http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EENbm2oeX0

Hear how The Beatles great song Dear Prudence came to be.  Prudence Farrow Burns tells about traveling to India to meditate. There she was paired with John Lennon and George Harrison. She discusses her fond relationship with them and how John so admired George. The song Dear Prudence was a simple and compassionate song, encouraging Prudence to deal with her anxiety and help to shape a better world.

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Dear Prudence Origins appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MnuNvzyfI4

George Martin discusses the making of the Beatles “Please Please Me”, the debut album by the Beatles was released on 22 March 1963.

Of the album’s fourteen songs, eight were written by Lennon–McCartney (originally credited “McCartney–Lennon”), early evidence of what Rolling Stone later called “[their invention of] the idea of the self-contained rock band, writing their own hits and playing their own instruments”. In 2012, “Please Please Me” was voted 39th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

In order for the album to contain fourteen songs (the norm for British 12″ vinyl pop albums at that time was to have seven songs on each side, while American albums usually had only five or six songs per side) ten more tracks were needed to add to the four sides of their first two singles recorded and released previously. Therefore, at 10:00 am on Monday, 11 February 1963, the Beatles and George Martin started recording what was essentially their live act in 1963, and finished 585 minutes later (9 hours and 45 minutes). In three sessions that day (each lasting approximately three hours) they produced an authentic representation of the band’s Cavern Club-era sound, as there were very few overdubs and edits. Optimistically, only two sessions were originally booked by Martin—the evening session was added later.

Martin had initially contemplated recording the album live at the Cavern in front of the group’s home audience and visited the Liverpool club on 9 December 1962 to consider the technicalities. But when time constraints intervened, he decided to book them at EMI Studios in Abbey Road instead and record them virtually live. Martin said, “It was a straightforward performance of their stage repertoire — a broadcast, more or less.”

The day ended with a cover of “Twist and Shout”, which had to be recorded last because John Lennon had a particularly bad cold and Martin feared the throat-shredding vocal would ruin Lennon’s voice for the day. This performance, captured on the first take, prompted Martin to say: “I don’t know how they do it. We’ve been recording all day but the longer we go on the better they get.”

The whole day’s session cost around £400 (£10,000 as of 2013). George Martin said: “There wasn’t a lot of money at Parlophone. I was working to an annual budget of £55,000.” This budget had to cover all of the artists on Martin’s roster. Individually, under a contract with the Musicians’ Union, each Beatle collected a seven pounds and ten shillings (£7.50) session fee for each three-hour session.

Martin considered calling the album “Off the Beatle Track” before “Please Please Me” was released on Parlophone PCS 3042. The album was recorded on a two-track BTR tape recording machine, with most of the instrumentation on one track and the vocals on the other, allowing for a better balance between the two on the final quarter-inch tape mix-down in mono. A stereo mix was made at the same time as the mono mix, with one track on the left channel and the other on the right, as well as an added layer of reverb to better blend the two tracks together. This was common practice for playback on stereo consoles.

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George Martin on the Beatles’ Please, Please Me appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Tf3WDriX4

On January 30, 1969, The Beatles gave their final live performance from the rooftop of Apple Records in London, England. The concert was a surprise and lasted 42 minutes. The concert was recorded for the 1970 documentary film Let It Be, and the Beatles played nine takes of five songs. In this video, one of the police officers sent to shut down the concert remembers getting to witness the concert, saying: “And despite my instructions to arrest The Beatles along with my colleagues, no one was ever going to do that because to have done so would have ended perhaps what would become the greatest concert that ever happened”.

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The Beatles Give Their Final Live Performance appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7JxcwO2HvU

“I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles was recorded in October 1963 and released in the United States on December 26, 1963. The song went on to become the band’s first number one hit in the United States, and was responsible for sparking Beattlemania in the United States. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 1, 1964, and remained there for seven weeks, before being replaced by another Beatles song “She Loves You”. In this video, American musicians recall the impact that the Beatles had on their lives. Says Tom Petty: “The Beatles was probably the big influence. Whoever was playing, rhythmically, I loved all that.”

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The Impact Of The Beatles’s “I Want To Hold Your Hand” appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st3c8UTw-6Q

Paul McCartney reminisces on writing songs with his fellow Beatles member, John Lennon. He tells a funny story of a time when Lennon, who was practically blind without his glasses on, mistook a nativity scene for a group of people playing cards for a ridiculous amount of hours outside. McCartney mentions how Lennon was greatly inspired by rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly–and mentions how they both appreciated how unlike Elvis, Holly wrote his own music: “Buddy wrote and played. And played the solos. He was a self-contained guy, which was what we were trying to emulate.”

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Paul McCartney on John Lennon & Their Love of Buddy Holly appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or0aEmkqlCI

The producer of the last recorded album by The Beatles, ‘Abbey Road,’ explains his recording experience with the group as well as the sentimental value of the record.

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The Making Of ‘Abbey Road’ appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdzVRHQJA14

Producer Glyn Johns recalls how he became involved with the initial recording of the Beatles song “Let It Be” and explains what it was like to watch the band work at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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Glyn Johns on the Recording of ‘Let It Be’ appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY8bwD7IRjs

Beatles member Paul McCartney reacts to the honor of receiving a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and explains why he never imagined something like this happening as a young boy in England.

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Paul McCartney’s Thoughts on His Walk of Fame Star appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecb1Fc49IDA

While promoting his new album, George Harrison is interviewed and talks about both his friendship with Eric Clapton and his continuing musical journey with ex bandmate Ringo Starr. Harrison describes how he met Clapton and then transitions into the type of drummer Starr is and why it was important to have him on his new album.

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George Harrison Discusses Clapton and Starr appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaWeOfZXeRo

In this in depth interview, John Lennon discusses Paul McCartney’s motivation for leaving The Beatles on April 10, 1970 and explains future goals he has for his music and personal life.

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John Lennon’s Thoughts on the Break Up appeared first on Witnify.