks, and because there are few things as exciting as discovering new Beatles tracks, I love this song. There are bits I'm not keen on - the bridge sounds slightly off, like it is in the wrong key or something like that, and the strange decision to have those "oh"s in the outro echo feels very awkwardly done. I can understand why Lennon felt it didn't work. This being said, the vocals on this track put a smile on my face; they are so friendly, and cheerful, and sound genuinely appreciative towards their fans. I say this in all these reviews now, but the harmonies are beautiful here too, and so crisp and clear (perhaps this is because I've only heard the stereo mix). And that inclusion of the chugging guitar after the chorus is a really interesting little touch.

I would say that, factoring in both A and B side, this is my favourite single as a whole so far. It is perhaps one of their lesser remembered ones too.

[thecoleopterawithana]

Paul McCartney is interviewed by Howard Stern (15 December 2020). On writing ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’, meeting John Lennon and being asked to join the Quarrymen.

HOWARD: I think for you music comes so easily. Is it true that you wrote ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’ when you were fifteen years old, on a piano?

PAUL: Yeah, we had a piano in the house. So I wrote the tune, I didn’t write the words. The words came later. But I had the [sings melody].

HOWARD: Were you considered a prodigy? I mean, when you sit down and you—

PAUL: No.

HOWARD: You were not?

PAUL: No way. No one was remotely interested in this idea I wrote songs, until I met John. I said, ‘Oh, I’ve written a few songs.’ And he said, ‘So have I!’ So it was like ah!

HOWARD: Amazing.

PAUL: ‘Someone’s interested at last!’ I’d seen him around Liverpool. He got on a bus once, and I said, ‘Wow! Look at this guy! [exclamation]’ Had the big sideboards and the hair swept back. I thought, ‘He’s got something going.’

HOWARD: He got a look.

PAUL: Yeah, [laughs] he definitely had a look! So when I met him it was great, I was looking up to him. I wasn’t that impressed because he smelled of beer. And I was a little bit younger and I wasn’t too keen on this big smelly breath leaning over me. But we got together. And they wanted me in the band. So finally I said, ‘Well, let me think about it, I’ll get back to you on that.’ I didn’t immediately just go ‘Yeah!’

HOWARD: Really?

PAUL: Yeah. I was on my bike, I was cycling along up near John’s area, and his friend Pete came down and he said, ‘Hey! Wait a minute, wait a minute! They want you to join the band. Can I tell them yeah?’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t know, let me think about it.’ 

HOWARD: [laughs] You’re busy.

PAUL: So I took about a week— Yeah, I was busy doing nothing. So I took about a week and then got back to them, ‘Yeah, okay, I’ll do that.’

HOWARD: What was your hesitation? Why wouldn’t you join the Quarrymen, I mean this—

PAUL: You know, I’m like that. I’m not— I don’t rush into things. I think I’m allowed to have a minute to think about it. Because, wait a minute, do I want to be in a band? I’ve never been in a band. Do I want to be in this band? And then I decided, yeah, we could do something with this band.

[get-back-homeward]

On This Churly Morn, From John Lennon’s In His Own Write (1964)

Leslie arrived at McCartney's house that summer with a bag of gifts from fan-club members ― sketches, poems, trinkets, love letters, and a bouquet of flowers. There was a crowd of girls outside the gate; no one was going in or out except a team of electricians doing repair work. Leslie attached a note to her flowers: Hi, Paul, I'm president of your New York fan club and I brought gifts. Minutes later, the door opened. Which one of you is Leslie?

"I was in his yard for over an hour," she says, "and I brought a heavy reel-to-reel tape recorder. He was fine with it! I asked loads of questions, interviewing him, and as I was going through my stuff I had this book of John's. And he picked it up and started reading from it."

The poem that Paul read that day, "On This Churly Morn," shows Lennon working in the same nonsensical vein, being guided along not by meaning, but by sound, thought-association and even typing mistakes. Though "On This Churly Morn" is not a great poem, its rhythms nonetheless insinuate themselves into the mind. Perhaps its greatest value is that it opens a window onto the artistic process that would power one of our greatest songwriter's greatest works.

