Also nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category were “Undefeated,” “Project Nim,” “Page One: Inside the New York Times,” “Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” and “Buck.”

The big winner on the night was the movie “The Artist,” which picked up four awards, including Best Picture, Best Score, Best Costume Design and Best Director for France’s Michel Hazanavicius. George Clooney won Best Actor for his role in “The Descendants.” and Octavia Spencer’s Best Actress award was one of three awards picked up by “The Help.”

Scorsese was also presented with the honorary Music + Film Award by Leonardo DiCaprio and George Harrison’s widow Olivia Harrison.

Olivia Harrison paid the following tribute to Scorsese:

Bob Dylan paid tribute to Scorsese with a performance of “Blind Willie McTell.” Scorsese directed the 2005 documentary “Bob Dylan – No Direction Home.”

There was more good news for Scorsese yesterday, as his work on “George Harrison – Living in the Material World” attracted a Directors’ Guild of America award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary Film. He is also nominated in the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film category for “Hugo.”

The Directors’ Guild of America awards ceremony takes place in Los Angeles on January 28 and will be hosted by Kelsey Grammer.

“George Harrison – Living in the Material World” is not yet available on DVD or Blu-ray in the US (what’s the hold up?), but has been available in the UK since last October.

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The Christmas number one has long been regarded as a prestigious achievement in the UK, with some of the biggest artists competing for the honour. Over the years, the Christmas number one has been occupied by classic pop songs, fun seasonal offerings, best forgotten novelties and, in recent years, the debut singles of television talent show winners.

The Beatles hold the record for the most UK Christmas number ones with four, followed by Cliff Richard and the Spice Girls who both have three.

* – As established by the Official Charts Company, the official British singles chart is the New Musical Express chart from 1952 to 1960, the Record Retailer chart from 1960 to 1969, and the Official UK Singles Chart from 1969 on.

The 1950s

The first Christmas number one on the UK singles chart was Al Martino’s “Here in My Heart” which was at number one for nine weeks in 1952.

Pre-rock ‘n’ roll favourites Frankie Laine, Winifred Atwell and Johnny Ray all hit the top spot at Christmas after this, with the latter’s “Just Walkin’ in the Rain” staying on top for seven weeks.

The first rock ‘n’ roller to achieve a Christmas number one was Conway Twitty, with the classic “It’s Only Make Believe” in 1958.

Harry Belafonte’s “Mary’s Boy Child” and Dickie Valentine’s “Christmas Alphabet” were the only songs with a Christmas theme to reach number one at Christmas in the 1950s.

Harry Belafonte – “Mary’s Boy Child”

The 1960s

Although Cliff Richard and Christmas are linked in the public consciousness, his first Christmas number one was the chirpy love song “I Love You” which carried no seasonal theme. This trend continued throughout the decade, with none of the remaining Christmas number ones having anything to do with Christmas.

Elvis Presley recorded the best selling Christmas album of all time, but his only Christmas number one was the pop classic “Return to Sender.”

Each of the Beatles’ Christmas number ones were in the 1960s, starting with “I Want To Hold Your Hand” in 1963 and concluding with “Hello, Goodbye” in 1967.

The Beatles – “I Feel Fine”

Tom Jones’ “Green Green Grass of Home” occupied the top spot for Christmas 1966.

The 1970s

In contrast to the previous decade, the 1970s saw several Christmas-themed songs achieve the coveted Christmas number one, including the perennial favourite “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade, Mud’s “Lonely this Christmas,” Johnny Mathis’ “When a Child is Born” and “Boney M’s “Mary’s Boy Child.”

Slade – “Merry Xmas Everybody”

The novelty song tends to do well around Christmas time in the UK and the 1970s saw two examples reaching the Christmas number one – Benny Hill’s “Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West) and Jimmy Osmond’s “Long Haired Lover from Liverpool.”

The 1980s

The 1980s Christmas chart toppers are a real mixed bag, including the great synth pop song “Don’t You Want Me” by the Human League, a welcome vintage offering in the shape of Jackie Wilson’s “Reet Petite” and a handful of classic Christmas songs.

Band Aid’s “Do they Know It’s Christmas?” reaching the top spot in both its original incarnation and when re-recorded by a new batch of pop stars, including Cliff Richard who had the previous year’s Christmas number one with “Mistletoe and Wine.”

Cliff Richard – “Mistletoe And Wine”

The other seasonal offering to reach the top spot in the 1980s was Shakin’ Stevens’ very catchy and still popular “Merry Christmas Everyone.”

