Surviving Beatles Members To Reunite

Liverpool could cement its reputation as the European "Capital of Culture" next year with a live performance by the two surviving Beatles.

The city has been given the honour by the European Commission, and organisers for the opening ceremony reveal that Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Star could reunite for the first time since the mid-sixties.

This year's European Capital for Culture is Patras in Greece, with year-long festivities including street festivals, music and art events, literary and scientific works. The aim is to "contribute to bringing the peoples of Europe together".

Speaking this week, event organisers reveal McCartney is as good as signed up for the opening ceremony, and could persuade Starr to join him in honouring his home city.

"It's already expected that Sir Paul will be involved but to get Ringo to join him on stage would be the icing on the cake," a source reveals.

"It would certainly be a massive coup and quite emotional for people of a certain age to see the two surviving Beatles performing together in their home city for the first time since the mid-sixties."

Credits for the info to SoundGenerator.

Comments

[Weybl Himself]

Could be pretty cool. Although I've always been of the opinion that it was Lennon who made the beatles amazing.

[Ockeroid]

Sounds cool

[Nickster]

Screw lennon that guys was a nut job. Paul has the best voice and is the most talented and can play the most instruments, and ringo is an amazing drummer, its just unfortunate that George couldnt join.

[Klayy]

AMazing drummer?
:haha
with all respect to Ringo... read the Beatles' history.
He was great for what he did, but that was far from amazing.

[haloburgers]

Does anyone else notice how misleading some UG article titles, such as this one, can be? The title implies they will for sure be reuniting, but after reading the article one can see this is not the case. I was curious if anyone else notices when UG does this.

[smash119]

I also agree that Paul had the best voice and was the most talented. John was creative, but I feel that he is put up on a high pedestal because he may have been the more abstractively creative one.

While Ringo may not have been the best drummer technically , it has been said that he always knew what to play in the studio and he has influenced so many drummers (much like the rest of the band influenced rock in general).

[papersun87]

Ringo was by all means not the world's greatest drummer, but he came up with good, creative parts and didn't screw up. I think that's what's really important.

And such a reunion wouldn't be as far out as this article seems to say. Ringo and Paul have worked together numerous times throughout their solo careers.

[dsmtlig]

Paul and Ringo have appeared together live at least once since The Beatles' breakup. They were on the same stage together during "The Concert For George." I agree that Ringo isn't amazing compared to many drummers but very stellar.

[monkfish_bandan]

Klayy wrote:

AMazing drummer?
:haha
with all respect to Ringo... read the Beatles' history.
He was great for what he did, but that was far from amazing.

Ringo is a genius, you muppet! You don't need to be an incredibly fast drummer to be an amazing drummer. He is an incredibly skillful drummer and some of the fills that he did, including the ones he did at the beginning of 'The End' on Abbey Road, were just fantastic!

Put that in your pipe and smoke it...

[Stuminton]

ringo reads is the narrator on thomas the tank engine he's a legend!!!!!

[ElephantMan4563]

^Weird analogy excellent point

[rock_and_blues]

Lennon made the band, come on...take out every Lennon song from the Beatles catalog and what do you have? Paul's cliched pop songs, and a couple of tunes by George. You have no Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, no A Day In The Life, no Tomorrow never knows, no Norwegian Wood. They wouldnt have been at the forefront of the pyschedellic movement, and they wouldnt have been the band they became. Let's face it, Lennon was the key member of the band.

Ringo and Paul playing would be amazing though, however I'd like to see Shawn and Daani join in.

[3l3phant]

monkfish_bandan wrote:
He is an incredibly skillful drummer and some of the fills that he did, including the ones he did at the beginning of 'The End' on Abbey Road, were just fantastic!

you, sir, are just wrong. ringo was good, great sometimes, but far from a genius. VERY far. if you've ever sat at a drum kit and tried to play along to a beatles song you'd know that. "the end"? are you serious? you and alot of people like you need to stop being so un-realistic about ringo's chops. putting him anywhere near the top 100 of all time is a hyperbole in itself.

