The Beatles

Paul McCartney is alive and well, but a well-placed rumor in 1969 had some thinking otherwise. On September 23, 1969, 43 years ago, the Northern Star newspaper of Northern Illinois University published a story claiming that McCartney had been killed in a car crash a few years earlier and had been replaced by a look-alike. A radio station in Detroit picked up on the story and ran with it. Within a month, the story had gone global and Beatles fans worldwide were collectively scratching their heads.

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47 years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play . . .

Actually, that's not true, but it was 47 years ago -- on September 25, 1965 -- that ABC first broadcast 'The Beatles,' a 30 minute Saturday morning cartoon that became an instant ratings smash for the network. Several years before they all lived in a yellow submarine (or so the song claimed), the legendary British rockers were first immortalized in animated glory, lending their music -- but not their actual speaking voices -- to the show.

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This Beatles & Frank Ifield ‘On Stage’ album sold for a heavyweight price when the vinyl recently appeared for sale on eBay. The 10 day auction quickly started a bidding war, securing bids that took its .99 cent start price to $2500.00 in less than 90 minutes. It was all uphill from there, with the seller finally landing $22,268.68 for a record that was originally issued in 1964.

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After spending 20 years in a box under someone's bed, a 1966 painting by all four members of the Beatles has found a new home -- and made its previous owner more than $150,00 richer.

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A 1964 Beatles record player just sold on eBay for $1580.00 and it doesn’t even play records! That didn’t deter collectors in the slightest because the vintage turntable that listed for $9.99 found the high bidder spending the equivalent of what most folks might pay to own a high-definition sound system.

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A one-of-a-kind collaborative painting that the Beatles worked on during their 1966 visit to Tokyo has been unboxed after spending over 20 years under its owner's bed -- and now it's headed for the auction block.

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The Beatles already own at least a dozen Guinness World Records, including Most Recorded Song (‘Yesterday,’ natch), Most No. 1 Singles on the U.S. Chart (an even 20 between 1964-70), and Biggest All-Time Sales for a Band. And on Oct. 5, fans will gather in Liverpool to try and add one more record to the list.

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Before there were the Beatles, Richard Starkey was a group called Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. The drummer, who would go on to change his name to Ringo Starr, recorded with the band before joining the Fab Four, and now some of those early recordings have surfaced after more than 50 years.

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Here at Ultimate Classic Rock we always root for the underdog, and we love it when artists who have gone under-appreciated for years finally get their due, especially when it occurs in their lifetime. Today we learned of one such case when we saw the news that the French government has awarded the Legion of Honor to a little-known singer from Liverpool, England, Sir Paul McCartney.

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‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ the Beatles‘ 1967 made-for-TV film, will be released on DVD and Blu-ray worldwide on Oct. 8 and in North America on Oct. 9, which, coincidentally, would have been John Lennon’s 72nd birthday. The movie will also have a limited theatrical release on Sept. 27.

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Word is that a  DVD/Blue ray reissue of The Beatle's "Magical Mystery Tour" film, will be released on October 9th (John Lennon's birthday). The new package will include an optional director's commentary by Paul McCartney as well as bonus videos.

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With music festival cruises being all the rage these days, it makes sense that there would be a cruise dedicated to the most popular group of all-time. In March 2013, the Cruise for Beatles Fans will sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on the sea of green for a week-long floating celebration of all things John, Paul, George and Ringo.

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