John Lennon would have been 67 today.
As an aside, is anyone else listening to the narrative that started on R4 yesterday (on at 7.45pm after Front Row) about a man's reaction to the death of John Lennon and the man's relationships after finding out about the death?
Showing posts with label Beatles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beatles. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Always space for a Beatles post
And you can usually bank on someone to come up with one to entertain.
Michael Berube, who, weirdly I saw dancing at the BAAS conference the other year (in fact should that be dancing weirdly? Possibly)... anyway, where was I?
Oh yes: over at Pandagon Berube stirs up some thoughts on the three most cringe-worthy Beatles-written tracks per songwriter (Ringo excluded since he only wrote two) and the three most under-valued.
Some nice reminders there of the good and the bad and some fiercesome defences of each selection...
Michael Berube, who, weirdly I saw dancing at the BAAS conference the other year (in fact should that be dancing weirdly? Possibly)... anyway, where was I?
Oh yes: over at Pandagon Berube stirs up some thoughts on the three most cringe-worthy Beatles-written tracks per songwriter (Ringo excluded since he only wrote two) and the three most under-valued.
Some nice reminders there of the good and the bad and some fiercesome defences of each selection...
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Beatles Choices: before I change my mind again...
Here goes:
Reasoning:
My love for this particular version of "To Know Her Is To Love You" is well established. Unlike other available recorded versions by them, here the harmonies are at their absolutely most perfect. The husky drop in Lennon's voice scarcely bettered elsewhere in their recordings. I first heard it on a BBC show which broadcast on the Beeb in the wake of Lennon's death (a pivotal moment in my life) and wore out tape after tape after tape as I kept re-recording it to a new one just to make it last longer than I knew a tape could. Reading about the Beatles, I discovered this particular track was a gold dust track, loved and longed for in an official recording release afer years of circulation on the Bootleg circuit (if I'm not wrong, "Yellow Matter Custard" was the release that best showcased it to an American bootleg audience where it was passed around like the holy cup of early Beatles recordings). No other version of this song by them even touches the beauty of this one. A joy that always tugs at my heart strings every time I hear it.
"If I Fell" is another ballad of note from the Beatles recordings, and interestingly leans this choice much more to their early recordings than I would have anticipated some time ago. It's from one of my less favourite Beatles LPs, but given that we're talking about albums that would easily be selected over many other recordings anyway, its somewhat arbitrary to make distinctions between good and less good. Again, harmonies....
"I've Just Seen a Face" - the sole contribution to this list from anyone other than Lennon. Sheesh: no Harrison ("Something"! "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"!) here at all? And this so very nearly did not make the cut. It was a tough one to decide whether to have an all-Lennon list or not (it battled for its place with "I'm a Loser" especially). But it's one of the most joyous tracks the Beatles did and the "Help!" album has an especially warm place in my heart.
Choosing "In My Life" may not be especially radical, and of all the tracks here, its the one I suspect is most likely to make the Normblog top track list. The wistful melancholia and adoration that weeps through this track never fails to touch me.
My final choice is something of a curve-ball after all those early songs, but "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" got such heavy rotation from the first time I heard it that I had to include it here. Listening to the song on headphones, its stereoscopic hissing oozing from speaker to speaker as the droning guitar wails to its climax with that dark bassline... makes my ribcage howl with delight at the mere thought of it. For me, one of the best moments in late Beatles recordings.
So there you have it: arbitary, inconsistent and wildly open to change in the next ten minutes. Hell, I was very tempted by the recollection of "Rain" from Puzz Fuzz's choices to go for a complete rewrite of the list. But I'm going with instincts and this is today's, hell, this minutes choice and I'm sticking with it!
- To Know Her is To Love Her (from The Beatles at the Beeb)
- If I Fell (from A Hard Day's Night)
- I've Just Seen a Face (from Help!)
- In My Life (from Rubber Soul)
- I Want You (She's So Heavy) from Abbey Road)
Reasoning:
My love for this particular version of "To Know Her Is To Love You" is well established. Unlike other available recorded versions by them, here the harmonies are at their absolutely most perfect. The husky drop in Lennon's voice scarcely bettered elsewhere in their recordings. I first heard it on a BBC show which broadcast on the Beeb in the wake of Lennon's death (a pivotal moment in my life) and wore out tape after tape after tape as I kept re-recording it to a new one just to make it last longer than I knew a tape could. Reading about the Beatles, I discovered this particular track was a gold dust track, loved and longed for in an official recording release afer years of circulation on the Bootleg circuit (if I'm not wrong, "Yellow Matter Custard" was the release that best showcased it to an American bootleg audience where it was passed around like the holy cup of early Beatles recordings). No other version of this song by them even touches the beauty of this one. A joy that always tugs at my heart strings every time I hear it.
"If I Fell" is another ballad of note from the Beatles recordings, and interestingly leans this choice much more to their early recordings than I would have anticipated some time ago. It's from one of my less favourite Beatles LPs, but given that we're talking about albums that would easily be selected over many other recordings anyway, its somewhat arbitrary to make distinctions between good and less good. Again, harmonies....
"I've Just Seen a Face" - the sole contribution to this list from anyone other than Lennon. Sheesh: no Harrison ("Something"! "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"!) here at all? And this so very nearly did not make the cut. It was a tough one to decide whether to have an all-Lennon list or not (it battled for its place with "I'm a Loser" especially). But it's one of the most joyous tracks the Beatles did and the "Help!" album has an especially warm place in my heart.
Choosing "In My Life" may not be especially radical, and of all the tracks here, its the one I suspect is most likely to make the Normblog top track list. The wistful melancholia and adoration that weeps through this track never fails to touch me.
My final choice is something of a curve-ball after all those early songs, but "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" got such heavy rotation from the first time I heard it that I had to include it here. Listening to the song on headphones, its stereoscopic hissing oozing from speaker to speaker as the droning guitar wails to its climax with that dark bassline... makes my ribcage howl with delight at the mere thought of it. For me, one of the best moments in late Beatles recordings.
So there you have it: arbitary, inconsistent and wildly open to change in the next ten minutes. Hell, I was very tempted by the recollection of "Rain" from Puzz Fuzz's choices to go for a complete rewrite of the list. But I'm going with instincts and this is today's, hell, this minutes choice and I'm sticking with it!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Beatles songs
I'm going to be honest about what the criteria were that I have used for this poll.
I am in agony over whether I can justify including my favourite song on the grounds that it's not only a cover version but also only appeared on a post-band release....
If it's in, then their version of "To Know Her is to Love Her" from the Beatles at the Beeb would ABSOLUTELY be on my top five.
Sheesh, this is tough (yes, I know Norm, I know...). I thought the fights we got into over the Beatles albums were tough enough...
Shortlist (in no particular order):
I am in agony over whether I can justify including my favourite song on the grounds that it's not only a cover version but also only appeared on a post-band release....
If it's in, then their version of "To Know Her is to Love Her" from the Beatles at the Beeb would ABSOLUTELY be on my top five.
Sheesh, this is tough (yes, I know Norm, I know...). I thought the fights we got into over the Beatles albums were tough enough...
Shortlist (in no particular order):
- If I Fell
I'm a Loser
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
She's Leaving Home
For No One
I Will
Strawberry Fields Forever
Julia
Something
I've Just Seen a Face
In My Life
Happiness is a Warm Gun
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
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