Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles/Outreach/Newsletter

WikiProject The Beatles Newsletter
Issue 011 – March 2007

Beatles News

• On February 5, 2007, the Beatles' Apple Corps and Apple, Inc. (Apple Computer) announced a settlement of their latest trademark dispute involving use of the Apple trademark on the iTunes Music Store. In May of 2006, the High Court ruled in favor of Apple, but Neil Aspinall, manager of Apple Corps, vowed to appeal. Evidently, in the intervening months, the two companies negotiated a settlement. The settlement is discussed in this AP story. For background on the case, see Apple Corps v. Apple Computer. For fans, this may mean that Beatle music will be available someday on iTunes. Despite rumors of a February 2007 release, the material is still unavailalble.

• The divorce case between Paul McCartney and his estranged wife Heather Mills McCartney has begun with a preliminary hearing in the London High Court on March 1, 2007. See the McCartneys Have Their First Court Date.

• Chronicle Books has reissued I, Me, Mine, the 1980 George Harrison autobiography. See details in the editors page

Project News

• The articles Freddie Lennon, Julia Lennon, Mimi Smith, Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans have all been promoted to Good Article status. The identity of the individual largely responsible for this outcome remains a mystery, but anyone correctly identifying said person will be treated to dinner with Sir Sean de Garde (cost of meal, air tickets, hotel and trips to houses of ill-repute will be borne by the Mighty Crestville).

• There were no Project article adoptions for the month of February.

• One new article has been listed in the Project Log since 1 February; namely The New World Tour, relating to the 1993 World Tour by Paul McCartney, created by the Project's Macca/Wings tours resident expert Danthemankhan.

• The hottest Project pages this month have been.... Julia Lennon, Freddie Lennon, Neil Aspinall, and Mal Evans, which are now all GA, and Mimi Smith, which has been peer reviewed to see if it could be FA.

• Project Policy has now been altered to reflect that the use of lowercase for the letter "t" of the word "the" in the Beatles is now considered the correct rendition.

Member News

• New members to the project since the last issue include (although the first is a long time contributor who apparently has only just found the Participants section);

Tvoz

Freshacconci

Liamshaw

John Cardinal

Mezlo

ErleGrey

Captain Waters

Hey jude, don't let me down

• Apepper has been awarded a Barnstar for his considerable contributions to The Beatles' influence on music recording. LessHeard vanU has also acquired two Barnstars, and a WikiFish(!), mostly due to undue influence.

Issue of the Month

See below. There is genuine concern that the Newsletter is getting stale in terms of content and variety, and that the same individuals are featured each month. Furthermore, lack of "news" is hindering the timely distribution as the editors wait for something to report. All Project editors are encouraged to give their news, suggestions and thoughts to keep the 'Letter vital and interesting. If making direct contributions do not appeal, please give a mention on the Newsletter talkpage and it will be incorporated!

From the Editors

Help is needed for the job of putting future Newsletters together. The present incumbent is finding it difficult to reflect the breadth of the Project, focusing on much the same individuals and articles each month, and has decided to beg for contributions from other individuals. Interested persons need only start working on next months issue to qualify. It really is that simple!

If you've just joined, add your name to the Participants section of Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles. You'll get a mention in the next issue of the Newsletter and get it delivered as desired. Also, please include your own promotions and awards in future issues. Don't be shy!

Lastly, this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 012 – April 2007). Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!

Contributors to this Issue

• lEaD ediTor (Lead Editor)
• John Cardinal (Editor)
• LessHeard vanU (Editor)
• Lar (Editor, Distributor)
• Alexcalamaro (Editor)

WikiProject The Beatles Newsletter
Issue 010 – February 2007

Beatles News

• George Harrison's handwritten lyrics to the song While My Guitar Gently Weeps have fetched $300,000 (£152,552) in a Scottsdale (Arizona, United States) memorabilia auction (15 January). It contained lines omitted from the final version of the song. Specifically :

I look from the wings at the play you are staging
While my guitar gently weeps
As I'm sitting here doing nothing but aging
Still my guitar gently weeps

On the reverse of the page appears the lyrics to Hey Jude in the hand of Mal Evans.

