RINGO

In the past,a drummer was the least being noticed in a group or a band,its either he/she is at the back or at the side hardly attracting any attention.Just slouching and concentrating on the timing and tempo.A percussionist is somewhat important on adding that flavor to the music,without the snare,the cymbals and the bass kick drum,music will sound flat and dull.A few early drummers like Gene Krupa and his collaboration with Armand Zildjian contributed on how they developed the cymbals and tom toms that rock drummers were all crazy pounding today.

The Beatles were the first rock band ever to have the drummer noticed by the public.Instead of putting him aside or at the lower back,they put the drummer on an elevated flatform so all the audience could also see him play.We all know that the Beatles were four different persons with different personalities,its like"hey we're not leaving our drummer behind,he's part of it too." And thus started a different approach and different meaning on how the public would react on rock drumming.

One such character is Richard Starkey aka Ringo Starr,who was born on July 7,1940.An only child and the eldest among the Beatles,he was born out of poverty and was a true rock n' roll rebel at a very young age.He claimed having started smoking at the age of eight,in which he contracted pleurisy and TB as a child.And it was in the children's hospital[where he was reportedly coming in and out] where he first got interested on playing drums."A lady would bring some toy instruments and we would play on them" said Ringo,as he narrates on how he got interested on playing the drums.

As a teenager,he became a drummer for various skiffle groups like John,Paul and George,whom he would later meet and join.He became a regular drummer with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and was so popular throughout Liverpool that other bands were so eager to have him.He first met the Beatles in Hamburg,Germany and was already friends with the other three even though Pete Best was still in the group.

When Pete Best was sacked by Brian Epstein upon the suggestion of the three other Beatles and George Martin,Liverpool's most famous and most sought after drummer filled in for the Beatles-who would later and forever be as John Paul George and Ringo.The story goes that John Lennon and Paul McCartney went to the trailer where Rory Storm and his band were staying at the time while they played in a club somewhere in Wales.Rory Storm's guitarist Johnny Byrne knew right away that the two Beatles wanted Ringo when they came during the early hours of the morning.Rory Storm was at first angry upon finding out that John and Paul were pressuring Ringo to go back with them to Liverpool,but the Beatles were waving a recording contract and finally he let Ringo free,upon a condition that he would finish off the week with two more gigs.He mentioned not feeling sorry for Best,for he felt that he is a better drummer than him.

THE BEATLES

 With the Beatles,Ringo was the center of attention as he sang and played drums during a solo break wherein his other three bandmates would step aside and let him sing one or two songs at each of their performances."Boys" originally by the Shirelles is one of Ringo's signature songs with the band[ he also did the song with Rory Storm back then],on the band's debut album Please Please Me.With every Beatles album John Lennon and Paul McCartney would compose one song for Ringo to sing and on the other hand,Ringo also wrote several songs with one in collaboration with Lennon and McCartney..

Here are some songs Ringo sang lead vocals/wrote for the Beatles

1.BOYS written by Luther Dixon and Wells Farrell from the album Please Please Me(1963)

2.I WANNA BE YOUR MAN written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney from the album With The Beatles(1963)

3.HONEY DON'T  written by Carl Perkins from the album Beatles For Sale(1964)

4.MATCHBOX  written by Carl Perkins Single later to be compiled on the Beatles Past Masters Singles Compilation

5.ACT NATURALLY  written by Johnny Russell and Voni Morrison,from the album Help!(1965)
6.WHAT GOES ON written by John Lennon Paul McCartney and Richard Starkey,from the album Rubber Soul(1965)
7.YELLOW SUBMARINE written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney from the album Revolver(1966)
8.A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney,from the album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band(1967)

9.DON'T PASS ME BY written by Richard Starkey,from the album The Beatles aka The White Album(1968)


10. GOOD NIGHT written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney,from the album The Beatles aka The White Album(1968)


11.OCTOPUS'S GARDEN written by Richard Starkey,from the album Abbey Road(1969)*


*-the last song ever to be sung and written by Ringo while he was with the Beatles.


