BEATLES MAGAZINE

Thursday, 13 August 2026

A STATUE COULD BE BUILT FOR HENRY McCULLOGH IN IRELAND

A statue could be erected for Henry McCullough in Ireland. According to the BBC, there are real and growing petitions driven by fans and family to erect a permanent monument or statue in honor of the late guitarist Henry McCullough in his hometown of Portstewart, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

McCullough started out with several local bands, including Eire Apparent, which toured with Jimi Hendrix. In the late 1960s, he was part of The Grease Band, the group that accompanied Joe Cocker at the iconic Woodstock Festival and toured with artists like Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd.

McCullough spent 18 months touring and recording with Wings in the 1970s, after being invited to join the band following a series of jam sessions with Paul McCartney.

"A statue would mean a lot ... he deserves to be recognized for the unique person he was," said McCullough's wife, Josie. "It would be wonderful to have something to mark all of that. We all know Henry was very humble; I think that came from his upbringing. He never forgot his roots. It is very important to have something in Portstewart," she said. Local musician Wes Gilmore said he had spoken with the Causeway Coast and Glens Council about the prospect of a permanent monument to the guitarist.

He is also speaking with local MLAs, he said, and hopes to have a meeting soon with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

"I am hopeful that something will happen," he said, adding that McCullough's music "means a lot to me."

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Wednesday, 12 August 2026

ON THIS DAY AUGUST 12

August 12

1963

Concert at the Odeon, Llandudno, with Tommy Quickly and Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas.

1964

Brian throws a party, celebrating the first major US tour, at Whaddon House, William Mews, London. Guests (among others): Judy Garland, Cilla Black, Peter and Gordon, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, the Beatles, Tommy Steele, the Searchers, Lionel Bart, the Fourmost, Russ Conway, Tito Burns, George Martin, Alan Freeman, Pete Murray, Brian Matthew, Peter Gormley, Tony Barrow, Alma Cogan.

'A Hard Day's Night'/'Things We Said Today', 5th week in the Top 10 (UK New Musical Express chart).

'With The Beatles', 38th week in the Top 30 (UK New Musical Express chart).

US single release: 'From A Window', with Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas.

500 US cinemas start exhibiting 'A Hard Day's Night'.

1965

Brian Epstein and Johnny Hamp of Granada TV meet to discuss arrangements for a programme based on the music of Lennon and McCartney.

1966

Opening of the last US tour. Concert at the International Amphitheater, Chicago. It is filmed.

The 'Globe And Mail' of Toronto publishes a declaration of George defending John.

1968

Studio 2. 7.00pm-4.15am. Recording: 'Not Guilty' (overdub onto take 102). Mono mixing: 'Not Guilty' (remix 1, from take 102). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Ken Scott; 2nd Engineer: John Smith.

1969

Studio 2 (control room only). 7.00pm-2.00am. Stereo mixing: 'Oh! Darling' (remixes 5-9, from take 26); 'Because' (remixes 1, 2, from take 16); 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' (remixes 27-36, from take 27). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick/Phil McDonald; 2nd Engineer: John Kurlander.

1971

Second concert for Bangla Desh at the Madison Square Garden.

Great Hall, Alexandra Palace, London. 'Art Spectrum', modern art exhibition. 5 films of John and Yoko are screened: 'Cold Turkey', 'The Ballad Of John And Yoko', 'Give Peace A Chance', 'Instant Karma!', 'Up Your Legs Forever'.

Travel: John Lennon – London to New York City



1972: Wings live: Fyns Forum, Odense

1973: Recording: Mind Games by John Lennon

1980: Recording: I’m Losing You, I’m Moving On, Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) by John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Recording: You’ve Got A Nice Way, Red And Black Blues by Ringo Starr

1989: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh

1992: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

1995: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Sunken Gardens, San Antonio


1997: Album release: Ringo Starr And His Third All-Starr Band – Volume 1 by Ringo Starr

1998: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Freilichtbühne, Stuttgart

2003: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont 2010: Paul McCartney live: Bell Centre, Montreal

2013: Paul McCartney live: Investors Group Field, Winnipeg

2014: Paul McCartney live: US Airways Center, Phoenix


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Tuesday, 11 August 2026

ON THIS DAY ... AUGUST 11

August 11

1963: Concert at the ABC, Blackpool.

