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Saturday, November 28, 2009 

Current mood:  artistic
Category: Music

The latest Harry release will be on Tuesday, Nov. 24th called Flashback (double CD). 

http://www.amazon.com/Flashback-Harry-Nilsson/dp/B002DHNB2M

 
Flash Harry
[]
 
 
with some Beatles guest appearances
I've got it (Ringo Starr: drums)
How long can disco on (co-written by Ringo Starr - Ringo Starr: drums)
Old dirt road (Harry Nilsson/John Lennon composition - Ringo Starr: possibly on drums)
Harry (Ringo Starr: possibly on drums).



       "We have flown the air like birds and swum the seas like fishes,
   but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers".
              Martin Luther King (1929-1968); US clergyman.



Currently listening:
As Time Goes By
By Harry Nilsson
Release date: 1996-10-08
10:49 PM 
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Saturday, November 28, 2009 

Current mood:  artistic
Category: Art and Photography

 
Ringo's ex's photo exhibit to open at Doran Gallery
[]
 

Ringo Starr and model/photographer Nancy Lee Andrews are photographed around 1975 by Terry O'Neill at their Los Angeles home. Courtesy

[]
 
  []
 

 
By KAREN SHADE World Scene Writer
 

Published: 11/5/2009  2:21 AM
Last Modified: 11/5/2009  3:33 AM

One flip through Nancy Lee Andrews' "A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll" tells you that she has led an extraordinary life.

Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr sleeping on a park bench in London; Leon Russell relaxing backstage after a concert in 1971; Angelina Jolie as a toddler playing in a pool at Starr's Los Angeles home ­ which was Andrews' home, too.

An international Ford model in the 1960s and 1970s, Andrews picked up the camera and saw a world that few people knew existed beyond the stage lights.

"The years went by very quickly being with Ringo," Andrews said in a phone interview from Nashville, Tenn., her home since the 1990s. "It was quite a lifestyle, but at the same time, we tried to keep it as normal as possible, especially with the children and home."

Starr's is the most photographed face in "A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll," Andrews' collection of photos shot mostly in the 1970s.

Not all the photos were taken in that decade, and a few are credited to other artists, including a photo of Eric Clapton walking from Stonehenge in 1970. The photographer was the late Carl Radle ­ a Tulsa musician, Andrews' first love and her introduction into the world of mad dogs, Englishmen and a rock 'n' roll world climbing out of the haze of the '60s.

"There was no way that I wanted to do a tell-all book, which could be pretty saucy," she said.

Andrews will exhibit several important works from her collection at M.A. Doran Gallery, 3509 S. Peoria Ave. The exhibit will run concurrent with

Both sides of the lens

Andrews was no stranger to the camera, having been photographed for international fashion magazines by the likes of Richard Avedon, Bert Stern and James Houghton.

It was Milton Greene ­ famous for his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe ­ who noticed Andrews' curiosity about the camera. He had taken a centerfold photo of her that appeared in Life magazine's October 1969 issue.

"I wa so interested in what was going on," she said, "what the photographers were doing, the process of setting it up and getting the picture and capturing the moment. Once I got a camera in my hand, the passion really started."

When she met Radle, she said, she knew her days as a model were over. When he wasn't touring with Russell, they lived together in Tulsa. She credits Radle with helping her go even further in photography.

Andrews met Starr on the road and spent six years with him. Her photos catch him in poses for album covers, in quieter times, and in moments in which he was being himself and not the icon he was becoming.

The collection, published last year by Dalton Watson Fine Books, includes friends she made in those years that still seem extraordinary to her. Andrews and Starr parted ways in 1980 when he met Barbara Bach on the set of "Caveman."

