Showing posts with label beatles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beatles. Show all posts

January 4, 2021

A Collection of Beatle Blasphemy - A Prologue

wow, first post in nearly six years?

Over the past three years I've been writing theatre reviews for DC Theatre Scene, which as of the end of 2020 has gone dark. I plan to re-post my theatre writing on this blog for posterity (or at least until Blogger gets put to pasture), and might as well take the opportunity to start collecting my random musings on music, theatre, film, etc.

So.

Not gods.
I love the Beatles. They are unquestionably the most important pop group of all time, blazed trails, stood at the vanguard of a musical and cultural revolution. They were the soundtrack of my childhood, my parents' scratchy, skippy, cover-less LP's as a wee lad, then on cassette and CD and streaming as I moved into adulthood.

They are also not gods.

Sometimes - a lot of the time, actually - they were not very nice people. And sometimes the music they made was not the celestial music of the spheres. They should be subject to scrutiny and criticism like any other cultural creation, yet seemingly every attempt to embrace or even discuss their shortcomings provokes a backlash from ardent Beatle worshippers. Thus reverent awe is the only acceptable philosophy, and any biography has to be hagiography. The doctrine of Beatle infallibility, it seems, must not be questioned.

Bullshit. 

Not every song they wrote was brilliant, not every action they took was perfect, and one can simultaneously love the Beatles and their music while embracing their flaws. They were human beings, and I suggest that scrutinizing their music and lives is a useful, even necessary, tool to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of their art. I can simultaneously think that John Lennon was, at times, an utter asshole, and still think Gimme Some Truth is an utterly magnificent song.

I understand that the music of the Beatles is still deeply personal to many, particularly people of my parents' generation, the Boomers, as they were the ones who were the Beatles' primary audience. The Beatles were the soundtrack of that generation's maturation into adulthood: adolescents when they appeared on Ed Sullivan, teens when they went psychedelic, college aged when they broke up. To cast a critical eye on the Beatles can be a very sensitive matter for these folks, and I will try to remain cognizant of this as I post my Beatle musings.

Also, as we have a comprehensive history of their lives to go alongside their music, we can draw parallels between the two. We can see their lives, their struggles, their weaknesses reflected in their songcraft. People also try to do this with Shakespeare, but not having a richly detailed biography to accompany his works can lead scholars and aficionados to the most credulity-straining lengths. Not here. We know, for example, that Paul's relationship with Jane Asher was occasionally strained (they're both around, you can ask them), and we can see that play out in his more sour tracks I'm Looking Through You and You Won't See Me as well as in the optimism of We Can Work It Out.

So with all that being said, gird thy loins and prep thyself for a series I'm calling Beatle Blasphemy.

December 30, 2011

My End Of The Year Mix - 2011

I have a somewhat new tradition to inflict an end-of-year (not necessarily Christmas or holiday-themed) mix disc upon my friends for the holidays; this is the most recent - as was my previous mix disc, it's almost all late 60's garage/psych. I hope they like it, or at least can patiently endure it. As for the rest of you, here are youtube videos of the songs (or in some cases, the nearest available substitutes) so you can all enjoy.

(Update - just posted the previous year's mix too)

Sleeve of the Beatles' '67 Xmas record



1. Christmastime is Here Again - The Beatles
The 1967 edition of their annual holiday recording for the members of their fan club.  Their love of the Goon Show is evident.

2. The Day the Train Never Came - The Consortium
Also known as the West Coast Consortium, they were signed to Pye records.  This is the b-side of their '69 single "When the Day Breaks." They kept afloat into the 1980's before splitting.

3.  Dogs, Part 2 - The Who
B-side of "Pinball Wizard."

4.  Rodeo - Powder
Powder was a Mod-worshiping power-pop trio from the San Francisco area featuring brothers Thomas and Richard Frost.  Backed Sonny and Cher in their early tours.
(no video for the song on Youtube, but here is another great Powder song, "Gladly", posted by Richard Frost himself.)