Ringo married Maureen Cox and had three children whom one of them would follow his footsteps,Zac Starkey,who became the unofficial drummer for the band Oasis.On the Beatles films such as A Hard Day's Night,Help! and Yellow Submarine it was Ringo who was the center of attention coz he seemed a little chuffed on being always lost and separated from the rest of his bandmates.
He later married Bond girl Barbara Bach after divorcing Maureen Starr.

POST-BEATLES

When the Beatles disbanded in 1970,Ringo like his other bandmates,released solo albums and had several hits and album chart success.The closest Beatles reunion so far,was at 1973's Ringo's solo album wittily titled RINGO,where all four Beatles contributed songs and played instruments in the studio with him.

Ringo had two number one hits in the US namely "Photograph" which he co-wrote with George Harrison and his own rendition of "You're Sixteen" ,both from his most succesfull album of the same name.He also acted on several films and was the voice of Thomas the tank Engine.

Ringo continues to rock around the world with his All Starr Band,with a number of guests and various artists playing with him onstage.

NOTES

Ringo Starr is the most influential drummer in rock music history,one may not agree in one way or another but a lot of rock drummers view Ringo as an influence.The Beatles were the very first rock group to employ and set the standard for a modern day rock band,on how the guitars will be arranged and the drummer's position which continues to be used today.They are also the first band to set the trend on backmasking,feedback,distortion and other recording effects which rock groups continues to use up to this day.

One cool praise about Ringo comes from former Genesis drummer and singer Phil Collins

" Ringo Starr is vastly underrated.The drum fills on "A Day In The Life"  are very complex things.You could take a great drummer today and say "I want it like that" . He wouldn't know what to do".-- quote taken from Mojo magazine.

Other rock drummers who regard Ringo as a big influence:

Steve Gorman(The Black Crowes)

Dave Grohl(Nirvana)

Eric Carr(Kiss)

Nicko McBrain(Iron Maiden)

Phil Rudd(AC/DC)

Thank you Ringo for coming to our lives! Thank you for shaping rock music drumming and taking it to a new level.God bless you Ringo!

(c) Keith Vernon Adagio

Rock music's worst nightmare:The Beatles in Manila

1966 proved to be a difficult and dangerous year for the Beatles in their entire music career.At the height of John Lennon's remark "We're more popular than Jesus" ignited protests among Christian sects around the world,particularly in America's Bible belt which is the deep south.Numerous death threats poured in,and the band found touring dangerous and life threatening instead of enjoyment and meeting new people along the way.

But none could be dangerous,sickening or perhaps hateful  than the Beatles' disastrous tour of the Philippines in the summer of 1966.

The Philippines is an island nation off the coast of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean.A former Spanish and American colony,the Philippines is composed of 7,100 islands,about 693 miles southeast of Hong Kong and about 1,291 nautical miles northeast of Singapore.The Philippines was a commonwealth of the United States during the early 20th century and was granted independence in 1945.Manila is the capital city and it boasts a wide range of cultural diversity:Chinese,Spanish, and American mixed with native Filipino customs.The oldest chinatown in the world can also be found in Manila.Among the leading exports from the country were coffee,tobacco,bananas,jackfruits and pineapples.Perhaps the Philippines is best known today because of Manny Pacquiao one of the greatest boxers in history and the notorious Marcos clan who can be compared to chairman Mao.

The Philippines is also one of the poorest countries in the world.With more than 40 percent of its population on the poverty and even below poverty line. It was always said that only a millionaire can buy a car in the Philippines,with about 56 percent of slum dwellers and scavengers in Manila alone.

Before we proceed on the Beatles tour of the Philippines story I'd like to point out and correct some inaccuracies and wrong speculations other bloggers and websites have put on their pages.I dont want anyone to be mislead but as far as Im concern,this page that I wrote about the Beatles concert in the Philippines is the most accurate site so far.

I spent ages of research and asking my dad and some other Filipino elders who were there in Manila during the time the Beatles went there for a concert.