After recording McCartney's impromptu reading Leslie took the number 73 bus to the London suburb of Weybridge to meet the Beatles' other front man, the poet himself.

"Everybody said he could be a bit cold, and could be cruel," says Leslie, "but he was amazing. He was warm and nice. I'd seen in the paper that he'd just taken delivery of his psychedelic-painted Rolls Royce. He said, 'You can go sit in it, if you like.' This was like a dream ― but it happened."

From PBS Antiques Roadshow [x]

Listen to Leslie's recording above or HERE.

[bluebeatlesgirls]

"All you need is love." -John Lennon

"The thing you must remember is that I'm the Number One John Lennon fan. I love him to this day and I always did love him" -Paul McCartney

"If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal." -John Lennon

" But John is just always in my soul . " -Paul McCartney

"In person, John was a much more attractive man than the one you saw in photos and films. He had very fair, delicate skin and soft, sandy hair with a touch of red in it when the light hit it in a certain way. I would kid him and say : 'You're a redhead!' 'He would say: Never!' " -Yoko Ono

"He had been left so painfully as a child and was terrified that it would happen again." -Cynthia Powell

" When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I wrote down happy. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life" -John Lennon

"Whatever bad things John said about me He would also slip his glasses down to the end of his nose and say : 'I love you' " -Paul McCartney

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." -John Lennon

" I think of John every day. I do try to block it, but December 8th is not The only day I think of him" -Yoko Ono

"Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it'll always get you the right ones." -John Lennon

"I didn't marry a Beatle, I married a broke student who played the guitar and ponced all my grant money off me for fags." -Cynthia Powell

Rest in peace John Lennon (1940-1980)

[here-there-everyfuckenwhere]

Happy birthday! 😊 I hope you have a wonderful one! And as for the questions, number 14.

Aww thank you so much!!!

14. Books I like

Tbh I am one of those people who lowkey stopped reading actual books when they discovered the wonderful world of fanfiction. I have a physical copy of A Kind of Dwell and Welcome does that count??

But I am very into gothic literature. I have been given very very beautiful, cloth-bound copies of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Dracula by Bram Stoker that I love with all of my heart. Though it's not really gothic, I'm a pretty big fan of The Great Gatsby. I initially had to read it for high school, which is how I realised that they will occassionally get you to read actually good books for school sometimes lol.

I'm also interested in musician biographies, a dear friend of mine once bought me a hard-back copy of Being John Lennon by Ray Connolly and I think I've read it to death.

When I was younger I was obsessed with all those dystopian sci-fi YA novels like Divergent and Hunger Games, and I still like them but I haven't read them in years.

Come wish me a happy birthday!!!

[eppysboys]

Very much agree with your takes on the whole Paul and Stuart+John dynamic.

It's also one of a number of posts I've seen recently in response to certain types of Paul defender who, in their desire to protect and support Paul, end up being often unfairly or overly critical of anyone he didn't have a 100℅ good relationship with at all times.

This particularly frustrates me when the targets of this attack-as-defense strategy are:

a) usually dead, and in some cases (I'm thinking specifically Stu and Brian here) died early enough that they never really had the opportunity to put across a defense of the criticisms levelled against them in the first place.

And b) (again Stuart and Brian are good examples, but I'd also say it applies to George,) is that I feel a number of the arguments made against these people rely very much on narratives made by the same people they are defending Paul from. Narratives that are often unfair or dismissive of those people in much the same way they are to Paul.

For example using the idea that Stuart was an at best mediocre, and lazy, bassist who only importance was in dying to justify Pauls treatment of him as something other than immature jealousy, when we know he was also a gifted artist, who willingly put that on hold in order to join his best friends band just because said best friend asked him to.

Or again using a similar dismissiveness of George's abilities as a songwriter to justify the way Paul and John could also be dismissive of them.