5.  Hey Grandma (mono single mix) - Moby Grape
SF quintet groomed and vetted for Jefferson Airplane-style super-stardom, and their debut album (of which this is the first track) is much-loved.  But over-hype, drug addiction, mental illness and legal troubles hobbled them.  (Here's a rare clip of them performing the song live)

6.  Tinker Taylor - Terry Reid
Terry is most (in)famous for turning down Jimmy Page's offer to front the soon-to-be-formed Led Zeppelin.  "But I know this kid who sounds a lot like me named Robert Plant," he is purported to have said, and the rest is history.

7.  Once Before - Barry and the Remains
Rockin' Boston-area 60's quartet who opened for the Beatles on their '65 tour.  Saw them in NYC in '01, and they still kicked ass.

8.  Sum Up Broke - International Submarine Band
Gene Parsons fronted this band before he turned the Byrds 'country' on their "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" album.

9.  NSU (BBC live) - Cream
Blows the studio version out of the water.  (Here's another live version from the same era)

10.  I Won't Be The Same Without Her - The Warner Brothers
Obscure Chicago-area band doing a Carole King/Gerry Goffin tune on the Dunwich label.  The Monkees did it on their '69 album "Instant Replay" though it was recorded a couple years beforehand - I prefer the Warner Brothers' version.

11.  You Know What I Mean, The Turtles
Two minutes, three octaves, and one guitar unfolds into a full orchestra.  A knockout punch of psychedelic pop. 

12.  Dark-Eyed Woman - Spirit
Jazzy poppy psychedelia with a Latin touch.  Their big hit was "I Got A Line On You," and their signature visual element was their bald-headed middle-aged drummer Ed Cassidy (stepfather of the guitarist, the late Randy California), still active well into his 80's

13.  Desiree - The Left Banke
Baroque 'n' Roll from the band that gave us "Walk Away Renee."  Rumor has it that Steven Tyler sings backup on their later recordings. 

14.  Tu Veux Ou Tu Veux Pas - Brigitte Bardot
"Either You Want To Or You Don't" (or, Either You Want Me Or You Don't) - the French bombshell lover of Serge Gainsbourg presents her rather blasé ultimatum.

15.  Let Her Dance - Bobby Fuller Four
Bobby Fuller was a protegee of Buddy Holly and had a huge hit with "I Fought The Law" before dying mysteriously.  I love the intricate rhythms here.

16.  Only You (BBC live) - Fleetwood Mac
Danny Kirwan takes the mic for this one from the Peter Green era.  (Different live version)

17.  Splash 1 (Now I'm Home) - 13th Floor Elevators
Austin TX band fronted by the notoriously acid-damaged Roky Ericson. He got his stuff together lately and is recording again.

18.  Lord Knows I've Tried - Delbert McClinton
Somehow this Texas legend toured with the Beatles in their early days, taught harmonica to John Lennon, and apparently cut "This Boy" before they did.  This song haunts me, can't put my finger on it.  (Can't find it on Youtube, but here's a sample)

19.  Love in the City - The Turtles
Ray Davies of the Kinks produced this, one of my favorite tracks by the Turtles.  Love the la-la-la fadeout.

20.  Lady Friend - The Byrds
This song justifies David Crosby's existence on the planet.

21.  See My Way - Blodwyn Pig
Jethro Tull's original guitarist Mick Abrahams wasn't content to share the spotlight with Ian Anderson and left after their debut album to front this quartet.  Jack Lancaster's sax - and the bolero break near the end - kicks ass. (Live version from Beat Club)

22.  Follow Me - The Action
Mod cult heroes went largely unknown in their day, but their unreleased album sessions are brilliant.

23.  Legend of a Mind (BBC live) - Moody Blues
The Moody Blues, back in the day, could really deliver the goods onstage.  How to make a mellotron rock. (Alternate live version, not quite as good) (and here's another)

24.  Ding Dong, Ding Dong - George Harrison
A lovely but forgotten single from the early 70's - really, apart from Auld Lang Syne, how many New Years songs are there? Ring out the old, ring in the new...