Apple licensing Beatles to whole new generation.

Being a Beatle fan can be a bit of a catch-22.  We love the music, we love the boys, we love the hysteria, but somehow some of us complain a bit that they are/were so heavily marketed.  Well folks, the marketing machine is firing up yet again.

In the past, we have seen Beatles images plastered on neck ties, lunchboxes, and T-shirts.  It looks like there is more to come from our beloved Fab Four.  Whether you love the memorabilia or not, it’s on the way.  Personally, part of the mystique and hysteria of being a Beatles fan is the steady diet of memorabilia that I can get my hands on.  Maybe they are gearing up for some kind of huge announcement that will usher in a new era of Beatledom. ::::Cough cough::::: remastered back catalog :::::cough cough:::::::.  Time will tell.

For now, put me down for a set of John Lennon bed sheets please.

Here’s a question for you then, What’s your favorite Beatle-related memorabilia item?  It doesn’t have to be an old item.  What are your thoughts on Beatle marketed stuff.  Let us know in the comments below.

Here’s what we’ve read.

Deals for branded sleepwear and bedding secured by Caroline Mickler Ltd.

The licensing programme surrounding The Beatles is continuing to grow, with Caroline Mickler Limited – on behalf of Apple Corps – signing up two new licensees.

Ringo’s dream of a comeback crumble after insulting Liverpool.

Ringo has had a rough go of things as of late.  He had made offending remarks regarding the town of his birth a few months ago on national television.  The city was in a furvor.  Public reaction has been pointed at the ex-Beatle.  Beatles’ themed topiary has been vandalized, and there has been a public outcry for the apology from the once beloved Ringo.

It seems that he has become a little angry and jaded in his old age.  Ringo was always so happy-go-lucky in his youth.  I wonder what changed so much.  Was it the act of putting on a happy face that has soured his demeanor?  We may never know, but it’s kind of sad to see.  It must be hard to be in the public eye all of your life, and not succumb to the pressures.  The article below presents a really bad picture of good old Ringo, and is quite harsh, but maybe it’s just that bad.  You decide.

Peace and love to you Ringo, we hope things mellow out for you a bit.

Here’s what we’ve read.

After his recent exertions on his UK publicity junket, Ringo Starr has been allowing himself the luxury of extended sessions of transcendental meditation to the relaxing strains of his favourite wind chimes at his bougainvillaea-covered Beverly Hills hacienda.

Following a leisurely morning of contemplation, he will submit himself to the rigours of a stroll in his lemon grove before firing up his barbecue to cook a virtuous lunch of seared broccoli, carrots and beetroot (like his fellow surviving Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo is a long-time proponent of vegetarianism).

His friends, mainly a rag-tag collection of ageing hippies and fading rock stars, are permitted an audience only by prior appointment and he ventures out rarely for occasional dinners at his favourite Hollywood restaurant, Mr Chow, with his wife, Barbara Bach, and close friend, Eagles’ guitarist Joe Walsh.

Perhaps as a legacy of his impoverished childhood in Liverpool, Ringo will not tolerate waste. Consequently, the multi-millionaire insists the leftovers from his table at the trendy Chinese eaterie are bagged up for him to reheat the next day.

Everyone who crosses his path – even complete strangers in the street – are habitually treated to his trademark two-fingered salute and his “Peace and Love” catchphrase.

In fact, his obsessive Peace sign flashing has increasingly become the source of much bemusement, not to mention ridicule, in Tinseltown.

Paul McCartney To Release Book About Late Wife

In my opinion, there’s no better way to see the 1960′s rock scene than through the eyes of Linda McCartney.  There are few photographers who knew their subjects so intimately, and shot them as people.  It’s weird, you really get to feel the people in her photos.  You get a true sense of them as a people. 

Linda McCartney was able to cut through public personna, cut through glitz, and share these beautiful moments in time of these larger than life figures.  Her photos have always been stunning in their portrayal.  Paul, is sharing them with the world in the form of a coffee table book.  Linda would have been proud.

Here’s what we’ve read.

Paul McCartney is set to release a coffee table book in honor of his beloved first wife Linda. The former Beatle is alleged to have met with London publishers about the project earlier this week.

According to reports, McCartney will “share lots of intimate moments” of his life with the photographer, singer and animal rights activist in the tome, which will be released to mark the 10th anniversary of her death. Linda died in 1998 after losing her battle with breast cancer.

Dhani Harrison tops rich list of Britain’s young music millionaires.

