Archive | April 22, 2012

Q is for Quality and Quantity/Her Majesty

Apr22

Q is for Quality and Quantity.  No, it isn’t a long-lost Beatles track.  It refers to the two reasons why I believe the Beatles are still influencing pop music and pop culture at large, nearly 50 years on.  First off, almost all of the Beatles albums contain hit after hit after hit.  Each new album expanded on the last.  They didn’t simply rest on what they’d already accomplished.  They kept on innovating.  Check out the first track below.  It sounds like it came out of the 1980s.  Nope.  Off of Sgt. Pepper 1968.  While they kept on innovating, they also kept up the quality.  They had standards and really didn’t put their label on much filler.

Also, since I’m on Q, I couldn’t help but bring up Queen Elizabeth II.  They Beatles were children when she became queen in 1952.  I never fully understood why Paul felt it necessary to write and record this riff, originally intended for the medley on Abbey Road.  Well, it turns out, like many preteen/teenage boys, the Beatles appreciated a beautiful young woman.  It is so easy to forget Queen Elizabeth II was only in her 20s when she came to the throne.

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If Only …

Apr22

Ok.  All this time I’ve spent wrapped up in the pop rock music of the last sixty years got me thinking.  If I had an ounce of musical talent, which doesn’t even seem to matter much anymore, who would I want to emulate as a rock star?  Well, here you have it.  I’d want to sound and look like some combination of the women below, minus the drugs and excessive alcohol.  These three are a few of my favorites.

P is for Penny Lane

Apr22

Ok, so I’ve been putting off P for a bit.  My original plan was to discuss all four Beatles individually, and I am doing that with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.  It is simple really, there is just too damn much information on Paul McCartney, especially when a fan, like myself, wants to also discuss his band Wings and his solo work.  I’m hoping to do a separate series on Paul himself, probably in three parts, Paul/Paul is Dead/Paul is Live, as I also plan to do with the subject of his first wife, Linda, whom I admire as a photographer (her pics of Janis Joplin alone are amazing).  I’m just not sure when I will do it.  So, back to the original line-up as I forgot to include Paul under P in the first place!  I give you “Penny Lane.”

Penny Lane refers to an area of Liverpool, hometown to all of the Beatles, in which several bus lines converged to go to the city center.  John Lennon and Paul McCartney used to meet there before heading into the city.  Most of the places/things described in the song existed during the time period in which the Beatles grew up.  See the Wiki for more detailed information.  When first released in February 1967 as a single along with “Strawberry Fields Forever,” it was one of the first Beatles’ singles in the UK to include a photo sleeve.  The Beatles created promotional videos for both “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.”  Those “promotional videos” are considered the ancestors of today’s modern music videos.  See for yourself!

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Ringo Starr - and Paul McCartney introducing T...

Ringo Starr - and Paul McCartney introducing The Beatles: Rock Band video game at the 2009 E3 Convention as part of Microsoft's press conference on June 1, 2009. Français : Ringo Starr - et Paul McCartney présentant le jeu vidéo The Beatles: Rock Band au salon E3, lors de la conférence de presse de Microsoft le 1 er juin 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Just Another Lazy Sunday – Peggy Sue (Buddy Holly)/American Pie (Don McLean)

Apr22

Just a lazy Sunday afternoon.  I’m hoping to finally get caught up with the A to Z blogging challenge.  There is just so much to say – Beatles or otherwise – and so little time.

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