"Photographers look at their photos as part of their DNA," Andrews said. "They look at themselves as timekeepers. Well, I look at myself as like a timekeeper. There was no way, even in my angriest moments. I just tucked them away. I knew they also were part of my life." -----

Currently watching:
Across the Universe [UMD for PSP]
Release date: 2008-02-05
9:50 PM 
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Friday, November 27, 2009 

Current mood:  energetic
Category: News and Politics
The European Parliament will host a major event on global warming and food policy on 3 December where Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Dr Rajendra K. Pachauri and environmental activist Sir Paul McCartney will urge legislators and experts to focus on what an individual can do to fight climate change, for example by eating less meat.

The "Global Warming and Food Policy: Less Meat = Less Heat" hearing takes place on 3 December, in Parliament's plenary chamber, in Brussels, from 10.00 to 12.30, chaired by Vice-President Edward McMillan-Scott. The opening speech is to be delivered by Parliament's President Jerzy Buzek. It will be followed by a press conference.


The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) produced a major report ‘Livestock’s Long Shadow’ in 2006 which demonstrated that meat production is much less efficient in the use of various inputs and very intensive in emissions of greenhouse gases and water use as compared to equivalent vegetarian food production.


On the eve of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen the event reflects a perception that climate change needs to be addressed at all levels – especially individual but also at local, regional, national, across Europe and worldwide.


As a legislative body, Parliament votes on the EU laws that help to slow climate change. Parliament has thoroughly examined climate change issues with respect to agriculture, food and development policies and will present its views to the heads of governments meeting in the Danish capital from 7 - 18 December 2009.


Practical information  


Press conference with EP Vice-President Edward McMillan-Scott, Dr Rajendra K. Pachauri and Sir Paul McCartney at 12.30, PHS 0A050, Anna Politkovskaya room.


Photo opportunity with EP President Jerzy Buzek, Dr Rajendra K. Pachauri, Sir Paul McCartney and Vice-President Edward McMillan-Scott at President's office, at 10.50 hours (limited access).


Currently listening:
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
By Paul McCartney
Release date: 2005-09-13
4:42 PM 
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Friday, November 27, 2009 

Current mood:  blissful
Category: Music

11/19/09, 1:46 pm EST

Photo: Mazur/MPL/WireImage

Ringo Starr grabbed a little help from his friends for his new album Y Not, due January 12th, 2010. The Beatles drummer will be joined by his Fab Four bandmate Paul McCartney on a couple of tracks, including first single “Walk With Me,” which finds Macca and Starr sharing vocals. Other guests and songwriters on Y Not, Ringo’s first album since 2008’s Liverpool 8, include Joe Walsh, Joss Stone, Van Dyke Parks, Ben Harper and Richard Marx.
Talking about working with his old Beatles mate, Starr said in a press release, “Paul was doing the Grammys, so he came over to the house and was playing bass on ‘Peace Dream.’ So I played him this other track and Paul said, ‘Give me the headphones. Give me a pair of cans.’ And he went to the mike and he just invented that part where he follows on my vocal. That was all Paul McCartney, and there could be nothing better.”
“He makes it bigger and he makes it fuller,” Starr said of McCartney’s work on “Walk With Me,” which was co-written by Starr and Parks. “It makes the song like a conversation between us, and that was Paul’s idea to do his part one beat behind me. That’s why he’s a gen-i-us and an incredible bass player.” Macca last appeared on a Starr album over a decade ago, on 1998’s Vertical Man. The pair also reunited earlier this year at a benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall.
Y Not also marks Starr’s first major foray into producing. “I was the least involved in the production of the Beatle records. And then with my solo records, ” Starr said. “Then suddenly, it’s another point in your life, and you say, ‘I’m going do this now.’ So I’ll be producing anything I make from now on. That’s the good news. It’s a confidence thing, I suppose. And Y Not is really another way of me saying, ‘Yes, I can.’ ” Y Not also includes the autobiographical “The Other Side of Liverpool” and opening track “Fill in the Blanks,” which features Starr’s brother-in-law, guitarist Joe Walsh.
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Currently listening:
Y Not
By Ringo Starr
Release date: 2010-01-12
4:36 PM 
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Friday, November 27, 2009 

Current mood:  excited
Category: Music
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Having been at the centre of speculation earlier this week as whether he's going to be appearing on the 'The X Factor' final or not, former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has hinted that he might be tempted to take his Fireman side-project on the road.

