Rock History

1955 – Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony is born in Chicago.

Michael Anthony Sobolewski (born June 20, 1954) is an American musician. He is best known as the former bassist and a founding member of the hard rock band Van Halen. Anthony joined the band in 1974 and was their official recording and performing bassist for most of their career until he was replaced by Wolfgang Van Halen, son of fellow founding member Eddie Van Halen, after the band’s 2004 tour.

Anthony is known for his stage antics, his effects-laden live solos, and his number of custom-made bass guitars including a Jack Daniel’s model shaped like a whiskey bottle. He also has a signature Yamaha bass guitar series. In total, Anthony is known to have in excess of 150 bass guitars. In addition to his musical career with Van Halen and other acts, Anthony markets a line of hot sauces and related products named Mad Anthony.

Anthony has been married to his wife Sue since 1981 and they have two daughters: Taylor (born 1991) and Elisha (born 1985). Anthony now lives in Glendora, California and can be frequently seen driving his prized hot rods.

Biography

Early life (1954–1966)

Anthony was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA to Polish immigrant parents, and was one of five siblings (Nancy, Michael, Steve, Robert and Dennis). He later moved to California where he attended Arcadia High School, graduating in 1972. He developed his interest in music in childhood, playing the trumpet. He became interested in playing mainly rock, blues, and jazz, taking after his father Walter.

Musical career begins (1967–1974)

While Anthony was a promising catcher in baseball, he also competed on the Dana Junior High School track team (long jump) and played in the marching band there from 1967–1969. He took an interest in guitar as a teenager, but picked up the bass instead since most of his other friends already played guitar or drums. Anthony’s friend Mike Hershey gave him a Fender Mustang electric guitar that Anthony converted by removing its top two strings and playing it as a bass guitar. Eventually, his father bought him a Victoria copy of a Fender Precision Bass and a Gibson amplifier. Anthony modeled his bass playing after Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones mostly, but also admired Jack Bruce of Cream, and Harvey Brooks of Electric Flag. His main interest in life was music once he left high school. His first band was called Poverty’s Children. Other bands he played in included Black Opal, Balls and Snake. Although Anthony is naturally left-handed, he plays right-handed.

Snake, a three-piece group featuring Anthony on lead vocals and bass guitar, was the last band Mike played in before joining Van Halen. Snake played covers of ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Foghat, along with some original songs. They played a lot of the same types of gigs as did the Van Halen brothers’ band Mammoth. Snake even opened for Mammoth at a show at Pasadena High School one night. Mammoth’s PA failed that night, so Anthony lent them Snake’s PA.

While attending Pasadena City College, Mike pursued a degree in music. Alex Van Halen took classes there too and they would often see each other on campus. During this time, Mark Stone was kicked out of Mammoth and the Van Halens decided to audition Anthony to be their new bassist. Anthony was impressed by their skill during subsequent jam sessions even though he had seen the brothers play before. After the session, the Van Halen brothers asked Anthony to join the their band. He said he had to think about it and consulted Snake guitarist Tony Codgen who advised Anthony to go ahead with joining Van Halen. However, according to Michael Anthony’s web site, when asked if he wanted to join Van Halen, Anthony immediately said yes, that there was no consulting with anyone.

Van Halen (1974–1996)

Main article: Van Halen

In 1974, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen along with David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony became known as Van Halen, dropping the name Mammoth because they discovered that another local band was using that moniker. They were signed to Warner Brothers in 1977 and released their self titled debut album on February 8, 1978. Anthony’s bass lines and high vocal harmonies became a distinctive part of the Van Halen sound. The band released a total of ten studio albums from 1978–1995, along with a live album and a compilation CD in 1996 that featured two previously unreleased songs. Despite the Van Halen brothers falling out with both their vocalists frequently (David Lee Roth in 1985, 1996, 2000 and 2001 and Sammy Hagar in both 1996 and 2004), Anthony maintained positive relationships with all of the musicians.

Diminishing role with Van Halen and side projects (1996–2003)

As early as 1996, rumors periodically surfaced that Anthony had been fired from Van Halen. Despite claims to the contrary and his continued work with the band, these persisted until his final departure.

Anthony’s involvement in the 1998 album Van Halen III was less than for previous albums. Anthony performed on only three songs; Eddie Van Halen recorded the others. Anthony is credited as a songwriter for the album along with the rest of the band as is always the case for Van Halen albums. Anthony performed with the band for the 1998 tour, and was credited for messages from the band thereafter. He participated in the band’s three reunion attempts with David Lee Roth from 2000 through 2001. Anthony’s name was also credited in a few band newsletters during this time, and he appeared in band interviews. Sometime after this, however, Anthony disappeared from public view until the 2004 reunion.

In interviews, Eddie and Alex Van Halen suggested they were jamming and writing/recording new material during this time period but appeared to be working without Anthony.

Anthony began periodic appearances with Sammy Hagar during his solo tours. He usually played as part of The Waboritas, Hagar’s band. During 2002′s David Lee Roth/Sammy Hagar tour, both Michael Anthony and ex-Van Halen vocalist Gary Cherone make guest appearances at concerts, sometimes together. Anthony never performed during Roth’s segment however.

In 2002, Anthony, Hagar, Neal Schon, Deen Castronovo, and Joe Satriani formed the “supergroup” Planet Us and Anthony began making more frequent performances at Sammy Hagar concerts. Planet US recorded two songs, one of which was intended for the Spider-Man soundtrack but ultimately did not make the album. The band did perform the unreleased song Vertigo on the Internet radio show RockLine.

Van Halen reunion (2003–2005)

Initially when Eddie and Alex asked Hagar to rejoin at the end of 2003 for a 2004 tour, the plan was not to invite Anthony back. Hagar, however, refused to perform if Anthony did not rejoin, and Anthony agreed to play but on a reduced royalties contract. The contract drawn up was for the duration of the tour only, with his role within the band resting in the hands of the Van Halen brothers thereafter. Throughout this time, and during the Van Halen III period, the public was unaware of Anthony’s tenuous status within the band and was led to believe that he was still a full-time member.

In 2004, Van Halen released the compilation album The Best of Both Worlds which included three new songs. Anthony did not participate in the writing and recording of the new songs and was not credited on the album for the new material.[1]

Anthony now states in media interviews that he has not spoken to the Van Halen brothers since the 2004 tour. He has also speculated that since the brothers were not pleased with Hagar’s commercial ventures such as the Cabo Wabo product line, their similar displeasure with Anthony’s hot sauce brand may have caused the rift that ultimately separated Hagar and Anthony from the band.[2]

Departure from Van Halen and recent projects (2006–present)

Anthony spent the Summer of 2006 touring as a member of The Other Half during a segment of the Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas tour. The Other Half featured Anthony and Hagar performing classic Van Halen songs from both the Roth and Hagar periods.

On September 8, 2006, Eddie Van Halen announced that his son, Wolfgang, was replacing Michael Anthony as Van Halen’s bass player. On February 2, 2007, it was announced that Van Halen was reuniting for a tour with original vocalist David Lee Roth. The tour began on September 27, 2007. Anthony commented that he heard about his replacement “on the Internet” and stated, “I’m a little miffed that they’re calling it a Van Halen reunion. If I was dead and they needed someone to play, that’s one thing, but to me this is not a reunion.”[3]

Anthony surprised his former bandmate and good friend Sammy Hagar on live national TV on February 25, 2007. During a pre-race performance for the California race on FOX television, the bassist jumped onstage and joined Sammy Hagar during a performance of “I Can’t Drive 55″. Hagar could only respond “Michael Anthony’s in the house.”

Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar were the only members, former or current, to appear at Van Halen’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007. Eddie Van Halen was in rehab at the time, and Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth declined to appear.[4]

Anthony is currently developing a side project called “Chickenfoot” with Sammy Hagar, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and guitarist Joe Satriani, which will include a yet unnamed studio album release. He has also recently established a band named the Mad Anthony Xpress that will tour with Hagar in 2007 and 2008.

From Wikipedia

1942 – Paul McCartney is born in Liverpool, England. The Beatles have 20 No. 1 songs, more than any other recording act, and McCartney by himself or in duets has another nine. His biggest post-Beatles hits are “Ebony and Ivory,” a duet with Stevie Wonder that stays at No. 1 for seven weeks, and “Say Say Say,” a duet with Michael Jackson that tops the pop chart for six weeks.
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English rock singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record producer, film producer and animal-rights activist. He gained worldwide fame as a member of The Beatles, with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best had previously played with the group, before Starr was asked to join. McCartney and Lennon formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships and “wrote some of the most popular music in rock and roll history”. After leaving The Beatles, McCartney launched a successful solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda Eastman McCartney, and singer-songwriter Denny Laine. He has worked on film scores, classical music, and ambient/electronic music; released a large catalogue of songs as a solo artist; and taken part in projects to help international charities.

McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the most successful musician and composer in popular music history, with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles. His song “Yesterday” is listed as the most covered song in history and has been played more than 7,000,000 times on American television and radio. Wings’ 1977 single “Mull of Kintyre” became the first single to sell more than two million copies in the UK, and remains the UK’s top selling non-charity single. (Three charity singles have since surpassed it in sales; the first to do so—in 1984—was Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, whose participants included McCartney.)

His company MPL Communications owns the copyrights to more than 3,000 songs, including all of the songs written by Buddy Holly, along with the publishing rights to such musicals as Guys and Dolls, A Chorus Line, and Grease. McCartney is also an advocate for animal rights, vegetarianism, and music education; he is active in campaigns against landmines, seal hunting, and Third World debt.
Early years: 1942–1957

Jim & Mary McCartney

Paul McCartney was born in Walton Hospital in Liverpool, England, where his mother, Mary, had worked as a nurse in the maternity ward. He has one brother, Michael, born January 7, 1944. McCartney was baptised Roman Catholic but was raised non-denominationally: his mother was Roman Catholic, and his father, James “Jim” McCartney, was a Protestant turned agnostic.

In 1947, he began attending Stockton Wood Road Primary school. He then attended the Joseph Williams Junior School, and passed the 11-plus exam in 1953 with three others out of the 90 examinees and thus gained admission to the Liverpool Institute. In 1954, while riding on the bus to the Institute, he met George Harrison, who lived nearby. Passing the exam meant that McCartney and Harrison did not have to go to a secondary modern school, which most pupils attended until they were eligible to work. It also meant that Grammar school pupils had to find new friends.

20 Forthlin Road now attracts large numbers of tourists

In 1955 the McCartney family moved to 20 Forthlin Road in Allerton. Mary McCartney rode a bicycle to houses where she was needed as a midwife, and an early McCartney memory is of her leaving when it was snowing heavily. On 31 October 1956, Mary McCartney (who was a heavy smoker) died of an embolism after a mastectomy operation to stop the spread of her breast cancer. The early loss of his mother later connected McCartney with John Lennon, whose mother, Julia, died when Lennon was 17.

McCartney’s father was a trumpet player and pianist who had led Jim Mac’s Jazz Band in the 1920s. He encouraged his two sons to be musical. Jim had an upright piano in the front room that he had bought from Harry Epstein’s store, and McCartney’s grandfather, Joe McCartney, played an E-flat tuba. Jim McCartney used to point out the different instruments in songs on the radio, and often took McCartney to local brass band concerts. After the death of his wife, Mary, Jim McCartney gave McCartney a nickel-plated trumpet, but when skiffle music became popular, McCartney swapped the trumpet for a £15 Framus Zenith (model 17) acoustic guitar.

McCartney, being left-handed, found the Zenith difficult to play. He then saw a poster advertising a Slim Whitman concert, and realised that Whitman played left-handed, with his guitar strung the opposite way to a right-handed player. McCartney wrote his first song (“I Lost My Little Girl”) on the Zenith, and also played his father’s Framus Spanish guitar when writing early songs with Lennon. He later started playing piano and wrote “When I’m Sixty-Four”. Per his father’s advice, he took music lessons, but since he preferred to learn ‘by ear’ he never paid attention in them.

1957–1960: The Quarrymen and the Silver Beetles

Main articles: The Quarrymen and Lennon/McCartney

Fifteen-year-old McCartney met Lennon and The Quarrymen at the Woolton (St. Peter’s church hall) fête on July 6, 1957. At the start of their friendship Lennon’s Aunt Mimi disapproved of McCartney because he was, she said, “working class”, and called him “John’s little friend”. McCartney’s father told his son that Lennon would get him “into trouble”, although he later allowed The Quarrymen to rehearse in the front room at 20 Forthlin Road.

McCartney formed a close working relationship with Lennon and they collaborated on many songs. He convinced Lennon to allow Harrison to join The Quarrymen (Lennon thought Harrison was too young) after Lennon heard Harrison play at a rehearsal in March 1958. Harrison joined the group as lead guitarist, followed by Lennon’s art school friend, Stuart Sutcliffe, on bass, although McCartney was later dismissive about Sutcliffe’s musical ability. By May 1960, they had tried several new names, including The Silver Beetles; playing a tour of Scotland under that name with Johnny Gentle. They finally changed the name of the group to The Beatles for their performances in Hamburg.

1960–1970: The Beatles

Main article: The Beatles

Starting in May 1960, The Beatles were managed by Allan Williams, who booked them into Bruno Koschmider’s Indra club in Hamburg. McCartney’s father was reluctant to let the teenage McCartney go to Hamburg until McCartney pointed out that he would earn ₤2/10s per day. As this was more than he earned himself, Jim finally agreed.
The Indra Club,Hamburg where the Beatles first played
The Indra Club,Hamburg where the Beatles first played

The Beatles first played at the Indra club, sleeping in small, “dirty” rooms in the Bambi Kino, and then moved (after the closure of the Indra) to the larger Kaiserkeller. In October 1960, they left Koschmider’s club and worked at the “Top Ten Club”, which was run by Peter Eckhorn. When McCartney and Pete Best went back to the Bambi Kino to get their belongings they found it in almost total darkness. As a snub to Koschmider, they found a condom, attached it to a nail on the concrete wall of their room, and set fire to it. There was no real damage, but Koschmider reported them for attempted arson. McCartney and Best spent three hours in a local jail and were deported, as was Harrison, for working under the legal age limit. Lennon’s work permit was revoked a few days later and he went home by train, but Sutcliffe had a cold and stayed in Hamburg, and then flew home.

The group reunited in December 1960, and on 21 March 1961, played their first of many concerts at Liverpool’s Cavern club. McCartney realised that other Liverpool bands were playing the same cover songs, which prompted him and Lennon to write more original material. The Beatles returned to Hamburg in April 1961, and recorded “My Bonnie” with Tony Sheridan. Sutcliffe left the band after the end of their contract, so McCartney reluctantly took over bass. After borrowing Sutcliffe’s Hõfner 500/5 model for a short time, he bought a left-handed 1962 500/1 model Höfner bass. On 1 October 1961, McCartney went with Lennon (who paid for the trip) to Paris for two weeks.

The Beatles were first seen by Brian Epstein at the Cavern club on 9 November 1961, and he later signed them to a management contract. The Beatles’ road manager, Neil Aspinall, drove them to London on 31 December 1961, where they auditioned the next day, but were rejected by Decca Records. In April 1962, they went back to Hamburg to play at the Star-Club, and learned of Stuart Sutcliffe’s death a few hours before they arrived. The Beatles were ready to sign a record contract on 9 May 1962, with Parlophone Records—after having been rejected by many record companies—but Epstein sacked Pete Best (at the behest of McCartney, Lennon and Harrison) before they signed the contract. “Love Me Do” was released on 5 October 1962, featuring McCartney singing solo on the chorus line. Over the course of the next two years, McCartney and his band mates would rise from relative obscurity to international stardom, an unprecedented feat at that time for a rock-music combo.

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Yesterday (1965)
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Hey Jude (1968)
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All Lennon-McCartney songs on the first pressing of Please Please Me album (recorded in one day on 11 February 1963) as well as the “Please Please Me” single, “From Me to You”, and its B-side, “Thank You Girl”, are credited to “McCartney-Lennon”, but this was later changed to “Lennon-McCartney”. They usually needed an hour or two to finish a song, which were written in hotel rooms after a concert, at Wimpole Street, at Cavendish Avenue, or at Kenwood (Lennon’s house). McCartney also wrote songs for other artists, such as Billy J. Kramer, Cilla Black, Badfinger, and Mary Hopkin -and most notably he wrote two hit songs for the group Peter & Gordon-launching their career. One song, “World Without Love”, became a #1 hit in the U.K. & U.S. (Peter was the brother of Jane Asher, McCartney’s girlfriend at the time)
Epiphone Texan modeled after the one often used by McCartney.
Epiphone Texan modeled after the one often used by McCartney.

Lennon, Harrison, and Starr lived in large houses in the ‘stockbroker belt’ of southern England,] but McCartney continued to live in central London: in Jane Asher’s parents’ house, and then at 7 Cavendish Avenue, St John’s Wood, near the Abbey Road Studios.] It was at Cavendish Avenue that McCartney bought his first Old English Sheepdog, Martha, which inspired the song “Martha My Dear”.

