On A Certain Softness, from the album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard of 2005, you can hear how much Paul has evolved since the Beatles. Compare this love song with She Loves You. It is much more delicate, painting the more subtle feelings of a love affair. In this song a powerful musical element is used: the perfect detail. After 1:21 minutes you hear a piano line, simple, not difficult to play, but perfect. The song is not the same without it.

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

The Beatles have used the perfect detail too, but never as beautiful as in this song. In Good Morning Good Morning from Sgt. Pepper for example, you have the electric guitar after 1:16 minutes. In Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da from The White Album you have a funny piano part, two short lines, towards the end, after 2:32 minutes. When the Analogues performed this song, as part of the integral performance of The White Album, they accentuated this perfect detail by a musician who came on stage, especially for these two piano lines.

The perfect detail, one of the musical elements used by Paul and the Beatles which make their music so interesting. A more detailed analysis of the musical elements of Beatles music can be found in The Beatles Era, A Quest for the Secret of the Beatles, by Peter Eijgenhuijsen, especially in the chapter The Secret of Their Music.

Discover more about the secrets of Paul McCartney and The Beatles in Peter’s book:

The Beatles Era – A Quest for the Secret of The Beatles

If you like to unravel the secret of the Beatles. If you are intrigued by their unprecedented fame, by the fact that so many books were written about them, going into the smallest details of their supremacy. If you wonder, why their music has remained fresh after all these years. If you are intrigued by the secret of their music.

Then this book is a book for you.

Because this book is not about what happened, but about why it happened.

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The Beatles

from angie mccartney to paul mccartney

15/06/2021 liddypool Leave a comment

A Hard Day’s Night

Seeing Paul’s birthday coming up, reminds me of the time he celebrated his Dad’s 62nd birthday following the premiere of “A Hard Day’s Night” in London.

They were at the after party at The Dorchester Hotel, and when it turned midnight and became the 7th July, Paul presented Jim with a big flat brown paper parcel. He opened it to find a framed picture of a horse. Jim was a bit bewildered and said, “Thanks son, it’s a very nice picture.” To which Paul replied, “It’s not just a picture Dad, I’ve bought you the bloody horse, his name is Drake’s Drum, and he’s running at Aintree next Saturday”.

A Thoughtful Gift

Angie, Paul and Jim McCartney with Drakes Drum

Paul knew his Dad liked a little flutter on the horses, and decided on this unique present, which brought Jim much happiness over the years. What a thoughtful gift.

I know Paul will have the loving wishes of family and friends around the world when he celebrates this next trip around the sun.

Ruth and I join in sending our warm and fuzzies.

Read Angie’s stories in her fascinating book:

Your Mother Should Know

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The Beatles

Paul McCartney at lipa

14/06/2021 liddypool Leave a comment

Graduation Day

On LIPA Graduation Day 2006 my fellow Companions to be inducted at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall included the late actress Lynda Bellingham, motivational speaker Sir Ken Robinson, electronics pioneer Dr. Jörg Sennheiser and actor Terence Stamp, honoured in his unavoidable absence. We all lined up for the traditional pre-ceremony photograph with Paul, before taking our places in the procession into the hall.

The format is virtually the same each year, with the new Companions and other VIP guests all gathering in the Philly’s Green Room ahead of the ceremony to be greeted by LIPA CEO Mark Featherstone-Witty. The first big moment occurs when Paul arrives, having usually flown up to Liverpool from his home in Sussex that morning, often in the middle of a big summer tour. It’s always a privilege to meet him there, while he always makes sure to greet old friends as well as LIPA staffers.

Paul Gives the Graduation Certificates Out

During the course of the next three hours, well over two hundred students will receive their Graduation certificates from Paul, while Mark introduces each new Companion at regular intervals, upon which they are required to make a speech.

By sod’s law I had to follow one of Britain’s most celebrated orators, Sir Ken Robinson (who sadly passed away in August 2020), who made such a brilliant, inspiring and humorous speech that I thought I may as well pack up and go home. But somehow I got through mine unscathed, with references to how the Beatles and Paul had influenced my life and career, working at record labels and other companies before starting SongLink, before ending with some words of encouragement to all the graduates along the lines of, “Follow your instincts in choosing your goals, if I can do it, so can you.”

Macca Liked My Speech

I must have made some impact on Paul as during the reception afterwards he said to me, “I didn’t know you’d done all that!” In other years we might discuss the latest SongLink Prize winners and nominees. For one day each year Paul also makes a point of spending time with each songwriter student during the Easter term, conducting short one-to one sessions during which he’s even been known to start co-writing a new song with some of them. Now that’s what I call integrity and dedication, otherwise known as being a “mensch”.

Happy birthday Paul!

What had d

David done for Paul to be so surprised? Find out in David Stark’s great book:

It’s All Too Much

It’s All Too Much is the unique memoir by music industry veteran David Stark, who grew up in north London during the 1960s as a dedicated Beatles fan and was lucky enough to meet his musical heroes on various memorable occasions. From gate-crashing the Yellow Submarine film premiere in 1968 (aged just fifteen) and ending up sitting directly behind the group, to meeting all of them individually in some extraordinary circumstances, David has some highly entertaining stories about his many Beatles encounters which have never been told before.

