Rolling Stone's Top 100 Beatles Songs

We posted Rolling Stone's list of Top 10 Beatles songs a while ago... well, here is the Top 100! Do you agree? Are some of your favourites missing, like some of mine are?

1. A Day in the Life
2. I Want to Hold Your Hand
3. Strawberry Fields Forever
4. Yesterday
5. In My Life
6. Something
7. Hey Jude
8. Let It Be
9. Come Together
10. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
11. A Hard Day's Night
12. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) 
13. Revolution
14. She Loves You
15. Help!
16. I Saw Her Standing There
17. Ticket to Ride
18. Tomorrow Never Knows
19. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
20. Please Please Me
21. All You Need is Love
22. Eleanor Rigby
23. Abbey Road Medley 
24. Happiness is a Warm Gun
25. Here, There and Everywhere
26. If I Fell
27. You're Going to Lose That Girl
28. Here Comes the Sun
29. Can't Buy Me Love
30. We Can Work it Out
31. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
32. Penny Lane
33. I Am the Walrus
34. Eight Days a Week
35. Paperback Writer
36. I Should Have Known Better
37. She Said She Said
38. Blackbird
39. Day Tripper
40. For No One
41. Get Back
42. I Feel Fine
43. Drive My Car
44. All My Loving
45. No Reply
46. Don't Let Me Down
47. Things We Said Today
48. The Ballad of John and Yoko
49. The Night Before
50. Got to Get You Into My Life
51. If I Needed Someone
52. Helter Skelter
53. It Won't Be Long
54. Two of Us
55. Taxman
56. I'm Down
57. I'm Only Sleeping
58. I've Just Seen a Face
59. I Want You (She's So Heavy)
60. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
61. With a Little Help From My Friends
62. Girl
63. Dear Prudence
64. I've Got a Feeling
65. And I Love Her
66. Nowhere Man
67. Oh! Darling
68. Baby, You're a Rich Man
69. Julia
70. You Can't Do That
71. I'm a Loser
72. From Me to You
73. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
74. Yellow Submarine
75. Think for Yourself
76. Yer Blues
77. Because
78. And Your Bird Can Sing
79. I'll Follow the Sun
80. Mother Nature's Son
81. Hey Bulldog
82. She's Leaving Homes
83. I'm So Tired
84. Across the Universe
85. Back in the USSR
86. Lady Madonna
87. Love Me Do
88. Rain
89. Good Day Sunshine
90. The Long and Winding Road
91. Every Little Thing
92. Dig a Pony
93. Sexy Sadie
94. You Won't See Me
95. Any Time at All
96. Within You Without You
97. All I've Got to Do
98. Long, Long, Long
99. Yes It Is
100. Hello, Goodbye 

Our New Facebook Page

Check out our new Facebook page here - created to promote the blog and easily post Beatles news that doesn't require a full blog post! 

Led Zeppelin/Beatles Mash Up

Ravi Shankar's death and George Martin's Birthday

The Indian sitar legend and Beatles' long-time friend, Ravi Shankar, passed away on December 11 at age 92 after undergoing heart surgery.  The virtuoso is perhaps most well-known as being a good friend of George Harrison's and the one who taught him how to play the sitar, an instrument featured in some Beatles songs from 1966 onwards.  He has been said to be the most well-known contemporary Indian musician. 

On another note, today, January 3rd, marks the 87th birthday of producer George Martin.  He was the producer for every Beatles album except Let It Be, which was produced by Phil Spector. 

Lego Album Covers

Paul is Dead... again

Our previous post about the Paul is Dead myth generated multitudes of traffic and is the most popular post on our entire blog.  It is then only fitting that a follow-up episode is published, further delving into the greatest Beatles mystery.  There is still plenty of untouched material and supposed 'clues' circulating out there to sustain another great episode.  