Speaking to the Quietus at the launch of his new live DVD, 'Good Evening New York City,' McCartney said: "We might well have to do a special venue and say, 'We're only doing Fireman stuff tonight and nothing else!' and if people went for that then we'd have something."

McCartney went on to reveal that working with ex-Killing Joke bassist and producer Youth under the Fireman banner afforded him an artistic freedom that he might not necessarily get recording under his own name.


"Yeah, it does free you up," McCartney said. "And I like working with Youth on the Fireman stuff which is nice 'cos you get away from [fans'] expectations and it's very nice to do. Consequently it makes for a very free album and we can go anywhere and the idea of taking it on the road is cool."

McCartney also joked that stage fright in the 1960s almost made him quit the Beatles.

He said: "They used to have a thing called the NME Poll Winners Party, where the owner of the NME would get us, the Stones, all the top acts, to come and perform for nothing! This was a couple of years into the Beatles' career," he said.

"So I remember being on the steps of Wembley Town Hall, literally getting ill with nerves, and thinking, 'I've got to give this business up, this is no good.' It was quite nerve-wracking."
Currently listening:
Electric Arguments
By The Fireman and Youth Paul McCartney
Release date: 2008-11-25
4:22 PM 
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Friday, November 27, 2009 

Current mood:  intense
Category: Friends
If you keep an eye on DisneyAuditions.com, you’ll see that Casting is constantly looking for people to play the Characters. New hirers who’d be willing to climb inside one of those often hot walk-around suits and then go out & entertain Guests on a Disney cruise ship and/or in one of the theme parks.
But this coming weekend, the Mouse is taking a break from recruiting for the Fab Five (i.e. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy & Pluto) and -- instead -- is concentrating on finding performers who'd be interested in portraying the Fab Four.
As in John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Beatles Yellow submarine..
Copyright Apple Corps 2009. All Rights Reserved
Yep – this Saturday and Sunday – as Beatles fans from all over the globe descend on Stamford, CT for BEATexpo 2009 – Victoria Burrows & Scot Boland will be setting up shop in the Shippan Point Room at the Downtown Holiday Inn. And from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on November 28th and from 12 noon to 8 p.m. on November 29th, these casting agents will be meeting with aspiring singers, actors & musicians who’d be interested in appearing in what (for this set of auditions, anyway) is being called the fab four feature film.
Okay. I know. You just hammered on the above link. Which then took you to the official webpage for this opening casting call. And while there is lots of information there about Saturday & Sunday’s auditions, The Walt Disney Company is only mentioned in passing. As in:
(This) film will be shot as a MOTION-CAPTURE feature like the current Disney release of A CHRISTMAS CAROL starring Jim Carrey.
Beatles yellow submarine
Copyright 2009 ImageMovers Digital. All Right Reserved
“So how I do know that this strange set of auditions in Stamford, CT has any real ties to The Walt Disney Company?,” you ask. Okay. Let me connect the dots for you.
Disney's Dick Cook revealing that the rumored
At the Walt Disney Pictures presentation at the D23 Expo, Dick Cook revealed
that Disney's rumored "Yellow Submarine" remake is a go. Photo by Eric
Charbonneau. Copyright 2009 Disney. All Rights Reserved
    And given that the official website for this fab four feature film says that performers who audition for this project will have the opportunity to show Victoria & Scot that they …
“ … can embody the characters of John, Paul, George or Ringo.”
… It doesn’t really take a rocket scientist to figure out that what’s going on next Saturday & Sunday in Stamford is the first round of auditions for Disney’s new performance capture version of “Yellow Submarine.” Even though – as you look over that open casting call webpage – you’ll find absolutely no mention of ImageMovers Digital’s upcoming Disney Digital 3D remake of that 1968 hand-drawn animated feature.
Beatles
Copyright Apple Corps 2009. All Rights Reserved 
