Paul Mccartney Tickets - See An Icon Return To The Stage
May 26, 2008 by Shadow · Comments Off
Paul McCartney tickets, in one form or another, have been available for decades. McCartney’s life is one of the most interesting in the music world, and his music is revered. Even now, as he nears his mid-60’s, McCartney still draws a huge crowd wherever he plays, which is why the music world is once again abuzz in his regard, as he’s hitting the stage once again. A look at his life will help to explain how he became such an icon.
Early Life
James Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool, England on June 18, 1942. His lifestyle was anything but extravagant as a child, as his mother was a midwife and his father made even less money working at a cotton company. However, McCartney did get to experience the “other side” of life, as his mother’s jobs allowed the family to live in the homes where she worked. This exposure would have a lasting effect on McCartney’s view of life.
McCartney was an intelligent child, as he was one of the few children who passed an entrance exam that allowed him to enroll at the highly-respected Liverpool Institute, where he would meet someone who would play a large role in his life - George Harrison, who rode the bus to school with him and lived one block away from McCartney at the time.
McCartney was also exposed to music early, as a long line of relatives were musical by nature. His father was a trumpet and piano player who had his own jazz band. His grandfather played in a brass band, and these interests led Paul’s father to bring Paul to several concerts of different genres as a child.
McCartney encountered struggle and tragedy early in life, however, as his mother passed way from breast cancer when Paul was only 14, and it hit him hard. He decided to throw himself into music on an even deeper level, and he wanted to learn the guitar. He traded his trumpet that his father had given him for a guitar, and he still owns his first guitar today.
As Paul entered his teen-aged years, he began to play local music competitions, which is where he met someone named John Lennon. McCartney and Lennon instantly found common musical ground, and they began to play in a series of small bands. This led to the ultimate formation of some band called the Beatles, and all they were was the hottest-selling rock and roll band of all-time.
After an historic ten-year run with the Beatles, Paul decided to venture out on his own. Given his fame, Paul McCartney tickets were instantly in demand, and his first solo album, McCartney, was released within weeks of the Beatles’ split. McCartney eventually settled in with a new band, which he called Wings, and his future wife Linda was the keyboard player. Wings was a smashing success as well, producing 15 albums over the next ten years and selling millions of records worldwide.
In 1980, Paul decided to work as a solo artist exclusively after another run of ten years with Wings. He has released dozens of albums, and his singing and songwriting skills have never waned.
Personal Life
McCartney’s personal life was filled with happiness and tragedy. He was married to Linda for 30 years, and it was a happy time in his life. However, breast cancer once again reared its ugly head into Paul’s life, as it claimed Linda as a victim in 1998.
Paul later married model Heather Mills in 2002, and they had a child together. Once again, though, tragedy struck as the two separated and moved towards a divorce in 2006. The divorce proceedings got nasty early, and the ultimate solution will leave a lasting emotional scar on both parties.
Overall, McCartney’s accomplishments and talents could fill its own entire series of books. He remains a social crusader for many causes, and he is still active on the music scene. Paul McCartney tickets are a chance to see not only a musical, but a cultural and historical icon.
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Led Zeppelin is the #1 Rock and Roll Band of All Time
May 15, 2008 by Shadow · Comments Off
I’ve been in rock and roll all my life and I’m well aware that The Rolling Stones have been called the best rock and roll band. Don’t get me wrong because I love Mick and the Stones, and the Beatles were my major musical influence, but here’s why I think that Led Zeppelin is the best rock and roll band of all time:
1. BEST PLAYERS
First of all, John Bonham was the best rock and roll drummer ever to walk the face of this planet, and that’s an informed opinion coming from a former professional drummer. John played drums unlike anyone else ever did, still does, or ever will, and that fact is continually demonstrated in the astounding breadth and depth of his recorded work. He had complete independence in all four limbs, he slammed his drums harder than anyone else, and he did it with speed and total precision, never once dropping the beat. His beats were innovative and creative, and John was never stuck in simple grooves. His fills were innovative, creative, complex, and technically brilliant, he knew when to keep it relatively simple (i.e. Kashmir), but he was always in the stratosphere of drumming. And to top that all off, John created a giant drum sound which is unique. It inspired a host of imitators who were able to imitate the sound of his snare drum, but only with a simple backbeat. At the time that Led Zep was formed, Jimmy Page could have gotten any drummer in the world to play with him, and he chose John. There’s not one single drummer alive or dead who can begin to touch John’s power, creativity, speed, precision, and technical brilliance. I’ve heard that Jimmy still feels the same way about John as I do.