Like I mentioned in the previous post, there are many videos on YouTube providing their 'evidence' of Paul's replacement with Faul. A lot of them closely analyse photographs from different years, picking out tiny differences between chin shape, nose shape or even a tooth. Some videos try to brainwash viewers into believing Paul was replaced while others try to steer viewers away from the myth.  Digging through YouTube, some pathetic and laughable fabrications were found.  It is obvious in some that the creators were scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for evidence.  Here are some favourites that were dug up: 

This one is all about Paul's teeth... or should we say, the many different Pauls' teeth. The video scrutinises footage over the decade, pointing out how the 'real' Paul has misaligned upper-left molars whilst Faul has nicely aligned ones.  It then goes further to suggest that many different Pauls were used right from 1963.  The legend suggests that he was replaced in 1966, but this video shows some Pauls in '63 with straight teeth and some with crooked teeth.  So what does this mean?  That Paul was simply not Paul right from the beginning?  Unlikely.  

What a lovely, sense-filled analogy.  This video actually crushes theories (watch the video for more 'clues' not mentioned our other post) by providing explanations for what they really are.  At the end they even ask a contemplative question: "What on earth would the other Beatles have gained from such an elaborative 'cover-up'?" They would've survived fine without Paul if he really did die, so what need would there be for a replacement to cover up his death?  

Now, this rubbish still believes in a Faul, but this time 'Billy Shears' is someone who's has plastic surgery to become the new Paul.  But guess who they claim "Phil Ackrill" (they are inconsistent by saying he is Billy Shears one minute and next minute says he is Phil Ackrill) is...? Neil Aspinall!  The Beatles' road manager/personal assistant turned head of Apple Corps.  So that basically means that not only was Paul replaced, but so was Neil.  More drivel!

There are many others, but here is a clip of Paul himself discussing the rumour on the David Letterman show. 

A mockumentary named Paul McCartney Really is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison was released as a result of a package arriving at the offices of Highway 61 Entertainment containing two cassette tapes dated December 30, 1999.  They were labelled The Last Testament of George Harrison.  A voice similar to George's tells the 'story' of how Paul died in 1966 and was replaced by a double and MI5 forced The Beatles to cover it up to avoid mass suicides of Beatles fans. The voice even claims that John Lennon was killed because he threatened to reveal the secret.

So, the ever-continuing urban legend still circulates.  The internet is filled with even more barbaric clues and videos featuring both similar and different content than the ones above.  The big question is:

Is Paul really dead?

Cirque du Soleil - LOVE

Many people across the universe have seen Cirque du Soleil's Love show at The Mirage in Las Vegas.  Debuting in 2006, the show combines remixed Beatles tracks with circus-based performances.  George Martin, the magical producer behind The Beatles' music, teamed up with his son Giles to remix 130 song samples, both unreleased and released, for the show.  The only piece specifically recorded for the show was the orchestral strings on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which was composed by George Martin.  The show is most days and the specially built theatre seats 2,013.  But little do many people know, the origins of the Love show. 

In 2000, guitarist George Harrison met with his friend Guy Laliberte, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil.  They discussed ideas for turning The Beatles' music into a Cirque show.  Three years later, after the death of Harrison in 2001, and Apple Corps., Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison (representing the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison, respectively) had negotiated with MGM Mirage and Cirque and thus the Love show was born.  

At the one year anniversary of the show, McCartney, Starr, Olivia and Yoko unveiled a plaque at the Mirage Hotel in honour of George and John.  There is a merchandise store at the Mirage. 

Pick the Beatles References

This creative picture features references to 70 Beatles songs.  See if you can name all 70!  If you're stumped, go here for the answers and click on each picture to hear a short clip of each song!

Note: the above link no longer works. Upon request, I will post my own answers with the songs I have found.
Update: I have now found made my own answers which can be found here!

Watch a video from Paul's Ewe Tube Channel

Paul's near disaster in helicopter mishap

Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy were just two feet away from disaster when the pilot of their helicopter became 'disorientated' in bad weather and plunged towards trees. (on May 3, 2012)
They avoided a potentially fatal crash with just a split second to spare when the pilot dramatically lifted the chartered Sikorsky S-76C away from the rain-lashed tree tops.
The drama happened as the aircraft, with the couple on board, attempted to land at night on a helipad at their East Sussex estate.
The helicopter eventually touched down safely after diverting to a nearby airport.