[3l3phant]

rock_and_blues wrote:

Lennon made the band, come on...take out every Lennon song from the Beatles catalog and what do you have? Paul's cliched pop songs, and a couple of tunes by George. You have no Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, no A Day In The Life, no Tomorrow never knows, no Norwegian Wood. They wouldnt have been at the forefront of the pyschedellic movement, and they wouldnt have been the band they became. Let's face it, Lennon was the key member of the band.

Ringo and Paul playing would be amazing though, however I'd like to see Shawn and Daani join in.

i have to disagree wholeheartedly here. you can't take out any member of the beatles that wouldn't have greatly affected their course in history. i mean, you say take out john and you just have paul's pop songs.... yet take out paul... and where does the band go? it's not like john was writing great psychadelic stuff in 1963. so without paul, the band wouldve never made it out of hamburg, and those lennon songs you mentioned wouldve never been recorded. see where i'm going here? the beatles are like a car... you need all 4 wheels to drive.

and oh my yes, dhani and either shawn or julian joining with the other 2 would be ecstasy

[Nelsean]

Checked.

[GeetarsAreRock]

Litterally Lennon was the heart and George was the soul of The Beatles. Though very interesting, this news is almost more of a reminder of what they've lost than what they still have.

[The Shadow]

rock_and_blues wrote:

Lennon made the band, come on...take out every Lennon song from the Beatles catalog and what do you have? Paul's cliched pop songs, and a couple of tunes by George. You have no Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, no A Day In The Life, no Tomorrow never knows, no Norwegian Wood. They wouldnt have been at the forefront of the pyschedellic movement, and they wouldnt have been the band they became. Let's face it, Lennon was the key member of the band.

Paul wrote half of A Day in the Life, came up with most of the pioneering tape loops and sound effects for Tomorrow Never Knows, and had some lyrical input into Norwegian Wood (though admittedly not much).

Lennon was by no means the key member of the band, but I won't argue that McCartney was either, because as was stated above, The Beatles succeeded because of the efforts of all 4 members. Paul was equally as important as John, but I personally feel that Paul had more talent when it came to singing and playing various instruments.

Plus, if it wasn't for Paul's creative energy, the Beatles probably wouldn't have gone much further after Sgt. Pepper's.....even on Revolver, we can see that it has much more of Paul's handiwork on it than John's. And he came up with the "Long Medley" idea for Abbey Road, which is one of my favourite parts of any Beatles album.

I could continue, but I'm just going to say that Paul McCartney is in my opinion the most talented man alive at the moment.

[Aaron-Maiden]

McCartney was always a great performer but Lennon was the genius and the brains behind The Beatles. Without Lennon we wouldnt have a band that changed music forever but a pop band that were succesful for a while.

[Lemmon]

I'm a massive Beatles fan, but i'll agree that ringo wasnt an amazing drummer. He was good, but not the best. He did write Octopusses Garden though!!111

I loved his drumming on A Day in the Life also.

[Vincent Vega]

ha, when a reporter asked Lennon if Ringo was the best drummer in the world, Lennon replied, "He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles."

[Spankey]

To hell with Lennon (I'm sure he is.)McCartney and Harrison were the heart and soul of the Beattles.

[FoolOnThePlanet]

Nickster wrote:

Screw lennon that guys was a nut job. Paul has the best voice and is the most talented and can play the most instruments, and ringo is an amazing drummer, its just unfortunate that George couldnt join.

John Lennon was a visionary and for that he is remembered. Paul's got nothing on Lennon.


Anyway, if this reunion were to happen, I'm excited.

[Oasis-fanatic]

they all had the heart and soul in them (apart from the 5th beatle pete best i think) but if you want to compare them then take in to consideration the solo tracks they did.

[drugless_stoner]

ringo was good, but his son kicks his ass any day, whats his name, zak starky or whatever he goes by, plays for both the who and oasis, he kicks the shit out of his father, not in influnce or back catalougue of music or anything, but in actual technical skills, hes cool

[guitar_newbie]

They have waited waaaaay too long for this reunion. They could have, and thought of a reunion back in the 70's. That had to be a-ffing-mazing. But they didn't. Then Chapman came along, and George died, and now they believe it's time? Did they have to wait until the very last moment when only 2 original members were alive? I won't see this as a Beatles reunion, more like a Paul McCartney solo tour with Starr on drums.