Here are some of the inaccuracies about the Beatles concert in the Philippines posted by other sites,myths I suppose:

1.The Philippines was under martial law when the Beatles came--WRONG! According to angelfire website the Philippines was under martial law when the Beatles came basing on Ringo's comment it was a dictatorship there in those days.Even though Marcos was already gearing up to be a dictator and monopolizing the Philippine government as far back as 1965 when he first took office[Marcos was already a notorious figure even before he became president of the Philippines],he didn't declare martial law until six years later on September 21,1972.

2.Paul McCartney went to Makati for a stroll--WRONG! Another website claiming that Paul went to Makati based on Paul's statement on the Beatles Anthology describing a "some kind of a Wall Street Area" when he went out on his own the next day after they arrived at the Manila airport.Well truth is,the Makati business district known as the Philippines' financial capital didn't exist during the 1960s so Paul was describing another place near the hotel they stayed and its absolutely not Makati!
The Beatles stayed in the Manila Hotel when they went there for a concert in 1966 so Paul was probably and more accurately describing the tourist belt in Manila known as Ermita district."Ermita" nowadays is still Manila's tourist belt,with tall buildings and hotels and business establishments side by side.Paul was even describing a shanty town where he bought some paintings in front of the "Wall Street Area" he mentioned on the book.Mabini Street,also located in Ermita has all the art stores and galleries which are still existing up to this day.
I even heard some elders who were there in Manila in 1966 when the Beatles came talking about Paul having a walk and taking pictures at the famous Rizal Park which is also located in Ermita district and not far from the Manila Hotel.And besides,all the business transactions and financial in the Philippines in the sixties were all located in downtown Manila alone,while the Makati business district started booming in the mid seventies,more than a decade after the Beatles came to the country.

TOUCHDOWN MANILA

After performing three shows in Tokyo,Japan,the Beatles headed to the Philippines and arrived in Manila on July 3,1966.According to the book Beatles Anthology,George Harrison already noticed a negative vibe when they arrived citing several airport police who were rude and disrespectful to them.George said "As soon as we got off the plane one fellow was screaming at us 'Leave those bags there,get in the car!!' We were being bullied for the first time.It wasn't respectful.We've been to other countries-America,Sweden,Germany,wherever and even though there was a mania whenever we came there was a lot of respect because we were famous showbiz personalities.But in Manila it was a very negative vibe the moment we got off the plane,so we were a bit frightened."

The Beatles were escorted down to a boat on a Manila harbour,surrounded by hordes of police and other armed people contrary to their original itinerary.Brian Epstein was said to be flustered the way his boys were being treated upon their arrival that they told the Philippine promoter to escort the band to their own hotel suites.The Beatles stayed in the Manila Hotel and like other places in the world,Filipino fans gathered a vigil outside the hotel and thus started the Philippine version of Beatlemania.

 MARCOS


The Beatles were invited the next day by then first lady Imelda Marcos for a dinner party at the presidential palace in which unknown to the band Brian Epstein had already declined.I guess it was some sort of culture shock between the two parties and those bureaucrats obviously won't take no for an answer.Marcos' vengeance comes next below this page.

THE CONCERT

The Beatles held two concerts at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium on July 4,1966,the first at about four in the afternoon and the second one was held at eight in the evening.The band was airlifted by a chopper from the hotel to the concert grounds and everyone was treated with a spectacle.

The Beatles' set list during the Manila concert were as follows:

1.Rock And Roll Music (Chuck Berry cover,from the album Beatles For Sale)
2.She's A Woman (Single,later to be compiled on the Beatles Past Masters Singles compilation album)
3.If I Needed Someone (from the album Rubber Soul)
4.Baby's In Black (from the album Beatles For Sale)
5.Day Tripper (Single,later to be compiled on the Beatles Past Masters Singles compilation album)
6.I Feel Fine (Single,later to be compiled on the Beatles' Past Masters Singles compilation album)
7.Yesterday (from the album Help!)
8 I Wanna Be Your Man (from the album With The Beatles)
9.Paperback Writer (Single,later to be compiled on the Beatles Past Masters Singles compilation album)
10.I'm Down (Single,later to be compiled on the Beatles Past Masters Singles compilation album)

ENCORE: Long Tall Sally (Little Richard cover,single,later to be compiled on the Beatles' Past Masters singles compilation album)
FEUD WITH MARCOS

