The Beatles Archives - Page 2

Today we’re celebrating Paul McCartney’s birthday with this Beatles video. The bass line to “Don’t Let Me Down” has always been a favorite of mine for its big round tone and melodicism, and this video from their final live performance on the rooftop of the Apple building is palpable, to say the least. Happy birthday, Sir Paul!

Back in the 1960s, The Beatles albums heard in the United States weren’t always the same as their original British counterparts. Track order was changed, reverb sometimes added to songs, and even completely different albums created for the American market. These U.S. versions of albums haven’t been around much since CD issues of Beatles records began, all of which used...

Back in 1994, Beatles fans rejoiced when they got a peek into the band’s early history with the release of Live at the BBC, a collection of songs and interview snippets with DJs, all from the band’s prime early-to-mid 60s “mop top” era. And now those who wanted to hear more are in luck with the appearance of On Air—Live...

The Beatles’ third and decidedly psychedelic film Magical Mystery Tour is coming back to life this Fall as the 1967 film has been fully restored and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray. Written and directed by the Fab Four themselves, the loose plot is a “dreamlike story of a coach day trip to the seaside” accompanied by six songs...

Here’s a great studio clip of the Beatles during the Revolver recording sessions, performing “And Your Bird Can Sing”. In this “take 2” recording, it is all about the bass (with light drums) and singing, with plenty of laughter. Thanks to Rachel, who shared this with us.

Here’s a nice one from the archives: bassist Sean Andrews‘s all-bass arrangement of the Beatles’ Strawberry Fields. Sean dedicated the arrangement to Mike Portnoy, saying “thanks for having us open for you on the Systematic Chaos tour!” Check out Sean’s Myspace page, indica trichome project [bass instrumentals].

A dedicated fan took it upon himself to restore the headstone of bassist Stuart Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe was the bass player for the Beatles in the early 1960’s. Sutcliffe’s headstone had fallen into disrepair at Huyton cemetery in Liverpool, so Colin Unwin, a dedicated 61-year-old fan not only restored the stone, he also repainted all the lettering in gold.