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| Bells play 'anti-religion' song | Bells play 'anti-religion' song |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| The bells of Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral have rung out the tune of John Lennon's anti-religious anthem Imagine. | |
| A team of seven volunteer bell ringers played the 1971 song, which begins "Imagine there's no Heaven", as part of an arts festival. | |
| The cathedral said it had carefully considered the "sensitivities" surrounding the song's lyrical content. | The cathedral said it had carefully considered the "sensitivities" surrounding the song's lyrical content. |
| Lennon himself described the song as "anti-religious, anti-conventional". | Lennon himself described the song as "anti-religious, anti-conventional". |
| The former Beatle, who was born in Liverpool and murdered in New York in 1980, said it was also "anti-capitalistic". | The former Beatle, who was born in Liverpool and murdered in New York in 1980, said it was also "anti-capitalistic". |
| A spokesman for the Anglican Cathedral said: "The cathedral feels this performance has inspired many to think about their relationship with God in their lives." | A spokesman for the Anglican Cathedral said: "The cathedral feels this performance has inspired many to think about their relationship with God in their lives." |
| Leading the recital was cathedral ringer Sam Austin, 23, a student at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music. | |
| Sam and the team have been putting a great deal of effort into accomplishing what is an amazing technical feat of bell ringing Liverpool Anglican Cathedral spokesman | Sam and the team have been putting a great deal of effort into accomplishing what is an amazing technical feat of bell ringing Liverpool Anglican Cathedral spokesman |
| He said his team started rehearsals by playing the melody on hand bells before moving on to the cathedral's legendary church bells. | He said his team started rehearsals by playing the melody on hand bells before moving on to the cathedral's legendary church bells. |
| The bells are the highest and heaviest ringing peal bells in the world. | The bells are the highest and heaviest ringing peal bells in the world. |
| The cathedral spokesman said: "Rehearsals have been going very well this week and Sam and the team have been putting a great deal of effort into accomplishing what is an amazing technical feat of bell ringing. | The cathedral spokesman said: "Rehearsals have been going very well this week and Sam and the team have been putting a great deal of effort into accomplishing what is an amazing technical feat of bell ringing. |
| "Ringing the heaviest peal in the world is a challenge in itself but that the team have been able to produce this performance is fantastic." | "Ringing the heaviest peal in the world is a challenge in itself but that the team have been able to produce this performance is fantastic." |
| The original idea to ring out Imagine on church bells came from artist Cleo Evans, who was commissioned by Futuresonic, a cultural festival, to develop the concept with the cathedral. | The original idea to ring out Imagine on church bells came from artist Cleo Evans, who was commissioned by Futuresonic, a cultural festival, to develop the concept with the cathedral. |
| Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono said the idea was "so beautiful, it made me choke up". | Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono said the idea was "so beautiful, it made me choke up". |
| The 13 bells are arranged around Great George, a central ringing bell which weighs more than 14 tonnes and can be heard for miles around. | |