We were very fortunate to speak with the lovely and ever so gracious Ms. Pattie Boyd from The Mirage Hotel during our stint there at The Fest For Beatles Fans.  Her new book came out in August 2007 and is called "Wonderful Tonight - George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me" written by Ms. Boyd along with Penny Junor.  During our interview Pattie discussed how she first met George Harrison when she was cast as a schoolgirl in the film "A Hard Day's Night".  So, sit back relax and listen to our own Dr. Robert talk with Ms. Pattie Boyd. 

boomp3.com
PATTIE BOYD INTERVIEW

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We had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Spencer Davis while we attended The Fest For Beatles Fans in Las Vegas and Spencer was a hoot!  The rock star from Wales was right at home with our own Dr. Robert as both are from Swansea.  They talked about Spencer's involvement with The Beatles, his own music career, past and present and also had time to reminisce about schoolboy adventures and families back in Wales.  Spencer is still going strong after all these years and even has a new CD out-he also performed onstage all 3 nights of The Fest and I can tell you-he was GREAT!  Listen now to our podcast player for BeatlesRadio.com's interview with the one, and only, Spencer Davis!
boomp3.com

 

 

We're on the way to Las Vegas where the daytime temps are a balmy 109F............sheesh I hope Dr. Robert brought the sun screen and the portable fans!  I'll try and keep everyone updated once The Fest begins and also announce our special guests and event highlights as they happen.  

 

 

A 14ft image of John Lennon is the first of a series of murals to be completed to celebrate Liverpool being named this year's Capital of Culture.

The mural, along with publicity posters for the group's concerts, have been daubed on to the gable end of a house in Litherland as part of the Liverpool Mural Project. Images of the other Beatles have also been painted onto a nearby wall.

The project was launched to bring the skills and experience of mural artists from all communities of Belfast working together and with community groups in Liverpool.

The idea was backed by the Riverside Group, a housing regeneration organisation which is itself celebrating its 80th birthday this year.

The group commissioned the artwork by Belfast Loyalist Mark Ervine and Republican Danny Devenny who worked with Liverpool artists on the Riverside-owned house at the end of Croxteth Avenue.

The project, which has been in the planning for two years, is the brainchild of Liverpudlians Gregory Brennan and Peter Morrison of the Liverpool Mural Project.

Film director Ken Loach and writer Jimmy McGovern have also backed the project.

Peter Morrison, of the Liverpool Mural Project, said: "This is the first real collaboration between the leading mural artists from both communities of Belfast and Liverpool artists. Our plan was always to produce amazing and inspiring public art that can be enjoyed by everyone - not just in the city centre."

Hugh Owen, director of policy and communication at The Riverside Group, said: "The ethos behind the project is to encourage communities to work together - which is directly in line with The Riverside Group's mission to regenerate our communities on Merseyside and beyond.

"It's amazing the way that Mark and Danny are working together in a way that demonstrates that once divided communities can move on and embrace the future.

"The gable is located at a key gateway to the city, and this iconic image will be visible to thousands coming from Liverpool to the North."

The second mural is now in the planning stages, backed by the Liverpool Culture Company. 

 Wow! I'm here at the mothership.  I'm staying at the home of Beatlesradio.com,  The Abbey road of Life. I'm getting to see the one and only Dr Robert doing what he does best, bringing all you the best beatles music on the planet, with all the love in the world.  All you need is love, after all.  If you're wondering where I've been?  I'm just back from a 6 month stay in the Wales.  Back for Pauls divorce settlement with the Goddess of Charity work?  Heather  "If you had to go through what I have to go through!"  Mills.  Poor thing!  NOT!  Though more importantly, back for the opening of  the HARD DAYS NIGHT hotel, in Liverpool.  A showpiece of iconic design and a veritable labor of love artpiece by SHANNON, New York city's artist to the stars.  Another shrine for all die hard Beatle fans when on a pilgrimage to the Fab Fours birthplace.  I'm now looking forward to many upcoming events on both sides of the pond, like the Beatles festival at the Mirage hotel, Las Vegas, June 29th to July 2nd, where we'll be in attendance promoting beatlesradio.com along with selling our Beatlewares, which really helps us maintain the station.  So dont be afraid to spend a little when your listening to all the wonderfull Beatles music. "Money cant buy you love, but it can buy us the support we need to keep bringing the best music in the world to your ears.               TTFN.  Paul.

The Beatles are to be celebrated, even more than usual, in their hometown of Liverpool on the first dedicated 'Beatles Day' on July 10 this year.

The day has been set aside for fund-raising activities for the Alder Hey Children's Hospital Imagine Appeal with 20, 000 moptop wigs being made and businesses encouraged to decorate with memorabilia and radio stations set to play more Beatles-related tracks as well as inviting listeners to share their memories on air.

Beatles' Day will culminate with a special gig at the local Liverpool Arena - 'Imagine - The Concert' is part of the Summer Pops series of shows, and hosted by Ricky Tomlinson, will see an array of artists cover the Fabs classic songs.

The city will also see Beatles tribute bands play on rooftops emmulating the band's iconic 60s gig, a fun run and pub quizzes take place all over Liverpool.