Secondly, Jimmy Page has always been one of the best rock guitarists ever, right from his earliest days as a session player and the beginning of his real public stardom in the Yardbirds. I suspect that Jimmy would agree with me that Jimi Hendrix was the one true genius of guitar because he came from another galaxy in terms of his sound and his use of feedback. But unfortunately, Jimi died and we will never know how much further he would have progressed. When I listen to Jimmy’s solos using the violin bow, I get the urge to put him on the same pedestal as Hendrix and wonder which galaxy they both came from. As a songwriter, Jimmy used his superior ability to play lead guitar to create actual song structure. Led Zep’s songs use not one or two of Jimmy’s incredibly powerful, complicated and unbelievably SEXY riffs in each song, but there are four, five or more riffs in some songs. Jimmy’s riffs differ from each other within each song, and also from song to song. His lead guitar playing can be HARD and sexy, he can be sensitive and beautiful, and he can be technically brilliant, all in the very same song.
Thirdly, John Paul Jones is a bass player who attained a level of brilliance comparable to Paul McCartney. Just like McCartney, John could play beautiful “melodic” bass (i.e. “Ramble On”), he could play as fast as it gets, but he also knew when to keep it simple and just hold down the bottom although I think he was incapable of doing that without utter sophistication. No one at all can touch those two on bass, and John also played consistently brilliant keyboards - piano, organ and synthesizer. The intricate way in which he wove his bass guitar playing into, through, and underneath Jimmy’s guitar playing is nothing short of perfection itself.
And last but not at all least, Robert Plant had an incredibly high vocal range, emotionally as well as in terms of octaves. Just like Dylan was for his own music, Robert’s voice was perfect for Led Zep’s music and there’s no other singer who could possibly have fit in. As a professional singer, I’m knocked out by Robert’s vocals on both a technical and an emotional level. Robert understood the concept of using his voice like a musical instrument, creating fascinating sounds without using lyrics. And Robert co-wrote with Jimmy too. A lot of the time you can’t understand his lyrics and I’ve heard that was Robert’s intent because just like Mick Jagger, all he cared about at that time was that you connect with the emotion and the energy in the totality of the music. But when you can get the lyrics (like in Stairway to Heaven, their tribute to Janis Joplin), you find a great piece of poetry. And on top of all that, Robert had the best “oooh yeahs” in the business!
2.CREATIVE SONGWRITING
Hardly anybody has ever covered Led Zep songs for very good reasons. Their song structure is based on their vastly superior playing abilities and there’s no one who can actually play what they played. I’m talking about songs that are not based on simple chords like all other rock and roll is. Jimmy and Robert based their songs on Jimmy’s riffs and on his chordal tonalities that to this day stand alone as being unique. I’m also talking about length of songs that maintain a constant and intense high, up to 11 minutes in length without resorting to an overly repetitive chorus. I know from Robert’s solo work after Led Zep that he also uses unusual tonalities in his writing, but even without actually knowing this I would have to assume that due to Jimmy Page being an erupting fountain of brilliant guitar work, the majority of the non-vocal music creation came from Jimmy. The Beatles certainly deserve abject worship for John and Paul’s creative songwriting ability, no question about that. Certainly Mick and Keith wrote a slew of classic, historic and truly memorable rock songs, but the very nature of their comparatively simple rock and roll structure and basic similarity to each other in terms of using major and minor chord progressions, simple and basic rock and roll rhythms, and verse/chorus/bridge approach defines them as being less innovative when compared to Robert and Jimmy.
3.SUM TOTAL OF BRILLIANT WORK
Here they outdistance The Stones because most of the Stones’ albums have “fillers”, which are songs that do not hit the same intense high that got slammed in all their best ones. However, I’d like to say that I don’t think either Mick or Robert is capable of recording anything short of a brilliant vocal. The Beatles actually exceed Led Zep in terms of numbers of great albums that constitute a greater body of brilliant and uniquely innovative work that literally broke new musical ground with every single song they recorded. The Beatles were simply The Beatles, and they were the most creative rock and roll band ever, from being the best singers and songwriters ever right down to their individual charm and charisma. But without denigrating their gorgeous, sensitive and original style of playing, what they recorded is not the heavy type of rock and roll that either the Stones or Led Zep played. George, Paul and John were all brilliant and creative guitarists, but because they did not improvise on stage, they were not really master guitarists. I love and respect Ringo as both a person and as a very creative drummer who mastered the art of drum sounds. He has his own unmistakable Ringo style for both, but he’s not really a master drummer in the sense of being able to play with great speed and dexterity. I’m talking about 9 Led Zep albums chock full of brilliant and intensely high songs - I don’t know how many hours of great rock and roll listening that is. There’s not a single weak track among all that work, and there’s simply no question that they consistently broke new ground musically. Their debut album is still the best one of all time (including Cream’s), and Coda, their “swan song” is equally perfect.