1964:Peter Brown moves to London.

Studio 2. 7.00-11.00pm. Recording: 'Baby's In Black' (takes 1-14, and 13 [unnumbered] edit pieces).

Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Norman Smith; 2nd Engineer: Ron Pender.
First session for 'Beatles For Sale'.

'A Hard Day's Night' film New York premiere.

1965: 'Help!' single number 1, 3rd week (UK New Musical Express chart).

1966: The Beatles arrive in the Logan Airport, Boston. 500 people receive them.

Flight from the Logan Airport, Boston, to the O'Hare Airport, Chicago. 250 people receive them. Brief John's declarations at the airport.
Evening: Press conference at the hotel, in which John explains his declarations on Christianity.

1967:Thomson House, London. Photographic session with Richard Avedon, for a set of 'solarised' prints, and other left unsolarised. Photograph of gatefold sleeve of LP 'Love Songs' taken.

1969: Studio 3 (control room only). 1.00-2.00pm. Mono tape copying: 'Dig It' (of 13 March stereo mix); 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' (of remix stereo 18). Producer: not assigned; Engineer and 2nd Engineer: Phil McDonald. Studio 2. 2.30-11.30pm. Recording: 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' (overdub onto take 1); 'Oh! Darling' (overdub onto take 26); 'Here Comes The Sun' (overdub onto take 15). Tape copying: 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' (of take 1). Editing: 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' (from take 1 into unnumbered Trident master). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick/Phil McDonald; 2nd Engineer: John Kurlander.

Mal Evans takes the copies of 'Dig It' and 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' to Malcolm Davies, at Apple, for acetate cutting purposes. Re-recording of 'She's So Heavy' vocal harmonies. The song gets its complete title.

John and Yoko move to 'Tittenhurst'.

1970: Recording: All Things Must Pass by George Harrison

1971: John Lennon and Yoko Ono attend protest march in London

Great Hall, Alexandra Palace, London. Opening of 'Art Spectrum', modern art exhibition. 5 films of John and Yoko are screened: 'Cold Turkey', 'The Ballad Of John And Yoko', 'Give Peace A Chance', 'Instant Karma!', 'Up Your Legs Forever'.

1972: Wings live: Olympen, Lund 1973: Recording: One Day (At A Time), Intuition, Only People, Meat City by John Lennon

1980: Recording: Woman, Yes I’m Your Angel by John Lennon and Yoko Ono

1982: Santa Barbara Sound studio, Santa Barbara, USA. Recording: 'As Far As We Can Go' (piano).
1983: Studio 2. Show 'The Beatles At Abbey Road' (3 times).

1989: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Garden State Arts Center, Holmdel, New Jersey. Bruce Springsteen joins him on stage in 4 songs.

1992: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

1995: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Arena Theatre, Houston

2001: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: nTelos Pavilion, Portsmouth

2019: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Wolf Trap, Vienna

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Monday, 10 August 2026

BEATLES BIOPIC FILMMAKER JOINS LFF INDUSTRY FORUM

Pippa Harris will provide a detailed breakdown of her career and share details of the production of the ambitious four-film Beatles biopic project directed by Sam Mendes.

Delegates from across the globe are expected at the LFF Industry Forum, which promises a schedule filled with "stimulating dialogues featuring some of the screen industry's most compelling professionals, alongside international networking opportunities." The complete schedule of events is slated for release in mid-September.

As a prominent British filmmaker, Pippa Harris—co-founder of Neal Street Productions—will take a deep dive into her work on the hugely ambitious and much-anticipated quartet The Beatles films, directed by her Neal Street co-founder Sam Mendes, and discuss the challenges of development, production and her relationship with talent across her career. A prolific British film producer, her credits include the Oscar, Golden Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning Hamnet and 1917, Oscar and BAFTA-nominated Revolutionary Road, as well as Jarhead and The Magic Faraway Tree, Call the Midwife, Penny Dreadful and more.

