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Independence Day Weekend Edition

FLASHBACK: JOHN LENNON AND PAUL McCARTNEY MEET

It was 52 years ago today (July 6th), in Liverpool, England, that John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met. McCartney was brought to the St. Peter's Church Garden Fete in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton by his and Lennon's mutual friend Ivan Vaughan, to watch Lennon's group the Quarrymen perform. Vaughan recalled to Lennon biographer Ray Coleman that he told McCartney: "You've got to come and meet this guy John Lennon. You'll get on well with him."

Vaughan said that McCartney was more interested in checking out the girls attending the Church social than the musical acts. At the moment that McCartney first laid eyes on Lennon, he was on stage performing the Del Vikings' hit "Come Go With Me," with almost completely improvised lyrics.

After the Quarrymen's set, the left-handed McCartney impressed Lennon and the rest of the group by turning over one of the group's right-handed acoustic guitars and belting out a few Little Richard numbers. Lennon was immediately impressed at the number of chords McCartney knew, as well as his ability to remember the correct lyrics to the songs.

	In 1964, McCartney jokingly described the historic meeting in the forward to Lennon's first book, In His Own Write, recalling that, "At Woolton village fete I met him. I was a fat schoolboy and as he leaned his arm over my shoulder, I realized that he was drunk." Lennon was 16 years old and McCartney had recently turned 15.
	In 1967, Lennon recalled his first impressions of McCartney, remembering that, "I was very impressed with Paul playing ( Eddie Cochran's) 'Twenty Flight Rock.' He could obviously play guitar, I half thought to myself, 'He's as good as me'... He also looked like Elvis ( Presley). I dug him."
	Lennon's first wife, Cynthia Lennon, says that watching Lennon and McCartney collaborate was always a fascinating experience: ["They were absolutely wrapped up in their music. And their friendship was so -- you could taste it almost -- the essence of what they were doing was so tight-knit. And the balance of John and Paul's lyrics and way of thinking and way of creating the music -- well it was fascinating, the whole thing."]
	Shortly after the Beatles' breakup in 1970, Lennon told Rolling Stone that he was faced with a dilemma in forging a partnership with McCartney, recalling, "Was it better to have a guy who was better than the people that I had in? To make the group stronger? Instead of going for an individual thing we went for the strongest format -- equals."
	A recording from that evening's performance, containing several songs including "Puttin' On The Style," was purchased by Lennon's widow Yoko Ono in the mid '90s. A low-fi snippet of the tune, which has made the collectors rounds over the years, shows that Lennon's distinctly nasal rasp was already in full effect by the summer of 1957.
	Although Lennon often stated that he asked McCartney to join the band that night, McCartney has long stuck by the story that a week or so passed before Lennon had his then-best friend and Quarrymen bandmate Pete Shotton ask McCartney to join. McCartney said that he needed to ask his father's permission, and that wouldn't actually be able to officially join until he returned from Boy Scout camp later that summer.
	McCartney made his official live debut with the Quarrymen on October 18th, 1957, by which time he and Lennon had begun their first songwriting collaborations.
	Ivan Vaughan, who stayed friends with both Lennon and McCartney over the course of their lives, went on to study the classics at University College, London. His wife transcribed McCartney's English lyrics to French for the Beatles' 1965 classic "Michelle." In 1977, Vaughan was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and in 1986 published a book, Ivan: Living With Parkinson's Disease.
	Vaughan's eventual death in 1994 due to complications from the disease inspired McCartney to begin writing his first book of poetry, 2001's Blackbird Singing, which included a poem titled "Ivan."

BEATLES NEWS ROUNDUP

Yoko Ono issued an official statement on the death of Michael Jackson. Her statement reads: "With his enormous talent, Michael kept giving us power, inspiration and joy. Yet he knew that the world was not kind to him for many reasons, some of it going right back to racism. That must have been so hard for him. His various attempts to be loved by the world equaled the pain he received from it."

