Today, I am going to tell you something you probably already knew: Tom Petty adored the Beatles. He loved them, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just like us, he enjoyed their music in capital letters, writ large—and instantly, also like most of us, from the very first moment he heard their arresting, awe-inspiring sound. Petty was a […]
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Everything Fab Four: The Other Side of Beatlemania
As music fans are well aware, the Beatles’ arrival on American shores in February 1964 ushered in the so-called British Invasion. Among those many invaders were a host of Liverpool acts spearheaded by Beatles manager Brian Epstein and producer George Martin. In short order, these Merseyside bands—namely, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and […]
In Search of the Fifth Fab
As Beatles fans well know, the band’s folklore is riddled with seemingly endless debates, both large and small, serious and mundane. At the upcoming Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago, the usual questions will undoubtedly make the rounds: Who was the better rock band—the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? (Who cares! They’re both essential chapters in […]
Everything Fab Four: George Harrison and the Summer of Haight
With Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band dominating the airwaves of Western radio, the Summer of Love was in full swing. In August 1967, George Harrison decided to fly to America’s west coast to see what all the fuss was about. To venture into the heart of San Francisco’s Haight-Asbury district, the primal scene of […]
Everything Fab Four: “All You Need Is Love” and George Martin
The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” single saw its American release 50 years ago this week on July 17, 1967. It was an incredible moment for the bandmates and for the world, topping the charts across the globe and serving as the unofficial anthem for the Summer of Love. Written primarily by John Lennon, […]