McCartney often went to nightclubs alone, which offered ‘dining and dancing until 4:00 a.m.’ and featured cabaret acts. McCartney would get preferential treatment everywhere he went, which he readily accepted. He even once accepted an offer from a policeman to be allowed to park McCartney’s car. He later visited gambling clubs after 4:00am, such as ‘The Curzon House’, and often saw Brian Epstein there. The Ad Lib club (above the Prince Charles Theatre at 7 Leicester Place) was later opened for the emerging ‘Rock and Roll’ crowd of musicians, and tolerated their unusual lifestyle. After the Ad Lib fell out of favour, McCartney moved on to the Scotch of St James, at 13 Masons Yard. He also frequented The Bag O’Nails club at 8 Kingly Street in Soho, London, where he met Linda Eastman.

On 12 June 1965, The Beatles were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE); they received their insignia from Queen Elizabeth II at an investiture at Buckingham Palace on 26 October 1965. They stopped touring after their last concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, on 29 August 1966. The other three Beatles had often talked about stopping touring, but after the Candlestick Park concert, and after having played so many concerts where they could not be heard, McCartney finally agreed that they should stop playing live concerts.
Beatles Houston sculpture
Beatles Houston sculpture

McCartney was the first to be involved in a project outside of the group, when he composed the score for the film The Family Way in 1966. The soundtrack was later released as an album (also called The Family Way), and won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Instrumental Theme, ahead of acclaimed jazz musician Mike Turner. McCartney wrote songs for and produced other artists, including Mary Hopkin, Badfinger, and the Bonzo Dog Band, and in 1966, he was asked by Kenneth Tynan to write the songs for the National Theatre’s production of As You Like It by William Shakespeare (starring Laurence Olivier) but declined. In 1968 he co-produced the song “I’m the Urban Spaceman” by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and was credited as “Apollo C. Vermouth” because of contractual restrictions.

McCartney later attempted to persuade Lennon and Harrison to return to the stage, and when they had a meeting to sign a new contract with Capitol Records, McCartney suggested “going back to our roots,” to which Lennon replied, “I think you’re mad!” Although Lennon had quit the group in September 1969, and Harrison and Starr had temporarily left the group at various times, McCartney was the one who publicly announced The Beatles’ breakup on 10 April 1970—one week before releasing his first solo album, McCartney. The album included a press release inside with a self-written interview stating McCartney’s hopes about the future. The Beatles’ partnership was legally dissolved after McCartney filed a lawsuit on 31 December 1970.]

1970s: Paul McCartney (solo) and Wings

Wings (band)

Paul and Linda McCartney at the 1974 Academy Awards.
Paul and Linda McCartney at the 1974 Academy Awards.

McCartney released his debut solo album, McCartney, in April 1970. He insisted that his wife should be involved in his musical career so that they would not be apart when he was on tour. McCartney’s second solo album, Ram (1971) was credited to both Paul and Linda McCartney. In August of that year McCartney formed Wings with guitarist Denny Laine and drummer Denny Seiwell (although membership in Wings would change several times during its existence) and released their debut album, Wild Life. In 1972, Wings started an unplanned tour of British universities and small European venues. In February of that year, they released a single called “Give Ireland Back to the Irish”, which was banned by the BBC. Wings then embarked on the 26-date Wings Over Europe Tour.

The first of Wings’ two 1973 albums Red Rose Speedway spawned the band’s first #1 in the United States, “My Love”. On 16 April, McCartney starred in a TV variety show called James Paul McCartney. Wings then released the theme song for the James Bond film Live and Let Die. It reunited McCartney with George Martin, who both produced the song and arranged the orchestral break. Their second 1973 album Band on the Run, which won two Grammy Awards is Wings’ most lauded work. From it were released the singles “Jet”, and, in 1974, “Band on the Run” (the song) as well as the non-album single “Junior’s Farm”. A jam session — with Lennon and McCartney — was recorded in California, in 1974, and released on the bootleg A Toot and a Snore in ’74. The same year, he recorded an instrumental, “Walking in the Park with Eloise”, which had been written by his father. The song featured Wings, Floyd Cramer and Chet Atkins. Venus and Mars was released in 1975, which featured “Listen to What the Man Said” and “Rock Show.” Till 1976, Wings embarked on the Wings Over the World tour.

In 1977, McCartney released Thrillington under the name “Percy ‘Thrills’ Thrillington”. Wings also released “Mull of Kintyre”. It stayed at #1 in the UK for nine weeks, and was the highest-selling single in the UK until 1984, when Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas beat its record. Wings toured again in 1979, and McCartney organised the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea. McCartney’s “Rockestra” theme won a Grammy award. At Christmas 1979, McCartney released his (solo) “Wonderful Christmastime”.

Although McCartney’s relationship with Lennon was troubled, they reconciled during the 1970s. McCartney would often call Lennon, but was never sure of what sort of reception he would get, such as when McCartney once called Lennon and was told, “You’re all pizza and fairytales!” McCartney understood that he could not just phone Lennon and only talk about business, so they often talked about cats, baking bread, or babies.

1980s-1990s: Solo career

Paul McCartney (solo)

McCartney played every instrument on the 1980 release McCartney II (as he had on McCartney before it), this time with an emphasis on synthesisers instead of guitars. The single “Coming Up” reached #2 in Britain and #1 in the US. “Waterfalls” was another UK Top 10 hit. McCartney’s next album, 1982′s Tug of War, reunited him with Ringo Starr and Beatles producer George Martin, and the album hit No.1 on both sides of the Atlantic at the same time as it’s lead single, a duet with Stevie Wonder, “Ebony and Ivory”, did likewise. Two further hit duets followed, both with Michael Jackson: “The Girl Is Mine”, from Jackson’s Thriller album, and “Say Say Say”, a single from McCartney’s 1983 album, Pipes of Peace.

McCartney wrote and starred in the 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street. The film and soundtrack featured the US and UK Top 10 hit “No More Lonely Nights”, and the album reached #1 in the UK, but the film did not do well commercially or critically. Roger Ebert awarded the film a single star and wrote, “You can safely skip the movie and proceed directly to the sound track”. Later that year, McCartney released “We All Stand Together”, the title song from the animated film Rupert and the Frog Song, which was the supporting feature to “Broad Street” in cinemas and which, when released on video cassette would become the year’s top-seller. The following year, McCartney released Spies Like Us the title song to the Dan Ackroyd/Chevy Chase comedy which hit #7 on the Billboard chart (making it his last US Top 20 hit to date).

In the second half of the decade McCartney would find new collaborators. Eric Stewart had appeared on McCartney’s Pipes of Peace album, and he co-wrote most of McCartney’s 1986 album Press to Play. The album and its lead single, “Press”, became minor hits. McCartney returned the favour by co-writing two songs for Stewart’s band, 10cc: “Don’t Break the Promises” (…Meanwhile, 1992), and “Yvonne’s the One” (Mirror Mirror, 1995). In 1987, EMI released All the Best! which was the first compilation of McCartney’s own songs.

In 1988, he released, initially in the Soviet Union only, Снова в СССР a collection of McCartney cover-versions of his favourite vintage Rock and roll classics which later had a general release in 1991. Around this time, McCartney also began a songwriting partnership with Elvis Costello (Declan MacManus) from which songs would appear on singles and albums by both artists, notably “Veronica”on Costello’s album Spike and “My Brave Face” from McCartney’s Flowers in the Dirt, (which reached #1 in the UK on releas in 1989). Further McCartney/MacManus compositions for surfaced on Costello’s 1991 album Mighty Like a Rose and McCartney’s 1993 album Off the Ground. In late 1989, McCartney started his first concert tour since Lennon’s murder, also his first tour of the US in thirteen years.

In a 1980 interview, Lennon said that the last time he had seen McCartney was when they had watched the episode of Saturday Night Live (May 1976) in which Lorne Michaels had made his $3,000 cash offer to get Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr to reunite on the show. McCartney and Lennon had seriously considered going to the studio, but were too tired. This event was fictionalised in the 2000 television film Two of Us.

Reaction to John Lennon’s murder

On the morning of December 9, 1980, McCartney awoke to the news that Lennon had been murdered outside his home in the Dakota building in New York. Lennon’s death created a media frenzy around the surviving members of The Beatles. On the evening of 9 December, as McCartney was leaving an Oxford Street recording studio, he was surrounded by reporters and asked for his reaction to Lennon’s death. He replied, “I was very shocked, you know—this is terrible news,” and said that he had spent the day in the studio listening to some material because he “just didn’t want to sit at home.” When asked why, he replied, “I didn’t feel like it,” he was then asked when he first heard the news McCartney replied “This morning sometime” and one of the reporters asked “very early?” and said “yeah” and then asked the reporters if they all knew, they added “yeah” McCartney then added, “drag, isn’t it?” When published, his “drag” remark was criticised, and McCartney later regretted it. He furthermore stated that he had intended no disrespect but had just been at a loss for words, after the shock and sadness he felt over his friend’s murder. He was also to recall:
“ I talked to Yoko the day after he was killed and the first thing she said was, “John was really fond of you.” The last telephone conversation I had with him we were still the best of mates. He was always a very warm guy, John. His bluff was all on the surface. He used to take his glasses down, those granny glasses, and say, “It’s only me.” They were like a wall, you know? A shield. Those are the moments I treasure. ”

In 1983 Paul said:
“ I would not have been as typically human and standoffish as I was if I knew John was going to die. I would have made more of an effort to try and get behind his “mask” and have a better relationship with him.’ ”

In a Playboy interview in 1984, McCartney said that he went home that night and watched the news on television—while sitting with all his children—and cried all evening. His last telephone call to Lennon, which was just before Lennon and Yoko released Double Fantasy, was friendly. During the call, Lennon said (laughing) to McCartney, “This housewife wants a career!” which referred to Lennon’s “house-husband” years, while looking after Sean Lennon.

McCartney carried on recording after the death of Lennon but did not play any live concerts for some time. He explained that this was because he was nervous that he would be “the next” to be murdered. This led to a disagreement with Denny Laine, who wanted to continue touring and subsequently left Wings, which McCartney disbanded in 1981. Also in 1981, six months after Lennon’s death, McCartney sang backup on George Harrison’s tribute to Lennon, “All Those Years Ago,” which also featured Ringo Starr on drums. McCartney would go on to record “Here Today”, a tribute song to Lennon.

1990s: Classical music
McCartney at the Grammy Awards, February 1990.
McCartney at the Grammy Awards, February 1990.

The 1990s saw McCartney venture into classical music. In 1991 the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society commissioned a musical piece by McCartney to celebrate its sesquicentennial. McCartney collaborated with Carl Davis to release Liverpool Oratorio. The Oratorio was premiered in Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral, and had its North American premiere in Carnegie Hall in New York on 18 November 1991, with Davis conducting. McCartney’s singers and musicians included the opera singers Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sally Burgess, Jerry Hadley and Willard White, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the choir of Liverpool Cathedral. EMI Classics recorded the premiere of the oratorio and released it on a 2-CD album which topped the classical charts. His next classical project to be released (in 1995) was A Leaf, a solo-piano piece played by Royal College of Music gold-medal winner Anya Alexeyev. The Prince of Wales later honoured McCartney as a Fellow of The Royal College of Music. Other forays into classical music included Standing Stone (1997), Working Classical (1999), and “Ecce Cor Meum” (2006).

In the early 1990s (after another world tour), McCartney reunited with Harrison and Starr to work on Apple’s The Beatles Anthology documentary series. It included three double albums of alternative takes, live recordings, and previously unreleased Beatles songs, as well as a ten-hour video boxed set. Anthology 1 was released in 1995, and featured “Free as a Bird”, which was the first Beatles reunion track, while Anthology 2, released in 1996, included “Real Love” (1996), the second and final in the reunion series. Both reunion tracks were co produced by Electric Light Orchestra frontman Jeff Lynne, who had worked with Harrison in The Traveling Wilburys. Both reunion tracks were completed by adding new music and vocal tracks to Lennon’s demos from the late 1970s.

In 1997, McCartney released Flaming Pie which was produced by Lynne and Martin. It debuted at #2 in the UK and the US, and was nominated in the Grammy Awards category Album of the Year. The same year, McCartney made his second venture into classical music with Standing Stone, which was commissioned by EMI Records to mark their 100th anniversary in autumn. On 11 March 1997, he was knighted as “Sir Paul McCartney” for his “services to music”. He dedicated his knighthood to fellow Beatles Lennon, Harrison, and Starr, and to the people of Liverpool. In 1999, McCartney released another album of rock ‘n’ roll songs, titled Run Devil Run. That same year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. (Bitter that he had not been inducted sooner, McCartney brought his daughter to the stage with him and smiled as he pointed to her shirt, which read: “About Fucking Time.”) In 1999, he released Working Classical.

2000s
McCartney on Live8.
McCartney on Live8.

In 2000, McCartney released A Garland for Linda; a choral tribute album with compositions from eight other contemporary composers. The music was performed by “The Joyful Company of Singers” to raise funds for The Garland Appeal, a fund to aid cancer patients. In May 2001, he released Wingspan: An Intimate Portrait, a retrospective documentary that features behind-the-scenes films and photographs that he and Linda McCartney (who had died in 1998) took of their family and bands. Interspersed throughout the 88 minute film is an interview by Mary McCartney with her father. Mary was the baby photographed inside McCartney’s jacket on the back cover of McCartney, and was one of the producers of the documentary.

Earlier in the year, McCartney worked on what would become his new album, Driving Rain, released on November 12. Driving Rain featured uplifting songs inspired by and written for his soon-to-be wife Heather. Clearly determined to follow the example of Run Devil Run’s brisk recording pace, most of the album was recorded in two weeks, starting in February 2001. McCartney also composed and recorded the title track for the film Vanilla Sky, released later that year. The track was nominated for—but did not win—an Oscar for Best Original Song.

McCartney took a lead role in organising The Concert for New York City in response to the events of September 11. The concert took place on 20 October 2001.

In late 2001, McCartney was informed that George Harrison was losing his battle with cancer. Upon Harrison’s death on 29 November, McCartney told Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Extra, Good Morning America, The Early Show, MTV, VH-1 and Today that Harrison was like his “baby brother”. Harrison spent his last days in a Hollywood Hills mansion that was once leased by McCartney. On 29 November 2002—on the first anniversary of George Harrison’s death—McCartney played Harrison’s “Something” on a ukulele at the Concert for George.

In 2002, McCartney began a two-year world tour. He contributed to an album titled Good Rockin’ Tonight: The Legacy Of Sun Records, which included a version of Elvis Presley’s song “That’s All Right (Mama)”. He performed during the pre-game ceremonies at the NFL’s Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 and starred in the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. In 2003, McCartney played a concert in Red Square, Russia. Vladimir Putin gave him a tour of the Square.

In what would be his first British music festival appearance, McCartney headlined the Glastonbury Festival in June 2004. McCartney and festival organiser Michael Eavis won the NME Award on behalf of the festival, which won ‘Best Live Event’ in the 2005 awards. McCartney performed at the main Live 8 concert on 2 July 2005, playing “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” with U2 to open the Hyde Park event, although Ringo Starr criticised McCartney for not asking him to play.

On November 13th, 2005, McCartney played a live concert at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, CA. Towards the end of the concert, a satellite link-up was made to the International Space Station so McCartney and those at the concert could see NASA Astronaut Bill McArthur and Russian Cosmonaut Valery Tokarev as they were awakening for the 44th day of their six month mission in space. McCartney proceeded to play the traditional wakeup song played on each space mission, a tradition that began during the moon missions. McCartney also performed “Good Day Sunshine”, and “English Tea”. Afterwards he and the concert goers talked with McArthur and Tokarev via a projection screen. This was the first time a live concert had been linked to a U.S. spacecraft.
McCartney gives a speech at the US premier of Ecce Cor Meum at Carnegie Hall..
McCartney gives a speech at the US premier of Ecce Cor Meum at Carnegie Hall..

In March 2006, McCartney finished composing a ‘modern classical’ musical work named Ecce Cor Meum [Behold My Heart]. It was recorded with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and the boys of King’s College Choir, Cambridge, Magdalen College School, Oxford, and was premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 3 November 2006..[141] It was voted Classical Album of the Year in 2007 in the Classical Brit Awards.[142]

On 18 June 2006, McCartney celebrated his 64th birthday, as in “When I’m Sixty-Four.” Paul Vallely noted it in The Independent as “a cultural milestone for a generation. Such is the nature of celebrity, McCartney is one of those people who have represented the hopes and aspirations of those born in the baby-boom era, which had its awakening in the Sixties.”[143]

McCartney joined Jay-Z and Linkin Park onstage at the 2006 Grammy Awards in a performance of “Numb/Encore” & “Yesterday” to commemorate the recent passing of Coretta Scott King. McCartney later noted that it was the first time he had performed at the Grammys and quipped, “I finally passed the audition,” which was a reference to the Lennon comment at the end of the Let It Be film: “I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition.”[144] McCartney was nominated for another Grammy Award in 2007 for “Jenny Wren”—a song from his 2005 album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, which itself had been nominated as Album of the Year in 2006.[145]

On 21 March 2007, McCartney left EMI to become the first artist signed to Starbucks’s new record label, Los Angeles-based Hear Music, to be distributed by Concord Music Group. He made an appearance via a video-feed from London at the company’s annual meeting.[146] “For me, the great thing is the commitment and the passion and the love of music, which as an artist is good to see. It’s a new world now and people are thinking of new ways to reach the people, and that’s always been my aim”.[147]

On 2 April 2007, a fan drove through the security fence on McCartney’s Peasmarsh county estate shouting that he had to “get at” the ex-Beatle. The incident echoed the murder of Lennon and the attempted murder of George Harrison. The assailant was arrested after a chase through Sussex country lanes.[148][149][150]

McCartney played “secret gigs” in London, New York, and Los Angeles to promote his album. Several live recordings from these shows have been released as B-sides to singles from Memory Almost Full. In New York, the crowd included only a few hundred contest winners and celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Elijah Wood, Kate Moss, Aidan Quinn, and Steve Buscemi.[151]
McCartney’s BBC Electric Proms performance in Camden, London.
McCartney’s BBC Electric Proms performance in Camden, London.

