Latest Beatles News
On Oct. 20 The Beatles' Apple Corps unveiled ambitious plans to transform the "Beatles Story" museum in Liverpool into an 100,000-square-foot attraction set to open in 2028, alongside a "Yellow Submarine"-themed viewing experience atop St. John's Beacon, the city's second-tallest building. The redevelopment will see the long-running, award-winning Beatles attraction relocate from its current home at Albert Dock to the former St Johns Market site in St Johns Shopping Centre, directly opposite Liverpool Lime Street train station, and will more than quadruple its current footprint. Fans can register their interest via the official Beatles website at thebeatles/liverpool. Apple Corps, the company founded by The Beatles in 1968 to oversee their creative and business interests, will take over the running of the "Beatles Story" at its existing location before moving the attraction to its new home in 2028. It will mark the company's second permanent Beatles fan experience, following a planned destination at the band's Savile Row headquarters in London, which is due to open at the end of 2027. In a statement, Paul McCartney said: "I find it incredible and humbling that people are still interested in our story and it's very exciting to me that The Beatles Story and The Beacon are being transformed in such an exciting way in the heart of Liverpool city. He continued: "I love Liverpool. It's part of who I am, it's part of who The Beatles are. If you'd told us this was going to happen when we were hanging out and getting started we'd never have believed it. The extraordinary plans the Apple Corps team have shown me for The Beatles Story take me right back to that journey, from Liverpool to the world and back home again. It couldn't have happened without Liverpool and I can't wait for people to be able to step into our story and share the experience." Ringo Starr also weighed in: "Liverpool was, and still is, a music city. And now we are expanding the The Beatles Story Experience in Liverpool. The beat goes on. I also love that proceeds from every ticket will go back to support new Liverpool artists. It is great to be part of this - deep down I am still a Scouser - I love what Apple (Corps) and Liverpool are doing. Peace and love, Ringo." - Billboard...... The deluxe reissue of The Beatles' 1965 LP Rubber Soul has risen to the top of Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, also claiming first place on the publication's Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums charts. In the week ending Oct. 8, Rubber Soul earned 58,000 equivalent album units in the United States, up 1,626% from the previous period's 4,000, according to Luminate. Of its 58,000-unit sum, 50,000 copies are via album sales, which allows the set to reenter the all-genre Top Album Sales chart at No. 1, the band's eighth leader since the chart launched in 1991. It also tops Vinyl Albums with 24,000 copies being sold via the vinyl configuration, the English quartet's seventh top spot on the 15-year-old chart. Rubber Soul becomes The Beatles' seventh No. 1 on Top Rock Albums, which began in 2006. It first reigned in 2007 with Love (the companion album to its Cirque du Soleil show) and had most recently reigned via a similar reissue of Revolver in 2022. Reissues of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 2017 and Abbey Road in 2019 have also topped the chart in previous years; for the reissues, all versions of the album are combined for tracking and charting purposes. Rubber Soul was reissued in a variety of configurations, including a four-CD, five-LP reissue includes original and new mixes of the album as well as demos and alternate session takes. It also contains a home demo of the previously unheard song "Little Girl" that was written and recorded by John Lennon.
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The deluxe reissue of The Beatles' classic 1965 LP Rubber Soul features an 88-page hardbound book featuring a brand new written introduction by Paul McCartney, who reveals how the album's legendary cover came to be. "Our friendship with the photographer Robert Freeman, who had lived in the same block of flats at John, meant that he was an obvious choice to take the cover photograph," Sir Paul writes. "We did the session with Robert, and he showed us the results. The method he used in those days was to project the images he had taken on to a white piece of cardboard the shape and size of an album cover. While we were choosing a suitable shot the piece of cardboard slipped backwards, giving the image an elongated shape. When things like this happened with The Beatles, instead of just thinking it was a mistake, we grabbed hold of the idea and said, 'That's perfect. If you print it with this stretched shape it will echo the title of 'Rubber Soul". Robert liked the idea and that is what we did." The Super Deluxe Special Edition of Rubber Soul comes as either a 5-LP box-set or a 4-CD box-set, with 68 tracks and a selection of previously unreleased session recordings and home demos. Meanwhile, a special edition of McCartney's 2026 solo album The Boys of Dungeon Lane has been released with four new songs written around the same time as the original record. One of the new tracks is an alternate "Flip Mix" version (available on YouTube) of "Home To Us" -- the tender duet that saw McCartney reunite with his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr for their first solo collaboration. Other new songs on the special edition of the album include brand new, previously-unreleased songs called "City Fox," "One Night Stand" and "Chelsea Boots." The album is available digitally now, and physical copies will be released on Dec. 9. Vinyl formats include a limited edition 2LP orange and blue marble vinyl featuring a zoetrope etching, and all new editions of the album come with a new artwork. Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, The Beatles' milestone of reaching 100 weeks on Billboard's Hot 200 albums chart has been joined by Taylor Swift and her latest album The Life of a Showgirl. Swift has become only the second act to spend at least 100 weeks on top of the chart, joining The Beatles, who have logged 132 weeks at No. 1. The Fab Four was last on top with the greatest hits set 1, which spent its eighth and final week atop the list dated Feb. 3, 2001. Among all acts, Elvis Presley has the third-most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with 67. New Musical Express/Billboard...... Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Oct. 3, Paul McCartney revealed how he wound up performing at Taylor Swift's much-ballyhooed marriage to Travis Kelce on July 3 at Madison Square Garden. "Did you know you were gonna sing going in?" host Jimmy Kimmel asked, getting the scoop for the general public, whose curiosity about the wedding still lingers. "Yep. She asked me to do it," McCartney said, verifying that the song he sang was the 1964 Beatles classic "I Want to Hold Your Hand." "That was her request? Or she asked you to pick a song?" was Kimmel's next question. "Yeah, it was, yeah," Macca answered, then added that he'd hoped Swift would join in on the performance since she was on the stage already. "I said, 'You should sing along. You should sing to" Sir Paul recounted, then paused. "Your man." Seemingly forgetting the name of Swift's husband for a moment, after a quick laugh from the audience and a nudge from Kimmel he came back with: "I know. Travis." "Seems like reasonable advice," Kimmel quipped of McCartney's idea for a live wedding-day collab with Swift, and then wrapped the interview, which has been shared on YouTube. Elsewhere, Phil Collins has seemingly reignited his long-running feud with McCartney -- suggesting that the Beatles legend was behind him being taken out of a documentary. The spat between the two dates back over 20 years ago, when the singer, drummer and Genesis member was allegedly on the receiving end of a belittling comment from McCartney when he met him at Buckingham Palace. Collins opened up about the supposed incident in 2016, saying that he approached McCartney and his then-wife Heather Mills at the palace in 2002 and asked them to sign a "first edition of The Beatles by Hunter Davies". "I said, 'Hey Paul, do you mind signing this for me?' And he said, 'Oh Heather, our little Phil's a bit of a Beatles fan,' Collins claimed. "And I thought, 'You f---. You f---'. Never forgot it." "He has this thing when he's talking to you, where he makes you feel [like], 'I know this must be hard for you because I'm a Beatle. I'm Paul McCartney and it must be very hard for you to actually be holding a conversation with me.'" Since then, the two seemed to have put the feud to one side. In 2018, Collins announced details of a huge, 59-track box set that featured the Beatles star, and earlier this summer he said that he "wish[ed]" that he never spoke publicly about the feud -- particularly as they had now "made up." Now though, it looks like the feud could come back again, as Collins has made a sly quip, suggesting that McCartney could be the reason why a mention of him was taken out of a Beatles documentary. Speaking at a Q&A in London with Steven Wilson to celebrate 45 years of his 1981 album Face Value, Collins shared that he was originally mentioned in The Beatles Anthology documentary. "The one feather in my cap, which I'll never forget, was with The Beatles Anthology. The three got the tapes out of "Tomorrow Never Knows." And they were playing it on the multi-track," he said. "I thought, 'The Beatles mentioned my name'," he added. "I went back to watch it recently and they'd taken it out. It's not there anymore I don't know, maybe McCartney didn't like it." McCartney has not publicly responded to the comments made by Collins. - Billboard/New Musical Express...... In other Beatles news, the deluxe reissue of the quartet's 1965 classic Rubber Soul is on track to hit No. 1 on the U.K.s Official Albums Chart, exactly 60 years after its last appearance at the top. Should the Fab Four clinch the top spot, it will be their first chart-topping album milestone since Oct. 2019, when their Abbey Road reissue similarly rebounded back to the summit. Holding the record for more weeks at No. 1 than any other act in U.K. chart history, the group is once again poised to roll back the years and reign supreme. This newly enriched Rubber Soulreissue brings together 24 early session recordings, including 20 previously unreleased takes and three captivating home demos. Fans have been particularly excited to discover early versions of timeless classics like "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out," alongside a rare, previously unheard John Lennon demo titled "Little Girl." - Music-News.com...... 
The new Paul McCartney documentary Man On The Run, was screened at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on Sept. 28, and the presentation was followed by a Q+A with McCartney and documentary director Morgan Neville and hosted by filmmaker Judd Apatow. Set between about 1968 and 1980, Man On The Run starts with Paul on his isolated Scottish farm with his wife, Linda McCartney, and growing family, wrestling with what to do with his newfound freedom. The Beatles had called it quits -- "it was John Lennon's idea," says McCartney -- but the world didn't know it yet. Over the course of its runtime, Man On The Run shows McCartney as he makes his way back to headlining arenas across America and all the bumps along the way to get there. Unflinching, the documentary does not shy away from addressing the critics panning of much of McCartney's solo work, the murder of John Lennon, his brief stint in a Japanese prison and his bold choice to sue the Beatles. Key figures like daughters Stella and Mary McCartney, Mick Jagger, Denny Laine, Laurence Juber, Chrissie Hynde, Joe English, as well as Paul himself, shared stories for the documentary. Linda, who passed away in 1998, also shared several stories via archival footage, voice-over, and photos. Man On The Run is also currently available on Amazon Prime. Elsewhere, McCartney's ex-fiance Jane Asher has revealed that she has no plans to watch Sam Mendes' forthcoming quartet of Beatles biopics, in which she will be portrayed by Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody). Asher, now 80, dated Paul from 1963 until 1968, with the couple announcing their engagement in 1967 before separating the following year. In an interview with The Telegraph, Asher revealed that the filmmakers had contacted her about the project. "They approached me about it, of course, but I said my usual," she explained, referring to her long-standing decision not to discuss her relationship with the famous Beatle publicly. Asked what she made of Boynton being cast as her, Asher replied: "Well, of course, Lucy is beautiful. But I won't watch the films, otherwise everyone will ask me what I thought." She went on to explain that she had made a conscious decision decades ago to stop answering questions about her time with McCartney. "People would offer me money to talk about it, all sorts of things," she said. "But I won't discuss it. It was so long ago." The couple met in 1963, when she interviewed The Beatles at the Royal Albert Hall as a teenager. McCartney later moved into the Asher family home in London, where he lived for several years. The relationship fed into a number of songs written during one of The Beatles most prolific periods, including "And I Love Her" and "I'm Looking Through You." "For No One," from 1966's Revolver, has also long been associated with difficulties in the relationship. Asher announced that their engagement had ended during a BBC television appearance in 1968. McCartney married Linda McCartney in 1969, remaining with her until her death in 1998. He later married Heather Mills in 2002 before their divorce in 2008, and has been married to Nancy Shevell since 2011. - Billboard/New