 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Posts tagged The Beatles
Dr. Dog: Be The Void
Having only been released yesterday, Dr. Dog’s latest album Be The Void has already offered a lot to discuss. In that sense, I’ll try to fit most of my thoughts into this blog post, though I’m sure I won’t get to all of them. I would be remiss though if I failed to mention the great amount of Beatles-interplay that happens throughout record, arguably more so than their usual stylistic appropriation. Be the Void marks a serious change in the band’s sound, perhaps because of the addition of drummer Eric Slick and percussionist Dimitri Manos, or possibly because of their decision to produce it themselves, unlike the previous album Shame, Shame. But for whatever reason it may be, they mark this change with an opening count-off in the first song, “Lonesome”, recalling the way that the Beatles opened up their own revolutionary album, Revolver, which leads the listener into a fantastic aural journey for the next 45 minutes.
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
“Got up, went to Twickenham, rehearsed until lunchtime –left the Beatles—went home, and in the evening did King of Fuh at Trident studio, had chips later.”
Written by George Harrison in January 1969, this diary entry epitomizes Harrison’s indifference toward the Beatles and anything else that got in the way of his spiritual journey. It’s also one of many archival things in Martin Scorsese’s brilliant documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World that delves deep into “The Quiet One’s” complex life story.
Beach Boys: The Smile Sessions
For nearly a half-century, the Beach Boys’ SMiLE has been one of the greatest myths in pop music history. Brian Wilson’s unfinished symphony was a “woulda-coulda-shoulda” prospect all the way. The album that some insist would have dwarfed the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper and forever changed the course of popular music instead drove Brian into a career-destroying nervous breakdown.
Grant Dubler: The Political Imagination of John Lennon
Thirty years ago Wednesday, four bullets pierced the skin of one of the world’s finest musicians and most passionate political activists, forever changing the way we listen to the iconic songs he and has rag-tag band of Liverpoolians wrote and played in the name of peace and love. John Lennon’s untimely death at the hands of a deranged fan in December 1980 brought to an end a life lived in the name of compassion and understanding, one in which ideas were expressed through lyrics and worldwide movements begun with the strum of a guitar. Today, the Beatles and their music serve as a viewfinder through which one can examine the changing nature of America during the 1960s and 1970s—their social evolution and political impact are equally undeniable. We all know that John, Paul, Ringo, and George have left an unparalleled musical legacy behind them (and in Paul and Ringo’s case, ahead of them as well). However, as WQHS’s politics guru, I would be remiss—especially this week—to discuss the Beatles’ societal legacy without highlighting the political struggles John Lennon faced during his solo career and the discerning truths he brought to the fore at the end of his much too short life.