After the invitation party was declined by Brian Epstein himself,the Marcoses were furious and obviously like I said,these bureucrats wont take no for an answer with Imelda screaming angrily live on Philippine television saying that the Beatles had insulted her and thus all Filipinos for not coming to the presidential party.Unknown to everyone,the Beatles have their own policy of not having themselves getting involved with politics as their management instructed them to,This isn't the first time that happened in the Beatles' career.During the first American tour in 1964,the Beatles' management declined President Johnson's invitation for the band to come to the White House to attend the presidential daughter's birthday party.Well President Johnson didn't react angrily and he absolutely didn't pay a mob and instructed his guards to beat up the Beatles and their entourage nor put their life into danger.So I guess it was kinda rude for those people to behave like that,what happened to the famous Filipino hospitality here? It was really as I say,embarassing.

The Beatles told stories of how they were mishandled after Brian,their manager,declined the dinner invitation.They even told about horror stories of how people would serve them rotten food at their hotel suite and about Ringo not eating in Manila for three days.

It was a terrible time for the band,and the Philippines sadly, once again added that bad mark on their culture and history.George Harrison said in an interview after the Beatles returned to England,"We heard it was a terrible place and when we got there it was proved." It was really sad.

But Marcos isn't finished yet,after all the police protection and band escorts disappeared,the Beatles went on their own to the airport and got themselves harrassed and their entourage beaten by supporters of Marcos.Ringo was punched in the face and John Lennon was kicked in the back by Marcos supporters.Their road manager Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans was badly beaten off the airport as they were trying to get on  the plane to go home.At the end,Brian Epstein was called back and all the money the Beatles earned during their Manila concert was taken from him.The Beatles left Manila with empty pockets but with a good feeling that they were all still alive.The following day after the Beatles left,the British embassy in Manila filed a protest following the Beatles' treatment when they came to the Philippines.Upon their arrival in England,the band told reporters of the horror they experienced in Manila and vowed never to return.

 AFTERMATH OF THE BEATLES' DISASTROUS MANILA CONCERT

1. NEMS,Brian Epstein's company in which the Beatles were managed cancelled two shows by Freddie And the Dreamers scheduled on August of 1966 and the upcoming Manila concert tour of Cilla Black also managed by NEMS.Manila was blacklisted by other British acts of the time after the Beatles incident.

2.The Rolling Stones were also scheduled to perform in Manila on the fall of 1966 but Brian Jones and Stones manager Andrew Oldham cancelled their upcoming show after hearing of the Beatles' incident.

3.In 2001, more than 30 years  after the Beatles came to the Philippines,the band was insulted in a variety show called Magandang Tanghali Bayan when one of the unknown Filipino comedians made a laughing stock out of the band and thus started a spark of anger between Beatles fans both Filipino and non-Filipino.MTB as it was known,was a notorious show in the Philippines for being rude and disrespectful to other people and was suspended several times by the Philippine censors.After a year of notoriety, ABS CBN known internationally as TFC finally dumped MTB and started rehabilitating some of its comedian hosts.

4.A scheduled Oasis concert tour of Manila in 2003 was cancelled by the band after they heard of the Beatles' treatment in Manila almost 40 years ago.

5.In 2004,a Filipino disc jockey and a group of mediamen and journalists from the Manila Bulletin and Philippine Daily Inquirer flew to London to interview Sir Paul McCartney.When Paul heard that the press around his office were from the Philippines,he immediately cancelled the interview and walked off leaving the Filipino press who traveled a thousand miles just for his interview.





(c) Keith Vernon Adagio


NOTE:Please dont take anything or copy contents from this article unless otherwise permitted by the author.

VICTOR SPINETTI:The funny man who drove the Beatles' movies

Ever wonder who's that musical director in the film A Hard Day's Night,the mad scientist in Help! and the army drill sergeant in Magical Mystery Tour? That is none other than Victor Spinetti,a Welsh comic actor who drove us all nuts on those Beatles films that we all loved.