Musical Express...... In other Beatles-related news, Ringo Starr is among numerous musicians and celebrities who have donated unique items for auction in Housing Works' second annual "Turn It Up!" auction. Founded in 1990 by people living with HIV/AIDS and their allies, Housing Works emerged during the AIDS crisis in response to the urgent need for housing, healthcare, and support for people living with HIV/AIDS. Over the decades, the New York City nonprofit has expanded its work to address housing instability, homelessness, healthcare access, HIV/AIDS, and social justice. Ringo donated an autographed Housing Works T-shirt, and other items include original artworks by David Byrne and Joan Baez, a signed drum head from Def Leppard's Rick Allen, and a color print of Bob Gruen's iconic photo of John Lennon standing in front of the Statue of Liberty. Of the Lennon photo, the entry on the auction site reads: "The US government was trying to deport John Lennon because of his support for the peace movement during the Vietnam war so I suggested we take a picture at the Statue of Liberty to illustrate that America was supposed to welcome people," Gruen wrote. "Since Lennon's death, this photo has taken on a new meaning as people think of John Lennon in terms of personal freedom similar to the Statue of Liberty." - Variety......  |  |
Sean Ono Lennon and his longtime girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl announced the birth of their first child, a boy, on Sept. 1. The news came in an Instagram post from the couple in which they proudly cradled their bundle of joy between them with the caption, "@charlottekempmuhl and I have created a Human Bean! His name is Aurelius. Thank You!" Ono Lennon is wearing a black shirt, black sailor's cap and black eyeglasses, as Muhl stands beside him a flowing white top, with Aurelius splitting the difference as he sleeps in Ono Lennon's arms in a black and white striped onesie. The newborn is the first grandchild of Yoko Ono and late Beatles member John Lennon, who was murdered by shooter Mark David Chapman outside The Dakota apartment building in New York on Dec, 8, 1980 when Ono Lennon was just five years old. Ono Lennon, 50, shared several other snaps, including on in which he stares intently into the lens while snuggling with Aurelius, as well as one of his partner of nearly 20 years, 39-year-old Muhl. She is an American-born model and Ono Lennon's bandmate in their band The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger. The couple got well-wishes from a number of musicians and actors, including drummer Zak Starkey, son Ringo Starr who wrote "Amazing," as well as actresses Liv Tyler and Ione Skye, Bijou Phillips and former Lennon/Ono publicist Elliot Mintz, who wrote, "there are some moments in life that are perfect. this is one of them." Earlier in 2026, Ono Lennon released the third studio album with his longtime collaborator, Primus' Les Claypool, The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy. - Billboard...... Ahead of a new expanded special edition of The Beatles' Rubber Soul set to drop on Oct. 2, an early "songwriting work tape" of one of the album's key tracks, "Day Tripper," has been shared on YouTube. "Day Tripper," recorded during the sessions for Rubber Soul in 1965, was first developed by John Lennon as a folk song, and later turned into the final rocking version with lead vocals by Paul McCartney a month later. The newly released recording shows the two working on it together -- and features audio of them laughing together and also noting the high level of sound being captured on tape. The finished version was later completed during an eight-hour studio session. With the new version of the album. It will be presented in new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes for the first time in over six decades, and come in a box-set alongside the original mono mix and the original Capitol US Album version (which did not include "Day Tripper"). Alongside the original tracklist -- which features fan-favorites including "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," "Nowhere Man," "Michelle" and "In My Life" -- there will also be "We Can Work It Out" and a selection of previously unreleased session recordings and home demos. - New Musical Expres...... Paul McCartney posted a thoughtful tribute to Dolly Parton on Aug. 25, a few hours after the country/pop icon passed away in Nashville at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer. "She was such a wonderful woman," the former Beatles member wrote on Instagram and sharing a black-and-white photo of himself meeting Parton and Porter Wagoner at the Grand Ole Opry. "She was so bubbly and full of life it is difficult to take in the news that she has passed. Her songwriting, her singing and her philanthropy were unrivaled in the world of country music and it is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly." - Billboard...... 
The Beatles' company Apple Corps Ltd have announced a new unique partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG) to handle the licensing and merchandising for the renowned band. Apple Corps, founded in 1968 by The Fab Four to handle their business interests, and UMG announced on Aug. 19 that they had reached a "holistic agreement" that will see the latter "take The Beatles' iconic story to fans across generations and around the world." The deal relates to digital and physical merchandising, licensing, and e-commerce surrounding the legendary band. Apple Corps' headquarters at 3 Savile Row will also be open to the public for the first time in 2027, with a fan experience that promises "seven floors of never-seen-before material from Apple Corps Ltd's extensive archives, rotating exhibitions, a fan store, and the recreation of the original studio where 'Let it Be' was recorded." Tom Greene, CEO of Apple Corps Ltd, said in a press release: "We are delighted to partner with UMG on a new global merchandising deal. There has never been a more exciting time to work on The Beatles as we look ahead to the 3 Saville Row fan experience in 2027, and our biopic movies in 2028. The Beatles message has never been more relevant or needed in the world today, and we look forward to delighting millions of fans with everything we have planned." The announcement comes ahead of director Sam Mendes' four-part Beatles biopic The Beatles -- A Four-Film Cinematic Event, due for simultaneous release in 2028. - New Musical Express...... Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn, Barry Keoghan and Harris Dickinson -- the four actors lined up to portray The Beatles in the upcoming four-part Beatles biopic series, The Beatles -- A Four-Film Cinematic Event -- recently recreated the Fab Four's iconic Abbey Road cover shoot. In footage posted by fans on Instagram of what appears to be the film's recreation of the iconic cover, you can see John Lennon (Dickinson), Paul McCartney (Mescal), George Harrison (Quinn) and Ringo Starr (Keoghan), taking that stroll and then headed back across the street for another take. The four-part project, with each film focusing on a particular member, is slated to release in Apr. 2028. So far, director Sam Mendes has not revealed any of the plot points for the ambitious project that will be the first-ever movie to be granted the rights to the Beatles' discography. The real Beatles originally walked across the road outside the EMI Studios in London on the street that helped name their eleventh studio album -- and the last one they recorded together, though Let It Be was released afterward -- on Aug. 8, 1969. - Billboard...... The Beatles' official website announced on July 29 that a Super Deluxe edition of the band's seminal 1965 album Rubber Soul will be released by UMG and Apple Corps Ltd later in 2026 with a bevy of new mixes, never-before-heard home demos and an 88-page book with an introduction by Paul McCartney. Newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell, the definitive version of the album will be released on Oct. 2 via Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe and be packaged in a 4CD/5LP edition featuring new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes alongside the original mono mix and the original Capitol U.S. album version. The new stereo mix was sourced directly from the original four-track master tapes and the audio enhanced with the help of cutting-edge "de-mixing" technology developed by the team at director Peter Jackson's WingNut Films Productions Ltd. for Jackson's Get Back documentary. The Super Deluxe editions will feature 24 early session recordings, including 20 previously unreleased takes and three previously unheard John Lennon demos, including early versions of "Day Tripper," "We Can Work It Out" and "Little Girl," a previously unheard John Lennon song outline that has never been released before. There will also be 2CD and 2LP versions with a curated selection of session highlights, demos and the album version of the double A-side lead single, "We Can Work It Out"/"Day Tripper." Originally released on Dec. 3, 1965, the Fab Four's sixth studio album was fronted by the double A-side single and was recorded over four weeks beginning in October of that year. The LP expanded the group's pop sound with the addition of the sitar and harmonium, helping to pave the way for the psychedelic rock revolution of the late 1960s, while expanding the parameters of what was possible on a cohesive pop album. It contains such classics as the frenetic "Drive My Car," the meditative "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," as well as "Nowhere Man," "Michelle," "Girl" and the introspective "In My Life." The long-awaited Rubber Soul revamp comes after similar treatments for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017), The Beatles (White Album) (2018), Abbey Road (2019), Let It Be (2021), Revolver (2022) and Anthology (2025). A taste of the new release, "Michelle (Take 1)," has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard...... In other Beatles news, Paul McCartney is among a dozen artists nominated for a prestigious 2026 Mercury Prize, which is awarded annually and recognizes artistic achievement in albums across a range of genres. Sir Paul is nominated for his 20th solo studio album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, the first time McCartney has been nominated for the prize in his storied career. Albums released between Aug. 30 2025 and July 17, 2026 were eligible for consideration this year. The 12 shortlisted albums were chosen by an independent judging panel chaired by Jeff Smith, head of music, BBC 6 Music & Radio 2. The prize will be awarded at a ceremony at Newcastle's Utilita Arena on Oct. 22. Fans can purchase tickets for the ceremony, which will include a number of performances by the nominated artists, at the Mercury Prize awards' official website. - Billboard...... 
Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, The Kinks' Dave Davies has revisited the band's old rivalry with The Fab Four, saying George Harrison was the only member he "really liked." Davies made the comments at the launch of the band's new art exhibition, "The Kinks: Brothers," at Gibson Garage London. "John Lennon didn't like The Kinks, he really didn't," Davies said, via The Mirror. Laughing, he continued: "In fact, John Lennon didn't really like anybody! George Harrison was the only one I really liked. He was the nicest guy. Paul McCartney wrote a few decent songs, yeah." Davies has previously recalled Lennon being fiercely protective of The Beatles' equipment when the two groups played together. "He wouldn't let us touch anything," he said. "'Don't you dare touch those!' He was a paranoid guy, but funny." After reports of his latest comments were published, however, Davies clarified that he remained a fan of the Liverpool band on X/Twitter. "I like the Beatles and I do appreciate all the kind words Paul McCartney has said about the Kinks," he wrote. The rivalry between the groups dates back to the early stages of The Kinks' career, when they appeared below The Beatles at Bournemouth's Gaumont Cinema on Aug. 2, 1964. The show came two days before the release of The Kinks' breakthrough single "You Really Got Me," which went on to give them their first UK Number One. Kinks frontman Ray Davies later recalled Lennon making a dismissive remark about The Kinks being there solely to warm up the audience, only for their performance of "You Really Got Me" to receive an ecstatic response. "The Kinks: Brothers" exhibition reimagines a 1968 passport photobooth picture of the siblings taken in East Finchley, North London, through a series of mixed-media works on paper and canvas. The exhibition will run at Gibson Garage London until Sept. 6. - New Musical Express...... The Beatles' achievement of scoring the U.K.'s bestselling album of all time with their 1967 opus Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been broken by British alternative faves Oasis and their 1995 album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. Oasis' sophomore album appears at No. 3, making it the highest-ranking studio album on the list, with two compilations albums -- Queen's Greatest Hits and ABBA's Gold -- topping the overall list. The OCC reports that Morning Glory has sold 6.2 million chart units since its release, boosted by last summer's "Live 25" reunion tour. At the time of its release, it was the second-fastest selling album of all time behind Michael Jackson's Bad. Classic albums from Fleetwood Mac (Rumours, No. 6), Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon, No. 7), Michael Jackson (Thriller, No. 8), Bob Marley & The Wailers (Legend, No. 9) and Dire Straits (Brothers in Arms, No. 10) round out the top 10. The Official Charts Company updated the UK's bestselling albums of all time as part of its 70th anniversary celebrations; it was last updated in 2016. - Billboard...... 