Dhani should start a new group.  They can call themselves the “Young Music Millionaires.”  It really sounds like a rap super group.  It rolls off the tongue.  I think he’d find the humor in that. 

For someone who’s father preached and professed about a humble life, Dhani seems to have a good head on his sholder.  His new group is just now releasing their first LP.  The EP from a while backreally made our ears perk up.  He has the musical chops to do some really really great things.  George would be proud of his boy, not because of the money, but because of the way he carries himself.  It’s refreshing to see a rock progeny be in the spotlight, but be able to keep it together.

Now if only Dhani had his father’s green thumb as well.  We know how George like to keep his gardens.

Here’s what we’ve read.

He has yet to write a song to match Here Comes the Sun but Dhani Harrison, son of the late George Harrison, tops a rich list of Britain’s young music millionaires.

Harrison, 29, shares an estimated £160 million inheritance with his mother Olivia, according to The Sunday Times list.

Paul McCartney Announces Free Historic Concert.

Those Ukraine girls really knock me out….

Let’s call this a precursor to his rumored upcoming tour.  A sneak peak at things to come.  Paul is playing a free show to celebrate independence. 
Paul McCartney Live in Red Square – Part Deux.

God, I wish I lived in Europe right about now. We know he played in Red Square a few years back, but his time he is hitting the Ukraine.  We’ll at least get a peak into the setlist changes for the show.  Let’s consider this a warmup to his tour.  We’ll keep you posted with more details as we hear them.

Here’s what we’ve read.

Paul McCartney Announces Free Historic Concert
‘Independence Concert’
Kiev Independence Square, Ukraine – Saturday 14th June 2008

On Saturday 14th June 2008, at the invitation of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Paul McCartney will perform to hundreds of thousands of people in Independence Square, Kiev, Ukraine. This groundbreaking event has been named Independence Concert and was launched today in Kiev by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. Paul’s special show will be free to attend and will be broadcasted live on Novy TV.

This exciting event will be seen as symbolic for several generations of Ukrainians. It will allow people of different ethnicities and religions, political preferences and geopolitical orientations to come together around the ideas of peace, love and unity; the very ideas that Paul McCartney with The Beatles helped bring into the World. Independence Concert is an independent social initiative that aims to strengthen the confidence and understanding in the Ukrainian society.

The ideology and spirit of The Beatles helped build the democratic aspirations for much of the soviet society and eventually led to the peaceful collapse of the USSR and independence of the former Soviet republics.

Is Paul McCartney Getting Married Again?

There are rumors, and then there are rumors.  WOW.  It seems that the tabloid press is jumping all over the fact that Paul is dating again.  It seems he’s ring shopping, but does anyone really believe that he’s really thinking about taking the marriage plunge again?  I really don’t hink so.  Maybe he’s just buying some jewelry for a friend, or one of his daughters.

Paul is playing it cool.

I find this really hard to believe. 

For a lark, what do you think will happen first…LOL.

Paul will remarry? 
-or-
We will see the release of The Beatles’ remastered back catalog? 

You decide. Let us know in the comments below.

Here’s what we’ve read.

Sir Paul McCartney has sparked engagement rumours after he was spotted shopping at a top London jewellers, just weeks after finalising a divorce settlement from estranged wife Heather Mills.

The former Beatle was snapped by photographers shopping at exclusive New Bond Street store S.J. Phillips yesterday, fuelling speculation he is to propose to American heiress Nancy Shevell.

The 65-year-old recently returned from a romantic Caribbean holiday with Shevell after settling his $48.6 million (£24.3 million) divorce from former ‘prostitute’ Mills last month.

Beatles authenticator at heart of memorabilia suit.

There is a scuffle going in the collector’s community. It appears that a Beatles’ expert is being sued over alleged forgeries.  This article brings to light these allegations, and illustrates how the memorabilia selling community has nearly painted itself into a corner.  It seems that the authenticators are themselves selling their itmes.  Indeed, it is a conflict of interest.

I personally haven’t bought memorabilia online or in-person.  I wish I had that kind of disposable income.  It is my dream to come across a butcher cover in a flea market or CD Exchange and pay pennies for it.  That’s as high as my collecting aspirations get right now.  I mean, obviously, signatures would be this Beatle fan’s dream come true, but for now I just have to sit back and drool over some of those precious rare items.