Victor was a favorite comedian of the Beatles particularly George Harrison's.George even stating "You've got to be in all our films..If you're not in them,me mum wont come and see them coz she fancies you.."

Spinetti was born in Wales of Welsh and Italian ancestry,he attended the Cardiff College of Music And Drama.Waiting tables and a factory worker were one of his first jobs before entering showbusiness.Perhaps the most memorable role Spinetti had was from the Beatles' second movie Help! where he played the role of Foot-the mad scientist who got obsessed over Ringo's ring and later on the orchid essense which has the power to shrink things from its normal size.He teamed up with the late Roy Kinnear,who played Algernon-Foot's not so clever assistant.

Actually,it was in Help! that I fancied Spinetti even more.Sir Paul McCartney used to describe him as the man who makes clouds disappear.

Spinetti made his last appearance on a Beatles movie in the film Magical Mystery Tour where he played the role of a wacky army drill sergeant.Post-Beatles,Spinetti appeared on Paul McCartney's London Town music video.

The last musical appearance of Spinetti was in 1985 when he teamed up again with Roy Kinnear and did a comic stint on Mike & The Mechanics music video "All I Need Is A Miracle".Kinnear died three years later in 1988 when he fell off while horseback riding.

Spinetti is now a fellow at his alma mater  the Cardiff College of Music and Drama.

My tribute to Victor Spinetti with all the love and admiration...Thank you Victor for making us all laugh

 updated June 19,2012: Victor Spinetti died of prostate cancer at age 82.

In memoriam...Victor Spinetti (1929-2012)

 

(c) Keith Vernon Adagio

McCartney

It was April of 1970 when Paul McCartney announced the breakup of the Beatles and thus started a solo career for the band's bass player.Paul's announcement included the news about his first solo album,McCartney which was released two days ahead of Let It Be.

The Beatles' acrimonious split can be traced way back to the time when Brian Epstein,the band's manager,died of drug overdose.The band had always said that the death of Brian started the beginning of the end for the band for they felt like they lost guidance-though Paul kept on encouraging them to keep cool and concentrate on writing more songs and recording more new albums.After Sgt Pepper,the band embarked on a film project called Magical Mystery Tour in which the film was considered to bomb on the US market though the soundtrack album was highly praised by rock critics.More albums followed for the band,and it seems everything took its toll at the recording of the Beatles' self titled album THE BEATLES aka the White Album.People who witnessed on how the band argued and walked off each others songs during the recording sessions felt that the band is slowly moving towards disintegration.

They did,however,managed to create the last masterpiece Abbey Road in which was recorded with the discipline that they had during the band's earlier days.Bad business problems came along and Paul probably wanted to keep the Beatles together but he couldn't.The last album released by the Beatles called Let It Be reflected the signs of the times when the band had so many problems they believed they couldn't handle any longer.

It  is said that it was Paul who was badly hit by the split.He even recounted the time when he couldn't get out of bed and just did all these drinking.His wife Linda,sad seeing his husband depressed,encouraged him to write and record a solo album.Paul kept saying that he couldn't thank Linda enough for encouraging him that he was a very good musician during the time he felt that he was useless.

Paul got up from his stupor and recorded McCartney,his first solo album.He played all the instruments and was helped by Linda on the vocal harmonies.The album however,was held at the number two spot in the UK with Simon And Garfunkle's Bridge Over Troubled Water preventing it to reach the top spot.But it was quite different in the States where the album went to number one.

TRACK LISTING :

1.The Lovely Linda
2.That Would Be Something
3.Valentine Day
4.Every Night
5.Hot As Sun/Glasses
6.Junk
7.Man We Was Lonely
8.Oo You
9.Momma Miss America
10.Teddy Boy
11.Singalong Junk
12.Maybe I'm Amazed
13.Kreen-Akrore

Paul played all the instruments in the album and has described his debut as kind of a throw away during one of his interviews with Rolling Stone.Among the instruments he played was bass,guitar,drums,piano, and toy gockenspiel.The album was hailed as a masterpiece not only by McCartney fans but the whole rock music industry as well.The album was made at home where Paul had set up an eight track recording unit which is considered at the time as state of the art.With the album's lo-fi recording,many people see it as a precursor to those of indie rock bands of today where most of them were known to record their albums at the convenient of their very own homes.Well contrary to popular belief,the album wasn't really made entirely at the family household,though most of the tracks were recorded at Paul and Linda's house,they were polished at Abbey Road Studios where McCartney was seen working alone.

