The Beatles

Quincy Jones once claimed the Beatles were sucky musicians -- but that must've been aimed at everyone besides Ringo Starr ... because the dude was clearly ahead of his time.

Check out this viral TikTok video from @grahamethedrummer, who breaks down what the band's drummer could've done on famous tunes of theirs ... and what he actually did on the final product. It's pretty obvious -- RS was going above and beyond for their songs.

Graham argues it would've been easy for Ringo to phone it in on the drums if he wanted to -- showing he could've played along to their melodies with simple drum beats that kept pace, but instead ... opted for ingenious patterns that elevated the arrangements.

He showcases what one might see a basic drummer do for tracks like "I Feel Fine," "Ticket to Ride," "Getting Better All the Time" and "Come Together" ... and then contrasts that with what Ringo actually did in real-life ... unique drumming that made the songs stand out.

The TikToker likens this level of drum playing to a "superpower" ... and each time he notes, "What Ringo did was way cooler." The internet seems to agree, BTW -- singing RS's praises ... with some saying he's grossly underrated in the pantheon of drummer greats.

Paul McCartney is doubling down on what happened to the Beatles -- insisting John Lennon broke up the band ... something history has long roped Paul into over the years.

The iconic rocker felt compelled to set the record straight again -- his version of it, anyway -- in an upcoming episode of BBC Radio4's 'This Cultural Life,' as reported by the Guardian, and he puts the blame squarely in John's corner ... claiming the guy walked in one day and announced he was parting ways with the group, adding JL wanted to break loose.

PMC was emphatic about who was at fault, saying ... "Stop right there. I am not the person who instigated the split. Oh no, no, no. John walked into a room one day and said I am leaving the Beatles. Is that instigating the split, or not?" He adds, "This was my band, this was my job, this was my life, so I wanted it to continue."

He goes on to say the other 3 bandmates -- Ringo Starr, George Harrison and himself -- were left to pick up the pieces ... and were even told to keep quiet about it as legal and business matters played out behind the scenes.

Eventually, McCartney made a public announcement in 1970 that he was leaving the band -- the first member to publicly do so -- and since then, he's been accused of being the the driving force to the dissolution.

Of course, Paul's told this story before -- saying John was responsible, that is -- but never quite like this. More often than not, PMC tends to characterize it as a sad chapter, albeit one of growth -- seeing how John met Yoko. Now, however, he's firmly pointing the finger.

The timing here is also interesting ... Saturday marked what would've been John's 81st birthday, and Paul actually threw something up on IG to honor him. He posted a black and white photo of the two of them on their guitars, writing ... "Happy Birthday thoughts for John - Paul."

Some 24 hours later, word of him kinda bad-mouthing his old pal leaks -- a man who isn't here to defend himself. As you know, John was killed in 1980 by Mark David Chapman.

Ringo Starr is celebrating 81 trips around the sun, and since we caught the legend on his born day ... we couldn't pass up the chance to find out which version of his legendary band he loves the most.

The iconic Beatles drummer was passing through Beverly Hills Park Wednesday, where he was getting all kinds of shout-outs and selfie requests to help ring(o) in his 81st birthday. Like the knighted gent he is ... Sir Ringo obliged each and every one along his path.

Anyway, check out the clip ... we were curious what era of The Beatles is best in his eyes and ears. We were within shouting distance of him, and figured why don't we just do it -- the run-in, that is -- in the road??? Alright, it was a sidewalk, but close enough.

Turns out, Mr. Starr is a fan of the days when they'd wrapped 'Sgt. Pepper's' ... but slightly before "Abbey Road," and all the rest that followed.

Take a wild guess -- there's really only one right answer here.

As for why he chose that particular era -- it has to do with chemistry and togetherness.

Apparently, that's around the time Ringo felt the 4 were at their most fab ... truly playing together as a band again. Great insight into Beatles history.

Oh, and we didn't forget to singo Ringo "Happy Birthday" -- and neither did the rest of the fans who were around.

Taylor Swift has a message for the most popular group in music history ... roll over, Beatles!!!

Taylor has topped the Fab Four by making chart history with the re-release of "Fearless." Here's the chart history part ... the album hit #1 Friday in the UK, and with that Taylor has racked up 3, number-1 albums in 259 days. The albums ... "Fearless," "Folklore" and "Evermore." The Beatles hit #1 with 3 albums in a row, but it took them 364 days.

Mind you ... this was not a fleeting record. The Beatles were top of the heap with this record for 54 years! Many have tried, but none of them succeeded, until T.S.

Taylor thanked her fans on Twitter for the honor, which, BTW, is awesome.

Taylor's "Fearless" was first released in 2008 and became a huge success thanks to "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me."

The "Double Fantasy" album John Lennon signed for Mark David Chapman hours before Chapman assassinated him is hitting the auction block ... and is expected to haul in up to 2 million bucks.