Performers who are seriously looking to be considered for the fab four feature film are being asked by Burrows/Boland to head on over to the Showfax website. Where they can then download the sides for the specific Beatles that they'd like to portray.
And when Burrows/Boland say specific, they mean specific. These auditions are only open to male performers 20 – 45 years of age. What’s more, Victoria & Scot suggest that – if you want to be seriously considered for these parts (Which – as the open casting call website says – “ … are LEAD ROLES IN OUR FEATURE FILM”) – you should not only be able to replicate John, Paul, George and Ringo's unique vocal quality from 1967 & 1970 but also be able to duplicate the Beatles’ distinct body language & gestures.
Mind you, to help out with the latter aspect of this audition, Burrows/ Boland have provided plenty of video reference footage from interviews that these Liverpudlians did back in the 1960s. Not to mention brief clips from that great black-and-white Richard Lester film, “A Hard Day's Night.”
Beatles Yellow Submarine
Copyright Apple Corps. All Rights Reserved
Of course, given that Burrows / Boland will be holding these auditions at BEATexpo 2009, what Victoria & Scot are hoping that 99.999% of the performers that they’ll be seeing on Saturday & Sunday won’t need to look at any video reference footage. Given that Stamford will be crawling with Beatles tribute bands this coming week … Well, Burrows / Boland hopes to cherry-pick the very best faux Johns, Pauls, Georges and Ringos out of all of these groups to then consider for casting in “Yellow Submarine.”
Now what kind of confuses me about these fab four feature film auditions is the heavy emphasis that Victoria & Scot have placed on “ … We are looking for the vocal quality that (The Beatles) had from 1967 – 1970.” Which would suggest that the people who will be auditioning for this ImageMovers Digital production will (if they do get cast, that is) be expected to sing at some point in the finished film.
But if that’s really the case … Then why Disney & ImageMovers Digital spend months negotiating with Sony / ATV Music Publishing LLC and EMI-Capitol Records for the right to incorporate 16 Beatles songs & recordings from the original “Yellow Submarine” soundtrack into the new Disney Digital 3D version of this film?
Beatles Yellow Submarine
Copyright Apple Corps. All Rights Reserved
More to the point, given that – just over two weeks ago – Robert Zemeckis (while he was out doing publicity for “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”) was quoted as saying that he hoped to persuade the two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr, to come play themselves in this performance capture picture … One has to wonder what’s really going on here. Is what Burrows / Boland will be doing in Stamford, CT this coming weekend a legitimate open call or some big publicity stunt to help hype Disney’s “Yellow Submarine” remake? Or are John Lennon & George Harrison lookalikes / sound-alikes primarily what Victoria & Scot are now looking for?
Whatever the case is here … You have to admit that there’s probably no better way to get the Beatles fan community excited about this Disney Digital 3D remake of “Yellow Submarine” than by holding auditions for this project at BEATexpo 2009. Imagine how many members of Beatles tribute bands will spend the next few days hoping & praying that they’ll soon plunked from obscurity to then become a part of this big budget performance capture project?
So for those of you who ever dreamed of becoming part of the Fab Four (as opposed to Disney’s Fab Five) I say (borrowing a phrase -- sort of -- from “Drive My Car” on the Beatles’ “Rubber Soul” album) yes, you’re gonna be a star. Provided – of course – that you can do a halfway decent Liverpudlian accent.
Beatles Yellow submarine
Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved
And for those who are seriously thinking about heading down to Stamford next Saturday & Sunday to try out for Burrows / Boland … Now cribbing from John Lennon’s ad-lib at the end of “Get Back” from “Let It Be” : “I’d like to say good luck on behalf of the group and myself, and I hope that you all pass the audition.”
Your thoughts?
Currently listening:
Yellow Submarine (1999)
By The Beatles
Release date: 1999-09-14
4:13 PM 
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Thursday, November 26, 2009 