McCartney played at the BBC Electric Proms on October 25, 2007, at The Roundhouse in Camden, which is run by a music festival run by the British Broadcasting Corporation. On 13 November 2007, The McCartney Years, a 3-DVD set was released. It contains a commentary, behind the scenes footage, over 40 music videos, Wings’ live performances, interviews with Melvyn Bragg and Michael Parkinson, LIVE AID, the Super Bowl XXXIX Halftime Show and the 2005 documentary Creating Chaos at Abbey Road.[152]

In February 2008, McCartney was awarded a BRIT award for outstanding contribution, the same as a Lifetime Achievement Award.[153] The minor planet 4148, discovered in 1983 was named ‘McCartney’ in his honour.[154] Yale University conferred an honorary Doctor of Music degree on Paul McCartney on 26 May 2008.[155] On 1 June 2008 McCartney celebrated Liverpool’s year as European capital of culture by playing a concert there. It featured special guest Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. Grohl played guitar and sang backing vocals on “Band on the Run” and played drums on Back in the U.S.S.R. and I Saw Her Standing There.

In April 2008 it has been revealed that McCartney was invited by Ukrainian tycoon Victor Pinchuk to play a free concert in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on 14 June, 2008. He played in the city’s main square Maidan Nezalezhnosti at a show dubbed the Independence Concert.[156] Over 350,000 concert goers braved adverse weather conditions as Paul McCartney played the biggest concert in the Ukraine’s history. Furthermore, McCartney will open a personal exhibition of his artistic works at the PinchukArtCentre[157].

Creative outlets

During the ’60s, McCartney was often seen at major cultural events, such as the launch party for The International Times, and at The Roundhouse (28 January and 4 February 1967).[158] He also delved into the visual arts, becoming a close friend of leading art dealers and gallery owners, explored experimental film, and regularly attended movie, theatrical and classical music performances. His first contact with the London avant-garde scene was through John Dunbar, who introduced him to the art dealer Robert Fraser, who in turn introduced McCartney to an array of writers and artists. McCartney later became involved in the renovation and publicising of the Indica Gallery in Mason’s Yard, London—John Lennon first met Yoko Ono at the Indica.[159][160] The Indica Gallery brought McCartney into contact with Barry Miles, whose underground newspaper, The International Times, McCartney helped to start.[161] Miles would become de facto manager of the Apple’s short-lived Zapple Records label, and wrote McCartney’s official biography, Many Years From Now (1998).

While living at the Asher house, McCartney took piano lessons at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, which The Beatles’ producer Martin had previously attended. McCartney studied composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Luciano Berio.[162] McCartney later wrote and released several pieces of modern classical music and ambient electronica, besides writing poetry and painting. McCartney is lead patron of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, an arts school in the building formerly occupied by the Liverpool Institute for Boys.[163] The 1837 building, which McCartney attended during his schooldays, had become derelict by the mid-1980s.[163] On 7 June 1996, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the redeveloped building.[163]

Electronica

After the recording of “Yesterday” in 1965, McCartney contacted the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in Maida Vale, London, to see if they could record an electronic version of the song, but never followed it up. When visiting John Dunbar’s flat in London, McCartney would take along tapes he had compiled at Jane Asher’s house. The tapes were mixes of various songs, musical pieces and comments made by McCartney that he had Dick James make into a demo record for him.[166] He later made tape loops by recording voices, guitars and bongos on a Brenell tape machine, and splicing the various loops together. He reversed the tapes, sped them up, and slowed them down to create the effects he wanted (which were later used on Beatles’ recordings, such as “Tomorrow Never Knows”). McCartney referred to them as electronic symphonies and was heavily influenced by John Cage at the time.[167]

In the spring of 1966, while McCartney was part of a small group which included figureheads John Dunbar and (Barry) Miles, involved with giving birth to the Indica Gallery and the newspaper International Times, he rented a ground floor and basement flat from Ringo Starr at 34 Montagu Square, to be used as a small demo studio for spoken-word recordings by poets, writers (including William Burroughs) and avant-garde musicians.[168] The Beatles’ Apple Records then launched a sub-label, Zapple with (Barry) Miles as its manager, ostensibly to release recordings of a similar aesthetic, (although few releases would ultimately result as Apple and The Beatles slid into subsequent business and personal difficulties.)[168]

In 1995, McCartney recorded a radio series called “Oobu Joobu” for the American network Westwood One, which McCartney described as being “wide-screen radio”

During the 1990s, McCartney collaborated with Youth of Killing Joke under the name of the Fireman, and have released two ambient albums; Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest (in 1993) and Rushes, in 1998. In 2000, he released an album, Liverpool Sound Collage, with Super Furry Animals and Youth, utilising collage and musique concrete techniques which fascinated him in the mid-1960s. Most recently, in 2005, he worked on a project with bootleg producer and remixer Freelance Hellraiser, consisting of remixed versions of songs from throughout his solo career and released under the name Twin Freaks.

Film

McCartney was interested in animated films as a child, and later had the financial resources to ask Geoff Dunbar to direct a short animated film called the Rupert and the Frog Song in 1981. McCartney wrote the music and the script, was the producer, and added some of the characters voices.Dunbar worked again with McCartney on an animated film about the work of French artist Honore Daumier, in 1992, which won both of them a Bafta award. They also worked on Tropic Island Hum, in 1997.In 1995, McCartney directed a short documentary about The Grateful Dead.[

Painting

In 1966, McCartney met art gallery-owner Robert Fraser, whose flat was visited by many well-known artists.[181] McCartney met Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Peter Blake, and Richard Hamilton there, and learned about art appreciation.[181] McCartney later started buying paintings by Magritte, and used Magritte’s painting of an apple for the Apple Records logo.[182] He now owns Magritte’s easel and spectacles.[183]

McCartney’s love of painting surfaced after watching artist Willem de Kooning paint, in Kooning’s Long Island barn.[184] McCartney took up painting in 1983.[185] In 1999, he exhibited his paintings (featuring McCartney’s portraits of John Lennon, Andy Warhol, and David Bowie) for the first time in Siegen, Germany, and included photographs by Linda. He chose the gallery because Wolfgang Suttner (local events organiser) was genuinely interested in his art, and the positive reaction led to McCartney showing his work in UK galleries.[186] The first UK exhibition of McCartney’s work was opened in Bristol, England with more than 500 paintings on display. McCartney had previously believed that “only people that had been to art school were allowed to paint” – as Lennon had.[186]

In October 2000, Yoko Ono and McCartney presented art exhibitions in New York and London. McCartney said,
“ I’ve been offered an exhibition of my paintings at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool where John and I used to spend many a pleasant afternoon. So I’m really excited about it. I didn’t tell anybody I painted for 15 years but now I’m out of the closet.[187][188] ”

Writing and poetry
McCartney’s English teacher, Alan Durband, in 1946.
McCartney’s English teacher, Alan Durband, in 1946.

When McCartney was young, his mother read him poems and encouraged him to read books. McCartney’s father was interested in crosswords and invited the two young McCartneys (Paul and his brother Michael) to solve them with him, so as to increase their “word power”.[189] McCartney was later inspired – in his school years – by Alan Durband, who was McCartney’s English literature teacher at the Liverpool Institute.[190] Durband was a co-founder and fund-raiser at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, where Willy Russell also worked, and introduced McCartney to Geoffrey Chaucer’s works.[191] McCartney later took his A-level exams, but passed only one subject – Art.[192][193]

In 2001 McCartney published ‘Blackbird Singing’, a volume of poems, some of which were lyrics to his songs, and gave readings in Liverpool and New York.[194] Some of them were serious: “Here Today” (about Lennon) and some humorous (“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”).[195] In the foreword of the book, McCartney explained that when he was a teenager, he had “an overwhelming desire” to have a poem of his published in the school magazine. He wrote something “deep and meaningful”, but it was rejected, and he feels that he has been trying to get some kind of revenge ever since. His first “real poem” was about the death of his childhood friend, Ivan Vaughan.[196]

In October 2005, McCartney released a children’s book called High In The Clouds: An Urban Furry Tail. In a press release publicizing the book, McCartney said, “I have loved reading for as long as I can remember,” singling out Treasure Island as a childhood favourite.[197] McCartney collaborated with author Philip Ardagh and animator Geoff Dunbar to write the book.[198]

Relationships and marriages

McCartney had a three-year relationship with Dot Rhone in Liverpool, and they were due to get married until Rhone lost the baby she was expecting. In London McCartney had a five-year relationship with actress Jane Asher. They were engaged to be married until they broke up in 1968. McCartney married American photographer Linda Eastman in 1969 (McCartney was the last Beatle to get married). They had four children (Linda’s daughter Heather who was adopted by Paul, followed by three more children) and remained married until Linda’s death from breast cancer in 1998. In 2002, McCartney married former model Heather Mills and they had a child in 2003. They separated in May 2006 and they were divorced in May 2008.[199]

Widespread animosity towards McCartney’s wives was reported in 2004. “They [the British public] didn’t like me giving up on Jane Asher,” McCartney said. “I married a New York divorcee with a child, and at the time they didn’t like that.”[200]

Relationship with Dot Rhone
McCartney and Dot Rhone on 17 March 1962, in Liverpool.
McCartney and Dot Rhone on 17 March 1962, in Liverpool.

One of McCartney’s first girlfriends was called Layla, whom McCartney remembered as having an unusual name in Liverpool at the time. Layla was slightly older than McCartney and used to ask him to baby-sit with her, which was a code word for sex. Julie Arthur, another girlfriend, was Ted Ray’s niece.[201]

McCartney’s first serious girlfriend in Liverpool was Dot Rhone, whom he met at the Casbah club in 1959.[202] McCartney picked out the clothes he wanted Rhone to wear and told her which make-up to use. He also paid for Rhone to have her blonde hair done in the style of Brigitte Bardot, whom Lennon and McCartney idolised.[203][204] When McCartney went to Hamburg with The Beatles he wrote regular letters to Rhone, and she accompanied Cynthia Lennon to Hamburg when The Beatles played there again in 1962.[205] According to Rhone, McCartney bought her a gold ring, took her sightseeing around Hamburg and was very attentive and caring.[206] Rhone later rented a room in the same house as Cynthia Lennon was living as McCartney helped with the rent.[207] McCartney admitted that he had other girlfriends in Hamburg during his time with Rhone, and that they were usually “strippers”, who knew a lot more about sex than Liverpool girls.[208]

Shortly after McCartney returned from Hamburg in May 1962, Rhone told him that she was pregnant. They told Jim McCartney—whom they expected to be shocked at the news—but found him delighted at the prospect of becoming a grandfather. McCartney took out a marriage licence and set the wedding date for November; shortly before the baby was due.[209] Rhone had a miscarriage in July 1962, and after a few weeks, McCartney’s feelings towards Rhone “cooled off” and he finished their relationship.[210]

Rhone later emigrated to Toronto, Canada, and McCartney met her again when The Beatles played there, and then again with Wings. Rhone said that “Love of the Loved” and “P.S. I Love You” were written about her. Years later, Cynthia Lennon gave back Rhone the gold ring that McCartney had bought in Hamburg, as Cynthia had once tried it on when Rhone was washing dishes, and had forgotten to take it off. Rhone is now a grandmother and lives in Mississauga, Ontario.[211]

Relationship with Jane Asher

Jane Asher

The Beatles were performing at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, when McCartney first met British actress Jane Asher on 18 April 1963, and a photographer asked them to pose with Asher.[212] The Beatles were interviewed by Asher for the BBC, and Asher was then photographed screaming at them like a fan. McCartney later persuaded her to become his girlfriend.[213]

McCartney soon met Jane’s family: Margaret, Jane’s mother, who combined her life as the mother of three children with a full-time career as a music teacher, and Jane’s father, Richard, who was a physician. Jane’s brother, Peter, was a member of Peter and Gordon, and Jane’s younger sister, Clare, was also an actress.[214] McCartney later gave “A World Without Love” to Peter and Gordon-as well as the song “Nobody I Know”. Both songs became hits for the group.[215] McCartney took up residence at the Ashers’ house at 57 Wimpole Street, London, and lived there for nearly three years.[216] During his time there McCartney met writers such as Bertrand Russell, Harold Pinter and Len Deighton.[217] He wrote several songs at the Ashers’, including “Yesterday”, and worked on songs with Lennon in the basement music room. Jane inspired many songs, such as “And I Love Her”, “You Won’t See Me”, and “I’m Looking Through You”.[218] On 13 April 1965, McCartney bought a £40,000 three-storey Regency house, at 7 Cavendish Avenue, London, and spent a further £20,000 renovating it. McCartney created a music room on the top floor of his house, where he worked with Lennon. He thanked the Ashers by paying for the decoration of the front of their house.[219]

On 15 May 1967, McCartney met American photographer Linda Eastman at a Georgie Fame concert at The Bag O’Nails club in London.[220] Eastman was in the UK on an assignment to take photographs of “Swinging sixties” musicians in London. McCartney and Linda later went to The Speakeasy club on Margaret Street.[221] They met again four days later at the launch party for the Sgt. Pepper album at Brian Epstein’s house in Belgravia, but when her assignment was completed, Linda flew back to New York City.[222]

On 25 December 1967, McCartney and Asher announced their engagement, and she accompanied McCartney to India in February and March of 1968. Asher broke off the engagement in early 1968, after coming back from Bristol to find McCartney in bed with another woman.[223] They attempted to mend the relationship, but finally broke it off in July 1968. Jane Asher has consistently refused to publicly discuss that part of her life.[224]

Marriage to Linda Eastman

Main articles: Linda McCartney, Heather McCartney, Mary McCartney, Stella McCartney, and James McCartney

In May 1968, McCartney met Eastman again in New York, when Lennon and McCartney were there to announce the formation of Apple Corps.[225] In September, McCartney phoned Eastman and asked her to fly over to London. Six months later, McCartney and Eastman were married at a small civil ceremony (when Linda was four months pregnant with McCartney’s child) at Marylebone Registry Office on 12 March 1969. He later said that Eastman was the woman who “gave me the strength and courage to work again” (after the break-up of The Beatles).[226] McCartney adopted Linda’s daughter from her first marriage, Heather Louise (now a potter), and the couple had three more children together: photographer Mary Anna, fashion designer Stella Nina,[227] and musician James Louis. McCartney has claimed that he and Linda spent less than a week apart during their entire marriage, interrupted only by Paul’s incarceration in Tokyo on drug charges in January 1980.

Linda McCartney died of breast cancer in Tucson, Arizona, on 17 April 1998.[228] McCartney denied rumours that her death was an assisted suicide.[228][229]

McCartney now has five grandchildren: Mary’s two sons Arthur Alistair Donald (born 3 April 1999) and Elliot Donald (born 1 August 2002) and Stella’s children, Miller Alasdhair James Willis (born 25 February 2005),[230] daughter Bailey Linda Olwyn Willis (born 8 December 2006).[231], and Beckett Robert Lee (born 8 January 2008).

Marriage to Heather Mills

Main article: Heather Mills

After having sparked the interest of the tabloids about his appearances with Heather Mills at events, McCartney appeared publicly beside Mills at a party in January 2000, to celebrate her 32nd birthday.[232][233] On 11 June 2002, McCartney married Mills, a former model and anti-landmines campaigner, in an elaborate ceremony at Castle Leslie in Glaslough, County Monaghan, Ireland, where more than 300 guests were invited and the reception included a vegetarian banquet.[234] In October 2003, Mills gave birth to a daughter, Beatrice Milly McCartney.[235] The baby was reportedly named after Heather’s late mother Beatrice and Paul’s Aunt Milly.[236]

On 29 July 2006, British newspapers announced that McCartney had petitioned for divorce, which sparked a press furor.[237][238][239] A settlement was announced on 21 January 2007, but Mills’ lawyers denied this.[240] On March 17, 2008, the financial terms of the divorce were finalised[241] with a settlement awarding Heather Mills £24.3 million ($48.6 million).[242] The settlement will also see the former Beatle pay their four-year-old daughter Beatrice’s nanny and school fees and will pay Beatrice £35,000 ($70,000) a year until she is 18, or ends secondary education.[242][243][244][245] After the divorce ruling, Justice Bennett said that throughout the case Mills was “inconsistent, inaccurate and less than candid” while McCartney was “honest.”[246][247] On May 12, 2008, Justice Hugh Bennett issued only a preliminary divorce decree to be finalized in 6 months: “On the petition for divorce presented by Miss Heather Mills, I pronounce the decree nisi of divorce on the grounds of two years’ separation.”[248][249]

Lifestyle

McCartney’s lifestyle was greatly altered by his success and the income he earned. In the 1960s, the new availability of the first oral contraceptive and illegal drugs changed many people’s opinions—including McCartney’s—about life, marriage, and sexual relationships.[250]

Recreational drug use

McCartney’s introduction to drugs started in Hamburg, Germany.[251] The Beatles had to play for hours, and they were often given “Prellies” (Preludin) by German customers or by Astrid Kirchherr (whose mother bought them). McCartney would usually take one, but Lennon would often take four or five.[252]

After having been introduced to cannabis, by Bob Dylan in New York, in 1964, McCartney remembered getting “very high” and giggling.[253] McCartney’s use of cannabis became regular, and he was quoted in the Barry Miles book as saying that any future Beatles’ lyrics containing the words “high”, or “grass” were written specifically as a reference to cannabis—as was “Got to Get You into My Life”.[254] John Dunbar’s flat at 29 Lennox Gardens, in London, became a regular hang-out for McCartney, where he talked to musicians, writers and artists, and smoked cannabis.[166] In 1965, Miles introduced McCartney to hash brownies by using a recipe for hash fudge he found in the Alice B. Toklas Cookbook.[255] During the filming of Help!, he and the other Beatles occasionally smoked a spliff in the car on the way to the studio during filming, which often made them forget their lines.[256] Help! director Dick Lester said that he overheard “two beautiful women” trying to cajole McCartney into taking heroin, but he refused.[256]
McCartney called for the legalization of Cannabis in 1967.
McCartney called for the legalization of Cannabis in 1967.

