The Monkees were widely accused of ripping off The Beatles. “Ripping-off” was usually too strong a word for the inspiration that the Prefab Four took from the Fab Four, but the word applied well to a ...

The Beatles' "Twist and Shout" is beloved for its blemishes: John Lennon's voice is moments away from disintegration — a raw snapshot of a singer wrestling a rock song in real time. And while Lennon ...

“Twist and Shout” was co-written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns. The latter used the pseudonym Bert Russell. Berns also produced other hits such as The Drifters’ “Under the Boardwalk” and Van ...

As part of our series Blogging the Beatles, we’re featuring occasional excerpts from Ian MacDonald’s Revolution in the Head, a thrilling song-by-song history of the Beatles’ records which Slate’s ...

Rock ’n’ roll staples don’t come much bigger than “Twist and Shout.” More than half a century since it was first penned by Bronx-born songwriter Bert Berns (and his occasional partner Phil Medley), it ...

The Monkees were widely accused of ripping off The Beatles. "Ripping-off" was usually too strong a word for the inspiration that the Prefab Four took from the Fab Four, but the word applied well to a ...