The 1990s

Cliff Richard’s third and final Christmas number one, “Saviour’s Day,” was the only Christmas-themed song to reach the top spot at Christmas in the 1990s.

Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” had already been a Christmas number one in 1975 and repeated the feat in 1991 (backed with “These Are the Days of Our Lives”) in the wake of Freddie Mercury’s untimely death.

The Spice Girls were the biggest thing in pop in the mid-late 1990s, as reflected by their hat-trick of Christmas number ones from 1996 to 1998.

Spice Girls – “2 Become 1″

The year before the Spice Girls’ period of dominance began, Michael Jackson achieved his first and only Christmas number one with “Earth Song.”

2000+

The Christmas number one spot has been dominated by reality tv show winners since 2002. The only exceptions have been Michael Andrews and Gary Jules’ “Mad World” and Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name,” with the latter only achieving the top spot as a result of a Facebook campaign to prevent the X-Factor winner hitting number one.

Robbie Williams was at his commercial peak when his duet with Nicole Kidman on the Sinatra classic “Somethin’ Stupid” reached number one for Christmas 2001.

Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman – Somethin’ Stupid”

“The Beatles Ultimate Album-by-Album Guide” includes:

• track-by-track insights and audio samples of every song on every album
• vital stats and facts associated with each release
• album by album appreciations from Jim James of My Morning Jacket, James Taylor, Stevie Nicks, Liz Phair, Steven Van Zandt, Liam Gallagher, Stephen Malkmus of Pavement, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists, Graham Nash, Bob Weir and more
• a guide to the best non-album tracks
• classic Beatles photos.

Also available now is iBookstore’s exclusive “Yellow Submarine” book. The vibrantly illustrated book was designed by Fiona Andreanelli using Heinz Edelmann’s original artwork from the film, and its story has been adapted by Charlie Gardner from the film’s original screenplay, co-written by Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn and Eric Segal.

Yellow Submarine book promo

Both titles are available now.

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The auction, organised by Gotta Have Rock and Roll, includes stage and video worn costumes, concert played instruments, personal clothing, handwritten lyrics, set lists and letters, signed and inscribed guitars and album covers, contracts, never-before-seen photographs, rare concert posters, gold album awards and much, much more.

Among the many highlights of the auction are a pair of leopard spotted mohair shoes worn on stage by Elvis Presley in 1954, which are expected to fetch $45000 – $50000. Other top Elvis lots include the leather boots worn by the star in his legendary 1968 NBC television special, and a suit he wore on stage in 1956 during his short season at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. The suit was purchased at Lanskys In Memphis.

These are just two of 59 Elvis-related lots up for auction. The Beatles are also very well represented with 175 items relating to the band or the members’ solo projects, including a “Twist and Shout” promotional flyer signed by all four members, and a McCartney-signed “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album.

There are 32 Hendrix items, including the publishing agreement for his first album and a guitar strap worn on stage at the 1968 Lincoln Center in New York. Bruce Springsteen is also represented by 32 items, including a copy of the “Born To Run” album signed by Bruce and E Street Band members Clarence Clemons (now deceased), Roy Bittan, Garry Tallent, Danny Federici (now deceased), Max Weinberg, Steven Van Zandt, Patty Scialfa and Nils Lofgren.

Other highlights in the Rock & Pop Culture Auction include:

• Prince’s stage used “Yellow Cloud” guitar
• Bob Dylan’s stage used Martin acoustic guitar
• a fedora worn by Michael Jackson on stage
• Joni Mitchell handwritten “For Free” lyrics
• a motorcycle jacket jacket worn by Madonna
• the 1990 “Stravinski” Custom Strat used by Slash on Guns N’ Roses “Use Your Illusion” Tour
• a “Concert For New York City” drum head featuring over 50 signatures from musicians and VIPs, including Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Elton John, and President Bill Clinton.

Click here to view the full Rock & Pop Culture Auction catalogue.

The letter, dated 12 August, 1960, was written by McCartney in response to a notice placed by the drummer in the Liverpool Echo. McCartney was inviting the drummer to audition for the then unknown Beatles, noting that he must be available for a trip to Hamburg, expenses paid £18 per week (approx.), for 2 months.

The Beatles left for Hamburg with drummer Pete Best a few days after the letter was written, and this is the first evidence that they considered a drummer other than Best for the Hamburg gigs.