She closed by saying, "Michael, now you are free from all that. Rest well in Peace. We will always remember you and love you for what you were to us.

Two new Paul McCartney tour dates were posted on his lead guitarist Rusty Anderson's My Space site before being pulled down. Maccareport.com reported that in addition to upcoming gigs in Los Angeles and Chicago, McCartney has yet-to-be-announced shows scheduled for August 17th in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Bank of Oklahoma Center, and on August 19th at a venue TBA in Dallas, Texas.

Mirror.co.uk reported that Ringo Starr's 38-year-old daughter Lee Starkey and longtime boyfriend, British rocker Jay Mehler of Kasabian are expecting triplets.

Starr already has a granddaughter Tatia by his son Zak, and a grandson Louie by his son Jason.

U2 PAYS TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON AT TOUR OPENER

U2 paid tribute to fallen pop icon Michael Jackson during the opening night of the band's U2 360 tour on Tuesday (June 30th) in Barcelona, Spain. Singer Bono dedicated the song "Angel Of Harlem" to the late Jackson, saying, "We wrote this one for Billie Holiday but we are going to play it tonight for Michael Jackson." The group also wove bits of Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "The Man In The Mirror" into the song, according to RollingStone.com.

The crowd of 90,000 was also treated to the debut of U2's massive new stage, called "The Claw," which towered above the audience on four arching legs and allowed for maximum audience capacity, as well as a 21-song set that featured a number of tracks from the band's latest effort, No Line On The Horizon, as well as several hits plus a few rarely played cuts like Achtung Baby's Ultraviolet (Light My Way)."

	At one point early in the show, according to reports, Bono got on the phone with astronauts on the International Space Station, asking, "Commander, can you see Barcelona?" to which the crew replied, "Right now the most beautiful sight in our cosmos is the blue planet earth," leading into U2's performing "Beautiful Day."
	During the song "Walk On," the band handed out masks of imprisoned Burmese president Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest despite being the country's elected leader.
	U2 plays in Barcelona again on Thursday night (July 2nd) before hitting the rest of Europe. A North American run begins on September 12th in Chicago.
	U2 opening night set list: "Breathe" "No Line on the Horizon" "Get On Your Boots" "Magnificent" "Beautiful Day" "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" "Angel Of Harlem" "In A Little While" "Unknown Caller" "The Unforgettable Fire" "City Of Blinding Lights" "Vertigo" "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" "Sunday Bloody Sunday" "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" "MLK" "Walk On" "Where The Streets Have No Name" "One" ---------- "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" "With Or Without You" "Moment Of Surrender"

CHECK IT OUT: Fan-shot footage of U2 paying tribute to Michael Jackson can be seen at http://bit.ly/UghVC

ROLLING STONES UPDATE

Ron Wood joined Slash and Jason Bonham onstage Tuesday night (June 30th) at the Quart Festival in Kristiansand, Norway, according to iorr.org. Wood who was playing his signature black and silver Tony Zemaitis "metal front" guitar performed during Slash's set and tore through such Rolling Stones, Faces, and Bob Dylan favorites as "Honky Tonk Women," "Stay With Me," "Knocking On Heaven's Door," and "It's Only Rock N' Roll."

Jeff Beck told The Word magazine that he feels that turning down the Rolling Stones in 1975 actually saved his life. Beck, who along with Peter Frampton, and others were on the shortlist to replace Mick Taylor following his abrupt departure from the band in 1974. Beck recalls: "I had this flash that said, 'Don't do it, you'll never get on with Mick ( Jagger) and Keith ( Richards) musically because you're heading in a different direction'. There's the thing. There's the crossroads. If I'd turned left I'd have been a multi-millionaire Rolling Stone -- and dead.

Beck, who recorded with Jagger in the mid-'80s before backing out of being his lead guitarist on the eve of his 1988 solo tour, added, "Not that I wouldn't want to experience some of the things that went on with them but I was into speed and detail and gung-ho playing, and the way they were drinking I just don't think it would have worked. I thought, 'This is a life of booze and women. Who needs that?' So I caught the next plane out."

