Back when I did my Beatles series, I believe I mentioned in there somewhere that they would pop up now and again on these pages, randomly. (Most Beatles videos have been pulled from the Internet so my series is now a mishmash of live stuff and missing videos. Pity. I have no intention of going back and replacing everything with Spotify links. The Beatles are just going to somehow survive without the Music Enthusiast’s assistance.)

☛This seemed like a good time to return to stuff about the Fab Four as Sirius radio has a new Beatles channel starting tomorrow, 5/18. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how they’re going to fill up a 24/7 Beatles channel when the band’s entire recorded output (including solo stuff) can’t possibly add up to more than a few weeks’ worth, end to end.

Even if it’s a month’s worth of stuff, then what? Repeat everything? Covers? Interviews? Yoko? Time for tea? Me jamming with Paul and Ringo? They don’t have anywhere near the recorded live output of the Dead or Springsteen to fill up the time. I’m curious to see how they pull this off.

☛Here’s Ringo, George, and Paul jamming in 1994, right around the time when they were putting the Beatles Anthology together. Twenty-five years after their acrimonious breakup. Nothing earth-shattering here, just fun to watch. “Thinking of Linking” is a song Paul wrote when he was 16, pronouncing it “terrible.” “Blue Moon of Kentucky” is a Bill Monroe tune but they are doubtless thinking of Elvis here.

☛Ok, so how’s your Beatles knowledge? I stumbled on a good online 75-question Beatles trivia game. I got 63 out of 75. No Googling, no listening to songs, no nothin’. Go for it!

Beatles Trivia Game

☛These are John’s demos for “Strawberry Fields Forever” that he recorded at home in Kenwood, St. George’s Hill, Surrey in 1966.

I am typically not a fan of hearing the unfinished product but I found this to be somewhat compelling:

Last but not least, here is a great video of The Beatles in Australia. (Last ten minutes or so, audio only.) I found out about this from another blogger but I’ll be damned if I can find the reference to his site.

This show is from Melbourne on July 1, 1964, and was broadcast on Channel 9. It’s the last of three nights at the city’s Festival Hall. They sound terrific here and seem to be really into it. Shades of the Cavern!