Michael Gerber • Hey Dullblog, the Beatles fan blog

"Treasure trove" of Harrisongs?

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-30T20:15:17-08:00April 21, 2012|George, George Harrison, solo|

King of Fuh The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot talks to Olivia Harrison and Giles Martin about the impending release of Early Takes, Volume I, a new set of Harrison rarities from the early solo period. According to them, this is just the tip of the iceberg.Says Martin, “You get very excited when you see a tape box marked, ‘George, Eric (Clapton), Ringo (Starr) and Klaus (Voorman),’ and then you listen and realize it’s just hours of them chatting in the studio. But other times you stumble across something really great. You are digging for gold, and there was a lot there.”"Exploring My [...]

14

The unexpected from Ono and McCartney

By Michael Gerber|2013-08-14T04:02:20-07:00March 27, 2012|Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono|

NANCY CARR • I think Michael’s comments on the previous post about Paul McCartney’s seeking to entertain an audience, while Yoko Ono seeks to instruct one, are right on the mark and help clarify why people frequently can’t stand one or the other of them. What I find interesting about their respective tendencies is that both do their best work (in my opinion, of course) when they ease off those attitudes. When McCartney worries less about whether people will like what he does, and when Ono expresses her musical gifts without apparent concern for whether the results sound explicitly experimental, they sound [...]

24

My complicated feelings about Beatlegs…and yours?

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-23T12:53:32-07:00March 17, 2012|bootlegs|

Forgive me if this post is a bit hasty—I sat down to write my parody Downturn Abbey, which I'm doing for St. Martin's on a brain-busting turnaround, but…I was in the middle of replying to Craig's nice comment on the previous post, and an issue occurred to me, one probably pretty central to this blog yet something I don't recall us ever discussing. It's this: What do you think about Beatles bootlegs? Do you collect them? Do you feel kinda bad about listening to "illegal" recordings? A major find. I collected Beatles bootlegs pretty obsessively from 12-16. I would head to the same [...]

30

Don’t judge by its disturbing cover . . .

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-07T14:22:48-08:00March 3, 2012|John Lennon, Paul McCartney|

“Lennon and McCartney: Together Alone” (2007) is an in-depth look at the solo careers of both men that is comprehensive, well-written and illustrated, and refreshingly free of bias. It’s changed the way I think about some of Lennon's and McCartney's solo music. For example, I’ll never hear “Watching the Wheels” the same way again. I can hardly stand to read anything biographical about either Lennon or McCartney anymore, since so many writers moved to compose book-length works on them are grinding an ax of some variety. Reading John Blaney’s book was, for me, like opening a window and letting welcome fresh air [...]

20

The King Features’ version of "Tomorrow Never Knows"

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-26T10:50:19-08:00February 9, 2012|1966, cartoon|

Robert Freeman's rejected cover for Revolver, 1966. A Tomorrow Never Knows cartoon? It happened. The Beatles cartoon is wince-worthy, for sure, but have a little sympathy for the animators. As the years passed, they had to shoehorn what The Beatles were becoming—that is, overtly weird-ass—into the family-friendly Fabs from 1964. After watching the clip below, the following scene popped into my noggin.... The time: June 1966.The place: Conference room "B" at King Features Syndicate, here in Southern California. There's acoustic tile. Fluorescent lights. Shitty coffee. At the west end of a grim metal table ringed by uncomfortable chairs, hangs a portrait of Snuffy [...]

5

Someplace Else

By Michael Gerber|2014-03-24T11:23:25-07:00February 9, 2012|George Harrison, solo|

MIKE GERBER • I just found this randomly on YouTube and fell in love with it. All due respect to J and P, George Harrison is the one Beatle whose work continues to open and open to me. Gotta dig out 12 Arnold Grove. http://youtu.be/2pdWG3mlk50

Comments Off

McCartney sings the standards

By Michael Gerber|2013-08-14T04:19:46-07:00February 2, 2012|Paul McCartney|

You can listen to Paul McCartney's new album, "Kisses on the Bottom," free for a limited time here: http://www.npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen I was skeptical when I learned McCartney was planning an album of covers, and when I heard the title, I did a facepalm. But after an initial listen, I'm liking it much more than I thought I would. Take a listen and see what you think!

4

Christmas Never Knows

By Michael Gerber|2011-12-25T19:00:00-08:00December 25, 2011|Uncategorized|

Just heard this on KLOS' Breakfast With The Beatles... As Kate and I perform the annual ritual—opening presents to The Beatles Christmas records—I will be thinking of the people who read this blog, and especially the ones who comment. Our conversations mean a lot to me. May you be strong, well, and happy this day, this week, and this year.

Comments Off

Why I love our commenters so much…

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-23T15:56:13-07:00December 19, 2011|1965, John Lennon|

This, just received today from commenter "Otto Didact," capping our conversation on the true/hidden meaning of "Norwegian Wood": I've heard from a very, very reliable source - literally the horses mouth - that "Norwegian Wood" was just a play on words as Lennon loved to do. It sounds an awful lot like "knowing she would" doesn't it. As in isn't it a nice knowing she would/will put out. Think about it. Much more clever and subtle, as The Beatles were, than burning down a house. How ridiculous. And Lennon at that time in his life wasn't getting blown off much. As in [...]

1

McCartney as the Dickens of Rock

By Michael Gerber|2013-10-15T15:19:03-07:00November 3, 2011|Paul McCartney, Wings|

Macca and Boz.NANCY CARR • If you've ever wondered why Paul McCartney writes story songs and loves performing, or why his sentimentality sometimes runs away with him, I hope you'll enjoy these ruminations on his links to a Victorian forebear. Looking at Paul McCartney’s personal and artistic similarities to Charles Dickens helps explain a lot of things. It illuminates why McCartney is hugely popular but often critically reviled, why he is driven to make money despite his great wealth, and why he tirelessly performs live. Most importantly, it brings his particular gifts into focus. Often McCartney is compared to John Lennon and criticized [...]

42

About Michael Gerber