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@Ahhh Girl, asked if there was any truth in a story she’d read that Paul had given his blessing to a Band Aid-style recording of With A Little Help From My Friends  to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the National Health Service. She pointed me to this story in The Sun.

I was being ill at the time, and so have just got to it. Sorry about that.

There is some truth in the story, and some usual Sun hyperbole about who will be involved. They may prove correct, but a more reliable source differs on aspects compared to the Sun story.

Here’s what is known: The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir (who beat Justin Bieber to the UK Christmas #1 in 2015) are recording the song for release on 6 July, and it will feature artists from across the 7 decades of the NHS’s history alongside them (although they are yet to confirm who). It will be produced by Jon Cohen and Kat Aylwin.

From the Official Charts Company:

Joe Blunden, an NHS communications professional who conceived the project, said: “I see how hard NHS staff work every day, and wanted to create something that would show them all just how appreciated they are. Having the support of Sir Paul McCartney is absolutely incredible, and we will be recruiting artists from across the last seven decades to help us celebrate everything that is great about our health system.”

Children’s doctor Katie Rogerson, is also leading the charge on the release, hinted at an array of high-profile contributors: “We don’t want to give too much away until nearer the release of the song on July 6, but we have a host of huge names who are itching to get into the recording studio. We will also be involving staff, volunteers and patients from across the UK, so this really will be a song for everyone.”

In other news, Giles Martin has been unveiled by INXS as their Executive Music Director for future projects.

The Eric Clapton documentary from last year, Life in 12 Bars, will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on Friday (8 June).

Life In 12 Bars tells the story of Eric Clapton’s role in contemporary music & cultural history. Through his own words, it reflects on his traumatic childhood, his difficult struggle with drugs and alcohol, the loss of his son and how he always found his inner strength and healing in music.

Directed by Oscar winner Lili Fini Zanuck (Rush), Life In 12 Bars features extensive interviews with Clapton himself, along with his family, friends, musical collaborators, contemporaries and heroes – including late music icons B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison .

No Eric Clapton story would be complete without the music, and the story is peppered with songs from Eric’s solo career, his time in John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek And The Dominos and more!

There will also be an accompanying 32 track 2CD/4LP of the same name released on the same day.

Four tracks are of particular interest: the 2nd CD includes George’s My Sweet Lord , along with a live rendition of Comin’ Home from the 1970 album Delaney & Bonnie & Friends On Tour with Eric Clapton. Recorded at Fairfield Halls in Croydon, London on 7 December 1969, one of the friends was George. While the 1st CD includes Cream’s  Badge, which features George on rhythm guitar, and most surprisingly of all, The Beatles recording of While My Guitar Gently Weeps . While Beatles tracks have very occasionally appeared on v/a compilations and soundtracks, this is the first occasion I can think of of one appearing on another artist’s compilation.

Yeah, when I saw WMGGW was on there, I expected it to be either the Bangla Desh or Live in Japan version. My jaw dropped when I saw he’d been given permission to use the original version. Finally being allowed to include what’s rightly regarded as one of his greatest performances on a career overview just seems right to me, and I’m glad Apple finally gave the nod to it.

Maybe it will embolden those who next try to do a Billy Preston overview to ask the question.

The George Martin was one of the two v/a compilations I had in mind (the other being, from the mid-’80s, The Summer Album from the Now! series – which included Here Comes The Sun  and All You Need Is Love ). I put soundtracks in there because I thought 1978’s Coming Home had a soundtrack album, but turns out it didn’t.

Being so unusual was why I did the tracks in the way I did, making WMGGW last to be mentioned

Joe said
All the songs on all the Beatles’ albums* have been uploaded to YouTube, on the official channel (stereo remasters).

This seems like a pretty big deal, and unthinkable only a few years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/user/t…..elf_id=142

* Apart from the BBC sessions, LIB Naked, Yellow Submarine Songtrack and Hollywood Bowl, but let’s not be ungrateful, eh?  

A big move indeed. No more complaints about the lack of The Beatles on YT!

One thing to note, Pepper isn’t the stereo remaster, but Giles’ remix along with the bonus disc from the 2CD version of the 50th Anniversary release.