British Invasion Music News

The Rolling Stones have released their first new song in seven years. It’s titled Doom and Gloom, and it’s one of the two new tracks from their new album, GRRR! Greatest Hits, due for release a month from now.

The BBC premiered the hard-rocking tune this morning. It’s reminiscent of Jumping Jack Flash and Gimme Shelter with a  21st century theme:

Doom and Gloom was recorded in Paris a few months ago, along with a second new song, One More Shot, which hasn’t been released.

Earlier this week, guitarist Keith Richards revealed the Stones have been booked for concerts in New York or London, though he didn’t say when. The band’s sax player, Bobby Keys, says the shows will take place next month. But there’s been no official confirmation.

The hints are now flowing at a steady pace – the Rolling Stones are advising fans to stand by for some big news… perhaps a new record and/or a 50th anniversary concert.
The latest teaser appears on the group’s Facebook page and points to a mobile phone app. It pictures a growling cat whose eyes blink, with “Start Me Up” playing and the message “Keep Your Eyes Peeled.”

Just a couple of days ago, Mick Jagger tweeted a photo of himself in a Paris recording studio. This marks at least the third time the Stones have gathered recently. They rehearsed in the New York area in April for a documentary that will appear this fall on HBO. And last month, they celebrated their 50th year together with a photo exhibition in London.

At that time, Jagger told a British newspaper the Stones would perform live together this fall. And just before that, Keith Richards told Rolling Stone magazine that he was looking forward to writing songs again with Jagger and returning to the studio.

So stay tuned…

James McCartney says he’d like to start a second generation Beatles band with the sons of the other members.

James — who’s 34 and has played guitar on two of his father’s albums — says John Lennon’s son, Sean, and George Harrison’s son, Dhani, are also interested. But he adds that Ringo Starr’s son, Zak, is not.

The younger McCartney is playing today at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, where the Beatles rose to fame almost a half-century ago.

He says it’s difficult living up to his father’s legacy. “I’m not sure if I can do that,” James told the BBC. “I would love to be equal to the Beatles — but even that’s quite tough.”

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and The Who’s frontman, Roger Daltrey, joined Paul McCartney at London’s Royal Albert Hall Thursday, for a rousing version of the Beatles’ 1969 hit, ‘Get Back’. It’s the second time Wood and McCartney have teamed up on the song in recent months.

The performance was part of a weeklong series of benefits for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

McCartney’s set covered 30 songs, including Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Foxy Lady’ and 20 Beatles tunes. During the encore, he brought out Daltrey, Wood, and Paul Weller. Weller’s new album, Sonic Kicks, recently debuted at No. 1 on the British album charts.  Weller played rhythm guitar, Wood got a solo, and Daltrey sang harmony.

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Though the Beatles formed in 1960, it wasn’t until two years later that they scored their first hit, “Love Me Do.”

Their hometown of Liverpool is making plans to mark the occasion with a series of events running through the latter half of this year. It begins in August, the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first show at the Cavern Club. The city’s leading tour operator is organizing International Beatles Week, with bands from more than 20 countries. In addition to concerts, the sponsor plans exhibitions, memorabilia sales, guest speakers, video shows, sightseeing tours and a convention.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic will perform The Two of Us: The Lennon and McCartney Songbook in June, and the city’s Philharmonic Hall hosts a Beatles weekend in December.

In October, the “Love Me Do” weekend at Albert Dock will celebrate the release of the Beatles’ first single. [Read more...]

Even though they’re releasing albums within days of one another, Ringo Starr says he’s not in competition with Paul McCartney.

In an interview with Spinner, Ringo says it’s strictly a coincidence:

No, there’s no rivalry. Paul is Paul, Ringo is Ringo and this is what we do. We don’t phone each other and say, ‘You can’t you bring your record out because I’ve got one!’. We live our lives, we make our music and pick a release date. This was the date we picked and that’s just how it is.

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More than 40 years after the Beatles recorded “Here Comes The Sun,” they’ve found the George Harrison guitar solo that never made the final cut.

The Beatles’ producer, Sir George Martin, along with his son, Giles, and Harrison’s son, Djani, made the discovery at London’s Abbey Road studios, where the Beatles recorded the song in the summer of 1969. Harrison recorded the short solo on electric guitar, in contrast to the acoustic guitar tracks on the version that was released. [Read more...]