One song from the album called Maybe I'm Amazed stands out as one of the most beautiful love songs ever written.Paul wrote it for Linda at the time the Beatles' scene was getting heavy.The song was later rearranged and re-recorded by Paul and his band Wings with the live version taken from the concert LP Wings Over America reaching the top 10 of the US charts in 1977.

 (photo left:McCartney back cover CD,with Paul and his baby daughter Mary)

McCartney the album topped the US charts which is pleasing and very therapeutic for Paul.He eventually went on and released more solo albums and formed a band called Wings which is regarded as one of the greatest bands of the seventies and made him the most successful Beatle on his own solo career.Perhaps he realized to himself,in everything you do and things get a little messy,theres always a bright future ahead.

I DREAM OF GEORGE: My Personal Tribute To George Harrison

If George would have been with us today,he would have been 68 years old. I was totally saddened when I heard the news of his passing a decade earlier.February 25 is his birthday so I'd like to share to you fellows this strange dream I had four years ago,writing it down here I believe will be my most beautiful tribute to the man,George Harrison-guitar god extraordinaire.

George invented the role of a lead guitarist in a band.Before the Beatles,it didn't exist.Sure there were guitarists decades before the Beatles  but none of them were as colourful like the riffs of the great George Harrison.

Four years ago,I had a very strange dream during my sleep.I was in a hall and there I met George who was happy to see me.I knew right then and there that he was already dead,but in that dream I met him like I wasn't  meeting a dead celebrity,as if he is alive and well.I was so star-strucked to see him that I couldn't describe the joy of meeting my idol.I tried to hug him but he told me not to coz he still has the cancer.We chatted about different things-music,about him not going back ever to the Philippines because of Marcos and some other stuff.Suddenly,I find myself giving to him all my Beatles CDs and he happily signed them all.Then I said goodbye to him and as I walk out of the building I saw Luther Vandross being mobbed by his fans on the corner of the sidewalk--then I woke up.

 What a strange dream indeed,I just saw two dead celebrities-George Harrison and Luther Vandross.It felt so real that I eventually looked at my CDs to see If George had an autograph on it--there was none,the album sleeves were clean.It was strange, it was really strange,I never had a dream like that before in my life.Then I realized it was November 29,2007--I dreamed of him on his 6th death anniversary--a sign? nobody knows.Perhaps as a Beatles fan,I might have had a hard time accepting that George is gone.Well,a psychologist may have had difficulty figuring it all out.

Or perhaps George's spirit really came to me in a dream and he took Luther Vandross with him,who knows?



George Harrison as I've said defined the role of a lead guitarist in a rock band,as the Beatles introduced modern rock music and saved us all from boredom.The uniqueness of his guitar playing really seperates him from the rest.Fellow guitar god Jimmy Page praised George on one of his interviews "His[George] solos were so immaculate and impeccably performed."

I can still remember what he wrote on my CDs as he signed them in my dream,he wrote: "To Keith my biggest fan,with love,George Harrison".Whether he came to me in a dream or it was just all in my mind,I dont know.But I feel so priviledged to meet him even only in a dream.

This is my personal tribute to the man,my most beautiful tribute ever....

Thank you George

IS ERIC CLAPTON THE SIXTH BEATLE?

The term "fifth Beatle" is an informal title given to an associate or perhaps more often written by a rock journalist to describe a person closely related to the fab four.George Martin who was the producer of many of the Beatles albums was often given that title,so as Brian Epstein-the fabs manager.

Now we all know that the term  fifth Beatle do exist and some people not even directly related to the Beatles proclaim themselves as the fifth Beatle--like New York DJ Murray The K for instance.But is it possible for a sixth Beatle to exist? Well I did refer to the word "sixth" coz the term fifth Beatle has already been occupied by both George Martin and Brian Epstein respectively.George Martin on the other hand,was the band's producer and arranger and was responsible for the sound of different Beatles albums so I guess he deserves credit and Brian was the band's manager as well.