What are some of your experiences buying Beatles memorabilia?  Have you bought memorabilia items?  Were they appraised by an expert?  How do you feel about the sentiments in the article below? 
Please comment below, we’d love to hear your thoughts about all-things related to Beatles ephemera and memorabilia.

Here’s what we’ve read.

Strawberry Fields is not a stadium, Penny Lane is not a bowling alley and Norwegian Wood is not a baseball bat.

But the Beatles are at the heart of a lawsuit that dredges up questions about how autographed balls and other signed collectibles are authenticated in the fraud-filled world of sports memorabilia: What kind of training and experience are required to become an authenticator? Who is qualified to identify real gems in a world full of fakes and forgeries? Can an authenticator call himself objective if he also buys and sells memorabilia?

Do authenticators really know what they are doing?

Paul McCartney Wants Heather Mills To Join Him On Tour

Well this news, while weird, bodes well for Beatle fans.  News reports like this only help to solidify the speculations that Paul McCartney will be hitting the road in the near future.

With the spector of his recent divorce hanging over him it looks like Paul will be exorcising some demons through music.  We all know how much Paul loves to rock out in front of a live audience.  It seems that he may be coming to a venue near you sometime soon.  This report is odd though, you’d think after washing all traces of Heather Mills from the previous concert DVD, and knowing her love for the spotlight as well, you’d think that he’d not want her anywhere near the McCartney touring machine. 

I guess the love for his child overpowers the hurt and media circus that Ms. Mills will bring with her presence on Paul’s forthcoming tour.  That’s a good father.  We’ll have to see how this plays out.  It’s going to be an interesting tour.  Maybe he’ll dedicate “Too Many People” to Ms. Mills on this tour, that would be something.

Here’s what we’ve read.

Sir Paul McCartney wants Heather Mills to join him on tour so he can see their daughter whilst he jets round the world.

The former Beatle is preparing for a massive 14 months on the road, and believes the only way he will keep in contact with Beatrice during that time will be if he arranges with Heather to take the four-year-old to him.

Tony Palmer on Phil Spector, John Lennon, and how he televised the revolution + VIDEO.

I didn’t even know that such a documentary on the times, the swinging 60′s was in the works.  It looks like it came out a long time ago.  Truly looks like a great time capsule piece.  Based on this video clip alone it looks like a great companion piece to all of those concert DVD’s, Beatle documetnaries, and other things.  A very British affair, but a nice companion to those Monterey pop Fesitval DVD’s, Woodstock DVD’s etc.  Looks like a nice set, and all because of a challenge from John Lennon.  Nice.

Here’s what we’ve read.

It all started with a chance encounter with John Lennon in New York in the early Seventies. “Doing anything useful?” he said with his customary directness. Over a “delicious” lunch of brown rice, the plot was hatched. “There will be no escape,” he warned me, as we mapped out one of the most foolhardy ideas devised by man – nothing less than the entire history and development of popular music. “It’s what’s needed,” he kept telling me. “Something that pieces together all the various elements that have gone into making rock’n'roll: country, jazz, blues, ragtime, music hall, soul – it’s easy!”

Lennon had been my mentor once before. I first met him in Cambridge in November 1963, and some years later, after I had joined the BBC, he complained to me frequently that many of the great musicians he admired simply could find no place on a BBC dominated by Top of the Pops, Juke Box Jury and gyrating nubiles, musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Burdon, The Who, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd and Cream, none of whom had at that time been seen on TV. “I had a duty,” Lennon had told me then, “to find a way to get them there by fair means or foul.”

Sony keen for the Beatles to go digital.

Aside from stating the obvious here, it seems that Sony is just as excited about releasing The Beatles into the digital realm as the fans are to receive them.  I mean, of course.  The record company would get quite a windfall once the coveted group is available in the digital world.

As fans, we are relegated to waiting and hoping to see what they do with the Fabs online.  Do we see deluxed editions of each album with outtakes?  Do we get stereo and mono version of each album?  Do we get correct and pristine artwork for each album?  What will the albums sound like?  Do we get them in 5.1? 

All of these questions.  I guess we just have to keep waiting and hoping with baited breath.

Here’s what we’ve read.

Aside from the chaps at EMI, Sony/ATV CEO Martin Bandier is another person who is very excited at the possibility of the Beatles archives finally going digital.

Why wouldn’t he? According to the larger-than-life publishing veteran, his company manages the rights of “about 100 percent” of the music and lyrics penned by John Lennon and Paul McCartney for the Fab Four.