[drugless_stoner]

sorry for the second post here, but how come paul mccartney and george martin(the fith beatle) are knighted but ringo isnt?

[Brit_Rock]

I thought george best was the fifth beatle, neh nyways, IT was LENNON that made the beatles no doubt about it.

[drugless_stoner]

george best? the footballer? never heard that one, ive actually heard a few people calling themselves the fifth beatle, but george marting was their producer, and they called him it, so ill take the beatles word for it

[Diabolic Clown]

That would be something worth seeing. Although, it's going to be nothing like if the Beatles reuninted during the 70's when they had the chance.

[CaptainMarvel]

for the record, george martin is the 5th beatle.

paul should not be the only beatle knighted. i think that is complete bullshit. what did paul do that ringo didnt (and dont even mention wings)? ringo was just as much a member of the band as paul.

and anyone who says that john lennon is not the most important member of the beatles is a goddamn fool. anybody heard strawberry fields forever? or how about i feel fine. or maybe she said she said or and your bird can sing? come on people. john put feeling and more emotion into his songs then pauls optimistic poppy tunes. the only time paul really stretched himself with exploring a different emotion was probably with you wont see me, and even then, its no lennon composition.

not to knock paul or anything. im only saying that john was the key member. besides, it was john's band.

[Jibbs]

Wow, all TWO Beatles. I guess it's something, though.

[thegrungyhippie]

ringo starr

[floydman_4140]

the beatles are like a car... you need all 4 wheels to drive.

amen!

[DaddyTwoFoot]

Why in God's name isn't this the top news? This is way bigger than Killswitch Engage.

[Les__Paul__630*]

John Lennon was the main guy that made the Beatles amazing to me. Ringo Starr is an 'ok' drummer, not bad, but nothing to special. Never really cared for Paul. Paperback Writer has their best guitar riff!

[CanCan]

Flame me all you want, but let them rest. I'll pass, thank you.

[slash_angus_VH]

DaddyTwoFoot wrote:

Why in God's name isn't this the top news? This is way bigger than Killswitch Engage.

yeah seriously...

itd be really cool if it happened

[Guitar_Dude777]

I sooo cant wait!

[Voodoo_Chile42]

TOUR?!

[redhot5150]

Is John lennon and George harrison going to reunite with them too?

[silent caution]

beatle nothing more than an overhyped boy band wuss rockers...but then again what do i know to each his/her own, i guess if a band i liked reunited i would be happy so good for them

[Pan-Tallica]

Checked.

[eplp22]

^ funny... kind of. anyways whoever said john lennon is in hell is a ****ing idiot, and if he is in hell, im gonna burn there with him.

["Tele" Steve]

Sounds cool...although this isn't the first time the two have played together since The Beatles broke up.

[BRD]

Come on Lennon is a friggin fruit he was a nut job. I know hes an amazing vocalist but he still is a fruit

[gwitersnamps]

They never say ringo has agreed. They just say it would be nice.

[Lemmon]

silent caution wrote:
beatle nothing more than an overhyped boy band wuss rockers

LMAO

[rayIII]

Do you know how much this is gonna cost?!?

Too bad its in the UK

[Scot-Guitarist]

The Beatles are the greatest, and they have played together after the sixties (Concert for George, Anthology). They all are very talented, dont say Ringo was shit, its not like he could hit his toms and be fancy over the screaming fans, he needed to keep the beat. George was a great guitarist with John, and Paul played bass amazingly. Thier songs they wrote individually in the band were all great with Day Tripper, Let It Be, Dont Pass Me By, Octopus's Garden, Something, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Across The Universe and I Feel Fine.

[spycrawl802]

yes ur ryt. they're the biggest legend.

[The Shadow]

Ringo was far from a bad drummer, his drumming on tracks like She Said She Said, Rain and A Day in the Life is excellent. Nothing too fancy in comparison to some of the more technical drummers today, perhaps, but it's not all about playing fast and complicated stuff. What he did suited the songs perfectly, and I'd be perfectly content with having a drummer like him in my band.

