The Rutles: A look back at Dirk, Stig, Nasty and Barry!

With the recent attention given to the 60th anniversary of The Beatles first ever appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Tellyspotting turns its attention to another British rock group worthy of our collective attention. Sadly, the early 60’s were not especially kind to The Rutles. Languishing in the Rutland Cavern for years, it wasn’t until 1975 when this […]

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Happy 81st, George Harrison, 25 February 1943

Sometimes known as ‘the quiet Beatle’, George Harrison would have been 81 years young today. The Liverpool-born musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer and, oh yeah, lead guitarist of the Beatles passed away in November 2001 of lung cancer at the extraordinarily young age of 58. While most Beatles fans will immediately identify with songs written […]

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February 9, 1964 — THE day that changed music forever!

For me, Friday, February 7, 1964 will forever occupy a special place in my music history heart as it marked the first ever television appearance of The Kinks (performing “Long Tall Sally”) as part of the Ready Steady Go series in the UK. For most of the rest of the world, however, the date of February 9, […]

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Benny Hill turns 100!

While, clearly, a majority of my formative years were shaped by the greatness of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, there was a small amount quietly tucked away that I remember was reserved for The Benny Hill Show. On the surface, the slapstick, mime and double entendre sketches were definitely cringe-worthy but there was a underscored brilliance behind […]

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Giving thanks, once again, this Thanksgiving for family, friends, loyal Tellyspotting readers, good health and MiniBoots, in addition to ‘The Prisoner’ and ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’’

THankPhoto courtesy: ITVIn addition to stopping for a moment to be eternally thankful for my much better half, Kim, our friends, long-time and first-time Tellyspotting readers, good health and our kitty, MiniBoots, no Thanksgiving would be complete without recognizing the contributions made by two classic British series for not only setting me on a lifelong path of […]

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Remembering Eleanor Rigby!

  Eleanor Rigby, wife of Thomas Woods, granddaughter of John and Frances Rigby, died on October 10, 1939. Made immortal by the Beatles song from their 1966 album Revolver, the song was primarily written by Paul McCartney with significant lyrical contributions from John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. In an October 2021 article in The New Yorker, McCartney […]

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Happy 80th, George Harrison, 25 February 1943.

Sometimes known as ‘the quiet Beatle’, George Harrison would have been 80 years young today. The Liverpool-born musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer and, oh yeah, lead guitarist of the Beatles passed away in November 2001 of lung cancer at the extraordinarily young age of 58. While most Beatles fans will immediately identify with songs written […]

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From the Vault — The Beatles’ Penny Lane trumpeter, David Mason

56 years ago today on January 17, 1967, The Beatles finished recording Penny Lane in Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios including David Mason’s famous piccolo trumpet solo. As the story goes, the Beatles began recording Penny Lane on December 29. As time passed, Paul became somewhat dissatisfied at the initial attempts at the song’s instrumentation and […]

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Abbey Road Crosswalk finally gets a quick makeover during COVID-19 London lockdown

Recently, a highway maintenance crew in London took advantage of the London lockdown due to COVID-19 and gave the iconic Abbey Road crosswalk in front of Abbey Road Studios a quick makeover. The original photo which gave the famed intersection its notoriety was taken on the morning on August 8, 1969, when the Beatles spent their time walking back and forth for a photoshoot for their ‘Abbey Road’ album cover.

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