Or slipping into the 'Brian was sad gay whose crush on John meant he always did what he wanted' narrative a bit too easily when discussing the whole Lennon/McCartney credit thing etc.

Anyway I'm not really sure where I'm going with this beyond the idea that I wish some Paul stans could find a way to dispute unfair and inaccurate narratives about Paul without feeding into ones about others, especially others who unlike Paul, can't actually defend themselves.

I 100% agree with everything you've said, anon. It probably speaks to how fandom and it's rhetoric has evolved (online specifically), the way we talk about our favourite celebrities has changed a bit. I think the idea of competition in particular is what ruins things. Looking over at neighbouring fandoms, you can see a bit of competition for who has the most 'moral' fave, which celebrity is in the right and hasn't fucked up in public. You notice with bands in particular, people will pit their fave against others, particularly ones they don't like and rub you the wrong way. And it seems like people are so intent on pointing out how good their favourite person is, not necessarily because it's fun to be a fan of a good person, but because it soothes them to think their energy isn't going to a 'bad' person. The black-and-white way online cultural views people has corrupted just about everything.

So what's this got to do with The Beatles?! I think....just the idea that what we, as fans, have always been put off by and resented was the competition biographers and the media at large thrusted upon the guys and put the microscope over that one tiny facet of their relationship with each other. So seeing fans do it in their own little spaces in an effort to correct the narrative seems a little backwards, or rather, it won't get us that far into understanding the boys much better as it would to just step back and understand the picture from all sides.

I certainly understand the temptation! Paul is blamed for just about everything, and he is in the right a lot of the time, or he's more right than the others. But that being said, not every situation has a 'right and wrong' answer? You know? It's not all black and white, right vs wrong. I think to see every issue specifically from a Paul-lens would be limiting the broader unstandering of the band and what went wrong and why. If the aim is to shift from a Lennon-lens (or biography!Lennon lens) and cast some of that heavenly light on the real band and what actually happened, it's worth considering everyone's feelings, otherwise we end up with another distorted characterisation of one band member.

Instead of dismissing George as 'bitter right til the end', it's worth considering his hurt (that had been festering for years) and his deep friendship and his own understanding of Paul. I don't particularly like/approve of the way George handled his feelings all the time, but I wouldn't dismiss his frustrations and hurt as less than how right Paul was, not all situations are like that. It's too tangled up and interwoven to be right vs wrong.

[konpithepuppy]

[TRANSLATION: MYOJO 08.2021]

7 MEN SAMURAI

Proofread by aji10647731 (Twitter)/ @janiappend

Scans not mine

Neither an English nor a Japanese native speaker

Feel free to correct me, thanks

7 MEN 侍

In commemoration with the start of the stage play 「SUPERHEROISM」!!

A discussion on our superheroes!!

Riding with the title of the stage play in which Reia and Sasaki appears...the members talked about their own superheroes.

Without knowing it, they also drew their heroes!

The aim is with "strong body", "cheering up someone by doing my best," in other words, like an immortal idol.

TAIKO

● Since I was a child, tho ones who I admire are The Beatles' John Lennon and Paul McCartney. With the influence of my father, I listen to their songs even before I was old enough to understand what's going on, and I heard I told them, "I want to watch DVD" and watched it. My favorite song is「Blackbird」. The playing method of the guitar called "two-finger" in this song is cool. I haven't seen Paul's concert in real life, but he is already a legend to me since long ago, so on the contrary, I don't have to meet him (LOL).

● When I was a child, I watched dramas like Kamen Rider. I didn't have interest in goods, but until now I want to have the unique ability of being immortal (LOL). I think that having that ability is definitely impossible, but that ability is the strongest (LOL). There are times when I think what will happen to me if the earth collapses. I am afraid the most of dying, that's why I want to continue living forever even if I'm alone!