In other Beatles-related news, George Harrison's son Dhani Harrison and longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich have formed the new band called Dragonflies and shared their debut single. "Slower," which also serves as the record's opening track and combines tape loops, layered percussion and Harrison's vocals with a hazy, trip-hop-influenced sound. It arrives alongside a hand-drawn, psychedelic video directed by UK animator Ruffmercy, whose previous credits include work with Nirvana, The Chemical Brothers and Nas. After inviting Harrison to his studio in Brixton, Godrich and Dhani began constructing new songs from tape loops and working quickly without a fixed plan. "It's like one person throwing something in the air and the other person catching it," Godrich said of their creative process. Harrison added: "He's a machine. He has strong opinions about what he wants to hear, and for me it's very humbling. That's why it's such a new experience." Harrison, the only child of George and Olivia Harrison, first emerged as a member of the alternative rock band thenewno2, before forming the supergroup Fistful Of Mercy with Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur. He released his first solo album, 'In///Parallel', in 2017, followed by 'Innerstanding' six years later, and has also composed music for film and television projects including Beautiful Creatures, Good Girls Revolt and Dogs. In 2025, he executive-produced the first official music video for his father's "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)." Harrison and Godrich's eponymus debut Dragonflies will drop on Sept. 18 via Dark Horse Records/BMG, the label originally founded by George Harrison. - New Musical Express...... On July 20 Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr surprised Beatles fans who were on the "Magical Mystery Tour" bus tour in Liverpool. Fans on the tour that day were left amazed when a car pulled up at a red traffic light beside them, and none other than Sir Paul himself leaned out the window to greet them. As if the chances of bumping into a member of The Beatles on the sightseeing tour were not slim enough, the guests were also greeted by Ringo Starr, who was on a FaceTime call with McCartney at the time. "It was surreal," said tour guide Neil Morton to the BBC. "I had pulled up at the traffic lights on Hope Street when who should I see - Sir Paul with Ringo on FaceTime!" "He waved to us and everybody took photos. The passengers could not believe it," Morton continued, also adding that while McCartney took time to wave to the fans, however "nobody really got a chance to speak with him." Macca was back in his hometown of Liverpool to present Adolescence actor Stephen Graham with an award from his performing arts school. McCartney is a co-founder of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), and was enlisted to present a companionship honor to Graham -- who grew up in the Merseyside town of Kirkby. As highlighted by BBC News, the institute has other connections to The Beatles, as it is based at the former Liverpool Institute school attended by McCartney and George Harrison, and is also a neighbor to the Liverpool Art College where John Lennon previously studied. Footage of McCartney waving to fans on the bus tour can be viewed on X/Twitter. - New Musical Express...... A new book by Paul McCartney's former manager Richard Ogden includes claims that Sir Paul wasn't exactly the most genial musician all the time, despite his outward appearance as the eternally "thumbs aloft" family man in Wings and in his solo career since. In Bigger Than The Beatles - Sixty Years in Show Business, Ogden writes that when warned his tours were losing money, McCartney would apparently repeat (loudly) the mantra: "Paul McCartney doesn't lose money!" He also reportedly said at an early meeting with Ogden: "I don't work to budgets, I don't need to." Ogden, who oversaw five of Macca's solo albums plus two tours between 1987 and 1993, describes how the former Beatle would routinely dress him down for hours as they wrangled over tours and finances. In one of his first acts, Ogden recalled that he told Paul that none of the 20 tracks on his new album was "strong enough" to be released as a single. "[Paul's late first wife] Linda, looking at me all wide-eyed, said, "Ooh, now you've done it. No one ever spoke to him like that before." "It undoubtedly earned me my first black mark," Ogden writes. - DailyMail.com...... 
Appearing at his annual "Peace and Love" event on July 7 to celebrate his 86th birthday, Ringo Starr revealed that The Beatles had one rule on long van rides: "own up to the fart." Offering the tip to young musicians starting out, he said: "If you're in the van and you fart - own up to it." "We just occasionally with four guys in a three-hour car journey, one of us would make a noise. And at the beginning, it was like 'well, it wasn't me." Starr continued: "And we realized, well, just to get it out of the way, say I did it. And it worked a treat and it took the pressure off. It wasn't a thing. We didn't like go oh, 'I'm going next'." Elsewhere, Ringo -- who continues to hit the road with his All Star Band -- confessed that he intended to quit touring in 2021, but five years on, he cannot get enough of playing live. "I have been calling it the last tour since 2021 -- and my kids are fed up with me now. I say ' That's it - I am not going out anymore'; and they are like 'oh dad you said that last year'," the infatigable musician said. "And I out again. I am out this year. It is what I do. It is how it is. I have got a great band and it just works. We used to rehearse for two days, now we rehearse for two hours and we are ready to rock." Ringo also admitted he's clueless about why he connects so strongly with younger generations: "I don't know (why I appeal to them), but I have got 10 grandkids. I don't know what it is. It is one of those things." - Music-News.com...... People magazine has revealed that Paul McCartney was among the performers at the July 3 wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at New York's Madison Square Garden, reviving The Beatles' US breakthrough classic "I Want to Hold Your Hand" live for the first time since 1964. "After the ceremony, Taylor's mom Andrea invited everyone into the reception room where the stage was set up," a source told People on July 5. The reception space was also where Stevie Nicks performed, the source said, which was confirmed by Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts on July 4. Prior to the Swift-Kelce wedding, Sir Paul had not performed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" live since the Beatles' Sept. 1964 concert at New York's Paramount Theatre, according to setlist.fm. The John Lennon/McCartney composition was a seven-week No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart that same year. Swift recently showed her admiration for McCartney by sharing an Instagram post from the former Beatle promoting his newly released solo album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. "Never not inspired by this eternally exceptional artist," Swift wrote on her Instagram Stories. McCartney also attended one of Swift's Eras Tour shows at London's Wembley Stadium in 2024 as a VIP guest, where fan-captured video showed him dancing along to The Tortured Poets Department track "But Daddy I Love Him." - Billboard...... 