Project News

• The Project lead article (The Beatles, for those not paying attention) has had its Good Article status reviewed, and the consensus was 'keep'. The efforts of User:Andreasegde in supplying the requested citations, and other editors in helping with general editing, and the strength of arguments for retaining the grade sufficiently impressed the reviewers.

• After a great deal of work Paul McCartney was promoted as a Featured Article candidate. Unfortunately it failed to succeed. Among other comments, including the correct length of dash (or hyphen), from reviewers was that the article was too long and also that it needed further information included in some of the sections(!?) The promotor, and driving force behind the insertion of a great many references, citations and facts (and the remover of unwanted text, and splitter of information into daughter articles), Andreasegde vigorously argued the case for promotion but was unsuccessful.

• Mimi Smith was successfully nominated for WP:Good article status. The major editor to whom accolades should be directed is... Andreasegde.

• Two new articles have been listed in the Project Log since 1 January:

The Beatles' Influence on Recording Music by Apepper and Wings 1973 UK Tour by Danthemankhan.

• Eruption257 has adopted the A Spaniard in the Works article.

• The hottest Project page this month was possibly, despite the Article Status related issues regarding both The Beatles and Paul McCartney mentioned above, the third attempt to delete The Beatles trivia in less than a year. As was the case for the second attempt at AfD the result, after an energetic discourse, was keep but with a suggestion that the article be retitled to reduce the incidence of deletion requests. Editors are invited to discuss possible new titles, and/or the need for same, at Talk:The Beatles trivia.

• Other Project news - Lar did a bit of a purge of the subscription list during last month's newsletter delivery. Some folks were kept (and are at the active list), some who clearly are not active on wikipedia at all were removed with a "you've been removed" message left (and are at the inactive list), and some folks who were less active but not as clearly completely inactive were given a "this may be your last newsletter" message (and are at the possibly inactive list). A more nuanced subscription list is now here (in several subpages as outlined above), and anyone who wants to tweak their status (moving one's self back is a clear cut sign that we should deliver the newsletter to you!) should feel free. Please respect the rather spartan formatting though, this list is used by WP:AWB currently, and may be used by other automation in future.

Issue of the Month

Hottest issue or concern for this month is the perennial matter of Project articles losing their Good or Featured Article status. The main Project page now includes a status board that gives the current ratings of some of the more important articles. Let's make sure the core articles (The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr) reach or retain Good Article status, if not Featured Article. If you are aware of another major article whose status is at risk, add it to the board.

Issue of last Month

Since there has been no response in the matter of the use of lowercase for the initial letter of the when applied with Beatles from the opponents, it is likely that the case for using lowercase only will be adopted as Project policy by default. User:LessHeard vanU will draw up a recommendation and submit it to the Policy talkpage in a few days.

From the Editors

We are pleased to welcome the contributions of Alexcalamaro to this newsletter. Any editor can include an item of interest or news; this medium can be an excellent tool for getting a comment seen by a great number of project members. As it says below, this is your newsletter.

If you've just joined, add your name to the Participants section of Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles. You'll get a mention in the next issue of the Newsletter and get it delivered as desired. Also, please include your own promotions and awards in future issues. Don't be shy!

Member News

• New members to the project since the last issue include Sturgeonman, McTavidge, Discordant, SUIT, apepper, Darrenhusted, Cbing01 and Eruption257.

• The Silly Name (Beatles) Cabal have been awarding each other sundry awards, with one rather obvious exception, recently. This practice is contrary to WP:YouDoNotNeedToBeMadToEditHere(ButItHelps) and reflects badly on the serious work being done on The Greatest Band In The World and should cease immediately. Any further transgressions will likely incur the wrath of The Really Scary One.

Lastly, this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 011 – March 2007). Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!