Image credit: Christies Auction House

Neil Roberts, of Christie’s, told the BBC:

The letter was one of 215 lots in Christie’s “Pop Culture: Rock and Pop Memorabilia” auction. The item that attracted the highest bid was a hand-written placard written by John Lennon to display at the Montreal Bed-In for Peace in 1969. The placard sold for £97,250 ($155,892).

Image credit: Christies Auction House

Other high selling items included the guitar Pete Townshend played at Live Aid in 1985 (£34,850/$55,865), 35mm black and white transparencies of John Lennon and Yoko Ono taken in Paris in March, 1969 (£30,000/$48,090), and a flamboyant cropped jacket worn by Marc Bolan on stage between 1975 and 1977 (£3,750/$6,011).

The exhibition explores how The Beatles were influenced by Elvis and includes rare artifacts from both The Beatles Story and Graceland archives.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the pool table that Elvis and The Beatles played on during their meeting at Elvis’ Bel Air home on August 27, 1965. Also present is the white fender bass guitar that was played by Elvis and Paul McCartney on that night.

Other artifacts include a shirt that Elvis wore in the movie “Jailhouse Rock,” a jumpsuit worn by Elvis on stage in the 1970s’ and a Gibson J-200 guitar played by Elvis during his acclaimed 1968 television special.

“Elvis and Us” promo

“Elvis And Us” will run until October 4, 2013. Further information is available at www.elvisandus.com

“Something” was released on The Beatles’ album “Abbey Road” in September 1969 and as a double A-side single with “Come Together” the following month.

“Something” was written by Harrison at Abbey Road studios in the summer of 1968 when he had some downtime during the sessions for “The White Album.” The original line “Something in the way she moves” was intended to be temporary, as it borrowed from James Taylor’s song “Something In The Way She Moves.”

“Something” has been described as the song that marked Harrison’s coming of age as a songwriter. The song wasn’t a bolt out of the blue though, as he had already proven himself to be a fine songwriter with tracks such as “If I Needed Someone” and “Taxman.” Nevertheless, “Something” was a step up and this was recognised within the band. John Lennon described “Something” as the best song on “Abbey Road” and it was the first Harrison-penned track to be deemed worthy of A-side status on a Beatles single.

The critics agreed with Lennon and “Something” received the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 1970.

“Something” also famously received lofty praise from Frank Sinatra, who described it as one of the best love songs ever written, but unfortunately also referred to it as a Lennon & McCartney composition!

There are conflicting stories regarding the inspiration for the song. Harrison’s then wife, Pattie Boyd, has said that “Something” was written about her, but in a 1996 interview (22 years after the pair divorced), Harrison suggested that the song was about no one in particular and that his main intention had been to replicate some of the power of Ray Charles’ soulful ballads. There are even suggestions that this classic love song was originally envisaged as a devotional song about Krishna.

In his track-by-track review of “Abbey Road” for the October 18, 1969 issue of Rolling Stone, George Harrison described “Something” as follows:

“Something” features an inspired melody; heartfelt lyrics; a perfectly realised guitar solo; arguably the best vocal of Harrison’s Beatles career; McCartney’s classic, busy bass line; and a rousing chorus, with its effective change of pace and unexpected chord sequence. The change of key from C major for the verses to A major for the chorus is a huge factor in this song’s success and it is very intelligent songwriting from Harrison. This musical contrast underpins the emotions communicated by the singer, with the sedate verses containing the dreamy expressions of wonder about the power of his attraction to his partner, and the more high powered chorus breaking the spell as the singer considers whether or not the relationship will thrive.

The Beatles – “Something”

Recording date/location

As good as Harrison’s composition was, the wealth of material already available for “The White Album” meant that months passed between Harrison writing the song and The Beatles recording it.

The classic master was recorded between May and August of 1969 at Abbey Road studios in London. The bulk of the work took place during May, with 36 takes recorded on May 2. Overdubs were then carried out on May 5 and during sessions in July and August. The final session on August 15 saw the overdub of the strings and a re-recording of Harrison’s guitar part.

Demos had already been laid down in February and April, with thoughts of pitching the song to Jackie Lomax. This fell through but the demo was given to Joe Cocker whose recording of the song was released shortly after “Abbey Road.”

Musicians

The following musicians featured on “Something”:

• George Harrison – lead vocals, guitars
• Paul McCartney – bass guitar, backing vocals
• John Lennon – piano
• Ringo Starr – drums
• Billy Preston – Hammond organ.

Beatles producer, George Martin, was responsible for the string arrangement.