In other Beatles-related news, Ringo Starr was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Liverpool on the occasion of his 86th birthday on July 7. "I want to thank the University of Liverpool for this honorary degree and for coming all the way to LA to bestow it. I'm really honoured," the BBC reported Starr as saying, and the drummer also encouraged attendees to "follow your dreams." "I've been thinking back on my life a lot lately," Starr mused. "And when I chose to become a drummer full-time, my family discouraged me. And they could have been right, but they weren't. It all worked out." Ringo continued: "So to all the graduates back in Liverpool, I send peace and love and want to say don't be afraid to follow your dreams, or take that right turn and see where it goes." University of Liverpool chancellor, Wendy Beetlestone, added that it was a "great privilege to recognise Ringo, whose influential musical work, particularly in The Beatles, has helped shape the identity and global reputation of Liverpool," the BBC reported. Starr's birthday is a globally recognised event in the music world. Since 2008, he has hosted an annual event encouraging fans everywhere to pause and say or think "Peace and Love" precisely at noon in their local time zones. - Music-News.com...... Long-lost footage of The Beatles performing on the BBC's Top of the Pops program has reportedly been found and will be restored. The Beatles appeared on the show on Mar. 19, 1964 to record live performances of "Can't Buy Me Love" and "You Can't Do That," the A-side and B-side of a single released the following day which went on to become their fourth UK Number One. However like many early episodes of Top of the Pops, the footage was not preserved by the BBC and it has not been seen for decades. Now, the UK film preservation group Film Is Fabulous have said that they were presented with a 35mm BBC negative of the performance at the recent British Film Collectors' Convention in Surrey. They claim the family of a deceased former industry professional passed the precious film to them, and they will work to restore the footage and return it to the BBC Archives. "Discussions will also be held with other parts of the corporation to ensure the content is made available to a wide audience," Film Is Fabulous wrote on Facebook. 
Describing the footage, the group said: "Recorded on the 19th March 1964, at the BBC's Television Theatre (since renamed The Shepherd's Bush Empire), in London, the inserts beautifully captured the Fab Four at the height of Beatlemania. Passages of the recording show the studio, the technicians, and the make-up ladies. There were four takes of the first song, 'Can't Buy Me Love', with two being aborted because of technical errors. During breaks, the Beatles openly joked, and could be seen dancing to amuse themselves. The other song, 'You Can't Do That', had two takes. During the second of these recordings John Lennon pulled a funny face when the camera came in for a 'close-up'. It's an amusing piece of Beatle history." Footage of the performance can be streamed on YouTube. - New Musical Express...... Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his artist friend David Hockney, who passed away peacefully at his home in the UK on June 11 at the age of 88. The Bradford native died after a career that saw him lauded as one of the most influential and celebrated artists of the 20th century. A defining figure in British art, his works included "A Bigger Splash" and "Portrait Of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures)." One of the friends he made over the years was Beatles legend McCartney, who has shared a personal tribute to him on his Instagram page. Alongside a photo of the two arm in arm, McCartney wrote: "David Hockney was a friend and an incredible painter. I knew him during the 1960s and kept a friendship going till he died on Thursday, the 11th of June. He was very clever witty and fun to be with." "His paintings often gave off a feeling of great joy," he added. "Nancy and I enjoyed visiting his studios in California where we took a drive along Mulholland Drive which he made famous all over again in his sensational paintings. Or in his London studio. The rooms were filled with paintings. Often some of the most recent pictures that he had done. He would talk about them and his very particular views on art. He felt that it was important to see correctly. He wasn't a great fan of perspective and was always involved in inventing new ways to view the world. His many paintings, drawings, films and other media like iPad drawing he took readily to and mastered." Meanwhile, Sir Paul has defended the lyrics to "Momma Gets By," the closing track of his acclaimed new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane. The song concerns a put-upon wife who shoulders the burden of family life while her feckless husband shirks his responsibilities. "Momma gets by while papa gets high," McCartney sings, "She makes enough to raise a family." Later, he adds: "Even though he's complicated, she takes it in her stride / What are his silly faults compared to what she feels inside?" Certain corners of the internet and music press have questioned the song's gender politics, with one fan writing on Reddit: "It's a nice melody, lovely string arrangement, but the lyrics and message that it's ok to have a deadbeat drug addict absentee husband / co parent if you love him? Really odd, and so impersonal!" Speaking to UK comedian Rob Brydon onstage at The Roundhouse in north London on June 10, McCartney explained: "Sometimes you write songs about somebody you know, or an experience that you've had. And sometimes you just make 'em up 'cause you're in a more theatrical mood. I imagined this [track] like a play. I don't know the characters, but I'm imagining the woman and then the song is told from the perspective of the kid. So it just kind of unfolded itself. I was imagining the musical Porgy and Bess and that sort of thing. It's like a little theatrical story; a little musical theatre moment about this woman." He continued: "Some people would say, 'Oh, she's a bit of a sucker 'cause the guy's a bit of a waster.' But for me she's a very strong woman and it explains that in the song. I'm very proud of her and women like her." As the crowd cheered, McCartney added: "There's a lot of strong women out there." - New Musical Express...... Paul McCartney's new studio effort The Boys of Dungeon Lane has debuted at No. 1 on three Billboard album charts, including Top Album Sales, Vinyl Albums and Indie Store Album Sales. The LP, which dropped on May 29, also launched at No. 2 on Top Rock Albums, No. 2 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums and No. 5 on the overall Billboard Hot 200 for the week dated June 13. Dungeon Lane is Macca's 22nd top 10 album on the Billboard 200, inclusive of his solo top 10s and his albums with Wings. Dungeon Lane earned 63,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its debut frame (week ending June 4), according to Luminate. The album's sales (59,500) were bolstered by its availability across 18 physical variants, including more than 10 vinyl editions. Vinyl purchases accounted for 32,000 of the album's opening-week sales. Meanwhile in the U.K., Dungeon Lane has extended Sir Paul's streak as the most successful albums artist on the U.K.'s Official Albums Chart, dated June 5. The album, produced by Andrew Watt and featuring Ringo Starr, is Macca's 24th chart-topping LP in the country, including his work with The Beatles, Wings and as a solo act. Elsewhere, McCartney has opened up to podcast host Zane Lowe about the strategies he uses to stay relatable while living under a lifelong global spotlight, as well as how modern technology has fundamentally changed his creative songwriting process. Reflecting on the realities of global fame, the artist admitted that he now enforces a strict boundary when fans approach him in public, explicitly refusing requests for casual photographs. "The thing nowadays though of course is photographs," he explained. "I'll meet someone and say, 'Oh, I know what they're reaching for'. They got the camera and it's coming out. But I've got a thing now and I say, 'I'm sorry I don't do pictures. So now I hope you understand, but I'm having a private evening.'" - Billboard/Music-News.com...