4.STAGE PRESENCE
Led Zep was there when the concept of rock and roll star” was still evolving. I will grant that the Stones at least deserve honorable mention as the best rock and roll band but it’s mostly because of their impressive touring record and Mick’s superstar stage presence with his ability to put on a great show every single time he appears. And he’s still doing it at age 60 for goodness sake! My point isn’t that Led Zep necessarily had the best stage presence, just that they did have a true rock star sexual aura.
I could go on about Jimmy Page’s abilities as a producer, and there are other aspects to their greatness like the length of time they were together without a change of band members. And the life they actually led as archtypical wild rock and roll bad boys equals the life led by the Rolling Stones in intensity, if not length. Both bands are perfect examples on an artistic level of what I call FORM = CONTENT, which in this case means that these two rock and roll bands personified the rock and roll life.
In conclusion, the above four categories do enough to fully qualify Led Zeppelin for my not-so-humble award. There will never be another rock and roll band to approach the stratospheric musical heights that Led Zep reached. The Recording Industry Association of America, who has the correct statistics, lists Led Zeppelin as the third best selling musical act/artist in history. The Beatles are first, with 166.5 million albums sold in the USA alone, Elvis is second with 117.5 million, and Led Zep is third with 106 million. I think it’s very significant that those statistics are becoming geometrically times greater than the number of albums that they sold during their performance lifetimes. What has happened and is happening is that the young people of today are discovering them in droves because they are coming of age sexually and they recognize and connect with the most powerful musical example of that sexual power. They are buying their CD’s, shirts, posters and other memorabilia. And frankly, I’m thrilled.
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The White Album
May 14, 2008 by Shadow · Comments Off
It’s one of those records that lives it’s own life. It’s so varied, so long and informative, that you’ll never get over it. And the songs only keep growing. The funny thing about this record is that it somehow doesn’t sound like The Beatles. It’s somewhat darker, more mystic and intellectual that anything else they ever did. Beyond its stylish minimalism, the essentially blank cover of The Beatles, better known as the White Album, served a symbolic purpose. The band could find no honest way to visually represent itself as a coherent unit. Each of the three main songwriters was pursuing his own vision, with the other members, however reluctantly, serving as backup musicians. Once a whole far greater than the sum of its parts, the Beatles were now a tense alliance of daunting individual talents.
Another favorite tune of mine found on The White Album is the old western sounding "Rocky Raccoon", written by John and Paul while in India of all places, with some help from ’60s rock star Donovan. Lennon is my main man in the Beatles, but this album marks some of Paul’s best contributions to any of the Beatles albums. I mean, take the masterpiece song "I Will",only thing wrong with this sweet number is that it is too short. "Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da" and "Birthday" were both co-written by Lennon and McCartney, but Paul started writing each of these songs before John joined in to help finish them.
The same as the U.K. set except: A Hard Day’s Night was issued in its original French format as 4 Garcons Dans Le Vent. The records were pressed in France with their original labels (Odeon and Apple). Rarities was put out on EMI. The box was four inches thick, larger than any other edition, and the individual album titles were printed on the back. The Beatles (White Album) was listed as Back In The U.S.S.R.
Paul McCartney - acoustic & electric guitars, flute, flugelhorn, piano, Hammond organ, bass, drums, bongos, timpani, percussion
George Harrison - vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, violin, organ, bass, tambourine, firebell
Ringo Starr - vocals, piano, drums, bongos, maracas, castanets, tambourine
John Lennon - vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica, saxophone, piano, organ, harmonium, bass, 6-string bass, maracas, tambourine, tape loops
Finally, this is definitely a must-have album from the Fab Four. A truly superb experience in a double CD compilation of the most genuine masterpiece from the British Pop Legends
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Geoff Emerick and the Beatles - an Introduction
April 25, 2008 by Shadow · Comments Off
Geoff Emerick was only sixteen years old when he worked on the Beatles’ first-ever recording session. Only a few years later he would play an important part in shaping the fab four’s musical direction.