Monday (July 5th) marks the 40th anniversary of the Rolling Stones' legendary comeback gig in front of 200,000 fans at London's Hyde Park. The free show, which took place two days after the death of recently departed guitarist Brian Jones, had originally been announced to serve as the coming out gig of new guitarist Mick Taylor, but was hastily rearranged to serve as a tribute to Jones.

	For the show the Stones were joined by the Ginger Johnson's African Drummers who danced and added dancing percussion to the concert's finale "Sympathy For The Devil."
	The Setlist: "Eulogy for Brian Jones," "I'm Yours, She's Mine," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "No Expectations," "Mercy Mercy," "Stray Cat Blues," "I'm Free," "Down Home Girl," "Love In Vain," "Loving Cup," "Midnight Rambler," "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Honky Tonk Women," "Street Fighting Man," and "Sympathy For The Devil."

NEW GRATEFUL DEAD VAULT RELEASE CELEBRATES 1974 'WALL OF SOUND' TOUR

Out now is the latest Grateful Dead "official" bootleg, Road Trips Volume 2 Number 3. The new set features the band caught live in Des Moines, Iowa and Louisville, Kentucky in June of 1974 with their legendary 'Wall Of Sound' show. The Dead's '74 gigs were unlike any others, and featured a pioneering state-of-the art sound with "an array of speaker towers that sprawled across the stage and rose to a height of more than two stories."

The soundstage was comprised of nearly "650 loudspeakers powered by 50 giant McIntosh amplifiers, and unlike traditional left-right P.A. systems which gave each instrument its own vertical array, and vocals emanated mostly from a center honeycomb cluster above the band."

	The tracklisting to Road Trips Volume 2, Number 3 is: Disc One -- Recorded live at State Fairgrounds, Des Moines, IA, June 16th, 1974: "China Cat Sunflower," "I Know You Rider," "The Race Is On," "Eyes Of The World," "Big River," "U.S. Blues," and "Playing In The Band." Disc Two -- Recorded live at Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY, June 18th, 1974: "Loose Lucy," "Eyes Of The World," "China Doll," "Weather Report Suite/ Jam/Other One/It's A Sin Jam," and "Stella Blue." Bonus Disc -- Featuring tracks from both the Des Moines and Louisville shows: "Morning Dew," "Around And Around," "Deal," "Greatest Story Ever Told," "Truckin'," "Nobody's Jam," "Wharf Rat," "Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad," and "Sugar Magnolia."
	The third bonus disc is available while supplies last. For ordering details, log on to dead.net.
	Bob Weir says that the Dead archives are an imposing and impressive place: ["I've been in the vault a few times. I knew what was in there. I've known what was in there. It's not so much an awakening, as it's a challenge to get it all digitized and stored. The storage is gonna be the biggest challenge of all of it. The archiving is no problem."]
	The Dead will perform on Saturday (July 4th) at the Rothbury festival in Rothbury, Michigan at the Double JJ Resort.

REMEMBERING JIM MORRISON

It was 38 years ago Saturday (July 3rd, 1971) that Jim Morrison was found dead in the bathtub of his apartment in Paris, France. The local coroner ruled the official cause of death for the 27-year-old Doors frontman as "heart attack induced by respiratory problems." Morrison was buried in Paris's Pere Lachaise Cemetery on July 9th of that year.

Steve Harris, the senior VP at the time of the Doors' record label Elektra Records revealed what he knows about Morrison's death: ["It was heroin. So they bring Jim home and he's dead. And they put him in the bathtub and there's a knock on the door. (Jim's wife) Pam goes and opens the door. You know who it is -- Marianne Faithfull. She saw what was going on and she split."]

