LISTEN ‘RAINY DAY WOMEN #12 & 35’ DURING ‘LET IT BE’ SESSIONS

On January 28th, 1969 as The Beatles were 17 days into the recording of their final album, John Lennon rolled into an impromptu cover of the band’s close friend; Bob Dylan.

George Harrison, who had grown close to Dylan at the time of recording Let It Be, had a recent jam session with the singer-songwriter fresh in his mind when Lennon began to sing ‘Rainy Day Women #12 & 35’ live from the band’s own Apple Studio.

On the 17th day of recording, after abandoning the Twickenham Film Studios location at the request of George, the band ran through a cover version of Duane Eddy’s song ‘Shazam’ before a creative and expansive tinkering with their song ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’ which lasted 17 different takes.

After that, to lighten the mood, the band performed a brief blues take on Dylan’s track which is combined with some laughter from before it fizzles out John with a simple comment: “God damn you little microphone.”

Listen ... HERE.

THE LAST TIME GEORGE HARRISON, RINGO STARR AND PAUL MCCARTNEY MET ALL TOGETHER IN NEW YORK

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr met for the last time at ailing George Harrison’s hotel in New York City for lunch.
It was the last time George, Ringo and Paul met all together. was because George felt he wasn’t going to live much longer. George passed away 17 days after this meeting.
Paul was the first to arrive after flying in from London with fiancee Heather Mills. Ringo drove over from a hotel nearby after jetting in a few days earlier. Frail, George was on medication and ate a vegetarian meal and drank only water.

According to the British tabloid, Sunday People, George was in high humor throughout the luncheon, recalling early adventures from their days together, including how he had thought his fellow Beatles were asleep when he lost his virginity in their shared Hamburg hotel room, only to have them cheer and clap when he had finished.

Ringo, who had flown in from Boston, where his 31 year-old daughter was being treated for a brain tumor, left after lunch when George went for treatment on Staten Island, but Paul insisted on remaining, spending the rest of the afternoon with the Harrisons.
“It was a spirited affair,” said Dr. Gil Lederman, who treated George, “not a somber one. There were lots of laughs and lots of fun. There were tears, but George remained very much a man of dignity. At the end, after both Paul and Ringo had left, he was fine and calm. He was a very happy man. This meeting meant so much to him. For me, it was a unique phenomenon to be there. The whole experience was an incredible one. These were the icons of my life – some of the most important people of the 20th century.”

He spent the rest of the day with him and his wife Olivia, cherishing their last moments together. George died two weeks later at a Paul’s home in Los Angeles on November 29th at age 58 from metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. He was cremated at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, his funeral was held at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in the Pacific Palasades, California, and his ashes were scattered in the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers near Varanasi, India, by his close family in a private ceremony according to Hindu tradition.

RISHIKESH : THE LAND OF GODS AND BEATLES

Experience the riff of religion, strum of spirituality and yodel of yoga

Rishikesh is like a Beatles melody. There’s a riff of religion, a strum of spirituality, a yodel of yoga.
People come to Rishikesh in search of God.
Rishikesh through fresh optics. Adventure sports. Food. Digital detoxification and The Beatles.

Beatles Ashram, also known as Chaurasi Kutia, (84 Cottages) is located opposite the Muni Ki Reti area of Rishikesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas. In the 60s and 70s, it was the International Academy of Meditation where Maharishsi Mahesh Yogi taught Transcedental Meditation. It was around February 1968 that the Beatles trooped in here and made it rock forever. They wrote 48 songs while there.
The site is run down with graffiti all over its walls but if you are a Beatles fan, a visit to the place is quite lovely.
A weekend at Rishikesh leaves you rebooted.
Getting to Rishikesh from Delhi is a song. And The Roseate Ganges is a hip hymn.