At the age of fifteen, Geoff Emerick landed a job as an assistant engineer at Abbey Road Studios in London. Emerick, the son of a butcher, had developed a keen interest in music from an early age, despite the fact that none of his family members possessed any particular musical talent.
As a young child, Emerick was capable of picking out simple tunes he had heard on the radio and playing them solely by ear on his uncle’s piano.
“I have no explanation for how I was able to do it; for some reason I just knew where the notes fell, and it was only a matter of going from one note to another to make up the tune,” Emerick said in his book “Here, There and Everywhere - My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles.”
Emerick discovered his grandmothers collection of classical and operatic records at the age of six, and played these records endlessly. He started to mimic the role of a conductor when listening to the records - using a pencil as a baton.
“The music would not only evoke emotions in me - joy, sadness, longing, excitement - but also conjure up images in my mind,” Emerick said.
When his dad George presented him with his first radio, young Geoff began listening to skiffle and rock ‘n’ roll music. Listening contemporary music, he said, was like a breath of fresh air. He found himself drawn more and more to pop records, but at the same time retained his appreciation for classical and operatic music.
“Somehow my musical tastes were broadening, not just shifting,” he said.
A FUTURE TO CONSIDER
As he grew older, Emerick had to start thinking about his future. He was however reluctant to follow in his father’s footsteps (”there was no way I could face a lifetime of chopping up raw meat.”) In 1960’s England, pupils completed school at the age of 15. Although his parents suggested he should pursue a career in architecture, Emerick lost interest as soon as he discovered he would have to go to university to do so.
After some deliberation, Emerick finally decided that he wanted to be involved in the creation of music.
“I realized that I was never going to get the proper training to become a professional composer or an accomplished musician, but I wanted to somehow make a contribution,” he said.
Emerick sent application letters to record companies in London, but they either turned him down or never replied. His school’s career counselor, Mr. Barlow, tried to convince him that a job in the post office installing telephones was the right thing for him. But Emerick was headstrong and made it clear that it was music he wanted to do. A few months later, when Emerick was beginning to lose hope, Mr. Barlow called him into his office. There was an entry-level vacancy at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios and a job interview had been arranged.
“Good luck with it, and don’t let us down,” said Mr. Barlow.
A few weeks later, Geoff Emerick had been appointed assistant sound engineer - or “button pusher” as some called them - at Abbey Road. The year was 1962.
MEETING THE BEATLES
“They’re scruffy and they wear leather jackets and they comb their hair forward. But they sing brilliant harmonies, just like the Everly Brothers, and they’ve got a true rock ‘n’ roll attitude,” Emerick heard Chris Neal, one of the other assistant engineers at EMI, say.
It would not take long before Emerick would experience first hand what Neal was taking about. Emerick was in fact present at the Beatles’ very first proper recording session - on September 4 1962. That was also when he was introduced to producer George Martin - “the fifth Beatle” - for the first time. Martin and Emerick would later form a partnership in the studio which would contribute enormously to the Beatles’ artistic progress. But none of them new any of that at this stage, of course. Emerick was just an teenage assistant, a few weeks into his new job.
In the coming years, Emerick took part in Beatles sessions on an on and off basis, and he got to know Paul McCartney fairly well. Step by step, he also moved up the ranks at EMI, and was assigned to do different tasks which gave him the opportunity to experiment with sounds and to develop a good understanding of the recording studio as a whole.
REVOLVER: A NEW SOUND
In 1966, 18-year old Emerick was asked by George Martin if he wanted to take over from Norman Smith as the Beatles’ sound engineer. Norman had decided to move on to produce another promising new band, called Pink Floyd. Emerick was gob smacked. Firstly, it was not common for EMI staff to be promoted to the position of full sound engineer before the age of 40. Secondly, he had been asked to work with the most famous band in the the whole world!
Although Emerick had worked on Beatles sessions before, he also new that his new role would involve a lot more responsibility than previously. Quite frankly, he was terrified of what the sessions would bring.
“I pictured the four of them - even friendly, charming Paul - ganging up on me, reducing me to tears, banishing me from the studio in disgrace and shame,” he said.
And young Emerick was put on the spot from day one. In early April 1966, the Beatles were booked into EMI’s Abbey Road studios in London to start the recording of a new album - Revolver.
The first track to be recorded was an unusual one-chord song penned by Lennon, which had the working title “Mark 1.” It would later be entitled “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
“I want my voice to sound like Dalai Lama chanting from a mountaintop, miles away,” Lennon told producer George Martin.