CaptainMarvel wrote:

and anyone who says that john lennon is not the most important member of the beatles is a goddamn fool. anybody heard strawberry fields forever? or how about i feel fine. or maybe she said she said or and your bird can sing? come on people. john put feeling and more emotion into his songs then pauls optimistic poppy tunes. the only time paul really stretched himself with exploring a different emotion was probably with you wont see me, and even then, its no lennon composition.

not to knock paul or anything. im only saying that john was the key member. besides, it was john's band.

I'll agree that Lennon did write more songs based on his personal life and emotions than McCartney did, but I hardly think I Feel Fine and And Your Bird Can Sing are good examples of that.....and You Won't See Me is also far from the most emotionally expressive McCartney got (I would say Let It Be is his most personal song, followed by some of the songs in the Abbey Road medley, particularly You Never Give Me Your Money).

McCartney was a natural songwriter in the sense that he could come up with a great melody in an instant. Some of his songs may lack depth, but they're undeniably well-written pop/rock songs. And when he did apply a greater depth to his work, it just made it all the better. He could be just as expressive as Lennon, it's just that Lennon did it more frequently, often with stunning results.

Basically, they were fundamentally different in their songwriting approach, but it balanced out perfectly.

[VoodooChild15]

First time since the mid sixties? The band broke up in '70. And I'm pretty sure that they played together at the Concert for George in '02.

[TheGuitarDreams]

Beatles = Awesome

Dirty Mac = Better than the Beatles

Dirty Mac = John Lennon (Vocals/Rhythym), Eric Clapton (Lead Guitar), Kieth Richards (Bass), Mitch Mitchell (Drums).

[jaydub]

even though they were simple, i wonder if they both remember how to play old beatles tunes? even though it didnt mention what theyed be playing, you can only wonder

[mikr_guitar]

redhot5150 wrote:

Is John lennon and George harrison going to reunite with them too?

um lennon and harrison are no longer... alive... hence the title 'the SURVIVING beatles to reunite'

[chadwhitney]

sheesh, a whole two remaining members? the Beatles are over-rated anyway. I tried listening to their stuff, but i guess you gotta be on drugs to appreciate it. i never did see what the hype was all about with them anyway.. anybody wanna try to explain their sublime impact on the world?

[jof1029]

checked

[bigpig83]

chadwhitney wrote:

sheesh, a whole two remaining members? the Beatles are over-rated anyway. I tried listening to their stuff, but i guess you gotta be on drugs to appreciate it. i never did see what the hype was all about with them anyway.. anybody wanna try to explain their sublime impact on the world?

You have to look at it from the right perspective. Sure if someone released their sort of songs today, they would be slagged off as a pop rock wannabee (maybe not that bad but they wouldnt be as big). But these songs were released in the 1960s and 70s when the sort of music you here nowadays wasnt even around. Its like Bob Dylan, every artist or musician today can be traced back in some way to the Beatles and Dylan. That’s why they are considered defining artists. Hell, I havent ever really gotten into the Beatles (reminds me too much of Oasis) but I do like Lennon Legend. You just gotta appreciate the timeline of music.

[pat3537]

How can so many of you discredit Paul McCartney? He was the driving force behind The Beatles. John was a madcap genius for sure, but the majority of Beatles classics were Paul compositions and not John's. Many of you seem to base your opinions on Paul on his post Beatles endeavors, which have been mostly less than stellar. But in the 1960's there was no greater writer of pop music than Paul McCartney and his works from this time are more than likely the greatest pop songs ever written.

[anybodyhome]

they where all good so don't diss em'

[airpeppers]

It's Ringo STARR.

[demonhunter2]

haloburgers wrote:

Does anyone else notice how misleading some UG article titles, such as this one, can be? The title implies they will for sure be reuniting, but after reading the article one can see this is not the case. I was curious if anyone else notices when UG does this.

yeah i've noticed that too..

[mercurymay]

ringo is a shitass drummer. paul all the way. i saw him in 2003 what a great show.

[woodfromnorway]

when did everyone become either pro-Lennon or pro-McCartney? they were in the same group, weren't they? if Lennon was the heart and soul of the band, he would have gone solo from the start. same with McCartney. i think they should all be given equal credit for the amazing stuff they did.

about the actual post, i am definitely looking forward to that.