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, The Beatles and Apple Corps Ltd have come together to officially recognize Global Beatles Day, which will be celebrated on June 25 -- the same date back in 1967 when the legendary quartet walked into Studio One at London's Abbey Road Studios, and did the first international satellite television broadcast of their song, "All You Need Is Love." That now-iconic track was broadcast live as part of BBC's Our World, and reached an estimated 400 million people around the globe. It was the idea of lifelong Beatles fan Faith Cohen to commemorate the date in 2009, and it has been an unofficial way for fans to celebrate the band in the years since. Celebrations have included singalongs in Buenos Aires, and fan gatherings in Liverpool, tribute concerts in Tokyo and Beatles-themed exhibitions in New York City. Now, The Beatles and Apple Corps Ltd are formally acknowledging the day, and launching online and in-person events around the world that celebrate the band on June 25, 2026. More details about those events will be unveiled soon, and to mark the occasion, The Beatles will also release a colourized version of their aforementioned BBC Our World performance of "All You Need Is Love" for free. Available on YouTube from June 25, the release marks the first time the iconic performance has been made available online, and will give fans worldwide the chance to relive that moment from 1967 and share their reaction in the live chat. Writing to Cohen recently, Apple Corps CEO Tom Greene praised the fan-led initiative, and explained why they wanted to officially recognize the occasion. "More than ever, the message of The Beatles, and of 'All You Need Is Love' speaks to something vital for community, connection, and the power of bringing people together," he wrote. "That is what makes Global Beatles Day so special. It asks nothing more than for people, wherever they are, to stop, listen, and share a little joy." 
Meanwhile, Ringo Starr has announced he's teaming up with the charity WaterAid, which advocates clean water and sanitation for impoverished countries in Africa, Asia and Central America, to launch limited-edition merchandise to mark World Ocean Day on 8 June. A pop-art portrait of Starr, featuring his signature moustache and glasses, adorns a range of clothes and accessories including T shirts, hoodies and tote bags that will be available for purchase. The global water crisis is an issue close to Ringo's heart, and one he has championed for many years. "Clean water is a human right and everyone, everywhere should have it," the "Octopus's Garden" singer/songwriter explained. "That's why I support WaterAid and this exclusive design, available on a range of merchandise for a limited time only. The money raised will go towards their clean water projects around the world. Real change starts with water, together we can make a difference. Peace, love and water." - NME/Music-News.com...... As Taylor Swift prepares to release her own new music in early June, the contemporary pop sensation took to social media on June 2 for an Instagram Story post hyping up Paul McCartney's just-released new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. Swift shared an Instagram post from Sir Paul promoting Dungeon Lane, and added her own message too (along with a bicep emoji): "Never not inspired by this eternally exceptional artist." The two pop superstars have previously crossed paths in 2015, sharing the stage to perform "Shake It Off" at a legendary Saturday Night Live 40th-anniversary afterparty. The pair also hooked up in 2020 for a Rolling Stone magazine feature in which McCartney revealed he had planned to ask Swift to join him onstage for his COVID-canceled Glastonbury set. "Were you going to invite me?" Swift asks. "I was hoping that you would," he said. "I was going to ask you." Not only was the Beatles legend going to extend his hand, he was planning to play "Shake It Off" with her again. "I know it, it's in C!" McCartney quipped. On June 5, Swift is set to release the song "I Knew It, I Knew You" from the Toy Story 5 soundtrack, and McCartney's Boys of Dungeon Lane dropped on May 29. Meanwhile, Macca has announced a special live event in London, where he'll discuss his new album. He'll appear in front of an audience at the Roundhouse in Camden Town on June 10 to speak about the journey behind the creation of his latest solo record, and reflect on the making of the LP from its earliest beginnings. The announcement post can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard/New Musical Express...... As he promotes his newly released LP The Boys of Dungeon Lane across multiple media outlets, Paul McCartney has finally admitted that The Beatles are probably "the greatest band ever," after years of dismissing the title. Speaking on a livestream Q&A with fans on TikTok, McCartney said: "I think The Beatles were the greatest band ever and I'm a fan." He also explained that neither he nor his bandmates ever expected their legacy to stick around as long as it has -- revealing that he thought their fame would only last a couple of years. "When we started out, we were just kids and rock 'n' roll was just really coming in," he said. "We thought, 'If we're lucky, we've got a couple of years. That's how long people normally lasted. We expected maybe five years max, and then that became 10, and we were kind of still going, and the scene's still there," he continued. "Then it became 20, then 30, and now it's right up there. It's great; it is a lovely feeling. People will come to me and say, 'My kids love your music' and that's something, because you can't indoctrinate kids. They just either like it or they don't." Sir Paul also recalled the "pinch yourself" moment he experienced after he and the other three Beatles met Elvis Presley ("He wasn't a disappointment at all"), and that fellow music legend Bob Dylan is the one artist he's "nervous to approach" (I was wowed when we met last at the 2016 Desert Trip festival"). Macca has also participated in a conversation with actor Paul Mescal, who is set to portray the "cute Beatle" in the upcoming The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event series of films, which can be viewed on Amazon.com. - New Musical Express..... 
