Did Yellow Submarine beget The Simpsons?
Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein argues so in this (hotly debated) article for The Guardian. Without Yellow Submarine there would never have beenThe Simpsons, no Futurama, no South Park, no Toy Story, no Shrek. No animated anything that enables us to laugh at ourselves while being highly entertained. Naturally, I want to believe him. In my opinion, The Beatles (and -related) are that clear, burbling spring from [...]
Gran and The Giggler in Granta
Commenter Dorinish tipped us off to this lovely Beatle-related short story in Granta.
Vinyl remasters: To buy or not to buy?
Three years after the CD remasters, we now have the vinyl remasters of the Beatles catalog. (Mono vinyl remasters to follow). The question is, are the remasters worth buying, if you already have Beatles vinyl in good condition?The decision is more complicated than it was for the CD remasters, because the Beatles CDs from the 1980s were fair to horrible-sounding. But the [...]
Essential Beatles Reference Books
The stacks. I'm thinking about which Beatles books are essential because I moved last week and was confronted by the sheer volume of tomes I possess about the band (not to mention the ridiculous number of books about other subjects . . . .) So here's my list of the ten Beatles reference books I pull off the shelf most [...]
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 [...]