Contributors to this Issue

• Alexcalamaro (Editor)
• LessHeard vanU (Editor)
• Albert Goldman (Editor)
• Lar (Editor, Distributor)

WikiProject The Beatles Newsletter
Issue 009 – January 2007

Beatles News

• The ongoing divorce proceedings between Paul McCartney and the former Heather Mills continues to occupy the attention of the media - Heather Mills reportedly receiving unspecified death threats.

• The British Post Office have released a series of stamps depicting various Beatles album covers.

Project News

• The Paul McCartney article is being primped and primed for submission as a Featured Article candidate.

• The good folk who have been working on the above article have turned their attention to the John Lennon page. Everyone is, of course, invited to contribute.

• 1 new article (by keithmall) has been listed in the Project Log since 1 December 2006, being The Beatles Book, a monthly magazine.

• The hottest Project page this month has been the Macca (Paul for those not in the know!) article, again.

• Other Project news... Please let the editors know if anything is happening, or just contribute it to the next newsletter.

Member News

• New members to the project since the last issue include Beggarsbanquet, Keithmall, Sturgeonman, and McTavidge

• Sir Sean de Garde appears to have developed multiple personalities.

Issue of the Month

The question of capitalising of the letter "t" in The of The Beatles has been raised again. It appears that UK style references (here and here) also maintains that the letter should be in lower case. If the Project is to be appear professional then it may have to change the format. Polite discussion is invited at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject The Beatles/Policy. If possible, please provide sources/references to support your position.

From the Editors

It has been a fairly quiet time with regard to the Project (or at least that is how it seems). If you are reading this and wondering why your efforts in respect of a Beatles article has not been mentioned, it may be that you haven't told any editor. This is your Newsletter, which means you can contribute to it, so please do!

If you've just joined, add your name to the Participants section of Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles. You'll get a mention in the next issue of the Newsletter and get it delivered as desired. Also, please include your own promotions and awards in future issues. Don't be shy!

Lastly, this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 010 – January/February 2007). Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!

Contributors to this Issue

• LessHeard vanU (lead :) Editor)
• Lar (Editor, Distributor)

WikiProject The Beatles Newsletter
Issue 008 – December 2006

Issue of the Month

Wikipedia's standards are improving all the time, with the result that many articles in The Beatles Wikiproject are being nominated for review of their FA and GA status - and many are losing that accolade. It is difficult, with such a large number of articles and the ease with which editors may make changes which are detrimental, to maintain the standard of articles, let alone improve them. As ever, members efforts are both appreciated and needed to keep the Project on course.

Beatles News

• A Beatles compilation called "Love", featuring tracks remastered by George Martin (with his son Giles), has been released and has made number 1 in Canada.

• The impending divorce between Paul McCartney and the former Heather Mills continues to make the pages in the tabloid press in the UK.

Project News

• New to the Project Log is the nomination of four articles for consideration as suitable for collaboration, in the manner in which Paul McCartney is now being edited, once the aforementioned article is completed. The nominations are George Harrison, Apple Corp, The Beatles(!!), all proposed by Kingboyk and John Lennon, proposed by LuciferMorgan. Interested editors should make themselves known on the various article talk pages.

• Three new articles have been listed in the Project Log since 1 November, being Wings tours by Kingboyk, and List of Beatles concerts and Mathew Street, both by Liverpool Scouse.

• The hottest Project page this month has been Paul McCartney (see above and below).

• Another Project article, I Want to Hold Your Hand, has lost its FA status and both Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and Beatles For Sale have lost their GA (Good Article) status. In the meantime, Real Love is being considered at WP:FARC. Some great news is that Paul McCartney has passed its nomination for GA status, although with the polite request that the introduction be looked at.

Member News

• New members to the project since the last issue include mrmaroon25, Kyo cat and "I Am the Eggman".

From the Editors

If one is to be mercenary about the subject, it should be noted that Paul McCartney is going to be more noteworthy than usual in the near future as his divorce case comes to court. In that case it is great to note that a small group of Project Members (plus another individual who does not feel compelled to register himself despite important contributions) have worked very hard, and in an atmosphere of good humour, to take the McCartney piece to a succesful Good Article nomination. Perhaps this is the method to use for future articles, a small dedicated team concentrating on one subject at a time. Of course, all members are invited to join any existing group or even go about forming their own. Please note any such action in the Project Log.