£14.99

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She Said she said with the beatles hairdresser

07/06/2021 liddypool Leave a comment

She Said She Said Podcast with Leslie Cavendish

SheSaidSheSaid Interview with Beatles Stylist Leslie Cavendish

June 2, 2021

Leslie Cavendish, trained in London by Vidal Sassoon as a master stylist (truly an artist), became not only The Beatles’ personal stylist, but also their trusted friend. He developed their post-Fabs look during the later Beatle years. They set him up in his own salon near the Apple Boutique.

His days were spent in the Apple offices, and he was a member of the Magical Mystery Tour Bus! When George Harrison invited the Hell’s Angels to Apple, they stayed in Leslie’s home! Leslie, with his own wry humor and delightful personality, will tell you true Beatles stories you’ve NEVER heard before?

Which Beatle was called “The Headmaster” and couldn’t sit still for a haircut? What were the earliest days of Yoko’s presence in Apple like? How did Jane Asher figure into Leslie’s career? This is a riveting interview. And his book, The Cutting Edge, is even better.

Enjoy!

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH LESLIE HERE

The Beatles

Unravelling the secret of the beatles

05/06/2021 liddypool Leave a comment

A Quest for the Secret of the Beatles

It is remarkable how many people – young – old – worldwide – become or remain intrigued by the legacy of The Beatles. Reissues, covers, films, fan sites, books, it provides an endless stream of new reflections on the music, life and cultural influence of The Fab Four. One such fascinated person is pharmaceutical scientist Peter Eijgenhuijsen, who was only twelve when The Beatles fell apart, but followed them with interest even then. Now at the age of 63 he publishes a book in which he reflects his own quest for the secret of The Beatles. “The Beatles Era, a Quest for the Secret of the Beatles” is written in English to reach a wide international audience and is available through Amazon.

Musical Development

Eijgenhuijsen, involved in daily life in writing registration files for new medicines, listened endlessly to details in the recordings, read every fragment that could be found about the boys and thought thoroughly every facet in order to understand the secret of The Beatles. He goes into detail about their musical development; from “Love me do” to “The End”, trying to find out why their music, fifty years later, still sounds fresh and remains interesting.

The Five Periods of The Beatles

Eijgenhuijsen divides his argument into five distinct periods: Before the Beatles, The Beatles Years, The Solo Years, The Reduced Solo Years, and After the Beatles, and tries to use these periods to explain why the Beatles became so great. He does this with wonder and admiration. To him it is not so much about what happened, but why it happened. The inability and frayed edges that also characterized the mutual relationships of the boys are often left out of consideration, but that is not necessarily a nuisance in a passionate argument in which the composition and performance of the most influential songs are central. McCartney’s musical genius and Lennon’s quirky originality are given free rein. Harrison’s fabulous final sprint as a songwriter is not forgotten.

Excellent Musical Knowledge

You can always argue about taste, but Eijgenhuijsen’s interpretations show excellent musical knowledge. Whether the secret of The Beatles is actually unravelled in this book is up to every reader. In any case, the writer of this piece was intrigued by the raised question that also occupies him and which he believes will continue to exist forever, because miracles cannot be explained.

Jan van Galen (original book review in Dutch on BEATLESFANCLUB.NL)

GET YOUR COPY NOW

The Beatles Era – A Quest for the Secret of The Beatles

Then this book is a book for you.

Because this book is not about what happened, but about why it happened.

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Filming paul mccartney at penny lane

01/06/2021 liddypool Leave a comment

Mike McCartney’s Wedding

On 31st May 1981, Mike McCartney decided to get married at St. Barnabas Church on Penny Lane, where brother Paul had once sang in the choir. Nigel Greenberg was asked to film the wedding, where, of course, Paul would get lots of attention as the best man.

Debbie Greenberg Recalls What Happened

Mike had told Nigel that the wedding party would be leaving the church by the rear door in Elm Hall Drive. We sat in the car for as long as possible before setting up the camera outside the rear door of the church because we knew that if someone saw a film crew they would realise what was happening.

St. Barnabas Church, Penny Lane, from Elm Hall Drive

We had barely had the chance to set up the equipment when a torrent of excited onlookers flooded around the corner of the church from Penny Lane to where we were positioned in Elm Hall Drive outside the rear entrance to the church. We could hear them coming long before they came into view. It wasn’t long before the road was bursting at the seams.

Camera at the ready, everybody was anxious to get a bird’s eye view of the bridge and groom and of course their idol Paul and his wife Linda.

We had to make sure that we were right at the front to capture every moment of this memorable occasion.

Read this story and more in Debbie Greenberg’s book, Cavern Club: The Inside Story

Cavern Club – The Inside Story

This first-hand account of Debbie’s teen years frequenting and eventually helping to run the original Cavern Club is the authentic inside story of the Beatles launch pad, full of triumphs and failures – and surprise celebrity encounters.

£13.50

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