Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

September 1, 1967

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

Beatles in Limbo

Their Candlestick Park, San Francisco concert on August 29,  1966 was the last Beatles concert. Yes they would play unannounced on the roof  of the Apple building in 1969, but in 1966 they had decided that they preferred the studio to the road.

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

Busy nonetheless

The Beatles remained busy over the next twelve months:

  • John Lennon starred in the movie How I Won The War
  • Paul McCartney wrote a soundtrack fro the movie The Family Way
  • John Lennon met Yoko Ono
  • They recorded and released the Sgt Peppers album. Their masterpiece.
  • The idea of the Magical Mystery Tour movie hatched.
  • “Penny Lane” became a #1 song
  • Paul announced that the Beatles had used acid.
  • Paul helped get Jimi Hendrix into the Monterey Pop Festival
  • The Beatles participated in the Our World worldwide show.
  • The Beatles included their names in a list of people stating that “the law against marijuana is immoral in principal and unworkable in practice.”
  • “All You Need Is Love” became a #1 song
  • they went to Bangor, UK to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
  • two days after they left for Bangor, Brian Epstein died

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

September 1, 1967

Following Epstein’s death on August 27, Paul McCartney and the others realized how huge a loss Epstein’s absence would be. On this date, Paul strongly recommended that the four pick up the pace on recording the music for and filming the movie Magical Mystery Tour.

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

Tony Barrow

Paul did this at a meeting with the other three, but beforehand he met with Tony Barrow, their press officer and the person credited with the moniker “the Fab Four.”

Barrow wrote in his John, Paul, George, Ringo, and Me book, “Paul made it clear to me that his aim was to make a feature-length film for full-scale theatrical release and he felt that a successful screen ‘tour’ would go a long way towards plugging the gaping hole left by the axing of the Fab Four’s concert trips. Indeed, if Paul had managed to produce one successful theatrically released feature film with The Beatles each year, a far bigger potential audience would have seen the group than did in the touring years, and the profit margin for the boys would have been enormous.”

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

Project accepted

According to Barrow McCartney did a good job of laying out the concept and emphasizing its importance to them as a group.

They finished filming on November 3, 1967. On November 7 they finished recording and mixing the music.

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

 

Family Stone Greg Errico

Family Stone Greg Errico

Family Stone Greg Errico

born September 1, 1948
From Betty Davis  “Betty Davis” album. Produced by Greg who also played drums on the album
Family Stone Greg Errico

Greg Errico

Happy birthday Greg Errico.

Famously the drummer with Sly and the Family Stone, their first single appeared on a local label in 1967, while their debut album, A Whole New Thing, was released nationally on Epic in 1967.

And of course we recognize the band’s name from the Woodstock Music and Art Fair as the band that brought 400,000 people to their feet during their 3:30 AM set.

In 1993, Greg along with the rest of his band mates from the Family became part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Family Stone Greg Errico

And…

Like many lifetime musicians, Greg Errico’s path has lead to many places. And everyone liked his drumming wherever he went. Joe Zawinul of Weather Report said that no one could play the “Boogie Woogie Waltz” like Errico.

The YouTube piece below may help you understand Zawinul’s high praise.

Family Stone Greg Errico

Betty Davis

He left Sly and the Family Stone in 1971, but continued to play. One place was on Betty Davis’s “Betty Davis” album in 1973. Davis was a precise person to work with. Errico, both drummer and producer on the album recalled that she came up with most of the bass lines and sang them to Larry Graham.

Family Stone Greg Errico

And more…

Errico has also played with, produced, or composed for:

  • Quicksilver
  • Grateful Dead
  • Rose Stone
  • Scotty Barnhart
  • Pittbull
  • Kidz Bop Kidz
  • Global Noize
  • Weird Al Yankovic
  • David Bowie
  • Pointer Sisters

More Family

In 2006, a new version of the Family Stone, which included original saxophonist Jerry Martini and the trumpet player the now late Cynthia Robinson. The band continues to tour.

Rolling Stone magazine lists Errico in its top 100 drummers.

Current information can be found at his Facebook page.