If you've just joined, add your name to the Participants section of Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles. You'll get a mention in the next issue of the Newsletter and get it delivered as desired. Also, please include your own promotions and awards in future issues. Don't be shy!

Lastly, this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 009 – January 2007). Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!

Contributors to this Issue

• LessHeard vanU (Editor)
• Lar (Editor, Distributor)

WikiProject The Beatles Newsletter
Issue 007 – November 2006

Issue of the Month

Again, the issue of the month is inline citations. A Day in the Life, A Hard Day's Night (song), and Get Back have all been defeatured, as they failed to satisfy criterion 1(c) of What is a featured article?, and other song FAs are due for the chopping block. Inline citations are an important aspect of articles—they ensure verifiability and reliability, and they remove original research. Additionally, they give readers the option to read the original source material and view it within context.

Basically:

1. All direct quotations attributed to Beatles members pooled from interviews need full inline citations.
2. All critical comments about songs or albums need full inline citations to notable music critics, magazines opinions, or reviews, as opposed to being merely comments by Wikipedians.
3. Inline citations need: author name, article name, publication date, and name of publication. Such info is still preferable even if quoting from an interview posted upon a website; when this is the case, place the URL link at the end of the citation with the date it was last accessed. (This will help editors retrieve the page using the Wayback Machine, should the link go dead in the future.)

Beatles News

• The Beatles are due to release a soundtrack album, LOVE, at the end of November, as a companion to their Cirque du Soleil adaptation of the same name. It will feature remastered and remixed versions of their previously released songs, including some new medleys.
• Paul's getting a divorce. Pain, arguing, and fighting abound.

Project News

• Featured Article drive: A number of project members are collaborating on Paul McCartney's article, with the aim of getting it to Featured Article status. The work is going well and all help is welcome! Check in at Talk:Paul McCartney if you want to help.

• The Wings tours are really nicely documented now (see Category:Wings tours), but Category:The Beatles tours is almost empty. Kingboyk and the rest of us would love to see (and read) articles on each Beatles tour, including the pre-fame tours of the UK—and the Hamburg trips, of course!

• The article on Alistair Taylor has been adopted by Alexcalamaro.

• Two new articles have been listed in the Project Log since 1 October:
  • "I'll Be on My Way", a Lennon/McCartney song from 1963 (Zakko)
  • Wings tours, a list of Wings concert tours (Kingboyk)

• The hottest Project page this month has been Paul McCartney, involved in the Featured Article drive, as mentioned above.

Member News

• New members to the project since the last issue include NauticaShades, Raymond Arritt, Alexcalamaro, Willie the Walrein, Peanut33Tillman, and Samboha.

• Our project members are too modest to report any awards they may have given or received.

From the Editors

Wherever possible, editors should help to trim down on list-like prose within Beatles articles. They should convert list-like sections into fluent, cohesive prose which ties an article's sections together. Lists make articles disjointed, awkward, and difficult to read.

Be sure to take part in the Featured Article drive, and don't forget those inline citations!

If you've just joined, add your name to the Participants section of Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles. You'll get a mention in the next issue of the Newsletter and get it delivered as desired. Also, please include your own promotions and awards in future issues. Don't be shy!

Lastly, this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 008 – December 2006). Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!

Contributors to this Issue

• GPHemsley (Lead Editor)
• LuciferMorgan (Editor)
• Kingboyk (Editor)
• Lar (Distributor)

WikiProject The Beatles Newsletter
Issue 006 – October 2006

Beatles News

• The Royal Mail has recently announced that commemorative stamps featuring various album covers from The Beatles will be released in January 2007. The covers to be commemorated are With the Beatles, Revolver, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, and Let It Be.

• The site of the former Casbah Club, operated by Mona Best (mother of Pete) in the basement of her house, and where the nascent Beatles played and rehearsed, has been accorded Grade II Listed status following a recommendation by British Heritage.