The macabre piece of rock 'n' roll history features Lennon's signature in blue ink on the album cover art ... a photo of Lennon and Yoko Ono. He signed his name on Yoko's neck along with his "1980" inscription.

"Double Fantasy" was the fifth album released by John and Yoko, and was released the month before he was shot and killed on December 8, 1980, as he was walking into his home at The Dakota in NYC.

Chapman had waited outside the building with a copy of the album to score Lennon's autograph around 5:50 PM as he and Yoko were on their way to a studio. Chapman was still waiting at 10:50 PM when the couple returned ... and shot Lennon four times in the back.

As you can see ... there are other markings on the front and back of the album. Those were made by law enforcement, as it was a key piece of police evidence from the scene of the crime. Chapman had put the album in one of the planters outside The Dakota after Lennon signed it.

When cops arrived, Chapman was found casually reading a copy of "The Catcher in the Rye," and told police he killed Lennon because he was so famous. The murderer was recently denied parole for the 11th time.

Yoko Ono's returning to battle with a former aide of her late husband John Lennon, claiming the guy's again trying to profit off them, even though he was ordered nearly 20 years ago to knock it off.

According to a new suit -- obtained by TMZ -- Yoko believes Frederic Seaman blatantly violated a court order when he sat down for a 23-minute interview "flanked by Lennon memorabilia" and discussing topics she says are legally prohibited ... like his old book about John.

Yoko and Frederic have been going at it in court for decades. She says Frederic pled guilty to stealing Lennon's journals back in 1983 but she had to drag him to court again in the late '90s.

Eventually, Yoko scored a legal victory in 2002 when a court ordered Seaman to stop using their family photos and such to profit off Lennon's legacy, and she even got an apology from him in open court ... so it seemed like it was resolved.

Ono now says he's back at it and claims Seaman's recent interview on September 10 proves it. Yoko claims he defied the order by again talking about his employment with John and Yoko, John's murder, and even worse ... his 1991 book, 'The Last Days of John Lennon.'

Ono says Seaman discussed his intention to revise and reissue an expanded version of his book, which she claims would "willfully and intentionally violate" the injunction laid down against him in 2002.

The 11th time was not a charm for Mark David Chapman, the man who murdered John Lennon ... his request for parole was once again rejected.

The infamous killer had another interview with the Board of Parole last week in New York, and just like his 10 previous attempts ... the Board was unmoved.

Chapman will now have to wait 2 years before he can get another hearing with the Board ... he's scheduled to appear again in August 2022.

He was last denied parole in 2018 because the Board determined his release would be "incompatible with the welfare and safety of society."

He was given nearly the same reason in 2016 and 2014, but his requests to get out of prison date back to 2000. There was no explanation this time around .. at least, so far.

Lennon was shot and killed by Chapman on December 8, 1980, as he was walking into The Dakota by Central Park, where he lived. Earlier in the evening, Lennon had signed a book for Chapman.

A super scary moment went down during a Sunday night showing of The Beatles LOVE in Las Vegas ... when one of the stunt performers took a nasty fall.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a member of the Cirque du Soleil team was injured during the show at The Mirage and transported to a hospital. Fortunately, we're told the performer suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Could have been much worse, according to witnesses, who say a male LOVE performer was doing a rope stunt at a very great height when he lost control and fell. Those in the crowd described the incident as "shocking," "just awful" and "traumatizing."

Immediately after the fall, the show was stopped due to the medical situation and the audience was asked to leave. We're told the fall happened near the end of the show.

We don't know which song they were performing at the time, but the show is packed with incredible acrobatics set to Beatles hits. It's been one of the most popular shows on the strip since opening in 2006.

A rep for the show tells us the show stopped "as a precautionary measure and in accordance with our emergency response protocols."

They continue, "As always in the case of an accident, the artist will continue to be monitored by the show's medical and coaching teams to determine when he can return to his activities."

There's a special piece of Beatles memorabilia up for sale ... handwritten lyrics to a classic song from the 'White Album' scribbled by George Harrison and Ringo Starr!!!

The lyrics to George's signature song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" are penned on the back of a studio recording sheet, and it's going up for sale through the memorabilia company Moments in Time -- and they're hawking this slice of Beatles history for $195,000.

It's pretty cool ... the lyric sheet is a working draft used during the hit song's recording way back in 1968 at EMI Studios in London.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono had some serious swag back in the day, and now a piece of their stylish relationship can be yours ... if you've got an eye for 5-figure tracksuits.

John's tracksuit, worn during a 1970 trip to Denmark with Yoko, is going up for sale through the memorabilia company, Moments in Time -- and they're hawking this vintage getup for a cool $35,000.

John's tracksuit actually has a pretty interesting story ... it comes from the collection of Yoko's ex-husband, Tony Cox, and John wore it when he and Yoko traveled together to Denmark to visit her ex and their daughter, Kyoko.

Not only did John and Yoko wear matching tracksuits on their European adventure ... they also chopped off their hair in the name of peace!!!