“Got it. I’m sure Geoff and I will come up with something,” Martin replied.
In reality, what Martin was saying is that he was sure Geoff would come up with something. This was 1966, however, and the standard studio tricks available would not do the job alone.
“I looked around the room in panic. I thought I had a vague idea of what John wanted, but I had no clear sense of how to achieve it,” Emerick said.
Then he got an idea: The studio’s Hammond organ was hooked up to a Leslie, a large wooden box that contained an amp and two sets of revolving speakers. What would John’s voice sound like if it was put through that?
Precisely like Dalai Lama chanting from a mountaintop!
Lennon was thrilled with the result, and so were the others. That gave Emerick the confidence to experiment further. In an attempt to create a distinctive drum sound for the song, he put an old woolen sweater inside the bass drum and moved the microphones in close - just inches away. This was a direct violation of EMI’s strict recording rules, of course, but nevertheless - it sounded fantastic!
“Beyond my immense relief at having passed muster and being accepted as the Beatles’ new engineer, it probably not too far fetched to claim that recording history was made during the very first night of working on Revolver,” said Emerick. In fact, both the drum sound and the vocal-through-a-Leslie trick has become the standard to this very day.
Emerick’s new inventions did not stop with that, however. When Paul McCartney wanted a deep Motown bass sound for his new song “Paperback Writer,” Emerick delivered the goods again. No surprise then, that Emerick also played an important role during the recording of the Beatles’ next album - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Emerick quit during the recording of “The Beatles” (The White Album) however, following the “poisonous” atmosphere that dominated the sessions. But he was back again for the recording of “Abbey Road,” a worthy finish of the Beatles’ career.
Geoff Emerick never developed close friendships with John, George or Ringo - but he is close friends with Paul to this very day. He has worked on many of McCartney’s solo albums, including Band On The Run, which was recorded in Nigeria. When Emerick married his late wife Nicole in 1988, Paul McCartney was his best man and his late wife Linda the wedding photographer.
In addition to McCartney’s solo albums, Emerick also worked on the Beatles’ re-union singles “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” in the 1990s.
“We laughed and joked our way through the sessions, just as we had done in the early years, but here was a sadness, too. A huge piece of the puzzle was missing, and we were reminded of that every time we heard John’s distinctively nasal vocal coming through the studio loudspeakers.”
Andreas Walstad is a journalist an the author of The Beatles Online:
http://www.thebeatlesonline.com/pages/beatles_songs.htm
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The Beatles Are the Most Creative Band of All Time
April 20, 2008 by Shadow · Comments Off
BACKGROUND HISTORY: The first musical bands originated in New Orleans among black musicians who have traditionally been the innovators. The first jazz record ever recorded was by The Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917, and of course they were white because racism always rears its ugly head to hold black people back. But during the Roaring 20’s, young white people couldn’t resist the dance beat laid down by the black jazz bands. Fletcher Henderson, a black man, became the first band leader to achieve national fame possibly because he featured Louis Armstrong on trumpet. Duke Ellington, a classically trained musician, brought a level of style and sophistication to jazz that hadn’t been seen before. But it wasn’t until 1935 that jazz bands with a “swing beat” achieved national attention due to Benny Goodman who I think was the best clarinet player ever to blow air into that instrument. Benny also had the good sense and taste to bring the first great drummer, Gene Krupa, into his band.