RINNE

● The one who I thought was cool when I was a child was the soccer player with number 10. I watched Nakamura Kengo Senshu, and the number had the image of a star that is good in soccer. But, at that time, I thought the number at their backs are their age. As expected, a 10 year old professional player is too young (LOL).

● In high school's athletic meet, the one who plays the role of the anchor in an 800-meter relay race receives the baton last (4th), but when the anchor wins the first place, the anchor is seriously a hero. In a relay, each 200 meters is packed with dramas and I am moved by those. The look of pouring the effort to run too is cool. It is not just limited to athletics, I admire people who are trying to push themselves for something. Even though the person doesn't think to be a hero, but the result of that person doing his/her best is cheering up someone, isn't that great? Surely, Rinne wants to be that kind of hero!

KATSUKI

● The one who I admire, may it be in the past and now, is Harry Potter. I liked him so much when I was a child that I wanted to be able to use magics like he did. I was really serious about it that I confirmed to my mother if there was really a school of witchcraft and wizardry (LOL). If I am going to be asked, "Who is the hero you want to be?", I think I will still answer that I want to be Harry Potter. It's cliche but I want to try bringing down a bad guy using magic once.

● Realistically speaking, I want to be someone who can motivate others. Since I will be happy if the fans tell me, "I watch 7 MEN Samurai's activities while attending college, and I want to do my best studying too," I wish to be the admired person of people like that.

● If I have a special ability, I want an power where I can eat infinitely without getting fat. *Eating without feeling guilty is endlessly delicious, isn't it the strongest?

REIA

● My heroes are GEN-san from the band 04 Limited Sazabys and TAKUYA-san from UVERworld. Because they have the elements of the kind of guy I want to be. With GEN-san's charm to attract people and TAKUYA-san's passion, and if you add a gap like Kikuchi Fuma's, it will be the best.

● The one who admire for his guitar play is Akira-san from the same group UVERworld. The phrases he play are so cool and the sounds are so cool too that I bought the same guitar. It's from a different genre but I am also attracted to the skills of the skateboarder Chris Haslam. Like he shows fancy techniques that I thought, "He is gonna show in this place that kind of performance!?" His sense of originality is cool.

● It would be the strongest if I have the powers of my heroes and become immortal. I want to enjoy living a lo~ng life while staying as a cool man! 

REI

● The one that I liked when I was a child was 「Initial D」. The scene where the protagonist was making full use of the driving techniques while driving in a snowy mountain to go and rescue the heroine was cool. I have around 20 minicars and plastic models of the protagonist's car.

● My hero right now is Edward Van Halen, the guitarist of the American rock band Van Halen. A lot of guitarists admire him, and his influence is big. I also have one Van Halen guitar, since it is made with various considerations, so it is easy to play with it and I like it. Last year, when he died, it was the first time that I got that sad when a famous person died and I was down for how many days. I envy him for producing innovative songs one after another, and for being loved by a lot of people.

TAIKI

● When I was 3 years old, I saw Kimura Takuya-San singing 「Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana」and I thought his voice, facial expression, and gesture were all cool. Since then, Kimura-san is my hero so I didn't get absorbed with heroes from anime and live-action films that use special effects. When I first met him in Kouhaku in 2012, I was overwhelmed by his aura that I couldn't greet him. The year before last year, I told him, "I've been looking up to you since I was a kid!" when I went to watch his live, and I had the opportunity to take a photo with him. Until now, I still get motivated that "I will do my best!" when I look back at the photo. With all due respect, to work together with him someday is my dream!

● The person who I admire is someone who does his best at anything he does. A person who stays silent and speaks with his back...someone like that. Like Kimura-san, who cheers up everyone in televisions concerts, and I think him being able to put a smile on his face is also an act of a hero, I want to be like that too!