Project News

• Some Project articles are having their Featured Article status reviewed, and the comments are not encouraging. The articles are A Day in the Life and A Hard Day's Night (song). (She Loves You has already had its FA status revoked.) Please participate in the discussion and help improve the articles!

• Beatlesque has been overhauled by andreasegde.

• Brian Epstein has been adopted by Liverpool Scouse.

• Five new articles have been listed in the Project Log since 1 September:
  • Valotte, a Julian Lennon studio album from 1984 (NaLaochra)
  • The Secret Value of Daydreaming, a Julian Lennon studio album from 1986 (NaLaochra)
  • Mr Jordan, a Julian Lennon studio album from 1989 (NaLaochra)
  • Help Yourself, a Julian Lennon studio album from 1991 (NaLaochra)
  • Photograph Smile, a Julian Lennon studio album from 1998 (NaLaochra)

• In other Project news, the articles The Beatles trivia and John Lennon were nominated for deletion, presumably as vandalism, but the deletions were quickly vetoed.

Member News

• New members to the project since the last issue include I Am The Walrus and NaLaochra.

• As usual, the self-effacing individuals who contribute to the Project are far too modest to mention any Barnstars or other awards they may have received. Obviously they feel their editing/contributing is reward enough.

Issue of the Month

The lead article of the Project recently lost its FA status, and now some of the other articles are being reviewed. Citations and references within articles are again the major concern. Contributors who have literature (books, magazines, links, etc.) are especially needed to provide the necessary citations. It is not enough for editors to know the facts; they need to be backed up by other sources. All help, both within the articles and the discussion, would be appreciated.

From the Editors

If you've just joined, add your name to the Participants section of Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles. You'll get a mention in the next issue of the Newsletter and get it delivered as desired. Also, please include your own promotions and awards in future issues. Don't be shy!

Lastly, this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 007 – November 2006). Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!

Come back, Kingboyk! The children miss you!

Contributors to this Issue

• LessHeard vanU (Lead Editor)
• GPHemsley (Editor)
• kingboyk (Editor)
• Lar (Editor, Distributor)

WikiProject The Beatles Newsletter
Issue 005 – September 2006

Beatles News

• The Beatles are suing Capitol Records and EMI over royalties and the rights to the band's master recordings. (Billboard)

• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band tops a British poll as the best number-one album of all time, with Revolver, Abbey Road, and The Beatles (album) also in the top 10. (BBC)

Project News

• Unfortunately, the Featured Article badge on The Beatles was revoked. The article was immediately nominated for Good Article status, which it received later that same day. Project member Kingboyk said of the nomination, "I'm quite happy about it really, as I feel that GA is about where we're at and gives some incentive to work on the article."

• Eleanor Rigby (edit|talk|history|links|watch|logs) failed in its good article nomination, but only on two minor points (see its talk page). If you want a Blue Peter badge, why not fix those issues and resubmit it?

• We have a new category for Beatles articles needing attention. If you're looking for something to work on, the articles in this category and the subcategories need some TLC. To put an article in this category, tag its talk page with {{WPBeatles|attention=yes}}.

• Kingboyk has given {{WPBeatles}} another major overhaul, and has assessed all of the Beatles articles. He would be grateful if other editors would leave comments on the state of articles, needed improvements and so on, by clicking the Comments link in the template. Also, feel free to revise the gradings—the assessments were done quickly, and article quality can change.

• No articles have been adopted this past month. Adopt one now!

• Two new articles have been listed in the Project Log since 1 August:
  • Wings Over the World tour, the Wings concert tour around the world (Danthemankhan)
  • You'll Be Mine, an obscure early Lennon/McCartney song (The4sword)

Member News

• New members to the project since the last issue include luckymustard, Liverpool Scouse, and The4sword.

• Kingboyk has been running his homegrown AWB semi-bot to help the folks out at the biography WikiProject.

• Liverpool Scouse has offered to take any desired pictures of the Liverpool area, upon request.

Issue of the Month

The featured article status of The Beatles was revoked.