July 10 also marks the 44th anniverasary of The Beatles return to the UK after their first tour of the US.

 

from Uncut Magazine 

by ANDREI HARMSWORTH - Wednesday, February 27, 2008 metro.co.uk

The Beatles may be the greatest band in chart history but it looks like the awesome foursome's popularity just ran out after a national radio station bravely banned playing their hits.

Virgin Radio breakfast host Christian O'Connell pulled famous chart toppers like 'Hey Jude' and 'She Loves You' from his playlist after listeners sensationally voted off the Cavern Club heroes following an on air debate.

The band's fate was sealed when a listener known as 'Brendan' called up O'Connell pleading for him to boycott Paul McCartney and place him in the station's gimmick 'People Carrier of Doom'.

TELL US YOUR VIEWS BELOW

'Brendan' also insisted Sir Paul's career died with John Lennon and the Beatles were 'never that good anyway'.

Stunned, the breakfast DJ then consulted The Who singer Roger Daltrey who failed to spare his contemporaries saying: 'I didn't like all their music. I can understand that everything has it's sell by date'.

O'Connell then put Brendan and Daltrey's gripe to the nation, which resulted in thousands of listeners sensationally voting the Liverpudlians off air.

He told listeners: 'I love the Beatles. I've always been a big fan of Paul McCartney and as a station we've always supported them. I'm surprised and disappointed by the decision but it's my duty to honour it.'

 

I think it's a bit excessive to ban a particular band. Be it the beatles or not! There are plenty of music on the radio that get's repeated constantly and that not everybody likes. Very random thing to do I feel!

- Dale Fernandes, London

The Beatles have been turning young people on to good music forever, including today and tommorrow. I'd say ban Virgin Radio.

- Beatlesnumber9, Ohio, USA

Sickening. Most of the mediocre bands played on this station are weak, middle of the road immitations of the Beatles anyhow. These poeple are either ignorant of this or simply prefer to be spoon fed their taste in music according to whats currently 'cool.' Or they simply dont like the Beatles. Either way their idiots.

- Billy, London

It's about time someone had the courage to do this. The out dated over played boy band have had their day and we have to move on.

- Luther Blissett, Watford

Wow. What is wrong with this country. No wonder it's gone to pot. If you can't enjoy/ appreciate the Beetles, you don't deserve to breath the air this earth provides! Don't get me wrong, it's not a generational thing. I was born long after the Beetles. But things don't have a 'sell by date'. Once a good thing, always a good thing. And the Beetles were the only decent thing to be produced from this Island in the past century. Sure, artists like Winehouse have some great talent and music (I won't comment on any others), but at least the 'awesome foursome' were respectable as well.

- Non- Brit Beetle Fan, London

As a big Who fan, I wish Daltrey would have stood up for The Beatles. Because someday someone may want to ban The Who's music and that's a shame for everyone.

- Sean Kilkelly, New York, USA

Everybody's got their opinion on what kind of music is worth listening to, mine is that in the 40 years since, there are few bands that have created anything anywhere nearly as original, innovative and top notch as the Beatles did.

- Jaxon, Dallas TX USA

 

 

 

Beatles fans with a lust for the retro tech which made the Fab Four fab should head to Carlsbad (the Southern California resort, not the the New Mexican geological feature, which would have provided a neat seque to this Cavern). Anyway, Carlsbad's Museum of Making Music has just opened an exhibit of artifacts from the Beatles sessions at Abbey Road Studios.

You can hear the classic songs coming out of the same speakers used in the sessions, and gawp at the original technology, some never before seen in public.

The Underwire got the lowdown on exhibits from the show's curators, Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan. The pair co-authored a quintessential book of Fab Four techno facts, Recording the Beatles, which was reviewed by Wired on launch last year (it's sold around 9000 copies online).

Here's an exhibit for tech spec lovers everywhere: "Memo/letter to staff about rejection of the new 8-track recorder for the new Beatles album sessions (1968 White Album). While the Beatles had been waiting impatiently for a modern 8-channel recorder, when it arrived the technical staff rejected it as lacking the same quality of the 4-channel machines it was replacing."

Former Abbey Road engineer John Kurlander (now a leading film score engineer) loaned a series of 1966 Abbey Road Setup Sheets, showing how studio equipment was to be placed for a session.

But if that's too specialist, simply kick back and listen to the music while pondering how things have changed. Or not. As Kehew enthuses: "Seeing these in person points out some huge differences in design and construction compared to today's recording methods. An original oily, tank-like beast (the EMI tape machine) and military-looking vocal compressor are now replaced by a modern laptop...yet other items - like classic European microphones and vintage guitar amplifiers - are still in heavy use in today's studios".

Most of the artifacts are from private collections in America, though the former Studios manager, Ken Townsend, loaned a nostalgic piece of kit - a studio ashtray.

I have to declare a interest. In the 1960s, my music-mad dad sold the first Beatles singles in a music store in Jersey, Channel Islands, and was flown to Abbey Road to hear those early recordings.

The exhibition runs thru' July.

 

By Christine Finn  Wired Blog Network