Paul McCartney's concept sketch for the Abbey Road cover (1969)

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A pretty amazing selfie with Warren Buffet and Sir Paul McCartney

By Jack Brummet, Flyover States Ed.

Tom White, stumbled upon Paul McCartney and Warren Buffett sitting on a bench outside an ice cream shop in Omaha, Nebraska.  Only in Omaha: no one even noticed them. He took a selfie with them in the background and captioned it “Chillin with my homies.”

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Poster for an early John Lennon gig with his band The Quarrymen (who evolved into The Beatles)

By Jack Brummet, Music Ed.

The Quarrymen were a Liverpool skiffle/rock band, formed by John Lennon in Liverpool in 1956.  By 1960, they had evolved into The Beatles. This poster is from one of their early gigs, playing at a garden show/dog display/costume parade.  Macca would join the band a few months after this show, and George Harrison joined in early 1958.  Ringo joined The Beatles in 1962, after they sacked their drummer Pete Best.

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Collage - Paul McCartney

By Jack Brummet

[acrylic paint, mixed media, on poster]

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How Do You Sleep At Night (with lyrics): John Lennon's volley against Paul in their song war

How Do You Sleep At Night
By John Lennon

So Sgt. Pepper took you by suprise,
You better thru that mother's eyes,
Those freaks was right when they said you was dead,
The one mistake you made was in your head,
How do you sleep?
Ah how do you sleep at night?
You live with straights who tell you you was king,
Jump when your mamma tell you any thing,
The only thing you did was yesterday,
And since your gone you're just another day,
How do you sleep?
Ah how do you sleep at night?
A pretty face may last a year or two,
But pretty soon they'll see what you can do,
The sound you make is muzak to my ears,
You must have learnt something all thos years,
How do you Sleep?
Ah how do you sleep at night?
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Music Video: Paul McCartney's Coming Up (with lyrics)

"Coming Up" opened Macca's McCartney II album in 1980.

Most of Paul's vocals are run through a Vocoder (you've heard the Vocoder in A Clockwork Orange's soundtrack in vocals on Beethoven's 9th and Timesteps; on ELO songs; on some Pink Floyd songs; and recently on Prince, Madonna and Cher tunes. Paul played all the instruments and sang harmonies with Linda.

John Lennon, who at this point disparaged Paul's solo work (see: How Do You Sleep?), liked the song very much and critics say that it at least partially inspired Lennon's own 1980 comeback (Starting Over/Double Fantasy) shortly before he was assassinated. The song "Coming Up" is known for this seminal video.

McCartney played ten roles in the video, including Hank Marvin (guitar), Mick Fleetwood (drums) [although I think he was really aping Levon Helm of The Band], Ron Mael of Sparks (keyboards), a Beatles version of Paul (bass and backing vocals), Frank Zappa (sax), as well as a long-haired guitarist (that had to be Neil Young), and there were a couple of sax players, and Linda playing a male back-up singer.



Coming Up
By Sir Paul McCartney

Want a love to last forever
One that will never fade away
I want to help you with your problem
Stick around, I say

Coming up, coming up, yeah
Coming up like a flower
Coming up, I say

You want a friend you- can rely on
One who will never fade away
And if you're searching for an answer
Stick around. I say

Its coming up, its coming up
Its coming up like a flower
Its coming up. yeah

You want some peace and understanding
So everybody can be free
I know that we can get together
We can make it, stick with me

Its coming up, its coming up
Its coming up like a flower
Its coming up for you and me

Coming up, coming up
Its coming up, its coming up, I say
Its coming up like a flower
Its coming up
I feel it in my bones

You want a better kind of future
One that everyone can share
You're not alone, we all could use it
Stick around were nearly there

Its coming up, its coming up everywhere
Its coming up like a flower
Its coming up for all to share
Its coming up, yeah
Its coming up, anyway
Its coming up like a flower
Coming up
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A random (but good) collection of Paul McCartney videos...

His band Wings performs Jet (with their strongest band lineup):




Band on the Run:




Paul sings Please Please Me:





Paul Tells A Raunchy Joke:






Drive My Car:






Sgt. Pepper/and a smoking version of The End



The studio version of Band on the Run:


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The Beatle's Last Waltz

This is a video of the last time The Beatles played together, in 1970, on a London rooftop. I believe this is where John Lennon uttered his wonderful "Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen. On behalf of me and boys I hope we passed the audition!" (which was grafted onto the studio track of the Let It Be LP). On a personal note, I saw them in Seattle in 1966, on their final tour, one day before their final show in San Francisco.

Video: The Beatles perform She Loves You In Manchester in 1963

I will never forget the night when I was ten years old and The Beatles played this song on The Ed Sullivan Show. It was one of those extremely rare times when you think "nothing will be quite the same after this." And, for me at least, things never were. It led to a lifetime addiction, and their music and the people they inspired and competed with, and the next generation (now two generations!) took what they did, honored what they did, rebelled against what they did, and formed a soundtrack for a lifetime. I mean, yeah, I often cut away to other musical pleasures in the jazz, country, blues, bluegrass, classical modes. . . but The Beatles are the absolute Gold Standard. From them I learned about melody, sitars, flutes, strings, harmony, rhythm, ballads, suites, bridges, Aeolian cadences. . .you name it. For me, the music all springs from John Paul George and Ringo; even Beethoven!


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The Beatles: Please Mr. Postman video and lyrics

This is a very early Beatles tune...a cover of Please Mr. Postman, written by W. Garrett, B. Holland, F. Gorman, G. Dobbins & R. Bateman. The video is, naturally, an old American Bandstand style lip sync rendition, but still fun to watch nonetheless.





(Stop)
Oh yes, wait a minute Mister Postman
(Wait)
Wait Mister Postman

Please Mister Postman, look and see
(Oh yeah)
If there's a letter in your bag for me
(Please, Please Mister Postman)
Why's it takin' such a long time
(Oh yeah)
For me to hear from that boy of mine

There must be some word today
From my boyfriend so far away
Pleas Mister Postman, look and see
If there's a letter, a letter for me

I've been standin' here waitin' Mister Postman
So patiently
For just a card, or just a letter
Sayin' he's returnin' home to me

(Mister Postman)
Mister Postman, look and see
(Oh yeah)
If there's a letter in your bag for me
(Please, Please Mister Postman)
Why's it takin' such a long time
(Oh yeah)
For me to hear from that boy of mine

So many days you passed me by
See the tears standin' in my eyes
You didn't stop to make me feel better
By leavin' me a card or a letter

(Mister Postman)
Mister Postman, look and see
(Oh yeah)
If there's a letter in your bag for me
(Please, Please Mister Postman)
Why's it takin' such a long time

(Why don't you check it and see one more time for me, you gotta)
Wait a minute
Wait a minute
Wait a minute
Wait a minute
(Mister Postman)
Mister Postman, look and see

(C'mon deliver the letter, the sooner the better)
Mister Postman
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