From the Editors

A month of slow progress and some amazing efforts. Still need help getting comments shifted. Don't forget to log your accomplishments!

If you've just joined, add your name to the Participants section of Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles. You'll get a mention in the next issue of the Newsletter and get it delivered as desired. Also, please include your own promotions and awards in future issues. Don't be shy!

Lastly, this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 006 – October 2006). Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!

Contributors to this Issue

• GPHemsley (Lead Editor)
• kingboyk (Editor)
• Lar (Editor, Distributor)

WikiProject The Beatles Newsletter
Issue 004 – August 2006

Issue of the Month

Despite it being the lead news article of last month, there is still help required in the assessing of articles and the migrating of comments. Lar is willing to provide assistance to those unsure how to do this.

Beatles News

• The Beatles in the news. Suggestions: [1] [2]

Project News

• The Beatles article, the "Flagship" of the Project, is currently under review with regard to its Featured Article status. It is hoped that the review will identify those areas that need some(/lots of) remedial work, and that the Project participants and those editors who are involved in the the FA admin pages to can work together to "save" the status of the article.
  • At the moment there is some discussion as to why it has been listed, and what may be needed to help it retain its FA status. It may well be that some work is going to be required in formulating a plan of action, and then some more in achieving those aims.
  • The FA status is obviously quite important to the Project, and it would be appreciated if participants are able to provide assistance in keeping the article up to standard. The editors would be grateful if those persons receiving this Newsletter could spare some of their time, energy and brainpower in keeping this jewel in our crown in its proper place. Please go to Wikipedia:Featured article review/The Beatles and get involved! Thank you.

Notable updates

• The compilation album The Beatles 1962-1966 has been adopted by PhattyFatt.

• Four new articles have been listed in the Project Log since 1 July:
  • All You Need is Ears, the George Martin memoir (Stevage)
  • Radha Krsna Temple, the ISKCON headquarters and album (Simon123, Kingboyk)
  • A Cellar Full of Noise, the Brian Epstein autobiography (El Slameron)
  • Wings Over Europe Tour, the Wings concert tour in Europe (Danthemankhan)

• Two Beatles related articles, The Beatles trivia [deletion debate] and George Smith (John Lennon) [deletion debate], were nominated for deletion. Both were kept on the basis that no consensus was reached.

Member News

• New members to the project since the last issue include Doctorfreedom, Red Alien, dure, PhattyFatt and Caesar.

From the Editors

As mentioned in the Project News section, The Beatles article has just been listed for a review of its Featured Article status. Working on this is quite important.

If you've just joined, add your name to the Participants section of Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles. You'll get a mention in the next issue of the Newsletter and get it delivered as desired. Also, please include your own promotions and awards in future issues. Don't be shy!

Lastly, this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 005 – September 2006). Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!

Contributors to this Issue

• LessHeard vanU (Lead Editor)
• GPHemsley (Editor)
• kingboyk (Editor)
• Lar (Editor, Distributor)

WikiProject The Beatles Newsletter
Issue 003 – July 2006

Beatles News

• Billy Preston, often considered the Fifth Beatle, died on 6 June at age 59. The American soul musician was a long term friend of The Beatles and was the only person to receive joint credit on a Beatles single ("Get Back"). Preston was an Apple Records recording artist and he performed at George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh and at the Concert for George, both energetic and memorable performances. He also played regularly with The Rolling Stones and a number of other artists.

• Apple Corps has combined forces with Cirque du Soleil to create a show called "LOVE", featuring music by The Beatles, to be produced at the Mirage theatre in Las Vegas. The deal is reportedly worth US$30 million. George Harrison had originally been involved, as well as George Martin and Giles Martin. Preview performances began June 2, with the gala opening occurring on June 30. [3]

Project News

• New article classification system, for our use and for Wikipedia 1.0. Very important and we need editor involvement. How can you help? Rate articles! It's easy:
  • Visit Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles/Article Classification and read about how to grade.
  • Visit Category:Unassessed Beatles articles and select an article to review.
  • After deciding what grade it should have, modify the invocation of {{WPBeatles}} on the talk page to add parms. The template itself gives you the parameters to use. For example, change {{WPBeatles}} to {{WPBeatles|B|Low}} if you think it's a low-importance, B-class article. Save your changes and make sure the talk page is now showing the ratings.
  • Click on the link in the template to edit the /comments subpage and explain why you rated the article the way you did. Don't forget to sign with ~~~~. Save that too.
  • Questions? Ask Kingboyk or Lar for help.