As you know ... John and Yoko married in March of 1969, and that sparked a legal battle with Cox over custody of their daughter. The trip to Denmark was a shot at reconciliation, and John and Yoko were as chill as could be in their comfy tracksuits.

Now John's tracksuit can be yours ... sans the drama of ex-husbands and child custody battles.

Colts owner Jim Irsay just added another sweet piece of history to his impressive collection ... a super famous John Lennon piano!!!

We're told Jim paid a whopping $718,750 for the piano Lennon used to write The Beatles' eighth studio album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." As we first reported ... the famous piano went up for auction earlier this month ... with Irsay rising above the rest.

The piano is one of several Lennon stored and used at his famous Kenwood house on St. George's Hill estate in Weybridge, England. Legend has it, this was his favorite piano, which itself is a piece of history ... it's a John Broadwood & Sons piano that dates back to 1872!!!

The piano also features a plaque that says, "On this piano was written: A Day in the Life, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Good Morning, Good morning, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite and Many others. John Lennon. 1971."

Jim's clearly ecstatic after hauling the relic piece.

He's a HUGE music memorabilia collector. Jim also owns the Yellow Cloud electric guitar Prince used in concerts from the late 80s. He also paid nearly $1 million for Jerry Garcia's one-of-a-kind "Tiger" guitar. And, he's also the proud owner of the Fender Stratocaster used by Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival back in 1965 ... after dropping another near $1 million.

Owning a HUGE piece of John Lennon history has never been easier -- assuming you can get a little help from your friends ... and your friends are filthy rich.

The folks over at Gotta Have Rock and Roll are set to auction off the piano Lennon used to write The Beatles' eighth studio album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Fans looking to score the iconic upright piano are gonna need a small fortune ... it's expected to fetch upwards of $1.2 MILLION!!!

This is the same piano Lennon stored and used at his famous Kenwood house on St. George's Hill estate in Weybridge, England. Legend has it, he had at least 2 pianos at the crib but this particular one was his fave.

The piano itself is a piece of history ... it dates back to 1872!! It's a product of John Broadwood & Sons, which was founded in 1728 and whose previous customers include a couple of dudes named Mozart and Beethoven.

The instrument has a plaque that says, "On this piano was written: A Day in the Life, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Good Morning, Good Morning, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite and many others. John Lennon. 1971."

The online-only auction starts April 10 and ends April 19. Minimum bid is a whopping $575k.

Quick point of reference -- the piano Lennon used to write "Imagine" sold back in 2000 for an insane $1.7 MILLION ... to George Michael.

A piece of Beatles history is up for grabs, but it's so old -- or vintage -- it goes by a different name.

If ya don't know ... John Lennon's first band wasn't The Beatles, it was The Quarry Men. He formed the group in 1956, later added Paul McCartney and George Harrison ... then made their famous name change in 1960.

Before that, though, the lads from Liverpool printed out business cards for The Quarry Men and an original -- one of just a few known to exist -- is up for sale. That's the good news. The bad news is ... baby, you'll need to be a rich man (or woman) to afford it.

The roughly 3.5 x 2-inch piece of paper and rock 'n' roll history is going for $32,500.

As for the card's origin story ... a collector bought it from a woman living in a Liverpool suburb 30 years ago. She sold off a bunch of membership cards and tickets she'd collected from her days hitting the clubs there in the late '50s and '60s.

The card's been down a long and winding road -- it's a little worn with some creases and stains, but that's part of its charm.

When The Beatles officially called it quits in 1970, there were several signs along the way the boys weren't getting along ... including a harsh letter to Paul's lawyer signed by John, George and Ringo.

Now that document can be yours ... if you have a big stack of cash to spare.

The letter, dated April 18, 1969, informs Lee Eastman that he's "not authorized to act or to hold yourself out as the attourney or legal representative of 'The Beatles.'" It goes on to acknowledge Eastman reps Paul McCartney personally ... but that's it.

This document's signed by John Lennon, Richard Starkey (aka Ringo) and George Harrison ... and it's currently on sale for $325k.

There's another letter up for grabs too -- signed by the entire Fab Four -- that's a little more friendly. It's from January 1969 and confirms that attorney John Eastman is authorized to handle the band's contract negotiations "in accordance with our instructions." This one's for sale for $225k.

If you don't know ... a few months after the April letter, John privately informed the other Beatles he was leaving the group. The split wasn't made public until April 10, 1970, though ... when Paul announced he was out.

Beto O'Rourke's long and winding road never lead to The White House ... but he did imagine himself as one of the Beatles.

We got the guy everyone's talking about -- including Barack Obama -- as a likely contender for the Democratic nomination for Prez in 2020.

As he traversed the terminal at Reagan National in D.C., our photog asked if he ever had dreams of becoming Commander in Chief, and he was quick to answer.

As for Obama recently hyping Beto -- saying the almost Senator reminded him of himself -- O'Rourke gave his best, "Aww shucks."