McCartney’s attitude about cannabis was made public in the 1960s, when he added his name to an advertisement in The Times, on 24 July 1967, which asked for the legalisation of cannabis, the release of all prisoners imprisoned because of possession, and research into marijuana’s medical uses. The advertisement was sponsored by a group called Soma and was signed by 65 people, including The Beatles, Brian Epstein, Graham Greene, R.D. Laing, 15 doctors, and two MPs.[257]

McCartney was introduced to cocaine by Robert Fraser, and it was available during the recording of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.[258][259] McCartney admitted sniffing heroin with Fraser, but did not feel any effect, and never took it again.[260]

In 1967, on a sailing trip to Greece—with the idea of buying an island for the whole group—McCartney said everybody sat around and took LSD, although McCartney first took it with Tara Browne, in 1966.[261][262][263] He took his second “acid trip” with Lennon on 21 March 1967 after a studio session.[264] McCartney was the first British pop star openly to admit to using LSD, in an interview in the now-defunct “Queen” magazine.[265] His admission was followed by a TV interview in the UK on Independent Television News on 19 June 1967, when McCartney was asked about his admission of LSD use, he said:
“ I was asked a question by a newspaper, and the decision was whether to tell a lie or tell him the truth. I decided to tell him the truth … but I really didn’t want to say anything, you know, because if I had my way I wouldn’t have told anyone. I’m not trying to spread the word about this. But the man from the newspaper is the man from the mass medium. I’ll keep it a personal thing if he does too, you know … if he keeps it quiet. But he wanted to spread it so it’s his responsibility, you know, for spreading it, not mine. ”

In another quote (cited and endorsed by The Byrds’ David Crosby at the Monterey Pop Festival), McCartney said,
“ [LSD] opened my eyes. We only use one-tenth of our brain. Just think of what we could accomplish if we could only tap that hidden part! It would mean a whole new world if the politicians would take LSD. There wouldn’t be any more war or poverty or famine. ”

In spite of his statements then, and his admission (in 2004) that he had used cocaine, McCartney was not arrested by Norman Pilcher’s Drug Squad, as had been Lennon, Harrison, Donovan, and several members of the Rolling Stones.[266] In 1972, however, police found cannabis plants growing on his Scottish farm.[267]

On 16 January 1980, Wings went to Tokyo for 11 concerts in Japan. As McCartney was going through customs, officials found 7.7 ounces (218.3 g) of cannabis in his luggage. He was arrested and taken to a Tokyo prison while the Japanese government decided what to do. McCartney had been previously denied a visa to Japan (in 1975) because he had been convicted twice in Europe for possession of cannabis.[266] Public figures called for McCartney to be tried by a jury for drug-smuggling. Had he been tried and convicted, he would have faced up to seven years in prison. The members of Wings cancelled the tour and left Japan. After ten days in jail, McCartney was released and deported. He was told that he would not be welcome in Japan again, although a decade later he played a concert in Tokyo. In 1984, Paul and Linda McCartney were both arrested for possession of cannabis.[268][269]

Meditation

On 24 August 1967, McCartney met the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the London Hilton, and later went to Bangor, in North Wales, to attend a weekend ‘initiation’ conference.[270] McCartney said that although he does not meditate daily, he still uses the mantra that the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi gave him in Bangor.[271] The time McCartney later spent in India at the Maharishi’s ashram was highly productive, as practically all of the songs that would later be recorded for The White Album and Abbey Road were composed there by McCartney, Lennon, or both together.[272] Although McCartney was told that he was never to repeat the mantra to anyone else, he did tell Linda McCartney,[273] and said he meditated a lot while he was in jail in Japan.[271]

Activism
McCartney’s campaign against landmines
McCartney’s campaign against landmines

The McCartneys became outspoken vegetarians and animal-rights activists. They said that their vegetarianism was realised when they happened to see lambs in a field as they ate a meal of lamb.[274] McCartney has also credited the 1942 Disney film Bambi – in which the young deer’s mother is shot by a hunter – as the original inspiration for him to take an interest in animal rights.[275] In his first interview after Linda’s death, he promised to continue working for animal rights.[276][277]

In 1999, McCartney spent £3,000,000 to make sure Linda McCartney’s food range remains free of GM ingredients.[278] In 2002, McCartney gave his support to a campaign against a proposed ban on the sale of certain vitamins, herbs and mineral products in the European Union.[279] Following his marriage to Heather Mills, McCartney joined with her to campaign against landmines;[280][281] both McCartney and Mills are patrons of Adopt-A-Minefield.[282] In 2003, he played a personal concert for the wife of a wealthy banker and donated his one million dollars to the charity.[283] He also wore an anti-landmines t-shirt on the Back in the World tour.[282]

In 2006, the McCartneys travelled to Prince Edward Island to bring international attention to the seal hunt (their final public appearance together). Their arrival sparked attention in Newfoundland and Labrador where the hunt is of economic significance.[284] The couple also debated with Newfoundland’s Premier Danny Williams on the CNN show Larry King Live. They further stated that the fishermen should quit hunting seals and begin a seal watching business.[285] McCartney has also criticised China’s fur trade,[286][287] and supports the Make Poverty History campaign.[288]

McCartney has been involved with a number of charity recordings and performances. In 2004, he donated a song to an album to aid the “US Campaign for Burma”, in support of Burmese Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi,[289] and he had previously been involved in the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, Ferry Aid, Band Aid, Live Aid, and the recording of “Ferry Cross the Mersey” (released 8 May 1989) following the Hillsborough disaster.[290][291]

Football

The Beatles made few comments about the football clubs they supported, in case they alienated fans of the group,[292] although McCartney is a supporter of Everton Football Club[293] (his father and relatives used to take him to matches) but his allegiance later encompassed Liverpool F.C. (both clubs being from the same city; Liverpool).[294] Linda McCartney said: “We spent last night listening to Liverpool football team on the radio, wanting them to win so badly. Paul supports Liverpool. He was Everton for a while because of his family – but it’s all Liverpool now”.[295][296]

Both Lennon and McCartney watched the 1966 FA Cup Final between Everton and Sheffield Wednesday, and McCartney attended the 1968 FA Cup Final (18 May 1968) which was played between West Bromwich Albion and Everton.[297] After the final whistle, McCartney shared cigarettes and whisky with other fans.[296] Liverpool player, Albert Stubbins, was the only footballer shown on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover.[292] On 28 July 1968, The Beatles were photographed in a photographer’s studio at 192-212 Gray’s Inn Road, with McCartney wearing a Liverpool F.C. Rosette on two photos.[298]

McCartney tried to listen to the Liverpool v Manchester United 1977 FA Cup Final on a radio, while sailing in the Caribbean.[292] The video for McCartney’s Pipes of Peace (1983) recreated the football game played between German and British troops during WWI.[299][300] McCartney was seen at the 1986 FA Cup Final between Liverpool and Everton,[296] and in 1989, McCartney contributed to the “Ferry Cross the Mersey” charity single that was recorded to aid victims of the Hillsborough Disaster, which happened during a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.[301]

Business

Main articles: Apple Corps, Northern Songs, and MPL Communications

McCartney is today one of Britain’s wealthiest men, with an estimated fortune of £824 million,[302] although Justice Bennett, in his judgment on McCartney’s divorce case found no evidence that McCartney was worth more than £400 million.[303] In addition to his interest in Apple Corps, McCartney’s MPL Communications owns a significant music publishing catalogue, with access to over 25,000 copyrights.[304][305] McCartney earned £40 million in 2003, making him Britain’s highest media earner.[306] This rose to £48.5 million by 2005.[307] In the same year he joined the top American talent agency Grabow Associates, who arrange private performances for their richest clients.[308] Northern Songs was established in 1963, by Dick James, to publish the songs of Lennon/McCartney.[309] The Beatles’ partnership was replaced in 1968 by a jointly-held company, Apple Corps, which continues to control Apple’s commercial interests. Northern Songs was purchased by Associated TeleVision (ATV) in 1969, and was sold in 1985 to Michael Jackson. For many years McCartney was unhappy about Jackson’s purchase and handling of Northern Songs.[310]

MPL Communications is an umbrella company for McCartney’s business interests, which owns a wide range of copyrights,[311] as well as the publishing rights to musicals,[312] and controls 25 subsidiary companies.[313] In 2006, the Trademarks Registry reported that MPL had started a process to secure the protections associated with registering the name “Paul McCartney” as a trademark.[314] The 2005 films, Brokeback Mountain[315] and Good Night and Good Luck, feature MPL copyrights.[316]

Critique and achievements

McCartney is listed in The Guinness Book Of Records as the most successful musician and composer in popular music history,[317][318] with sales of 100 million singles and 60 gold discs.[319][320] McCartney has achieved twenty-nine number-one singles in the U.S., twenty of them with The Beatles, the rest with Wings and as a solo artist.[317] McCartney has been involved in more number-one singles in the United Kingdom than any other artist under a variety of credits, although Elvis Presley has achieved more as a solo artist. McCartney has achieved 24 number-ones in the U.K.: solo (1), Wings (1), with Stevie Wonder (1), Ferry Aid (1), Band Aid (1), Band Aid 20 (1) and The Beatles (17).[321] McCartney is the only artist to reach the U.K. number one as a soloist (“Pipes of Peace”), duo (“Ebony and Ivory” with Stevie Wonder), trio (“Mull of Kintyre”, Wings), quartet (“She Loves You”, The Beatles), quintet (“Get Back”, The Beatles with Billy Preston) and sextet (“Let It Be” with Ferry Aid). McCartney’s song “Yesterday” is the most covered song in history with more than 3,500 recorded versions[322] and has been played more than 7,000,000 times on American TV and radio, for which McCartney was given an award.[323] After its 1977 release the Wings single “Mull of Kintyre” became the highest-selling record in British chart history, and remained so until 1984.

On 2 July 2005, he was involved with the fastest-released single in history. His performance of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” with U2 at Live 8 was released only 45 minutes after it was performed, before the end of the concert.[324] The single reached number six on the Billboard charts, just hours after the single’s release, and hit number one on numerous online download charts across the world.[325] McCartney played for the largest stadium audience in history when 184,000 people paid to see him perform at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on 21 April, 1990,[326] and he played his 3,000th concert in front of 60,000 fans in St Petersburg, Russia, on 20 June 2004.[327] Over his career, McCartney has played 2,523 gigs with The Beatles, 140 with Wings, and 325 as a solo artist.[328]

In the concert programme for his 1989 world tour, McCartney wrote that Lennon received all the credit for being the avant-garde Beatle,[161] and McCartney was known as ‘baby-faced’, which he disagreed with.[329] People also assumed that Lennon was the ‘hard-edged one’, and McCartney was the ‘soft-edged’ Beatle, although McCartney admitted to ‘bossing Lennon around.’[330] Linda McCartney said that McCartney had a ‘hard-edge’—and not just on the surface—which she knew about after all the years she had spent living with him.[331] McCartney seemed to confirm this edge when he commented that he sometimes meditates, which he said is better than “sleeping, eating, or shouting at someone”.[273] In June 1983, McCartney released “We All Stand Together” from the animated film Rupert And The Frog Song, which was commercially successful, but was widely ridiculed as being “one of the worst songs in recent years”.[332]

Paul is dead rumours

Main article: Paul is dead

“Paul is Dead” is an urban legend alleging that McCartney died in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike and sound-alike. The rumour is the subject of several books, including American journalist Andru J. Reeve’s 1994 book Turn Me On, Dead Man (ISBN 1-4184-8294-3) and English author Benjamin Fitzpatrick’s 1997 book, ‘Rumours from John, George, Ringo and Me’.”Paul is dead” analyst Joel Glazier hypothesized in a 1978 treatise that Lennon’s love of wordplay and studio editing may have been responsible for clues in later Beatles albums.[333]

See also

* Paul McCartney discography (including Wings’ releases and his solo output from the 1960s to the present day)
* The Beatles discography

