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Beatles, Music et al

Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey

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Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey

Released  2 August 1971 as Apple 1837
Billboard #1 September 4, 1971

Beatles Kaput

On September 20, 1969 John Lennon had told Ringo, George, and Paul that he was leaving the Beatles. The news was not for public knowledge, but on April 10, 1970 Paul did go public with a newspaper interview. It happened to be just 10 days before the release of his first solo album and an angry John Lennon felt it was more a publicity stunt than an official announcement. When asked if Paul had quit, John replied, “He didn’t quit. I sacked him.”

Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey

Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey

Ram

On 17 May 1971, Paul (and Linda) released a second album: Ram.

Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey

Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey

Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey

Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey came from the Ram album. Apple released it only in the United States and  it became the first US solo #1 for McCartney.

The Uncle Albert of the title was an actual uncle of Paul’s. Albert Kendall married Paul’s father’s sister Milly. Admiral Halsey simply refers to the actual American Admiral William “Bull” Halsey.

Like the end of the Beatle album Abbey Road with its several songs woven into a medley, “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” does the same thing with 12 distinct parts, some of which repeat during the course of the song.

McCartney recorded the song in New York City with the following personnel:

  • Paul — lead, harmony & backing vocals, piano, bass
  • Linda — harmony and backing vocals
  • David Spinozza — guitar
  • Hugh McCracken — guitar
  • Denny Seiwell — drums
  • Marvin Stamm — flugelhorn
  • New York Philharmonic
Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey

George Martin

George Martin arranged the Philharmonic, but the album did not credit his contribution. In fact it was unknown by the general public for nearly 30 years. His score sheets for the orchestral arrangement mistakenly bore the title Uncle Arthur.

Beatles Bible link

Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey
Beatles

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

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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

 

Beatles, Bob Dylan, Music et al, Music of the 60s

1964 Bob Dylan Introduced Beatles

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1964 Bob Dylan Introduced Beatles

The narrator above refers to August 30, but it was…

August 28, 1964

1964 Bob Dylan Introduced Beatles

1964 Bob Dylan Introduced Beatles

She Loves You

The Beatles initial successes were great pop songs that many youth fell in love with at the same time they themselves were looking to fall in love. She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Please Please Me, I Feel Fine, She’s a Woman, and We Can Work It Out are all loves songs. Some happier than others.

Someone once told me, if it’s a happy Beatle song, Paul wrote it; a sad one, John. While a generalization, it’s more often true than not.

1964 Bob Dylan Introduced Beatles

Maggie’s Farm

When I first heard Bob Dylan’s “I Ain’t Gonna’ Work on Maggie’s Farm No More” I was only a touch less confused about its lyrics than “Gates of Eden,” a song I had no idea what was happening other than Dylan was trying to harmonize with songs the lonesome sparrow sang.

Maggie’s Farm? Well there’s a guy obviously praying for rain, getting terribly underpaid, and whose boss is putting out his cigar on the guy’s face. I’d quit too.

Of course, that’s not what Dylan was saying. He was saying he wasn’t going to be the acoustic-folk-protest song-singer too many expected him to permanently be. Quitting. He was going  electric. And on July 25, 1965 he did just that at the Newport Folk Festival.

Many were displeased.

1964 Bob Dylan Introduced Beatles

August 28, 1964

The Beatles had begun their first full American tour on August 18 at the San Francisco Cow Palace. Ten days later they played for 16,000 fans at the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York City. They would do the same the next night.

It was what happened in between that changed history.

1964 Bob Dylan Introduced Beatles

Al Aronowitz

Al Aronowitz was a writer who knew Bob Dylan and arranged for him to meet the Beatles at their hotel the night after that first concert.

Aronowitz later wrote: “The Beatles’ magic was in their sound,…Bob’s magic was in his words. After they met, the Beatles’ words got grittier, and Bob invented folk-rock.”

Cannabis may have been the source of all that musical cross pollination at that meeting. Beatles supposed unfamiliarity with the herb apparently surprised the already familiar Mr Dylan. [The four had tried it in Germany, but it did not impress them.]

Evidently, Ringo was unfamiliar with the not-Bogarting-that-joint protocol and kept things to himself. John, Paul, and George soon learned the etiquette.

1964 Bob Dylan Introduced Beatles

1965

  • March 27,  Dylan released Bringing It All Back Home on which “Maggie’s Farm” appears.
  • The Byrds’ covering of Dylan, particularly “Mr Tambourine Man” opened the door for folk-rock.
  • July 25, 1965 Dylan played Newport Folk Festival. Many in audience booed his performance for playing electric set with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
  • August 30, 1965,  Dylan released Highway 61 Revisited. More electric.
  • August 28, 1965 Dylan played at NYC’s Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. More boos during his electric set.
  • December 3, 1965 the Beatles released Rubber Soul. The course of pop music changed.
1964 Bob Dylan Introduced Beatles
1964 Bob Dylan Introduced Beatles