• Want to stay up on new project developments? Watchlist all of the WikiProject pages plus The Beatles and each of the 4 members, to get a feel for what's happening. Also monitor and regularly review Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/The Beatles articles by quality log. If an article is listed on there as "added", go check the article's history. If it's new since the Project began add it to the Project Log as a new article and up the counter by one :)

• The charity album No One's Gonna Change Our World has been adopted by simonthebold.

• Ten new articles have been listed in the Project Log since 1 June.

Member News

• New members to the project since the last issue include DslSWF, Goldom, Afghan Historian, Scolaire, bl4d3, and Vint.

• LessHeard vanU and Lar have been awarded Barnstars for unrelated activities.

Issue of the Month

Preparing articles for inclusion in Wikipedia 1.0.

From the Editors

It was a bit of a struggle to get this month's newsletter done, as we did it without a lead editor. Hopefully, next month you'll jump in and be our lead editor. Big news is that WP:1.0 is coming along nicely and our article classification system has changed to conform to it.

If you've just joined, add your name to the Participants section of Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles. You'll get a mention in the next issue of the Newsletter and get it delivered as desired. Also, please include your own promotions and awards in future issues. Don't be shy!

Lastly, this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 004 – August 2006). Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!

Contributors to this Issue

• GPHemsley (Editor)
• LessHeard vanU (Editor)
• kingboyk (Editor)
• Lar (Editor, Distributor)

WikiProject The Beatles Newsletter
Issue 2 – June 2006

Beatles News

• Apple Corps v. Apple Computer. A case brought by Apple Corps against Apple Computer, regarding possible infringement of a previous agreement between the two parties in respect of distribution of music, was heard in a London High Court. The story made Wikipedia's front page due to a nomination by our own Kingboyk. The story had an amusing second wave in the news and on Wikipedia; be sure to read the article on Guy Goma if you missed it!

Project News

• The Beatles article has been approved for inclusion in Wikipedia Version 0.5, making it one of the first 20 articles to be selected and the first in the Music category.

• The Beatles discography has been improved, thanks particularly to the efforts of Analogdemon and Steelbeard1.

• The Ringo Starr solo single It Don't Come Easy has been co-adopted by simonthebold.

• Eleven new articles have been listed in the Project Log since 1 May.

• The hottest Project page this month has been Policy Talk, where some lively discussion has taken place regarding the (perennial) question of the capitalisation of the letter T in "The Beatles". After seeking the comments of Wikipedian third parties unrelated to the project, the proponents and opponents concluded that the current naming policy was correct. The discussion had the added bonus of bringing in some new members.

• Kingboyk and Lar have instigated an overhaul of the article classification system involving the project talk page template and the possible use of MathBot.

Member News

• New members to the project this month include Analogdemon, HighwayCello, Wootking, Lukobe, Crestville, Vera, Chuck & Dave, JaymzSpyhunter and Brian.D.

• Project member (and "co-instigator" of The Beatles Project) Lar was made an Administrator. Project member Kingboyk (the other guilty party) has been awarded a Music Barnstar for his contributions, including his work within The Beatles Project, and has also stewarded the KLF article to Featured Article status this month. Sometimes-contributor ZincOrbie has also been awarded a Barnstar for his work on the Badfinger article. Congratulations to all!

Issue of the Month

The matter of the article History of the Beatles and the History section of the main article The Beatles continues to concern various editors, including DavidWBrooks and Vera, Chuck & Dave. Suggestions, comments, or help with the task would be much appreciated.