Notes

1. ^ “The Lennon-McCartney Songwriting Partnership” bbc.co.uk, 4 November 2005. bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2 – Retrieved 14 December 2006
2. ^ Paul McCartney: When I’m 64. The Independent. independent.co.uk – Retrieved 17 June 2006
3. ^ “The UK’s Best Selling Singles” ukcharts.20m.com – Retrieved 23 September 2007.
4. ^ Shelokhonov, Steve. Paul McCartney – Biography. IMDB.com – Retrieved 8 March 2008.
5. ^ Spitz 2005. p75
6. ^ a b Miles 1998. p4.
7. ^ Miles 1998. p9.
8. ^ Spitz 2005. p125
9. ^ Spitz 2005. pp82-83
10. ^ Photo of Forthlin Road nationaltrust.org.uk – Retrieved 27 January 2007
11. ^ Miles 1998. p6.
12. ^ Miles 1998. p20.
13. ^ a b c Miles 1998. p31.
14. ^ Miles 1998. p22.
15. ^ Spitz 2005. P71
16. ^ a b Miles 1998. pp23-24.
17. ^ Spitz 2005. p86
18. ^ a b Miles 1998. p21.
19. ^ Larkin, Colin. The Guinness Who’s Who Of Country Music: Slim Whitman entry, Guinness Publishing, 1993. ISBN 0851127266
20. ^ Early guitars McCartney played thecanteen.com – Retrieved 27 January 2007
21. ^ a b Miles 1998. pp22-23.
22. ^ Spitz 2005. p93
23. ^ Miles 1998. p44.
24. ^ Miles 1998. pp32-38.
25. ^ Inside ForthlinRoad nationaltrust.org.uk – Retrieved 12 November 2006
26. ^ Spitz 2005. pp126-127
27. ^ Miles 1998. pp47-50.
28. ^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006. p94.
29. ^ Cynthia “John” 2006. p67.
30. ^ Coleman, Ray (1984). Lennon: The Definitive Biography. Pan Books. p212.
31. ^ Miles 1998. p57.
32. ^ Miles 1998. pp57-8.
33. ^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006. p93.
34. ^ Miles 1998. pp. 71–72.
35. ^ Miles 1998. pp72-73.
36. ^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006. p79.
37. ^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006. p84.
38. ^ Lewisohn 2002. p80
39. ^ Miles 1998. pp81-82.
40. ^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006. p97.
41. ^ Miles 1998. p74.
42. ^ Babiuk. pp 49-50.
43. ^ Rosetti Solid 7 thecanteen.com – Retrieved 14 December 2006
44. ^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006. p99.
45. ^ Miles 1998. p85.
46. ^ Miles 1998. p89
47. ^ Cynthia Lennon “John” 2006. p109.
48. ^ Spitz 2005. p330
49. ^ Miles 1998. p91
50. ^ Miles 1998. p93
51. ^ The Beatles : Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record, by Cross, Craig, iUniverse.com, 14 May 2005, ISBN 0-595-34663-4
52. ^ Miles 1998. p149
53. ^ Miles 1998. pp180-181
54. ^ a b Miles 1998. pp166-167
55. ^ Miles 1998. p262
56. ^ a b Miles 1998. p129
57. ^ Miles 1998. pp130-131
58. ^ Miles 1998. p131
59. ^ Miles 1998. pp132-133
60. ^ Miles 1998. p134
61. ^ The Bag o’Nails – 13 May 2003 bbc.co.uk – Retrieved 16 November 2006
62. ^ a b c Wingspan, DVD, Catalogue number: 4779109, 19 November 2001
63. ^ Miles 1998. pp293-295.
64. ^ ”The Beatles Anthology” DVD 2003 (Episode 6 – 0:29:11) McCartney talking about “The Family Way”.
65. ^ ”The Beatles Anthology” DVD 2003 (Episode 6 – 0:29:21) McCartney talking about the Ivor Novello Award.
66. ^ Miles 1998. p124
67. ^ Inside The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, (DVD) Catalogue number: CRP1848, 22 August 2005
68. ^ Wingspan 2001. p9
69. ^ Spitz 2005. p858.
70. ^ Spitz 2005. p808.
71. ^ Lewisohn 2002, p48.
72. ^ a b c Paul McCartney biography mplcommunications.com – Retrieved 11 November 2006.
73. ^ BBC Radio Leeds interview bbc.co.uk/leeds – Retrieved 21 November 2006
74. ^ a b c The seven ages of Paul McCartney, BBC News, 2006-06-17. bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment – Retrieved 11 June 2006.
75. ^ Bob Edwards. “Linda McCartney Dies”, Morning Edition (NPR), April 4, 1998. Retrieved on 2006-11-10. (English)
76. ^ James Paul McCartney (TV), Internet Movie Database imdb.com – Retrieved 11 June 2006.
77. ^ a b c d e McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 0-87833-304-5.
78. ^ Lewisohn 2002. p88
79. ^ “Jet” chart position songfacts.com – Retrieved 16 November 2006
80. ^ Paul McCartney discography connollyco.com – Retrieved 29 January 2007
81. ^ “Walking in the Park with Eloise” Apple, 18th October 1974, Catalogue No: EMI 2220
82. ^ Wings At The Speed Of Sound, (CD) June 1993; Cat. number CDP78914027
83. ^ Thrillington, EMI, Catalogue number: CZ543, Original Release: 17 May, 1977
84. ^ Wonderful Christmastime bbc.co.uk/radio2 – Retrieved 27 November 2006
85. ^ Miles 1998. p587
86. ^ a b Miles 1998. p588
87. ^ Miles 1998. p590
88. ^ Holden, Stephen. Paul McCartney: McCartney II review. Rolling Stone #322, 1980-07-22. rollingstone.com – Retrieved 11 June 2006.
89. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. McCartney II review. All Music Guide. allmusic.com – Retrieved 11 June 2006.
90. ^ “Coming Up” chart position songfacts.com – Retrieved 16 November 2006
91. ^ Calkin, Graham. Tug of War – Graham Calkin’s Beatles’ Pages jpgr.co.uk – Retrieved 11 June 2006.
92. ^ a b c UK top 40 database everyhit.com – Retrieved 27 January 2007
93. ^ “No more Lonely Nights” chart position in US mplcommunications.com – Retrieved 16 November 2006
94. ^ “Broad Street” a flop – 17 June 2006 bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment – Retrieved 29 January 2007
95. ^ Ebert, Roger (1984-01-01). Give My Regards to Broad Street review. RogerEbert.com. Chicago Sun-Times. rogerebert.suntimes.com – Retrieved 11 June 2006.
96. ^ Pipes of Peace, 9 August 1993, Catalogue number: CDP 89267
97. ^ Press to Play, 9 August 1993, Catalogue number: CDP7892692
98. ^ Interview with McManus-Costello about McCartney geocities.com/sunsetstrip – Retrieved 7 December 2006
99. ^ McCartney and Costello collaborations geetarz.org – Retrieved 29 January 2007
100. ^ First tour in 13 years paulmccartney4u.info – Retrieved 2 December 2007
101. ^ SNL Transcripts: Beatles Offer, April 24, 1976 snltranscripts.jt.org Retrived 11 June 2007
102. ^ Playboy interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. “The Beatles Ultimate Experience Database”. Playboy Press (1980). geocities.com – Retrieved 11 June 2006.
103. ^ Miles 1998. p592
104. ^ Bresler, Fenton (1990). Who Killed John Lennon? reprinted. St. Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-92367-8.
105. ^ The Last Day in the Life time.com. Retrieved 6 December 2006
106. ^ a b Miles 1998. p593
107. ^ McCartney on John’s death – 9 December 1980 youtube.com Retrieved 9 June 2006
108. ^ a b Miles 1998. p594
109. ^ a b The Paul McCartney Encyclopedia, article “Lennon, John”
110. ^ McCartney’s 1984 Playboy Interview members.tripod.com – Retrieved 14 November 2006
111. ^ a b Bonici, Ray. Paul McCartney Wings It Alone, Music Express issue #56, 1982. beatles.ncf.ca – Retrieved 11 June 2006.
112. ^ Lewisohn 2002. p168.
113. ^ Contemporary Authors Online, Thomson Gale, 2006.
114. ^ “McCartney seeks chorus of approval for Latin piece”, Vancouver Sun, 3 August, 2006. (English) Retrieved: 10 November 2006
115. ^ Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral liverpoolcathedral.org.uk – Retrieved 27 January 2007
116. ^ Liverpool Oratorio, Paul McCartney (with Carl Davis) 30 September 1996, Cat. No. CDS7543712 ,2 CDs
117. ^ Sally Burgess’ page hyperion-records.co.uk – Retrieved 30 November 2006
118. ^ Oratorio and StandingStone premiers – 4 July 2003 bbc.co.uk – Retrieved 29 January 2007
119. ^ a b “Paul McCartney.” Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, Vol. 24. Thomson Gale, 2005.
120. ^ Anya Alexeyev’s web page beautyinmusic.com – Retrieved 28 November 2006
121. ^ Macca beyond Interview – 18 September 2005 observer.guardian.co.uk – Retrieved 2 December 2007
122. ^ Official announcement knighthood. The London Gazette. 18 August 1998.
123. ^ “Beatle McCartney knighted Sir Paul by the Queen”, CNN, 11 March, 1997.
124. ^ Working Classical, Paul McCartney, Producer: John Fraser, Cat. number: CDC556897218 October 1999
125. ^ A Garland for Linda – 17 May 1999 bbc.co.uk – Retrieved 29 January 2007
126. ^ A Garland for Linda, Paul McCartney, EMI – Catalogue No.: CDC 5 56961 2, Recorded in All Saints Church, Tooting, London. 1999
127. ^ Garland for Linda cancer fund mplcommunications.com – Retrieved 29 January 2007
128. ^ Lewisohn 2002. p21
129. ^ Academy of Motion Pictures – 29 October 2001 awardsdatabase.oscars.org – Retrieved 15 February 2007
130. ^ The Concert For New York City web site concertfornyc.com has been established to remember the concert and features photos of McCartney both on stage and backstage at Madison Square Garden. Various Artists, The Concert for New York City, 01/29/2002, Columbia/SME CK 54205 (1C2D54205 Discs: 2
131. ^ George’s last daysbbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment – Retrieved 29 January 2007
132. ^ The Concert for George, Cat. No: 0349702412
133. ^ Good Rockin’ Tonight: The Legacy Of Sun Records (DVD) Director: Bruce Sinofsky, 8 October 2002
134. ^ McCartney plays Red Square – 24 May 2003 bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment – Retrieved 29 January 2007
135. ^ “NME.com McCARTNEY WOWS GLASTO”, New Musical Express, IPC Media, 27 July, 2004.
136. ^ New Musical Express, NME.com 17 February 2005
137. ^ Starr Slams McCartney for not inviting him to Live 8 (10 July, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-05-17. Retrieved 29 January 2007
138. ^ NASA.
139. ^ “Paul McCartney premiers Ecce Cor Meum at Carnegie Hall” seanhenri.com, 14 November 2006. Retrieved: 13 March 2008
140. ^ Ecce Cor Meum [Jewel Case], 25 September 2006, Catalogue number: EMI 3704242
141. ^ Ecce Cor Meum Performance – 4 November 2006 bbc.co.uk – Retrieved 29 January 2007
142. ^ Classical BRITs Winners 2007 classicfm.co.uk – Retrieved 2 December 2007
143. ^ Paul McCartney: When I’m 64 by Paul Vallely – The Independent, 16 June 2006 macca-central.com – Retrieved 29 January 2007
144. ^ Spitz 2005. p817.
145. ^ Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, McCartney’s web page paulmccartney.com – Retrieved 27 January 2007
146. ^ “McCartney signed to new Starbucks label” AP March 21, 2007
147. ^ yahoo.com McCartney’s statement
148. ^ Intruder news.com.au -Retrieved 29 January 2007
149. ^ Paul McCartney Nearly Attacked By Bonkers Fan, Robert Smith’s New Alarming Collaboration, EMI Loosen Up rollingstone.com – Retrieved 29 october 2007
150. ^ Fan tries to break in starpulse.com – Retrieved 29 February 2007
151. ^ “Paul McCartney’s Secret Gig at the Highline Ballroom” seanhenri.com, 14 June 2007. Retrieved: 13 March 2008
152. ^ “McCartney Unearths Live Clips, Videos For DVD” billboard.com, 24 August 2007. Retrieved: 8 October 2007
153. ^ Sir Paul McCartney picks up special Brit award in London. NME.COM (2008-02-20). Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
154. ^ Planet called McCartney harvard.edu – Retrieved 29 May 2007
155. ^ Yale gives Paul McCartney honorary music degree from the Associated Press
156. ^ BBC News: McCartney plans huge Ukraine show
157. ^ All to Paul McCartney’s show. Kyiv Post, Jun 11 2008
158. ^ “The Carnival of Light” interview abbeyrd.best.vwh.net – Retrieved 16 November 2006
159. ^ The Unknown Paul McCartney, by Ian Peel, Paperback, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 7 November, 2002 ISBN 1-903111-36-6
160. ^ Indica Gallery bbc.co.uk – 12 November 2006. Retrieved 29 January 2007
161. ^ a b Miles 1998. p232
162. ^ Spitz 2005 p597
163. ^ a b c How LIPA came to be. LIPA. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
164. ^ Miles 1998. p207
165. ^ Miles 1998. p218
166. ^ a b Miles 1998. p217
167. ^ Miles 1998. pp219-220
168. ^ a b Miles 1998. pp238-239
169. ^ Oobu Joobu CDs and Mp3s paulmccartney.frfarrell.com – Retrieved 18 November 2006
170. ^ Oobu Joobu bbc.co.uk 9 November, 2006
171. ^ Miles 1998. pp218-219
172. ^ Oobu Joobu track list maccafan.net – Retrieved 9 November 2006
173. ^ “The Unknown Paul McCartney” review bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2006
174. ^ Liverpool Sound Collage (CD) Capitol, 26 September, 2000
175. ^ Twin Freaks LP – Parlophone, Cat. No. 311 30011, 4 June 2005 jpgr.co.uk – Retrieved 29 January 2007
176. ^ Geoff Dunbar Interview mccartney.net – Retrieved 23 November 2006
177. ^ Animated film won a Bafta – 29 February 2004 bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment – Retrieved 29 January 2007
178. ^ Tropic Island Hum Covers www.jpgr.co.uk – Retrieved 23 November 2006
179. ^ The Biography Channel thebiographychannel.co.uk – Retrieved 5 January 2007
180. ^ Movie Habit – The Music and Animation Collection moviehabit.com – Retrieved 23 November 2006
181. ^ a b Miles 1998. p243
182. ^ Miles 1998. pp256-267
183. ^ Miles 1998. pp266-267
184. ^ Spitz 2005. p84
185. ^ Miles 1998. p266
186. ^ a b “McCartney gets arty” – 30 April 1999bbc.co.uk – Retrieved: 29 January 2007
187. ^ McCartney and Yoko art exhibitions, 20 October, 2000 news.bbc.co.uk – Retrieved: 29 January 2007
188. ^ Walker Gallery Exhibition: 24 May – 4 August 2002 liverpoolmuseums.org.uk – Retrieved 2 November 2006
189. ^ Spitz 2005. p82
190. ^ Miles 1998. p40.
191. ^ Miles 1998. p41.
192. ^ Spitz 2005. p205
193. ^ Miles 1998. p42.
194. ^ ‘Blackbird Singing’ – Poem Book – Saturday 14 October 2006 faber.co.uk – Retrieved 29 January 2007
195. ^ Blackbird Singing – Poems and Lyrics 1965-1999, Paul McCartney, Faber and Faber, 4 March 2002, ISBN 0-571-20992-0
196. ^ McCartney’s foreword to “Blackbird singing” wwnorton.com – Retrieved 29 January 2007
197. ^ “High in the Clouds” press release mplcommunications.com – Retrieved 27 January 2007
198. ^ Geoff Dunbar IMDb imdb.com – Retrieved 27 January 2007
199. ^ Approved Judgment, Case No. FD06D03721, ¶ 7, March 17, 2008
200. ^ “McCartney’s lament: I can’t buy your love”, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 June 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2007
201. ^ Miles 1998 p29
202. ^ Spitz 2005 p163
203. ^ Miles 1998 p69
204. ^ Spitz 2005 p171
205. ^ Spitz 2005 pp239-240
206. ^ Spitz 2005 p246
207. ^ Spitz 2005 p311
208. ^ ”The Beatles Anthology” DVD 2003 (Episode 1: 43:51) McCartney talking about sex and strippers in Hamburg.
209. ^ Spitz 2005 pp319-320
210. ^ Spitz 2005 p348
211. ^ The Beatle Girls: Dot Rhone tripod.com – Retrieved 17 October 2007
212. ^ Miles 1998. p101.
213. ^ Miles 1998. p102.
214. ^ Miles 1998. p104.
215. ^ Miles 1998. p112.
216. ^ Miles 1998. p106.
217. ^ Miles 1998. pp125-126
218. ^ Miles 1998. p108
219. ^ Miles 1998. p254
220. ^ Newman, Raymond (2006-08-20). The Beatles’ London, 1965-66 Abracadabra! revolverbook.co.uk – Retrieved: 11 June 2006.
221. ^ Deep Purple Atlas. 48 Margaret Street, London – The Deep Purple Appreciation Society deep-purple.net – Retrieved 11 June 2006.
222. ^ Miles 1998. p117.
223. ^ Miles 1998. p452
224. ^ Mitchison, Amanda 2005-10-03). Butter wouldn’t melt. The Daily Telegraph telegraph.co.uk – Retrieved 7 May 2007.
225. ^ Spitz 2005. p761.
226. ^ “SEQUEL: ALL TOGETHER NOW Thirty years later, the surviving Beatles get back to where they once belonged”, People, February 14, 1994. Retrieved on 2006-11-10. (English)
227. ^ Stella triumphs in New York – 21 October 2000 news.bbc.co.uk – Retrieved: 29 January 2007
228. ^ a b Linda’s death – 23 April 1998 news.bbc.co.uk – Retrieved: 29 January 2007
229. ^ Linda’s Obituary – 19 April 1998 bbc.co.uk – Retrieved: 29 January 2007
230. ^ Sir Paul and Lady Heather McCartney Marriage Profile Retrieved: 29 January 2007
231. ^ Stella McCartney has a baby girl Retrieved: 27 January 2007
232. ^ Heather Mills web page Retrieved: 2 November 2006
233. ^ “Heather Mills.” Biography Resource Center Online. Gale Group, 2000.
234. ^ Uebelherr, Jan. “They can’t work it out; For these couples, summer wasn’t all sunshine”, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 21,2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-10. (English)
235. ^ Heather Mills profile, Hello! Magazine (link This source dates the birth as 28 October 2003. An article in The Sun says 30 October (link).
236. ^ King, Larry. “Legal Analysis of Scott Peterson Preliminary Hearing Day Two; Interview With Paul Burrell”, CNN Larry King Live (transcript), 30 October 2003. Retrieved on 2006-11-10. (English)
237. ^ Whitall, Susan, “Women swoon as Paul McCartney is single again”, The Detroit News, 24 May 2006(link) Retrieved: 29 January 2007
238. ^ Pete Norman. Paul McCartney Files For Divorce. People. Retrieved: 10 November 2006
239. ^ The Times called it “one of the most high-profile marriage breakdowns in history”. Stowe, Marilyn, “My advice to Sir Paul? Pay up now – and get a gagging order”, The Times (London), 18 October2006. Retrieved: 29 January 2007
240. ^ Heather Mills Denies Settlement Report (22 January 2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
241. ^ BBC. Neutral Citation Number: [2008] EWHC 401 (Fam) Between : James Paul McCartney Petitioner/ Respondent -and- Heather Anne Mills McCartney Respondent/ Applicant
242. ^ a b BBC: Mills gave ‘inaccurate’ evidence.
243. ^ Mills awarded £24.3m settlement
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245. ^ Bennett, Justice. (March 17, 2008) Royal Courts of Justice Judgment: McCartney and Mills McCartney. Accessed March 18, 2008.
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2004 – Gary Jules’ cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” remains atop the British singles chart for a third week. Will Young’s Friday’s Child is the week’s top-selling album.

2003 – Gary Jules and Michael Andrews top of the British singles chart for a second week with their version of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World.”

2002 – Adam Ant, whose self-styled “Ant Music” made him an international star was admitted to a Mental hospital.

A statement issued on the singer’s official Web site said: “Due to Adam’s recent arrest that occurred on January 12, 2002, adam-ant.net would like to release the following official statement.

“Adam Ant was admitted into hospital on the evening of Monday, January 14. In a recent (newspaper interview) Adam openly admitted his lifelong battle with manic depression.

“As Adam acted as a potential danger to others this past weekend, for his own safety and well being, his close friends and family recommended that Adam be admitted to a hospital in Hampstead, London, for care.

“Adam is not suicidal, however, family and friends are concerned that Adam is not receiving the care that he requires and they do not wish to see him become a potential threat to himself. Adam may be admitted for up to four weeks and his trial date set for January 28 will be postponed.”

2001 – Bluesman John Lee Hooker, believed to be 83, dies of natural causes at his home in Los Altos, Calif. The singer/guitarist began his career in 1949, when his Modern Records single “Boogie Chillen” became a No. 1 R&B hit.