Chart performance

“Come Together”, backed with “Something,” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 23, 1969 and stayed on top for one week. In previous weeks, the two songs had charted separately as this was a double-A sided single, but the single hit the top spot after a change to the Billboard rules meant that sales for both were taken into account.

The single peaked at number four on the UK singles chart.

Covers

Joe Cocker – “Something”

Joe Cocker was the first artist to cover “Something,” featuring the song on his album “Joe Cocker!” in November 1969. The song starts off in laidback fashion with Cocker and a solo guitar, but builds effectively as the whole band kicks in and Cocker unleashes his trademark raw vocals. It’s a solid cover, but Cocker doesn’t put his own stamp on the song as successfully as he had with his chart topping cover of the Beatles “With A Little Help From My Friends” earlier in the year.

The album also included a cover of the “Abbey Road” track “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window.”

Shirley Bassey – “Something”

Shirley Bassey hit number four on the UK singles chart with her cover of “Something” in 1970, which also featured on her album of the same name. Bassey is well suited to the material, performing with sensitivity and power. The heavy orchestration works well against Bassey’s powerful voice and the well written organ part adds colour.

Here’s Bassey singing the song live on a television show in 1971.

Ray Charles – “Something”

George Harrison wrote “Something” with Ray Charles in mind and didn’t have to wait long to hear Charles singing it. His soulful cover appeared on the 1971 album “Volcanic Action of My Soul,” along with a cover of the McCartney-penned “The Long And Winding Road.”

There will be a new Song of the Week on October 17.

The Beatles’ “Something” is available on “Abbey Road” and The Beatles 1″, both of which are available in remastered editions.

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The Beatles – 1 (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

We’ve picked out some great examples below, involving big-name music stars of the 1950s-60s.

Click the relevant image to be taken to the video of your choice.

Elvis off to Germany
Issue date – Sep 29, 1959

Elvis Presley prepares to leave for Germany, where he was stationed for two years while in the army.

The Beatles Come to Town
Issue date – Dec 26, 1963

There are many videos featuring The Beatles on British Pathé. This one shows the band performing “She Loves You” and “Twist and Shout” at the ABC cinema, Ardwick, Manchester.

The Dave Clark Five – Royal Tottenham
Issue date – Feb 4, 1964

Backstage with the Dave Clark Five at the Royal Tottenham, followed by on-stage performances of “Glad All Over” and “Bits and Pieces.”

Cliff Tops NME Poll
Issue date – May 11, 1964

An overview of the New Musical Express poll winners for 1964, with appearances from Cliff Richard, The Shadows and The Beatles.

Manfreds Go Top
Issue date – Aug 20, 1964

Manfred Mann perform “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” at the Palais, Edinburgh.

The Animals arrive in America
Issue date – Sep 3, 1964

The Animals are popular visitors to New York in 1964.

Helen Shapiro in Poland
Issue date – Oct 20, 1964

Helen Shapiro sings “Walking Back to Happiness” and “You Don’t Know” to Polish fans.

Monkees arrival and press conference
Issue date – Jul 2, 1967

The Monkees arrive at London airport for their British tour and hold a press conference.

Tom Jones golden disc
Issue date – 12 Dec, 1968

Tom Jones receives a gold disc from Germany and has to go to a salt mine to receive it. I don’t know why either!

It’s the age of the teenager
Issue date – June 26, 1958

A cringeworthy, but amusing look at the interests of teenagers in 1958 Britain.

Another fun tip for the British Pathé site, particularly for UK viewers, is to look up a place of interest such as your home town. This can yield all kinds of interesting information about events that are often long forgotten.

This archive of 90,000 videos can be previewed in full on the British Pathé website, where you can also purchase videos and still photographs.

The story is also about the relationship between The Beatles’ original bassist, Stuart Sutcliffe, and photographer Astrid Kirchherr, who he met and fell in love with in Hamburg.

Producer Karl Sydow said in a press statement:

The “Backbeat” stage show is co-written by Stephen Jeffreys and Iain Softley, who directed and co-wrote the film. It will be directed by David Leveaux. The show was first put on last year at Glasgow’s Citizen’s Theatre.

Performances will begin on September 24, before the official opening on October 10.

Christie’s auction house sold 50 of Mitchell’s silver gelatin prints and many of the lots exceeded their estimated price by a significant margin. The most impressive example was a backlit photograph of the band which was expected to fetch $2,000-3,000 but went for an amazing $68,000.

“The Beatles Illuminated: The Discovered Works of Mike Mitchell” auction took place on Wednesday, July 20 at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

The Beatles at the Washington Coliseum – “I Saw Her Standing There”