The Beatles

26 MAY… This Day Back In Time

Posted on by JL

26 May 2025

THE BEATLES released their 8th longplayer, masterpiece
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on 26 May 1967,
today 58 years ago.

The album had an immediate cross-generational impact and was associated with numerous touchstones of the era’s youth culture, such as fashion, drugs, mysticism,
and a sense of optimism and empowerment.

It topped nearly all album charts around the world.


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All Fab Four Albums
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Goth gods THE CURE released their 7th album
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me today 38 years ago,
on 26 May 1987.

Robert Smith: “It’s like an end to what we’ve been doing for the last 10 years.
This one is taking bits from everything we’ve done, all the bits that I’ve liked. But
there’s a single album’s worth of that and a single album’s worth of stuff we’ve
never really attempted before.”

No. 6 in the UK. No. 4 in Germany and Austria. No. 35 in the US.


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Instagram – All Albums
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THE ROLLING STONES reached the top seat of the UK Singles Chart
with Paint It, Black on 26 May 1966, today 59 years ago.

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes…

Instagram – Discography
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BLONDIE hit the top spot of the UK Singles Charts on 26 May 1979,
today 46 years ago with pop pearl Sunday Girl. It was part of their
splendid Parallel Lines LP.

The song was written by Chris Stein, inspired by Debbie Harry‘s cat, who was named
Sunday Man. The cat had recently run away, inspiring the song’s “plaintive” nature.

Instagram – Discography

8 May 1970 – THE BEATLES Released Final Album ‘LET IT BE’ 55 Years Ago Today

Posted on by JL

Significant longplayers from the past

8 May 2025

Today 55 years ago, on 8 May 1970, THE BEATLES
released their twelfth and final LP LET IT BE.

A criminally underrated Beatles album to my ears, featuring supreme
tracks such as Across The Universe, Let It Be, Get Back, I Got A Feeling and
The Long And Winding Road.

In January 1970, four months after John Lennon departed from
the band, the remaining Beatles completed the LP with the song
‘I Me Mine’.

Despite the longplayer’s commercial triumph – it topped
the charts in America and the UK – the reviews were mixed
when the record came out, later the opinions got suddenly
much better.

NME critic Alan Smith wrote (probably with earbuds in) : “If the new Beatles’
soundtrack is to be their last then it will stand as a cheapskate epitaph, a cardboard tombstone, a sad and tatty end to a musical fusion which wiped clean and drew again
the face of pop. The album showed contempt for the intelligence of today’s record-buyer”
and that the Beatles had “sold out all the principles for which they ever stood”.

Then again Let It Be was ranked number 86 on
Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums
of All Time in 2003.

KEY SINGLE

ALBUM


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Back sleeve

Macca, who actually didn’t actually Phil Spector production, enforced for a more pure rock remix of the album years later. It came out in 2003, titled Let It Be… Naked.

It featured alternate takes, edits, and mixes of the songs, mainly removing elements
added by Spector. The album omits the group chatter, ‘Maggie Mae’ and ‘Dig It’, and adds a live rooftop performance of ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, the B-side of the ‘Get Back’ single. It wasn’t on the original longplayer.

NAKED


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Instagram – All Albums

10 April 1970 – PAUL MCCARTNEY Left THE BEATLES Today 55 Years Ago

Posted on by JL

10 April 2025

55 years ago today, on 10 April 1970, the pop world woke up to horrible news.
27-year-old PAUL McCARTNEY revealed in a press statement that he had quit
THE BEATLES.

“I have no future plans to record or appear with
The Beatles again, or to write any music with John.”

But, it actually was John Lennon who broke up the group when
he already had left the Fab Four in late 1969. He had kept his
decision under wraps to aid the band’s business ventures.

His reaction to the Macca exit: “Paul hasn’t left. I sacked him.”


Front & back cover of the ‘McCartney’ LP.

A week later Paul released his solo
debut LP, named McCartney.

No troubles anymore, Paul?

THE BEATLES Released Hit Single ‘TICKET TO RIDE’ 60 Years Ago Today

Posted on by JL

Top singles from the past…

9 April 2025

The invincible masters of big tunes and catchy melodies THE BEATLES
released hit single TICKET TO RIDE 60 years ago today, on 9 April 1965.

The song was written by John Lennon. It topped the UK Charts.
Their 7th consecutive No.1 in their home country. Also at #1 in
the US, Canada and in several European countries.

Let’s take a ride.

THE BEATLES:  Facebook

1 April 1961 – THE BEATLES Started A Series Of 92 Straight Gigs In 3 Months In HAMBURG

Posted on by JL

1 April 2025

Eternal pop legends THE BEATLES began a three-month residency at The Top Ten Club,
in Hamburg, Germany, playing 92 straight nights. The group played for seven hours a night
on weekdays and eight hours at weekends with a fifteen-minute break every hour. Talking about Hard Day Nights.

Even more famous are their countless gigs at the Star-Club, also in Hamburg. From those shows, a double live album was recorded, Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962.

During that long stay German photographer Astrid Kirchherr cut The Fab Four‘s original, Scottish bassist Stuart Sutcliffe‘s hair into the style that became the “Beatle haircut”. .


Book by Spencer Leigh – 2011

ELTON JOHN Scored No. 1 Hit In The US With ‘LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS’ 50 Years Ago Today

Posted on by JL

Top singles from the past

5 Janaury 2025

Glam superstar ELTON JOHN topped the US Singles Chart on 6 January 1975,
this day 50 years ago with his cover of The Beatles song LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS. John Lennon played guitar on it. It was Elton‘s 3rd number one in the US.
On the single’s sleeve the performance was credited to the Elton John Band.

STUDIO

LIVE

THE BEATLES

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4 Number One Singles This Day 9 October… Years Ago

Posted on by JL

9 October 2024

Band: U2

Single: DESIRE (1988)
Album: Rattle And Hum

Their 12th single and first UK No. 1
On 9 October 1988
(more than 83 million
streams on Spotify)


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Artist: ROD STEWART

Single: MAGGIE MAY
Album: Every Picture Tells A Story

No. 1 in the UK
On 9 October 1971
(almost 350 million
streams on Spotify)

The late legendary DJ John Peel
is in this video too, on stage.

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Band: THE BEATLES

Single: YESTERDAY
Album: Help!

Topped the US Charts
on 9 October 1965
(more than 693 million
streams on Spotify)

Artist: RAY CHARLES

Single: HIT THE ROAD JACK
No 1 in the US
on 9 October 1961
(more than 431 million
streams on Spotify)