Current mood:  nostalgic
Category: Music
http://link.history.com/services/player/bcpid49911630001?bclid=49952806001&bctid=51679279001
 


Premieres Wednesday November 25 at 10/9c




About the Show



In 1962, an unknown group from Liverpool entered Abbey Road Studios to record their debut single. During the next eight years they created what is arguably regarded as the greatest collection of studio recordings of the 20th century. This special charts The Beatles' extraordinary journey in the studio from "Please Please Me" to "Abbey Road" and reflects on how they developed as musicians, matured as songwriters and created a body of work that sounds as fresh in 2009 as the time it was recorded. Narrated entirely by John, Paul, George, Ringo and Sir George Martin, the documentary features over 60 classic songs, rare footage and photos from The Beatles' archives and never heard before out-takes of studio chat from the "Abbey Road" recording sessions.
» Schedule

The Beatles Timeline

October 19, 1941 John Lennon born
Lennon lived with his aunt after his father left...
June 18, 1942 Paul McCartney born
The son of a jazz-band leader, McCartney...
July 6, 1957 Paul McCartney meets John Lennon
15-year-old McCartney attends a church picnic...
November 9, 1961 Brian Epstein meets the Beatles
At a Liverpool nightclub called the Cavern...
January 1, 1962 Beatles audition for Decca
Beatles audition for London record company...
February 11, 1963 Beatles record "Please Please Me"
The group had recorded the title song in 1962...
February 4, 1964 Beatles arrive in New York
Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 from London...
March 16, 1964 "Can't Buy Me Love" released
The album broke numerous records...
March 28, 1964 Beatles break Elvis' record of consecutive hits
The Beatles break Elvis Presley's seven-year record...
October 26, 1965 Beatles receive medals
The Queen of England awards the Beatles...
August 29, 1966 Beatles' last tour date
At Candlestick Park in San Francisco...
June 1, 1967 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band released
The album, which took four months and $75,000...
June 25, 1967 Beatles record "All You Need Is Love"
An estimated 400 million people watched...
August 27, 1967 Beatles' manager Brian Epstein dies
Epstein, who had managed the group since...
September 28, 1968 "Hey Jude" breaks records
Over seven minutes long, it was the longest...
January 30, 1969 Beatles last public appearance
Giving an impromptu concert on the roof of...
April 10, 1970 McCartney announces Beatles breakup
Their next album, Let It Be, was released...
June 13, 1970 Last Beatles chart-topper
"The Long and Winding Road" hits the top...
December 8, 1980 John Lennon shot
The 40-year-old artist was entering his luxury...
August 30, 1984 Beatles auction
Auction items included Ringo Starr's snare drum...
March 11, 1997 Paul McCartney knighted
Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his...
Currently listening:
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Remastered)
By The Beatles
Release date: 2009-09-09
3:33 AM 
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009 