[lewyn-martell]

I agree with you that no one else seem to accept the fact that john could have been attracted to any other man other than paul because it's the only thing they care about and it's fucking annoying. It seems like they believe john was thinking of paul obsessively 24/24h when i don't think it's true... i'm so glad someone else thinks like me!! if you want to chat about john and his possibly other love interests besides paul i'm here for it!! it'd be nice to talk about it with someone opened to the possibility of other men in John's life rather than " OMG HE COULDN'T LOVE ANYONE ELSE BECAUSE PAUL WAS THE ONE FOR JOHN UWU 😭💔"

Yeah dude, I feel you, but even though the low numbers annoy me, there Are some people here that are all for it; it's not just me (and you) and I feel the need to put this forward because I don't want to make it seem like I think I'm the only one enlightened around here hshshauhaha.

But yes, since not only you&I noticed, we are the minority and I get it; people love their ship a lot and get a bit of a tunnel vision (idk, there are also people hell bent on dissolving the wrong narrative that Paul was the lovesick pining one, but try to pin it all on John, or so I observe with my own two eyes; and people that just... don't care about John all that much outside of mc/lennon). I don't want to jump and call them annoying because they're just out there doing their own thing and well, it is the way it is.

But. It's not like it doesn't annoy me a little sometimes, and I'm sorry for taking the leap here to talk about off-topic stuff, but all this mc/lennon focus can get pretty overwhelming, and that makes me feel a bit alienated from the rest of the fandom here. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are some great people that ship mc/lennon and accept me anyways and I love them, but it would sure be nice to talk to a John fan who doesn't ship it so I can guiltlessly, yknow, focus on other John ships (i have a lot of them) and even... trash talk mc/lennon a little bit habshbaa. In Private. I'm not made of iron and I don't ship it for reasons after all.

[I'm not jumping to conclusions about your stance on mc/lennon, btw. I'm aware that you never told me you don't love it (and it's not like, heavens forbid, I think only non-mc/lennons care about John/OtherPeople), it's just that all this talk made me want to mention this lil desire I have.]

But, focusing on what we're really talking about, yes, I encourage any kind of talk you want to have about these other dynamics. I don't know how far you like to go with it, but I sure as hell have my fun with both likely and unlikely guys (and gals. Unpopular, I know, but I like the thought of it) John might have felt attraction towards. Whether you like to ship as well or prefer to stick only to Historical Discussions, I'm down to talk either way, hmu via dm anytime (i get anon is more comfortable for a number of reasons, but it's just better to say some things in private to me).

[texastheband]

Entertainment mail: This is my life

Sharleen reveals secrets of her big red book

Interview by Billy Sloan And Mickey Mcmonagle Taken from The Sunday Mail - 23 October 2005

TEXAS star Sharleen Spiteri has revealed the secrets of her big red book... where she jotted down ideas for her band's new album.

The CD, out on November 7, is called Red Book after Sharleen's notepad and, just like Michael Aspel's famous This Is Your Life tome, Sharleen admits the pages were full of laughter and tears.

She said: "Ideas for new songs come from nowhere. They spew out on to the page from a lifetime of experiences - stories of friendships, lovers and everything that's happened to you over the years.

"But the great thing is when the listener removes me from the songs and they stand in my place and it stirs emotions and feelings in them."

Here is Sharleen's exclusive track-by-track guide to Red Book.

#GETAWAY: This was an obvious choice as first single. It's typical Texas with a bit of a twist.

We began working on the song in 2003. I don't want to say what the lyric is about or even if it relates to me.

The song has been going down a storm on our tour. It's the track which has put Texas back up there.

#CAN'T RESIST: We immediately chose this as the second single. It's got a real dance feel. The vocal was inspired by Billie Holiday - which may surprise some people.

The important thing was to take people on a real musical journey that leads them into certain songs. We've been getting a great reaction to the track - both at radio and in our live gigs.

#WHAT ABOUT US (DALLAS): We did this track with Dallas Austin, who we'd worked with on In Demand.

He was working with The Sugababes in London and got really homesick so I invited him over and made him Sunday lunch.

Whenever we get together we always exchange new music and bounce ideas off each other. By the end of the night we'd written this song.