Lyrics:

Boom boom boom boom
I’m gonna shoot you right down,
right offa your feet
Take you home with me,
put you in my house
Boom boom boom boom
A-haw haw haw haw
Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm
Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm

I love to see you strut,
up and down the floor
When you talking to me,
that baby talk
I like it like that
Whoa, yeah!
Talk that talk, walk that walk

When she walk that walk,
and talk that talk,
and whisper in my ear,
tell me that you love me
I love that talk
When you talk like that,
you knocks me out,
right off of my feet
Hoo hoo hoo
Talk that talk, and walk that walk

John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an influential American post-war blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter born in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi. From a musical family, he was a cousin of Earl Hooker. John was also influenced by his stepfather, a local blues guitarist, who learned in Shreveport, Louisiana to play a droning, one-chord blues that was strikingly different from the Delta blues of the time. John developed a half-spoken style that was his trademark. Though similar to the early Delta blues, his music was rhythmically free. John Lee Hooker could be said to embody his own unique genre of the blues, often incorporating the boogie-woogie piano style and a driving rhythm into his masterful and idiosyncratic blues guitar and singing. His best known songs include “Boogie Chillen” (1948) and “Boom Boom” (1962).

Biography

Early life

Hooker was born on August 22, 1917 in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi, the youngest of the eleven children of William Hooker (1871–1923), a sharecropper and a Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (1875–?). Hooker and his siblings were home-schooled. They were permitted to listen only to religious songs, with his earliest musical exposure being the spirituals sung in church. In 1921, his parents separated. The next year, his mother married William Moore, a blues singer who provided John’s first introduction to the guitar (and whom John would later credit for his distinctive playing style). The year after that (1923), John’s natural father died; and at age 15, John ran away from home, never to see his mother and stepfather again.

Throughout the 1930s, Hooker lived in Memphis where he worked on Beale Street and occasionally performed at house parties. He worked in factories in various cities during World War II, drifting until he found himself in Detroit in 1948 working at Ford Motor Company. He felt right at home near the blues venues and saloons on Hastings Street, the heart of black entertainment on Detroit’s east side. In a city noted for its piano players, guitar players were scarce. Performing in Detroit clubs, his popularity grew quickly, and seeking a louder instrument than his crude acoustic guitar, he bought his first electric guitar.

Career

Hooker’s recording career began in 1948 when his agent placed a demo disc, made by Hooker, with the Bihari brothers, owners of the Modern Records label. The company initially released an up-tempo number, “Boogie Chillen”, which became Hooker’s first hit single. Though they were not songwriters, the Biharis often purchased or claimed co-authorship of songs that appeared on their labels, thus securing songwriting royalties for themselves, in addition to their streams of income.

Sometimes these songs were older tunes renamed (B.B.King’s “Rock Me Baby”), anonymous jams (“B.B.’s Boogie”) or songs by employees (bandleader Vince Weaver). The Biharis used a number of pseudonyms for songwriting credits: Jules was credited as Jules Taub; Joe as Joe Josea; and Sam as Sam Ling. One song by John Lee Hooker, “Down Child” is solely credited to “Taub”, with Hooker receiving no credit for the song whatsoever. Another, “Turn Over a New Leaf” is credited to Hooker and “Ling”.

Despite being illiterate, Hooker was a prolific lyricist. In addition to adapting the occasionally traditional blues lyric (such as “if I was chief of police, I would run her right out of town”), he freely invented many of his songs from scratch. Recording studios in the 1950s rarely paid black musicians more than a pittance, so Hooker would spend the night wandering from studio to studio, coming up with new songs or variations on his songs for each studio. Due to his recording contract, he would record these songs under obvious pseudonyms such as “John Lee Booker”, “Johnny Hooker”, or “John Cooker.”

His early solo songs were recorded under Bernie Besman. John Lee Hooker rarely played on a standard beat, changing tempo to fit the needs of the song. This often made it difficult to use backing musicians who were not accustomed to Hooker’s musical vagaries: As a result, Besman would record Hooker, in addition to playing guitar and singing, stomping along with the music on a wooden pallet. For much of this time period he recorded and toured with Eddie Kirkland, who is still performing as of 2008. Later sessions for the VeeJay label in Chicago used studio musicians on most of his recordings, including Eddie Taylor, who could handle his musical idiosyncrasies very well. His biggest UK hit, “Boom Boom”, (originally released on VeeJay) had a horn section to boot!

He appeared and sang in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers. Due to Hooker’s improvisatory style, his performance was filmed and sound-recorded live at the scene at Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market, in contrast to the usual “playback” technique used in most film musicals. Hooker was also a direct influence in the look of John Belushi’s character Jake Blues, borrowing his trademark sunglasses and soul patch.

In 1989, he joined with a number of musicians, including Keith Richards, Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt to record The Healer, for which he and Carlos Santana won a Grammy Award. Hooker recorded several songs with Van Morrison, including “Never Get Out of These Blues Alive”, “The Healing Game” and “I Cover the Waterfront”. He also appeared on stage with Van Morrison several times, some of which was released on the live album A Night in San Francisco. The same year he appeared as the title character on Pete Townshend’s The Iron Man: A Musical.

Hooker recorded over 100 albums. He lived the last years of his life in the San Francisco Bay Area, where, in 1997, he opened a nightclub called “John Lee Hooker’s Boom Boom Room”, after one of his hits.

He fell ill just before a tour of Europe in 2001 and died soon afterwards at the age of 83. The last song Hooker recorded before his death, is “Ali D’Oro”, a collaboration with the Italian soul singer Zucchero, in which Hooker sang the chorus “I lay down with an angel”. He was survived by eight children, nineteen grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren and a nephew.

Among his many awards, Hooker has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 1991 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two of his songs, “Boogie Chillen” and “Boom Boom” were named to the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. “Boogie Chillen” was included as one of the Songs of the Century. He was also inducted in 1980 into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 2000, Hooker was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Music

Hooker’s guitar playing is closely aligned with piano Boogie Woogie. He would play the walking bass pattern with his thumb, stopping to emphasize the end of a line with a series of trills, done by rapid hammer-ons and pull-offs. The songs that most epitomize his early sound are “Boogie Chillen”, about being 17 and wanting to go out to dance at the Boogie clubs, “Baby Please Don’t Go”, a blues standard first recorded by Big Joe Williams, and “Tupelo Blues”, a stunningly sad song about the flooding of Tupelo, Mississippi in April 1936.

He maintained a solo career, popular with blues and folk music fans of the early 1960s and crossed over to white audiences, giving an early opportunity to the young Bob Dylan. As he got older, he added more and more people to his band, changing his live show from simply Hooker with his guitar to a large band, with Hooker singing.

His vocal phrasing was less closely tied to specific bars than most blues singers’. This casual, rambling style had been gradually diminishing with the onset of electric blues bands from Chicago but, even when not playing solo, Hooker retained it in his sound.

Though Hooker lived in Detroit during most of his career, he is not associated with the Chicago-style blues prevalent in large northern cities, as much as he is with the southern rural blues styles, known as delta blues, country blues, folk blues, or “front porch blues”. His use of an electric guitar tied together the Delta blues with the emerging post-war electric blues.

His songs have been covered by The White Stripes, MC5, The Doors, George Thorogood, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, The Yardbirds, The Animals, R. L. Burnside, the J. Geils Band and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

Awards and Recognition

* A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
* Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980
* Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991

Grammy Awards:

* Best Traditional Blues Recording, 1990 for “I’m in the Mood” (with Bonnie Raitt)
* Best Traditional Blues Recording, 1998 for Don’t Look Back
* Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, 1998, “Don’t Look Back” (with Van Morrison)
* Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000

* Two of his songs, “Boogie Chillen” and “Boom Boom” were named to the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. “Boogie Chillen” was included as one of the Songs of the Century.

Quotes

* “It don’t take me no three days to do no album.” (during the recording of the double album Hooker ‘N’ Heat with Canned Heat.)

* “I don’t play a lot of fancy guitar. I don’t want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks.” (when describing his own music in an article from The Daily News, Atlanta, Ga. 1992)

* “Women are like wet bars of soap. Hold on to em too hard and they pop outta your hands.” (as spoken to Randy Wilkinson in New Orleans 1983, friend and road manager)

* “His [Grateful Dead keyboardist/singer Ron 'Pig Pen' McKernan's] wife can cook but Pig can’t cook, I told him ‘Man, I can’t eat your cookin’.” (during the recording of Hooker ‘N Heat.)

* “Elvis Presley – one of the greatest people ever been born.”

Discography

Singles

Hooker issued a large number of singles, with almost a hundred releases by 1960.
Here are ten of his early classic recordings:

* Detroit September 1948 – Boogie Chillen’ – Modern 627 (11/48) R&B #1 (Crown LP “The Blues”)
* Detroit September 1948 – Hobo Blues – Modern 663 (3/49) R&B #5 (Crown LP “The Blues”)
* Detroit September 1948 – Crawling King Snake – Modern 715 (10/49) R&B #6 (Crown LP “The Blues”)
* Detroit August 7, 1951 – I’m In the Mood – Modern 835 (9/51) R&B #1 (Crown LP “The Blues”)
* Detroit Early 1955 – The Syndicator b/w Hug And Squeeze – Modern 966 (8/55) (Crown LP “Sings The Blues”)
* Chicago March 17, 1956 – Dimples – Vee-Jay 205 (8/56) (VJ LP “I’m John Lee Hooker”)
* Chicago June 10, 1958 – I Love You Honey – Vee-Jay 293 (9/58) R&B #29 (VJ LP “I’m John Lee Hooker”)
* Chicago March 1, 1960 – No Shoes – Vee-Jay 349 (4/60) R&B#21 (VJ LP “Travelin’”)
* Chicago Late 1961 – Boom Boom – Vee-Jay 438 (4/62) R&B #16 (VJ LP “Burnin’”)
* Chicago Mid 1964 – It Serves Me Right (To Suffer) – Vee-Jay 708 (11/65) (VJ/Dynasty LP “In Person”)

Albums

There are many John Lee Hooker albums out there. Below you will find the original albums with notable reissues.

THE DETROIT YEARS (recordings 1948-1955)

* 1960 – The Blues (Crown) – reissued on United, also as “The Greatest Hits” (Kent, 1971) Modern tracks
* 1960 – House Of The Blues (Chess) 1951-52 tracks
* 1961 – Sings The Blues (Crown) – reissued on United, also as “Driftin’ Thru The Blues” (Custom) Modern tracks
* 1961 – Plays And Sings The Blues (Chess) 1950-52 tracks
* 1961 – Sings Blues (King) – reissued as “Moanin’ and Stompin’”, and “Don’t You Remember Me” (Charly) Texas Slim 1948-50 tracks
* 1962 – Folk Blues (Crown) – reissued on United (Modern tracks)
* 1963 – The Great John Lee Hooker (Crown) – reissued as “The Great Blues Sounds of” (United) Modern tracks
* 1963 – Don’t Turn Me from Your Door – John Lee Hooker Sings His Blues (Atco) 1953 and 1961
* 1963 – Big Maceo Merriweather / John Lee Hooker (Fortune) 1/2 of an LP
* 1964 – Original Folk Blues (Kent) Modern compilation – reissued on United
* 1967 – John Lee Hooker & his Guitar (Advent) British bootleg; early tracks
* 1969 – No Friend Around (Red Lightnin’) early tracks, bootleg compilation
* 1970 – Alone (Specialty) 1949-1951 tracks
* 1971 – Goin’ Down Highway 51 (Specialty) 1949-1951 tracks
* 1972 – Coast to Coast Blues Band – Anywhere Anytime Anyplace (United Artists) 1948-1952 tracks
* 1972 – Johnny Lee (Greene Bottle) early Besman alternates (not issued on CD)
* 1973 – Hooker, Hopkins, Hogg (Specialty) half an LP of 1954 recordings
* 1973 – Slim’s Stomp (Polydor) King’s “Sings Blues” plus bonus tracks
* 1973 – John Lee Hooker’s Detroit (United Artists) Besman alternate 1948-1952 tracks
* 1973 – Mad Man Blues (Chess) compilation 1950s and 1966
* 1979 – Southern Blues (Savoy) 1948 tracks on half an LP
* 1981 – Blues For Big Town (Chess) compilation featuring unissed early 1950s
* 1987 – Gotham Golden Classics – Rare Recordings (Collectables) 1951-52 tracks – also issued as “Detroit Blues, 1950-51″ (Krazy Kat with bonus tracks)
* 1989 – 40th Anniversary Album (DCC) – also issued on Demon as “The Detroit Lion” (compilation of early tracks)
* 1990 – Boogie Awhile (Krazy Kat) unissued early Elmer Barbee recordings
* 1999 – Savoy Blues Legends, 1948-1949 (SavoyJazz/Atlantic) – reissued on Savoy (Elmer Barbee recordings)
* 2000 – The Unknown John Lee Hooker (Krazy Kat, 1951 tracks) – reissued as “Jack 0′Diamonds” (Eagle, 2004)

THE CHICAGO YEARS (recordings 1955-1964)

* 1959 – I’m John Lee Hooker (Vee Jay 1955-1959)
* 1960 – Travelin (Vee Jay)
* 1961 – The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker (Vee Jay)
* 1962 – Burnin’ (Vee Jay)
* 1962 – The Big Soul of John Lee Hooker (Vee Jay)
* 1962 – The Best of John Lee Hooker (Vee Jay) – compilation
* 1962 – Gold (Vee Jay) – compilation
* 1963 – John Lee Hooker On Campus (Vee Jay) – reissued as “Big Band Blues” (Buddah)
* 1965 – … And Seven Nights (Verve-Folkways) British recordings of 1964 (re-issued with brass overdub as “On The Waterfront” on Wand) – and reissued in several versions later
* 1965 – Is He The World’s Greatest Blues Singer? (Vee Jay) compilation – reissued on Exodus
* 1974 – In Person (VeeJay/Dynasty) late Vee-Jay tracks
* 1993 – John Lee Hooker on Vee-Jay 1955-1958 (VeeJay) compilation

THE FOLK YEARS (recordings 1959-1963)

* 1959 – The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker (Riverside) – reissued as “How Long Blues” (Battle, 1963)
* 1960 – That’s My Story – JLH Sings the Blues (Riverside) – reissued as “The Blues Man” (Battle, 1963)
* 1962 – John Lee Hooker (Galaxy) – reissued as “The King of Folk Blues” (America)
* 1963 – Live At Sugar Hill (Galaxy)
* 1964 – Burning Hell (Riverside) recorded 1959
* 1964 – Concert At Newport (Vee Jay) – reissued with bonus tracks as “Live At Newport” (Fantasy)
* 1966 – Teachin’ The Blues (Guest Star) half an LP of recordings from 1961
* 1969 – That’s Where It’s At! (Stax) recordings of 1961
* 1971 – Detroit Special (Atlantic) compilation (“Don’t Turn Me From Your Door” plus bonus tracks)
* 1972 – Boogie Chillun (Fantasy) (“Live at Sugar Hill” plus bonus tracks) – reissued on Ace as “Live at Sugar Hill Vol. 1 & 2″
* 1979 – Sittin’ Here Thinkin (Muse) – reissued as “Sad And Lonesome” (Savoy recordings of 1961)
* 2002 – Live At Sugar Hill, Vol. 2 (Fantasy) unissued recordings from 1961 (featuring a “third session”)

THE ABC YEARS (recordings 1965-1974)

* 1966 – It Serves You Right To Suffer (Impulse)
* 1966 – The Real Folk Blues (Chess) new Chicago recordings
* 1967 – Live at the Cafè Au Go-Go (Bluesway)
* 1968 – Urban Blues (Bluesway)
* 1969 – Simply The Truth (Bluesway)
* 1969 – If You Miss ‘Im … I Got ‘Im (Bluesway)
* 1969 – On The Waterfront (Wand) (… And Seven Nights” with brass overdub)
* 1970 – I Wanna Dance All Night (America) Europe recordings – reissued with the next as “Black Rhythm & Blues” (Festival)
* 1970 – I Feel Good (Carson) Europe recordings – reissued on Jewel (1972)
* 1971 – Endless Boogie (ABC)
* 1971 – Get Back Home In The USA (Black & Blue) Europe recordings – reissued with bonus tracks as “Get Back Home”
* 1971 – Hooker ‘N’ Heat (Liberty) – reissued as “Infinite Boogie” (Rhino)
* 1972 – Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive (ABC)
* 1972 – Live at Kabuki Wuki (Bluesway)
* 1973 – Live At Soledad Prison (ABC)
* 1973 – Born In Mississippi, Raised Up In Tennessee (ABC)
* 1974 – Free Beer And Chicken (ABC)
* 1991 – More Real Folk Blues – The Missing Album (Chess) – also issued with “The Real Folk Blues” as “The Complete Chess Folk Blues Sessions”

THE ROSEBUD YEARS (recordings 1975-2001)

* 1976 – Alone Vol 1 (Labor) live – reissued on Tomato
* 1976 – Alone – Live in New York Vol 2 (MMG) – reissued on Tomato
* 1978 – Live + Well (Ornament)
* 1978 – The Cream (Tomato) live recordings – reissued with bonus tracks on Charly
* 1979 – Live in 1978 (Lunar)
* 1981 – Hooker ‘n’ Heat Recorded Live at the Fox Venice Theatre (Rhino, various artists)
* 1986 – Jealous (Pulsa) – reissued on Pointblank 1996 – and on Shout!Factory with bonus tracks
* 1989 – The Healer (Chameleon)
* 1990 – The Hot Spot (Featuring Miles Davis)
* 1991 – Mr. Lucky (Pointblank)
* 1992 – Boom Boom (Pointblank) – reissued on Shout!Factory with bonus tracks
* 1995 – Chill Out (Pointblank) – reissued on Shout!Factory with bonus tracks
* 1997 – Don’t Look Back (Pointblank/Virgin) – reissued on Shout!Factory with bonus tracks
* 1998 – The Best of Friends (Pointblank) compilation 1986-1998 incl one new track – reissued on Shout!Factory download with bonus track
* 2003 – Face to Face (Eagle) new recordings