[Rayien_Acc]

I've noticed that too

demonhunter2 wrote:

haloburgers wrote:

Does anyone else notice how misleading some UG article titles, such as this one, can be? The title implies they will for sure be reuniting, but after reading the article one can see this is not the case. I was curious if anyone else notices when UG does this.
yeah i've noticed that too..

+1

[fronkpies]

Should be good.

Considering i live in liverpool im happy.

[LaLaLaLoopy]

The Beatles made it as a group, conquered the world as a group,however after the Beatles, had lennon not been murdered, I believe would have done alot more than McCartney has. And in defence of Ringo, I believe he was the first out of the gate after the break up to score a # 1 hit, so he deserves his share of credit too...And yes a reunion would be awesome,specially if Julian is a part of it cuz he sounds quite abit like his pops.

[Carpenter]

The beginning part is wrong. It says McCartney and Starr haven't been together since the mid-sixties. The Beatles broke up (officially) in 1970. And if they're talking about live performances, they're wrong because they did the concert for George together a few years back. And if they're talking about RECORDING, they're STILL wrong because they worked together in the '70s.

[beatles_rock09]

Awesome! If only John and George could be here today to complete the reunion. RIP John & George...

[Scot-Guitarist]

And in defence of Ringo, I believe he was the first out of the gate after the break up to score a # 1 hit, so he deserves his share of credit too.

Wasnt it George, then Ringo?

[LaLaLaLoopy]

Scot-Guitarist wrote:

And in defence of Ringo, I believe he was the first out of the gate after the break up to score a # 1 hit, so he deserves his share of credit too.

Wasnt it George, then Ringo?

Hmmmmm? you may be right, if so ,my bad

[Trunx]

papersun87 wrote:

Ringo was by all means not the world's greatest drummer, but he came up with good, creative parts and didn't screw up. I think that's what's really important.

Umm..Sorry but actually it wasn't Ringo who came up with all the drums parts, there was also an American session drummer who made lots of the Beatles drums parts. All this info just came out in the news just recently.

[Ric Bass 4003]

rock_and_blues wrote:

Lennon made the band, come on...take out every Lennon song from the Beatles catalog and what do you have? Paul's cliched pop songs, and a couple of tunes by George. You have no Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, no A Day In The Life, no Tomorrow never knows, no Norwegian Wood. They wouldnt have been at the forefront of the pyschedellic movement, and they wouldnt have been the band they became. Let's face it, Lennon was the key member of the band.

Ringo and Paul playing would be amazing though, however I'd like to see Shawn and Daani join in.

Um ok. Everything you said that John wrote was written by Lennon/McCartney. They both did. They are considered the greatest lyrical team on the planet. Yes Lennon started the band but that has nothing to do with it. As for Ringo, Talented yes, Greatest not even close. Neil Peart of Rush is the best.

[LaLaLaLoopy]

Regardless.....Its not the Beatles.

[Isogrifo]

Ringo's Son, Zak, now drumming for the who, Is a pretty damn god drummer too.

[Isogrifo]

But, Keith Moon, Origional Drummer For The Who, Was The Best Drummer Ever, Especially If You Listen To The Live Stuff

[White_Wolfman]

The Beatles are pretty much the ultimate example of the whole being greater than the sum of it's parts. Take away any one of them and the Beatles are instantly crippled. You may think Ringo didn't contribute much, but he had plenty of input. And while he may not be a technical drummer on the level of, let's say, Neil Peart (undoubtedly a genius when it comes to drumming) he certainly played with soul. The Beatles would sound odd with any other drummer.

[mercurymay]

They played at Concert For George in 2002 together.

[RandyMoon]

Why the Beatles worked so well is because Paul and John could always bounce their ideas off each other. They were like fire and ice...which...when you put them together, you get lukewarm water....which...everyone likes.

Point is, that they were the greatest song writing team ever. And George threw in some really good ones, and Ringo did Octopus's Garden.

Also remember, the Beatles movies were a big part of Beatlemania and Ringo usually had the starring role, so for what he might have lacked songwriting-wise, he made up for by being the goofy actor.