An English mathematician claims he has cracked the mystery chord at the beginning of "A Hard Day's Night." The article's interesting—the prof used computer software similar to some I've seen used on a tape of the RFK assassination—but the short version is that George was hooking his thumb over the top of the neck, and playing the low E string at the first fret.Just like George not to tell, don't you agree?
This Beatles image is from the wall opposite Bleecker Bob's record store at the corner of 3rd and MacDougal in Greenwich Village. I took it this past spring, just after buying a copy of the "Black Album" (comprised of Let it Be session bootlegs). Now Bleecker Bob's is, lamentably, about to close, another casualty of lagging interest in physical media and rising rents. Depending on the day and hour, I see this mural as either a reminder of good days now past or a testament to music's enduring presence. I do love the expression on the Beatles' faces (except for George, who looks a [...]
NANCY CARR * William F. Buckley really hated the Beatles’ music. I’d known this in a general way, but hadn’t read his diatribes against them before encountering them in The Beatles Book, a 1968 anthology of critical writing about the band edited by Edward E. Davis. (Finding books like this makes me feel justified in spending what is probably way too much time in used bookstores.) Buckley’s 1964 National Review article on the Beatles was entitled “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, They Stink.” He piles on the adjectives in an effort to convey his absolute loathing of their sound: “Let me say it, as evidence [...]
The AV Club lists 18 anti-Beatles songs. (Readers of my other blog might recall a post about Sissy Spacek's song contra Two Virgins, included on this AV Club list.)Has anyone heard of this one? 4. The Exterminators, “Beetle-Bomb”The mysterious, little-known, mostly instrumental group The Exterminators specialized in the kind of R&B-slanted dance numbers that were huge in the mid-’60s. An inordinate number of those songs bore ostensibly anti-Beatles titles, including “Beatle Wig Party,” “Beatle Stomp,” and “Stomp ’Em Out”—which was perhaps only natural, considering the band’s name. With “The Beetle-Bomb,” however, The Exterminators got a little more personal. Parodying “She Loves You” [...]
Can't remember if I posted this before, but here's a great 1998 BBC documentary on Brian Epstein. (I originally posted just the first segment, but the subsequent segments were not auto-loading, so I found all nine.) Watch The Brian Epstein Story. You will enjoy it. (And when you're finished, read Devin's great story about seeing the film which I've told to more Beatlefans than I can count.) http://youtu.be/1tHJa6zhDjo http://youtu.be/SPeIPo4tAo8 http://youtu.be/N69lbr6HryU http://youtu.be/5qKLL234af0 http://youtu.be/dJaSfoj8SR4 http://youtu.be/YK1R3iORpEs http://youtu.be/_kGiauUVnBA http://youtu.be/GfRpnvUonA8 http://youtu.be/ESD79NZ3rXk
Paul McCartney, possibly empathizing NANCY CARR • Over the years, and especially as a solo artist, Paul McCartney has written many songs expressing empathy toward others. Being the analytical list-making obsessive I am, I've created a catalog of them. Note that I'm not arguing that writing such songs shows McCartney to be a better or more empathetic human being than his former bandmates; I'm interested here in the way his imagination works. John Lennon's written a couple of songs I'd put in the empathetic category ("Whatever Gets You Through the Night" and "Bless You" spring to mind), but often his [...]
Earlier today, I was hipped to the group "Fanny" by the excellent website Dangerous Minds. In the comments somebody mentioned that the group did a cover of "Hey Bulldog." I liked it so much I had to share. Super guitar solo.
While buying an obscure album of Beatles covers from Weirdo Records (www.weirdorecords.com ), I was intrigued by their "Top Tens & Stuff" section. Here they post top ten lists by staff members and customers, ranging from "Ten Greatest Jazz Artists" to "Favorite Hip-Hop Instrumentals." One of the lists is "Twelve Apostles of Rock," posted by Gordon Marshall in November 2009.Like most personal best-of lists, Marshall's includes the pretty-much-expected (James Brown, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix) the less-expected (Brian Eno, Bob Marley, Morissey), and the surprising (Holgar Czukay of Can, Robert Wyatt of Soft Machine, and Christian Vander of Magma). Here are his [...]
Commenter CMO#9 writes (slightly edited by me): I've been reading the latest issue of Vanity Fair and there is a profile of the late war correspondent Marie Colvin. The article mentions that growing up, Colvin idolized The New York Times war correspondent Gloria Emerson. That name should ring a bell for some of you and I have no doubt that you are familiar with her brief but polarizing entry into John's life, Michael. I believe it was either 1969 or 1970 when Ms. Emerson interviewed John (and Yoko) at Apple. She basically calls him a fool for him believing that his songs [...]