by Kevin Burton From a beloved uncle or a dear friend who has passed away, you find a previously unknown letter. How precious is that? It’s a piece of that person that you never had, at a time when you thought there would be no more glimpses into their being. Would you not …
Tag Archives: Paul McCartney
The Case For George Harrison, Best Beatle
by Kevin Burton I asked a co-worker, a big Beatles fan who has played guitar since high school, for his opinion on The Big Question: Who was the most essential Beatle? I suppose I was spoiling for a McCartney/Lennon fight. That discussion goes to Paul McCartney and John Lennon and stops there, right? …
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Quibbles And Bits: Chiefs An Evil Empire?
by Kevin Burton Today, some updates, passing asides and leftovers from previous posts. When I cook these up together, I call them quibbles and bits. Come and get it!: From my two posts about favorite duets: I can not overstate how much I love much of the work of Paul McCartney. …
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Younger McCartney Travels His Own Path
by Kevin Burton The English singer known professionally as Mike McGear has a birthday today. He turns 79. Among the greetings and well wishes, he may get a birthday call, or maybe a musical card that plays the Beatles song “Birthday,” from his brother – Paul McCartney. Peter Michael McCartney created the …
Electrified Hand Holding: British Invasion
by Kevin Burton The song that launched the British Invasion was released on this date 59 years ago. “I Want To Hold Your Hand” holds up to this day, but to get the full impact of it you’d have to hear it with ears attuned to the sounds of 1963. God bless …
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Lennon’s Thanksgiving Concert Appearance
by Kevin Burton On Thanksgiving night 1974, two of England’s best musical exports, John Lennon and Elton John appeared together in concert. The appearance was Lennon paying off a bet of sorts. His song “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night,” had just reached the top of the US Hot 100, something Lennon was …
Hearing My Story In The Rock And Roll
by Kevin Burton The stories, the images, the sound and fury of rock and roll, truly resonate when they hit close to home. By now we have enough rocking sounds to fill the seven seas. The messages are all over the map. The sheer variety is breathtaking. Not every song will get in …
The Sounds They Were A-Changin’
by Kevin Burton Musical eras, like chocolate bars or ice cubes, are fluid before they are solid, shaped by the temperature of the times. We can’t always distinguish them day to day. Historians declare them later, according to their differing standards. But for me there is something momentous about looking at the …
“Eleanor Rigby” Sprang From Genius
by Kevin Burton Since there won’t be any more Lennon/McCartney songs, the next best thing is a Lennon/McCartney story. That is what we got Oct. 18 in a New Yorker piece by Paul McCartney about the song “Eleanor Rigby.” It starts with this tidbit: “My mum’s favorite cold cream was Nivea, and …
Fifty Years On, Wings Has Mixed Legacy
by Kevin Burton Fifty years ago today Paul McCartney announced the formation of Paul McCartney and Wings. The move was a guaranteed winner and a guaranteed loser. A winner because any piece of music with McCartney’s name on it was going to get a listen. It was going to sell at least …
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