Paul McCartney helped The Late Show host Stephen Colbert bid farewell on the final episode of his CBS late-night gabfest on May 16, playing "Days We Left Behind," from his upcoming album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, duetting with Colbert on the Beatles classic "Hello, Goodbye," and closing out the show with his bouncy 1980 track "Coming Up." During the bittersweet goodbye for a canceled show that ended its 33-year-run, Colbert pretended that Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pope, was his final guest, but the pontiff refused to come out of his dressing room because he hadn't been supplied the correct kind of snacks, especially hot dogs. McCartney then offered himself as a replacement, striding across the stage as the audience screamed. "I think you'd be a perfect last guest," Colbert said. Sir Paul allowed that he happened to be in the area, doing errands, then offered a framed photo of the Beatles at the Ed Sullivan Theater in 1964, the final home of The Late Show. The two chatted about when the Fab Four first came to America, creativity, and McCartney's childhood. Standing next to Colbert, Paul also poignantly turned off the lights for the final time at the Ed Sullivan Theatre. Once the live show had finished, Macca hung around for a couple of exclusive performances for the cast and crew, and now the videos have been shared on YouTube. Joined by Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith on drums and Will Ferrell on his trademark cowbell (Ferrell famously played the cowbell in a 2000 SNL parody of Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper"), he ran through versions of two 1965 Beatles classics, "Help" and "Drive My Car." Meanwhile, the iconic Liverpool venue The Jacaranda has teamed up with McCartney to temporarily change its name to "The Maccaranda." The band played there regularly as The Silver Beetles and used it to audition budding drummers, including Pete Best, and it was there that they became acquainted with both Ringo Starr and Brian Epstein. The renowned music venue was opened by the Beatles' first manager Allan Williams in 1958 and played a key role in the early days of the band. They used it as a rehearsal studio and it was where some of their earliest songs, including "One After 909," were written. It continues to operate as a music venue to this day, and this week it announced on X/Twitter that it had teamed up with McCartney to rename itself The Maccaranda. "Yes, this is real," they wrote. "In celebration of our former performer and customer's new album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane out 29 May, we've temporarily changed our name. Pop by The Maccaranda and try Paul's own cocktail, the Maccarita." Elsewhere, Sir Paul has been told to plant a new tree in his London garden following a council dispute with a "suspicious" neighbor. McCartney had submitted an application in late 2025 to remove two sycamores at his £10 million townhouse in St John's Wood. McCartney's legal reps reportedly claimed that the two trees were "in decline," reasoning that their removal would free up "more space for an adjacent hornbeam tree to grow into." However his neighbor, conservative activist/investor Reinhold Meinen, expressed doubt over whether the trees were in bad shape. In an objection to the council over Macca's plans, he said he was "suspicious if those trees are fatally ill." McCartney has since amended the plans for his garden in the capital, showing that one sycamore would be cut back by 1.5 metres and the other would be felled. - Associated Press/New Musical Express...... 
Appearing as musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live on May 16, Paul McCartney performed three songs (rather than the standard two), in addition to getting monologue and sketch screen time, on the Will Ferrell-hosted season finale episode. Sir Paul's return to the SNL stage came more than 13 years after his last performance slot on the show, being previously booked as musical guest for episodes in 1980, 1993, 2010 and 2012. For his fifth appearance, the former Beatle performed "Days We Left Behind," the poignant lead single from his upcoming album The Boys of Dungeon Lane (out May 29). For his second number, he and his band performed a lively "Band on the Run," the 1974 McCartney and Wings classic that hit the top of the pop chart that year. The music legend got extra time on camera Saturday night -- in host Ferrell's monologue, for which he took over a bit that had him confusing Ferrell with doppelgänger Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and in a sketch later in the episode that had him co-starring with Ferrell and Marcello Hernndez as mechanics swindling clueless car owners. Finally as the credits rolled, the closing moments of the show were extended for a musical encore by Paul and his band with a rendition of his 1980 No. 1 solo hit "Coming Up." His SNL performances of "Days We Left Behind" and "Band on the Run" can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard...... In other McCartney news, the star recently made this year's London Sunday Times Rich List once again, with the former Beatle and his wife, the former Nancy Shevell, listed with a combined fortune of £1.055 billion. Their wealth continues to rise through touring, publishing, catalogue reissues and the enduring commercial power of the Beatles' legacy, which remains one of the most valuable cultural brands in the world, and has turned Macca the only musician in UK history to reach billionaire status. Other '70s musicians making the list were Sir Elton John (No. 6, £480 million), Sir Mick Jagger (No. 7, £450 million), and Keith Richards (No. 8, £450 million). - Music-News.com...... John Lennon's eldest son Julian Lennon took to social media on May 10 to reveal that he has been diagnosed with coronary heart disease and told he is a pre-diabetic, and urged people to get checked for the disease "sooner rather than later." Julian, 63, posted a carousel of images on Instagram, and shared his hopes to raise awareness for the illness and wrote: "I urge you all to get checked out sooner rather than later. You never know what hidden health issues you may have, even after exercising and eating as much 'good/healthy' food as possible." The health update comes around six years after Lennon revealed that he underwent emergency surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his head, following a dermatologist noticing it and urging him to book a biopsy. The "Too Late For Goodbyes" was then given the all-clear and revealed that the incident came after a "very trying year" for him, and just five years after his mother died in 2015. In 2024, he announced another cancer scare, revealing that he underwent emergency surgery after being diagnosed with skin cancer. "The operation was a success," he told fans. "First of all, I'm very thankful to Dr Tess and Dr Tim for being able to coordinate this surgery at such short notice, but for once again, hopefully saving my life. One can never be too confident in circumstances like this, but we all believe that Dr Tim has saved the day So finger's crossed for now. He went in for the operation after it was discovered to be "cancerous", and later told his fans: "Hopefully we managed to remove all that was cancerous, but the mole is being sent off again, for a further/deeper analysis, and I'll have those results next week." - New Musical Express
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