Nancy Carr • Hey Dullblog, the Beatles fan blog

I’ve just seen (part of) a face: McCartney on the Colbert Report

By Nancy Carr|2014-10-13T15:28:42-07:00June 24, 2013|Colbert Report, John Lennon, Paul McCartney|

Paul McCartney on The Colbert Report, 6/12/13. NANCY CARR • Paul McCartney's hour-long June 12 appearance on The Colbert Report was great fun -- if you missed it, you can watch it all here. Colbert's introduction was characteristically hilarious and pointed. McCartney plays so many instruments he's "a one-man karoke bar without the weird videos," and Colbert is hosting a "150-person Paul McCartney concert. So Oprah, you and your free cars can suck it." And the interview featured McCartney seeming looser and happier than he's been in many others. Partly this had to be knowing Colbert was a fan who [...]

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Wings Over an Alternate Universe

By Nancy Carr|2014-07-23T11:56:58-07:00June 13, 2013|bootlegs, Paul McCartney, Wings|

The first sign that this bootleg is a bit weirder than usual is the cover—not the straightforward band photo used on many bootlegs of this show, which features Paul in a remarkably hideous pink shirt. That whoever put together this cover thought it would be cool to paste a square-shaped snapshot of Linda's head over that of a painted angel who is facing a different direction is a signal, friends, of more weirdness ahead. The back cover may lull you into a false sense of security. Here, at least, is the standard tracklist for bootlegs of this show. And the bus photo [...]

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Tributosaurus plays the White Album live

By Nancy Carr|2013-09-02T08:17:14-07:00May 27, 2013|The White Album|

RAWRRRR, it's the White Album This past Friday Tributosaurus did the entire White Album live (well, with one exception, to be explained in a bit) -- and what a show! Say what you will about this being the "tension album," or about editing it down to one disc, a la George Martin's recommendation (and we have on this blog, oh we have), but this is an amazing set of songs. A few observations about the show: As with "Sgt. Pepper's" and "Magical Mystery Tour," it's revelatory to see how many people are required onstage to recreate some of the recordings. [...]

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Sean to play "Double Fantasy": cool or creepy?

By Nancy Carr|2013-08-14T03:42:15-07:00May 16, 2013|1980, Double Fantasy, John Lennon, Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono|

NANCY CARR • According to this article in the New Musical Express, Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon will be touring together this summer, with one of the scheduled events being the performance of Double Fantasy in its entirety. (That will be at the Royal Festival Hall in London on June 23, closing out the Meltdown Festival.) Not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I think it's great for artists to play music they've worked on live for people who will enjoy it—especially when that music wasn't played live when it was released. For that reason I'm all in favor [...]

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McCartney’s Musical Aviary

By Nancy Carr|2016-02-11T14:00:18-08:00May 9, 2013|Paul McCartney, Wings|

Late at night when the wind is stillI'll come flying through your door… {Another in what is becoming a series of meditations on themes in McCartney's music. Let me know if I've missed any bird references! --Nancy} Birds and wings show up again and again in Paul McCartney's music–but only in his better music. I'll go out on a critical limb and declare that whenever McCartney writes about birds or flying– even in passing–he’s revealing a great deal about himself. When he writes about birds McCartney is working to transmute his feelings into music, and even his bird-featuring songs that [...]

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Ze Ramalho Covers "Another Day"

By Nancy Carr|2015-12-28T12:16:13-08:00May 2, 2013|Beatle-inspired, Covers|

Crinsk Dee Night? Courtesy of Dusty Groove America, a great soul/funk/jazz/world record store here in Chicago, I've discovered a number of Brazilian artists doing Beatles covers. One of the most interesting albums is Ze Ramalho Canta Beatles, which includes some solo songs as well, like this version of "Another Day." Ramalho's delivery has really grown on me. And its good to see this song getting some positive attention, after years of being critically dismissed. As several on this blog have remarked (most recently Annie McNeil, in the "Drugs and Differences" thread), it's striking that McCartney often writes sympathetic songs about [...]

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Analyzing the Abbey Road medley

By Nancy Carr|2013-10-26T11:13:55-07:00April 25, 2013|1969, Abbey Road|

What's the album called, again? NANCY CARR • I recently discovered the Soundscapes website, which features -- among many other things -- musicologist Alan W. Pollack's notes on the entire Beatles catalog. Not since I found George Starostin's original review website have I been so excited about a mine of musical information and analysis. The whole set of notes is well worth your time and attention if you're interested in understanding the Beatles' work, with an emphasis on the music rather than the lyrics. Pollack does make some comments about the lyrics and the songs as whole entities, but his focus [...]

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Getting (a bit) better — and a Minus 5 cover

By Nancy Carr|2013-08-01T04:32:35-07:00March 31, 2013|John and Paul, Wings|

The past few weeks have found us spending time and (virtual) ink on some pretty dark themes -- the Lennon/McCartney musical feud of the early 70s and Albert Goldman's resolutely dirt-seeking biography of Lennon. But hey, it's spring! Here in Chicago it's finally stopped being 30 degrees, the sun is out, some (admittedly small) green shoots are emerging from the ground . . . . it's a time of at least some hopefulness.So, in that spirit, I invite you to listen to the Minus 5's cover of "Dear Friend," the song on Wings' debut album in which Paul responds to John's "How [...]

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"Ultimate Beatles Record Collection"

By Nancy Carr|2021-11-23T14:18:31-08:00February 7, 2013|Beatles merch, bootlegs, Unreleased/Outtakes|

You'd need a temporary secretary, just to catalogue it This collection, up for sale on eBay through Saturday, lives up to its title. It’s definitely the most comprehensive Beatles and Beatles-related one I’ve ever seen. There are records I’ve seen only in Bruce Spizer’s books, like McCartney’s “Walking in the Park with Eloise,” what looks like a full run of the "Lost Lennon Tapes" LPs, and the Beatles bootleg “War and Peace.” So many bootlegs, so many picture sleeves, so many rarities! Looking at it all, I’m amazed, moved, and disquieted. Amazed because it must have taken an enormous amount [...]

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Solo Beatles: Good stuff from this millenium?

By Nancy Carr|2013-09-09T08:30:34-07:00January 28, 2013|George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, solo|

These CDs don't NEVER EVER sell. NANCY CARR • In the "Blue Sway" thread, Commenter J.R. remarked that he hasn't sought out Paul McCartney's work since 1999's Run Devil Run. Then I came across this blog post by Todd Pack, which reprints the "Do Not Never Ever Buy" list reproduced above. (It's from the Laurie's Planet of Sound music store in Chicago.) The list includes "60s/70s Artists CD's from the 80s/90s/2000s" as a category comprehensively to be avoided when buying CDs to resell. (This isn't a list of music the record store clerks snobbishly hate, a la "High Fidelity," but a list [...]

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