If the term sixth Beatle will ever be in existence I think the title deserves to be crowned to none other than ERIC CLAPTON--one of rock's guitar gods.

Eric Clapton has been closely related to the Beatles since the fabs and his first band the Yardbirds met at a local gig in England.Well,for you fact finders out there,Eric Clapton played on several Beatles records in the studio as a session musician particularly in the making of the Beatles 1968 self-titled album The Beatles which was widely dubbed by many as The White Album.Clapton played a beautiful guitar solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", a song written by George Harrison.As a return favor,George Harrison played on the recording of Cream's last album Goodbye wearing the pseudonym L'Angelo Mysterioso.

Eric Clapton and George Harrison became the best of friends until the early seventies and everything went sour when Eric snatched George's wife,model Pattie Boyd.The two eventually made up and George even attended Pattie and Eric's wedding after their split in 1974.

Eric Clapton also played alongside John Lennon,Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell on a supergroup called The Dirty Mac,on the Rolling Stones Rock N' Roll Circus.He also played guitar on Lennon's post-Beatle outfit Plastic Ono Band and on several of John's solo albums.

I've been thinking quite a lot,did Eric closely associated with the Beatles because he has plans of taking George Harrison's wife away or did it just happened in coincidence? A 2005 statement made by Eric himself said that he felt so sorry for breaking George and Pattie's marriage and that he even became an alcoholic out of guilt of what happened.George just shrugged his shoulders and eventually married an American called Olivia Arias.

George Harrison was an awesome guitar player and a guitar god himself-the story circulated at the time that George invited his good friend Eric Clapton on the White Album sessions to lay down some beautiful guitar licks on his song on the purpose of keeping "the peace" between the Beatles.Back in 1968,the band was in total mess a year after the death of their manager Brian Epstein and most of them claim that without Brian they seemed to have lost direction, like a child without a father to guide him.The Beatles eventually broke up two years later in 1970.

Eric Clapton on the other hand,started off with the legendary Yardbirds and went on with his own rock group Cream with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker.Cream invented the power trio format and has laid down the pattern for other heavy metal acts to come.Now every musician and every kid on earth who started to learn how to play guitar wanted to be Eric Clapton.A graffiti on a London wall during Cream's heyday spelled "CLAPTON IS GOD".

Rock music will never be the same without the great Eric Clapton.

Clapton for me is--the sixth Beatle,Im sure other Beatles fans feel the same way about him.


(c) Keith Vernon Adagio

ALL THINGS MUST PASS 40TH ANNIVERSARY

Its been forty years since George Harrison released his what would be his magnum opus-the triple disc set All Things Must Pass.George actually released two solo albums while still with the Beatles in the late sixties namely Wonderwall and Electronic Sound.Like John Lennon,he started making solo albums at the height of the Beatles' wailing relationship as band members.

They said that the breakup of the Beatles was triggered by so many problems the band members couldn't handle any longer.One mainly,was George Harrison's rise as a fine songwriter which caused a friction between him and the Lennon-McCartney partnership.Lennon and McCartney were the prime songwriters though all of them has written their own songs,what would happen is that John and Paul would write the songs and would include one or two songs written by George and one song would be sung by Ringo.George Harrison's songs were enigmatic and his guitar solos were so immaculate that a friction with Lennon and McCartney would be inevitable.The strongest Beatles album for George however was Revolver where three songs written by him were included and Abbey Road where two of his biggest hits became number one on both sides of the Atlantic.

Harrison was frustrated on the way his songs were treated by the other Beatles that he compiled them and waited for his freedom after the band's breakup and voila!--a triple disc album was formed.All Things Must Pass went straight to number one on the Billboard 200 charts on January 1971 and stayed there for at least three weeks.

It would have been a Beatles song,actually,a full band Beatles version was released in 1997 as part of Anthology 3.It would have been a perfect inclusion or perhaps an album after Let It Be--but sadly,the band broke up.