From the Editors

The Beatles have been in the real world news recently, but work on The Beatles Project continues as before. This newsletter keeps you up-to-date with what has been happening with the project and, perhaps more importantly, what needs to be done (see the "Issue of the Month" above and the "To Do List" below-left).

If you've just joined, add your name to the Participants section of Wikipedia:WikiProject The Beatles. You'll get a mention in the next issue of the Newsletter and get it delivered as desired. Also, please include your own promotions and awards in future issues. Don't be shy!

Lastly, this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue (Issue 003 – July 2006). All and any contributions are welcome. Just let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or start editing!

Contributors to this Issue

• LessHeard vanU (Lead Editor)
• Kingboyk (Editor)
• GPHemsley (Editor)
• Lar (Editor, Distributor)

Project news

• Since the Project began on the 4th March, 14 new articles that we know of have been created - to see a list and add any we didn't know about, visit the Project Log.
• We've had 2 front-page appearances, with Carl Lindstrom Company and Souvenir of Their Visit to America being listed in Did You Know?
• We've got underway classifying our articles and building a first class Project infrastructure.

From the Editors

Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Beatles WikiProject's newsletter! We hope that this newsletter will help members—especially those who may be unable to keep up with some of the rapid developments that tend to occur—find new things to do within the project that they may wish to participate in.

Please consider this inital issue to be a prototype; as always, any comments and suggestions are quite welcome. We would like to emphasise that this is a collaborative Project and all editors are equal - so next month the newsletter editor might be you!

kingboyk, LessHeard vanU and Lar

Signpost

The Project has got off to a great start but we really need your help to keep it going. Here's a few things you can do:

• Turn one of these links blue (let's aim to have at least half of them blue by next time) - Maureen Cleave, Dovedale Infants, The Family Way (film only - soundtrack is blue), Robert Freeman, Ken Townshend. Apple Records artists: Stephen Friedland (Brute Force), Chris Hodge, Radha Krishna Temple, Lon and Derek Van Eaton. Full list & further details.
• A small number of articles from the 1st batch still need to be classified (assessed). Some choice cuts remain, such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band! Batch 2 will start soon so let's get these done!
• Discussion is underway about what to do with History of the Beatles. If you're feeling really bold, you might even want to make a start on it!
• If you create a new article related to The Beatles, whether or not it's on the above list, please follow these instructions. It's nothing heavy, it just helps us Project-structure wonks keep track of things.
• Finally, if you haven't yet adopted an article for improvement, please see the list here.

Complete Todo List:

Open tasks for WikiProject The Beatles. Edit or discuss these tasks.

As the project is currently just starting, our more experienced editors are working on the project infrastructure, classifying articles, and listing/assessing red links. Your assistance is welcome. If you would prefer to just edit - and why wouldn't you? - we have a choice selection of red links to turn blue and articles to clean! Now let's get busy.

• Collaboration:
• To Expand: Geoff Emerick, Olivia Trinidad Arias, A World Without Love, MPL Communications. See also: Adopt an article
• To Clean up: Apple Records discography (wikify)
• To Merge:
• To Create: Maureen Cleave, The Family Way, Robert Freeman, Ken Townshend. Full list & instructions.
• Lists to complete:
• Wanted Pics/Graphics: Brian Epstein (now has a picture but would benefit from a better one), Mal Evans, Flying (song), Astrid Kirchherr, Jimmy Nicol, Cynthia Powell, The Quarrymen, Alistair Taylor, Ivan Vaughan, Tittenhurst Park. We need a better open-licenced photo for the project, to replace the Abbey Road crossing. If you provide a photo, please remove the ReqPhoto tag from the article's talk page and remove the article from this list.
• Policy Discussions: Individual songs vs longer album articles, Beatle wives, Merge/split proposals
• Project: Add {{TheBeatlesArticle}} to the talk pages of all Beatles-related articles. Send a newsletter to members, canvas for new members, and coordinate tasks. Enter articles classed as stubs into this list (under To Expand) and also list articles needing cleaning and other work here.

If you complete one of these tasks, please remove it from the list and add your achievement to the project log.