#CRY: I always think this has got a very John Lennon feel. I love the fact that the first verse and the second verse have a completely different melody.

It's the first time I've ever attempted to write like that and I think it works well.

#SLEEP: This is a duet with Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile. He's a bit of a recluse so it was a real achievement to get him into the studio.

The opportunity to work with him was too good to resist. He's always been one of my favorite singers and I thought our voices could work well together.

When he added his vocals that's when the track got touched with that "fairy dust" which can make a song special.

#GET DOWN TONIGHT: A real "let's go clubbing" track. It's always great if an album can have at least one feel-good number. This is ours.

Even when we've been jamming it at sound checks it really lifts the mood. In many ways it's unmistakably Texas.

#NEVERMIND: I think this is the most beautiful song on the album. It's weird because when we do it live I play piano.

That's strange for me to be because usually it's something I only do at home or in the studio.

But to be sitting at a piano on stage, on my own, kind of freaks me out.

It's such a personal thing for me. As it's not my first instrument, I feel really vulnerable.

When I've got to do it before hundreds of fans I can feel the veins bulging in my neck. My whole body shakes.

#BAD WEATHER: My voice sounds really different on this song. I really played with those Billie Holiday-style accents again. I'm such a fan of that kind of singing. I grew up listening to it in my mum and dad's record collection.

#MASTER THIEF: Great album track. Love the lyrics about the bottle of wine and everything. It's a good story song, which conjures up vivid pictures. Every album should have one, I reckon.

#JUST HOLD ON: We did this with Rick Nowels who co-wrote Inner Smile. He jumped on a plane from Los Angeles to come over and work with us again.

It was one of the moments where a collaboration just works out perfectly. We really hit it off in the studio.

#RED BOOK: This is the perfect closer for the album. Like most of the songs it explores some personal lyrical moments - but the song is a celebration.

The title comes from the old red book I used to jot down ideas for words and music for the record.

Text originally posted on texasindemand.com

[tabloidtoc]

In Touch, March 8

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Kanye West's tell-all will destroy Kim Kardashian

Page 1: Contents

Page 2: Beauty News -- update your makeup bag -- these new beauty buys are destined for heavy rotation -- Lucy Hale

Page 4: Scott Disick debuted a bold new platinum hairdo and even the Lamborghini he was driving couldn't distract fans from noting how completely uncool he looks and while the dad of three is not quite middle-aged it looks likes he's having a midlife crisis and it seems that dating so many young women like his current girlfriend 19-year-old Amelia Gray Hamlin has made 37-year-old Scott start to feel his age and he's overcompensating but he's clearly gone too far

* They Went Blond, Too But Looked Cool -- Brad Pitt, Justin Bieber, Ryan Gosling, Adam Levine, Riz Ahmed, Zac Efron, Jared Leto, Kanye West, Zayn Malik

Page 5: Salma Hayek fights against prejudice of all kinds even when the victims are insanely wealthy -- there is discrimination against rich men, she said of the struggles her husband French businessman Francois-Henri Pinault has faced while maintaining his $43 billion fortune and she said you think because somebody's rich, he might not be a good person, doesn't have values or doesn't deserve it and even Salma gets judged like everybody said she married him for money, but after after 15 years together, she's not even offended

* Number of the Week -- 76,000 is the dollar cost of a pair of Kylie Jenner's new Birkenstock sandals made from Hermes Birkin bags, Man Candy of the Week -- Max Ehrich cooling off in Miami, Clapback of the Week -- Mindy Kaling said she wrote the episode the gif was from when an internet troll used a gif from The Office to express their dislike of her, EXBFF of the Week -- Larsa Pippen on her rift with former friend Kim Kardashian

Page 6: Crib of the Week -- The Weeknd's Hidden Hills hangout, Winners of the Week -- Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds donate $1 million to Feeding America and Food Banks Canada three months after giving $500,000 to both charities, Loser of the Week -- because of production delays Tom Cruise is forced to scrap plans to film Mission: Impossible 7 and M:I 8 back-to-back