When rock and roll exploded into human consciousness during the early 1950’s, black musicians like Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Smokey Robinson pioneered the way, but a white DJ named Alan Freed is believed to have coined the term “rock and roll”. The first real rock and roll record was “Shake, Rattle and Roll”, written by Jesse Stone who was black and recorded by Big Joe Turner who was also black but it wasn’t a hit. The first big hit rock and roll record was “Rock Around the Clock” written by James Meyers and Max Freeman of obvious ancestry, and that one catapulted Bill Haley and his Caucasian Comets to stardom. During the 1950’s and early 60’s, there were countless “do wop” groups, rock groups, singers and songwriters but until The Beatles hit the charts, there had been very few bands which contained talented songwriters. The vast majority of jazz and rock bands recorded songs written by songwriters who were not performers, with occasional exceptions like Duke Ellington and Buddy Holly. As time goes on, it’s increasingly clear that Lennon/McCartney songs are brilliant classics which will never be forgotten. Now here’s why The Beatles are the most creative band of all time:
1. BEST EXAMPLE OF FORM = CONTENT
As I sit here writing this at the keyboard of my computer facing the unique and colorful Beatles poster in my bedroom, I’m aware that I have been directly and indirectly inspired by John Lennon’s music as well as by the way he lived his life offstage. Squarely in front of me is a full color poster of all four Beatles standing in a heavenly-like flower garden at about the time of the Abbey Road album. Paul is angelic in his pink suit with a white laced shirt. John is enigmatic peering out from the background. George is charismatic staring directly into the camera from the lower right. Ringo is on the left with a stylish blue suit and his pink ruffled shirt. I always wished I could dress like those guys but obviously there’s a bit of a problem with a money differential there. Surrounding this gorgeous poster which I have never seen elsewhere are my 45 speed original Beatles hit records, including I Want to Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Please Please Me, Twist and Shout, Can’t Buy Me Love, She’s A Woman, Yesterday, and of course, Hey Jude. And surrounding all that is a chain of 1-1/2″ long orange flicker flame lights which are the most beautiful and unique Christmas lights I’ve ever seen. I chose to decorate the wall directly in front of my work station this way because, as I’ve written elsewhere on this site several times, The Beatles were my major musical influence and having them on the wall in front of me inspires me to write web pages like this one. I was also among the millions of people who were inspired by how The Beatles were actually living their off stage lives. The Beatles’ music creatively stimulated millions of people to change the way they were living, and The Beatles behavior encouraged people to have fun by trying new life style experiences. That’s what I call a perfect example of FORM = CONTENT. In this case it means that the creatively and masterfully varied music The Beatles were producing (form) embodied the real life styles which each of the four Beatles were living (content), together as a band as well as separately as unique individuals.
2. BEST SONGWRITERS
This should be self-evident, but just because Paul McCartney has the title of the most popular songwriter in history doesn’t necessarily make him the best songwriter in history. The qualities which do make both Paul and John the best songwriters in history go beyond writing the greatest number of catchy classic songs. “Catchy” means that their melodies and lyrics are instantly memorable. “Classic” means that they stand the test of time. But both Paul and John wrote very sophisticated melodies that moved beyond the simple groups of 2, 4 and 8 patterned phrases used by almost all other songwriters. John and Paul’s melodies soared, floated, cascaded, dived and peaked with true dynamics, naturally following the syllabic lyric patterns - but not always. Sometimes the melodic and lyric patterns were independent of each other, almost counterpoint in nature, and as a songwriter, they never ceased to astonish me with their brilliance and originality. In the beginning, their lyrics were simple and their songs were simple love songs. But they soon began exploring new territory by writing about subjects that hadn’t been covered before. Inspired by Bob Dylan, they wrote true poetry with feeling and depth, using evocative and unusual words. Rubber Soul marked the beginning of their evolution as mature songwriters, Revolver was a break-out album, and Sergeant Pepper was an historic landmark album in terms of new and innovative songwriting as well as production. Every song they wrote was significantly different from the last one even though each song had their unmistakable sound.
Most songwriters are only average players on their instruments, but John and Paul are both sophisticated guitarists who were able to integrate their playing into their songs and even into their song structure so that the “licks” they played became as catchy a part of their songs as the choruses and verses. Blackbird and Dear Prudence are only two examples of songs which couldn’t possibly be written by any other songwriter because of the guitar playing which forms an integral part of the song structure. In similar fashion, Lady Madonna is the best example of a great song which derives from the unique and beautiful bass part which only Paul could possibly have created.
Average songwriters achieve the catchy quality by repeating a phrase endlessly or by beating a chorus to death. John and Paul found countless ways to be memorable without ever overly repeating something. The only time they repeated something over and over again for a long time was in Hey Jude, and what they chose to repeat is so gorgeous that one can only wish they had never ended the song. The Beatles were my biggest musical influence and I used to think, “If I could write just one song that’s as good as John and Paul’s worst song, I’d be happy.” People tell me I accomplished that goal and they say one good example is John is Alive which is my sincere tribute to Sir Lennon.
3. BEST SINGERS
Even Ringo could sing when he got a little help from his friends who lived in the yellow submarine. But to say that Paul and John are two of the best singers in rock and roll is to state the obvious. Combining John, Paul and George created the best harmony vocals the world has ever experienced. Even their two part harmonies were unusual, catching us all by surprise on their first hit record with the fast harmony melisma in the chorus of I Want to Hold Your Hand. John had a knack of placing a unique low harmony line underneath Paul’s high melody line so as to form a second melody which created unusual harmony effects. He did that right from the beginning in the verses of She Loves You. Both Paul and John could blast out screaming rock and roll (i.e. Long Tall Sally and Twist and Shout), and both could break our hearts with touching, deep feeling ballads (i.e. Yesterday and Julia). There seems to be no end to their emotional vocal range, and John even explored the heights of vocal psychedelia in songs like She Said (Revolver) and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.
4. MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS
Paul brought a new style of melodic playing to the bass guitar, reaching a new high of creativity on Sergeant Pepper with a level of sophistication never heard before. Many other musicians besides me recognize Paul as being one of the best bass guitar players ever. George is underrated as a lead guitarist by people with average or below average musical knowledge or ability, but most guitarists (including Eric Clapton) know better. George’s strength is in melody, pure and simple. It would be difficult to find a George Harrison lead which is not melodic, and each of his leads has a strong beginning, a stronger middle and a well defined ending. In fact, that’s Eric’s definition of what makes a good guitar lead. George continually developed new guitar sounds for each Beatles song. John and Paul are also excellent guitarists and both recorded great leads as well as innovative rhythm tracks. All three of the Beatles guitarists may lack showy technical fireworks but they make that definition of guitar mastery irrelevant by overwhelming the senses with creativity, style, and pure melody. The exact same thing can be said about John and Paul’s keyboard playing. Ringo may be underrated as a drummer by the public but he is not underrated by other professional drummers. Ringo mastered the art of drum sounds. No drummer has ever recorded so many different sounds on so many different sounding records. Ringo invented a new style of slow drum playing, epitomized on A Day in the Life and Strawberry Fields Forever. John said many times, “Ringo has the best back beat in the business” and the successful studio drummers understand why John was correct.
5. TOTAL CHARISMA
A good definition of charisma needs to include “an unusual ability to influence people and arouse devotion” and “a personal attractiveness which enables a person to influence others”. No musical group prior to or after The Beatles features true charisma emanating strongly from the entire group as well as separately from each member. The Beatles stunned the world with their photogenic quality, their charm, their bubbling and lovable personalities, their cuteness and their unique style. Even before The Beatles achieved fame, people in Liverpool were imitating their haircuts, the way they dressed, the way they behaved, and the way they lived. Such a simple subliminal message about smoking marijuana got communicated to all the hippies who were waiting to happen without actual words ever being spoken. The Beatles had a lot to lose by being explicit on that subject, but they successfully avoided trouble by keeping it very subtle while at the same time clear enough so that we all got it. The Fab Four kept changing their styles rapidly, almost with each album cover, and soon the message became one of explicit spiritualism. After visiting India, The Beatles introduced eastern mysticism and meditation to the Western world for the first time through the mass media. John’s long saga with internal angst, drugs, spiritualism, politics, personal battles, and ultimately his marriage to Yoko played out like a movie the whole world got to watch in fascination. Paul’s happy life with Linda, George’s great focus on meditation, and Ringo’s equanimity throughout were all perfect examples of the power, the truth, and the effectiveness of true charisma.
6. SEXUAL AURA
Need I say it? Ask the millions of girls who were screaming and fainting at the very sight of them. “The Boys” didn’t move like Elvis or dance like Mick, they just stood there shaking their “mop top” heads around, smiling, laughing, and looking gorgeous as they performed great music and that was it. On their first visit to America, some enterprising weirdo from New York City managed to cut up the hotel bed sheets The Beatles had slept on into 1″ square pieces, and these things were actually sold to girls over the public airwaves by adult DJ’s on the AM radio stations who should have known better. The Beatles phenomenon went way beyond the rock and roll sex star status that had been seen before. Teenage girls in uncountable numbers fell in love, their hearts to be trapped, their heart strings to be continually plucked, and ultimately, their hearts to be broken by the unobtainable object of their love. Worshiping a star from afar? Infatuation? Obsession? Not real love? For many of them, it was their first experience feeling love for a man/boy. Whatever it was, it was very real to all of them, and we all soon understood that The Beatles were The Real Thing.
That’s why I call The Beatles the Most Creative Band of All Time. They were The Real Thing. The Creative Zenith. The high point on the bell curve of musical history.
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The Beatles, Donovan and India
April 20, 2008 by Shadow · Comments Off
Many Beatles fans are unaware of the great impact British folk-singer and guitarist Donovan (Donovan Philips Leitch) had on the Beatles and their music in 1968.
