Sgt. Pepper’s and Magical Mystery Tour Live
Beatles, 1967. This past Friday in Chicago I saw Tributosaurus play all of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Magical Mystery Tour" live, and it was astonishingly great. Hearing the whole thing performed with ALL the instruments originally used—a string section, woodwinds, brass, and a host of Indian instruments—underlined just how rich and rewarding these albums are. The greatest [...]
BBC Arena: "Magical Mystery Tour Revisited"
The Beatles relaxing during the filming of Magical Mystery Tour, 1967. Oh my god, I enjoyed this documentary on "Magical Mystery Tour." I think you will, too. As I watched the clips, I was reminded of both The Running Jumping Standing Still Film and The Bed-Sitting Room, among other things. MMT uses the same homely vernacular you see in everything from Spike Milligan to The [...]
Beatleology
John with Paul ascendent in the House of George, thanks It had to happen . . . . a book-length Beatles-based personality quiz, with explications of each type. Fortunately, the authors, Adam and Roger Jacquette, write with enough wit and panache to make it fun and illuminating.Beatles fans won't be too surprised at the traits linked to each member (for [...]
A cover that tops the original
I love this version of "My Brave Face," by SR-71, and think it's better than McCartney's original (which appeared on "Flowers in the Dirt.") SR-71's version is on "Listen to What the Man Said," a great 2001 compilation of McCartney covers.
I’m Fonda this book!
Just in case founding Dullblogger Devin doesn't trumpet the news...His new book, The Man Who Saw a Ghost: The Life and Work of Henry Fonda, is out today! [Ed.'s note: this post was meant to appear on Tuesday.] A must for anyone interested in Fonda, Hollywood, acting, and (above all) Dev's jaw-droppingly smart and stylish writing, some of which has been on display [...]
If you just hang around long enough, everything’s a masterpiece
Yes, even "Magical Mystery Tour."Since I've long and loudly proclaimed my love for the MMT LP, I look forward to any and all hullabaloo regarding the re-release of the film. Here's a piece in The Guardian touting the upcoming Arena programme "Magical Mystery Tour Revisited." (When it is rebroadcast in America, it will of course be "a program.")The apparent angle of the documentary—that [...]
The breakup, viewed from 1974
In 1974, it seemed entirely possible that the Beatles would reunite. I knew this already, as we all know historical facts, but listening to a voice from that time—a voice that of course can't know what's to come—gives that reality a new vividness. I came across this book [The Beatles: Yesterday . . . Today . . . Tomorrow] [...]
When I was a little boy, way back home in Liverpool
DEVIN McKINNEY • More John Lennon photo-animation, from The Gilly, this great Beatles Tumblr I done found.
Batman Joins In
From "This Isn't Happiness."