Current mood:  grateful
Category: Life


Proceeds from the song, "LUCY," will be donated to the Lupus Foundation of America and the St. Thomas Lupus Trust
WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Julian Lennon, son of the legendary John Lennon, and James Scott Cook announced today that they will donate a portion of the proceeds from their song, "LUCY," to fund research on the disease lupus. The song was created to honor Cook's 92-year-old grandmother, Lucy Cook, who has been living with lupus for years and Lucy Vodden, a childhood friend of Lennon's who recently passed away at the age of 46 after a long battle with lupus. Vodden was also the subject of a drawing that Julian created which inspired his father to write the memorable Beatles hit song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." Proceeds donated from the song, "LUCY," will be shared equally by the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA), and the St. Thomas Lupus Trust in London.
Sandra C. Raymond, LFA President and CEO, issued the following statement:
"We thank Julian Lennon and James Scott Cook for their generous support, which will not only help fund lupus research, but will also go a long way to help raise awareness and draw international attention to this perilous disease. All proceeds from the song will be restricted for use in LFA's National Lupus Research Program, Bringing Down the Barriers, which directs grants to lupus researchers in academic medical centers throughout the United States for research on the causes and epidemiology of lupus, pediatric lupus, lupus kidney disease, cardiovascular disease in lupus, adult stem cell transplantation, novel approaches to the development of new treatments, among other areas.
"We applaud Julian and James for calling attention to the urgent need for lupus research. It has been more than 50 years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new treatment for lupus. In fact, to date there has never been a drug approved specifically for lupus, since the disease was discovered more than a century ago. Physicians who treat people with lupus often must rely on medications that have toxic side effects; some side effects are worse than the disease itself. For people with lupus, finding less toxic therapies is vital to not just their quality of life, but for many, their survival.
"Lucy Vodden and Lucy Cook represent people with lupus around the world who are either living with lupus, or have succumbed to the disease, demonstrating the varied and sometimes devastating impact that lupus can have on individuals and their families. This life altering disease typically strikes young women in their childbearing years, yet a public opinion survey demonstrated that 80 percent of women know little or nothing about the disease.
"Our hope is that the efforts of Julian and James will inspire others, and serve as a catalyst for the public to join us in working to change the future for the millions of people around the world like Lucy. We encourage people to pay tribute to both of these women and all those living with lupus by downloading the song 'LUCY' through iTunes beginning December 15, 2009."
About Lupus
Lupus is an acute and chronic, autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced, causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually any organ in the body. Its health effects include heart attacks, strokes, seizures, miscarriages, and organ failure. Ninety percent of the people with lupus are women, and it is two to three times more common among African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, and Asians. Lupus is unpredictable and potentially fatal, yet at present no satisfactory treatment or cure exists.
About the LFA
The LFA is the foremost national nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus, and providing support, services, and hope to all people affected by lupus. Founded in 1977, the LFA has a nationwide network of nearly 300 chapters and support groups and operates programs of research, education, and advocacy. For more information about lupus, or to make a donation to support lupus research, visit www.lupus.org.
SOURCE Lupus Foundation of America
Currently listening:
Lucy
By Julian Lennon and James Scott Cook
Release date: 2009-12-15
6:33 AM 
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Sunday, November 22, 2009 

Current mood:  rockin
Category: Music

From: Yoko Ono
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 9:58 PM


Between The Sky And My Head by Yoko Ono
 
Dear Friends,
Just before the worldwide announcement of the economic shock, my son announced the birth of a music company called CHIMERA
 
. Nice name. The first sound Ki, is Ki:Air, and the minute you pronounce that syllable, you feel the power of Ki.

Music world was at the lowest point then. Many music related outfits were closing down. So why a new company? We all wondered what my son thought he was doing. Is he going crazy? But when I looked closely into what he was doing, I suddenly realized that he was attempting to create a kind of revolution in the music world. It was a quiet manifesto of a young producer trying to change the system for the better. Oh, that's where he's going? I was shocked.

It reminded me of what I did in Chambers Street Concert Series 50 odd years ago. It also was John and me, how we went gung-ho about our ideas and went with all of them, no matter what. The blood is speaking, I thought. The son is wearing a suit. We wore beatnik black and then hippy blue. But the spirit seems to not have died. It may have gotten stronger, in fact. In those days, the music world was not so controlled corporatively and legally. So it wasn't difficult to cut through to try to change the scene. It's a harder game now.

I recorded and gave two new songs to Chimera to celebrate the beginning of it's musical voyage. Then Sean said I should do my next album with Chimera. I thought, OKAY. In a real world, jumping into making an album with your son, is probably a no, no move for a mother to take. If it's all alright, then fine. But once there is an argument, it may get out of hand. But those things hadn't occurred to me. It seemed like a beautiful wide road was presented to me, and I would be a fool to not take it.