Donovan was a friend of the Beatles, and when the group traveled to Rishikesh in India to study Transcendental Meditation in February 1968, Donovan came along. There were several other westerners present at the Rishikesh camp too, including Mike Love of the Beach Boys.
Many of the songs that would later feature on the Beatles’ 1968 album entitled The Beatles - also known as The White Album because of its white cover - emerged during the group’s stay in India.
One reason for this was the fact that Donovan was there. Between the mediation classes, he taught John, Paul and George a special finger-picking guitar style which can be traced on many of the songs on The White Album.
Take Paul McCartney’s Blackbird, for example. It was written in India, and it’s a prime example of how Donovan’s guitar-technique was applied by the Beatles. Listen how elegantly Paul picks the strings and how the guitar pattern supports the lead vocal brilliantly.
Acoustic guitars had arguably not sounded quite as sophisticated as that on previous Beatles recordings, perhaps with a few exceptions, such as Paul’s I’ve Just Seen A Face from 1965 and Lennon’s Girl from 1966. The Beatles had often used the acoustic to play rhythm guitar - which of course worked brilliantly - but the Donovan finger-picking style added yet another dimension their music.
Another of Paul’s songs, Mother Nature’s Son, also took shape in India. Also here Donovan’s influence is obvious. The lyrics, meanwhile, are said to have been influenced by a lecture given by meditation guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a central figure at the camp.
Paul was of course not the only Beatle who was inspired by Donovan’s guitar technique. Just listen to the songs Julia and Dear Prudence, both penned by John Lennon. Dear Prudence is actually about a specific incident that occurred at the Rishikesh meditation camp. The song is really about Prudence Farrow, sister of actress Mia Farrow, who also stayed at Rishikesh. Prudence, however, preferred to meditate in solitude in her chalet. In the end Lennon and George Harrison had to convince her to come out and join the others: Dear Prudence, won’t you come out and play?
Other songs written or inspired by the stay in India were Lennon’s The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill and Sexy Sadie, plus McCartney’s Why Don’t We Do It In The Road and Wild Honey Pie.
Sexy Sadie was originally called Maharishi after Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the meditation guru. After having stayed in India for a while, Lennon lost trust in Maharishi, apparently because of a rumor that the guru had made sexual advances to a female member of the course. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill was about college graduate named Richard Cooke III who visited the Rishikesh community because his mother Nancy was staying there. They did indeed go tiger hunting, just like the song suggests.
Paul McCartney later said he got the idea to Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? in India, where he had seen two monkeys copulating in the road. Wild Honey Pie was a sing along that also emerged in Rishikesh.
The first Beatle to leave India was Ringo, who returned to London in early March. McCartney soon followed, while Lennon and Harrison left in April.
You can read about all the songs the Beatles released on my website: http://www.thebeatlesonline.com
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American Idol: Simon Cowell Rumors, Britney and Paul Mccartney
April 6, 2008 by Shadow · Comments Off
The premiere of American Idol’s seventh season is well underway, with only a few weeks left to wait through. FOX is already in full swing with their promotions for the reality singing contest, and this year, a bit of minor controversy has topped the ice cream with a cherry.
This week, reports surfaced that Simon Cowell turned into some big-headed diva and bailed on a promotional photo shoot that eventually ended up with FOX losing $50,000. The rumors were immediately cleared today, as Cowell and his representatives clarified the fact that Cowell was indeed sick with a viral infection and informed FOX about it. Thus, such complaints about his behavior would be totally unfounded.
Despite his sour image on screen, Simon Cowell is a pretty funny, spontaneous and honest man. Regarding this issue, Cowell admitted that this was the first time in American Idol history that he has called in sick. As for the $50,000 figure, the tabloids just probably blew it out of proportion.
As for the rumor that Britney Spears is banned from American Idol, that isn’t true to its real sense. Again, the media just probably threw things out of proportion after American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe had a conference all with US Weekly Magazine.
In the call, Lythgoe was quoted, saying “I would have had Britney Spears last year when I thought she was trying to get it all back together again.” However, he apparently changed his mind after all the buzz the former pop princess has created recently. He added, “Britney, at this moment in time, I don’t think is well enough to do anything. I think she needs looking after. I think she needs to pull herself together.”
Ironically, he still believes that Spears is an “exceptionally talented girl” and that she desperately “needs taking care of right now.” Lastly, Lythgoe said that Paul McCartney won’t be appearing on American Idol anytime soon.