Selected CD Compilations

* 1990 – That’s My Story/The Folk Blues of (Ace) – the two original Riverside LPs on one CD
* 1990 – That’s Where It’s At (Stax) reissue of Florida recordings from 1961
* 1991 – The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990 (Rhino 2CDbox)
* 1991 – Half A Stranger (Mainstream) Modern tracks 1948-1955 incl unedited masters
* 1991 – Free Beer And Chicken (BeatGoesOn/MCA) recorded 1974
* 1991 – Don’t Turn Me From Your Door (Atlantic/Atco) 1953 and 1961 (incl the bonus tracks)
* 1992 – Graveyard Blues (Specialty/Ace) 1948-1950 Besman/Sensation tracks
* 1992 – The Best of John Lee Hooker 1965 to 1974 (Universal) Impulse and ABC/Bluesway recordings
* 1993 – Everybody’s Blues (Specialty/Ace) Besman tracks of 1950-51 plus two 1954 sessions direct for Specialty
* 1993 – The Legendary Modern Recordings 1948-1954 (Flair/Ace) the original singles
* 1994 – The Boogie Man (Charly DIG 5) anthology box featuring 1948-1966 (excluding Modern)
* 1995 – Alternative Boogie – Early Studio Recordings, 1948-1952 (Capitol 3CD) Besman alternates
* 1996 – Live at the Café Au Go-Go (and Soledad Prison) (Universal) 1966 with Muddy Waters’ band and 1972
* 1998 – The Complete 50′s Chess Recordings (Chess 2CD) anthology featuring the tracks from “House of the Blues” and “Plays and Sings the Blues” (1951-52) plus several bonus tracks from Fortune 1954 incl “Blues For Big Town”
* 2000 – The Complete 1964 recordings (RPM) last Vee-Jay session 1964 plus British London recordings – the British tracks reissued with brass overdubs as “The London 1965 Sessions” on Sequel
* 2000 – I’m John Lee Hooker (Charly -with bonus tracks) his very first LP, 1955-1959 recordings – reissued on SNAP in 2003 and without bonus tracks on Shout!Factory in 2007
* 2000 – Travelin’ (Charly -with bonus tracks) the great LP session of 1960- reissued on SNAP in 2003
* 2000 – The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker (Charly -with bonus tracks) his third VJ LP – reissued on SNAP in 2003
* 2000 – Burnin’ (Charly -with bonus tracks) the fourth VJ LP, 1962 – reissued on SNAP in 2003
* 2000 – The Complete – Vol. 1 1948-49 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2000 – The Complete – Vol. 2 1949 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2001 – The Complete – Vol. 3 1949-50 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2001 – House Rent Boogie (Ace) Modern compilation of rare early 1950s recordings
* 2001 – Testament – 3CDbox featuring some of the very best Vee-Jay recordings (Charly/Snapper)
* 2002 – The Complete – Vol. 4 1950-51 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2002 – The Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues (Chess) 1966 recordings; reissue of the 1991 CD “The Complete Chess Folk Blues Sessions”
* 2003 – Boogie Chillen’ (Audio Fidelity) 1949 – 1952 Besman and Siracuse (engineer) compilation
* 2003 – Blues Kingpins – Blues Immortal (Virgin) 1948-1955 Modern anthology
* 2004 – Early Years – The Classic Savoy Sessions (Metro Doubles 2CD) recorded 1948 and 1961 – comprising the tracks from “Savoy Blues Legends” (Savoy in 1999 and 2003) and the 1961 Savoy recordings from “Sittin’ Here Thinkin’” (32Blues in 2004 with the bonus track)
* 2004 – I’m A Boogie Man (Varése Sarabande) Vintage 1948 – 1953 Texas Slim and John Lee Booker (King/DeLuxe tracks featuring all the King singles)
* 2004 – The Complete – Vol. 5 1951-53 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2005 – The Complete – Vol. 6 1953-54 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2006 – Hooker (a terrific 4CD Box chronological anthology covering his whole career) (Shout!Factory)
* 2006 – The Boogie Man 1948 – 1955 (Charly 4 CDBox) – not identical to Charly’s rare CD DIG 5 (but this time also featuring Modern recordings)
* 2007 – Gold (Hip-O Select 2CD) 1948-2001 chronological anthology

1999 – The original lineup of ’80s chart regulars Madness enter a London studio to start recording their first new album since 1984′s “Keep Moving.” Among the group’s more well-known singles from the ’80s are “One Step Beyond…,” “Our House,” and “It Must Be Love.”

1995 – Cyndi Lauper won an Emmy award in 1995 for a guest appearance on the Mad About You sitcom. She won for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, a few weeks after her first hits package, Twelve Deadly Cyns… and Then Some, was released. A new track, “Hey Now (Girls Just Want to Have Fun),” was issued as a single.

1987 – Pink Floyd release A Momentary Lapse of Reason. The comeback album is the band’s first since the departure of Roger Waters and the subsequent lawsuit over the use of the band name.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason is Pink Floyd’s 1987 album, the band’s first release after the departure of Roger Waters from the band in 1985. The album reached #3 on both the U.S. and UK charts. It was released in the UK and the rest of Europe on EMI and on Columbia Records for the rest of the world.

Background

After Roger Waters had declared Pink Floyd ended in 1985, David Gilmour attempted to continue the band together with Nick Mason. A bitter dispute with Waters ensued, but Gilmour and Mason eventually settled out of court for the legal right to continue using the name Pink Floyd. In exchange, Waters dissolved his former management partnership with Steve O’Rourke and gained exclusive rights to some traditional Pink Floyd imagery, including the original flying pig design, almost all of The Wall concept and everything to do with The Final Cut. Richard Wright re-joined the band during the recording sessions for this album, but only as a salaried session musician.

The recording sessions started in October 1986 as a new David Gilmour project. Gilmour revealed on the Shine On and A Momentary Lapse of Reason episodes of In the Studio with Redbeard that it was almost his third solo album as the material initially sounded too weak to be a Pink Floyd album. He then went on to say that by Christmas of 1986 that he had enough confidence to turn the album into a Pink Floyd project.

The music press responded with mostly negative reviews of the album (though Rolling Stone claimed it portended “a Floyd with a future”), despite its heavy airplay rotation on video and radio music stations. Many fans regard this album a David Gilmour effort, rather than an actual Pink Floyd album. The allmusic review refers to it as a “Gilmour solo album in all but name”. Waters himself described it as “a pretty fair forgery or a good copy” of a Pink Floyd record; his most generous appraisal was that the album contained “a few bright moments when I heard something and thought, ‘Well, maybe I’d have done something with that’.” But Waters also commented that to him, Pink Floyd no longer existed.

Recording

The album was performed largely by David Gilmour and several session musicians. The most famous of these was Tony Levin (of Peter Gabriel and King Crimson fame), who played bass on most of the tracks. Nick Mason felt he was out of practice on drums, and thus many of the percussion parts were either programmed or delegated to others. For example, Carmine Appice played drums on “The Dogs of War” while Jim Keltner played on “On the Turning Away” and “One Slip”. The drum machine, used on “Sorrow”, was programmed by Gilmour.

Session keyboardist Jon Carin, whom Gilmour met and played with in Bryan Ferry’s band at Live Aid, went on to collaborate with both Pink Floyd and Roger Waters on subsequent albums and tours. Pink Floyd’s original keyboardist Richard Wright arrived during the sessions, but did not officially rejoin the band due to concerns about his severance contract with Waters (the initial album lists Pink Floyd as consisting of only Gilmour and Mason; however, later re-releases add his name). Wright can be heard playing on a few tracks, notably “Sorrow”, which features his background vocals. Most other keyboard parts on the album were played by Carin, Gilmour or Ezrin.

It has been rumoured that some of the songs on A Momentary Lapse of Reason were David Gilmour’s rejected contributions to The Final Cut. Early demos to songs like “The Dogs of War,” “Round and Around,” and the melody to “On the Turning Away” are the only known songs to be rejected.

The recording heard in the middle of “Learning to Fly” is of Mason talking to an air traffic control tower in his private aircraft (both he and Gilmour became enthusiastic pilots after conquering their mutual fear of flying).

A Momentary Lapse of Reason is Pink Floyd’s first fully digital recording; however, the acoustic drums and bass guitar tracks were recorded on analogue equipment.

Cover artwork

The cover shows 700 hospital beds placed on Saunton Sands, Devon. This effect was not achieved with trick photography; a team actually hauled the wrought iron beds over three hours from London to Devon and arranged them as seen on the finished design. When the team realised that the shoot would take more than one day, a single bed was left on the beach to see if the sea would have any effect on it over night. When they returned the following morning, the bed was nowhere to be found. Long-time Pink Floyd collaborator Storm Thorgerson produced the artwork.

The official Storm Thorgerson website  actually covers a version of this story:

700, yes 700, wrought iron hospital beds separately made up and positioned on the beach. Madness to do it at all, but we had in fact to do it twice cos it rained suddenly the first time, dank grey dizzle, and we couldn’t see the distant half of the beds.

This was the first Pink Floyd studio album since Animals to feature his work (not counting a design for the compilation album A Collection of Great Dance Songs in 1981).

In the gatefold sleeve was a portrait of David Gilmour and Nick Mason making it the first time that a picture of the members of Pink Floyd appeared in a gatefold sleeve since 1971′s Meddle album (not counting a poster of the band members on stage that came with vinyl copies of The Dark Side of the Moon in 1973)

The vinyl copies had two picture labels. Side one depicted a black and white photo of a man rowing his boat. Side two depicted the beds from the front cover on a beach with the dogs of war running whilst a man is sitting on a bed and a female maid is standing up.

If you look closely, there is a person flying a Hang Glider, probably a reference to Learning to Fly.

Reissues and remastering

A re-mastered CD was released in the early 1990s for Europe, and in 1997 for the rest of the world. Another remastered version was released in the U.S. and Canada in October 2005 due to Columbia Records losing the production masters. James Guthrie and Joel Plante supplied the label with new masters, and thus the mastering credit was changed from Doug Sax to Guthrie and Plante. Also, a number of minor changes have been noted in the credits and legal text for this latest release, mostly reflecting changes in the band’s business situation since 1997 (including the death of their manager Steve O’Rourke).

It is also the only one of the post-Waters Pink Floyd albums to have a remastered EMI version. The Columbia version is now out of print and will be re-released by Capitol/EMI in the not too distant future.

Track listing

All lead vocals performed by David Gilmour except where noted.

1. “Signs of Life” (instrumental, spoken word by Nick Mason) (David Gilmour, Bob Ezrin) – 4:24
2. “Learning to Fly” (Gilmour, Anthony Moore, Ezrin, Jon Carin) – 4:53
3. “The Dogs of War” (Gilmour, Moore) – 6:05
4. “One Slip” (Gilmour, Phil Manzanera) – 5:10
5. “On the Turning Away” (Gilmour, Moore) – 5:42
6. “Yet Another Movie” (Gilmour, Patrick Leonard) / “Round and Around” (Gilmour) – 7:28
7. “A New Machine (Part 1)” (Gilmour) – 1:46
8. “Terminal Frost” (Gilmour) – 6:17
9. “A New Machine (Part 2)” (Gilmour) – 0:38
10. “Sorrow” (Gilmour) – 8:46

Live performances for the 1987–89 tours

1. “Signs of Life” (performed after “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1–5)” or “Echoes”)
2. “Learning to Fly”
3. “Yet Another Movie”
4. “Round and Around”
5. “A New Machine (Part 1)”
6. “Terminal Frost”
7. “A New Machine (Part 2)”
8. “Sorrow”
9. “The Dogs of War”
10. “On the Turning Away” (ended the first half of the show)
11. “One Slip” (was the first encore on the 1987/88/89 tour)

The Momentary Lapse Tour, according to Tim Renwick, was only supposed to last 11 weeks. Originally the band would play a show at Wembley Stadium, tour the United States Of America, and finish back again at Wembley, much like what Roger Waters was doing on his Radio K.A.O.S tour. The tour began on 9 September 1987 at Lansdowne Park Ottawa, Canada, and finished at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada, on 10 December 1987. The World Tour began with the band’s first and only New Zealand performance at Western Springs in Auckland, New Zealand on 23 January 1988 and finished at the Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, on 23 August 1988. In the spring and summer of 1989, the band did another European leg of the tour, dubbing it Another Lapse. During the tour, the band played two consecutive nights in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at the Dean Smith Center, where one of the men who the band was named for, Floyd Council was born.

Personnel

* David Gilmour – vocals, guitars, keyboards, sequencers
* Nick Mason – drums, percussion, drum machine, sound effects

Additional personnel

* Richard Wright – keyboards, backing vocals
* Tony Levin – bass guitar, Chapman Stick
* Bob Ezrin – percussion
* Carmine Appice – drums
* Jim Keltner – drums
* Jon Carin – keyboards
* Tom Scott – alto and soprano saxophones
* Scott Page – tenor saxophone
* Patrick Leonard – synthesizers
* Bill Payne – Hammond organ
* Michael Landau – backing guitar
* John Helliwell – saxophone (mistakenly credited as John Halliwell)
* Darlene Koldenhaven, Carmen Twillie, Phyllis St. James, Donnie Gerrard – backing vocals
* Spherical sound by: Ken Caillat, Tom Jones, Sarah Nean Bruce
* Recorded by: Guy Charbonneau, Le Mobile, Los Angeles
* Additional sound effects by: Andrew Jackson
* General technical and musical instrument supervision: Phil Taylor
* Mastered at: Mastering Lab & Precision Lacquer
* Pink Floyd management: Steve O’Rourke, EMKA Productions, London

Sales certifications (U.S.)

The R.I.A.A. have certified the album:

* Gold and Platinum (in November 1987)
* Double Platinum (in January 1988)
* Triple Platinum (in February 1992)
* Quadruple Platinum (in August 2001)

Single releases

* “Learning to Fly (edit)”/”Terminal Frost” – Columbia 38-07363; released 15 September 1987
* “On the Turning Away”/”Run Like Hell (Live)” – Columbia 38-07660; released 24 November 1987
* “The Dogs of War”; April, 1988 (US radio only)
* “One Slip”/”Terminal Frost”; June 1988

Chart positions

Album
Year     Chart     Position
1987     UK album chart     3
1987     The Billboard 200     3
1987     Billboard CD Charts     1
1987     Norway’s album chart     2

Singles
Year     Single     Chart     Position
1987     “Learning to Fly”     Mainstream Rock Tracks     1
1987     “Learning to Fly”     The Billboard Hot 100     70
1987     “Learning to Fly”     UK Singles Charts     55
1987     “On the Turning Away”     Mainstream Rock Tracks     1
1988     “The Dogs of War”     Mainstream Rock Tracks     10
1988     “One Slip”     Mainstream Rock Tracks     5
1988     “Sorrow”     Mainstream Rock Tracks     36

Quotations

On the Momentary Lapse of Reason album, Nick’s belief in himself was pretty well gone, and Rick’s belief in himself was totally gone. And they weren’t up to making a record, to be quite honest about it  Roger’s very good at belittling people, and I think over the years he managed to convince Rick completely that he was useless and more or less convinced Nick of the same thing.

– David Gilmour, Rock Compact Disc magazine, September 1992

I must say, that under the circumstances, it’s a superb title for a so-called Pink Floyd record.

– Roger Waters, Penthouse magazine, September 1988

Release of the LP

A Momentary Lapse of Reason was released on the same day in the UK as the LPs Bad by Michael Jackson and Actually by The Pet Shop Boys, both of which topped it at the first and second positions in the following week’s album charts. It debuted at No. 3 and never rose any higher although sales remained brisk helped by heavy airplay, the overall welcome reunion of Pink Floyd, and the world tour which lasted over a year.

The album debuted at #43 on the Billboard 200 and, like in the UK, rose to No. 3 in the United States as Michael Jackson’s Bad and Whitesnake’s Whitesnake ’87 occupied the top two spots respectively at numbers 1 and 2. The album remained on the US charts for over a year.

1978 – NBC-TV airs the animated TV movie, “Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park,” in which the band Kiss foils a mad scientist.

Tim Curry in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”

1973 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show, starring Tim Curry, opens at a London theater,. Also, making his first time ever appearance is Meatloaf.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 musical comedy film that parodies science fiction and horror films. With a screenplay written by Richard O’Brien and Jim Sharman, the film features Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick. The film is based on the British musical stage production The Rocky Horror Show.

The film is considered a cult classic and a midnight movie, although it is widely known by mainstream audiences and has a large international following. RHPS was the first movie from a major film studio — 20th Century Fox — in the midnight-movie market. The movie is one of the most well known and financially successful midnight movies. It is the longest running theatrical release in film history. More than 30 years later it is still in limited release in cinemas around the world. In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

The story, narrated by a criminologist (Charles Gray), is that of a newly engaged young couple, Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon), who find themselves lost on a cold and rainy late November evening. Seeking a phone from which to call for help, the two find shelter at a nearby castle inhabited by strange and outlandish characters who are holding an Annual Transylvanian Convention. They watch, still wet from the rain, as the Transylvanians dance the Time Warp, the film’s signature song.