The sessions went more than great. We both learnt about each other in the way we haven't ever, by learning to respect each other's musicianship. I thought I was taking a big chance. But instead, I saw that we were creating miracles. I not only found out that my son was a brilliant music man, but he knew how to deal with musicians. Encouraging them while he got them to do what he had wanted them to do, kinda thing. Which is a normal thing all producers do. But seeing your son do it was like seeing the NY City for the first time. Even with me, he was his professional self- saying good morning and rushing to me to hug me when I arrive at the studio. When did I see him do that, except when he was five, maybe, I thought.

We communicated on the most intricate level of musical exchange. It was intense - night and day. And never a bad word passed between us.

It relaxed me, too, to be part of Chimera. Because, unlike the scenes I was use to travelling, the group of Chimera musicians are all songwriters of the future. And it's nice to know that I am one, too. Well, I am, baby. Don't have any doubts about that one!

It's also an honour bestowed on you by your son that he wanted to do yours first. Well, if you think that's saying a bit much... give me two names of a son and a mother doing something like this... And we are speaking of a very difficult mother and son, each with own firm musical ideas. I think Sean had courage in thinking he wanted to do this.

The fact that he knew every song I wrote and remembered the intros, was a surprised to me, since John and I made a big effort in not letting our son be burdened with the memory of our music. So he did listen... without telling us... These are things I wish I could report to John. He would have loved it.

One night, I was lying down on the sofa in the studio, trying to catch a catnap. I suddenly noticed that somebody quietly covered me with a khaki army surplus coat. That was exactly what John did when we were going through a long recording session one night. The coat was that coat, except that this one was a bit new and a bit hard on my skin. I looked up, and it was Sean who was doing exactly what John did. It was really a weird moment for me. For me to say John was probably there, is so predictable. But I really wondered.

Sean is still acting like most people of his generation. When he visits his mom, he sits in his favorite sofa and start communicating with somebody on the other end of his blackberry. So I feel very lucky that I saw the other side of him. The one who can say good morning, and hug his mom, when he's on his job. Thank you son, I'm already missing the sessions. It's been great.


love, yoko


Yoko Ono
September 2009
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band - Between My Head And The Sky
 
YOKO ONO PLASTIC ONO BAND
BETWEEN MY HEAD AND THE SKY
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★★★★★ "Excellent, essential" UNCUT
 
★★★★★ "Fantastically cool, fearlessly weird" DAILY TELEGRAPH
 

★★★★ "Brilliant, absorbing, thoughtful" THE INDEPENDENT
 

★★★★ "Challenging, tender" OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY
 

★★★★ "The best work of her musical career" NME
★★★★ "Brawny, brainy avante-rock" THE ONION (AV CLUB)
 

★★★★ "Beautifully desolate, bittersweet" PITCHFORK
 

★★★★ "Truly vital: unsettling, touching, funny, undeniable" ROLLING STONE
 

★★★★ "Hell, yeah! Will coax your heart wide open" SPIN
 

★★★★ "Artworks-as-song with vigour" Q MAGAZINE
★★★★ "Crackling with excitement" MOJO
★★★★ "Audacious, deeply focussed, wonderfully colorful and deeply expressive" ALL MUSIC GUIDE
 

★★★★ "Expressively melodic voice" DUSTED MAGAZINE
 
 

CDs, Vinyl, Downloads and other merchandise directly from Lennon-Ono source. Ships worldwide.

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Rising
By Yoko Ono
Release date: 1995-11-07
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Sunday, November 22, 2009 

Current mood:  blissful
Category: Music

Ringo Starr Declares 'Y Not'!

 

For the first time ever, Starr produces himself on his most personal album yet. Ringo is joined on Y Not by old and new friends including Paul McCartney, with whom Starr sings on Y Not's stunning first single, 'Walk With You,' a moving new song about the power of friendship. Ringo meets Hip-O on Starr's latest solo effort released January 12th on Hip-O Records/UMe





LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Throughout recorded history, great artists across the universe have dared to ask "Why?" On January 12, 2010, one brave man named Ringo finally boldly declares the ultimate answer -- Y Not.
For the first time in one of popular music's most enduring and illustrious careers, Ringo Starr has decided to take charge and produce himself. The result is perhaps the most personal and impressive album of this rock legend's entire solo career. How on earth did Starr finally locate the absolutely perfect producer to work with him? "Well, I looked in the mirror," Ringo says with a smile. "And I was looking real groovy that day."
Starr's decision to take a stronger role in the recording of his latest and greatest solo album was a significant and fortuitous one. "I didn't do it at the start," Starr says. "I was the least involved in the production of the Beatle records. And then with my solo records, I worked with some other great producers like Richard Perry, Arif Mardin, and Don Was. So it just seemed like that's the way that it goes. Then suddenly, it's another point in your life, and you say, 'I'm going do this now.' So I'll be producing anything I make from now on. That's the good news. It's a confidence thing, I suppose. And Y Not is really another way of me saying, 'Yes, I can.'"
The joyous result of Starr looking in the mirror is Y Not, a groovy and deeply felt song cycle that finds Ringo leading a smaller core group of old and new friends including longtime pal and recent brother-in-law Joe Walsh, Dave Stewart and longtime Roundheads member Steve Dudas on guitar, Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on keyboards, Don Was and Mike Bradford on bass. The album also features Starr's engineer and co-producer Bruce Sugar on keyboards, as well as some special guests like Joss Stone, Ben Harper and Richard Marx on vocals, Ann Marie Calhoun on violin and Tina Sugandh -- aka Tina The Tabla Girl - on tabla and chanting. Starr's songwriting collaborators on Y Not also include familiar and new names like Joe Walsh, Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Glen Ballard, Richard Marx, Van Dyke Parks, Gary Nicholson plus Gary Wright and his former Roundhead band member, Gary Burr.
Yet no collaborator featured on Y Not is likely to receive as much attention as Starr's former bandmate and longstanding mate Paul McCartney, who adds a characteristically brilliant bass part to the inspiring "Peace Dream" -- Starr's latest heartfelt plea for peace and love -- and even more notably provides his unmistakably fabulous vocals to "Walk With You," an exquisite new composition by Starr and Van Dyke Parks.
"Walk With You" is a moving, even spiritual meditation about the lasting power of friendship, and McCartney's inspired participation on the track was a testament to McCartney's generosity of spirit and musical talent. "Paul was doing the Grammys, so he came over to the house and was playing bass on 'Peace Dream.' So I played him this other track and Paul said, 'Give me the headphones. Give me a pair of cans.' And he went to the mike and he just invented that part where he follows on my vocal. That was all Paul McCartney, and there could be nothing better. He makes it bigger and he makes it fuller. It makes the song like a conversation between us, and that was Paul's idea to do his part one beat behind me. That's why he's a gen-i-us and an incredible bass player."
Indeed, there's a whole lot of genius on display throughout Y Not. Highpoints here include "Fill In The Blanks," the album's rocking opening track written, played and sung only by Starr and Walsh. Then there's "The Other Side Of Liverpool," a revealing autobiographical song that explores Starr's earliest and darkest days. "People believe I was born, was a Beatle and lived in a big house," Starr explains. "And where I come from was a very dark, damp, violent neighborhood. I wanted to write another little snapshot of my life, and I'm going to do this every album. It's better for me than doing it in a book. In two lines I can say what would take five pages. Like the song says, 'The other side of Liverpool is cold and damp/Only way out of there/drums, guitar and amp.'"
Starr was already particularly thrilled with one early review for the first album he produced that came from someone he helped produce too. "I just played it for my son Zak," Starr explains. "And Zak was so great. He said, 'Dad, it's great. This rocks! You should have been doing this forever.' It's nice coming from your boy, especially since he's a really good drummer."
Listen for yourself. And hear Ringo Starr -- also a really good drummer -- doing exactly what he should be doing today and forever.
Why?
Y Not.
-David Wild, November 2009
SOURCE Universal Music Enterprises

Currently listening:
Ringo
By Ringo Starr
Release date: 1991-04-23
4:45 PM 
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