	Ray Manzarek hopes people will start to eventually see beyond Morrison's "Lizard King" persona and grow a deeper understanding of the Doors' music: ["You know, it's a worship of Morrison -- I understand that. You know, he's dead. It's like James Dean, you know -- except James Dean stood alone, so you could worship James Dean. But, I mean, Jim was part of a band. The band was called the Doors. Listen to the music, man. The people who worship Jim Morrison so insanely, I don't even think they know the words, you know? It's just the image of Jim."]
	Robbie Krieger says that looking back on the Doors short career with Morrison, he's surprised at how well the foursome always seemed to gel: ["It was really like the perfect group, you know, as far as working together and stuff. There was no ego problems, you know, and petty jealousies and stuff like that that a lot of groups go through."]
	Newly released is the Doors latest vault release, called Live In Pittsburgh 1970. The CD was recorded on May 7th, 1970, during the band's final U.S. tour.

ASK YOUR LISTENERS

Does Ray Manzarek have a point about Morrison's image and myth dwarfing the band's music? True, Morrison was one of rock's most charismatic and larger-than-life figures, but was his onstage persona -- and astonishing good looks -- a distraction to the band's core audience?

There were a lot of bands on the Sunset Strip in '65 and '66 playing similar music to the Doors -- some signed, some still unknown -- with no shortage of Bach-trained organists and jazz-tinged lead guitarists. It was Morrison's star appeal, both in life as well as in death, which broke the band and keeps them rich in royalties. If you ask us, Morrison's "myth" has aged far better than The Soft Parade.

NEW PAUL SIMON COLLECTION AVAILABLE AT STARBUCKS

Paul Simon Opus Collection: This Better Be Good. The 16-track career-spanning compilation features such Simon standards as "Kodachrome, "Late In The Evening," "Slip Slidin' Away," and "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard," among others.

	*The tracklist for the Paul Simon Opus Collection: This Better Be Good* is:** "Kodachrome," "Peace Like A River," "Loves Me Like A Rock," "Late In The Evening," "Slip Slidin' Away," "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard," "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes," "Mother And Child Reunion," "American Tune," "Under African Skies," "Senorita With A Necklace Of Tears," "Bernadette," "Train In The Distance," "The Obvious Child," "Father And Daughter," and "Sure Don't Feel Like Love."
	Art Garfunkel first sang Simon's "American Tune" at the duo's 1981 reunion in New York's Central Park, and has kept it in his solo shows ever since then: ["I love Paul's 'American Tune,' and felt such an identity with that kind of song, it's a Bach chorale, that I do it in my show all the time. I never recorded it, but I identify with it, I kind of made it mine. Because it was in the nature of the material. There's a bunch of Paul's things over the years that kill me that I could do my own version of it. Yeah, I suppose that's an interesting album, Garfunkel Does Simon."]
	The Paul Simon Opus Collection: This Better Be Good can be ordered directly by logging on to starbucksstore.com.
	Simon & Garfunkel perform tonight (July 2nd) in Perth, Australia. There has been no announcement made regarding North American dates.

DAVE GROHL, JOSH HOMME, JOHN PAUL JONES START BAND

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and Queens Of The Stone Age singer/guitarist Josh Homme have started a new group, with Grohl playing drums. According to Spinner.com, Grohl talked about starting the band as far back as a 2005 interview with Mojo magazine. A source told us that the trio has already completed work on their debut album in Los Angeles, although a name for the band and a release plan for the record have yet to be nailed down.

	Grohl has played with both artists before. Jones conducted an orchestra behind Foo Fighters at the Grammy Awards, while he and Jimmy Page also joined the band onstage last year at England's Wembley Stadium.
	Grohl also played drums on Queens Of The Stone Age's 2002 album, Songs For The Deaf.
	Jones has kept a relatively low profile since Led Zeppelin's one-off reunion show in December 2007, while Homme has mostly been on the road behind the most recent Queens album, 2007's Era Vulgaris.
	Foo Fighters have been on vacation since finishing the touring cycle for their sixth effort, 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.

CHECK IT OUT: A list of the Top 10 modern rock supergroups can be found at http://bit.ly/13d4iG