In Defence of Revolver

By |2019-10-28T18:08:02-07:00October 21, 2019|Revolver|

There's cool as we know it, then there's the 1966 Beatles. About a month ago Michael Gerber posted an essay that argued with disconcerting eloquence and insight that Sgt. Pepper is objectively better than my all-time favourite record, Revolver. I feel compelled to respond with a few words about the album I’m sworn to defend. If you haven’t read Mike’s excellent piece already please do so now—I’ll wait. My first quibble is with the idea that Lennon’s opinion on Pepper influenced anyone else’s. People have looked to John for wisdom, inspiration and spiritual guidance, but I don’t think they’ve ever let him [...]

Art and the 60s

By |2015-01-19T10:35:41-08:00January 19, 2015|Art, Documentaries|

Yesterday, I watched the BBC Four documentary "Art and the 60s," which tells the story of Swinging London through its two iconic galleries, the Kasmin Gallery, and (of course) Robert Fraser's Robert Fraser Gallery. http://youtu.be/7anAtAgEpFs "Groovy Bob" was great pals with Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and Brian Epstein (and even greater pals with the Rolling Stones, to the point of famously being busted with them at Keith's house in February 1967). That bust dealt Fraser and his Gallery a mortal blow -- even though he reportedly had "a wonderful time" serving a six-month sentence in Wormwood Scrubs. Fraser's Beatles connections were many, [...]

And You’re Gone

By |2014-07-07T13:40:32-07:00September 30, 2009|1967, John Lennon, Obituaries, Sgt. Pepper|

Lucy O'Donnell as a child; Lucy Vodden grown up DEVIN McKINNEY  •  But not forgotten. Lucy Vodden, who provided the inspiration for the Beatles’ song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” has died in London. She was 46. Her death, after a history of lupus, was announced Monday by St. Thomas’s Hospital in London, where she had been treated for more than five years, and by her husband, Ross Vodden. Ms. Vodden’s connection to the Beatles dates back to when she was Lucy O’Donnell, a schoolmate and friend of Julian Lennon…

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A Cheap Trick?

By |2015-09-18T23:46:03-07:00June 30, 2008|Covers|

Pinky asks: "Are people so mad for the Beatles, so many years later, that even a simulacrum brings them joy?"Read her report on Cheap Trick at the Hollywood Bowl, playing Sgt. Pepper on the occasion of its 41st anniversary.

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