They are soon swept into the world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a self-proclaimed “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania” and his servants, siblings Riff Raff (Richard O’Brien) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn), as well as groupie Columbia (Nell Campbell) and an ensemble of convention attendees. It is Furter’s intention to unveil the “secret to life itself”. In a scene inspired by Frankenstein movies, “Rocky Horror” (Peter Hinwood) is brought to life. After the disoriented Rocky is chased down by Frank, the party is interrupted by Eddie (Meat Loaf), an ex-delivery boy, who rides out of a deep freeze on a motorcycle. The scene ends with his bloody death at the hands of Furter.

Brad and Janet are shown to separate rooms where their host has his way with both. Janet, overcome with emotion, wanders off looking for Brad. She discovers a cowering Rocky, hiding in his birth tank from Riff Raff, who torments the creature much as Igor tormented Frankenstein’s monster. Janet, having discovered Brad’s infidelity, chooses to take advantage of the situation with Rocky. After discovering the “Creature” is missing, Frank, Brad, and Riff Raff return to the lab where they learn that an intruder has entered the building. Dr. Everett Scott (Jonathan Adams), Brad and Janet’s old high school science teacher, has come looking for Eddie, who is his nephew. It is at this point that Rocky and Janet are discovered hiding together. In a scene added specifically for the film version, the new guests are prepared a dinner consisting of Eddie’s remains. After they see what they have consumed, horror and disgust lead to a chase after Janet who runs screaming from the room. Frank captures all, temporarily turning them into statues and commanding them to participate in a cabaret-style floor show. The performance is disrupted by Riff Raff and Magenta, who kill Columbia, Frank, and Rocky. They release the earthlings—Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott—as the castle takes off into space to return to the planet of Transsexual, in the galaxy of Transylvania.

Production

Based on the London stage production The Rocky Horror Show, by Richard O’Brien, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is slightly different from its original theatrical conception. In the production of the film, many of the original aspects from the Kings Road stage production changed, as did characters and dialogue, although many cast- and crew-members from its original production returned to work on the film. Director Jim Sharman, production designer Brian Thomson, and costume designer Sue Blane collaborated on the original London production with many of the cast that made it into the film version. Tim Curry reprised his role from the London and Los Angeles stage productions. After the film, Curry also did a short run on Broadway as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Creator Richard O’Brien also returned for the film from the British stage team, as did Little Nell (Columbia) and Patricia Quinn (Magenta). Jonathan Adams, the narrator from the original cast, also returned for the film, instead playing Dr. Scott. The film was shot at Bray Studios and Oakley Court, a country house in Berkshire, England, UK from October 21, 1974 to December 19, 1974. Filming of Rocky’s birth occurred on October 30, 1974, the 81st anniversary of the birth of Charles Atlas.

Several ideas from the original conception of the film were dropped before production. During the opening theme, the film was supposed to include clips from all the movies mentioned in the song “Science Fiction Double Feature”. Producers discovered quickly that obtaining the rights to all the various film clips would be very costly, and cut the idea. Another idea was to parallel The Wizard of Oz (1939) by having the first 20 minutes of the film in black-and-white and Academy ratio until the doors burst open showing the Transylvanians in widescreen and then to full color at Frank’s entrance. This effect would have been prohibitively expensive, so the idea was discarded. The film was, however, shot in the narrower 1.66:1 aspect ratio.

Locations, sets, and props
Oakley Court refurbished and now a luxury hotel.

The film’s plot, setting, and style echoes that of the Hammer Horror films. Much like Universal Studios’ Horror films had their own style, Hammer productions did as well. Reuse of sets and props through many of their films, was money and time saving. Production designer Brian Thomson and director Jim Sharman chose locations, sets, and even props that were, in many cases, used in various old Hammer productions. The castle is known as the Hammer House for the number of films that it appeared in. A great deal of location shooting took place here. At the time, the manor was in very dilapidated condition. Filming took place during the fall, which made conditions harsh.

Today, the castle, Oakley Court, has been completely refurbished and is now a luxury hotel. It recently hosted a Rocky Horror picnic on its grounds. The classic “Creation” scene in Rocky Horror, so reminiscent of “Frankenstein” movies, has a good reason for that feel. The scene re-uses the tank and dummy from a Hammer production of “The Revenge of Frankenstein” starring Peter Cushing.[9] Other props and set pieces were used as well from stock that may be seen in many old British television shows and feature films.

Costumes

Perhaps the most unusual parts of this film are the costumes worn by the cast. Costume designer Sue Blane based all her designs on what little she knew of 1950′s America as well as a previous stage production she designed called “The Maids”. It is from this production that Tim Curry’s Victorian corset is borrowed.[10] Blane compared the relatively small ($400) costume budget of the stage show to the $1600 costume budget in 1974 for the film.

Nearly all the costume designs from the original stage production were transferred directly to the film, with a few exceptions. Some new designs appeared as well as a few that were discarded. In the London stage production, Tim Curry began the role of Frank-N-Furter as a blond, although it was short lived, the original design sketches by Blane do reflect that. Magenta gained a new maid costume to give the character more purpose and Columbia gained a sequined tuxedo and tails.

The introduction of new characters such as the Transylvanians presented Sue Blane with a challenge to costume a number of extras who reappear throughout the film. The outcome of their costuming did not satisfy Blane who stated that she wished she had more time for those particular costumes.

In the stage productions, actors generally did their own make-up, but for this film producers chose famed artist Pierre La Roche to redesign the make-up for each character. La Roche is also famous for designing make-up for David Bowie.[12] Production stills were taken by an artist famous for his 1970′s rock photographs, Mick Rock. The photographer has published many calendars and photo books from his Rocky Horror work.

Casting
The majority of the cast from The Rocky Horror Picture Show posing for the wedding photo at Ralph and Betty’s wedding in the movie’s opening scene.
The majority of the cast from The Rocky Horror Picture Show posing for the wedding photo at Ralph and Betty’s wedding in the movie’s opening scene.

* Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a Scientist. Auditioning for the part for the original stage production Tim Curry sang the song “Tutti Frutti”. He originated the role and recreated it in all productions except the Australian production up to filming. Frank is a flamboyant, well-meaning, often devious and sometimes evil transvestite, bisexual scientist.

* Susan Sarandon as Janet Weiss, a Heroine. Sarandon was not the first choice for the Production but Twentieth Century Fox insisted on American casting for the part of both Brad and Janet. Janet Weiss is the well-meaning, sweet and somewhat naive woman who was recently engaged to Brad, who gets tempted into bad ways.

* Barry Bostwick as Brad Majors, a Hero. Bostwick had previously had training in singing, juggling, trapeze, clown techniques, fencing, mime and ballet before his role in the film. Brad Majors is the clean-cut fiancé of Janet Weiss, to whom he recently proposed at a friend’s wedding.

* Richard O’Brien as Riff Raff, a Handyman. The author and song writer, Richard O’Brien had originally seen himself as Eddie. It was director Jim Sharman who cast him as Riff Raff.

* Patricia Quinn as Magenta, a Domestic. Quinn reprises her role from the original stage production, however she was not in any of the other productions. She almost did not return for the filming, as the part was drastically reduced from the stage play. Magenta is the sister of Riff Raff, and works as Frank’s domestic worker. Patricia Quinn’s lips are also used for the iconic opening number and movie poster.

Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) in his most iconic role, as self proclaimed “Sweet Transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania.”
Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) in his most iconic role, as self proclaimed “Sweet Transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania.”

* Nell Campbell as Columbia, a Groupie. Laura “Little Nell” Campbell recreates her character from the original stage production. Columbia is the groupie and friend of Frank, but also Eddie’s alleged lover.

* Jonathan Adams as Dr. Everett Von Scott, a Rival Scientist. He was Brad and Janet’s science teacher. He has come to the castle in search of his nephew Eddie, who has been murdered by Frank. Adams originally played the role of the Narrator in the London production.

* Peter Hinwood as Rocky Horror, a Creation. Muscle bound creation of Frank’s, with blond hair and a tan. Peter Hinwood has his own solo in “Sword of Damocles”, but does not speak throughout the show. This was changed from the stage show. Rocky’s songs are performed by Trevor White.

* Charles Gray as The Criminologist, an Expert. Narrator of the film. Gray accepted the role by saying, “Why not?” The character becomes a criminologist in the film, another change from the stage production.

* Meat Loaf as Eddie, an ex-delivery boy. Columbia’s boyfriend. Dr. Frank-N-Furter murders Eddie in the film version. In the stage version, Eddie merely pops out of a Coke machine and then jumps back in at the end of the scene.

Release

The film has found a major longevity in many venues throughout the years in the United States, as well as internationally. The movie is considered to be the longest running release in film history.[13] It has never been pulled by Twentieth Century Fox from its original 1975 release, and continues to play in cinemas more than thirty years later. Some cinemas showing the movie have run it for decades at a time.

The film was released on VHS during the home video boom of the 1980s, except for in the U.S., which had to wait for the 15th anniversary in 1990. The limited VHS edition release had a suggested retail price of $100. In 1993, a LaserDisc edition was released, and in 1995 a Special Edition LaserDisc was released. On the 25th anniversary in 2000, the DVD with all the special features from the LaserDisc, as well as new features and DVD-Rom games was released. Before the mainstream use of home video a Super 8 version of selected scenes of the film was available.

There are two versions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the US and British releases. The British version contains the original ending which includes the full version of the musical number “Super Heroes”. The US version edits out the number, which was thought to be too depressing by the studio. Both versions are on the 25th Anniversary DVD.

Reception

Main article: The Rocky Horror Picture Show cult following

The film opened in the U.S. at the UA Theatre in Westwood, California on September 26, 1975. It did well at that location but not elsewhere.[16] The cult following did not begin until the movie began its midnight run at the Waverly Theatre in New York on April 1, 1976.[17] The film is still shown with audience members acting out the entire movie in front of the screen. The Clinton Street Theater in Portland, Oregon has also shown the movie weekly since its debut there in April, 1978.

Overall, critics were negative with their reviews of the movie. The overly sexual nature of this British rock comedy was not well received by the mainstream media of 1975, although there were positive reviews. The music was praised, as was Tim Curry’s performance. However, before the success of the midnight screenings, the film was withdrawn from its eight opening cities due to very small audiences, and its planned New York opening (on Halloween night) was cancelled.[18] Fox re-released it around college campuses on a double-bill with another rock music film parody, Paul Williams’ Phantom of the Paradise, but again it drew small audiences.[18] With Pink Flamingos (1972) and Reefer Madness (1936) making money in midnight showings nationwide, RHPS was eventually screened at midnight, starting in New York City on April Fools’ Day of 1976.[19] By that Halloween, people were attending in costume and talking back to the screen. By mid-1978, RHPS was playing in over fifty locations on Fridays and Saturdays at midnight, newsletters were published by local performance groups, and fans gathered for Rocky Horror conventions.[20] By the end of 1979, there were twice-weekly showings at over 230 theaters.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show has taken in $139,876,417 (USA) (sub-total) in box office receipts since its release. The length of its run in cinemas (weekly for over 30 years), combined with its considerable total box office gross, is unparalleled by any other film. The original budget for the movie was $1,200,000 (estimated). The audience participation made the film become a worldwide phenomenon. As the cult-audience grew, Rocky Horror fandom became the subject of news stories. Dori Hartley, a fan from the original New York shadow cast, went on to appear in “Paradise Garage”, a Tim Curry music video.

After the release, the original advertising campaign for screen and television was pulled by Twentieth Century Fox executives in the very early stage. The studio objected to the use of the red lipsticked lips uttering the words Twentieth Century Fox. The American television network Fox Broadcasting aired the film’s much-publicized world television premiere on October 25, 1993. The film’s popularity breathed new life to the stage production, which had had a 45-performance run on Broadway early in 1975 at the Belasco Theatre.[27] Rocky Horror sequels and other media have found their way into production, including merchandise ranging from prefabricated costumes, games, and soundtrack releases.

Soundtrack

Songlist in Film
Song Lead Singer(s) Other Singers Scene
Science Fiction/Double Feature Richard O’Brien (Patricia Quinn as lips) N/A Opening credits
Dammit Janet Brad, Janet Riff Raff, Magenta, Columbia Hapschatt wedding
Over at the Frankenstein Place Brad, Janet Riff Raff, Chorus A rainy night on the way to Dr. Scott’s
The Time Warp Riff Raff, Magenta, Columbia Criminologist, Transylvanians Ballroom of the castle
Sweet Transvestite Frank-N-Furter Riff Raff, Magenta, Columbia, Transylvanians Ballroom of the castle immediately after Time Warp
The Sword of Damocles Rocky Riff Raff, Magenta, Columbia, Transylvanians The “Lab”
I Can Make You a Man Frank-N-Furter Transylvanians The “Lab”
Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul Eddie Transylvanians The “Lab”
I Can Make You a Man (Reprise) Frank-N-Furter Janet, Transylvanians The “Lab”
Once in a While (deleted scene/song) Brad N/A Brad’s Bedroom (intercut with scenes of him and Janet from the first half of the movie)
Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a Touch Me Janet Rocky, Brad, Frank, Magenta, Riff Raff, Columbia Rocky’s birth tank in the lab
Eddie Dr. Scott, Columbia Full cast The dining room in the castle, Columbia’s bedroom
You’d Better Wise Up Frank-N-Furter Riff-Raff, Magenta, Brad, Janet, Dr. Scott Stairway and corridors of the castle then back to the lab
Rose Tint My World Columbia, Rocky, Brad, Janet N/A Floor show stage
Don’t Dream It, Be It Frank-N-Furter Brad, Janet, Columbia, Rocky, Dr. Scott Floor show pool
Wild And Untamed Thing Frank-N-Furter, Columbia, Rocky, Brad, Janet Riff Raff Floor show stage
I’m Going Home Frank-N-Furter Columbia, Rocky, Brad, Janet Floor show theater stage and aisle
Superheroes (deleted scene/song in US release) Brad, Janet Criminologist Exterior of the castle and the criminologist’s office
Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise) Richard O’Brien (no character) N/A Ending credits

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Original Soundtrack (1989)

Track listing

* 1. Science Fiction/Double Feature
* 2. Dammit Janet
* 3. There’s a Light
* 4. Time Warp
* 5. Sweet Transvestite
* 6. I Can Make You A Man
* 7. Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul
* 8. I Can Make You A Man (reprise)
* 9. Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me
* 10. Eddie
* 11. Floor Show: Rose Tint My World/Fanfare/Don’t Dream It, Be It/Wild and Untamed Thing
* 12. I’m Going Home
* 13. Super Heroes
* 14. Science Fiction/Double Feature (reprise)
* 15. Time Warp (1989 remix – extended version)
* 16. Time Warp (music – 1 = background track = u mix)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: 25 Years of Absolute Pleasure! (2000)

Track listing
# Title Lead Performer(s) Length Other Performer(s)
1 “Science Fiction/Double Feature” Richard O’Brien 4:27 -
2 “Dammit, Janet” Barry Bostwick (Brad), Susan Sarandon (Janet) 3:22 Richard O’brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell
3 “Over at the Frankenstein Place” Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O’Brien (Riff Raff) 3:59 Charles Gray (Criminologist), Chorous
4 “Time Warp” Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn (Magenta), Nell Campbell (Columbia) 4:29 Charles Gray, Transylvanians
5 “Sweet Transvestite” Tim Curry (Frank-N-Furter) 4:06 Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Transylvanians
6 “The Sword of Damocles” Trevor White (Rocky Horror: Voice) 3:38 Tim Curry, Transylvanians
7 “I Can Make You a Man” Tim Curry 3:15 Transylvanians
8 “Hot Patootie” Meat Loaf (Eddie) 3:21 Transylvanians
9 “I Can Make You a Man (Reprise)” Tim Curry 1:59 Susan Sarandon, Transylvanians
10 “Once in a While” Barry Bostwick 3:45 Charles Gray
11 “Toucha-Toucha-Touch Me” Susan Sarandon 2:59 Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn, Barry Bostwick, Tim Curry, Richard O’Brien, Trevor White, Charles Gray
12 “Eddie” Jonathon Adams (Dr. Scott), Nell Campbell, Meat Loaf 2:47 Full Cast
13 “Planet, Schmanet, Janet” Tim Curry 2:36 Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Jonathon Adams
14 “Rose Tint My World” Nell Campbell, Trevor White, Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon 4:03 Charles Gray
15 “Don’t Dream It, Be It” Tim Curry 3:36 Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, Nell Campbell, Trevor White, Jonathon Adams
16 “Wild and Untamed Thing” Nell Campbell, Trevor White, Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon 1:51 Richard O’Brien
17 “I’m Going Home” Tim Curry 2:57 -
18 “Super Heroes” Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, Charles Gray 5:27 Patricia Quinn, Richard O’Brien, Jonathon Adams, Nell Campbell
19 “Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise)” Richard O’Brien 1:30 -
20 “Time Warp (1989 Remix – Extended Version”♦ Full Cast 5:36 -
21 “Rocky Horror Picture Show (Movie Trailer)”♦ – 2:58 -

From Wikipedia

1965 – “Madness!! Folk and Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running parts for four insane boys, age 17 to 21.” That was part of the ad placed in two American newspapers in 1965, looking for talented individuals to play The Monkees. Both Stephen Stills and Danny Hutton (future Three Dog Night leader) were turned down. Of course, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork were the four chosen to star in the TV series that was modelled after the A Hard Day’s Night movie from 1964.