One of the UK's most accomplished producers will take center stage to explore the modern hurdles of film development and production within a swiftly shifting landscape, offering exclusive insights into her highly anticipated upcoming slate of projects.

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Saturday, 8 August 2026

THE ERASED ELEMENT ON THE "RUBBER SOUL" LP

In the original photograph taken by Robert Freeman for the cover of The Beatles' 1965 album Rubber Soul, John Lennon had a loose thread or stray piece of yarn on the right shoulder of his brown suede jacket.

This small textile imperfection became a cult detail among the band's fans due to how it was handled in the different editions of the record.

The original photo: Clearly shows the frayed white thread sticking out from the shoulder seam of John's jacket.
The retouched version (Standard): In the vast majority of commercial editions released worldwide, this thread was removed using an airbrush (photographic retouching of the era) to make the seam look clean.
The rare copies: There are a few very specific early vinyl pressings (particularly test pressings or very early promotional editions) where the retouching was not properly applied and the loose thread is still visible if closely inspected with a magnifying glass.

The garment in question is an iconic brown suede jacket with contrasting white stitching. It was one of John Lennon's favorite pieces of clothing during 1965. Today, the original jacket is preserved as a valuable collector's item and has been exhibited in places such as the Hard Rock Cafe.

The photo taken by Robert Freeman used for the Rubber Soul LP cover was uncropped and undistorted. This is the original enlarged photo, which was not known in its entirety and surfaced to the public a few years ago , taken in the Kenwood garden of John Lennon´s home in Waybridge, Surrey:

This picture remains uncropped, unwarped, and entirely unpublished until now.

Across various volumes featuring Freeman's Beatles portfolio, no frames from the Rubber Soul session at John Lennon's residence have ever surfaced, leading many enthusiasts to believe the negatives were permanently misplaced or simply omitted by the photographer.

Assuming this piece is genuine rather than a clever reproduction, it captures a perspective supporters have long hoped to uncover. One notable detail reveals the chilly weather of that afternoon, evidenced by Paul keeping his hands tucked inside his cuffs.

Regarding the iconic artwork and its unique warping, the anecdote suggests the group was examining Freeman's slides projected onto a cardboard cutout shaped to album dimensions.

The board accidentally shifted during the viewing, producing an elongated and warped visual effect that instantly won them over, presumably resembling something like this:

Returning to the subject of the original album photo that was later retouched for the album cover, here is the visual comparison of the Rubber Soul cover with and without the famous loose thread on John Lennon's jacket:

The unedited original photograph: In Robert Freeman's authentic, unstretched square frames captured against the foliage, a careful inspection of John Lennon's right shoulder (positioned on the left side of the picture) reveals a tiny white fiber or thread poking out right from the seam.

The final retouched album cover: During the creation of the stretched, brown-and-green tinted final artwork, manual touch-ups completely erased the stray thread to ensure the jacket's silhouette appeared seamless and clean for retail display.

The stray thread was officially airbrushed out in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Given that most countries around the world utilized the corrected negatives sent from EMI headquarters in England or Capitol in the US, the vast majority of global editions display a completely clean jacket.

However, due to quality control oversights, a lack of manual retouching at local printing plants, or the use of alternative negatives, notable exceptions exist.

United Kingdom (Early proof/promotional copies only): Although retouching was ordered for mass production, early proof covers produced by printing firms Garrod & Lofthouse or Ernest J. Day were printed before the final airbrushing was applied.

Countries where the thread was removed (Standard retouched version): In these markets, the official edited version was used to ensure a "perfect" textile finish at the seam, such as: United Kingdom: In all mass-market commercial Parlophone editions from December 1965 onward. United States and Canada: Capitol Records editions (both mono and stereo) processed the official clean image. Germany, Japan, France, and Australia: Strictly followed the corrected negatives provided by the British EMI parent company.

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