Page 8: Up Close -- Nicole Kidman on Instagram thanked actor and theater artist Kevin Zak for his altered photo of her The Undoing character Grace with lots more hair

Page 9: Zooey Deschanel embraces her DIY side for Valentine's Day decorating balloons with sweet affirmation using her Cricut, Shawn Mendes kissing Camila Cabello's foot because he loves her, Paris Hilton celebrates turning 40 by accepting an enormous emerald-cut diamond engagement ring from beau Carter Reum

Page 10: 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams gets eliminated from the Australian Open semifinals, Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark take a loved-up selfie at the Empire State Building, Emma Roberts celebrates turning 30 at a backyard pool bash

Page 12: Fur Babies -- Kathryn Newton's dog Lady Bird yawning, Miranda Lambert snuggles with one of her dogs, Maude Apatow's cat Dolly conks out in her lap, James Van Der Beek and his dog

Page 14: Jimmy Fallon celebrates his seven years on The Tonight Show at home with his daughters Winnie and Franny

Page 16: Rebel Wilson does her best Cruella De Vil impression for her new TV show Pooch Perfect, Beyonce shows off more than just her new Adidas x IVY PARK collection, Thomas Rhett celebrates daughter Lennon's first birthday along with wife Lauren and daughters Willa and Ada

Page 18: Naked Chelsea Handler covering herself with books while standing in snow, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, Chrissy Teigen has a swollen lip due to an allergic reaction

Page 20: Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank share a photo of their newborn son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, Rihanna striking a seductive pose with her new release The Rihanna Book: Queen Size which retails for $1215.70, Katy Perry flaunts her curves in a purple bathing suit and fiance Orlando Bloom flaunts his muscles during a getaway in Hawaii

Page 22: Kate Gosselin sold her house in Wernersville in Pennsylvania that she bought in 2008 with then-husband Jon Gosselin because she desperately needs cash these days -- the girls Cara and Mady are off to college, she doesn't have a show on the air anymore and her legal bills in her custody war with Jon are through the roof -- to stay afloat she's had to cut back on many perks including her trusted bodyguard Steve Neild -- she's just holding out hope for a new reality show about her and her kids now

Page 23: Brad Pitt has been spotted hanging out in Jennifer Aniston's trailer on the set of her series The Morning Show and things are getting serious again -- he's been at her house on the weekends and they're hooking up -- Jen has set ground rules for her ex including that they can date other people because Jen is also seeing a man she met through her Morning Show co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Mark Duplass so Jen's keeping her options open

* Cheryl Burke teamed up with Kroger to host the Healthy Heart, Happy Mind wellness experience to bring awareness to women's heart health during Heart Health Month

Page 24: Cover Story -- Kanye West's revenge on Kim Kardashian -- Kim and Kanye's marriage is over but the war is just beginning -- the world will be shocked by what Kanye has to say about Kim

Page 26: As Kim's love life falls apart again, her sisters are happier than ever -- Kourtney Kardashian is talking marriage with Travis Barker, Khloe Kardashian is back on track with Tristan Thompson, Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker go public with their love

Page 28: True Crime -- Dubai Princess Latifa Al Maktoum: My family is holding me captive -- three years after she vanished, a billionaire's sheikh's daughter pleads for someone to save her

Page 30: The Bachelor: It's Worse Than Anyone Knows -- Chris Harrison's controversial exit sparks a racial reckoning in Bachelor Nation

Page 32: Meghan Markle to Queen Elizabeth: I'm Never Coming Back -- Meghan closes the door on returning to the U.K. and doesn't regret it one bit -- because of Meghan's decision, the queen may never see Archie again

Page 36: The Big Interview -- Olivia Newton-John and Chloe Lattanzi -- we inspire each other -- the Grease star and her daughter share an unbreakable bond and a lifetime love of music

Page 42: Animal Overload -- My dog looks like Charles Bronson

Page 45: Double Take -- Brie Larson rocks tie-dye at the supermarket in L.A.

Page 46: Horoscope -- Pisces Lupita Nyong'o turned 38 on March 1

Page 48: Last Laughs

[krispyweiss]

Album Review: The Beatles - The Beatles Super Deluxe

After circulating among collectors for decades in varying levels of quality and completeness, the Beatles' famed Esher Demos have finally been commercially released - 27 acoustic numbers laid down in advance of formal sessions for the Fabs' self-titled 1968 LP known to everyone, everywhere as "The White Album."

Filling one of the six CDs that make up The Beatles new super-deluxe, 50th-anniversary redux, these practice sessions contain many of the songs that would wind up on the finished two-album set, plus never-released goofs such as "What's the New Mary Jane," a novelty along the lines of "You Know My Name (Look up the Number);" songs that would appear on later Beatles albums, such as "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam;" and songs held for post-Fab solo records, such as Paul McCartney's "Junk," John Lennon's "Child of Nature," which is a fully formed version of "Jealous Guy" with different lyrics, and George Harrison's "Not Guilty," in which he rails against his inability to get more than one song per album side.

I won't upset the Apple cart, I only want what I can get/I'm really sorry that you've been misled, but like you heard me said/not guilty, he sings as Lennon and McCartney - Ringo Starr is a rare presence, mostly relegated to tambourine, on these specimens - accompany him.

It is here we learn the flight that landed McCartney "Back in the U.S.S.R." was awful before it was dreadful and Harrison's "Piggies" ate pork chops before switching to bacon. Even for people who've had these renditions on bootleg tapes for years, the complete set, with improved sound quality, is a revelation and worth the price of admission almost on its own.

As he did on 2017's re-release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Giles Martin - son of producer extraordinaire George - remixed the original LP. And while there wasn't as much to uncover on the stripped-down "White Album," the younger Martin still brought some new sounds to the fore, including peppier percussion throughout, particularly on "I Will" and "Why Don't We Do it in the Road?," and previously unheard acoustic guitar licks on "Mother Nature's Son."

For its part, "Wild Honey Pie," twangier with more layers of vocals, sounds like a completely different take - the only song on which this is the case. But for folks who have a snappy, crackly, poppy version of The Beatles on vinyl, this remixed edition is the one to replace it with as those who know the album well will hear new nuances throughout that'll be lost on most casual fans.

This thing runs nearly six hours and half of it - 50 tracks on three discs - is made up of full-band sessions that disprove the long-held assumption that The Beatles was essentially four guys recording solo tracks. The Beatles are playing as a unit here, and show that even when they were just practicing rough takes, they were better than most groups trying their hardest.

It's here we hear a slow and embryonic, 12-minute version of "Helter Skelter," where “Rocky Raccoon”’s doctor is "sminking" of gin and causing laughter in the studio, where Yoko Ono says "you become naked" (from "Revolution 9") during an early take of "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" and where we learn Harrison's "one more time" at the end of "Piggies" was actually grafted in from the beginning of an early version. Also eye-popping are the alternative lyrics - heard in the Esher Demos as well - to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

A primordial "Hey Jude" is so different from the officially released version as to make the played-out song fun to listen to again and one where the first pass makes the listener wonder whether there will be a wordless coda. "I'm So Tired" once had backing vocals. "Let it Be" was originally a blues. And “Good Night” could’ve wound up with four-party harmony and traditional instrumentation.

Oftentimes, demos, early takes and rehearsals are worth hearing once and then go on the shelf only to come out when fellow fanatics of this or that band come over for a listening session. These early takes and studio jams like "Los Paranoias" and "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" are so much more than that and serve to create another version of the “White Album” to enjoy for years to come.

"Mark it fab," McCartney says after one early version of "Helter Skelter."

Do the same to the entire super-deluxe edition of The Beatles.

Grade card: The Beatles - The Beatles Super Deluxe - A+

11/19/18